Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto.


Chapter 2

After restocking on supplies, Jiraiya and Naruto left the town containing the mural that had so captivated the young blonde. They continued on their journey to the destination that Naruto still had no clue whatsoever about. Despite having questioned the white-haired Sannin multiple times on the identity of their goal, the man refused to reveal any details on it, save for the brief description of the place that he gave several hours after departing the town.

"It's a big village with a lot of people, Naruto." Jiraiya pulled out a scroll, unfurled it, and began madly scribbling something. The faint blush present on the Sannin's cheeks told Naruto all he needed about the contents of that scroll.

Returning his focus to the road before him, Naruto noticed how many people he could see moving along ahead of them. There were at least two-dozen other travelers going in the same direction as the sensei and student duo, at least double that number had already passed them that morning. Naruto's growing curiosity about the "big village with a lot of people" was only increasing by the minute, and pretty soon he wouldn't be able to contain his desire for answers. That would most likely lead to a very heated impromptu training session on the side of the road. One training session that might take Naruto several days to recover from physically, depending on how nice Jiraiya decided to be after receiving the full brunt of the hot-headed blonde's outburst.

Fortunately for both master and disciple, the issue would never arise seeing as how the large western gates of the village could just barely be seen over over the tops of several trees ahead. Naruto, upon seeing the obvious sign of a large village, shouted his excitement at finally reaching the destination that's identity had been withheld from him for nearly two days.

However, before he could rush off ahead towards the village gates, Jiraiya grabbed ahold of Naruto's collar firmly. "Uh-uh, kiddo. This village is a lot more dangerous than you might think, can't have you rushing off head first in to god knows what kind of trouble you'd manage to find there."

Naruto voiced his complaint at the sudden restriction on his movement. "Aw, come on pervy-sensei, I can handle whatever danger lies ahead. I'm a shinobi after all!"

Jiraiya sighed plaintively. Why did he have to get such an extremely bloated ego after seeing that damned mural? If this keeps up any longer, I'm not sure I won't be forced to tie him to a tree and leave him be for a few days.

Naruto continued to whine and complain about his situation. Even promising to never insult Jiraiya's famed novel series, the Icha-Icha books, again if he allowed the rash blonde to run ahead a few hundred meters. This continued for a few more minutes before Jiraiya's patience ran out, resulting in a much quieter Naruto and freshly forming welt on the top of his head.

They continued on in silence, at least Jiraiya did. Naruto pouted, though much quieter then before.

When the duo finally reached the western most gate of Konoha, Jiraiya relented from his punishment, setting the boy back on the ground and allowing him to move freely so long as it was within eye sight of the white-haired sage.

Naruto immediately rushed up to the gates, awe etched plainly on his rounded features. The boy stood easily within the massive shadow of the looming doors. The smell of fresh paint lay heavy in the air, he guessed it to be coat of forest green, freshly applied to the towering wooden planks that formed the structure of the gate doors. Red, spiraling leaf symbols were painted in the center of each door, signifying the nature of this village as a shinobi outpost. Naruto had seen enough of the Land of Fire to know that whenever a leaf symbol was displayed proudly, leaf shinobi were somewhere nearby. Drawing his attention from the sight of the great doors, the sound of countless numbers of people could be heard from the other side, going about whatever business was conducted in a village of this size.

"Quite a sight isn't it?" Jiraiya ruffled Naruto's golden-blonde hair. "Come on, they're 'bout to open the doors, you wanna back up for this."

Naruto moved away, a dozen meters to be safe. Jiraiya kept his hand planted atop Naruto's untamed mass of spiky hair. He-heh, the kids gonna love this place. I can already tell.

The groaning of huge timbers sliding apart notified anyone in a half-dozen mile radius that the gates of Konoha were opening for the day. Two shinobi, signified by their matching green flak jackets, headbands showing the Konoha leaf symbol, could be seen pushing each door open. Naruto stared in fascination at how easily the two shinobi were able to open the massive wooden gate. Another reason added to his impressionable mind for why he should become a shinobi.

Just behind the gate was the largest crowd of people Naruto had ever seen, hundreds upon thousands all crammed together, waiting to surge forward the moment the doors were fully opened. They did just that. Jiraiya grabbed Naruto with one arm, channeled chakra throughout his legs, leapt nearly a hundred feet over the sea of bobbing heads to safety just inside the walls of Konoha.

