Hi everyone! just a short little story, i had originally wanted this done as a one-shot, but then it was closing in on forty pages so . . . about 10 sort chapters should do it. Let me know what you think!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Naruto, it all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!
Naruto carefully tiptoed down the hallway, as sneakily as he could (which for a 7 year-old boy, wasn't quite that sneaky, but it got the job done), moving closer to the entrance of the dining room. Jiraiya-jiji (aka Ero-sennin) and his kaa-chan and tou-chan were having some super-secret-ultra-important grown-up talk, which apparently he wasn't allowed to be a part of. Naruto pouted at the reminder of his baby status in the family. He was no baby! He was the Future Hokage! Nevertheless, he saw no shame in hugging his kitsune plush toy closer to his little body as he finally halted just outside of the living room, pressing himself against the wall.
His father's smooth and calm voice, tinted with amusement, was the first thing he head. "It's coming up again, isn't it Sensei? Your birthday; how old will you be exactly?"
"Even Hokages can push their luck brat." Jiraiya grumbled, annoyed.
Naruto didn't understand why jiji sounded so grumpy about his birthday. Not only was his birthday during the summer vacation, but there were presents! On Naruto's birthday, he got to have all sorts of presents, and eat his fill of cake and ice cream, and RAMEN. To Naruto, birthdays are the best. Naruto quickly regained focus when his mother's voice sounded.
"Aw Jiraiya, don't be such a baby. It's not as if you have to do any work. We'll be the ones running around getting stuff for your party, and nearly dying over what presents to get you! What's a man like you want for your birthday anyway? Porn? You write that yourself. Perhaps we could get you a calendar of women? I think those got boring after the tenth one." Kushina, unlike Minato, had no problem allowing the unabashed amusement she felt color her voice entirely.
"Yeah they did." Jiraiya chuckled, back to his cheery, boastful self. Naruto heard a couple pops, like of bones, and figured Jiraiya-jiji must have stretched and resettled himself in the chair. That meant the talk would be a long one. Thinking for a moment, Naruto shrugged before also getting comfortable, settling himself down on the floor and slumping over onto his drawn up knees, the kit plushy now smashed against him. Cocking his head to the door, he listened in again.
"Then what is it you truly want, sensei?" Minato asked curiously.
"If I asked, would you truly give it to me?" Jiraiya sounded serious then, and a shiver went down Naruto's spine out of reflex.
"Of course." Kushina responded promptly.
"Make peeping in the name of research legal, only for the Gallant Jiraiya!" Jiraiya's voice had quickly changed from serious to that voice all perverts had, filled with dreamy happiness and a dirty tone— so Naruto shook his head and felt no sympathy for the man when he heard the tell-tale 'CRACK' that no doubt resulted from his mother sending a right hook to Jiraiya's jaw. He did, however, jump in fright when Jiraiya's body hit the wall that he was sitting on the other side of, with a large and heavy thud, before another, softer 'thump' told him Jiraiya's body had lost the battle with gravity.
Giving a small sigh, Naruto got up from his position on the floor, carefully tip toeing back down the hallway to the door. He now knew the important part, but he needed help formulating a plan. Thankfully, Naruto already knew the best person to ask. Coming to a stop before the little step at the front of the door, where the shoes were, he suddenly turned around.
"Kaa-chan!" he called. Kushina appeared in front of the living room entrance, and frowned when she saw him by the door.
"No park today Naruto, can't you wait till tomorrow to play with your friends? Itachi said that Sasuke would like to see you tomorrow anyway." Kushina told him.
Naruto shook his head. "Iie, kaa-chan, I don't want to go to the park. Can I go visit Saru-jiji?"
"If it's to get him to tell you another story you've already heard ten times over, then no. Don't bother Hiruzen-sama." Kushina warned.
"Please kaa-chan? I just want to ask him a few things. I won't bother him; I won't even be ten minutes! Please?"
Sighing heavily, Kushina walked down the hallway, coming to a stop in front of Naruto. Placing her hands on her hips, Kushina opened her mouth to say something, but before she could even start, Minato beat her to it.
"Kushina let him go; it's not too bad if he's only there for a little while. Besides, Hiruzen-sama adores Naruto's visits, you know he does." Minato joined Kushina in the hallway, smiling at her, and then looking down to smile at his son when he finished speaking.
Beaming at his tou-chan, Naruto turned his attention back to his kaa-chan, inadvertently turning on the puppy dog eyes. Kushina was too late trying to avoid them, and so got the full effect, immediately crumbling any (half-hearted) arguments she had. Sighing, she motioned toward the door, not being able to help the smile that grew on her face at Naruto's cheers. Her smile blossomed when he squeezed her legs in a hug. She watched him open the door and zip off, until the door closed.
