Searching for the Sannin

"This is so good, mister!"

Even with his mouth stuffed full of cream buns and ham, Yahiko could still say what he wanted to say. He just sprayed rather a lot of food as he did, making Karn frown slightly and move farther away.

Blue-haired Konan noticed Karn's reaction and quickly told Yahiko, "Yahiko, swallow before you talk. Sorry, mister. We're all really hungry, and your bread tastes so good."

"Don't call me mister like that. We're not that close. My name is Kane Penter. Just call me Mr. Karn."

Karn addressed the three of them, then continued, "Where are you going? Which ninja are you looking for to teach you ninjutsu?"

"We don't know either. We saw a group of Konoha ninja fighting Hanzō a while ago, and they survived. So we want to find them and become their students, learn ninjutsu, and then change the Land of Rain."

Yahiko spoke with determination, but Karn shook his head after hearing him. Still, the boy was only a little over ten. A little naïveté was inevitable.

"What was that, mis-Mr. Karn? Don't you believe me?" Seeing Karn shake his head, Yahiko immediately challenged him indignantly.

"No, you've got a fine dream. Keep at it." Karn had never liked arguing with idiots. It was pointless, and he had no obligation to educate them. Besides, the more smart people there were, the worse things would be for someone like him.

Then Karn asked, "Do you know where those Konoha ninja are?"

At Karn's dismissive answer, Yahiko had been ready to argue angrily. But when he heard the question about the Konoha ninja, he replied, "We have a rough idea. They didn't leave any bodies behind after fighting Hanzō. As long as we keep searching toward the Land of Fire, we'll catch up eventually."

"I see."

Karn nodded, thinking that the people Yahiko and the others were looking for were the Konoha Sannin. If possible, it would be better to bind his world trading target to either Tsunade or Orochimaru. Both would remain in Konoha until the Third Shinobi World War, while Jiraiya would most likely choose to stay behind and look after the three children.

Being able to trade with Konoha would be a good thing. Once he established a cooperative relationship, things would be fairly stable. He could also hire Konoha ninja to secure a foothold in the Land of Fire, then build up his own forces.

After thinking for a while, Karn decided that following Yahiko and the others to find the Sannin was a good choice for now. If Konoha distrusted him and intended to attack, he would immediately abandon this plane and return to the Marvel Universe.

"Mr. Karn, what are you thinking about?" Konan asked softly. Unfortunately, the bread had come in a plastic bag. Otherwise, she would have folded a paper flower for him.

"Nothing. Let's make a deal. I'll go with you to find the Konoha ninja. Get me to them as quickly as you can, and these three cartons of milk and this chocolate will be your payment for guiding me."

With that, Karn took three cartons of milk and some chocolate candy out of his backpack, placed them on the ground, and looked at the three children.

"What do you say?"

The children's eyes lit up at the sight. Milk and chocolate-even before the war broke out, they had rarely gotten to eat things like these.

Still, Yahiko asked warily, "Mr. Karn, why are you looking for Konoha ninja?"

Karn waved a hand. "To trade. I'm a merchant, and I only ended up here because I got lost. You don't think I want to become their student and learn ninjutsu like you, do you? Grow up, kid."

Yahiko felt a little ashamed at that. He really had been thinking along those lines, not wanting Karn to compete with them for a chance to become students. After hearing the explanation, though, he realized he had been overthinking it. Karn was much older than them, so becoming a ninja really wasn't very realistic.

"All right, we agree. Thank you, Mr. Karn."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yahiko grabbed the milk and chocolate and gave Konan and Nagato a share each. After so many days of hunger, this was the best meal the three of them had eaten, from the cream buns to the ham sausages. As for the chocolate, none of them could bear to eat it. They tucked it into their pockets for safekeeping.

"If we're agreed, let's get moving. I don't have much time."

Karn stood and brushed off the dirt as he spoke to the three children. He only had a little over a day left, and he still had to think about persuading Tsunade and Orochimaru. If that proved impossible, he could only bind the world trading coordinates to Nagato or Konan.

Then Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and Karn continued toward the Land of Fire.

Though Yahiko was a little naïve at this age, he still had a good head on his shoulders. At least he could work out the Konoha Sannin's return route and follow them. An ordinary ninja could hardly do better, and these were still untrained children.

Their lack of stamina was a problem, however. Whenever the three asked to rest, Karn brought out chocolate or other food to motivate them, urging them to move faster and find the Sannin sooner.

With food as an incentive, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato showed unprecedented endurance. They walked for four or five hours straight and finally found the Konoha Sannin just as the sky was growing dark.

"They're just up ahead, Mr. Karn. We..."

"Just walk up to them. You're the ones asking for a favor, and your only advantages are your age and sincerity. I'm a merchant. Sneaking around might put them on guard, and that would get in the way of a smooth transaction. Besides, they may have already noticed us."

With that, Karn walked toward the place where they were sheltering from the rain.

"Damn it, he's being way too careless... Konan, Nagato, hide and wait for me. If things go wrong, run."

Yahiko followed him after saying that, walking beside Karn toward the ruins where the ninja might be resting.

"The war is finally almost over. Once the Sand Ninja retreat, we can go back to the village and rest."

Tsunade finished her biscuits and let out a sigh as she spoke. The constant fighting, especially against the demigod of the Shinobi World, had left even the three of them mentally exhausted. The war had also dragged on for a long time, and Konoha's supply lines were struggling to keep up. They had to deal with the Sand Ninja as quickly as possible.

"That may be true, but all we can do now is hope the other ninja villages behave themselves. Otherwise, we still won't get any rest... Someone's coming, Tsunade."

Before Jiraiya could finish, he saw two figures approaching through the rain, one tall and one short. Neither was trying to hide.

Tsunade had already gathered her chakra and was ready to act at any moment, but she frowned slightly and said quietly, "They don't look like ninja..."

"Konoha ninja, please don't misunderstand. Neither of us is a ninja from Amegakure. We only came looking for you because we have something to discuss."

Karn called out while he was still some distance from Tsunade and Jiraiya. He hadn't seen Orochimaru, and if that man struck him from the shadows, he would be in serious trouble.

So after speaking, Karn made no attempt to approach. He remained standing in the rain, waiting for Jiraiya and Tsunade's reply.

"Come inside and talk."

Only after a dozen or so seconds did Tsunade's voice come from within. At the same time, Orochimaru stepped out of the shadows.

The early story will focus on the Hokage Universe, with forces being developed in the Marvel Universe. (That part won't be covered in detail because I'm not familiar with it. Please forgive any mistakes.)