What was with that crowd? I've never seen that many people move so quickly all at once. Naruto shook his head clear, looked up to see the breathtaking view of the single largest hidden village in the entire world, Konohagakure no sato, Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was like an endless jungle of wood, brick, and concrete buildings that stretched as far as the blonde boy could see. Even more people than had been massed behind the gate rushed about inside. Merchants and shop vendors hurried to finish opening their businesses before the influx of countless customers arrived. Children, running through narrow streets headed for school, were followed closely by merchants angered by the reckless abandon with which the kids had for their highly priced products. The flickering shadows moving inhumanely fast from rooftop to rooftop, shinobi on guard patrol no doubt, drew Naruto's attention upwards. His gaze found the cliff overlooking Konoha, several miles from the western gate, with massive faces carved right out of the stone. Four in total moving from the far left of the cliffside to the center.

Naruto's attention was captured instantly by the monument immortalizing the four men. He absorbed every detail. The first face: strong, squared jaw, high cheekbones, and a fatherly smile. Second: same squared jaw, eyes angled sharply, with his face framed by a u-shaped armored plate. Third: narrow jaw and sharp chin, jagged goatee, with a deep scar running diagonally across his nose. The fourth face: Naruto recognized instantly. The face of the man from the painted mural he'd seen the previous day, same untamed mass of spiky hair, narrowed eyes, and sharp angled features. Naruto thought: Of course this village would honor him, he defended it from that huge monster by himself. But who're the other guys up there with him?

"Jiraiya, those faces." Naruto pointed at the landmark. "The fourth ones the Hokage who fought the demon fox, right?"

Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "Yeah, he's the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze." Answering the next question before Naruto could even ask it, "The others are the First, Second, and Third Hokage. Every one of Konoha's leader's gets immortalized on that cliff face, it's a sign of honor, and responsibility."

Naruto frowned, confused. "Responsibility?"

"To carry on the will of your predecessor's, never to abandon the dream they created, fought, and died for." Jiraiya's gaze was stern, set firmly upon the visage of the fourth man.

A spark of curiosity shown in the blonde's eyes, "What kind of dream, Jiraiya?" The white-haired sage turned his gaze on the boy, softened slightly at the innocence of the question.

"A dream to one day unite the world, bring an end to the constant turmoil that perforates every day with more hatred and bloodshed." His mouth tugged upwards at the corners, a slight chuckle escaped his thin lips. "A near impossible dream for any one man to accomplish, yet here they were, still pushing forward till the very end."

Naruto looked to the cliff and it's stone faces, a newfound respect for the men who had claimed the title of Hokage against insurmountable odds, all the while striving to achieve a dream so impossible it might as well have been a fantasy. The unknowing heir to the legacy of the last Hokage, finger pointed intently at the wall of heroes, staked his own claim on the dream of his predecessors.

"That's it, I'll become the strongest shinobi the world has ever seen, and achieve the dream these guys couldn't!" The spark of inspiration had grown into a blaze of determination, Naruto would succeed where all others had failed. He was sure of it.

Jiraiya stared, wide-eyed and shocked by Naruto's declaration. Dammit, Minato. Your son just can't seem to stop following in your footsteps.

"He-heh, well then you'd better figure out how to throw a proper punch soon." Jiraiya allowed a smirk at Naruto's betrayed look.

"I know how to throw a proper punch, pervy-sage!" Naruto spluttered, unbelieving how Jiraiya could insult his skill after he'd just proclaimed his dream. "And I can prove it right now!"

Naruto cocked back his fist, charged Jiraiya with intent to seriously concuss. The Sannin sidestepped the hot-headed blonde, placed his foot in the boy's path, and sent him sprawling on the pavement.

"Sure you know how to throw a punch, that's why you're face down on the road," Jiraiya tucked his hands in his pockets, began walking further into the village while Naruto picked himself off the ground.

Naruto mumbled a retort, brushing dust off his orange, high-collared jacket and dark blue pants. "Well, you're my sensei, so I guess that shows how good you are at teaching."

Jiraiya laughed audibly, turning around to face his grumbling pupil. "There you go, kid, that almost sounded like a real comeback."

Naruto scowled, his insults had as much affect on his white-haired sensei as his attacks.