Once Naruto's sneakered feet hit the dirt of the road, his face morphed from childish glee into childish intensity, the very tip of his small pink tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth. Naruto, as any of his family and friends can attest to, is actually quite fast for his age. The official reason being that it's to be expected knowing his father— however, the real reason that everyone (in the village) knew but wouldn't comment on, was that his quick feet manifested out of necessity and the strong survival habit that all pranksters needed— and he was rather proud of it. However, from his repeated run-ins with the weird green beast dude while with Kashi-nii, he remembered how the man said it was important to set a good pace, so that you didn't get too tired too quickly, and could run for great distances and times.
He stopped once he hit the next neighborhood, where the clan compounds were. Along the way he spotted his friends— all clan heirs like him— and their parents, and he greeted them and received greetings in return as he made his way through the neighborhoods. Reaching the Sarutobi clan compound, he smiled at the guards who let him through, receiving a nod in recognition. He walked up the long path to the mansion where the previous Hokage resided, taking in the smells and sights of the garden surrounding him on either side. As he hopped up onto the porch, he hadn't even raised his hand to knock before the door opened.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked down at the small blond-haired child, smiling warmly. Naruto shot him a too-wide grin and shouted, "Jiji!"
The elder Sarutobi chuckled. "Hello, Naruto-kun. What brings you here today? Another story from my genin days perhaps?"
"No, jiji!" Naruto pouted, but his trademark grin was then pasted back onto his face almost instantly.
"Then what can I help you with today?" Hiruzen enquired. Hiruzen quite enjoyed Naruto's visits Not only was the boy literally walking sunshine with his sunny personality and amusing antics, also he was the only person anymore that showed such die-hard enthusiasm of his stories. Well, his grandson Konohamaru might enjoy them later on, but right now he was much more preoccupied with playing ninja.
"Jiji, Jiraiya-jiji was your student right?" Naruto asked his Saru-jiji pertly.
Hiruzen nodded. "Yes, for quite a number of years." Sometimes he still needed to teach the Toad Sage a lesson or two when the fool did something stupid . . . again.
"And you still hung out with him even after you stopped teaching him, right?" Naruto pressed.
Hiruzen shot him a quizzical look. "Yes. . ."
"So then, then— you've been to Jiraiya-jiji's birthday parties!" Naruto's exclamation sounded more like a question.
Unbidden, Hiruzen's mind brought back memories of Jiraiya's birthday celebrations. Images of towel-clad women at hot springs, talking mushrooms, table-dancing, horrific games of truth or dare, and some recollections of the mammoth holy-mother-of-kami-sama-WHY-hangovers from the next morning came to him. Stopping that train-of-thought forcefully before he could be even more traumatized, he focused back to the impatiently waiting young boy.
"Er, yes, I suppose I have." Hiruzen confirmed, before asking a question of his own. "Is there any particular reason you're asking, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto bobbed his head to say, yes. "Ano sa, Saru-jiji, can you think of what Jiraiya-jiji would like for his birthday?"
A look of realization dawned on his face, and Hiruzen laughed. "Oh, that's it then?" He said finally, amused. "Well . . ." Closing the door to his mansion, Hiruzen crossed the distance between him and Naruto, leaning over (and successfully managing to keep a grimace off his face at his back protesting) and picking the boy up as he continued toward the patio chairs and table.
Sitting down with Naruto in his lap, he leaned back into the chair, a hand coming to cover his chin as he thought on the question presented to him.
Naruto, tired of waiting, decided to help his jiji's thought process along. "Ne, jiji, it's getting tough to find things for jiji! He already writes books, so we can't get him that, and everything else is too perverted to get for him." Naruto grumbled.
Smiling indulgently down at the youngster, Hiruzen said, "Ah, yes, when all the usual avenues are blocked, what is one to do? Well, you know, it's not only material things that count on a person's special day."
Confused, Naruto tilted his head to the right, an action Hiruzen thought adorable on the young blonde. "I don't understand jiji." Naruto confessed.
"What I mean is," Hiruzen started, thinking up a suitable way to explain this to one so young, "do you always need to buy someone something, for them to treasure it? Sometimes, all you need are your precious people or possessions you hold dear, and enjoy them on your special day. For instance, Naruto, do you think Jiraiya would like getting some new present better than spending a day with his family and loved ones?"
Naruto's nose crinkled in thought, and he looked away to the trees in the yard. "I guess . . ." he said slowly, "Jiraiya-jiji would like spending time with us better."
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction. "Exactly right Naruto."
Naruto looked up at Hiruzen, finally put at ease. "So, we all just have to be there, and he'll be happy?"
Sarutobi nodded. "Most of us, and yes, Jiraiya will be very happy."
Naruto nodded happily, and then stopped when he noticed something strange in what he said. "What do you mean most of us? We're all here in Konoha aren't we?" Naruto asked Hiruzen, frowning.
