AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed (epically RikodouSennin). This Single-handedly made my day and inspired me to write another chapter(instead of doing my calculus homework). Like always, expect me to mess with it. Reveiws are appreciated.


The silence was deafening. For a long time both parties remained unspeaking, they simply studied each other. Jiraiya's eyes hardened when they locked with the glowing pinpricks of scarlet light. This monster was not his godson.

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. His teacher was right, they are very wise. The toad sage could see many things within the creature's eyes, its hatred, its power, and above all else, its inextinguishable rage. It may have worn the mask of a cute innocent child, but that was all it was, a mask. Those maelstroms of molten crimson crushed the last kernel of doubt in the Sannin's mind. This was the Kyuubi.

The stillness was broken by saccharine voice of the demon.

"Sarutobi…" he whined, "when are you gonna let me down? I promise I'll be a good boy."

The Hokage's stern visage remained unchanged.

"C'mooon old man, let me down." The boy pleaded mockingly. "It's sooo boring up here, and besides," the maniacal grin returned. "I'm feeling a little… hungry."

The boy erupted into insane laughter at this comment, as though he'd just told the funniest joke in the world. His laughter was abruptly cut off by a startled gurgle and something warm and wet began to leak from his still open mouth.

Jiraiya glanced nonchalantly to the side, taking note of his sensei's still extended arm. The old man let it fall to his side before calmly addressing the temporarily muzzled demon child.

"I have 499 more kunai sealed into the sleeves of my robe, demon." The Hokage idly commented as he retrieved another blade. "We can do this all day long if you wish."

The jinchuuriki wheezed something indistinct around the kunai in his mouth.

"I beg your pardon?" Sarutobi cupped a hand to his ear.

A sound of spitting was heard, followed shortly thereafter by the clatter of steel on stone. This time the voice was neither childish nor demonic, it was composed and amused. "I said, you say you want to talk, but then you go around throwing knives in my mouth. Seems kind of backwards to me. Perhaps this is a negotiating technique that all Kages use. Human politics is fascinat-ack!" his prattle was cut off by yet another throwing knife.

"498." The Sandaime deadpanned, drawing another kunai.

"Can I try?" the third's student asked in a detached manner.

Sarutobi smirked at this. At least now the toad sage understood what this thing was. "We need it to like you Jiraiya."

The Sannin was about to reply when a clang echoed through the room, signifying that the boy could speak once again. Although it only shot the old man an irate look, the fire in its eyes indicated that the beast was seething. Again the child stared at them.

"What did you want to talk about." He gritted out through clenched teeth.

The Hokage smiled. "I wanted you to meet someone. Naruto this is Jiraiya, your godfather."

The other man wished his teacher hadn't done that. Even though the little jinchuuriki was incapacitated for the moment, very soon he would have to take the boy out into the field and believe it or not, Jiraiya didn't feel like being eaten by his student's son. He waited for the boy to explode at him. Nothing happened.

The vermilion discs blinked in confusion. "Aaaand…?"

He could almost picture the young boy motioning for his sensei to continue. The that old ninja look crossed his mentor's face and he had to stifle a groan. 'Manipulative old bastard.'

"Naruto. How do you feel about your godfather?"

The orbs narrowed in confusion before widening in what appeared to be horror. "He's a bad bad man who left me all alone with only a demon-gak! Sung gov ah bith!"

"497."

A kunai pinged to the floor. "I don't care about him one way or the other. Ask me how I feel about you old man."

The Sandaime disregard the last part and continued to question the child.

"Why don't you hate him for what he did?"

Jiraiya shot his teacher a look. Was the old man trying to get him killed or something!?

"What are you talking about old man?" the demon vessel sounded genuinely confused. His eyes flicked towards his godfather, "that guy never did anything to me; in fact I've never seen him before in my life.

"Does it make you angry that he's a bad bad man who left you all alone with only a demon for companionship?"

"Of course not. If he was around more, I probably would have never met the Kyuubi."

The old man's smirk broadened. "So would you kill him if you were presented with the opportunity to do so?"

The Sannin threw his hands up in air in disbelief. The old man was trying to kill him.