"Now hurry up and come on, we got an important appointment to make and you falling on the ground slowed us down," Jiraiya turned back towards the sprawling metropolis that was Konoha. Naruto jogged to catch up with him.

"What's the appointment for?" Naruto spotted a vendor cart with strange fruits, some star shaped or covered in jagged teeth.

Jiraiya offered a flirtatious wink to a young woman who passed. "You, and your enrollment in the shinobi academy."

Naruto exclaimed loudly, "Really?!" He pumped his fist in the air, a toothy grin stretched from ear to ear. "That's awesome, I can't wait to learn how to be a real shinobi! When do I start?"

Jiraiya shot an annoyed glance at the blonde. "You've already started, I've been teaching you how to be a shinobi since you could walk."

Naruto shook his head knowingly. "That was all basic stuff, I'm talking about learning powerful jutsu and how to defeat strong enemies," he looked at the large scroll hanging from the Sannin's back. "And how you summon those funny toads."

Jiraiya smiled at the last comment. At least Naruto understood the value of having a summoning contract with an animal, especially an animal like the toad guardians of Mount Myoboko. They were a very useful ally to have in battle as far as Jiraiya was concerned, not to mention a great source of conversation if you could get a little sake in them.

"Well, the academy won't teach you any of those things," Jiraiya turned a corner, headed towards a large circular, red building with the symbol for fire displayed on the front. "Strong jutsu either get taught to you later or you make them yourself, and learning how to defeat opponents comes when you face a real enemy for the first time."

"What?!" Naruto shouted. "Then what does the academy teach?"

"The most basic principles of chakra manipulation, the easiest jutsu to learn, and a lot of academics." Jiraiya listed them off, a slight scowl on his face at the lack of useful skills the academy actually taught the fledgling shinobi that attended.

Naruto continued complaining, "But I already know how to use my chakra, and I can do that awesome jutsu you taught me last month." He paused, attempting to remember the name of the technique. "The shadow clone jutsu, the one that makes solid copies of myself."

Jiraiya sighed. "Naruto, I told you that the only reason I taught you the shadow clone jutsu instead of the basic clone jutsu was because your chakra control was so horrible it'd take you a million years just to learn it."

Having reached the large, red circular building at the end of the road, Jiraiya pushed open the front door and ushered Naruto inside. The cool sensation of recycled air washed over the blonde, filling his nose with it's icy scent and chilling his body straight to the bone. With a shiver, Naruto hurried to follow Jiraiya as he made his way to the front desk. The toad Sannin chatted with the young, attractive receptionist for a moment, smiling when he noticed the deep blush to her cheeks after hearing his latest pickup line. He complimented her appearance once again, then turned and led Naruto towards a flight of stairs centered at the other end of the room.

The master, student duo climbed the stairs to the third floor. Walking down the curved hallway, Naruto noticed the reverent bowing of heads that all who passed seemed to engage in. He didn't get why they'd be bowing their heads to his godfather, after all he wasn't the most respectable man in the world. A lecherous slob, one who couldn't even be bothered to learn how cook bacon properly. What kind of respect did he deserve. Naruto shook his head clear, it wasn't worth worrying over.

Jiraiya stopped at a red oak door, the symbol for fire once again displayed prominently in the center; it seemed to be a theme of this building. Without knocking, the white-haired Sannin pushed open the door, and stepped into the room. Naruto followed close behind.

It was a circular room, a large wooden desk set against a wall of windows opposite the door. A green couch placed against the right wall, several chairs sat in front of the desk. A row of pictures hung from the right wall, overlooking the desk and it's occupant. He was an aged man, weathered, wrinkled skin. Large liver spots across his left cheek, bushy, grey eyebrows hung limply over sunken eyes. A jagged goatee under thin, drawn back lips. His frail constitution dwarfed by the size of the desk. Dressed in ceremonial, flowing white robes and a conical white hat. The red symbol of fire once again displayed proudly on the front of the hat.

Looking up from his stacks of paperwork, the man gave a warm smile at the sight of Jiraiya. "Ah, Jiraiya, I'm glad to see you again." The old man set down his pen, placed a long, ornately carved pipe in the corner of his mouth, and drew a long drag before blowing a cloud of smoke into the room. "I assume this timely visit means you've brought the boy along with you."

