Author's Notes: Hey everbody. This is a story idea I had a few months ago. Now, after a month or two of reasearch, I've finally started to write it. Now before I start, there are a couple of things I need to say.
1- This is going to be a very long story. It's being listed as a drama/romance between Konan and Naruto, but these two will not meet for a very long time, so please bare with me.
2- (This kind of belongs in point 1 but I'm putting it in it's own point anyway) Despite this being listed in Drama/Romance, it's got some elements of an adventure as well.
3- This story will not have any lemons. There may a point or two where I'll describe things but I won't write the whole scene.
4- The Akatsuki does not exsit at this point in the story. The reasons for this will be explained a while into the story.
5- This story is rated M for some strong langue and describtive scenes of violence.
6- I'm not going to say much about the plot because I want where I'm going with the story to be a surprise.
Well without further ado, Please enjoy The Birth of Peace.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 1: Child of Destiny
October 10th.
It was a significant day and it always would be. A day to be remembered. A day that had brought such extraordinary events; it would be talked about in schools and discussed by historians for a very long time. A mixture of good and bad flowed through that night. It had been a normal, uneventful day. Well, as normal and uneventful as you could get in a village of Shinobi.
Yes, the village of Konohagakure, or shortened to Konoha, is a village of ninja. They are considered one of the five greatest ninja villages standing. Powerful and loyal, to these men and women, there is a strong sense of honor and respect among their peers, which is rare considering their occupation. That does not mean that all the people who live in the village are ninja however. At least 10 percent of the people are civilians.
On that night, the Shinobi had vigorously fought for their lives. No, they had fought for their very existence. On that night, they had been attacked by an unbelievable source of destruction and evil. They had fought the Nine tailed Demon Fox. The strongest of the nine Biju, this ferocious beast, made only of Chakra, had appeared out of nowhere outside the village. Many fought and died to keep the beast away from their home.
Their hopes laid with one man. The recently named ruler of the village. He was the most powerful ninja in the village, and arguably, one of the most powerful ninjas to ever live. The forth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He fought the Demon valiantly, proving himself worthy of the title. Unfortunately, for all his skill and power, it was impossible for a mere human to defeat a demon of the Nine tail's power.
With no other options, Minato performed the ultimate sacrifice. He summoned the Shinigami, and using it's power, sealed the Nine tailed Fox into his newborn son. But it came at high cost. One does not simply summon the Shinigami to do their bidding for free. Minato's soul was sealed into the shinigami, leaving his body dead. Worse still, when the Nine tailed Fox saw what he was doing, it attempted to kill the very child it was to be sealed in. Minato's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, did what any mother would do and dove in the way, resulting in her death, but saving her child.
Before he died however, he had left a message for the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He had been the ruler of the village before Minato. In this message there were several goodbyes, but the most important part were instructions regarding his son. His son who he had named Naruto would shoulder a burden much greater than anyone could understand. He contained the Fox, preventing it from doing any harm to the village. He therefore wished for his son to be viewed as a hero to the village. After all, it was thanks to Naruto that the Fox remained sealed and the village could stay safe. A reasonable request.
Sadly, the truth is never so kind.
- A few days after the attack, sitting in the office reserved for Hokage, were two individuals. One was Hiruzen and the other, his former student and most trusted confident, Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was one of the three students of Hiruzen, or as they had come to be known since the second of the three great shinobi wars, "The Three Sannin". This title had been given to them as a compliment for surviving a fight with Hanzo, leader of the village of Amegakure. Though they had all but disbanded, Jiraiya still remained loyal to the village. His teammates, Orochimaru and Tsunade, had both left the village. Orochimaru had become a missing nin, and had forsaken his humanity. Tsunade had run away with one of her students and become essentially a traveling drunk.
The two men stood there silent, their attention on a sleeping baby in a tiny bed, sitting on the desk. Neither said a word, neither know exactly how to begin the tense, and likely unpleasant conversation that needed to occur.
It was Jiraiya that finally broke the silence. "He looks so much like him" He said quietly. Hiruzen turned his head to look at his former student. "His father, I mean. Heh, you know what that means"? Hiruzen shook his head silently, not that Jiraiya could see the motion, as he was still staring at the baby. "He'll probably act just like his mother". The two men shared a small chuckle at the statement, though it was not one of amusement. It was a sad chuckle, one you would hear from one reminiscing of an old dead friend.
"Yes, you're probably right". Hiruzen said sadly. While he had not known Naruto's mother, Kushina, very well, he had met her enough times to know of her temper. Bringing himself out of the happier memories, He looked at his former student sadly. Putting a comforting hand on Jiraiya's shoulder, he spoke softly, "I'm sorry Jiraiya".
Jiraiya turned his head away. Jiraiya had been Minato's teacher and friend. He didn't think of Minato as a student, he thought of him as a son. Everytime Jiraiya had had expectations for Minato, he had gone and blown Jiraiya away. Never had Jiraiya dreamed that Minato would have become as powerful as he had, but it had done nothing but increase how proud Jiraiya had been of him. Even after Minato had become Hokage, Jiraiya had regularly visited.
And now he was gone. Jiraiya had arrived only a day before. Word had not spread of what had occurred across the continent yet, so it had been a terrible shock to discover the destruction around and even worse, the news of Minato's death.
"I should have been here". Jiraiya whispered, though loud enough for his former teacher to hear. "I could have done the jutsu for him. I could have died in his place". He looked down on the ground. Minato had been too young to meet an end like this.
Hiruzen shook his head. "Do not say such things Jiraiya". He said sternly but comforting. "He died defending the village that he loved so greatly. The last thing he would have wanted would be for you to take his place in death. He felt that the world needed more men like you". He allowed a small smile, thinking of that young man's selflessness. It was rare for it to be so strongly in one person.
