Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters in any way shape or form. However, I DO own any plots and/or characters introduced in the following fanfiction that are not already owned by anyone else. If you want to use them, ask my permission. It helps to bribe me with alcohol and candy.

Sins of the Father

It had been one of those ideas that seemed good at the time. Naruto had already shown he was capable of holding his own against the Kyuubi's influence, largely in part of the fact that the Yondaime had been incredibly skilled, and it showed in the seal he'd put on Naruto. Yet Naruto also had a great deal of determination, which showed in almost everything he did. It also helped that he was stubborn as an ass. Unfortunately, he also had a tendency to take incredibly large risks, which often times got him in (and out of) serious trouble.

So, a year into the training mission, he'd thought up a plan that, in the true Naruto fashion, was amazingly reckless and foolish, yet, would pay off handsomely if indeed it worked. The only problem, well ONE of the problems, with it was getting Jiraiya to go along with it. The old hermit was the only one, so far as Naruto knew, who could perform the jutsu that the plan required. So if he decided against it, Naruto's plan was dead in the water. What would it take to convince the old man...?

Jiraiya had known that something was up when Naruto DIDN'T pester him about learning the jutsu. They'd been running from a group of women who had, until 7 minutes previous, been lounging, bathing, and all around being sexy in a local hot springs. (Honestly, Jiraiya HAD to get his research for the next Icha Icha volume finished. The editor was breathing down his neck about the deadline. All his attempts to turn Naruto into a pervert had been woefully unsuccessful.) At that point, the brat had made the comment, "Some sannin you are, can't even escape from a bunch of civilian women. Maybe I should follow the bastard and make Orochimaru my sensei."

Now, Jiraiya had known the kid had been joking, which showed him how far Naruto had come in accepting the Uchiha's betrayal, but that one had stung. Hell, he'd taught the brat lots of useful stuff. Ok he'd showed him lots of useful stuff and given him hints until he'd figured it out for himself. Still, the kid wouldn't have known any of it otherwise. But since his honor as a ninja and a teacher were both at risk…

Naruto watched as his sensei flashed through a sequence of seals he didn't recognize and then said "Mind Peel no Jutsu." Suddenly, the group of women chasing them stopped and started swaying on their feet. Then, in unison, they all fell to the ground unconscious.

Naruto looked confused. "Oi, what was that Ero-Sennin? Genjutsu?"

"Sort of." Jiraiya answered. "It's a weaker version of a jutsu I created a while back to use in interrogations. The normal version rips through the natural mental defenses and causes a person to look inside themselves and face their true self, along with all their faults and mistakes. Also, while under the influence of the jutsu, a person will answer any question you ask them truthfully."

At that point, the brat had looked thoughtful and dropped the subject. Jiraiya had assumed he'd forgotten about it, or didn't care to learn the jutsu. That is, until two weeks later, when Naruto had approached Jiraiya with his scheme. Jiraiya was shocked, to say the least.

"Idiot! That's gotta be one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard!"

Naruto wanted Jiraiya to use the jutsu on him, forcing him to come face to face with the Kyuubi itself. Normally, this only happened when Naruto's Life was in danger. However, Naruto wanted to do so without being damn near death. Which, ironically, was entirely possible if Jiraiya decided to go along with this plan. At the very least, Naruto figured he could get in touch with his true self.

"It's not dumb at all! It's just really risky." retorted Naruto. "Just like most of the plans we make. High risk, high reward."

"We? Don't lump me in with your stupidity. My plans are all genius." Jiraiya snorted.

"Like you plan to infiltrate that hot springs by posing as the manager-"

"Genius. Pure genius."

"Who happened to be a 47 year old WOMAN? That you, by the way, forgot to henge into?"

"….. That still doesn't make this plan of yours any good. There's just way too much that can go wrong at any point." Jiraiya explained. "You forget this is an interrogation jutsu. The one I used on those women was a weaker version, so it just knocked them out. But what you wanna do requires the full strength. That puts a lot of strain on both you body and mind. Then after that you wanna speak to the strongest demon humans have ever seen."

