Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, except for the ones I made up myself

Grandpa Jiraiya

Genesis

The Yondaime set off towards the Hokage tower in a rush. It was supposed to be the best day of his life but it had all fallen apart. His wife Kushina was currently in labour, and he could not be there to help her. Some husband he was. Using the Hiraishin, he quickly transported himself to the tower to assess the situation.

By the time he got to his office, most of his associates were already present. The Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, The Toad Sage Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin, and his student Hatake Kakashi were all crowding around his desk, their expressions grim and stony.

"How many?" he asked.

The Sandaime was the first to speak, his voice cracking with grief. He had always loved the village with all his heart and he strongly believed in the Will of Fire. Since childhood, the Third had always been Namikaze Minato's idol.

"Sixty Jonin, one hundred and twenty five Chuunin, five hundred Genin, and one hundred civilians," Sandaime explained.

There hadn't been as many civilian deaths as the Kyuubi was still ways away from the main village, where the main bulk of the civilian population were.

However it was only a matter of time before it did…

The Yondaime sat at his desk and rubbed his temples. This whole thing was a big fiasco. His thoughts turned to Kushina. How was she doing? Jiraiya then coughed to get everyone's attention.

"From all the research I have conducted on tailed beasts I know that they are all invincible. The only way to stop them is to seal them in something…… or someone. The nine tailed fox is the strongest of all the tailed beasts so it will easily be able to get out of an object. Only a living person can even have a chance to hold it off." Jiraiya explained. Minato sighed, he had no other choice but to seal it within someone at the cost of his own life but the question was who was he going to seal it into?

"Naruto won't be born until at least tomorrow and unless he's born this minute there's no one else to seal it in, Naruto please be born tomorrow I don't want to do this too you." Yondaime thought. Just then a messenger appeared into the room.

The Tokubestu Jonin fidgeted a bit before continuing. "Lord Hokage, my sincerest apologies for interrupting you during this important time, but I must inform you that Lady Kushina has just given birth to a healthy baby boy. She wanted me to relay this message to you." He pulled out a tape recorder pressed Play before running out of the room, not wanting to hear Kushina's message again.

The whole room sweat dropped as they listened to the audio. A very loud voice screeched from the recorder. This was just like Kushina. "MINATO, YOU'D BETTER GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW OR THAT BLASTED KYUUBI WILL BE THE LEAST OF YOUR PROBLEMS!"

When Jiraiya, Sarutobi, and Kakashi looked up, Minato was nowhere to be seen. Jiraiya then burst out laughing. "Poor Minato, he now has his wife to deal with. When she's mad she's ten times scarier than the Kyuubi," he chortled as Sarutobi and Kakashi shuddered at the thought of an angry Kushina.

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Minato had run halfway to the hospital when he realized he could use the Hirashin. A sweatdrop formed as he vanished in a yellow flash and appeared in Kushina's hospital room. He saw her holding a bundle in her arms and walked over. He peeked into the blanket and what he saw inside left him gaping like a fish.

Kushina looked up and giggled at her husband's baffled expression.

Minato could barely speak with surprise and joy. "H-he-he's…"

Wrapped in the blanket was what could be best described as Minato's "mini-me". Naruto looked up at him with his big blue eyes. It seemed like he instantly recognized who Minato was, as he started laughing and holding his arms out.

Instinctively, Minato picked up Naruto and smiled down at him. Kushina smiled at the father-son moment, wishing she had a camera with her. Suddenly, she doubled over in pain and started coughing.

Concerned, Minato ran to her aid and reached for the emergency button, but Kushina stopped him.

"Minato, don't… It's inevitable. Earlier, while Naruto and I were alone, a ROOT agent came in and tried to kill us. I managed to protect Naruto and kill the traitor; but afterwards I found out he had poisoned me. I know you want to go after them, but as long as the Kyuubi is here, you can't do that. I know what you intend to do with Naruto, and I'm all right with it as long as you protect the village. All of these people have been nothing but nice to me since I came here, and you better help them or I will kill you over and over again when you join me in the afterlife. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!"

Minato managed to choke out a laugh while he was crying and numbly nod his head. Kushina's breathing started to get worse and she managed to take Naruto from Minato. She let out a sad smile and caressed the little babies face.

"My son, how I wish to watch you grow up and become a strong ninja. I wanted you to have a normal life and fulfil all your dreams. However, it seems that my life been cut short. Know that I will always love you and that I will always be there for you, in heart and in spirit."

She let out a single tear and handed him back to the crying Minato. She slowly wiped the tears from his face. "Please don't cry, Minato. I have lived a full and happy life and I am fine with dying. As a child, I was taught to look at death as a start of a new adventure, not as the end. I will see you again, Minato. I love-"

A straight line appeared on the heart monitor and a long, monotonous beep echoed throughout the room. Naruto started crying as if he somehow knew what had happened.

Minato stopped crying and put on a straight face. He looked at Naruto and tried to calm him down. "Shh… Naruto, it's okay. I'm here. Everything's going to be ok." Naruto immediately stopped crying and looked at his father.

"Naruto, my son, I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do." Minato Hirashined back to his office and went straight to his desk. Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Kakashi walked up to him, eager for the news. Upon seeing what was in his arms, they all gasped in unison.

Jiraiya was the first to speak. "Either you've started cloning yourself, or that's you're son," he teased.

