Jiraiya sized up the masked man in front of him. Every instinct honed from years of experience kicked into high gear. "You've got some nerve showing up here in front of me." he said, his tone sounded light but Dragon could hear that it was laced with a cold edge reserved for enemies. "Especially after what you pulled back in the village."
Dragon stood motionless, his dark green cloak billowing slightly in the evening breeze. The dragon-shaped mask concealed his face, revealing only a pair of piercing eyes. "I could say the same about you," he replied calmly. "The Land of Earth isn't exactly friendly territory for a Leaf shinobi."
"Funny," Jiraiya smirked, but his eyes remained sharp. "I don't recall needing an invitation to go anywhere."
"Nor do I," Dragon countered.
Jiraiya's gaze hardened. "You attacked Danzo and his Root operatives. Care to explain why?"
Dragon tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question. 'I need to choose my words carefully. I need to treat him as if I'm treating an enemy or he might suspect something.' "Danzo was a blight on the Leaf village." he said finally. "His actions endangered not just your village, but the entire shinobi world. The Hokage should have dealt with that old cripple a long time ago."
"A noble sentiment," Jiraiya replied skeptically. "But some no name ninja doesn't get to decide who lives and who dies in the Leaf village. Especially someone as high up as Danzo."
"I'm not some no name ninja. You'll learn that soon enough." Dragon said evenly. "I'm a revolutionary fighting against a corrupt system. Danzo was part of that system and had to be stopped."
Jiraiya crossed his arms, his stance deceptively relaxed. "And what system might that be?"
Dragon's eyes locked onto Jiraiya's. "The one where those in power manipulate the innocent for their gain. The secrets they keep and the lies they tell have devastating consequences down the line."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Big noble talk for someone hiding behind a mask."
'He's trying to provoke me.' Dragon remained unfazed. "The mask is a necessity. Trust is hard to come by these days."
"Then why should I trust you?" Jiraiya asked bluntly.
"You shouldn't," Dragon admitted. "But for the moment, our goals align."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "And what goals might those be?"
"Orochimaru," Dragon stated simply.
A flicker of surprise crossed Jiraiya's face before he masked it. "What about him?"
"I'm here to find him." Dragon said.
Jiraiya's muscles tensed subtly. "If you think I'll let you get near him to help with whatever twisted plans you have—"
"I'm not here to aid him," Dragon interrupted. "Quite the opposite."
Jiraiya studied him carefully. "Forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical."
"I understand your hesitation, I do." Dragon replied. "But time is of the essence. We both want to stop Orochimaru."
Jiraiya was silent as he considered this. A few moments later he spoke. "Assuming I believe you, why are you here in the Land of Earth?"
"As I said, I'm here for Orochimaru," Dragon answered. "And to prevent his plans from coming to fruition."
Jiraiya's gaze sharpened. "What do you know about his plans?"
Dragon hesitated briefly. 'I need to give him just enough information.' "I know that he's taken Tsunade Senju and that he's receiving aid from someone within the Land of Earth."
'How much does this guy know?' Jiraiya's eyes flickered with concern. "And who might that be?"
"A minister from the Earth Daimyo's court," Dragon said. "Specifically, the Minister of Finance."
'So he knows.' Jiraiya's expression remained neutral. "Yeah. The Minister of Finance is backing Orochimaru. He helped import several goods into the country under several aliases.."
"You already know?" Dragon feigned mild surprise. "Not bad. And here I thought I was the only one who figured that out so quickly."
Jiraiya smirked slightly. "You're not the only one who's smart and resourceful. Now unless you're here to tell me you have some more info on their plans or Orochimaru's location, you're wasting my time. And I'll become less polite."
The masked man chucked. "Then it's a good thing I came prepared. I paid the minister a visit at his home." Dragon continued. "Managed to acquire some valuable information."
"Is that so?" Jiraiya asked, his tone skeptical. "And you expect me to take this at face value?"
"Believe what you will," Dragon replied. He reached into his cloak slowly, pulling out a scroll and a small recording device.
"What's that?" Jiraiya's eyes instantly focused on the two objects in Dragon's hand.