Jiraiya turned and faced his sensei, his eyes still reflecting great sadness but held a look of new drive. "Heh, yeah you're probably right". He smiled a little for what seemed the first time since he had heard the news of Minato's death.
After a moment his entire demeanor changed. He leaned against the wall nearby and finally began the conversation. "So, I take it you've already presented him to the council".
Hiruzen sighed, pulling up a chair to sit down. "Yes, Two days ago, I presented him to the council." he said.
"How'd they take it?" Jiraiya asked.
"How do you think they took it? We were attacked by the Nine tails a few days ago and it was sealed into a child." Hiruzen stated.
"What about his heritage?" Jiraiya asked, curious as to why his sensei had made no mention of it. "Did you tell them who his father was?"
"I thought it best not to mention that part."
"Good idea. If any of the spies in this village reported the fact that Minato has an heir, there would surely be assassination attempts."
Hiruzen sadly smiled. "Your student trusted the people of this village, and you think that some of them are spies Jiraiya."
Jiraiya's expression turned deadly serious. "Minato was a great person, but he trusted the people of this village too much. With a population size like ours, it's impossible for there not to be spies." He then smirked. "Are you telling me you disagree, sensei?"
Hiruzen closed his eyes and took on a serious expression. "I think that men like you and me have the curse of seeing the truth of things." He opened his eyes and looked straight at his former student. "This is not a bad thing, but neither is having faith in the people of your village."
Jiraiya nodded and turned back to the baby Naruto. "I take it Minato's request for the kid to be seen as a hero has been completely ignored."
Hiruzen sighed sadly. "I'm afraid so. Some of them even had the gall to demand he be put to death, claiming him to be the fox in human skin."
"Bastards!" Jiraiya growled. "After everything Minato did for this village, how dare they ignore his last request!"
"Hope is not lost, at least completely." Hiruzen said. "A couple of the clan heads were neutral. Perhaps they just need time to let the wounds of this attack heal before the start to see reason again."
"Maybe." Jiraiya said, not taking his eyes off Naruto. It was silent again for two minutes before Jiraiya turned back to Hiruzen. "How badly do you need the information I gather?"
Unknown to most in the village, Jiraiya had a network of spies that gave him and, by extension, the village a wealth of knowledge from corners of the continent.
"We've just gotten out of a war a year ago Jiraiya." Hiruzen stated. "I don't think I need to tell you how important it is to have information during the years of recovering from war."
Jiraiya stopped leaning on the wall and walked over to the desk, gently picking up Naruto. "I know. I know. It's just….."
Hiruzen sighed and walked over behind his former student, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're going through Jiraiya. I know you want to raise this child, and I don't blame you. This is your godson after all, but we need the information you bring us." Jiraiya turned his head to face his sensei. "I would adopt this child myself, but I cannot watch him all the time. At this time, I don't trust my family not to do anything foolish."
Jiraiya was taken aback by the blatant untrust his sensei had for his family. "What do you mean?"
Hiruzen lowered his head a little. "Ah yes, you wouldn't have heard."
"Heard what?" Jiraiya asked.
"My…. My wife was killed during the Nine tails attack." Hiruzen stated simply, but one could hear the pain in his voice.
Jiraiya stood there, unsure of what to say. "I...I wasn't told. I'm sorry."
"What time we had together was good." Hiruzen lifted his head, looking at Jiraiya. "You need not worry. But back to Naruto. As you know, my wife was well liked among our clan, and whatever law I have passed, I do not trust them not to do anything foolish."
"What about your son?" Jiraiya asked.
"I'm not sure what he would do, in all honesty". Hiruzen said. "I have never been able to read him well."
"You mentioned a law you passed just a moment ago?" Jiraiya asked.
"Hmm? Oh yes, forgive me. When it became clear that Minato's wish would go unheeded, I classified the fact that Naruto contains the Nine tailed Fox an S ranked secret. Anyone who tells anyone who does not already know or who speaks of it in public without my express permission shall be punished severely, regardless of circumstance. I have also decreed that Naruto is not to be told." Hiruzen stated.
"Do you think that's wise?" Jiraiya asked. "He will have to know eventually and isn't it better that he know as soon as possible?"
"I wish him to have as normal a childhood as he can." Hiruzen said. "Let's not burden him with this dreadful knowledge until he is at least a genin."
"I suppose that makes sense, but there is something else we need to discuss." Jiraiya said.
"Is there?"
"It's in regards to his Uzumaki blood."
"Oh yes." Hiruzen said. "I had forgotten about that."
"I don't think we'll have to worry. Kushina never had the urgings, but we should at least talk about it."
"I will trust your judgment on this Jiraiya." Hiruzen said. "You know more about those seals then I."
"Thank you." Jiraiya said. "If that's all sensei, I think I'm gonna go grab something to eat, and then go back to the hotel." He then smiled pervertedly. "Hopefully on the way, I'll meet a nice pretty girl."
Hiruzen chuckled. "You never change. By the way, how long will you stay?"
Jiraiya's smile disappeared. "I'll probably leave after the funeral, then come back every year or so to check on the kid." He looked at the floor for a minute before saying "Hey, if it's alright with you, I'd like to say a few words at the funeral."
"Of course Jiraiya." Hiruzen smiled. "I would never deny you that."
Jirayia put Naruto back into his tiny bed and began to walk out of the office. Before he reached the door he stopped and turned towards Hiruzen. "You know sensei, I can just sense it. That kids got one hell of a destiny and I want to be there when he accomplishes it." And with that, he exited the room.
Meanwhile, little baby Naruto slept in his bed, unaware of the enormous change he would bring to this world.