Disclaimer: The author does not own Naruto, anything related to Kishimoto Masashi's works and ideas, except for characters, plotlines, or ideas invented by the author.

Rating: T (mild to severe language, including some severe language in this chapter, and some mildly graphic imagery, no overt sexual references or imagery or graphic death as of the writing of this chapter)

Last time: Team 7 traveled to the head office to receive the information for their next mission. This one was to take them to the Land of Snow, where they were assigned to protect Fujikaze Yukie – aka Kazahana Koyuki, the niece of the current despot daimyo Kazahana Dotō – while she shot for her latest film in her former homeland. Concerns were brought up by the two genin still in the Chūnin Exams, but Minato assured them that there was nothing to worry about. As they left, they were met by Teams 8 and 10, and Naruto rubbed it in their faces that he was going to be rubbing elbows with an international movie star. Ino had a brief mental chat with the blonde before he departed, and the other two squads learned of their own missive, with Shisui's team going to look for the lost leader of the Land of Birds, Lady Toki, and Keisei's team going to the Fire Temple to meet up with Lady Haruna of the Land of Vegetables. As they left to take up their own missions, Minato locked down his office and pulled two classified files from his safe. One he left in his desk for later, while the other he pocketed as he alerted his secretary that he was departing for the maximum-security prison in the Hidden Grass Village before covertly heading out.

AN: Hope you enjoy!

(Exam Interlude) Chapter 23 – Investigations Everywhere! International Crises Abound!

Within the thick forests surrounding the Hidden Grass Village, a sudden flash of light perforated the otherwise dreary and rainy canopy of the tree-filled lands, and a figure phased into view amongst the weeds. Namikaze Minato stood up very slowly and looked around, recognizing one of his specialty kunai hidden in the roots of a nearby pine. He glanced around and observed the area around him, trying to see through the radically different environment. The pounding rainfall made it difficult to see or hear anything, but it was hard to miss the massive castle a few hundred feet in front of him. The trees really didn't do much to hide it, and he took a moment to admire the building.

It was an imposing structure, and it was obvious that it had been modified many times over the past few hundred years. The remains of the main classical structure were still evident in the central core of the complex, and despite the obvious age of the castle, it was clear that it had been meticulously cared for.

The same couldn't be said for the other parts of the prison. Surrounding the remnants of the ancient castle were a number of more modern structures, made out of nothing but drab concrete and sporting nothing more than mere slits for windows. They much more resembled giant, pointed bomb shelters than regular buildings, and from his numerous visits in the past, Minato knew that those were the homes of the many prisoners held in the fortress.

"Well, I'm glad to see you haven't gone to any great effort to renovate the place, Mui…" the blonde Hokage muttered, seemingly to no one in particular.

A response immediately emanated from the woods. "Would you expect anything different for a maximum security prison, Lord Hokage?" a tall, severe-looking man asked rhetorically as he strode from behind a large trunk. He was dressed regally, in robes that were not unlike darker versions of the Hyūga clan's formal clothing. Long, black, greasy hair streamed behind his head, floating gently with the wind, and hooded dull green eyes viewed the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village with no ounce of pleasure. "I must admit…" he continued, "I was not expecting you for a few more days. This is quite unexpected…" Nevertheless, he walked over in a very controlled manner and shook his equal's hand.

"You and me both, Lord Mui," Minato admitted, "However, some time freed up in my schedule, and I thought it best to give interrogation one last try before resorting to alternative means."

The tall leader of Hidden Grass raised an eyebrow at this, still not completely understanding the point. "Oh? That's curious, what do you mean?"

The Hokage chose not to answer verbally and instead handed him a scroll. Mui took a moment to open and scan the document. As he did, his blank eyes briefly lit up with understanding, and he couldn't help but release a chuckle as he rewrapped the document and handed it back to the owner. "That explains a lot. I was wondering what that phone call a few days ago was all about." At the same time, they began to make their way through the woods towards the castle. The wind began to hiss briefly, and anyone less than the caliber of the two ninja present would have missed the departure of Mui's ANBU protection squad.

Naruto's father chuckled as well. "It's a little underhanded, but I think in the end both of our villages will be better off in the long run because of it."