Minato smiled, and handed his son to the Toad Sage. "Yes, he is my son, Jiraiya-sensei. I was as shocked as you when I first laid my eyes on him. He really does look a lot like me. I just wonder what he'll get from Kushina." Everyone suddenly looked at each other nervously, hoping that Naruto wouldn't inherit what they feared most of all. Kushina's personality.

As he rummaged through his desk drawers, Minato finally found the scroll he was looking for. Picking up Naruto, he got ready to leave the room once more.

"Minato-sensei, is Lady Kushina all right?" Kakashi asked.

Minato froze; he had been hoping to avoid this.

"Kushina is dead. Danzou ordered one of his men to kill her and Naruto. She managed to kill him and save Naruto, but she got poisoned."

Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Sarutobi all were shocked. Kushina was a very strong-willed woman. The Shinigami himself probably would not take her from the world of the living without a fight.

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he recognized the scroll Minato was carrying. "Minato… You can't be thinking of doing that to Naruto, can you?"

Minato's shoulders slumped as he released an audible sigh. "I have no other choice. When Naruto was born his fate was decided. How can I ask any other parent to do this to there child when I cannot? Naruto will be able to live with this as long as he has both his parents' willpower within him. I just pray that the villagers won't treat him badly."

Jiraiya nodded dumbly, as the others looked on with grim expectation.

"Jiraiya-sensei, you are his godfather," Minato continued. "I want you to raise him as your own grandson. Don't let the villagers know of his heritage. If word got out, and spread to the other villages, Naruto's life would be in constant danger, and you can't protect him for every minute of his life. Only when you think Naruto is strong enough, can you reveal his true lineage."

Jiraiya was dumbfounded. He walked over to Minato and put his hand on his forehead. Minato looked at him, as if the Toad Sage had lost his marbles.

"Um... Sensei, what are you doing?" Minato asked.

Jiraiya instantly removed his hand. "I was just making sure that you weren't ill. With my reputation, you do know that I am not exactly a child's role model," the Toad Sage replied, laughing.

Minato laughed as well, and handed him another scroll. "I know that you believe that you aren't the best person to raise him but I believe that you are. You are my sensei and because of that, I know you can be caring. In this scroll are letters to Naruto from both Kushina and myself. We wrote these just in case this happened. Along with these are the Namikaze and Uzumaki Justus scrolls, and Naruto's inheritance. I want you to give these to him when you finally tell him the truth."

With that, the Yondaime Hokage walked out of his office for the last time.

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"Kuchiyose no Justu!"

There was an enormous cloud of smoke, and as it cleared, both Minato and Naruto were standing atop a giant toad that towered over the horizon.

"Minato! Why have you summoned me?" bellowed the toad.

Minato carefully set Naruto down onto the top of the toad's head before pointing to out into the distance. "Are you blind? Look right in front of you! That's why!" he shouted.

The Toad Boss looked once again and his eyes nearly popped out of there sockets. "I just remembered… I have to go home and teach some… …uh… …ballerina classes!" he said, his bulbous eyes nervously darting back and forth. There was a long eerie silence before Minato fell down laughing.

"That was the worst excuse ever! If I was still going too be alive after this I'd make fun of you for the rest of your life." Minato said in-between laughs.

"SHUT UP, MINATO. I don't exactly want to fight the strongest of the tailed beasts you know- Wait, what do you mean 'still be alive after this'?" Gamabunta asked.

Minato stopped laughing as his expression turn dead serious. "The only way to defeat something of this magnitude is to seal it in within a living person. Sadly, I have to seal it into my newborn son and the seal I have to use will cost me my life."

Gamabunta could not reply. He knew that there was no other way and once Minato had set his mind on something, there was no way in talking him out of it.

"Very well, Minato. When the time comes I will allow your son to sign the contract. Godspeed, my friend."

Minato nodded in agreement. He then started the seals required to seal the Kyuubi as Gamabunta charged towards the beast.

"Shiki Fuujin!" Minato held on to the Kyuubi and slowly pulled out its soul.

"What are you doing to me you insolent human! How dare you try to seal the most powerful being in existence? AAAAHHHHHH!"

When it was finished, Minato collapsed on the ground and managed to pick Naruto up with his remaining strength. "Naruto, my son… Grow up to be a fine ninja and a good person. I am sorry that I cannot be there to see it." With that, Minato breathed his last. And once again, Naruto started crying for both his parents.

--Eight years later--

A little blond boy poked his head through the door as he beckoned his guardian. "Come on, Grandpa! Let's go!" He ran out to the gate, barely containing his excitement.

"I'm coming Naruto, just a minute," called a voice from inside the house.

The boy, now known as Naruto, whined. "But Grandpa, I'm going to be late for my first ever day of the academy and I really want to get there early."

A minute later, a white-haired man came out of the house and took the blond boy's hand.

"Now Naruto, do you remember what I told you about this morning?" he asked.

"Yep!" Naruto chirped with a nod. "You told me not to show off in front of the other kids because the fastest way to loose friends is by being a show-off."

Jiraiya nodded his head in approval and ruffled his "grandson's" sunshine locks. "Glad you understand. Now, I've got to go do some errands for the Hokage, so will be able to make it to the Academy by yourself, or do I have to accompany you?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's okay, Grandpa. I'll be fine! Later!" He ran out the gate and out onto the pavement, waving as he left.

The man waved back to the retreating figure. "I sure hope you will be Naruto."