"A recording of the minister confessing to his crimes," Dragon explained. "And blueprints of a tunnel, along with maps indicating Orochimaru's approximate locations."
The Sannin's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'The minister's confession? That's impossible… If what he has is true then…'
But Jiraiya was cautious. "You want me to believe that the minister just confessed his crimes to you and gave you all that intel like that. Because what? You asked him nicely?" The white haired ninja was skeptical and asked with a scoff.
Dragon shrugged. "Well, I did a little more than just ask. I killed a few of his guards right in front of him and his wife. Threatened them with a fate worse than death and I went for a walk inside their heads."
Jiraiya suddenly recalled what was stolen from Danzo's base last night. "The Hidden Mind reading jutsu of the Yamanaka clan. You learned it so quickly."
"Yes. I learned it. Danzo was very meticulous. Need some time to master it though."
'This bastard. Hidden jutsus exclusive to the village are now in the hands of an unknown. Sensei will have a bigger headache after this whole mess with Tsunade is sorted out.' Jiraiya was silent as he looked at the man. He then thought about what the man claimed. 'Did he really do it? Did he really attack a member of the Daimyo court?'
"Is the minister dead?" Jiraiya asked.
"No. He's still alive."
The Toad Sannin was caught off guard by that answer. He expected the man to kill him to keep what happened from getting out. "If you really did what you just claimed, then you have to know that you just provoked the entire Land of Earth with your stunt. The Daimyo won't let this slide."
"He will." Dragon's simple answer stunned the white haired ninja. "I've set some plans in motion. You'll understand once you go through this. Here, consider this a gesture of goodwill."
Dragon threw the recording and the scroll and Jiraiya accepted the items cautiously. He carefully and quickly went over them and noted that it wasn't rigged.
Jiraiya unrolled the scroll partially, his eyes scanning the contents. "These are detailed."
"They should help you find him," Dragon said.
Jiraiya looked back up, his eyes probing. "Why are you helping me? What's in it for you?"
Dragon paused. "I have my own agenda. Stopping Orochimaru serves my interests."
"Care to elaborate?" Jiraiya pressed.
"It's not that I have any particular desire to save Tsunade or her student." Dragon said carefully. "I just don't want to see Orochimaru's threat increase. The power he's seeking could tip the balance in dangerous ways."
Jiraiya's jaw tightened. "And how did you come by this information? How did you know to track the Finance minister?"
"I have my sources," Dragon replied vaguely.
"You're not making it easy to trust you," Jiraiya pointed out.
"Like I said before, I'm not asking for your trust," Dragon said. "Only that you use every information you have at your disposal to stop him."
An awkward silence settled between them. Jiraiya looked at the man for a few more seconds before speaking again. "You know, if you're serious about stopping Orochimaru, if you want me to use the information in my hand, then you should remove that mask. As a show of good faith."
Dragon considered him for a few moments. 'He's not expecting me to agree. But this way I'll be able to divert their attention and this information will also reach Obito. It'll keep him busy for a while as well.'
"Let's not kid ourselves Jiraiya. You're going to use that Intel even if I do nothing. Because you're that desperate…"
The Sannin's jaws slightly clenched hearing that but he stayed silent.
Dragon looked at the Sannin and audibly sighed. "Very well. You want to see my face? Fine."
Jiraiya's eyebrows raised in mild surprise.
Dragon reached up and slowly removed his mask, revealing his face. He was a tall, middle-aged man with spiky black hair forming a widow's peak. A bright red tattoo adorned the left side of his face, adding a fierce edge to his sharp features. A bit of stubble lined his chin, and his dark eyes held a steady gaze.
'I haven't seen him before. And I don't remember seeing him around the village either. There is also the chance that he's using the transformation jutsu.' Jiraiya studied him intently. He committed the face to memory. "Not what I expected."
"Disappointed?" Dragon asked, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Just curious," Jiraiya replied. "You have a real name?"
"Monkey D Dragon." he said, reattaching the mask to his face.
"Alright, Dragon," Jiraiya said. "So what's your plan?"
"I've helped you as much as I can. You're on your own now. As for my plans… Well, that's a secret."
Jiraiya smiled and dropped his arms and showed a relaxed posture. "Come on. We could stop Orochimaru a lot faster if we work together."