"Agreed. And my son was long due for a good kick in the pants, hanging out with that partner of his, so I feel this will be well worth the minor amount of chaos down the road." The long-haired warden paused for a moment before changing the subject and asking another question. "Still, I'm not sure I completely understand the need for interrogation. Did you need to come all the way there just to do that yourself?"

Minato stowed the scroll away before answering. "I'm planning for the contingency," he said grimly. "If questioning and time in your care don't work, I'm taking him back to the village and giving him to Morino Ibiki to deal with. He knows information that could be useful moving forward, and I don't want to wait much longer in case that information is vital to someone."

Mui nodded, understanding his point to a degree. "I don't have anyone of his caliber in my employ. My Grass ninja are more stealthy than intelligent, loathe as I am to admit that. My most skilled interrogator is nothing more than a temptress who can use her appearance to screw with the minds of men. That's a wonderful ability, but it doesn't do much good with apathetic males, like this particular prisoner, and the rare female."

The blonde snorted. "I feel your pain, which is why I've encouraged the Torture and Interrogation Force to be proactive in recruitment. As for this particular prisoner, I've been holding off on subjecting him to Ibiki because it's still hard to believe that there is so much hatred in him." He paused before adding as an afterthought, "I would be happy to share some of my men with you as a gesture of good faith for assisting me with all of these arrangements over the past seventeen years."

Mui gave a very thin smile. "I would greatly appreciate that, and I can also appreciate your concern with getting information out of the prisoner, so let's hurry along, shall we?"

The leaders continued their walk from there on in silence, walking the extra five hundred yards to the front entrance of the prison. As with most of the rest of the complex, the door was completely bare, devoid of any sort of handle or window to even open the portal. Of course, the warden would have the key, though, and Minato stood back as Mui walked over to the massive wooden barricade and simply placed his hand on a spot, surrounded by a carved square pattern. Surprisingly, five flames lit to life where his fingertips touched the wood, and a pattern spread out across the door. Even with his extensive knowledge of seals, Minato still couldn't completely wrap his head around Mui's Fire Style prison control techniques, but he was aware of how effective they were, and he sincerely hoped that there was never a cause for anyone in his family to have to go there…especially Naruto.

The door slowly creaked open, and the two made their way into the lobby of the prison. As with the rest of the penitentiary, there wasn't much to see, and the visibility drastically dropped as the front door slammed shut behind them. A few rickety old benches that had seen better days lined the walls, and musty old paintings just hung there, the contents barely visible through a thick layer of grime. The receptionist's desk area, hidden behind a similarly disgusting pane of ancient glass, was about the only bright spot of the area, though it was hard to see. Inside, was a lovely decorated desk, with bright pictures and flowers adorning the area.

A single person sat there, and in this case the glass was only part of the obscuring of her features. Other than the fact that she was female, the only thing that Minato could tell about her was that she was a few years older than him, and even that was an educated guess. She had two bandanas that covered her face and head, and baggy clothing hid her body from view. Still, her eyes held knowledge of many years, and those orbs observed her boss and the new visitor with a curious gaze. "Lord Hokage, this is my personal assistant and the hand that truly runs this penitentiary. I don't believe the two of you have been properly introduced yet, seeing as I hired her since your last visit here. Naeko, as you have probably guessed, this is the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, Namikaze Minato."

Despite her inability to greet him properly, the shielded secretary still stood up. "I did surmise as much," she said in a dry tone, "Still, it is a pleasure to meet such a famous and powerful individual. We don't get many people like you coming to our humble abode." Her sight shifted down to the thick, weathered ledger sitting in front of her, and she quickly found the information she was looking for. "I assume you are here to visit Prisoner X-HL-010886? I am more than happy to reserve a private visitation room for you and arrange transport of the prisoner."

"That would be wonderful," Minato replied. "However, that's not the only thing…"

Mui took over at that. "We can discuss those matters later. Those types of arrangements are somewhat convoluted and will require some extensive paperwork to complete." He paused momentarily and then gestured to his secretary. "Unless…I'm sure that Naeko wouldn't mind getting that started while we attend to your primary request."

"Oh really?" That seemed to surprise the hooded secretary. "What else are you interested in, Lord Hokage?"

"I hope this isn't too much trouble…" to which she shook her head, indicating that it shouldn't be, "…I would like to request the arrangement of transport for Prisoner X-HL-010886 from Hōzuki Castle to the care of the Hidden Leaf Village's Torture and Interrogation Force," he replied, adopting a more formal tone in an attempt to be polite.