"I know sensei, (Jiraiya knew the kid was serious then) but it's the only way I could possibly get strong enough to retrieve Sasuke in another 2 years." Naruto reasoned. "For one thing, he learns a lot faster than I ever will, simply because of his Sharingan. His taijutsu was good when we left, but with the snake-freak there to mentor him, he'll be that much better. Especially since Orochi-bitch doesn't really have to teach him any moves, just show them to him once. So he basically has 2 years to perfect an entire taijutsu style. While I on the other hand, probably learned at most ½ of the taijustu you plan to teach me. And the situation is even worse with ninjutsu.

"As for genjutsu, Sakura did some research on your old team before we left. She said that Oba-chan had mainly been the healer and long range support for you and the freak. You were the muscle on the team, and snake-freak handled the Genjutsu for the most part.

"So while I'm sure you've learned a whole lot since then, I'd expect the snake-freak has too. Which will show in both Sasuke and my abilities. Not to mention the cloak-freaks. Hell, the last time we met them, Itachi and the shark-freak managed to escape from your jutsu. Which makes them at least high S-class. And we don't even know how many there are of them or if those two were the weakest or strongest."

Jiraiya was speechless. Naruto had carefully and methodically stated numerous reasons why they should go ahead with his plan. Apparently, the kid had been listening when He'd told him to stop being so loud and to be more thoughtful. But there were some things about it that needed changing.

"Ok Naruto, I see your logic. (Never thought he'd say THAT to the brat) But there are some things about it that need changing. First of all-"

"Oi Ero-sennin, if we do it, you'll have more time everyday for your stupid peeping and writing your stupid books.

"IT'S THE PERFECT PLAN!"

Naruto had thought he'd gotten away with his plan scot-free, but Jiraiya had still put him through a long and very intense question and answer session about his motives. Pretty much the most important thing on his mind, and coincidentally Jiraiya's first question was, "Why even do this to yourself? You've already explained why you SHOULD do it, but why do you WANT to do it?"

That was the one question Naruto had wanted to avoid. Figures that it would be the first one Ero-sennin asked. Naruto thought to himself for a moment, and then answered.

"I think there is something strange about the Kyuubi. Something weird has been going on with its chakra lately."

Alarmed, Jiraiya inquired further. "What do you mean?

"Well," Naruto replied, "do you remember when you taught me how to summon?"

"Yes." He'd never forget it; the look on the gaki's face when he fell into empty space had been priceless. Not that Jiraiya would ever admit out loud that he'd enjoyed scaring the kid.

"Well before then, the only time I could access Kyuubi's chakra was when I was really mad, or scared. After that day, I could access it if I concentrated hard enough. But about 3 weeks ago, it became really easy to access. Think of it like entering a rich man's vault. At first you have to sneak in or force your way in past guards. Later maybe you make a deal with the man and you can come in when you please, but the guards have to let you in and watch you the whole time. Right now it feels as if the rich man had left the door to his vault open, fired all the guards, and put up a sign that said "FREE MONEY! TAKE! ENJOY!"

Jiraiya was shocked. This development was entirely unexpected. It sounded as if the Kyuubi was entirely unconcerned with anything Naruto decided to do with its chakra. No wonder Naruto wanted to figure out what was going on, Jiraiya did too. Going face to face with the eons old, strongest demon known to mankind and demanding answers was a little beyond him though.

"But isn't there an easier way to find out? Aside from the known stress this jutsu will put on you, this cant be any good for your body or mind.

Naruto glared at his sensei. "And pushing me off a cliff was? At least this way I wont be impaled on rocks if I fail, Ero-sennin" he deadpanned.

