Author's Notes:
So, here it is! The fourth chapter of this story :) Personally, I like this one quite a lot, as things get really intense (drama, drama).
Thank you so much for the follows/favourites/reviews guys! I really appreciate all of them very much ^^ I hope you enjoy this new chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, bla bla bla, they of course belong to the well-known mangaka Masashi Kishimoto (you know, the one who enjoys breaking fan-girl hearts? Well that one).
As he walked through the deserted dark streets of Konoha, Naruto realised just how much his body was aching. The boy didn't really understand why. At the end of the day, it was not like he wasn't used to physical exercise. Jiraiya sure kept him busy most of the time. He sighed. It probably had a lot to do with how tense he had been throughout the entire day.
Kakashi-sensei was really a strange guy… However, he somehow seemed to know what he was doing. His personality was a bit funny, but Naruto trusted him for some reason. The village boy was keen to discover more about the mysterious masked man. After all, if he was a samurai working for the Emperor, he might have… met his father, perhaps? A twinge of excitement ran through the boy's body. Could his father and his sensei have been…friends?
However, the orphan's excitement didn't last for long, as he soon reached the entrance of the inn. Nervous, the boy took a deep breath. He wondered how he would explain this whole situation to the old geezer.
'Well hello there Ero-sennin' Naruto practiced 'if you are wondering where I've been, you don't have to worry about it because in fact, I've been… I've been…'
'Go on, I want to listen to the rest of it.'
Naruto took a step back, shocked. Indeed, the entrance door of the inn was now wide open, and Jiraiya was leaning on it, staring at the village boy right into his eyes. Naruto gulped and avoided the old man's gaze.
'I'm waiting.'
The innkeeper's voice was solemn and frightening. Naruto couldn't remember the last time the old man had talked to him like that. Fair enough, the boy had just left without telling him where he was going and he had then spent the whole day away… Still, there was something in Jiraiya's voice that was… different. Was it concern? Naruto wondered. No, it was more than that. Fear?
'ARE YOU JUST GOING TO STAND THERE IN SILENCE AND PRETEND THAT YOU DIDN'T DISOBEY ME AT ALL?' The perverted geezer's face had gone red with anger and he had grabbed the boy by his kimono.
'IT'S ALRIGHT ERO-SENNIN I DID NOTHING WRONG, I SWEAR! NOW LET ME GO!' Naruto had said this with his eyes tightly closed. This was bad. The old geezer was absolutely furious. The orphan was very confused. Surely he hadn't done anything to offend Jiraiya that much?
Within a matter of seconds, the innkeeper dragged the blond haired boy into the building and slammed the door brusquely. He then let go of the boy's clothes and leaned on the walls with one hand. Naruto sighed in relief as he slid down to the floor. His heart was beating soundly in his chest and it was so loud that it distracted him from everything else.
'I want you to go to your room.' Jiraiya was almost whispering. 'We will talk about this tomorrow.'
Normally, Naruto would have tried to argue with his guardian. He would have protested and would have refused to obey him. However, at that moment the village boy realised this was not a good idea. He decided to shut up and swallow his bitter words… for now. With much effort, he stood up and started heading for the stairs.
A group of lodgers had come out of their rooms, awoken by the screams. They were now standing by the staircase, with confused expressions on their faces. Naruto tried to calm them down, although his face was so pale that he probably didn't seem too reassuring.
'There, there, nothing's happening…' the village boy explained. 'It's just that the pervert- I mean, Jiraiya, is quite angry at me, that's all…'
At this, Jiraiya pulled himself together and accompanied his clients upstairs, to their rooms. At last, Naruto was left alone. He sighed and took his hand to his chest. 'That was intense.' he thought. His head was aching terribly. 'I need to lie down.'
Nevertheless, just as he was heading towards his bedroom tiredly, he heard a single thud coming from behind him. Someone was knocking on the door. Naruto frowned suspiciously. Who could it be? It was already very late.
Reluctantly, he approached the entrance door one more time. Indeed, what he saw once he opened it left him speechless.
'Ka-Kakashi-sensei?' The blond haired boy couldn't believe his eyes. 'Just what are you doing here?'
The masked man smiled and tilted his head. 'Well' he declared 'I came to see the innkeeper. Is he here by any chance?'
Naruto opened his mouth, but he words simply didn't come out. He wondered why everything seemed to be happening on that day.
'What are you doing here?'
Jiraiya's voice came from behind the orphan. Again, the latter was scared by the old man's sudden interventions. Come to think about it, however, hadn't it seemed like the hermit and the sensei knew each other already?
'Long time no see, Jiraiya-sama. You haven't changed a bit, if I may say so.' Carefully, Hatake Kakashi entered the inn and closed the door behind him. It was now obvious that this was not the first time that both men had seen each other. Also, Kakashi had called the old geezer 'Jiraiya-sama'? 'Just how many things has Jiraiya not talked to me about?' Naruto wondered, annoyed.
'We have to talk, Kakashi. Now.' Jiraiya's serious tone of voice greatly contrasted the masked man's carefree tone.
'No problem', was the sensei's response.
'Not here though.' Naruto frowned. Did the old man not want him to hear? Surely he deserved an explanation too?
