Truth is like blood underneath your fingernails…

Naruto groaned as he woke up. His head pounded behind his eyes and he wondered if he was hung over even though he couldn't remember drinking. He could tell from the brightness behind his eyelids that it must have been late morning, he mentally cursed at himself for leaving the blinds open but he was too sore to do anything about it. Naruto rolled over onto his right side in a vain attempt to go back to sleep.

"You were late! He could have been killed!" Naruto wondered whom Bunta was yelling at. Who could have been killed? Naruto sighed; he was going to kill Bunta if he didn't shut up. Frustrated, he rolled over onto his other side. But it was no use; he was awake. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, blinking a few times he realized he had no idea where he was. He quickly patted himself and looked down; he was fully dressed which was weird. What the hell happened? The events of last night were foggy in his brain. Shakily he got up and left the room, heading toward the voices that had quieted down.

"So what's next?" a woman asked. Her voice kind of sounded familiar.

"We've got to keep moving," Bunta said.

"Move where?" Naruto asked, his voice cracking a little from sleep. The four people at the table turned and faced him. Naruto's eyes flicked over Bunta, Granny Tsunade (what was she doing here?), a man with short brown hair and almond-shaped eyes, and a guy with lopsided silver hair that looked a lot like… "Hey!" Naruto exclaimed as he remembered the events of last night. "Hey!"

"It's okay Naruto," Bunta said standing.

"What happened to the store?" Naruto asked looking up at the man.

"How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked standing and blocking his vision of the others. She gripped his chin and forced his face up and examined him closely.

"I'm fine! Let me go!" Naruto said, trying to wrench his face free.

"You're not fine. You have a concussion," she frowned down at him. "But we'll let you two talk alone," she sighed. Naruto watched as the three filed past him, Kakashi avoided his gaze.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. "Where are we Bunta?"

"We're safe. C'mon sit down," Bunta said leading him to a chair.

"There were guys in the store!" Naruto said quickly.

"Naruto… the store's gone," Bunta said slowly. Naruto's jaw dropped.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're safe."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Naruto asked loudly. The store had been everything to them. "Of course it matters!"

"Calm down. All that matters is that you are safe," He repeated placing his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "Naruto. Did the men in the store say anything to you?" Naruto frowned for a minute. The events of last night were still kind of blurry.

"The guy with the red hair, he said they were there for me. He… he called me Naruto Namikaze. But they must have had the wrong guy right?" he asked, maybe he wasn't remembering correctly. Bunta stared at him hard for a minute before sighing and leaning back in the kitchen chair.

"No Naruto. He was right, they were after you," he said softly.

"What?" Naruto asked, his voice quiet with shock.

"I haven't been honest with you Naruto. But that stops now. Those men were after you and they're not going to stop until they get you." It was very rare that Naruto had seen Bunta so serious. Whenever he had that look Naruto knew that his life was about to get turned upside down just like when he had been thirteen. But here he was sitting down across from him in a stranger's house and telling him that the psychos from last night were coming after him. Naruto's mouth was working but no sounds were coming out.

"What?" he finally asked. "What have I done?"

"To put it simply, you lived," Bunta said like it was obviously.

"W-what? That doesn't make any sense!" Naruto said his voice rising. Bunta sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I know. I'm sorry I'm not explaining this very well. This isn't exactly how I wanted to tell you," he said exasperated.

"You haven't told me anything Bunta!" He couldn't explain why but he really didn't want to be having this conversation right now. There was something going on here and he didn't want to know what it was. Naruto really wanted Bunta to smile and tell him that this was some kind of joke and that they were going home. He used to play a lot of jokes on Naruto to teach him a lesson of some sort or in revenge for Naruto's pranks. But instead the man gave him a pained look.

"Naruto… what do you know about the Fourth Hokage?" he asked.

"The Fourth Hokage?" Naruto was confused and Bunta could see that he was getting angry. "Bunta-"

"Humor me. Please Naruto, I promise that I'll explain," Bunta cut in. Naruto looked at him questioningly for a minute, he wanted to argue, but what good would that do?