Jiraiya nodded, turning to face Naruto. "Kid, this is the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Naruto's eyes went wide. This was one of the men from the monument on the cliff. One of the immeasurably powerful shinobi who had claimed the title of strongest in this village. The blonde boy couldn't help the grin that split his face. He wanted to ask this man everything he could about what it took to become the strongest, but his impulsive streak beat his desire to voice admiration. "You're older than I thought, the third face on the cliff is a lot younger."

Jiraiya burst into laughter. He's so much like his mom sometimes, just when I think he's matured a little.

The Hokage, Hiruzen, stared at the blonde boy who'd just so easily insulted him. The shock wore off quickly, and the aged shinobi let a small chuckle escape his thin lips. "Well, Naruto, that's because that face was carved a very long time ago. Though I like to think I look even better now than I did then." The wrinkles on his leathery skin deepened as his smile grew wider.

"Nah, you look worse now. More old, less shinobi like." Naruto blurted, no hesitation in insulting the Hokage a second time.

Jiraiya doubled over, clutching his stomach as his laughter increased exponentially.

Hiruzen shook his head bemusedly. " Jiraiya, I don't know why I expected you teach the boy proper manners. I should've known you'd leave him high and dry in that department."

Naruto looked back and forth between the Hokage and his godfather, confusion setting in on his rounded face.

Hiruzen noticed the confusion the blonde boy held, "Something the matter, Naruto?" Jiraiya's laughter calmed as he turned his attention to his young student.

"Yeah, how do you two know each other?" Naruto pointed at Jiraiya, then aimed his finger at the seated Hokage.

"That's because Jiraiya was my student when he was younger." Hiruzen smiled fondly as the memories of his time being a genin squad leader surfaced.

Naruto looked at his godfather in shock, "Is that true, Jiraiya?!"

The Sannin nodded. "Yep, sure is. The old man was my sensei when I first got out of the academy."

"That's so cool, no wonder you're so strong at fighting," Naruto said. "I can't wait to go the academy, when does it start?"

Hiruzen tapped his pipe against an ash tray, knocking loose greyed remnants of tobacco. "Next week, actually. That's why you're here, so I can get you signed up and review some of your skills."

The energetic blonde's face split in a huge, toothy grin. "That's awesome, I know a ton of stuff too, and I'm really strong." Naruto started bouncing on his toes, the excitement building to an unmanageable proportion. "Just last week, Jiraiya taught me this really cool jutsu. He said it was super dangerous, but I can do it without even getting tired."

Hiruzen raised a bushy, white eyebrow, "Really, now. Would you mind showing me this jutsu, Naruto?" Surely Jiraiya wouldn't teach the boy something truly dangerous, after all, he was still a child.

Naruto nodded excitedly. He placed his fingers against each other, forming a cross sign. Channeling his chakra, Naruto divided it into several sections as best he could, releasing it after a moment. Suddenly, in a plume of smoke there stood nine copies of Naruto, lined up shoulder to shoulder and all grinning madly.

The pipe fell from the Hokage's mouth, his eyes wide in shock. Jiraiya, you didn't really teach a seven year old a forbidden jutsu like the shadow clone, did you? He turned to Jiraiya. The man stood, rubbing one hand on the back of his head, a sheepish look on his face.

"He wanted to learn a high level technique, and I told him he could if he mastered the leaf spinning exercise." Jiraiya attempted to explain himself. The Hokage looked in disbelief at the reckless actions of his student, regret setting in at allowing the legacy of his successor to be raised by such a man as Jiraiya the Gallant.

Naruto dispelled the nine clones of himself, sweating slightly at the exertion. Whoops, I didn't mean to make that many. I must've gotten to excited about showing off for the Hokage. The blonde moved to one of the chairs in front of the desk, he sat down and caught his breath.

Hiruzen returned his attention to the near exhausted boy. "That was very impressive, Naruto. To think you can make that many shadow clones at only seven years old." The aged Hokage sat back in thought. Remarkably impressive, most jonin can barely muster two or three clones without exhausting their chakra reserves. It must be the influence of the demon's chakra that allows him such enormous stamina. "I think you're more than prepared for the academy, I'll place you down as a first year student, ready to start Monday of next week."

Naruto smiled, his exhaustion already gone. "Does this mean I get to live in Konoha now?"

"Yes, you'll be given a residence within the village walls. I'd allow you to stay in Jiraiya's home, but I don't think a child of any age should be allowed within a hundred feet of that wretched place." Hiruzen said, distaste present when mentioning the home his perverted student lived in.

