## Konoha - Hokage Tower ##
Tamako sat before the Hokage, a serious expression on her face as she shook her head firmly.
"Naruto-sama is not dead, Lady Hokage."
At first, Tsunade had felt sympathy for Tamako's apparent inability to accept the fact that Naruto had been captured by Akatsuki. But now it had become absurd—even Shima couldn't change the girl's mind.
"Tamako, you must accept the reality that Jiraiya and Naruto are missing. I'll help you get through this, just as I did."
Tamako sighed.
"My master isn't dead, nor is he missing. I can speak to him right now." She lowered the collar of her kimono and pressed two fingers against a tattoo on her shoulder, channeling chakra into it. "Yes, it's true he hasn't responded for several days. Our connection feels a bit unstable. But when I attempted contact earlier, after the pulsing stopped, he responded to me."
Tsunade shot up from her desk in shock, while Shima stared at Tamako in disbelief.
"Where is he? Is Jiraiya okay? What happened?"
"And what about Fukasaku?" Shima asked. "Is he alright too?"
Frowning, Tamako focused intently as she sent out encoded messages.
"Well, Lord Jiraiya is still alive. He believes Fukasaku is also safe—he was with them before he lost consciousness. He obviously doesn't know his exact location yet, but once he determines his location, he will tell me—and then I will inform you." Tamako already knew where he was; he'd told her. But she also understood that Naruto didn't want others knowing about his ongoing communication with Root, so she needed to handle this carefully.
"However," she continued, "he is safe—he gave me his word. He has some freedom to move around and will provide more information when he gets the chance."
Both Tsunade and Shima exhaled deeply in relief.
"I'll give that brat and pervert a good scolding when they finally return," Tsunade said gratefully. "Thank you, Tamako. That's exactly why I called you here. And if you could ask Shizune to come in when you leave, that would be great—we still have work to do."
Tamako offered a slight smile, bowed respectfully, and left the room. She remained worried about Naruto, and whenever she felt worried, there was only one thing she did—work. He would contact her again soon.
---
## Land of Rivers - Root Hideout ##
Naruto adjusted his clothing, feeling slightly reassured.
Barefoot and wearing only a plain black long-sleeved shirt and matching pants, he strolled idly through the halls of the base, his sword slung across his back as usual.
Unlike Orochimaru's bases, Danzo's hideouts showed no consistent style or layout.
A single Root base could vary from being a small refuge like the one he previously shared with Amegakure in the Land of Lightning, to a sprawling complex used to plan operations and serve as a central headquarters during foreign missions.
Each hideout was different, and there were no markers or guides to help navigate… Plus, Naruto had never been to this specific hideout before.
Fortunately, he was already inside the medical wing, and it didn't take him long to find Jiraiya's room, where Fukasaku was standing guard nearby.
"Did you come here to see me?"
Naruto walked into the room and shut the door behind him.
Fukasaku watched as Naruto entered and then looked down at Jiraiya.
"They say he'll pull through. I don't even know who 'they' are, but they've kept Jiraiya alive. Most of them wear Konoha forehead protectors. They haven't restricted my freedom, and you seem perfectly at ease here. So I guess I shouldn't be worried either."
"Right…" Naruto wasn't sure how to phrase his next question, because he still vividly remembered how dire things had become during his fight with Pain. "Is he really okay? Do you know? I told Granny Tsunade he was alive, but I don't know exactly how he is."
Fukasaku sighed and approached Naruto.
"Well, just like you saw before we got tossed around like ants, he lost his left arm. There's nothing anyone can do about that. His throat sustained serious damage, and he'll need time to recover his ability to speak. His internal organs also suffered major injuries. He's only temporarily unfit for battle… assuming he can fight again at all."
"At least he's still alive…" Naruto said, kneeling beside Jiraiya's bed as his knees flared with pain. He buried his head in the sheets. "At least he's still alive and can keep pulling off his perverted antics…" A soothing silence filled the room. "How long have we been here?"
"Five days," Fukasaku replied calmly. "They say all your bones were broken. How in the world did that happen?"
Naruto looked at the old toad.
"There's always a cost to using power you can't fully control… I couldn't even access Four-Tails without unleashing the Demon Fox, that fox-like transformation you witnessed. When I'm like that, I can't use any Ninjutsu—only rely on strength and speed… But even that wasn't enough against Pain. He nearly killed Ero-Sennin, and defeated me too quickly…"
"You didn't know much about his abilities. Well, Lord Jiraiya knew, and so did I. Lady Shima knows too. She should have already reported to your Hokage," Fukasaku mused. "That's also why you went to Amegakure, right? The mission's been completed."
"I could've beaten Konan if it'd been one-on-one…" Naruto said. "But Pain… I don't think I stood a chance, even with everything I threw at him. He was too fast, and had way too many henchmen. That bald guy's lackey was incredibly strong—I didn't stand a chance."
Fukasaku simply nodded.
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