"The Fourth Hokage died, like what, thirteen years ago? So did his family and a lot of councilmen and dignitaries, when terrorists from the Land of Earth attacked Konoha," he relayed the information that had been ingrained his brain every year in school on the anniversary of their death, which happened to be his birthday.

"Do you remember what his name was?"

"Yeah sure, it was… Minato Na… Namikaze," he said, his voice growing quiet as realization dawned on him. "That guy. He called me Naruto Namikaze."

"Yeah. That's your name," he sighed.

"But that's not possible. You… You're saying that I'm a Namikaze. That I'm the son of a Hokage," Naruto furiously shook his head.

"Yes Naruto. I am," Bunta said looking him in the eye.

"No!" Naruto said jumping up. "No! You said that Dad was a teacher not the freaking Hokage!"

"I had to lie to you to keep you safe. It wasn't a terrorist attack. It was a coup," Bunta said over him. "Your father asked me to protect you. I barely got you out of there."

"What?"

"Naruto, just listen to me. I promise I'll tell you the whole truth, beginning to end," he pleaded. Naruto stared at the man; half still expecting him to say 'Gotcha!' but this was going way to far to still be a joke. But there's no way what he's saying can be real, he thought. He wanted to argue with him, to say that he was wrong, that his parents had died in that crash that left his face scarred. But he couldn't. Suddenly it made sense, why he didn't have any pictures, why they didn't visit a grave, why Bunta so rarely mentioned them. Naruto didn't know anything about the people whose DNA he shared. Slowly he sat down in the chair and Bunta let out a breath before rubbing his forehead.

"Okay," Bunta said. Naruto couldn't tell if he sounded relieved that he had sat down or stressed because now he had to explain. Either way he looked so much older to him. "Okay," he repeated one more time before giving taking a deep breath and giving him a hard look, like he was trying to convince himself of something.

"Who are you then? If you're not Bunta my godfather then who are you?" Naruto blurted out, his voice betraying him.

"Jiraiya. My name is Jiraiya, but I am your godfather, I can understand if you hate me and I'm sorry for lying to you. But I'm not sorry for the things that I've done to keep you safe," Bunta, or rather Jiraiya, said. Naruto was silent; he didn't know what to think right now. He was quiet for another moment before starting to explain things.

"Your father was a great man. He cared about the people and he was loved and he brought peace. Things were so different then, when your father was Hokage, things where peaceful between the nations, there had been no reason to expect anything. It was your fifth birthday and Konoha was also hosting a summit with dignitaries from other countries. The attack had been sudden and devastating and there was nothing that anyone could do…" Jiraiya closed his eyes.

"Minato!" Jiraiya yelled as he ran towards his former student. The blonde man was covered in dirt and debris and his robes were town but he was standing. He himself had his fair share of dust coating his clothes but he had been further away from the blast.

"Jiraiya, you need to get Naruto and get him out of here!" Minato said grabbing the older man's shoulders.

"Minato what's going on?" He asked. Blue eyes shone fiercely, but Jiraiya could see the fear behind them of the uncertainty.

"I should have listened to you Sensei. I should have listened. This is Danzo's doing," He ordered.

"You don't have to sacrifice yourself! There's still time!" Jiraiya said. He had tried to tell Minato that Danzo was up to something months ago but he hadn't been able to prove it and now who knew how many people had suffered.

"No Sensei, there isn't. Just get Naruto and keep him safe," he smiled sadly.

"What about Kushina?"

"I'll find her. Please Sensei, he was inside with the kids," Minato said urgently, looking up towards the tower and surrounding buildings, the north side was complete gone. Jiraiya opened his mouth, he wanted to argue, but he knew there was no arguing with the Hokage. "I'll send for you when things settle down. And if not," Minato reached around his neck and handed Jiraiya the blue crystal necklace that had been passed down from Hokage to Hokage. "Give this to Naruto. Keep him safe. They'll be after him next," Minato explained. Jiraiya swallowed and nodded.