Jiraiya recoiled in hurt at the words his sensei used to describe his home. "It's not that bad, sensei. Sure, it's a little dirty and I might bring to many women over from time to time, but I don't think it's anywhere near wretched."

Hiruzen shook his head, disappointment clear on his face. "Anyways, Naruto, why don't you go outside for a moment. There's something I need to discuss with your godfather here, and it must be in private." Naruto nodded, irked slightly at not being allowed to hear the secret shinobi conversation, but made to leave the room anyway.

Before the boy could close the door fully, Jiraiya called out, "Make sure to stay in the building, don't run off somewhere." Naruto scowled at the restriction on his movement, why couldn't he just be allowed to go where he pleased. He was a strong shinobi-in-training, he could handle himself if there was trouble.

"It was nice meeting you, Naruto. I look forward to seeing the shinobi you'll become." Hiruzen called out after the retreating form of the boy. Naruto's demeanor brightened at the hopeful words the Hokage had left him with.

Once the door was shut, and the receding sound of small footsteps vanished, Hiruzen spoke. "How was it?" All signs of cheerful warmth had vanished from the old man, replaced by a cold, sharpened edge only found in trained killers.

"No signs of seal deterioration, Minato knew what he was doing." Jiraiya replied, same cold edge present in his voice. "The demon never attempted to communicate either, Naruto doesn't seem to have any knowledge of it, beyond of what it did to Konoha seven years ago."

The aged shinobi sighed, the most stressful part of this conversation had passed. "And what of the boy's individual skill, aside from the forbidden technique you thought wise to teach him." The glare focused on Jiraiya could've melted ice.

"I wouldn't have taught him if not for the fox, I knew he'd be fine. You should see the way he takes a beating, kid just doesn't stop coming." The Sannin took a seat in a chair opposite the Hokage. "That's probably the only positive that came from having that damned demon sealed in him, his constitution is unbelievably durable. You should see his healing factor to, the kid broke three ribs once falling out of a tree, they were all healed completely by the next morning."

Hiruzen's eyes widened, surprised at the effects the demon fox's chakra had on the young boy. "I'm not sure having a demonic force such as the Nine Tails sealed into you as an infant can be considered a blessing, but having a healing factor of that magnitude would make any jonin worth his weight in kunai sweat. Imagine battling an opponent who just heals any injury inflicted upon them near instantly." The Hokage had already begun formulating the possible uses of the fox's chakra in battle, and all the ways Naruto could become a truly powerful man because of it.

Jiraiya nodded in agreement, aware of the unimaginable strength that the seven year old held inside of himself, entirely unknowing. "Beyond that, he's not great at much else. Chakra control's almost nonexistent, he can barely manage the shadow clone jutsu as is. It took him almost a year just to master the leaf spinning exercise, and he still isn't great at it. His taijutsu is above average, but he fights wild, no direction other than trying to hit you. Overall, I think he'll do fine in the academy, not like the curriculum actually prepares anyone for shinobi life to begin with." The toad sage felt it necessary to make the old Hokage aware that despite the Nine Tails influence on Naruto's body and chakra, he was still a seven year old kid, one who was no where near prepared enough for the harsh world he was training to enter.

Hiruzen grimaced at the comment on the academy's insufficient training. "You know that the academy serves to filter out those capable of becoming shinobi, it's not there to train the children to full maturity. The jonin sensei is in charge of preparing the fresh genin for life as shinobi."

Jiraiya grunted, a mocking expression aimed at his old sensei. "The system doesn't work, sensei. How many genin die on their first C-rank mission just because they only know three jutsu coming out of the academy."

Another sigh escaped the old Hokage's lungs. "If you don't like the system, then take over as Hokage. The council had you as first pick after Minato's death, and we both know you're more than capable."

Jiraiya shut up. He didn't want to have this conversation again, why he refused to take the mantle of Hokage and lead the Hidden Leaf. Why he ran away from the village for so long, choosing to operate a spy network that spanned the entire world then spend another second behind the walls of Konoha. Jiraiya didn't want to think about the reason he wasn't present in the leaf when the Nine Tails attacked, why Minato had to sacrifice his life to seal it when Jiraiya was more than capable of performing the same task. The toad sage wouldn't have this talk again. He couldn't admit to being afraid, of being uncertain of his own strength, he couldn't admit to being at fault for the death of his first student and the loss of Konoha's greatest shinobi. He had run away when his home truly needed him, and that was unforgiveable.