Soft laughter floated through the darkness. "It seems like your companion would rather you not speak about him Sarutobi. Perhaps I would or perhaps I wouldn't, though I can safely say he wouldn't be my first choice. No, that honor is all yours old man." His eyes turned to Jiraiya, "You, J-something, if you get me down I'll kill the old guy for you."

A Kunai whizzed through the air, stopping with an abrupt click. "Hehe, cot ih dis time ya stupid-ow! Damn it!" a second kunai sailed into his neck, causing the one clenched in his teeth to fall to the ground. "What the hell do I look like to you, a dartboard!?"

"Most dartboards I've encountered aren't this annoying." The third replied as he readied another kunai. His student's hand caught his wrist in mid-throw.

"Don't piss him off." The hermit advised. "It'll just draw out the demon's chakra quicker."

Sarutobi gave the man a slight nod and lowered the knife. A metallic chime relayed that yet anther kunai had been removed from the restrained jinchuuriki.

"Y'know J-something, I'm starting to like you more and more…" he trailed off. "Why'd you come back? If it you brought me a present for my birthday, you can still give it to me now."

J-something gave his godson a flat look.

"No present eh? Cheap bastard." Sarutobi's hand inched towards his kunai and the child growled. "So why are you here? What does the old schemer want out of you? Are you gonna be the one to kill me? Are you gonna shower me with love and affection until I find the inner goodness buried within my tortured heart? Perhaps you're just here to check up on your demon spawn godson and be done with it? Whatever your reason for being here, it makes no difference to me. As soon as these seals give out I'm gonna show you, the old man, and the entire village just how scary I can be." Wisps of crimson chakra began to leak out of the overtaxed suppression seals. A wicked sneer formed on Naruto's face.

"Believe it."

The instant that the demonic energy began to waft from the seals, the Hokage began to weave hand seals. He'd nearly finished when Jiraiya's hand unexpectedly lashed out and clamped around his hands, canceling the nearly complete jutsu. The old man sent his student a frantic look; he was going to get both of them killed! However the Sandaime's anxiety evaporated when he saw the hard look in the Sannin's eyes.

He let go of his sensei's hands and began to walk towards his enraged godson, fearless in the presence of the Biju's wrath. He came to a stop before the boy, visibly trembling as waves of killing intent began to descend on him. The sage steeled himself, what he was about to do would either save his life, or get him killed.

"You're wrong."

Naruto looked at him, fangs bared and tiny muscles straining at the manacles that prevented him from killing his prey. What the man said next stopped his movements dead.

"I'm here to kill with you."

Nobody moved. Sarutobi barely even breathed. He hoped his student had a plan, because if he didn't this was going to get very messy very quickly.

The child's snarl morphed into a grin, the bloodlust shining clearly in his glowing eyes. "Good." He purred darkly. "Get me down from here so I can kill the old man."

"Why?"

Naruto looked at him like he was insane. He opened his mouth to speak but was instantly cut off by his godfather.

"I mean beside the fact that you hate him. That doesn't really mean much because you hate everyone." The sage chuckled softly.

The blonde replied without hesitating, "Because he's strong…strong enough to best me. I have to kill him. Killing him will validate my existence."

The Sannin laughed at the jinchuuriki's response and gestured to the third Hokage. "Him!?" he snickered before once again breaking down into laughter. "You can't be serious! Look at him; he's like, 95. Why on earth would you possibly want to fight a washed up old ninja like him? What pride is there in killing a sickly old man?"

Sarutobi winced. That was probably payback for the "do you want to kill him" question.

The boy seemed to ponder his godfather's words and he came to the grudging realization that he was right. The old man was powerful, no question about that, but he'd been inactive for nearly twenty years, dulling his skills and slowing his reflexes. What pride was there in killing a sickly old man? More like, what fun was there in killing a sickly old man. Naruto focused his gaze on the Hokage. Even in the dim light he could clearly make out the jagged lines that ran the length of the man's face. He'd already managed to hit him once, it wasn't even that difficult. The jinchuuriki was snapped out of his musings by the toad Sannin's voice.

"Do you see what I'm getting at kid? The Sandaime is strong, but he's far from being the biggest fish in the sea. Hell, I bet I could probably teach him a thing or two."

The demon boy shifted his gaze to Jiraiya. "You!?" he spat. "How can you possibly be stronger than him!? He's the Hokage! I've never even heard of you!"

