"Why, Naruto, of all people, are you interested in a flat chested fangirl?"
They sat, student and teacher, on a boat through Kiri no Kuni's canal system.
"Neh, sensei...Why do you like Baa-chan?"
"Well, every letter counts..." he grinned, before glancing over. Naruto wasn't laughing.
Wasn't frowning, either. Just...Waiting.
"...Because one night, after a mission that went horribly wrong, we shared our feelings...That child died, a few years ago, and with him, went 'us'."
Naruto sighed heavily.
Jiraiay stared expectantly.
"...One night, after we nearly lost everything, we made a promise – we'd be together, some day, once we'd achieved our dreams...I never go back on my promises."
"Since then..." they began, smiling knowingly.
"Every fight."
Haku fell. Someone who understood the blond's loneliness – and his hands were spattered with that person's blood.
Hanzo beat the Sannin. Battered, bruised, and worthless, the pale-haired ninja stood defiantly. And he was laughed at. The bastard let them live, not because they challenged him, but because, despite being shown that everything he'd learned was worthless, Jiraiya refused to quit.
"Every lie."
Naruto never believed Mizuki – but he had to pass, and, an old rule in Konoha was, you could take a traitor's rank. He was demoted, of course, for the whole scroll thing, but still made Genin.
Orochimaru had been found out, the first time he experimented – but Tsunade wanted to learn from it. Jiraiya kept quiet.
"Every breath..."
Naruto didn't spare Gaara, out of pity – he was out of chakra. The moment Sakura was pinned, Naruto's eyes locked onto Gaara's neck, and saw his fate.
The Gallant Jiraiya didn't forget Naruto. Tsunade forgot about life – she wanted to stop hurting, and her concerned teammate spent a little under a decade keeping her safe from debt, yakuza, and herself.
"All I am – All I will be..."
The Toad Sage had seen countless allies fall. He'd killed many, both guilty and innocent. Hundreds of Ninjutsu sat at the tips of his fingers, as did the language of the gods themselves – he was the master of Fuinjutsu. Lords bowed to him, for the grace of his skills at their disposal.
The container of the Kyuubi, beast almighty. Nearly unlimited power at his hands. Allies who controlled entire countries. He had the ears of the Hokage, and the loyalty of the Sandaime's grandson.
"All I have, I surrender...For just one touch, from the Lips of My Angel."