"Not exactly." The elder informed him. "You see, there is Jiraiya's other teammate, Senju Tsunade, who is extremely dear to him. However, some terrible things happened in her past that keeps her from Konoha. Indeed, the last time she was here was for your first birthday, and only as a favor to Kushina. She said that she would never come back to Konoha again."
Naruto looked devastated. "So, he won't be completely happy without her?"
Hiruzen was quick to soothe the child's distress. "No, of course he'll still be happy Naru-chan. He'll be surrounded by his family and friends. But I cannot deny that he would be a little happier with Tsunade here. Just remember though, that he will be— no, he is terrifically happy with us all here."
Naruto looked pensive for a few moments before the expression was cleared away by a megawatt smile, like clouds being cleared by the sun. "Thank you, jiji!" he chirped, tightly hugging the old man before carefully jumping off Hiruzen's lap.
"Will you be staying for a bit of tea?" Hiruzen asked, smiling at Naruto. The boy in question shook his head, saying,
"No, I promised kaa-chan I wouldn't be too much of a bother." Hiruzen mock frowned, before smiling and shooting Naruto a sly wink.
"I'll just have to tell your kaa-chan to stop trying to interrupt our story time. You're not the only one who enjoys it." Naruto laughed, thanking his jiji, and then the door opened revealing Hiruzen's daughter Aiko.
"Hello, Naruto-chan! You're leaving before tea?" Aiko said cheerily, smiling brightly down at the adorable blonde child.
"Hai, I have to go Aiko-san. Is Konohamaru down for a nap now?"
"Mhm. Well, since you're going off, here." Naruto's attention was directed down towards the honey brunette woman's hands. Held out for him to take was a large chocolate chip cookie, and an apple juice box. Naruto squealed in delight.
"Arigato Aiko-san!" Naruto thanked her as he took the treats, giving her a peck on the cheek when she bent down to give him a hug. Blushing lightly at the utter cuteness of the child, Aiko sent him off with a pat on the head as he raced away, turning around to shout his last goodbyes to the Sarutobi's. Naruto went at a slower pace this time, sauntering back home. Along the way he nibbled at his cookie— still warm and gooey! — And sipped his juice. As he walked through the village, he greeted and shared a few words with the many happy and very nice villagers who greeted the son of their much-adored-Hokage, while ignoring the ice-cold stares from his haters. Not everyone appreciated the actions of their Hokage on October tenth that night. He was always wary that one day, they would get the guts to "finish what Yondaime-sama started."
Naruto, though feeling cold shivers from their near palpable hatred, shrugged off their glares of hatred though, knowing that all they could do was glare— if they wanted to live anyway. When Naruto arrived back at his house, he saw Jiraiya-jiji and his parents standing on the front porch. Naruto quickly opened the gate to his house and scurried up to his jiji's side. Jiraiya looked down at Naruto, a broad grin on his face.
"Well, brat!" Jiraiya greeted, ignoring Naruto's standard cry of "I'm not a brat!", and kept on, "had enough pestering your Saru-jiji eh? What story did you ask him for this time?"
Naruto pouted, put out with Jiraiya's treatment of him. Didn't that old geezer know how to address The Future Hokage? And yes, with all those caps locks!
"First off Ero-sennin!" Naruto shouted hotly, ignoring Jiraiya's protests and his father's snort of laughter, "I don't pez-ter Saru-jiji! Saru-jiji said he likes telling me stories, 'cause I'm a good listener!" Well, he didn't say all that, but Naruto was certain the old man had implied that. "And I didn't ask for a story, really. I just asked him a question!"
"It's pronounced, pester. And what question did you ask?" Jiraiya stared down at Naruto skeptically. The kind of question whose answer ends up turning into a story . . . ?
"I only asked about Tsunade-baa-chan!" Naruto cried, seeing that Jiraiya didn't believe him.
Jiraiya jerked back and made a small choking sound, before clearing his throat and looking at Naruto with wide eyes. "Naru-chan—"
"What were you asking about Tsunade-sama for?" Minato asked his small son, looking at him curiously. The boy had heard of her through the adults' talks, but had never before now expressed an interest in her.
Naruto shrugged. "Just curious tou-chan. Saru-jiji said that the last time she was here was when I turned one."
Kushina hummed in agreement. "Yes, she gave you that fox plushy you love so much. You adored it just as much back then too. She still sends you gifts every year on your birthday Naru-chan."
"Oh, yeah!" Naruto said.
"Well, brat, that was a strange thing to ask. Well, if you want to know more about her, then just ask me." Jiraiya said laughing, mussing Naruto's hair. He grinned when Naruto squawked in protest, before lifting his hand and turning to leave.
"Jiji, you're not leaving are you?" Naruto cried, concerned.
Jiraiya turned around grinning in a reassuring manner. "Not to worry Naruto, I'll be here till a few days after my birthday." So, two and a half weeks then, Naruto thought to himself. I tight time frame, but if anyone could pull it off, it'd be him— The Future Hokage, better than all the rest!
