Chapter 3 already! Phew! I am happy that in only 2.5 days I've gotten 125 visitors and over 200 hits. Pretty sweet!

The pace needs to move quicker, I know...

-pp

Recap: After several hours of council meetings, the 3rd Hokage revealed that the boy that was made into the jinchuriki of the nine tailed fox, Naruto Uzumaki, was actually the son of the fallen 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze. After that shocking revelation, the clan heads then voiced their support for the child. Sarutobi then created a law, hiding the boy's jinchuriki status from the younger generation.

Three Weeks Later

Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, leaned on the window of his sensei's office. "So, that's what you did sensei? Are you sure that's wise?" The edge in his voice was apparent. Jiraiya of the Sannin, one of the most powerful ninja to walk the planet, was angry.

Sarutobi drew upon his long pipe as he glanced sidelong at his former student. Jiraiya had arrived a few hours ago, just days after receiving the messenger hawk. At the time, Jiraiya had been encamped somewhere on the far side of the Land of Earth, dodging border patrols. Upon receiving the message, he came back at almost inhuman speed, assisted at night by traveling toads who had verified the truth of the nine tails attack.

After paying his respects to Minato's freshly marked grave, he had reported directly to the Hokage Tower, where Sarutobi had filled him in on the events. "I am old enough to know that the wisdom of decisions will be judged by those who remember them, not by the senile old fools as they make them." Sarutobi sighed, "I don't know anything anymore, but Minato's last requests were impossible to grant any other way. While Naruto will never been seen as a hero for simply being a jinchuriki, as least the respect that others had for his father will hopefully prevent him from being totally shunned by the village. At least, that is my hope."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and tossed a scroll at the Hokage. "I found that information when I intercepted a patrol on the Iwa-Taki border on my way home. Take a look and see if you still think this was the only way." Jiraiya paused as Sarutobi opened the scroll.

Scanning the scroll, Sarutobi's eyes went wide with shock. "I-is this? Are you sure that..."

"It's good information, Hokage-sama. It seems that village security isn't what you thought it was." Jiraiya was livid. "You may have just sealed the last Namikaze's death warrant. I highly doubt that this is the only scroll with this information, so it's reasonable to assume that Iwa now knows that the Yellow Flash had a son, and he is the jinchuriki of the nine tailed fox. Damn it sensei! They have probably put a bounty on his head already! A baby!" Jiraiya turned away from his teacher. "I guess this means I have to stay around for a while, sensei. Congratulations, you have at least one student back."

The sarcasm in Jiraiya's tone did not go unnoticed by his shocked teacher, who sat down, and composed himself. After a moment of silence, the 3rd looked up at the Toad Sage with a gleam in his eye. He was not called the professor for nothing, he could easily turn this into an advantage for his homeland. "Let Onoki work himself up over a baby. They would not dare attack Kohona and risk the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Instead they will plan and plot, focused on a ghost of the past. They will waste their time, while you transform your godson into a proper shinobi. You are the greatest living seal master! You can teach the child about using his prisoner! He might be the greatest ninja this village will ever produce! He will be the protector of this village, trained by one of the Sannin from birth! Maybe this information will even reach Tsunade and bring her home. This can all work to our benefit."

"Sometimes, sensei, you are a short-sighted fool." Jiraiya scoffed. "If you wanted me and Tsunade home you could have just thrown a nude drinking party, or legalized gambling." He turned serious and looked his mentor in the eye. "Instead you have just put a target on that boy's head the size of all the elemental nations. I have half a mind to take the boy and leave, just so he can't be used the way you are planning to use him. Kami, you're getting as bad as Danzo!"

The 3rd rose with a dangerous look in his eye. "Personal insults won't make the boy any stronger, Jiraiya." He flashed his eyes at the sage and spiked his killing intent. "I always loved you like my own child, but I will not accept open insubordination in the office of the Hokage. I have to think of the village's interests as well as the boy's benefit. I will not be second guessed by a man who shirked all responsibility to his village to traipse around the elemental nations! Minato was a hero, and his son will follow in his footsteps, regardless of whether you approve of my methods. Openly questioning my decisions won't help that boy protect himself when the time comes, and you know that."

Sarutobi released his chakra and sat back down with a sigh. "These times are trying for all of us my old friend, my student. I am so tired. You know as well as any that every decision has repercussions that no man can anticipate. If I have learned anything from years of service, bickering over what is past becomes futile. You make not like it, but what's done is done. Let us prepare for the future. I need you. The village needs you. Your godson needs you."

Jiraiya stepped away from the window with his back to his teacher and stopped. He was not a mindless emotional fool that many took him for. He had spent the years after the last great war traveling under the guise of being a simple author, while cultivating a very important spy network for the village. Jiraiya had given his life to his service, to his village. He never had a family, had very few good friends. While Sarutobi had been like a father to him, Minato had been the closest thing to family he had. He knew that the 3rd had made a mistake, and put Minato's child in danger.

