All right, first I need to start off with an apology. I'm sorry I took so long with this chapter.Back when I wrote chapter two I was feeling like I had lost my knack for writing and essentially gave up on this story when I first tried planning out chapter three. Around thanksgiving though, I received a review from Shadowphoenix143 that encouraged me to give it another go. Well, writers block reared it's ugly head again, and I realized I had no where to go with this story, and again found myself leaving the story behind. Earlier this week however, Shadowphoenix PM-ed me with some more encouragement, and this time, I was able to get out something solid. Best of all, I now know where I want to go with this story.

So to all of you who have been waiting so patiently for this chapter, and to all of you who had given up hope, I apologize. And to Shadowphoenix143, thank you for the encouragement!

Now, without further delay, chapter three!

(The story thus far: Jiraiya teaches Naruto sex-ed, and lets it slip that he had a kid. Naruto goes to Tsunade to try and find out who that kid was. Tsunade and Jiraiya tell him the story of the birth of the fourth hokage, and reveal that he is still alive, retired somewhere. Naruto slips out at night to go seek the fourth, only to be met by Jiraiya just outside the gate, who was waiting to accompany him...)

A Brief History of Life

"And I'm heading out to the highway
I got nothing to lose at all
I'm gonna do it my way
Take a chance before I fall"

-Judas Priest, Heading Out to the Highway

Chapter 3: Lost and Found

"So, where do we find him?" Naruto asked.

They had been walking for three days, going in no particular direction that struck him as familiar. The gravel crunched under his feet with every step.

"We don't."

"Then where are we…"

"Whirlpool country."

"…Oh. And why are we going there?"

Jiraiya stopped walking and rubbed his face with his hands. "If I've explained this too you once, I've explained it a thousand times," He sighed through muffled hands, "We aren't just going to walk into a bar and ask if anyone has seen Minato recently, like we would with…"

Naruto cut him off, "Why are we looking for this Minato guy?"

"…Are you joking, or are you really that dumb?"

Naruto's face flashed red with irritation.

"Minato is the fourth's name, Naruto."

"…"

Jiraiya, exasperated at having to explain the simplest of concepts, turned his tired face to look Naruto in the eyes, "You do realize that the fourth actually had a name, right? When he was bourn, I didn't just name him 'fourth' in anticipation of being hokage."

"Well you don't have to be so condescending about it!"

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow in surprise, "Eh? I didn't think you'd know that word,"

"Well," he said, plopping himself down on a rock, "I don't. I just heard you use it once to describe baa-chan and I figured…"

Jiraiya sat next to him on the ground. As he slung his pack off and sat it down next to himself, he stared off into the vast expanse of nothing ahead of them. Fields of grass, the occasional small tree, for the most part they were deep in the middle of nowhere. "How any child of the brilliant Minato could be such a dumbass is something I'll never understand."

"…Wait, what?" He had hit the pinnacle of confusion, "The fourth…er, Minato had a kid? Do I know him!?"

"Kid, you're the biggest dumbass I've ever had the displeasure of knowing."

Naruto jumped to his feet and started yelling in his defense, "Well maybe if you actually told me some stuff I wouldn't be so clueless all the time! Now who is this kid of his? Or are you going to tell me he's dead too?!"

Jiraiya brought his fist down hard on top of Naruto's head, hoping to knock some sense into him. "Of course he's still alive, you idiot! Do I have to spell it out for you?! Minato had a kid right?"

"Dammit, do you have to hit me so hard?!"

Jiraiya ignored his complaints and continued, "When the fourth sealed the kyuubi inside you, he chose you for a reason. Care to guess what the reason was?"

"…He knew I'd grow up to be the greatest ninja to ever live?"

"If not the dumbest…" he muttered under his breath, "He chose you because you are his son!"

"I'm…?"

Jiraiya hit his palm against his forehead, "You would think – after some sixteen odd years at looking at his fathers face carved into the mountainside – that the son of the greatest ninja to ever live would maybe wonder at least once how it was he happened to look so much like the village's greatest hero!"

"Well, I just thought it was kind of a coincidence…"

"Clearly, you didn't get your brains from either of your parents."

"Wait, now, so…if he was my father, and you were his father, then that means…you're my grandfather? And baa-chan is my grandmother?"

"Nothing gets past you, does it?"

Naruto sat on his rock in silence for a few moments. He lowered his head in quiet thought. After a few moments he turned his head toward Jiraiya. "Why didn't you ever tell me? Why did you leave me in the orphanage?"