"I know you blame yourself for his death, Jiraiya." Hiruzen said, the soft gaze leveled at his student full of sympathy and understanding. "I blame myself too, but we have to move forward, we can't stand still and allow ourselves to be consumed by regret and shame. Minato never looked back a day in his life, he was always pushing on, striving to achieve his dream. We have to do the same, so that our will of fire can be worthy of inheritance by the next generation."

Jiraiya sat in silence, mulling over the words of wisdom his old teacher always seemed capable of offering. "Eh, I guess you're right. Though that doesn't mean I'll accept becoming Hokage, I wouldn't be caught dead behind that desk and in that silly hat."

The two shinobi shared a small life, the levity of the comment enough to lift the dour mood that had settled. A moment passed in silence before the Hokage called his secretary, told her to find an unoccupied apartment for a new citizen. She returned a few minutes later, an address scrawled out on a scrap of paper. She handed it to Jiraiya, then quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. Jiraiya pocketed the address, gave a slight nod to his old teacher, and moved towards the door.

He stopped when the old Hokage spoke up. "You've done quite well with the boy, Jiraiya. I'm proud of you."

The Sannin paused, as if to reply, but instead opened the door and stepped out of the room. Closing the door to the office of the Hokage, he left the aged warrior to his stacks of paperwork and habitual smoking. Jiraiya allowed a long sigh, the stress of that meeting vanishing from his body, replaced by a genuine smile at the old man's parting words. Heading off down the hallway in search of the hot-headed blonde placed in his care, Jiraiya pulled the address out of his pocket, reading it for the first time. He couldn't help the amused snort that escaped him. The apartment Naruto would be living in was only a block away from the seediest part of Konoha, and the old man had refused the notion of letting the boy live in Jiraiya's place because of it's content. Irony must really rule the universe, even the Hokage isn't safe from it's clutches.

Jiraiya entered the lobby of the building, noticed immediately that Naruto wasn't in it, and cursed audibly. The kid really had a bad habit of not listening to his elders when they told him what to do. Rushing outside, he leaped to the top of the nearest building. Using his newfound vantage point, Jiraiya immediately began searching for the familiar mop of wild yellow hair that accompanied Naruto wherever he went. Fortunately, Jiraiya spotted the boy only a few blocks away, near a small park. Jumping towards the park so fast his image blurred, Jiraiya landed completely silently in a tree only a dozen yards from the misbehaving blonde. He noticed straight away the predicament his godson had found himself in.

Naruto was surrounded by several older boys, all of whom were a good size taller than the blonde. Behind Naruto, a small girl with pink hair and rosy skin was sitting against the trunk of a tree, her clothes dirtied and a several scrapes on her arms and legs. The group of older boys were taunting and insulting the pink haired girl, mainly commenting on her large forehead. She glared dangerously at the boys, but none seemed phased by her attempt to scare them with her eyes. One of the boys attempted to push past Naruto and grab the girl, only for Naruto to shove him back into the others.

"Leave her alone you jerks, don't you know it's wrong to pick on girls!" Naruto shouted angrily. The pink haired girl turned her glare on Naruto, annoyed that he thought she needed his help.

The largest of the boys, the leader most likely, stepped forward and cracked his knuckles threateningly. "Oh yeah, what're you going to do about it, shorty?" The rest of the group, five in total, laughed at the insult to Naruto's height. He was quite short for his age, though that didn't excuse someone using it to insult him. At least, that's what Naruto thought.

"If you try to touch her again, I'll hit you so hard you'll wake up half as smart as you are now." Naruto smirked confidently, this insult would really hit home. "But then, what's half of zero anyways?"

The largest boy growled, rage building until his face turned red. "I'll punch your face in, brat!" He charged Naruto, right fist cocked back and ready to fire forward into a heavy haymaker.

Naruto, shinobi training and all, could read the telegraphed move with superb ease. Stepping into the older boy's punch, Naruto raised his left arm, intercepting the sloppy haymaker with his forearm. In the same moment he blocked the strike, Naruto lashed out with his own attack. A single punch aimed directly at the other boy's stomach left him doubled over, puking his guts out. The other five instigators took one look at their beaten leader, grabbed him off the ground, and took off running through the small wooded area that doubled as a park. Naruto turned his attention on the girl against the tree.

