A/N - Hi guys! Another chapter! The pic you see above was drawn by kawaiiJazz22 who drew her version of Nia which looks absolutely beautiful! If you guys have any fanart, just send them to me and I'll post them on a chapter for everyone to see or if you don't want anyone to see, I'll just keep it for myself for the rest of forever ❤️

Anyway, please remember to comment and vote and enjoy reading ❤️

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Chapter 46: Jiraiya's Tragic Death

'It's no good,' Jiraiya thought in a slight panic, his body wracking with an immense amount of pain. 'My throat was crushed in that last attack.'

His body shook softly from the mind numbing hurt that was overriding rational thought. Any attempt to budge his body even a little was met with a surge of irreparable pain. The cold steel of those rods that were skewering him through various places on his abdomen were doing more than just damage to his organs. They were disrupting his chakra flow as well, invading his diminishing life force and hastening his descent into endless unconsciousness.

He felt as his body slowly began shutting down, and his eye lids were becoming heavier and heavier, his vision hazing and blurring out of view. His limbs felt like lead, though he attributed that to the rods that were holding him down. He could still twitch his right arm which was something, though that felt as if it was being weighed down by no less than a mountain.

A wheezing cough escaped his throat as he once more tried to create words, but to no avail. 'I must... I have to let them know of Pain's identity...'

His vision began blurring further, and Jiraiya could feel as it became ever more difficult to continue drawing breath. In what he felt was to be his last waking moments, Jiraiya turned his thoughts to that of his student. To that of his godson. Those last few years travelling with Naruto had been some of the best years of his life. He cherished every moment he'd been granted with his godson.

He'd felt in all honesty that he didn't even deserve as much, having not even been in the kid's life until three years ago. He was a failure of a godfather. Then there was Nia... The girl he only let under his wing simply cause she was one of three who deeply enjoyed his gutsy ninja novel.

He too had felt like he failed her... left her to die. Even though he had done all that he could to steer the girl away from death, his mind still pondered. What if she was pregnant somehow despite everything he done to make sure she wasn't? What if her life really was on the verge of ending?

Again, the prophecy ran through his mind once again. Blood... Heartache... Death. The vision crushed him.

Thinking back some more, Jiraiya came to the begrudging realisation that his whole life had just been filled with failure after failure. He'd have hoped to be able to defeat the Akatsuki here and today, to be able to defeat Pain and rid the world of the evil that was sure to befall it in the future and to save Nia from certain death.

Shinobi were measured not by how they lived, but by what they managed to accomplish before they died. He had hoped to die like one of the Hokage who had come before, ending his life and dying as nothing less than a splendid shinobi. He was supposed to guide the child of prophecy, guide them in their quest to save the world from its destruction.

The child of prophecy. Thinking back now, it had never been Minato. It had never been Nagato either, no matter how much those eyes of his had convinced him of the contrary. But rather Naruto. His most recent student, his godson. Jiraiya had no doubt in his mind now that Naruto was that child of prophecy. Naruto who had the guts to never give up, the will to never go back on his word. Shinobi were those that endured, never giving up no matter the odds. He was supposed to be the one to guide Naruto in his quest to bring about a great change as the child of prophecy.

'No...' Drawing in a breath, Jiraiya slowly began pushing himself back onto his single remaining arm, his body trembling from the exertion. By all accounts, he should have long since been dead, but there was no way he was gonna let himself get snuffed before at least relaying the secret of Pain's jutsu. He had to give his death some meaning. For Naruto. For Nia.

A student inherits his ninja way from his master, so I have no business making a fuss... isn't that so Naruto? Nia?

Fukasaku stared down at Jiraiya with wide eyes, his expression awestruck and bewildered.

'His heart had stopped, but he managed to claw his way back through sheer will power alone!' It was absolutely absurd, yet here he was witnessing it with his own eyes. 'Oh Jiraiya-boy...'