Jiraiya had the decency to look chagrined. "I was completely in control of the situation at the time. AND STOP CALLING ME THAT!" With that he hit Naruto on the head. Damned if he'd let the gaki get in the last word. He was still the sensei dammnit!

A week later, they found themselves in a hotel room in a small city. Jiraiya's info network HAD told him that Akatsuki would be preparing for at least two more years, so Naruto was safe in the meantime. As such, he figured it was best to be near a medical facility in case anything went wrong. And added bonus was he could watch the (normally) fuzzy channels without Naruto yelling at him this time. One must accept life's small blessings where one found them.

"Alright gaki," Jiraiya started, "I normally put a time limit on how long a person is under, but I'm trusting you, so I wont do so this time. I'll be watching your vitals though, so if they drop below a certain point, I'm forcing you out of it anyway."

Naruto wasn't fooled. "Whatever Ero-sennin, I already know all you'll be doing is watching perverted things on TV. I hid Gama-chan, so whatever you watch you pay for."

Jiraiya felt scandalized. Not only had his student managed to predict exactly what he'd been planning to do, he'd also managed to one up him with the knowledge. If that wasn't bad enough, he'd gotten in the last word. Either Naruto was getting too smart for his own good, or Jiraiya was getting too predictable in his hobbies. Either way, he'd have to do something about it. Meantime…

"Whatever brat, let's just get this thing over with." scowled Jiraiya. Then he became serious. "I'm gonna restrain you in case anything happens that we can't fix."

Naruto knew the hidden meaning behind Jiraiya's words, knew what the white-haired sannin was implying. 'In case the Kyuubi takes over.' "Ok Ero-sennin.

"And Naruto, I just want to tell you that you are the second- bravest, second- smartest, and my second- favorite pupil I've ever had."

'Saying goodbye just in case eh Ero-sennin?' thought Naruto. If Naruto was possessed by the Kyuubi, Jiraiya would most likely have to kill him. If such a thing came to pass, he wanted Naruto to know he'd definitely miss him.

"And you are the most perverted, dirtiest, lazy and idiotic old man I've ever known." Jiraiya scowled, thane Naruto realized something.

"Hey! You only ever had two students!" The sannin smirked at him. "Worthless old pervert…" grumbled Naruto. "Just get on with it already."

Jiraiya flashed through the handseals, holding the last one.

"Just so you know, the will be a great deal of pain," warned the old man, "you can still back out…"

"Feh. If I was afraid of a little pain, becoming a shinobi would have been a very poor career choice." Naruto replied. "Now quit stalling!"

"Whatever gaki. Kokoro Hagase no Jutsu!" said Jiraiya, finishing the jutsu.

A tendril of chakra left Jiraiya's hands and traveled through the room. It turned this way and that, as if it was a nin-dog, sniffing out it's prey. Suddenly it stiffened, then raced towards Naruto.

The chakra shot into Naruto's head. He stiffened, and broke out in a cold sweat. His head felt as if a ghost was caressing it with the tips of its fingers in some sort of supernatural massage. Then the feeling traveled down his spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake. The feeling changed to a tingling deep in the pit of his stomach. Naruto remembered his sensei's previous explanations: "The jutsu is somewhat predictable in its own way. Before it properly begins to go to work, the target get will feel a tingling sensation in the part of the body it feels most attached to. That specific body part will soon experience the worst pain imaginable."

Naruto relaxed a bit. 'From what Ero-sennin was saying, this could have been a horrible experience. But maybe it'll just be a really bad stomachache, like the time I ate those 15 bowls of expired ramen." All of a sudden, the tingling feeling shot out to encompass every part of him. Everything was tingling, from his hair to his eyes to his toenails. Every part of him felt as if it had fallen asleep. His eyes widened. This was really going to SUCK. Then, surprisingly, it all stopped. He looked questioningly at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya looked mournfully at his student, all traces of his normally playful attitude gone. "I'm sorry for what happens next Naruto."

Then the screams began.