"My-My parents?" This was like the moment of truth for Naruto. Could this be the moment when he finds out about his parents? If so, why was it hidden from him. He longed to learn about them and he was kept in the dark. Maybe now was the time he found out.
"Naruto, this is something I've been wanting to tell you since I met you." Jiraiya told him, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "You're parents…You father is Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage."
Those words hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. He felt numb, with the only feeling of the tingling in his hands. The world around him was now melting away and he felt like he was in an island in the middle of an endless sea. All this time, he was the son of the Fourth Hokage, and nobody told him about it?
"W-What?" he stuttered. "You mean…this whole…time…"
"I'm afraid there's more, kid." Jiraiya told him. Naruto didn't know if he could take anymore.
"Jiraiya, stop!" Tsunade shouted, slamming her fist down on the desk. Though it didn't faze Jiraiya, Naruto was slightly brought out of his trance due to her unexpected reaction. What could possibly much more traumatic than learning that your father, one of two people Naruto longed for in his life, is the Fourth Hokage?
Jiraiya, ignoring Tsunade, continued, "You're father, he was…he was…" Tears began to roll down his eyes. "He was my son."
Now Naruto felt nothing at all, not the isolation feeling, not the tingling, not a thing. This whole time, not only was his father the Fourth Hokage, but he was training with his grandfather! Was this all a dream? Was this really happening?
Tsunade began to tear as well, but her sobs brought Naruto back once again. She also knew something.
"And.." Naruto slightly sobbed. "And…you're my…my…"
"Grandmother." Tsunade sobbed. She then bolted up from her chair, ran to Naruto, and held him tightly. She cried to him, "I am so, so sorry! All this time you were alone and we didn't do anything for you! We failed you!"
Naruto didn't know what to think. All he knew was this, he knew they wouldn't lie about this. Jiraiya and Tsunade cared to much for him, he knew that. And their reactions were genuine, these aren't fake tears her felt against his cheek, the huffing breaths that caressed his ear, the way Tsunade was shaking.
But did he hate them for not telling him? Did he resent them not telling him who his father was, or that they were his grandparents? Could he after all that Jiraiya taught him? Could he after all the support, love, and care that Tsunade gave him?
No.
He held Tsunade, much to her surprise. He only held her and let his tears flow with hers. He asked, "Why are you telling me now? Why didn't you say anything?"
Jiraiya walked up to him, put his hand on his shoulder, and said, "Because I couldn't put you through anymore pain. You're my grandson, whether I like it or not."
Naruto could only chuckle at that last statement. Naruto's chuckling made Tsunade chuckle too. She loved the sound of his chuckling in this depressing moment. It reminded her how much of a ray of hope he was. It reminded her why she came back to take her place as Hokage. It was all for him.
She let him go and he asked them, "So, you're my grandparents? How did that happened?"
"Uh, that's a story for another time, brat." Tsunade said, a slight tearful chuckle still in her voice. Naruto began to wipe his eyes, but both Jiraiya and Tsunade wiped them for him. He looked at them, the only blood he had, and he had them for so long. He was finally happy in this daunting moment.
"Do you still intend on looking for Hinata and Sasuke?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto looked up at him with a look on his face that said "You're kidding, right?". Jiraiya sighed and said, "Fine. C'mon, I have something that might help you." He then escorted Naruto to the door.
"Naruto." Tsunade called to him. Naruto turned to face her. She said, "Just…be careful." Naruto then said the words she longed to hear from him for the longest time, "I'll be back, Granny. Love ya." He then exited with Jiraiya, leaving Tsunade alone in the office, letting more tears fall. This time, they were tears of joy.
Outside the office, Sakura was waiting. When Naruto and Jiraiya exited, she called for Naruto. Jiraiya said he'd wait for him outside. Naruto walked up to Sakura and asked, "What's wrong, Sakura."
Sakura looked at him for a moment and said, "Naruto, I heard everything."
Naruto had a look of uncertainty. He still was struggling with the situation, even though he accepted Jiraiya and Tsunade as his grandparents. He didn't know what to tell Sakura about it though.
Sakura stroked his arm and told him, "Naruto, you're the son of the Fourth Hokage. That's why the Death Watch have been after you. You can't go out there."
Death Watch, he had almost forgotten them. But, he wasn't afraid of them. He was going to hunt down Sasuke and bring both him and Hinata home. And if he came across Death Watch along the way, he'll bring them down.
The look on his face must have showed his determination because Sakura sighed in defeat. He looked down at her, smiled and said, "Come on. 'Grandpa' Jiraiya has something he wants to show me." Sakura chuckled Jiraiya's new nickname and they both left.
