The Littlest Sannin II: Sound in Autumn

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Sequel to The Littlest Sannin

Chapter 1

Tsunade stood at the bed of her adopted son. Her hand stroked the blond bangs away from his face.

"He's so still."

Tsunade turned to see the four girls that each had a piece of his heart. Her gaze landed on Kin. "What? It's unnatural." She said.

Tsunade nodded. She knew the girl was right and each of them was coping in their own ways. Tayuya looked solemn and hadn't spoken since the battle when she saw Naruto laying there on the ground.

Haku had gone catatonic.

Temari when she returned from her mission had gone on a rampage. I think Konoha's going to be nursing more injured ninja for after the battle than for during it. She thought of the wind user and her fans.

Her gaze slipped to the other side of the bed where Anko was sitting. She's taking it just as bad. Anko alternated between Kabuto's room and this one, her sleep was nonexistent and Tsunade would know, as she hadn't slept since the battle three days ago either.

"Kin, see if you can find us some food." She said. The girl looked at her like she was insane. "Take Tayuya with you and also check on Kimimaro."

The girls left, reluctantly. Tsunade knew that Shizune was making the rounds of the Oto ninja, they'd commandeered a floor of the hospital and kicked all Konoha nin and citizens off of it.

The door opened. "How is he hime?" Orochimaru asked coming in. he looked as tired as her.

"No change. Where is Jiraiya?" she asked. Since that day Jiraiya had vanished after telling them about the seal that Natas had placed on the blond.

(Flashback)

Jiraiya skidded to a halt on his knees, he looked at the seal and gulped. "Oh shit."

"DO SOMETHING!" Tsunade screamed at him.

"I…I can't." Jiraiya said.

"YOU CAN! YOU'RE A SEAL MASTER!" Tsunade looked at him.

"I…I can't hime. This seal is a master seal. It's called the Five Palm Elemental seal. There's a reason. If I make a mistake removing it, it would make Naruto's heart explode. It's designed to lock a person in their mind and seal their chakra away. It was used a hundred years ago on prisoners of war that were too important to kill, but they couldn't take the chance of escaping."

Tsunade looked at him, her tears and eyes begging him to heal the boy they raised as their own. "Do something." She pleaded.

(End Flashback)

"He's gone to see the monks of Mount Enya." Orochimaru said looking down at the blond that never had been this still before. His hand touched Naruto's. "It will be fine Tsu-hime. Jiraiya won't fail."

"How can you be so certain?" she demanded, ignoring Haku and Anko, neither were paying attention, both lost in their own pain over the blond for different reasons.

"Because, he might be a baka, but Jiraiya would never fail anything for Naruto." Orochimaru said. "He's our child. The child of the Sannin. Jiraiya might be a goof, and a pervert, but there is nothing he, nor any of us wouldn't do for our boy."

Tsunade looked at Naruto once more, her hands brushed his hair. "I'm going to kill Natas." She said after several minutes of silence.

"I know." Orochimaru said and he vowed to be there as well. The skull masked nin had harmed their children. He looked at his niece and saw her broken expression. Kabuto's recovering slowly, but he's getting better. If it wasn't for his healing factor, he'd be as dead as Kankuro.

The puppet master's siblings were ghosts around the floor themselves. Gaara had taken to keeping guard outside this room, his gaze had gone flat and dead. The only ones to get through to him have been Temari and Hinata. both girls were asleep in a room. Since the battle the Oto group had moved out of the hotel and set up camp on the top floor of the hospital.

Sakon, Ukon, Jirobo, and Kidomaro are on the roof. Ryu is sacked out in front of the elevator and Temari and Hinata when awake and not watching over Gaara or Naruto patrol the corridors.

He sighed. We should return to Oto. At least there I know there aren't any holes in security.

"What did sensei say about Natas message?" Tsunade asked.

Orochimaru took a moment to recall and sighed. "The scroll was a taunt for us. He wants us to come to him and he'll remove the seal from Naruto."

Tsunade growled.

"All of that, and they take the three Uchiha and Hatake."

"All the sharingan's are now gone. Jiraiya's spy network confirmed that the three Uchiha were blind during the attack."

"What game is Natas playing?" Tsunade said as she checked the machines hooked to Naruto.

"Its like he's following different orders."