Looking down into the dying yet very-much-alive eyes of Jiraiya, he could see that he needed to relay something. The toad elder though quickly realised that Jiraiya had no means to communicate with his damaged wind pipe. He had an inclination in to what Jiraiya was planning however, and was preparing to remove his small cape when his eyes spotted the six Pain's advancing once more on their position. Fukasaku's eyes widened in panic, and adrenaline began coursing through his veins once more. "Oh no, Jiraiya-boy!"

His panic-filled mind had him running through hand seals with a speed fuelled by his adrenaline, and in a puff of smoke, they were gone.

Jiraiya's mind spun uncontrollably as a nauseating wave of dizziness overcame him, his vision once again faded into black. His body sunk into the water as his life flashed before his eyes.

Damn it... I guess I can chalk this up to just one more failure... I'm sorry Naruto.. Nia.... but I have failed you both yet again... I hope you can find it in yourselves to one day forgive me...

And then, he knew nothing...

The Next Day

"Jiraiya boy has died in battle."

The room was silent and the air was still. This could not be happening. Did Tsunade hear correctly? Jiraiya, that old pervert hermit could not be dead.

She was numb. She couldn't feel and she couldn't speak. All she could think about was the last conversation that they had, although neither of them believed that it would be their last. The mission that he took upon himself was definitely a dangerous one. A suicide mission, some would call it. That was exactly the reason why Tsunade did not want him to go. She was all too familiar with battles and going up against an opponent like Pain, the leader of one of the most powerful evil organizations the ninja world has ever seen, would definitely result in some serious injury or death.

"Please come back alive, Jiraiya." Those words had been a shock to the old man and even a shock to her. "If I were to lose you too I- "

"You would cry for me? That would make me happy." His words swept over her.

She told him to come back. She couldn't bear the very thought of losing another person dear to her. Sure he was a pervert and he didn't quite grow up yet but he was her longest and best friend. She knew everything about him and he knew everything about her. They haven't seen each other for years but when he found her when she was at the lowest point in her life and brought her back to the village to take her position as Hokage, her life dramatically changed from being engulfed in pain and sadness to a life of happiness and stability.

She silently thanked him for that every day. They became closer and started to go out for drinks with each other and when Shizune restricted her from drinking, they would just reminisce about the good old days when they were inexperienced genin.

"Let's make a bet then." Surely this was the only way that he could reassure her that he would be alright. "You bet that I'm going to die. After all you always lose your bets. But promise me, if I actually do manage to make it back alive…" He stared intently into her eyes. She just looked at him with wide confused eyes. She knew what he was going to say but what would she do if he actually said those words? Was she prepared for that? "I'm just kidding Tsunade. I'm actually quite grateful to you!" Of course he would laugh it off. Maybe he was afraid of getting rejected again for the millionth time.

He wanted to pursue a relationship with her from the very first day he met her but she rejected him over and over again. Maybe it was because he was a little too immature and perverted for her tastes but even when he matured into a man, still perverted but a man; she continued to render all his advances futile. However, lately she has been experiencing strong feelings towards him, feelings that she would never address.

Tsunade lost so much people in her life. She loved her little brother so much and it severely damaged her when he died. To make matters worse she fell in love and he died right in front of her after her failed attempts to heal him. This made her question her skills as a medic and she developed a phobia against blood because of it. She got over it when she had to battle Orochimaru in order to save the village and keep Naruto and his dreams alive. Now the last person who she cared for deeply died and left her too. It seems as if everyone she loves leaves her all alone with nothing but her sadness and eternal pain.

"Tsunade girl!"

The words of the elder toad pulled her out of her deep thoughts and brought her back to reality. She looked up to see her trusted assistant and apprentice Shizune looking up at her with worry and concern in her eyes and the elder toad himself who delivered this devastating news.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?" Tsunade apologized for not paying attention and tried to keep herself together. She was the Hokage so she had to be strong right?

"You just received some terrible news Tsunade girl, its okay to be distraught but you must be strong. You have the village and its people to protect." The elder toad said simply with sympathy in his voice. He knew Tsunade since she was young because she was Jiraiya's team mate so he knew her story. He knew that Jiraiya was close to her. He wasn't just another name on the list of fallen shinobi. He was the closest person to her besides Shizune.