"You better Minato. That kid will be messed up if I have to raise him." It was a joke but Jiraiya said it seriously in hope of a promise. He had seen too many good people die young. Minato's mouth was set in a firm line; he knew there was no arguing with him now.

"I don't go down so easily old man," he grinned and they both ran off in separate directions. Jiraiya stopped himself from looking back at the man he had considered his son. He had to focus on Naruto. The inside of the tower was chaos, portions had collapsed and there were people screaming and fumbling around trying to make sense of what was going on. Jiraiya made his way through the debris and over bodies heading toward the south end were the children were playing while their parents met.

"Shikaku!" He yelled when he saw the Minato's advisor. His face had two long bloody gashes and he was holding his son.

"Jiraiya, is this really happening?" he asked, holding his son closer. He was only a couple weeks older than Naruto. Jiraiya nodded.

"Get your family and get out of Konoha Shikaku. I need to get to Naruto," he said quickly before starting to head off but Shikaku grabbed his arm.

"Jiraiya, he's not with the other children. Kurama was taking him, but I don't think he's on our side anymore," he said grimly.

"Kurama? What is he doing here?" he asked.

"I don't know," Shikaku shook his head. "Here," he handed Jiraiya a gun and a set of car keys. "It'll buy you time. We'll take the tunnels, we know who they're really after."

"Thanks," Jiraiya nodded.

"Godspeed Jiraiya," Shikaku said grimly before heading off down the hallway and disappearing into the crowd. Jiraiya turned in the opposite direction, pushing past more people. He'd have to hurry. Kurama had been an agent deep in ANBU and one of the best. But he was dangerous and he had become more unhinged lately. That's why Minato had sent him away. He turned a corner and finally entered a deserted hallway but honestly he had no idea where he was going. He would assume that Kurama would take Naruto away from the crowd, possibly the lower levels of the tower; he took off towards the closest stairwell. He skidded to a halt, was that gunfire now? Screams reached him and he started to move again, he had to get out of here.

The tower was the oldest building in Konoha and it was built like a freaking vertical maze, Jiraiya cursed the First Hokage as he swung around another staircase. What level was he even on? Jiraiya paused when he heard heavy footsteps on the level below.

"God dammit," a rough voice swore. "Stupid kid." That was Kurama. He crouched down to try and see but all he saw was shadows.

"'m sorry," a small voice mumbled, Jiraiya almost missed it. Naruto, at least he was still alive and sounding relatively okay.

"Let's go," Kurama growled.

"Ow!" Naruto whined.

"Shut up!" he barked and the door slammed shut. Jiraiya took a steadying breath before descending the stairs. His fingers lingered on the door handle for a moment and he wondered about Minato. Was he still alive? Was he waiting for them with Kushina somewhere? Or was he dead? How was this going to end?

Focus Jiraiya. You have to get Naruto out of here, he thought. He's priority. Slowly he turned the handle and peered into the hallway. The lights were flickering and portions of the ceiling tile were on the floor. A couple floors above this section of the building had been destroyed. He squinted trying to see if Kurama was still in the hallway, he couldn't hear anything but that didn't mean anything. He pulled out the gun as he slipped into the dim doorway. The gun gave a faint click as he removed the safety it had been awhile since he had operated a firearm; it had never been his favorite. He was a spy, better at getting in and getting out without anyone ever knowing that he was there. He eased his way around some of the debris, this hallway ended in a dead end so Kurama had to be in one of these rooms.

"Shut up!" Kurama's muffled voice echoed out to him followed by a strangled scream. Jiraiya picked up his pace, he was hurting Naruto! His foot collided with a metal pipe with a clang and Jiraiya cursed. Pain erupted from the back of his head as he was knocked to the ground. The gun skittered across the floor and under a piece of tile.

"Aren't you too old for this?" Kurama asked. "I was expecting the other runt, Minato's ANBU protégé. But I guess they're a bit busy," a feral grin crossed his face as Jiraiya's blurry vision focused on him. His red hair was pulled back and his eyes glinted yellow in the flashes of the emergency lights.