Jiraiya responded with his own silence, as he thought for a few moments. "The best answer is that it was for safety reasons. There is always the chance that you could have been kidnapped, but as you grew, it became relatively obvious from your looks who you were, that and your last name provided a good hint. Eventually, that first idea gave way to the new idea that telling you might make you arrogant, or feel like you were growing up in his shadow. Considering you were training to be a ninja at this point, it was decided that this would be a bad idea. Eventually, it was just decided that you would find out on your own."

"And you?"

He paused again, searching for the words. "…Shortly after we fought, and he headed off to the fight, I packed up my things and left the village. I had thought at the time that perhaps it would have been best if I left him alone. It wasn't until about two weeks later that I heard of his passing, as well as that of his wife. I rushed back to the village, but I had already missed his funeral. When I inquired about you, I was assured that adoptive parents were lined up for you. I knew the family, and I knew they could do a better job raising you than I could on my own."

Naruto shifted a little on his rock, "So, what…"

"…Happened?" he finished, "Well, you were supposed to be adopted by Hyuga Hiashi, believe it or not. Re-assured that you would be in good hands, I left the village again to pursue my life as a hermit. Of course, his decision was vetoed by the clan council shortly after I left, primarily because you were an outsider, but even more so because they succumb to the same thinking as the rest of the village. They didn't see you, only the demon. By the time I next returned to the village, you were already out of the orphanage and living on your own."

Naruto sat in quiet on his rock, slowly digesting everything. He was the son of the fourth hokage, Jiraiya was his grandfather, Tsunade was his grandmother, he was almost adopted by the Hyugas, and he had been lied to all his life. Well, he knew he had been lied to, but frankly this brought things to a whole new level. This time, however, he didn't feel as angry as he did when he found out he was the vessel of the Kyuubi. Granted, he was still mad at not having been told, but he felt he had gained something much more important, a sense of self. He wasn't just Naruto. He was the son of the fourth hokage, and the grandson of two senin.

He sat like this, mulling it all over in his head for several more minutes, adjusting to the new idea.

"So, where do we go from here?" he asked.

"We should reach the Whirlpool nation later this afternoon. From there we start asking around."

Naruto considered this for a moment, "Why the Whirlpool nation?"

Jiraiya smiled, "Now you're asking the right questions! Your mother, actually, was from the Whirlpool. Your father met her there on a mission as a jounin, fell in love with her, and brought her back with him to Konoha. He currently spends his days as a wandering hermit, and never stays anywhere long, though I'd say because of his connection to this place, we'd have a much better chance of finding him around here."

Naruto slipped his pack back on, "So we ask around until we find someone who knows where we can find him?"

"Nope," replied Jiraiya, as he picked up his own pack, "We won't find him no matter how hard we look. We spread the word that we're looking for someone who calls himself "The Unnamed Hermit", and if he wants to meet us, he'll find us."

"How long do you think it will be before I meet him?"

"Hard to tell," He replied with a sigh, "Could be days, months, maybe a few years… Who knows, maybe he'll never seek us out."

Naruto knew it was a possibility that he would never find him. In fact, given what he knew about Jiraiya and his father, he doubted either of them really would want to meet up. If nothing else though, he hoped his father would at least want to meet him.

Rested up, Naruto and Jiraiya got to their feet, Jiraiya's joints creaking as he rose.

The sun was setting outside, the brilliant oranges and reds reflecting off the lake. They canvassed the local bars and whore houses, spreading the word that they were looking for the Unknown Hermit. Of course, no one had heard of him, much less knew where they could find him. They achieved their goal, though. As they wandered the streets later that afternoon, they overheard whisperings about the two strangers who had entered town looking for someone.

Satisfied that they had done their task for the day, they checked into a local hotel for the night. Naruto now stood by the window watching the sun set as he continued to mill over the day's events. Less than a week ago, he was the only surviving member of his family, but now he had a grandmother, a grandfather, and somewhere, a dad.

Jiraiya had left about an hour ago to go to one of the local brothels. He insisted that Naruto come with him for a "follow-up lesson" to his lecture a few days ago. Unfortunately, Jiraiya wouldn't take no for an answer. A simple gen-jutsu later, and Naruto was left without much choice.

…Though he did have to admit he enjoyed the lap dance. But that was beside the point. He convinced Jiraiya to let him go back to the room about a half an hour later. Jiraiya, of course, decided to stay behind.

There was a gentle breeze flowing in through the open window, cooling his face and causing the curtains to flutter.

A voice behind him brought him back to reality.

"So, you've grown since the last time I saw you."

Again, I'm really sorry for how long this took to get back to this story. I'm going to do my best to keep up with this story on the weekends from now on. I understand I haven't given you much reason to trust me to be consistent in this matter, but please stick with me! All reviews are welcome, as they are the fuel which drives my desire to write for you all!

-Ghstphantom3