"I... don't think I have it in me to relay the news to Naruto..." She told him.

"You need not worry. When he gets here, I shall deliver the news to him." Elder Toad offered.

Meanwhile, all the way where Naruto was hopping from tree branch to tree branch...

'What... was that?' He pondered after having what felt like a hand, gently touch his shoulder.

"Naruto," Sakura appeared at his side. "Why'd you stop? Let's keep moving."

"I don't know... I swore I just... felt someone touch my shoulder, ya know?"

"But there's no one around... and I sure didn't do it."

"Weird..."

Elsewhere, Tenten had Nia's arm around her shoulder and an arm around her waist as she helped the girl walk on her feet.

"There there, baby steps now..." She advised her as Nia had just vomited moments ago.

"Ugh, I feel awful," She told the group as she found it difficult to stand.

"Hey!" Tenten shouted when the girl had dropped to her knees and panted heavily. "Nia, stay with us! Are you okay?!"

A liquid substance poured out of Nia's mouth as Tenten patted her back.

"She's really ill," Ino commented as she helped rub Nia's back also.

"She's not able to walk in that condition," A young girl of thirteen commented after having had encountered the group on her way back from a mission. "Nia-sensei needs to be carried the rest of the way."

Her name was Ravi Aoki. A girl with chocolate-colored skin, black hair, and red eyes. She was a genin and shared the same classroom with Konohamaru being as all genin were to remain in the academy a bit longer due to Konoha's new recent village rules.

She knew of Nia due to the girl having subbed multiple times for Iruka.

"Here," Kiba hopped off Akamaru and patted his back. "She can hop on Akamaru until we arrive to the village."

"Well, let's hurry up and place her on him before she starts barfing all over us," Ravi rushed to lay Nia down on the dog.

When she did, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew... thank goodness. I swear it's like Nia-sensei is pregnant. Y'all should check on her. Doesn't Naruto pound into her a lot?"

The group gasped.

"I can't believe she just said that," Lee bit his lip in an effort to keep from laughing.

Choji also was struggling to take things seriously.

"Well... that was really put out there," Guy scolded her, albeit, with a wobbling lip. "How inappropriate."

Tenten called him out on it.

"Oh please... You're laughing at what she said too, Guy-sensei!"

"You're all immature," Neji spoke up.

'P-Pregnant?' Hinata's eyes widened as they shakily landed onto the sick girl.

"Nia-sensei just keeps getting nauseous. Even when teaching class," Ravi explained. "I just thought she may be getting ready to push out a baby."

"That can't be true!" The Hyuga suddenly shrieked at the thought of her love rival possibly being pregnant. "Nia... she can't be! She can't be pregnant."

All eyes went over to her.

"Hinata..." Tenten and Ino exchanged glanced with one another before once more making eye contact with the girl.

Nia too weakly turned her head... having realized the tone used in Hinata's voice.

She was still in love... with her boyfriend.

A horrible feeling gnawed at Nia's chest. It was like her world was suddenly tearing apart.

'What is this?,' She thought as the feeling persisted. 'Why do I feel so... so overwhelmed?'

"Hinata, try to calm down..." Tenten approached her friend, resting her hand on her shoulder.

Tears only filled the Hyuga's eyes.

Nia watched as they did, but said nothing.

I can't stand it! Why do I always feel so upset when it comes to Hinata?! I have Naruto! I won him over! I got him to be my boyfriend for crying out loud! I should be on top of the world. I should be unfazed by anything or anyone, yet here I am... feeling anxious, insecure... worried. And it's all because of Hinata's feelings for him.

"Ah!" Nia then squeezed her eyes shut as her stomach felt queasy.

"Try not to move so much, Nia-sensei," Ravi advised her as Nia couldn't help but to keep watch of the upset purple-haired girl.