"Why is Danzo doing this?" Jiraiya knew it was pointless but he had to ask. Kurama threw his head back and laughed.

"Ha! So you knew that that old bat was behind this," he laughed. "You probably know why we're doing this too. It's because our wonderful Lord Hokage is weak! Because you're all weak! All this talk about peace," he spat the word out like it was poison. "It makes me sick. What was the point of losing so much in the war if we're just going to be friends with those who took it from us?" Jiraiya frowned; he knew that Danzo's game had always been power but he hadn't known that he had been willing to go so far to get it.

"So what, Danzo is just going to kill everyone?" he asked loudly. Maybe someone will hear and help. Kurama arched an amber eyebrow.

"You know Danzo, he doesn't really like to get his hands dirty unless he has too. But your old pal Orochimaru, he certainly has his… needs," he grinned down at him. "So, no I don't think Danzo is going to just kill everyone. But that reminds me… Hey runt, c'mere." Jiraiya's heart pounded in his ears, he had to do something. There was a slight shuffling and Naruto appeared in the doorway of one the adjacent rooms. Jiraiya quickly looked him over; his blonde hair was matted with dirt and sweat and his dress clothes were torn. Tear tracks worked their way through the grime on his face and Jiraiya's heart stopped at the amount of blood on his face. Why was there so much blood? Please don't let that be his blood, he begged.

"You like my work?" Kurama asked gripping Naruto's face. Naruto whined and tried to jerk away as his thumb dug into one of the deep cuts on his cheek. But Kurama only tightened his grip and brought the knife back out.

"Stop!" Jiraiya pleaded. But Kurama ignored him and trailed the knife along the other side of Naruto's face.

"You know in ANBU, you kill so many people it gets really boring. Mind numbing really, that's why the lifespan of its agents is so short. So you have to find ways to keep it… interesting." Naruto cried out as the knife slowly dug into his skin and he dragged it across his cheekbone. Jiraiya was frozen; he wasn't sure what to do. He felt powerless. "So you start to leave your mark on your victims. It's much more gratifying to hear them scream. Humans really are pitiful creatures. I mean look at this kid he can't even protect himself. And you old man, you're past your prime," he dragged it across again underneath the slice he just made. Naruto's cry reached him and he snapped into action. "So I'll kill this kid, because he's the heir and it's what Danzo wants. And then I'll kill you." Jiraiya lunged, pushing Naruto aside and knocking Kurama to the ground.

"Fuck!" Kurama hissed as the air was knocked out of his lungs and Jiraiya tried to get a grip on the man's throat. He could do this. He grunted as the man hit him, a burst of pain flashing up his side. "Still got some life after all huh? Some of them do before they die," Kurama said as their positions were reversed. Jiraiya's fingers grazed the metal of the gun grasping at it, praying as Kurama's hands wrapped around his neck. His fingers wrapped around it just as his vision was blurring. He whipped the gun across Kurama's face and when he lunged again he shot him. The man went down. Jiraiya held the gun steady for another minute trained on his unmoving form. He let out a breath before searching for Naruto.

"Naruto," he coughed, the little boy was still slumped against the wall where Jiraiya had pushed him. "Naruto," he repeated getting up. He was trying not to panic; the kid was always talking and bouncing off the walls but now he was too still. His eyes were glazed over and he was staring off into space and unmoving. Jiraiya didn't have time to run down Tsunade's medical list in his head so he shrugged off his dusty coat and wrapped it around Naruto's small body before scooping him up and holding him close to his chest. His worry skyrocketed when Naruto didn't so much as flinch. He raced back up the stairs, careful to try and not jostle him too much; he went up an extra level and glanced out what was once a stained glass window, people were still evacuating from the west. But there were ANBU and guards stationed at the exit; it was possible that they worked for Danzo. He needed to find another way to disappear into the crowd.

"Hey!" Jiraiya spun around at the voice. "No one's supposed to be here!" a longhaired ANBU in a red and green mask ran up to him. His uniform was slightly different and Jiraiya took a step back when he recognized it as one of ROOT. "Hey you're Master Jiraiya!" His eyes lingered on the blonde hair poking out of the top of the jacket. Jiraiya pulled Naruto closer and pulled the gun back out as the man stepped forward.

