Prologue
Jinchuriki.
While some people only recognize the horrible word as describing the hosts of the nine demons, the true meaning of the word 'jinchuriki' originated in the earliest days of the shinobi.
To become a jinchuriki at that time was as disgraceful as it is now.
A jinchuriki was one who gave their lives for the sake of their comrades and their friends over all else. For ninjas this was as foolhardy as it was discriminated against. Your life as a ninja was only for the village – for the mission.
Hatake Sakumo was the one of the first 'modern' ninja to realize the true meaning of the word and how it applied to the nature of the honorable shinobi – the Power of Human Sacrifice - though he killed himself with those ideals in mind.
Now, the word is diluted as it is used for hatred and prejudice. In Konoha, the word is generally used to describe the jailer of the Kyuubi, though he was not Konoha's first jinchuriki.
The first human sacrifice of Konoha was the Fourth Hokage, Namekaze Minato, the father who perfected the jutsu that demonstrated the absolute power to sacrifice oneself for precious people.
The second was his son, Uzumaki Naruto, who ironically spent his whole life trying to do the same.
Though after all, it was difficult to sacrifice yourself for your friends when people kept on trying to kill you.
And the second attempt on Naruto's life by his own village occurred when he was 13, in front of the Hokage's tower, where a kunai found its way to his spine.
The silent kill was the most perfect.
- -
The previous week was a momentous occasion.
Sunagakure, upon influence of Otogakure staged one of the largest failed invasions.
It was during the moment which Naruto literally used his head for victory against a brother of sorts – the jinchuriki of the Sand, Sabaku no Gaara – that another sacrifice, similar to one 13 years ago, was being made.
Orochimaru, without his hands, had been defeated.
The Sandaime, having sacrificed himself, had won – protecting his village.
The summoning of the Shinigami was enough to distract the Sound Four and allow Jiraiya to easily kill one of them and break the barrier they had created, moving in towards their master.
By the time Jiraiya had reached his former sensei though, Orochimaru was on his way to disappearing, and Death's vice grip was slowly, and what Jiraiya assumed to be very painfully, taking out Sandaime's soul.
No words were said between sensei and student, as the old man looked over another former student with nothing but pride on his face. Removing his battle helmet, to Jiraiya's surprise, the Sandaime placed the helmet on Jiraiya's head, letting him know what his intentions were.
Jiraiya, though he wanted to protest and disagree, could not deny the last wish of a smiling, dying old man.
Sarutobi got the last laugh, as he finally gave in and left this world for good.
When the ANBU reached the spot where Sarutobi's dead body lay, they saw Jiraiya standing up, still wearing the former Hokage's battle helmet.
And for the first time in Jiraiya's life, he saw the ANBU in front of him, on their knees, bowing.
His first command as the undeclared Hokage was, "what the hell are you doing on your knees? Get up, and go help your village!"
In the days to follow almost half of Konoha's ninja's were recovering. Almost all of the Genins who had competed in the Chunin Exam were among them, and surprisingly the one who had fought the largest battle was the first to get out.
"They made you Hokage?" Naruto laughed, not mockingly, but with affection.
"I was the most deserving candidate." Jiraiya replied, as he walked the boy out of the hospital. Few people had been to see Naruto – few as in just Jiraiya, Kakashi and Iruka.
"I guess that means you can make me Chunin, right?" Naruto grinned, unlike Jiraiya who was dressed in his signature attire, Naruto just wore a black shirt and his normal orange pants. "Knowing the Hokage should have some benefits, after all, right?"
"And why should I listen to the orders of a 13-year-old?"
"I fought in the largest battle out of all the Genin! And won!" Naruto almost shouted, no one in the past few days had acknowledged his victory.
"I didn't see it." Jiraiya replied simply, Naruto, too tired to argue decided to ask another question that had been bothering me.
"If you're Hokage now, who's going to teach me?"
"Who else?" Jiraiya asked, "you're actual sensei, Kakashi."