At the same time however, perhaps his sensei was right. Nothing could be done about that now, and the village needed a strong Hokage. Jiraiya, however, was just too angry to let it go at that moment. Maybe in the future, but not when Iwa could be sending in agents to kill his godson while they made simple amends. "I am sorry, Hokage-sama." Sarutobi flinched at his tone. "You may be proven right eventually, and I will tow the company line for the village's sake, but do not think I will allow my godson to be turned into some token of the village's strength. I will train him, and teach him the shinobi arts if he chooses to learn them, but I will not force the boy down a dangerous path for no reason, and if he does not wish it, then that will be that."

Sarutobi was rarely shocked this many times in so short a time, but his old student was good at surprises. Even the 3rd could not hold his composure. "You can not be serious! You yourself just mentioned the danger he's in!"

"I never said that he wouldn't be able to defend himself sensei." Jiraiya turned back towards the window. "But if he doesn't want to become a shinobi of Kohona, I will not force him like you are trying to. I have given my life for this village, and I am alone. My only pseudo family is either dead or on the run. The person I thought of as a father-" He paused, looking the 3rd in the eye, "seems to care more about power than the well-being of the child of the greatest hero this village has ever seen. I will not condemn the boy to the same fate as me. That is his decision to make. Not mine, not yours, not that idiot council's, and not Danzo's. His. You had better pray that he turns out like his father."

Sarutobi was stunned. Jiraiya had never spoken to him like that before. Inside, Sarutobi knew that Jiraiya was speaking out of hurt, but the words rang true. Had he just been trying to manipulate the boy in the same way that he manipulated the council earlier? Had the politics of his position overwhelmed his decency? No. His decision was the right one for the village. He did not have the luxury of playing favorites like his students. Even with his spy network, Jiraiya had never borne the responsibility of the entire village. He had done what was right. Being a leader meant that he had to look out for the greater good, even possibly at the expense of a few. Minato understood that, better than everyone. That's why he sealed the demon in his own son!

Still, even thinking his actions through logically, Sarutobi felt stung by his student's words. "I think we all pray he turns out like his father, Jiraiya. I will honor your decision, to a point. I will not force him to do anything against his will, but he will enroll in the academy when he is old enough. He will be too young to truly appreciate his decisions at that point. If, after becoming a shinobi of the Leaf, he decides to remove himself from service, I will not stop him as long as I bear the mantle of Hokage. I will not back down from my choices, we have a difference of opinion, fueled by the emotion of this situation. I just hope that you and I can repair the damage to our relationship that my decisions have made."

Jiraiya propped himself up on the windowsill of the office. "Time heals all wounds, sensei. You know that." He sighed sadly. "That time may not come quickly for us, however. As for the boy, he and I will be taking up residence at his family's compound. I have already removed all of Minato's property and scrolls from this office. Should I even get a whiff of foul play from this office, the council, the elders or that old bat Danzo, I will be leaving with Naruto. While I stay here, I will protect the village, but don't even think of assigning me any missions until further notice. As of right now, I am no longer a shinobi of Kohona. I am just a man raising his godson." With that, Jiraiya was gone.

Sarutobi slumped in his chair as he pondered his student's last words. Sitting suddenly straight, Sarutobi leapt from his chair directly to the hidden wall safe. Opening the safe, he found the contents emptied except for a small note in Jiraiya's handwriting.

It read: "Sensei, we will not see eye to eye on this, I know. Maybe someday we will be ok, but my life is about the boy now, not the village. I have taken all of Minato's things, including the various scrolls in the Hokage vault beneath the tower while we were talking. They will be safe, but they are my godson's legacy, and I will not have anyone else controlling them. By the way, the vault security really needs an upgrade. Because this worked, I know you need some sleep. You look tired, and the village needs a strong leader. Be well. I will see you around. – Your student, Jiraiya"

Sarutobi cursed with a small smile on his face. 'Maybe our bond will be back quicker than I had hoped.' He thought as he walked back to his bay window. 'Be strong for Minato's legacy, Jiraiya. I will be strong for the village.'

A/N: Hopefully you enjoyed Chapter 3. I like the way this interaction worked out. The 3rd has a very tough job, and his willingness to put the village over family makes sense in my head, because at this point in the timeline, I think that Asuma is a part of the guardsmen. Despite his machinations, Sarutobi seems like a softie, and very open to being guilted into things.

I still haven't figured out what to do about Orochimaru. I know his defection happens sometime in the next couple years, but I have no idea how to deal with that. I figure that this is around the time he kidnapped those children to recreate the Wood release, but the manga and anime are not really clear on the timeline. Regardless, he will have to be in the picture because he seems to always be around. As a member of Akatsuki, he implants all those Sharingans in Danzo right after the Uchiha massacre, he tried to take over Itachi's body at some point thereafter, and Oto is too fruitful a ground for the major storyline to just ignore. If people have suggestions, I'm open to them.

Again, hit me up if it turns out that I took something from someone.

I keep saying that the pace will pick up... I'm trying dammit! Writing is hard, and it makes my head hurt.

-pp