For a moment, Naeko didn't do a thing, and the blonde Hokage wasn't even sure she understood the request. He glanced back at Mui, but he seemed unfazed by her response. This was somewhat confusing to him until some moment caught his eye, and he was shocked at what he saw when he turned back to the secretary.

Despite the coverings on her face, it was obvious that simple statement had disturbed her greatly, or at least, something that caused an adverse reaction. Her hands began to shake, and her eyes, which were the only visible part of her face, dilated severely. She pushed back away from the desk and fell into her chair as she began to draw in extremely ragged breaths. Minato turned and looked at his associate, but this odd behavior didn't seem to faze Mui. He merely watched her carefully and did nothing to help her, and Minato was forced to trust his judgment. However, a few moments later, he slowly began to understand what was happening as he watched the secretary. Slowly, her trembling slowed to a halt, and though her breathing remained jilted and harsh, her eyes slowly contracted until they appeared relatively normal.

"My apologies, Lord Mui, Lord Hokage," she said, shaking her head to clear it out. "I think I'm alright now."

Minato turned to his equal with a questioning look, demanding an explanation, and the long-haired warden nodded. "What you may not know about my secretary is that in an isolated scenario, she is quite possibly the most skilled ninja in the entire village, and I am incredibly happy to have her in my employ these past few years. I can personally attest to her resilience and aptitude in the heat of battle. However, she is crippled by a severe chakra illness that is slowly eating away at her body. It's not lethal by any means, but she has already lost most of her ability to defend herself adequately using ninjutsu, and as such can only use chakra when absolutely necessary. Her hand to hand combat remains second to none, which is why I trust her in a castle full of chakra-restricted fiends, but her ninjutsu will soon leave her, probably within the year."

"I also have seizures every now and then, like the one you just saw," Naeko added before glaring at her boss, "But really, Lord Mui, must you paint me as such an invalid?" She looked at Minato and rolled her eyes. "Honestly, he babies me so much I wonder if I'm his illegitimate daughter or something. I am perfectly capable of ninjutsu as long as I don't overdo things and burn more than I can sustain."

The blonde chuckled. "Well, I do understand the need for a good secretary, so I don't blame him, but he's right, you know. You shouldn't overdo things."

He was waved off almost immediately, and in that moment he was reminded of the fiery nature of his wife, immediately dismissive of any sort of slight to her or her clan. "Don't make me show you how capable I really am," she threatened jokingly, though he could tell she was more than a little serious.

"We'd best be on our way before Naeko decides she wants to show you exactly what she's capable of," Mui interjected, "I know you're on a tight schedule, and I don't want to agitate the prisoner by making him wait. He's enough of a basket case without extra annoyances to piss him off."

"Yes of course." Minato turned to the secretary for the last time and bowed. "Thank you so much for your help, Naeko. The Hidden Grass Village is in your debt."

"Oh stop, you flirt," she retorted, though in a pleasant tone, "Get on your way. I'll arrange the transport and get started on the paperwork."

Both village leaders nodded and began to trek into the prison, located behind the one door leading further into the prison. As the outside appearances would indicate, the inside was just as dank and dreary as one might expect from a prison. Cells lined the walls, each with a small, barred window allowing passerby and guards to see into each room. Some had occupants, but many did not. In fact, many of the cells weren't even closed. The door from the reception area led onto a walkway on the second floor of the prison, and as they walked across the building, which Minato now recognized as the castle part due to the construction of the ceiling, both men could see a couple of prisoners in the courtyard below milling around.

Once the incarcerated became aware of the presence of Mui, though, the calm quickly shattered, and various screams and curses littered the air, most of them directed at the warden and leader of Hidden Grass. He ignored them, and his counterpart knew that this must be a common occurrence for him. By his estimation, none of those men posed any significant threat, and that was before the elimination of any significant chakra use; almost all of them were no stronger than a normal child.

They arrived at the other side, where an elevator awaited them. It opened as they drew near, and the two men stepped inside the surprisingly clean car. Mui reached out and pushed the button for the second layer of the basement, and with a lurch, the car began to descend.

