It came upon him as a drastic, horrid, uncertain thought. Coming upon him as he'd been spending time with Iruka-sensei as an apology for his earlier behaviour, eating ramen as it were -he had missed it much despite his previous denial of Iruka's invitation.- His former teacher had mentioned Jiraiya as a simple topic of conversation, it had come upon them under the manner the conversation had been directed unexpectedly. Iruka had in fact brought it up as a question, asking if he -Naruto- had, indeed, heard his mentor mention his parents previously. Obviously as a response, he'd said he had as it had been spoken of in their last meeting, the teacher had merely nodded in expectation to the answer. Then expressed that the sanin's parentage was rather a mystery among the academy, saying that no one actually knew who they were. That's when the consideration had come upon him as a possibility; the age of the man had what been diverting him from the cogitation, he thought that Jiraiya was around fifty and evidently it had been many generations since the era of the First Hokage. Thus he hadn't thought it feasible, alas it was plausible that the man was hiding his true age as Tsunade -if only somewhat.

As the rumination had occurred upon him he'd spilt his ramen by the sudden expressive jerk he gave in shockful realization. Was it indeed conceivable that Jiraiya was actually an Uchiha, that is, was he possibly his and Madara's son? The capability of it had driven him to leave the ramen stand early as it were and seek out his potential child in order to ask for answers from the man. First looking in the most obvious place he knew of, one of his peering spots. Naruto hoped rather desperately that his father had not been the one to infiltrate such a habit upon their child by beginning it himself after his death. It was a minimal belief, but unfortunately credible, as he could imagine that his husband would have been rather lonely after he'd been killed. As it were he wasn't certain that Jiraiya would be there, he had many peeking spots within the village, and it could be that he was in none of them at the moment, but Naruto knew he might be lucky in his guess.

By such granted luck he found the man where he had predicted, at the balcony of a building he knew not the actual purpose of. His original intent had been to simply walk forth to the man and greet him first as he normally would, yet as he reached to the spot just behind him his mouth merely froze in place and he ended up snapping it closed, unable to begin in that manner, looking to the ground he wondered what Madara would have said in the same situation. Something direct he could imagine, his forthcoming personality had been one of his own reasonings for dating the Uchiha -regardless of the reminder he gave Naruto to Sasuke in his stoic demeanour and somewhat controlling methodology while in the house.- But despite his husband being smarter than himself, Naruto knew the man wouldn't have considered it. Naruto found himself feeling nervous, alas he did think it was a question he had the obligation to make.

"Naruto, is something the matter?" Glancing up he found that he'd been turnt towards, a concerned express had come over the -strangely- older man.

"Well… Actually, I was in conversation with Iruka and as it so happened we came upon you in as the topic. Specifically in reference to your parentage. As we had been discussing it in previous I began to wonder if it were conceivable if you were, in fact… the son of Uchiha Madara?" The inquiry came forward far more candid then he would have liked, but alas no regret could erase what had been spoken. Jiraiya responded principally by a silent gasp and widening his eyes in surprise, Naruto had -of course- not expected him to be calm over such a question, Madara had indeed been known as a menace in this time.

Jiraiya then glared towards the ground, then turned back "why would you ask me such a thing?" Even though he had expected the response, the hesitance he held previously, expanded; should he not happen to be related to them then it would seem as a very odd quarry. His assurance began to slip away with the lack of answer as the moments past. Blue eyes cast to the west therein, somehow becoming embarrassed at his own inclination, as Jiraiya gave a heavy sigh, closing his eyes in a squintful clench, pinching his nose in the meanwhile. In dropping his hand in a complete absence of energy and uncertainty he began to speak. "How did you come up with such an idea?"

The Uchiha couldn't say he knew how to answer upon such a question, which was his reasoning for giving a rather hidden response. "To be…candid I can't really tell you why... not now at least, it's complicated and I really don't think you'll believe me. Could you just tell me if you are? Please? I.. just honestly need to know." There came the faint sound of a tongue clicking, perhaps in irritation. Then he plinked away what appeared to be tears, fastly, as it so happened, it drew an anticipatory joy through him at the drawing likelihood, but he forced a calming presentation.

"Yes... I am." Naru found himself sighing entirely unintentional. Not by disappointment, but by the relief he so suddenly felt under the knowledge, he turned away too, because of the tears he released at his own deeply regretful decision he'd made.

"I..thank you, I have to go now." Choosing to say nothing further he gave a slight gulp, stuck his clenching hands in his pockets and walked away, slowly under his own painful choice of not telling.

It was then that his arm was tightly grasped. "You cannot just ask me that and not explain why! Naruto do you know how serious a question that is?" He near glared back but couldn't bring himself to make the gesture, instead looked downwards once more.

"Of course I do." His words had become limited. "I just can't right now." There was no plan to speak to his son about his parentage, yet such an explanation would keep him from asking further. As suspected he sighed away his want to demand proper reasoning, though his hand remained firm in grip. The cold chakra began to encompass his emotions, it brought remembrance which he was not right prepared for the shaking experience of. However, as he forced himself to say something in complaint, Jiraiya spoke once more.