"Don't move," he growled.

"Whoa! Take it easy!" The man placed his hands up and slowly removed his mask. It was just a teen, Jiraiya realized, probably not even old enough to be in the force. "My name's Tenzo."

"That doesn't make a difference. You're in ROOT; you work for Danzo, that doesn't exactly make us friends right now," he replied.

"Wait, wait," Tenzo said waving his hands. "Yes I'm in ROOT but I'm friends with Kakashi! I'm want to help you," he said quickly.

"And I'm supposed to believe you?" he scoffed. "You're going to have to do better than that."

"Wait," he said again slower, as if it mattered. "Let me help you, I'm the only way you're getting out of here alive. You can shoot me if you want once I get you to safety. But I'd rather you didn't." Jiraiya thought about it for a minute, he needed help.

"So much as step in the wrong direction and it's over," he threatened.

"Right," Tenzo nodded and replaced his mask.

"Where are we heading?" he asked.

"The north side," Tenzo answered curtly.

"But the north is gone," Jiraiya frowned.

"Exactly. No one is working on rescue yet just evacuation of the survivors. It'll be easier to slip away," he responded. "Was the Hokage in there?"

"No," Jiraiya answered slowly. "I saw him after but we went separate directions." Tenzo glanced back at them, or rather at the bulge under the jacket.

"Is he okay?"

"I just have to get him out of here," he replied honestly. He could feel Naruto's breathing, hot and shallow, against his neck. Tenzo nodded and turned forward. They weaved their way through debris, Tenzo reaching over to help him over the bigger pieces of rubble. Jiraiya refused to hand over his godson to anyone.

"Sorry," Tenzo mumbled at some point when they were getting closer.

"For what," Jiraiya snapped, he still didn't trust him completely.

"For all of this. For what's going to happen. For what happened to him," he nodded at Naruto. He had seen all the blood on Naruto's face earlier when the jacket had slipped. "I didn't know," the teen sounded remorseful. "I would've told Kakashi, or the Hokage. I've been telling him things already about Danzo, but it's possible that he found out."

"You've been telling Minato about Danzo's actions?" he asked shocked. The kid should be dead.

"Yeah, for about a year now, ever since Kakashi saved me on a mission," Tenzo nodded. "Wait," Tenzo held up a hand. They could hear the crowd. "We're almost there. Do you have a way out of town?" he turned to face them.

"Yeah a car," Jiraiya nodded. At least, he hoped he had a car.

"Should work, as long as you lay low."

"Tenzo what are you doing?" they both stiffened at the new voice.

"Ah Hinoe! I was taking him downstairs. Like our orders," Tenzo's voice shifted and he gripped Jiraiya's arm roughly. Jiraiya turned and saw a ROOT member with green markings on his mask.

"Then why are you all the way out here?" Hinoe asked taking a few steps forward.

"I just apprehended him sir," Tenzo replied. Hinoe was silent but Jiraiya could feel the tension rising. They didn't have time for this.

"Tenzo, think very carefully about what you're doing. This mission is important, this cause is important. We can't go back to the way things were," he said very slowly.

"So you thought you'd just get rid of everybody and start over?" Jiraiya spit.

"You wouldn't get it. You're a part of the old ways, just like the Third and Fourth!" Hinoe snapped back.

"I don't get it either!" Tenzo exclaimed. "This isn't going to solve anything!"

"I suggest you keep quiet Tenzo, Lord Danzo will deal with you," he hissed.

"Danzo won't know," Tenzo said coldly before pulling out his own weapon. The man crumpled silently to the ground. "I'll take care of it," he said when his he felt Jiraiya's gaze on him. "He got caught in the crossfire between sides," he added. "You should go. Can you get there from here on your own? You should be safe."

"Getting out of tricky situations unnoticed is my specialty. But you should get out too. Danzo will kill you," he advised. He trusted him now.