A few moments later, the elevator clunked to a halt at the desired floor, and the two men exited into a much different atmosphere. Here, in the subbasement, the walls were not made of chipped, aged rock but rather sleek, black rock that Minato recognized as being chakra treated. The hallway they were in extended down rather far, and a few steel doors broke the monotony of the otherwise bland corridor. Mui walked to the first of those and opened it, allowing Minato to make his way in before entering as well and shutting the heavy door behind him.

This was a visitation room, and despite the high security of the prison, it didn't look that much unlike other prisons. There was a chair for the visitor, and behind a triple-paned sheet of glass, the prisoner sat in his grey issue clothing, his head bowed down. Just out of eyeshot was a security guard, hidden by the darkness of the other hallway. Minato went and sat down in the chair, while Mui stood at the door with his arms crossed.

After a few moments, the prisoner finally realized that he was no longer alone and slowly raised his head. As was shown in the photo in Minato's file, half of his face was heavily scarred, while the other half was intact save for an obviously empty eye socket. His black hair was matted with grime from a lack of hygiene, and his clothes showed similar disregard for cleanliness. As he squinted to see who had come to talk with him, his single eye narrowed in pure hatred, and he spat, "I have nothing to say to him. Let me return to my cell."

"This isn't something that's up for discussion, Prisoner X-HL-010886," Mui growled as one of his hands twitched into the shape of a handseal, "You will speak to him, whether you like it or not. I will…encourage…you to show more appropriate behavior in the presence of others, you filth."

The prisoner flinched and growled with disgust as he subconsciously scratched at a number of faded scars on his chest and shoulders, just visible under the collar of his shirt. "Fine, fine, but make it fast. I don't want to be in the presence of this traitor and murderer any longer than I have to be," he muttered darkly, half turning away and crossing his arms in spite.

Minato sighed gently and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the small countertop in front of him. "It's good to see you too…Obito…"

…xXx…

Jiraiya grinned as he patted his student's son on the shoulder. "I hope you have an easy time dealing with these miscreants in the Land of Snow, my boy," he said happily, "I'm sure you'll have a good time there." His face slowly contorted into a familiar perverted smirk, and he added lewdly, "I hear the scenery on the set of the movie will be a true thrill."

Sakura looked near murderous at having to put up with the pervent's nonsense, and Kakashi merely sighed. Naruto was used to this kind of behavior, and he merely shook his head in disgust. "Fine, fine, I'll get you an autograph too, alright?" he griped. "Will that satisfy you for a couple of days?"

The Toad Sannin appeared to consider the offer before nodding with a big grin on his face. "I suppose that would be enough…" he mulled, "…though other things might be better if you know what I'm saying…"

"Aren't you going to give me any advice on the Rasengan since Dad's busy?" the blonde pushed further, trying to steer the conversation back to a more logical place. "I mean, I am almost done with it, and I thought you'd be more excited that I'm about to complete this insanely difficult ninjutsu. Instead you're just being pervy."

"So, basically normal…" Sakura muttered.

Jiraiya sighed. "Wouldn't you be disappointed if I suddenly changed overnight?" the elder man queried. When he received blank stares in response, he sighed in resignation. "Fine, fine. Sheesh, none of you have any sense of humor. Why do you need my advice anyways? Are you having trouble with it? You've been breezing through the steps so far."

Naruto shrugged. "No, I think I understand a good method for attacking the final step, but I figured you might have some witty piece of help to share before I left."

"Nah, I think you've got everything under control," the toad master replied, slapping his new student on the shoulder. "Just keep on the course you've forged for yourself, and everything should be fine. I trust in your abilities, so I'll be looking forward to seeing your brand spanking new perfect Rasengan when you get home."

The blonde huffed, though he looked happy despite his best efforts. "Well, thanks, I guess."

Kakashi intervened, checking his watch and seeing that it was time to head out. "Lord Jiraiya, if you don't mind, we should be going. It's a decently long trip, and I want to make good time before setting up camp."

The tall man nodded and shushed the genin away playfully. "Alright you scallywags, get out of here and make us proud. Don't do anything I wouldn't." Sakura rolled her eyes in disgust again, and Sasuke remained silent while Naruto waved enthusiastically before Team 7 began their dash into the forest. Almost forgetting a final note, Jiraiya shouted after them, "And don't forget my autograph!" before they were out of eyesight and earshot. He grinned and chuckled to himself before turning around to head back into the village…and was stopped by an unexpected trio of foreigners in his way. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he asked speculatively, "What can this old fart do for the youngsters of the Hidden Sand Village?"