I don't know how much I can take of this. I almost wanna snap at her. Why is it that she still has feelings for Naruto? Why is it that she can't just leave us alone?

"Why?" The girl lowly growled. "Why do you still have feelings for him?"

"Oh no, this isn't good," The others exchanged looks.

"This isn't the time to start an argument," Guy tried to calm her down before anything could go down. "We need to lay you down on a bed in the Leaf. We're almost there."

"No," Nia attempted to hop off Akamaru, only to nearly collapse on her knees if it weren't for Ravi catching her.

"Nia, you really should just leave this alone for now," Ino helped keep the girl up also. "Your stomach is really upset."

"Hinata, why do you keep chasing after Naruto when he and I are already dating?" She ignored her.

The Hyuga didn't answer.

"You can't be pregnant," Was all she said. "You can't be pregnant with his baby."

"Who said that I was? Just answer my question: Why're you still into Naruto? I've given you over a year now to get over him."

Hinata wouldn't make eye contact. Nia sighed then frowned.

"Seriously Nia," Tenten faced the kunoichi. "This isn't the best time for a confrontation. Let's focus on getting you checked out and onto a bed."

"Wait so, this girl is trying to pull the moves on your man?" Ravi blurted, worsening the situation.

"She should know Naruto is mine," Nia responded.

"N-No," Hinata mumbled and closed her eyes, tightening her fists. "He's not yours. Naruto shouldn't be with you, Nia."

"Excuse me?!"

"Okay, now this is getting out of hand," Neji stepped in between the two, turning to his side and facing both girls. "You two need to save this for another time."

"No," Hinata refused. "This... needs to be said now! Nia... you don't belong with Naruto."

Nia rolled her eyes.

"Why can't you just accept the fact that we're dating? If you truly loved him, you would be understanding and move on from him."

"It's because I care for him that I refuse to back down."

"Lady Hinata, let's just stop with this nonsense," Neji said. "Fighting over Naruto isn't going to solve anything."

"No, let her keep talking," Nia demanded. "I wanna hear what she has to say."

"Enough is enough, you two," Shikamaru groaned. "Quit fighting over Naruto already."

"I mean, she's trying to steal Nia-sensei's man away," Ravi pointed out the obvious.

"Exactly," Nia said.

"Aren't we all friends here?" Lee questioned. "I understand you two are love rivals, but this really is getting out of hand."

"Then tell Hinata to leave my Naruto alone."

"He shouldn't be with you," Hinata argued.

"I don't care if you think that. You can't break his and mine bond. I worked hard to get myself out of the friend zone and there's no way you're putting me back in it!"

"You don't care for Naruto in the same way that I do. I love him."

"But you barely know him. You can't say you love someone when you barely know them."

"I'll get to know him."

"Over my dead body."

"Really you guys, stop this," Ino pleaded.

"I'm prepared to do anything for Naruto's love," Hinata got into a fighting stance.

"Oh, so that's how it is? You wanna go?!" Nia took a step forward, only to come crashing down to a knee and resting an arm over her stomach.

"You're not feeling well," Shikamaru told her. "Take it easy."

Seconds later, the girl would vomit again.

"Nia, get back on Akamaru," Kiba demanded. "You're way too sick to be picking a fight with Hinata."

'Damn,' Nia said to herself. 'I don't get it. Why am I so afraid? Is it cause I feel she could take him away from me? Is it cause I don't feel good enough? Whenever she is around, I never do feel enough? Hinata's got it all: the looks, the body, the personality... she's everything that I'm not!'

"Lady Hinata, not here," Neji attempted to calm his cousin. "You shouldn't fight over a boy..."

"She doesn't love him like I do, brother."

Nia narrowed her eyes at the girl.

Somehow... I feel undeserving of Naruto... when she's around... but why? Why do I feel this way?!

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A/N - That's the end of that! I hope you all enjoyed! Please remember to comment and vote! Have a great rest of your weekend ❤️

QOTD:

1. Fave Part?

2. Fave Line?

3. Who do you think loves Naruto more: Hinata or Nia? Why?