- -
What Jiraiya had not told Naruto was he already tried to make Naruto Chunin. Once the council caught wind of his plan to make Naruto Chunin, however, he was faced with prejudice he did not even believe was happening towards his student.
The council had organized a meeting just for such a purpose. Such things were unheard of happening to previous Hokages.
Jiraiya was determined not to make his first act as Hokage fail.
Yes, the Village Elders – Sarutobi's former teammates – approved of him becoming Hokage, though that did not mean he was granted absolute power like he thought it would be.
Jiraiya, in his frustration, vented his anger into his story, as he wrote a certain chapter in which when the main character thinks he's going to finally win the heart of the girl of his dreams, his plan just ends up crashing and burning and all he receives in the end is a large kick in the balls.
The power of metaphors.
"What do you mean I can't make the boy Chunin?" Jiraiya yelled – out of everyone in the room, he was the only one wearing a Konoha headband. He faced the entire council during the meeting, and it was the other male of the former Hokage's team that chose to speak.
"It would seem bias if we made him –"
"Bias? He defeated a one-tailed demon!" Jiraiya argued with the old man, who was clearly disturbed by his anger.
"No one saw it, we're just going by his word. His previous fight with Neji however, was inadequate for him to -"
"Naruto is one of the best fighters out of all the Genin! Whilst some of them may be smarter than him, in the heat of battle Naruto proves himself successful time and time again!" Jiraiya frowned, he had expected some of them to hate the boy, as most of them were of the older generations whose children were killed by the Kyuubi's attack – but they weren't even giving the boy a chance!
"I think we should give the boy a chance." Jiraiya smiled when Morino Ibiki decided to speak up. He was the youngest, most recently elected member of the council, as well as the head of torture and interrogation of the ANBU. No one questioned his intelligence and no one questioned his experience.
"He has proven himself so far to every challenge he has had." Jiraiya became calmer, somewhat pleased he had a member of the council on his side, and a rather influential one too.
"Then he would have no problem proving himself again." Another council member said, one that Jiraiya had never seen before.
"I have no problem with that." Jiraiya eyed them carefully, if anything, Jiraiya did not want to make them think he was going to agree with them every time.
"We'll send him on a mission, a standard, Chunin-rank mission – just to see if he could really live up to your idea of him." And Jiraiya knew they were lying.
If it was anything like a normal Chunin-rank mission, he would commit seppuku on the spot. This was their indirect approach to ridding themselves of the demon. The boy would go into a mission and possibly not come out. Too bad they hadn't accounted for Naruto's unpredictability into the equation.
Jiraiya sighed, knowing that there was nothing more he could do except for relay the information Naruto. From what Kakashi had told him, this wouldn't be the first attempt the council had made on Naruto's life.
- -
When Jiraiya organized a meeting with Naruto after the meeting, Naruto had no problem with obliging and meeting him in the office.
A walk towards the Hokage's tower, though accompanied by hateful glances and disgusted stares, was just a simple walk out in the open.
Naruto had taught himself to ignore the prejudice from birth and to just laugh it off instead, his hollow laugh that had accompanied him ever since the council's first attempt on his life.
Jiraiya had been distracted with more paperwork from the council when Naruto arrived within view of his window.
The moment Jiraiya decided to play with Sandaime's Crystal Ball was the moment a well placed kunai lodged itself in Naruto's spine.
Jiraiya broke the window and jumped 11 stories to get to his student.
Naruto just laid there, kunai in his back, blood spilling out.
Looking around, on a street where everyone had previously shot murderous looks towards the boy, each person was as guilty of killing the boy as the next.
Author's Note: A difficult thing about writng stories is the author's note and the summary, and here's why: finding the midpoint between being too self-loathing to the point where it's painful - ie. I suck at summaries, sorry if it's crap, etc. - to being sarcastic and almost condescending - ie. I'm totally AWESOME at summaries, and this is the best thing I've ever written.
So I'll just say this - give me reviews and I'll be happy.