Indeed, the three children of the current Kazekage stood before him in varying forms of anticipation. Temari looked rather tentative, and she kept shooting veiled glances at her youngest brother next to her, who looked mildly confused as to why he was even there. Kankurō was standing on her other side, and his expression was unreadable, though Jiraiya noted that his hood was down, and he didn't have his normal purple face paint applied on this occasion. The eldest sibling stepped forward, and it was obvious that she was the spokesperson for this motley crew. "Good afternoon, Lord Jiraiya," she said slowly, trying to piece her words together carefully, "I was wondering if you would be willing to speak to us for a couple of minutes. We have a situation that I believe you would be best at helping us resolve."

The legendary pervert looked surprised but quickly recovered, flashing a charming smile Temari's way. "I don't see why that should be an issue. I was planning on taking care of some personal business, but that can always wait. I wouldn't want to hinder the resolution of this so-called 'situation' you have." He took a quick glance around the area by the entrance to the village and spotted a small café a few yards away. "Let's go over to that coffee shop. I could use a cup of joe." With that he ushered them over, ignoring the look of annoyance on Gaara's face as the elder man led him and his brother by the shoulder.

When they arrived, he pointed to a table under the awning and said, "Why don't you three sit down there? I'll get us some drinks." He turned away and immediately struck up a conversation with the waitress, giving none of the three siblings time to give him an order of any kind.

Gaara was still looking rather confused, and he finally grew tired of waiting and asked, "Temari, Kankurō, as much as I appreciate…" though his facial expression didn't convey that at all, "…some quality time with you, I'm not sure why we're here and not training for the finals. Would you care to explain?"

The older two of the Kazekage's children looked at each other, not really knowing how to explain things all that well. "Well…" Kankurō started slowly, "…we've been a little worried about you, that's all."

The redhead raised an eyebrow, really confused now. "Why?" he asked, "There's nothing wrong with me."

"But there is!" Temari jumped in, surprising the young jinchūriki, "And there has been for nearly ten years. It's just now, as you've grown stronger and gained more and more ability to show yourself in matters both personal and professional…we can tell there are still some issues that need to be ironed out, and we don't have any other options ."

"And I'm assuming that's where I come in?" the booming voice of the Toad Sage cut in, as he sat down between Temari and Gaara with a drink tray in his hands. "Here's some hot tea…" which he set down in front of the redhead, who nodded simply in thanks, "…and a green tea lemonade…" which went to Kankurō, who looked extremely happy, "…and finally a large latte for the missus." The final cup, filled to the brim with whipped cream, went to the blonde, who had an incredulous look on her face.

"How did you know what kinds of drinks we liked?" she demanded, "We don't even live here!"

The white haired man took a sip of his own drink, a simple coffee, and gave her an amused look over the lip of the cup. "Is it a crime to talk with your father every now and then?" he asked rhetorically. "He mentioned how much you were looking forward to getting some of the food and drinks you don't have access to in the desert when I was there a few months ago." He set the cup down and inhaled deeply. "Though…" he added carefully, "…I get the feeling that this meeting of ours might be related to him. Am I right?"

The silence from the two elder siblings basically confirmed that, and Gaara wheeled on them with an angry look on his face. "Is that what this is about?" he demanded, "You want to talk about Father?"

"We're worried about you!" Temari replied, appearing very much sad. "This…tension…between the two of you…it's getting to the point of being unbearable."

"You know that regardless of whatever decisions Father has made in the past, he deeply regrets them despite the fact that he believed that he was acting in the best interest of the Hidden Sand Village," Kankurō added, slightly more level headed than his sister but still obviously tentative. "We've long since forgiven him for his misdeeds; why can't you?" Jiraiya remained silent, opting for the moment to let the younger ninja begin to work things out, though he could tell things were about to get fiery.

"Oh, you just expect me to roll over and forgive him?" Gaara snapped back irritably. "Have you forgotten what he did to me and our mother?"

"No, no, of course not," Temari said, waving her hands in an attempt to placate his anger, "But he's explained the situation to us repeatedly. You know that Mother's death was an accident."