Jiraiya had a hidden hanger out near the training grounds that he kept a secret for many years. Naruto knew about it, but he never gave I much thought. He though Jiraiya must have all kinds of secret locations all over Mandalore, so one wasn't going to plague his mind.
The three of them entered the secret door to the hanger, Jiraiya telling Naruto about what he had hidden, "This ship has been passed down through our family for generations. Each passing one adding something new to it."
"How old is it, Commander?" Sakura asked.
"About the time before the Clone Wars."
"Hah, some old junker that's a relic of the Republic? No thanks!" Naruto mocked.
"Mock all you want, but I'm telling ya, you'll love it." Jiraiya said to him, not taking the mockery at heart. "Not only that, but it'll shed some light on your family lineage."
When they entered the main hanger bay, Naruto and Sakura stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw. In the center of the hanger was a large ship, but not just any ship. It was a Fire-Spray Pursuit Special.
"I-Impossible!" Sakura gulped.
"Is-Is that…?" Naruto muttered, shaking and tears of joy watering his eyes.
"That's it is, kiddo." Jiraiya said proudly. "And she's all yours, Slave I."
Concord Dawn.
That name haunted Hinata. She had heard awful stories about Concord Dawn, hearing that it was a cursed planet since the time of the Old Republic. But the more recent ones were the ones that terrified her the most. She had heard stories of mercenaries landing on the planet only to never return. And Eren and Mikasa were from there.
"All our lives, we have only ran in fear from everything Concord Dawn had to offer us." Eren said somberly. "We both lost our families. We were only children. I watched as my mother was eaten alive by a…a…a beast. Those…evil…heartless…mindless monsters."
"Titans." Mikasa said, taking the story so Eren could calm down. He was beginning to breath heavily in anger.
"We were part of the army to fight the Titans. We were the best, until…" Mikasa wiped her eyes. "The Titans were growing more and more in population. The entire human race on Concord Dawn was dying out fast."
"What happened?" Hinata asked.
"The pressure was on the army. We were being pushed harder and harder. Some of us…didn't like it."
"One day, there was a mutiny." Eren said, calmed down. "Members of the army had turned on each other. Our squad try to run, but everyone but Mikasa and I were captured. We climbed the walls of our city, only to watch our friends…be executed."
Hinata listened to the story, feeling nothing but pain in their voices. She couldn't even imagine the pain they had endured. She had heard stories about the Titans, but never even imagined the effect they had on Concord Dawn. But to hear that the people who were charged to protect the human race on Concord Dawn turned their backs on them, that was possibly even worst. She had to ask them, "B-But how did you escape?"
Before they could answer, the sound of a baby crying called out from the back of the house. Mikasa was about to get up, but Eren stopped her, "I'll get her." He stood and walked to the back of the house.
Mikasa continued to tell her tale, "The two of us had escaped into the forest. But, we didn't even get three miles when we were surrounded by Titans. We had no weapons, no means of fighting them. We thought we were dead, when they came.
"There were flash and smoke bombs everywhere. The Titans were scared off by the sounds of the battleships that flew above. I don't think they ever saw a ship like that before, none of us have. Apparently someone sent out a strong enough S.O.S. that it reached Sundari. An entire battalion came and they saved us."
"What happened? W-What about everyone else on Concord Dawn?"
"Hinata, only Eren and I got off Concord Dawn. They went back to our city, only to find that the Titans got in. No one survived."
Hinata felt a cold chill go down her spine. Of all of Concord Dawn, only Eren and Mikasa were the only ones to escape.
"They took us away, brought us here to the Mist Village. We were so scared, afraid that they would turn us away. Instead, they took us in, clothed us, feed us, gave us shelter and work. After all that was done, the lost of our friends and family, these strangers from strange worlds took us in and took care of us."
Hinata felt so happy for them. After all they endured, they were finally safe. She almost felt guilty coming to their door step because if Orochimaru were to find them, he would kill everyone. She knew that they were safe, but still…the possibility…
"That was two years ago." Mikasa continued. "And after all that, all the terrible things we endured, all the evil we saw, all our friends long gone, we have something to live for."
Hinata never noticed the sound of the baby crying stop. That's when she turned around and saw Eren with a small bundle in his arms. He said, "I don't know what it is about you, Hinata, but I feel I can trust you with this. Hinata, I want you to meet our daughter, April."
I have an artist rendition of the rescue from Concord Dawn on my deviantart. I wanted to post a link, but for some reason it won't let me. That's okay, fuck you too. Anywho, my dA account is the same name, BXVAce. If you wanna check it out, google and look for "Rescue from Concord Dawn".