'As you wish, Jiraiya-sama. Let's go outside then.' With this, the teacher opened the door and walked out into the open, encouraging the older man to follow him. Hastily, the innkeeper advanced a few steps. Before leaving, he turned back and stared at his protégé once again.
'I want you to wait in your room until I come back. Don't you dare follow us. Understood?' The blond haired boy nodded. 'Good.' After this, he closed the door and left.
Both men had walked in silence for a while until they had reached a clearing outside the city centre. Here they hoped they wouldn't be disturbed. The fresh summer wind was shaking the grass, which smelled of peppermint. The crickets were singing in the background. Jiraiya the innkeeper observed the man in front of him with suspicion. He grunted. He had been hoping this day would never come.
'What do you want?' he snapped.
'I'm hurt, Jiraiya-sama.' The masked man's gaze was fixed in the horizon. 'I can't believe you didn't tell me about him…'
'You want to know why I didn't tell you about the kid?' Kakashi turned his head and looked at his master in surprise. 'I didn't tell you because it's none of your business!'
'How can you say that master?' The younger man's eyes were sad. 'The boy's father was my sensei! Why didn't he tell me that his wife was pregnant? Why did he have to hide it from me?'
'Because it's something no one else was supposed to know!' The old man's screams were desperate. 'Something between Minato and his wife!'
'And why is it that you knew it too then?' Naruto's sensei still didn't understand.
'BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD TO TAKE CARE OF THE DAMN KID WHEN HIS PARENTS PASSED AWAY, THAT'S WHY!' The master bit his lip. He had to control himself.
'So he knew then.' Kakashi's face was one of true realisation. 'Minato knew he would die.'
Jiraiya closed his eyes and tried to repress the flood of unwelcomed memories. 'He didn't know for sure' he said, finally. 'He just thought there was a possibility that he could.'
'And what about Kushina? I feel there is something about her that you aren't telling me.' The masked man's words hung in the air for a few seconds.
'There are some things that are meant to be kept hidden' was the old man's answer. His eyes were still tightly closed.
'I will sooner or later figure it out, master. However, even if you don't want to tell me about it, you will have to tell Naruto. He ought to know, don't you think? It's his life, after all.' The young samurai had spoken as casually as ever. This greatly irritated his master.
'REALLY? SO THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK KAKASHI? FINE, TELL ME THEN, HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY KNOW ABOUT THAT KID? HUH? DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR HIM? I'VE LIVED WITH HIM FOR THE PAST SIXTEEN YEARS FOR GOD'S SAKE!' The innkeeper's gestures again seemed desperate.
'So are you saying that you never meant to tell him?' Kakashi stared at his master accusingly.
'I am going to tell him some day…but he's still too young to handle it! You see, Kakashi, there is much more to this story that what you may think! The secrets that are kept away from him could eventually destroy him! It's normal that I'm dead scared of telling him!' The old man looked as if he was just about to cry.
'I've been training with the boy, Jiraiya-sama. I've seen him fight and I can tell you, he has a talent. Minato's talent. I could make so much out of him, I swear… but he has to know the truth about himself first in order to continue with his training. He needs to be at peace with himself.' The young man tilted his head upwards and stared at the sky, immersed in thought.
'I want you to stop seeing Naruto, Kakashi.' Jiraiya spoke with authority. 'He just cannot become a soldier. I will not allow it.'
'You can't do this Jiraiya.' The sensei spoke pleadingly. 'It's selfish. You can't pretend to control his life in such a way! The boy has dreams! And he has the potential and the strong will needed to –'
'To do what? To change this world? To make it a better place? Nonsense. I don't believe in that anymore. This world is rotten. And Naruto is not an average kid. He could unintentionally be extremely dangerous…' The hermit cursed himself. He had said too much.
Kakashi took a few steps forwards, approaching his master. 'It's the nine-tailed fox, isn't it? This boy is somehow related to the fox.'
Jiraiya bit his lip so hard that it started bleeding. The taste of blood invaded his mouth. He had been keeping this secret for so many years and yet today… everything could go terribly wrong if he wasn't careful.
'LOOK, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GOT IN TOUCH WITH NARUTO, BUT I SIMPLY FORBID YOU TO SEE HIM AGAIN. YOU DON'T KNOW HOW DANGEROUS HE CAN BE IF HE IS PUT UNDER PRESSURE BY YOUR TRAINING! IN FACT, YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE KID AT ALL! SO RIGHT NOW THE BEST YOU CAN DO IS JUST LEAVE AND – '
The old innkeeper stopped screaming as soon as he became aware of the fact that the masked man was no longer listening to what he was saying. Instead, the young man's shocked gaze seemed to be focused on something which was seemingly a few meters...behind his master?
'Jiraiya, what the hell is this?'
Naruto's voice sounded frail and broken. Tears were running down his cheeks and he was clutching his fists. Suddenly, he turned around and started running away from the clearing and the two men.
'Damn it Naruto! Wait! Please let me explain!' Jiraiya screamed across the distance. When he could see that the boy wouldn't just wait for him, he began to run towards him, screaming his name again and again.
Soon enough, the masked man was left alone in the dark.