"An accident?" Jiraiya could tell that this was getting out of control, and that was before even he noticed the granules of sand beginning to rattle on the ground. He leaned back in his seat, appearing to casually listen to the growing feud, but he discreetly slipped his hand into his pocket as he took a casual sip of his beverage. Gaara's rant began to reach a feverish pitch. "You're trying to tell me that creating a so-called 'perfect weapon' out of your youngest son is an appropriate excuse for killing your wife and the mother of your children." The youngest of the Kazekage's children was now on his feet, and not only the waitress but also a number of patrons and passerby were beginning to take notice of the ruckus. "Get real Temari. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he didn't have a single problem with it. Look at me." He about tore his shirt off as he pulled it up to reveal the seal on his gut. It was rather similar to the one that sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of Naruto, but if one looked closely, they could tell that it was actually the second seal to be placed on his body; remnants of another could be seen on the edges of the current one.

Temari and Kankurō turned away, both wondering in their own way how good of an idea this, but Gaara wasn't about to let this conversation end without him getting the final word. "Don't look away," he roared, "You started this discussion, and now I'm going to finish it!" LOOK AT THIS SEAL!" Now patrons were really starting to get nervous as Gaara stabbed at his gut with a finger. "The only thing that I did was be born, and he does this to me and kills my mother. HE PUT THIS FUCKING MONSTER INSIDE OF ME AND EXPECTS EVERYTHING TO BE ALRIGHT! WHY SHOULDN'T I BE ANGRY?!" the redhead screamed at the top of his lungs. He breathed deeply for a few moments before clutching at his head in agony, and that's when Jiraiya decided to step in.

"Everyone, there's nothing to worry about," he said calmly, standing up and applying a paper seal to Gaara's head before he could even react, which seemingly stopped his pain, judging by the relaxing of his features. The sand also stopped rattling almost immediately, which ease some of the tension in the elder siblings. "I'll take care of this." He then turned to Temari and Kankurō, who still looked rather shaken up. "I know you feel like this was a terrible idea, but everything will be fine. Judging by what I've seen here, you made the right call. I'll have a talk with both him and his inner demon. Just give me a few minutes, and we should be in a much better place." He looked back at the waitress and asked, "Hey, Hiroka, is it okay if they take their drinks and go for a walk around the block?" Despite still being frightened by the recent occurrences, she nodded silently, having known Jiraiya for a few years through his frequent visits to her stop and understanding that he was usually right about these types of things. He nodded happily and gestured for them to take off for a few minutes. Both siblings looked rather unsure about this particular course of action, but at another reassuring grin, they uneasily got up and took off with their beverages.

Once they were out of eyesight, Jiriaya slowly pushed Gaara back into his chair and closed his own eyes, tapping the seal twice. Immediately, his consciousness faded from the real world and entered that of the redhead's mindscape. His body materialized in the space as he fell to the ground, which contrary to Naruto's meadow and forest imagery resembled an oasis in the middle of a desert, and he tapped down in the mental construct resembling sand. "Well, this is rather interesting…" he murmured. "I don't know what I was expecting, but an oasis wasn't quite it."

"Cut the chitchat," a voice snapped. Jiraiya turned his head and noted that Gaara was now standing a few feet away, on the shore of the oasis's small pond, with just as furious a look on his face as had been before his little explosion. "What are we doing here?"

The Toad Sage kept his face mostly impassive as he turned fully to face the rebellious teen. "I was hoping to spare my favorite café from your wrath, but mostly I thought it would be best to talk face to face…to face."

The redhead's anger melted into confusion momentarily before he realized what the elder man meant, and he hissed in annoyance. "Fine, but don't blame me when he gets angry about us being in his home." The jinchūriki closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating, and before long, a massive rumbling filled the area. As Jiraiya watched with some amount of amusement, the sand outside of the desert parted and gave way to a massive mammal, with spines make of hardened sand and intricate patterns spread over his body. A massive spiky tail whipped slowly behind him, and his beady eyes observed the two humans currently in his domain.

"Old man toady! Well this is an unexpected pleasure!" he screeched loudly. In as graceful a manner as he could, he bounded over to the two and stuck out a massive paw, coiled into a fist. The Toad Sage chuckled and responded in kind, pounding his fist with the massive chakra construct.

"It's good to see you too, Shukaku, but I'm afraid I'm once again here on business," Jiraiya replied in a strict tone. "If you would, please…?" He gestured to the ground nearby, and the tailed beast waddled over and sat down with a massive slam, sending sand flying all over the place.