Jiraiya held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Easy easy Naruto. I can assure you that I'm a very competent ninja." The blond raised an eyebrow at the man below him. "C'mooon." The toad sage grinned. "I did a good enough job at sealing the fox in you didn't I?"

The boy eyes shot up in surprise. "You? You're the one who sealed the Kyuubi inside me." Jiraiya nodded. A wide range of emotions flew across the boy's face. Confusion, disbelief, contemplation, exasperation, and finally something very human.

Gratitude.

He was quiet for a long while. The two simply looked at each other. This man saved him, saved him from the loneliness. He'd left him alone, but had given him his dearest friend before he went. He wasn't there to protect him when he'd needed it but that didn't matter because he'd given him the power necessary to protect himself. This man had given him the greatest treasure in the world; a nine-tailed guardian angel.

The boy shut his eyes and uttered something that he'd never said before.

"Thank you…"

His godfather smiled softly but said nothing, figuring that it was better to remain silent than risk saying something stupid and invoke the demon's temper. For a long while neither party spoke, the two ninja opting to simply bask in their good fortune for the time being. With any luck, the god who was smiling down on them would continue to do so.

It was Naruto who broke the peaceful atmosphere. "Did you mean it? Did you mean what you said about killing with me?"

The Sannin gave him a serious look. "That depends, are you going to continue attacking innocents?"

The boy snarled and his eyes began to blaze, it seemed that Jiraiya's luck had run out. "That depends!" he roared back "Are they going to continue disrespecting me!?"

A very Kyuubi-like grin spread across the hermit's face. "Kid when I'm done with you, nobody's going to disrespect you,"

Naruto mimicked the look on his godfather's face until something dawned on him.

"What do you mean by; when I'm done with you?" the jinchuuriki asked in a guarded voice.

'Fuck. It's ok though. It's just like lying my way out of a bath house, only instead of getting beaten by half-naked women, your head gets torn off. No pressure super pervert.'

"I'm going to train you to be a ninja of course."

'IDIOT!!!'

The young boy looked murderous. Red chakra began to whip around his body and the wooden structure holding him aloft was beginning to splinter.

"Listen to what I'm saying!" the sage roared over the din that the chakra storm created.

The whirlwind of demonic energy lessened only slightly. "I won't become a puppet for the village!" he roared. "I won't let them control me!"

The Sannin leapt to the boy, and the cross creaked dangerously under strain of his weight. He got nose to nose with the furious child, an act that caused the corruptive energy to burn the skin on his face. A look of surprise crossed Naruto's face, watching in awe as the older man apparently tried to kill himself.

"Petulant child; look at yourself! You think yourself all powerful because of the demon caged within you, you fool! You rant and rave about honoring the Kyuubi's desires, about the amount of respect you have for the Kitsune, but when I offer you the power and death that being a ninja can bring, you throw it back in my face and claim that you won't be a puppet for the village! Look around you! Look at where you are! You're already a slave to the village but you're so blinded by your hatred that you can't even see it!"

Blood began to pour from Jiraiya's mouth due to the extended exposure to the nine-tail's chakra. He spat the coppery liquid to the ground and continued to yell. "You're a demon! I'm a ninja! When you murder nearly a thousand people in cold blood they lock you in here! When I murder nearly a thousand people in cold blood they give me a fuckin' medal and tell me to do it again!!"

The man coughed, causing more blood to fly from his mouth. Still he persisted. "The nine-tails had its pride, but it wasn't insufferable like yours! At least it wasn't deaf to reason! You refuse to become a ninja on principle! Refuse your most logical option because of your deplorable pride! Wake up kid, the fox is a ninja! It kills, it tricks, it manipulates, it steals, and it destroys; that is what a ninja truly is, and that is what you're throwing away!

The tornado of ruby mist began to dissipate leaving a barley conscious toad Sannin forehead to forehead with the most dangerous creature to ever walk the streets of Konoha. The Sannin leaned back dizzily and poked his forehead. "What's it going to be kid?"

The young boy gaped like a fish at his godfather's words. Everything that the man said had been true! He was about to speak when a sudden resounding crack was heard. His restraints gave way and he and Jiraiya fell to the floor amidst a cascade of timbers.