"Are you alright?" He offered a hand to help her up.

She glared daggers at him, slapping the hand away. "Of course I'm fine!" She picked herself up, brushed the dirt off her green dress. "I didn't need your help anyways, I could've taken them."

Naruto tilted his head, a clueless look on his face. "But you were on the ground, they were getting ready to hit you." He was certain she was going to get beat up, and he'd be damned if he let a girl get hit when he could do something about it. That was a lesson Jiraiya had made sure to drill into the young blonde's head. "I couldn't just let them hurt you, I'm a guy."

That comment seemed to set the pink haired girl off even more. "So what if you're a guy!" She stomped towards him, getting close enough that their noses nearly touched. "I'm about to enter the academy and learn to be a powerful kunoichi, I could've handled them by myself!"

"You're starting the academy soon?" Having heard that, Naruto completely forgot the entire ordeal that had just transpired, including why she had gotten so mad at him. "That's awesome, so am I!" She backed away several feet at his sudden and very loud exclamation.

"We should definitely become friends, and we can both train to become super strong together!" Naruto smiled, ear to ear, as he pointed his finger at the always present Hokage monument that could be seen over the roofs of the buildings nearby. "I'm going to become the strongest Hokage one day, you should get strong to and help me fight bad guys!"

The pink haired girl blinked several times, processing the sudden declaration made by the blonde boy with strange looking whisker marks on each cheek. "Umm, ok sure, I guess." She honestly didn't think that him becoming a strong shinobi like the Hokage was that impossible for him, he had beaten that really tough looking boy with just one punch.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Naruto's voice returned to a normal speaking volume. "I never asked you your name, I'm Naruto."

The pink haired girl replied, "I'm Sakura." She sighed, deciding that she ought to thank him for fighting off those bullies for her, even if she thought she could've done it herself. "Thanks, by the way. You didn't have to help me like that."

Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "Well, my sensei always tells me that whenever a girl's in trouble, you should help her."

Sakura's gaze turned stony. "You're sensei sounds like a real sexist."

Naruto stared blankly at her. "What's sexist mean?"

"It's wh- you know what, forget I said anything." She frowned, realizing he'd mentioned having a sensei. As far as she knew, you didn't get a sensei until you joined the academy. "How do you have a sensei if you're not in the academy?"

It dawned on Naruto that not everyone had a strong shinobi as a caretaker/teacher. "He's actually my godfather, but since he's a real powerful shinobi, he also teaches me lots about fighting." It felt strange, talking about his upbringing with another person his age. He had never stopped and thought about the fact that most kids have a mom and dad, but he didn't. He'd never had a mom or dad, just Jiraiya.

Sakura looked at him in jealousy, she wished she could have a strong shinobi as a parent, all her mom or dad did were boring civilian jobs. Her mom was a part of the civilian council, her dad a moderately prominent merchant. "You're so lucky, having a strong shinobi as a parent. What's their name, maybe I've heard of them before."

"Jiraiya, but he sometimes goes by toad sage or Sannin," Naruto said.

Sakura stared in shock at the blonde boy. "Your godfather is Jiraiya the Gallant, member of the legendary Sannin, and master Toad Sage of Mount Myoboko?!" No wonder this kid was so strong for his age, his godfather and sensei was one of most powerful men to ever be born. He was practically a living legend, a walking myth.

Naruto gave her a funny look. "I don't know about all that, but yeah, my godfather's Jiraiya." He perked up, noticing something behind the stunned girl.

"Actually, that's him right now." Naruto smiled fondly, waving at the towering form of his white haired mentor coming out from the wooded area near the two. "Hey, Jiraiya, where've you been?"

Sakura's face blanched, fear and nerves already set in at the thought of meeting someone more myth than man. She turned slowly, only to let out a small, "eep," when she noticed the man to be only several feet away from her. He was nothing like she had imagined. Tall and imposing figure, but more lean and wiry than hulking and intimidating. His face was hardened and masculine, yet retained a fatherly warmth about it. The wart at the end of his nose was more endearing than anything else.

Before she could say anything, the man walked right past her, straight to Naruto. Her initial impression of him turned cold and frightful immediately upon seeing what he did to the blonde boy.