"I know. But I want to be able to help when I can," he said. "I don't want things to end like this." Jiraiya nodded, they would need all the help they could get someday and he didn't have time to argue.

"Good luck kid," he said before taking off.

He managed to make it out of the tower and into a throng of people unnoticed. He had pulled his coat back around his shoulders but it still covered Naruto. There were no guards stationed by the front entrance as the throng of people was still trying to leave. Emergency vehicles had just started to arrive and news helicopters swung low over the wreckage.

Jiraiya followed a small throng of people trying to get to their cars, he pulled out the keys from his pocket, he had no idea what Shikaku drove but knowing the man it was probably something nondescript. He clicked the button and a black sedan beeped, the Nara's never failed them. He tucked Naruto into the back seat, taking a moment to assess his condition. He was unconscious now, skin pale, and his pulse fast. There was so much blood on his face that Jiraiya wondered if he was even going to make it. He jumped into driver's seat and pulled out of the lot. There was already a line of scared people honking and swerving trying to get out but the guards that had been absent at the entrance were present and searching the vehicles and sending most of them back. Jiraiya's heart thumped harder in his chest, he had to get out of here.

He slowed the car down when the guard motioned him to stop, his foot hovering over the gas pedal, he could gun it and get the hell out of there. But maybe luck would be on his side. There was a flash of recognition on the man's face and he looked back and forth before motioning him forward.

"Hey!" he heard a muffled voice shout but the pedal was on the carpet and he was gone. Everything after that was a blur was the adrenaline was wearing off. Even wasn't even sure where he was going. He couldn't go to any hospital and he couldn't head to Tsunade's, Danzo and Orochimaru would know to look for him there. The borders were too far away and bound to be closed after today. He needed to get Naruto help and he was stuck. This type of situation was completely foreign to him and he didn't like it.

"Jiraiya-boy?" Fukasaku asked, standing in the open doorway of his home.

"I need help. I didn't know where else to go," Jiraiya explained. This had been a last minute decision, to come to this place. Fukasaku and Shima had been like second parents to him when he was growing up.

"Who is it Pa?" Shima, Fukasaku's wife, called before rounding the corner. "Jiraiya you're okay!" she practically shouted. "We were so worried! With everything on the news! I can't believe it! Come in!" she dragged him inside. "I'll make some tea!"

"I don't need any tea. I need you to call Tsunade and have her come here," Jiraiya said loudly. Naruto was still the same; he was surprised they hadn't noticed him.

"Tsunade? Why do you need her?"

"Jiraiya you have blood on your clothes!" Shima and Fukasaku said at the same time.

"Call Tsunade first!" he snapped, he hadn't meant to sound harsh, they meant well but he was exhausted and worried, he had been driving for most of the night and his adrenaline was gone. "I'm sorry. It's just…"

"Oh! Is that who I think it is?" Shima was immediately in front of him, her hands hovering over Naruto. "What are you standing around for? Call Tsunade you old man!" she ordered. "Sit down! You look dead on your feet," she dragged him over to the couch. "What did you get yourself into Jiraiya-boy?" she asked pulling out a wet washcloth from nowhere and gently trying to get some of the grime off Naruto's face. But gasping when noticing the severity of the wounds.

"It was a mess there. I can't explain right now," he shook his head. "Minato asked me to take care of him."

"The Hokage is still alive?" she asked hopefully.

"He was. But I don't know if he still is," he ended the sentence whispering. Shima examined his face for a moment before returning her attention back to Naruto and running the washcloth over his forehead.

"At least this little boy is safe," she said softly.

"For now," Jiraiya mumbled. They were both quiet for a while; Fukasaku had rejoined them in the living room. Jiraiya was vaguely aware that their television was on and showing a live newscast of Konoha but his attention was only on the rise/fall of his godson's chest.

The three nearly jumped out of their skin when there was a frantic knocking at the door. Fukasaku stood and opened the door, Tsunade nearly knocking it down the second the latch cleared.

"Where is he? Where is that idiot!" she yelled.