Dragon inclined his head. "No thanks. My work here is done. I'll take my leave now."
"Wait," Jiraiya called out as Dragon turned to go. 'I have to find out more.'
"Yes?" Dragon glanced back.
"Are you a Leaf Ninja? Is that why you're doing this? Why did you really go after Danzo?"
Daichi in his disguise chuckled. "You have a lot of questions don't you? As for your first question, the answer is complicated. A yes and no. I am a Leaf ninja but at the same time I'm not. As for the rest… Guess." The man in the green cloak chuckled looking at the tense Sannin.
Jiraiya stared at the man and weighed the options in front of him. 'He knows a lot more than he's saying about Orochimaru. And his real identity, everything he's shown to me could just be fake. I need to capture him.'
But before Jiraiya could make his move, Dragon's form blurred. 'He's fast.'
Jiraiya's instincts screamed at him. 'I can't let him slip away without getting more answers.'
He rushed after Dragon, his hand darted into his pouch, fingers closing around a special kunai marked with intricate seals. The marker given to him by Tobirama Senju.
In one swift motion, he hurled the kunai toward Dragon. "Hold it right there!"
Dragon's keen senses picked up the action. He looked back and saw the kunai flying toward him, recognizing the seals engraved on it. 'Flying Thunder God Technique. Clever.'
Without wasting a moment, Dragon formed a quick hand seal. "Body Flicker Technique."
His form vanished just as the kunai embedded itself into the ground where he'd stood. Once out of Jiraiya's sight, Dragon used his own teleportation jutsu to quickly gain some distance.
A flash of blue signaled Tobirama's arrival as he materialized beside the kunai. His sharp eyes scanned the area and immediately assessed the situation.
"Jiraiya," Tobirama said tersely. "What's going on?"
The white haired Sannin landed beside him, frustration evident on his face. "He got away."
"Who?" Tobirama demanded.
"Dragon. The guy who attacked Danzo and raided Root." Jiraiya explained. "He just showed up here, handed me intel on Orochimaru and the Minister of Finance."
Tobirama's eyes narrowed. "And you let him escape?"
"Hey, I tried to stop him," Jiraiya said defensively. "He's quick, and he seems to know about the Flying Thunder God Technique. Bolted as soon as he saw me throw the kunai with your seal."
Tobirama instantly crouched and touched the ground with two fingers. After a few seconds he sighed and stood. 'Gone. To escape my radius so quickly. Very few people can do that.'
"He's gone. Either he's exceptionally fast or he has some good masking techniques." Tobirama spoke as he looked at his fellow Leaf Shinobi.
Jiraiya looked at the kunai on the ground for a few seconds and spoke. "There is another option. It's possible he knows your teleportation jutsu."
The Second Hokage groaned. "Then we'll have to raise his threat level even higher." His eyes then went to the items in Jiraiya's hands. "What did he give you?"
Jiraiya held up the scroll and recording device. "Confessions, maps, blueprints. Could be useful."
Tobirama considered this. "We need to verify this information."
"I know," Jiraiya nodded. "He claims he wants to stop Orochimaru as well."
"Do you believe him?" Tobirama asked.
"I'm not sure," Jiraiya admitted. "There's something off about him. But if this intel is good, it could give us an edge."
"Very well," Tobirama said. "Let's return to the safehouse and analyze it."
He placed a hand on Jiraiya's shoulder. With a swirl of chakra, they both vanished from the spot, leaving the quiet clearing behind.
—-
Dragon reappeared a safe distance away, his body materializing from the shadows. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. 'That was close. I didn't expect him to use the Flying Thunder God Technique and summon the second Hokage.'
He replaced his mask, ensuring it was secure. 'I need to be more cautious. But at least the information is in their hands now.'
Activating his communication array, he reached out mentally. 'Mission accomplished. The intel has been delivered to Jiraiya.'
The real Daichi's voice echoed in his mind. 'Good work. Now get to the designated point. Once I rescue sensei and Shizune you'll have to proceed with your secondary task.'
'Understood Boss.' Dragon replied, his form blending into the night as he moved swiftly toward his next destination.
—------------
Author's Note:
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