"Before you ask, I already know where you're going with this, and the answer is no," the One-Tailed Tanuki screeched, "I haven't gotten anywhere. In fact, he won't talk to me at all. It's like I'm speaking to a brick wall!"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Gaara hissed angrily, "Now will someone please explain why we're here and why I have to listen to all of this idiotic nonsense?"

"That's enough." Jiraiya's voice had suddenly gone cold, and his eyes were as icy as the desert night. "These temper tantrums aren't getting us anywhere. You will be quiet and listen to me, whether you like it or not. Do you understand?"

That didn't seem to do much good. "This is my mind, you senile old man!" the redhead spat, "I control what happens here, not you, and if I want you to leave, I can just as easily kick you ou…"

"Shukaku!" Jiraiya snapped, and the massive mammal sprung into action. Before Gaara could get the last word of his rant out, sand sprung up around him and restrained both his limbs and his mouth. The teen tried to fight it, but his sand powers were a derivative of the bijū, and as such he couldn't do a thing to fight it. So he settled for sending his most lethal glare at the man invading his personal space.

"I don't intend to spend my entire day putting up with your immature behavior, and I certainly don't intend to let you leave here without installing some measure of respect for your father, so let's cut the bullshit, shall we?" The powerful individual, taking a rare opportunity to show how threatening he can be when he was angry, slowly walked over until he was nearly touching noses with the petulant teen. "Now, I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen, and hopefully by the time I'm done you're going to get over your little temper tantrum and learn to respect those who care for you."

He took a deep breath and quickly spared a glance at Shukaku, who looked relatively impassive, but the white-haired man could tell he was listening carefully as well. "Let's back track to a few days before your birth. Your father had contacted me in somewhat of a panic, knowing that he wasn't all that skilled in sealing, needing assistance in finding a new host for Shukaku. At the time, the One-Tailed Tanuki was known as a bundle of natural destruction, for good reason, as no one had ever treated him like anything more than a rabid animal. Rasa feared the problems that would result from him being released into the wild, and one of his most trusted seal masters had perished in the previous war, so he had no way of storing him in the old pot that had become the temporary vessel between jinchūriki.

"I had recently been a part of the Hidden Leaf Village's repulsion of the Nine-Tailed Fox, and as such I was privy to the methods that were used to seal it into the boy you now know as Uzumaki Naruto. That particular type of sealing was a rather unique method, never before used on anyone because my student, Namikaze Minato, had just developed in the three years preceding that incident. My godson and his mother were the first two recipients, and the results were better than anyone could have asked for. So, when your father called asking for help, I was more than willing to help out, and Minato gave me permission to use his sealing matrix. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to even provide assistance if it weren't for a timely recall back to Hidden Leaf during Kurama's attack. If that hadn't happened, I probably would have been somewhere in the middle of Hidden Rain, blissfully unaware of the issues in both villages until it was too late to act to help.

"As you may know, your mother wasn't the healthiest individual. Her body had been ravaged by an aggressive form of tuberculosis for many years, and by the time she gave birth to your brother, doctors weren't sure if her body could hold up to another sequence of labor. However, she was determined to have a third child, and so, you were conceived. Careful monitoring over the first six months showed a rather encouraging prognosis for both you and Karura, but Rasa wasn't convinced that something wouldn't go wrong in the process. Shukaku's former host had already perished by that time, and he was hoping to use the pure chakra that your friend here is made of to strengthen his wife enough to get both her and you through the birth in one piece.

"The issues came into play when labor began. The main problem was that you came out prematurely, and that put a wrench in your father's hopes. I was there, having sealed Shukaku into the temporary vessel, and so was Rasa as an aide. The doctors managed to get you out with some rather ingenious methods, but both you and your mother were clinging to life. Both Rasa and I tried to argue that Shukaku's chakra would be beneficial to you both, but the doctors couldn't fully convince themselves that the risks would be minimal, and the decision came down to a question of who rather than how." Gaara's eyes, which had remained mostly impassive, widened in shock, and Jiraiya knew that he was getting somewhere finally. "Didn't know that, did you? Your father told you some cockamamie story about using his wife as a medium for sealing Shukaku into you, and she died as a result. Seemed like he didn't care at all?" The silence and stillness from his subject was all he needed.