"Tsunade, calm down," Jiraiya sighed.

"Calm down?" she said loudly, glaring down at him. "The world is going to hell and you want me to calm down?"

"I need you to fix him," he said tiredly.

"Fix who?" Tsunade asked before her eyes landed on Naruto. "That's Minato's boy," she said, her eyes wide. "You got him out?"

"Just fix him," he pleaded.

"Is there a room I can examine him in?" she asked Shima.

"Right, back this way," she led them back down a hallway to a small green room with a frog border. This had once been Jiraiya's room.

"You need to put him down Jiraiya," she said gently. He was still standing in the doorway, the only time he had put Naruto down was to put him in the car. "It's okay," her hands were already on him and guiding him towards the bed. He placed him down on top of the blue covers. Had he always been that tiny and frail? He stepped back and Tsunade swooped in, working quickly and silently. Jiraiya stood in the corner; his head was swimming as the events of the day fully hit him. Konoha was in shambles, Danzo was in control, and Minato was possibly dead. He and Naruto would need to go into hiding. His body was aching and he thought he should probably sit down but he didn't want to leave Naruto. He was supposed to watch him.

"Jiraiya?" someone was talking to him but his mind was feeling fuzzy. "Jiraiya!" the ground rose up to meet him and things went black.

Jiraiya groaned as consciousness returned to him.

"You idiot! You scared the crap out of us." He flinched at the volume of Tsunade's voice.

"What happened?" he half slurred, rubbing his eyes.

"You passed out. Did you know you got stabbed?" Tsunade asked. Jiraiya frowned and stared at the ceiling. It had to have happened during the fight with Kurama. "I'll take that as a no. Nothing fatal, you'll be fine," she said sounding bored. Jiraiya closed his eyes and relaxed, that was good.

"Hey what about Naruto?" His eyes snapped open and he sat up, hissing as he pulled at his side.

"Take it easy!" she scolded. "He's going to be okay. He was in shock and he needed stitches. He was awake for a few minutes earlier, but disoriented," she explained. "You've only been out a few hours," she added.

"So he's going to be okay?" he asked, he needed her to say it again.

"Yeah, he should be just fine." Jiraiya sighed and relaxed again into the mattress.

"We'll need to lay low until Minato contacts us," he said flinging an arm over his eyes to block out the light. He was feeling too old for this; he had retired a few years ago.

"Jiraiya," Tsunade said softly, her voice was strained and Jiraiya knew immediately what she was going to say next. "Minato's dead."

"Minato's dead," he repeated, the finality of those words made his blood run cold. Naruto was his responsibility now and he would protect him.

"You didn't remember much once you recovered. Tsunade said you blocked it out, I don't know," Jiraiya shrugged. "But when things settled down we moved to Taiyō and started over. Things were good, you had a normal childhood and you were safe. When you were thirteen I panicked, they had been snooping around into you again and I was worried," he ran a hand through a hair and sighed. "I should have told you sooner."

Naruto stared at his hands. This was all just so much information. What was he supposed to do about it? How could his father be the Fourth Hokage?

"Naruto?" he looked up at the man.

"What do you want from me?" he asked.

Woohoo: Greetings from Chicago! I'm back in my apartment and school started Tuesday (hence the lateness, I've stayed up till 2 AM for the last 3 nights trying to finish.) and today (Wednesday) is my birthday! Woohoo! Gonna dress up like hipsters, make some fun of our exes, maybe have some breakfast at midnight. I don't know about you but I'm feeling…

I sincerely apologize for the Taylor Swift song. I don't know what came over me, I don't own anything remotely hipster, my glasses are REAL.

This chapter was so hard to write. SO HARD! Which means heavy editing might ensue at some point. It's also the longest chapter. I'm not good at fight scenes… I'll work on that. But here it is. Let's assume I'm going to update next week but since it's the first week of school I can't make any promises because I have to read a full book by next Tuesday...

YAY I got to use the title in dialogue! Did you catch it? I really love the title… rarely do I love my titles…

Song: Looking Too Closely by Fink