Orochimaru nodded. "I'm disturbed by what that sorcerer Shang Tsung had done. After his death, the circle vanished, and we didn't get to see what it was."

"Where's his body?" Tsunade asked.

"Gone, like all their other dead and wounded. Its like they had recall seals on them or something."

Tsunade growled.

"Back to Natas's message. He mentioned he is done with Konoha as they have nothing he wants. A few more taunts to us and we'd be seeing a messenger soon."

"And Konoha's Council?"

"They aren't happy and blaming us and Naruto for the invasion and the loss of the sharingan."

"Of course they are." She muttered.

The door opened and revealed Shizune who looked tired.

"How's Kimimaro doing?" she asked her apprentice.

"The internal damage is taking the new treatment, and the outer wound is growing over with bone."

"With bone? Is something wrong with his kekkei genkai?" Tsunade asked.

"No. it seems to be a natural development. I asked him while he was conscious and he said it mentioned that extreme wounds would grow bone armor at a certain point in his development."

Tsunade sighed as Shizune checked Naruto and made notes on the clipboard. She knew Tsunade was monitoring, but she needed to do something to keep herself from breaking down as well.

"Kabuto's been in and out of consciousness. I've had to do a chakra infusion as his healing factor keeps using it up with the amount of damage he sustained."

Anko stood and left the room, and they all knew she was going to see Kabuto. Haku still hadn't moved or twitched.

"We need to do something about her Lady Tsunade." Shizune said as the ice user was motionless, her eyes on Naruto's form.

"What do you suggest?"

Shizune bit her lip. "We could ask the Hokage for help from the Yamanaka clan. Their mind arts…"

"They hate Naruto, and to have one anywhere near him while he's vulnerable would be dangerous." Tsunade said remembering her meeting with Inoichi during the time Naruto was training for the finals of the chuunin exam.

"We need to do something." Tsunade said looking at Orochimaru.

"Lets go talk to Sarutobi-sensei." He said. He saw her look at Naruto and put a hand on her shoulder. "Shizune will stay here, and Gaara's right outside the door." He said.

He could tell she didn't want to leave the boy she thought of as her son. "He'll be fine here, I promise."

Tsunade paused and Orochimaru summoned a man-snake hybrid. "Guard this room. Any one other than our people come in, kill."

The man-snake hissed and bowed its head and pulled out a curved sword and stepped out to stand with Gaara.

Tsunade summoned a small slug. "Keep an eye on Naruto-kun." She said. "Any change or someone we don't know comes in, get me a message right away."

"Yes milady." The slug said and took up a position atop the nightstand.

"Lets go." She said, her gaze hardening.

XX

(The Hokage's Office)

"Enter." Hiruzen Sarutobi called out. The battle several days ago took a lot out of him and he was still feeling the effects, but he had a job to do and a village to repair.

His eyes widened at seeing Tsunade step in, followed by Orochimaru.

"My poor girl." He said standing and rounding the desk paused, but was surprised when she pulled him into a hug, he felt her shake as she fought to keep from crying.

"How is he?" he asked Orochimaru.

"No change." The Otokage said. "Jiraiya's gone to see the monks of Mt. Enya, but we might have to take Natas up on his offer and meet with him on his terms." The Snake Sannin said.

"Is there anything I can do?" Sarutobi asked.

"Keep your people away." Orochimaru said. "We're very high strung and I don't think any of my people will hesitate to kill first and ask questions later."

Sarutobi nodded. "I've already ordered the hospital staff to stay off the top floor and posted Anbu on the stairs and I'll have the elevator locked down requiring a key that I'll give to you."

Orochimaru nodded his thanks. "Then I hope to get Gaara to sleep." He said and explained how the jinchuriki of the one tail had stood guard since.

"Anything else?" Sarutobi asked.

"Keep your council away. I've been answering them…"

"What? Why?" Sarutobi was surprised, this was the first he'd heard of it since meeting Orochimaru right after the battle and reading the scroll Natas left.

"They seem to think we were part of Natas's attack."

"Fools." Sarutobi hissed. "I'll take care of it."

Sarutobi hugged Tsunade tighter. The girl was his student at one time and to him that made her family, and he thought of Naruto as a grandson as well.

"We'll make Natas pay. Even if we have to chase him to the ends of the earth."

AN: And thus begins TLSII. Got it done faster than expected.