"This is Sak- ackk," the blonde was cut off mid sentence by the large, calloused hand of the Sannin placed firmly atop his unruly mess of hair. He squeezed hard enough Sakura could hear the stress fractures forming in Naruto's skull. She turned even paler at the sight of such extreme violence against a child, if this was the type of regular interaction that the Sannin had with people, she was glad he wasn't her godfather.

"Naruto," Jiraiya ground out through clenched teeth. "I thought I told you to stay put in the Hokage Tower. Why are you three blocks from there and punching kids lunch's out of them?" Naruto tried to squirm free from the man's iron grip on his head, only for the Sannin to tighten his grip, and for Naruto to yelp at the sudden increase in pressure on his skull.

"Well, I was going to stay put, but then I got bored so I decided to take a walk. I ended up here and noticed those guys picking on this girl, Sakura." He pointed to the noticeably frightened pink haired girl next to them. She stiffened when Jiraiya turned his gaze on her.

"Oh, how nice to meet you young lady," Jiraiya gave her a warm smile. "I'm Jiraiya, this idiot's godfather. Let me apologize for him interrupting your day in such a violent way." The white haired man further tightened his grip on the boy's head, to the point where his eyes were beginning to bulge from their sockets.

Sakura quickly tried to lessen the boy's punishment. "Oh, he wasn't interrupting me at all. Actually, he helped me when those boys were picking on me." She smiled nervously, hoping that the Sannin would choose to believe her, and stop crushing his godson's head.

Jiraiya blinked, turning his attention back to Naruto who was slowly losing consciousness. "Is that true, Naruto?" The blonde tried his best to nod in confirmation.

Having the tact to at least appear embarrassed, Jiraiya smiled sheepishly and released his vice grip on the whiskered boy's head. "My fault Naruto, if it was for the sake of defending a young maiden's honor, then I can't fault you." Naruto struggled to his feet, clutching his head and trying to blink away the spots he was seeing.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief now that Naruto had been freed from the iron grip that would've surely killed him had it continued any longer. "So, you're Jiraiya the Gallant, of the legendary Sannin?" She hoped she sounded respectful enough when asking that question, she didn't want to receive the same treatment as Naruto.

The Sannin smiled triumphantly, flipped his meter long, white ponytail over his shoulder, and outstretched his arm, palm facing forward. "Indeed, I am the man who has no enemies in the North, South, East, and West... Not even in the heavens!" He grabbed the massive scroll he wore on his lower back, threw it spinning into the air, and crouched low to the ground before catching it. "I am one of the Sannin. White haired Frog-Tamer, even a crying baby would stare in awe... The great Jiraiya!"

The revered toad sage, Jiraiya finished his dance with one hand held out, palm facing away, the other arm outstretched behind him, while crouching down slightly. He held the pose long enough for Sakura to wonder if he'd gotten frozen somehow.

Sakura shuddered at the extreme display of posturing. "Uh, ok." Naruto had an exasperated look on his whiskered face. Sakura leaned towards him, whispered, "Does he do this a lot?"

Naruto whispered back, "You wouldn't believe, at least twice a week to anyone who asks if he's 'Jiraiya.'" The blonde cringed at the thought of all the times he'd seen the bizarre dance and speech performed.

Sakura placed a consoling hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'm sorry." He sniffled a bit, inclining his head at her sympathy.

"Well, we'd better get going Naruto." Jiraiya said suddenly, startling to the two kids. He had finished holding his finale pose, and now needed to get his young student to his new house to get settled in for the night. "It's nearly dinner time, and we gotta get you to your new apartment!"

Jiraiya waved a goodbye to the pink haired girl, Naruto called out to her. "Bye, Sakura, can't wait to see you in the academy!"

Sakura waved back, unnerved by the strange turn her day had taken. She walked off in the opposite direction of the two she'd just met, headed home for the night as well. I hope Naruto's gonna be alright, I can ask him when we start at the academy together. She smiled, thinking how she'd made her first friend besides Ino, she'd have to tell the blonde haired girl all about Naruto and his weird legend for a godfather, Jiraiya.

Looking back once more, she could see the mismatched pair arguing animatedly over something, she giggled, thinking how maybe it wouldn't be so bad having a parent like Jiraiya. At least it'd be fun.