The Red Flash

Did they love me?

1 Day Earlier

The third Hokage was standing in his office as he was battling his immortal enemy, the enemy of all kages, an enemy that couldn't be defeated. The kage was staring at his eternal enemy, and the enemy was just mocking him. The kage started breathing heavily and shouted the name of his enemy.

Damn Paperwork

The hidden ANBU in the office were trying hard not to laugh at their kage's behaviour. Sarutobi sighed as he then started smoking his pipe. He relaxed a bit and started working on his paperwork again. How were you able to complete them so fast, Minato? The third asked himself. He had no answer, and perhaps being the fastest shinobi alive had its perks.

After what felt like an eternity, he was done with the pile in front of him and decided to read something. His hand moved to open a secret drawer of his desk when a blur entered his office through the window.

His ANBU's were immediately on alert, but Sarutobi knew who the idiot had come through the window.

"The door was just never an option?" The third asked in a monotone tone looking at Jiraiya.

The sannin grinned and turned his face to his sensei. "No, windows are much better", he responded and walked to the chair on the other side of the desk. "How are things around the village?" Jiraiya asked.

"People still remember what happened three years ago, is not easy to forget for some," Sarutobi answered, and a frown appeared on Jiraiya's face.

"What about outside the village?" Sarutobi asked, smoking his pipe. His face turned from joking to serious within a second.

Sarutobi understood, and with a sign of his hand, his ANBU's left and activated a silence seal.

"What news do you have?" Sarutobi asked with a serious tone.

Jiraiya sighed. "I have news of an organization of missing nins," he said in a serious tone.

Sarutobi raised his eyebrow at this. It wasn't that much of a big deal for missing nins to create an organization. "Why is this important Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked, knowing there was more to this.

"They all are made of S-Rank shinobis, and is called Akatsuki," Jiraiya said with a dreadful tone.

Sarutobi slightly paled at this. An organization made of S-Rank ninjas can be a big problem, he thought.

"And they're targeting the Jinchuurikis", and that organization just became far more dangerous in Sarutobi's mind.

Targeting Jinchuurikis?! For what reason can they somehow control them and wants their power to belong to them? Sarutobi asked himself and was slightly worried for Naruto.

"What do they want?" He asked, worried for Naruto, who was still only three years old.

Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, but they're definitely not trying to reach world peace or anything like that", he responded and pinching the bridge on his nose.

"Do you think they work for any of the other villages?" He asked, thinking that they worked perhaps for Kumo or, god forbid, Iwa.

Jiraiya shook his head. "As far as I know 'No' " Jiraiya responded.

There was complete silence for a few minutes. "I want to meet Naruto", Jiraiya suddenly said. Sarutobi looked at him in total shock. He didn't expect Jiraiya to meet the kid, at least until he becomes a genin.

Sarutobi gave him a look like 'Why Now'.

"I want to meet him. I have waited long enough, and now my godson needs me more than ever," Jiraiya added with a serious tone and didn't care if his sensei would tell him 'No'.