From his place at the opposite side of the cell, Sarutobi shot forward, the amount of speed he was displaying would have been surprising for a shinobi half his age. He crossed the room in the blink of an eye, standing his ground before the small boy that was kneeling over his unmoving student.

Naruto looked up at the Sandaime, uncertainty clear on his face. "Is he right old man, am I being an idiot?"

Only years of experience kept the old ninja's guard from dropping. As much as Sarutobi hated the creature, at the moment he couldn't bring himself to look past the beast's childish disguise.

"I can't answer that." he simply stated. "You wouldn't listen to me anyway."

The demon stared intently at his godfather's peaceful face, as though if he stared at it long enough he would find his answer. Part of him still wanted to kill the old man for the things he'd said about the fox, while another part of him wanted to thank the man for his insights about the demon. Simply put, Naruto was conflicted.

The Sannin's words echoed in his mind. 'You're a demon! I'm a ninja! When you murder nearly a thousand people in cold blood they lock you in here! When I murder nearly a thousand people in cold blood they give me a fuckin' medal and tell me to do it again!!'

The blonde's head snapped up and he looked to the old ninja. "Do you think that you'd die if we fought again?"

Sarutobi was about to do something that he had never done before and would never do again; admit weakness. "Yes I would probably die. Your godfather was right when he said that there was no pride in fighting me. The only reason I was able to last as long as I did before was because I had allies that could suppress your chakra shield. In a fair fight you would win."

For a long time the boy sat over an unmoving Jiraiya, going over what the Hokage had said. If the even the Hokage was no match for him, who was going to fight? However, if he was able to do the impossible, swallow his pride, and become a… ninja, then perhaps he would be able to find an opponent worthy of his claws. Or maybe, a grin spread across his face at the new thought, maybe there would be a war! When he thought about it like that, being a ninja didn't seem so bad.

Naruto looked up at Sarutobi. "I am not your puppet old man, and I will not address you as Hokage-sama! If you ever forget this I'll cut you down without hesitation. Konoha is the one on the short leash around here; not me."

A barely visible that old ninja smirk pulled at the edge of his lip. He trained his features before the boy noticed. "That is fine Naruto. As long as you only kill the enemy, I believe we will be able to get along just fine."

The boy looked away from the stoic features of the old man and ground his teeth in rage 'I'm not submitting! I'm doing what the fox would want! I'm going to kill people and no one will care! I will find someone worthy of facing me! I will validate my existence!'

A mischievous smirk crossed his features. 'And after I'm done with this place, I can always burn it to the ground.'

The old man crouched in front of the boy and spoke to him in a voice that suggested he had a knife to his throat. "Naruto, to get us out of here I'm going to have to touch you. If you kill me, you will never be able to escape. Now, may I touch you Naruto?"

The child once again grit his teeth in anger. "Do it."

Although the jinchuuriki bristled under Sarutobi's touch, he didn't attack. No matter how much he wanted to.

The three disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

XXXXXXXXX

Nearly three days later Jiraiya awoke to a repetitive beeping noise. He squinted against the harsh light and slowly turned his head towards the sound of breathing in front of him.

His sensei stared back at him, pipe in hand.

"If this is heaven I'm going to be very pissed off." He proclaimed in voice that implied there was no room for argument. "I've been awake for nearly ten seconds now and not a single naked woman has fallen from the sky."

The Hokage breathed out another stream of smoke before responding. "I would tend to agree with you on that. Very disappointing." A small smile played at his lips.

The Sannin reflected his mentor's look. "You shouldn't smoke in the hospital." He chided.

"You shouldn't head-butt demons." The older man replied.

Jiraiya chuckled softly. "Speaking of which, where is the little bastard anyway?"

Sarutobi smirked. "He's at the local penitentiary, eating the inmates on death row."

His student laughed, slowly allowing his eyes to slide shut.

"Jiraiya."

Said man looked up.

"How did you know all of those things you told Naruto about the fox?"

The toad sage snickered. "I figured that I was going to die anyway, so at that point I was just pulling things out of my ass." And with that, the injured man fell asleep.

The Hokage stared at the unconscious man with eyes as wide as dinner plates. The pipe slid from his gaping jaw and clattered to the floor.

"Son of a bitch."