"I was sent, well, choose to take a mission recently." Confusion came unto him then.

"Is that not a normal occurrence?" Then the hand released, and Naru turned himself back towards his child.

"Well, obviously yes, but I am merely telling you because it is… will be a considerably dangerous mission. One that I may not come back from I mean." That startled him, and he mistakenly stared directly into his son's eyes, exactly as his husband's.

Not knowing what to say his mumbling came forth and he had to think for a minute to himself with the information, therein as to his own action upon the knowledge. It was an obvious decision as soon as it appeared upon his mind, "okay. Either you decline the mission, or I will be coming with you as backup." It forced a backwards jerk, as he'd much expected.

"Naruto I won't let you, especially with your position as a jinjuuriki, it'd be far too risky, not to mention dangerous, I highly doubt you're anyway near ready to fight to head of the Akatsuki." He crossed his arms, now becoming annoyed at the decline to that which he knew to be happening.

"I do not care. Youn- older man, as I know you will not be denying the mission I will follow you if you do not simply take me along. It would be best if you merely decided to take me with you." Jiraiya groaned.

"Fine I'll speak to Tsunade about it, but she may not agree you know."

"Once more, I do not care, I'm coming with you regardless." The man was the one to turn away then. Rather randomly Naru found himself fathoming his impressive height -likely a patrimony, Naru could acknowledge without a bow to his pride that it certainly could not be decent from a matrilineal inheritance; palpably by Madara's height being conclusive at near six-foot-seven, Jiraiya drew at what the mother could assume to be nearly six-foot-one, while his own stood at a mere five-foot-four. By comparison, he was minimal, as was Hashirama despite the common presumption that he was far taller then Madara, Naru found the entire rumour amusing.

"Yeah, yeah, but I still have to let her know something, just in case she actually does." The naculent response drew Naruto to squinting in his direction in suspicion as he jumped away to the Hokage's office. Though he said nothing further, in a shrugging understanding of the answer.

It was in eventuality that he found Jiraiya upon his doorstep maintaining a serious expression, and telling that Tsunade had declined, giving warning that she would cast guards around his apartment. Naru stared upon him in agitation, then nodded, he thought it best to not speak of his own increased abilities and instead wait until his son had already left the village, however, at the time of his departure from the walkway grasped as many ramen containers that he had then leave towards his own home- well previous home.- It would be logical to leave the man with slight headway time priour to leaving the village himself. So he merely turned himself in the direction of the area of the Uchiha Patriarchal house, clutching tight the small instant bowls he held.

The house, as he'd known, was vacant, made by near rotting planks, a still torn door hanging with a replacement slide, echos of shadows remaining friendships that he'd missed. Closing his eyes he could pretend that he stood alright, but the screaming loneliness retained itself, and the echo of whom he had been was the only voice coming back through the wall. The entire surrounding of the wall kept him alone by the memories that clung. Within the place, lacking his family, he did not wish to be alive, stay alive or have to see his son's face grown once more. Alas the encompassing feelings therein made, he pushed to the most dark areas of his mind in rejection. By the weight of his emotions, the stress near put him upon the door in a collapse, but he was reminded that it shouldn't survive such turmoil.

In managing to steady himself he took to putting all his luggage in the existent cupboards. Then worked back through his old home, finding the feet he appeared to not hold dominion upon leading him into the room belonging to Madara and, well, himself. The had him enter fastly, glimpsing about him in reverence he hadn't expected to hold as a bodily aged teenager. A smile graced him then. Even more so as the vision of large and small crates in the corner greeted his sights.

They held no proper interlocking seal to stop theft, but instead an Uchiha seal uncommonly placed which Naru gladly knew the meaning of; that is, preventing all persons unrelated to the clan or unwed from seeing the marked property. Flicking the wood lid away he found many differing scrolls within the first box, tied carefully by a twine thread. Naru opened one in caution, he imagined these to have been done by his late husband, thus he knew well enough the Alpha might've placed a trap of sorts within the parchment.

Nothing jumped forth, relieving his tensed shoulders, allowing him to witness the beautifully crafted painted portrait of himself. In addition, beside it, there lay one of his homupowa and Jiraiya in a gentile embrace as commonly depicted in traditionalist paintings. Artistry which had him to grin with upcurved eyelids as simplistic smiles, blossoming cheeks of reddened roset, the shimmering sparkle of white shining under his supple grin kept him inside the area for many passing hours, in the pretense of blithesome contentment.


None came upon him in disruption, as anticipated, thus whence a cooling chakra approached him in his palace of solitude he thought it to be Hashirama in greeting. Naturally, his realization of understanding stunned upon him quickly, and then he thought himself under attack once more within his own home, least it not be as in previous underneath a warming sensation.

The voice was one of alphian dominance that he recognized well. "Naruto. What are you doing here?" Ino spoke, stood over him in a posture of ire. His own arose under the acknowledgement that she had traced him to his own sanctuary.

"Why?"

Her ice blue eyes rolled at his question.

"Well, aren't you going to say goodbye to Jiraiya-sama as he leaves? He is your teacher is he not? I do hear he's heading towards the Village of Rain."