"So, he and I tried everything we could possibly think of to stabilize both of you using Shukaku's chakra, but there wasn't much that we could do that wouldn't endanger one or both of you. We had about given up hope of saving both mother and child when Karura began to speak to us. Despite the immense pain she had to be in, she still managed to sound like the stern but kind mother she was and ordered us to prioritize saving her son because it was likely too late for her anyways. One of the doctors there confirmed that she was suffering from massive internal hemorrhaging, and there was little that they could do for her given the medical equipment available. It's something that we have attempted to fix in recent years, but due to a drop in communication from one of our best medics, I'm sure you know that the situation there is just as bad as it ever was.

"We asked repeatedly if there was anything that could be done, but the doctors couldn't give us any sort of diagnosis that was remotely positive, so we had no choice but to save you. As we were preparing the sealing matrix, Karura faded away. We managed to give her one final touch of you before she died, and then we had to begin the sealing in order to save you. Because of your own fragile situation, I wasn't able to fully implement the type of seal that Minato had imparted to me, so I was forced to make some modifications. As a result, the seal wasn't completely secure, and Shukaku's mental processes warped and interfered with yours. That's why I visited the village when you were young and fixed the runes on your gut. I wanted to give you a life that would make your mother happy. I didn't want Shukaku to go insane living inside of you, nor you insane having to deal with him inside of you. Your father was merely trying to save face when he told you those lies so many years ago, so maybe you should consider the pain he has had to live all of these years before tormenting him for one more day."

The older man took a deep breath and then craned his neck to peer at the massive badger-like creature. "Okay, you big oaf, go ahead and let him go. I think he's got the general idea of what's going on." With a cackle, the large bijū allowed the sand to crumble away from his host, and Gaara feel to his knees in disbelief.

"Is that all true?" he asked weakly.

Jiraiya was already turning to leave the mindscape, but he glanced back and gave the young man an odd look. "Ask your father if you're really skeptical," he murmured, "He may not like that I told you, but he will confirm all of what I told you." The white-haired pervert looked up at the chakra construct and added, "I'll see you around, Shukaku," before fading from sight.

Back at the café, Temari and Kankurō were just returning with their half-consumed beverages when they saw the Toad Sannin stand up and begin to walk away, tea in hand. "Lord Jiraiya, wait up!" the blonde called out as she and her brother hustled over. They both noticed that Gaara looked rather stupefied but didn't give it much mind. "Is everything alright?" the eldest child asked worriedly.

Minato's teacher gave her a big grin and gave her a small tap on the shoulder. "He'll be fine, but I suggest you accompany him when he goes to talk with your father. He will need your support to get him through this, and you may need his as well."

"Wait, what are you…" Temari tried to ask, but she was waved off.

"I've already told more tales than I should have today," he interrupted, beginning to walk away, "I'll let the Kazekage finish the gossip train, since this is something better explained from the source. I'll see you kids around later." With that, he disappeared around a corner and was gone, leaving Rasa's children to wonder exactly what they knew and what they didn't know about their lives up until that point.

…xXx…

AN: That's as good a place as any to stop for the time being. Please review and stay tuned! Hope you like the bombs I'm beginning to drop!

Review Responses:

guedesbrawl: Teeheehee

Rose Tiger: Thanks! Blame school for the issues lately! ;)

Tempestuous Ocean: With all due respect, I completely disagree with your opinion. There's a reason that Minato seems a little disconnected from his son's training – because he is. He doesn't want Naruto to just be gifted things, so he's forcing his son to learn on his own. As a result, he's more advanced than canon Naruto, but his style of learning is quite similar. And Kage Bunshin didn't help at all in canon with his chakra control; it still took him a long time to learn things until after the time skip. What Minato has taught Naruto here is that spamming Shadow Clones isn't the only or best way to learn, so they're more of a battle oriented tactic. Don't worry, they'll be used in training once he encounters a scenario where time is of the essence and they are more useful.

meledie: Thank you so much! Comments like that make writing worth it!

Ravenstorm of Thunderclan: First of all, cool name, that's really inventive. Like it a lot. For your first point, Asuma and Kurenai will actually be making their first appearance at some point throughout the duration of this pre-finals story arc. Itachi, however…who knows what happened to him. All I'll say about him is that his status is extremely cloudy…