It seemed as if her life was just a series of unfortunate events waiting to unfold. She thought she already hit rock bottom, but it turns out that she didn't actually visit that low point until now. Blatantly lying to the man who fathered her child was something she never thought she would have to do. She swore that she would never come across him again, but the moment she came face to face with him in that tavern after so many years, her heart felt as if it were going to explode out her chest out of anxiety, but also out of love. Yes, she still loved him after spending so much time apart, but the guilt she felt for concealing the single most important thing that were to ever happen to him was eating away at her.

At the time of her daughter's birth, she thought she made the right decision by keeping Jiraiya in the dark about her existence. She thought she was protecting her child and also herself from the pain of potentially losing Jiraiya, just like how she lost Nawaki and then Dan. She felt so secure in the choice she made, and raised that little girl all by herself. But seeing Jiraiya alive and well made her rethink her decision and made her wonder that perhaps she didn't have to go at it alone all along.

Over the years, Mito had questions about her father. Who was he? Why wasn't he around? Tsunade didn't know what to say, or how to explain the complex situation to the young girl that she simply told her that he just wasn't in her life but loved her from afar. It must have been so confusing for a girl at an impressionable age to accept such a vague answer. If he loved her, then shouldn't he be in her life? But after hearing her mother's answer, Mito didn't further question it. Tsunade often wondered how Mito felt growing up without a father. It was something she could never fathom, for she was lucky enough to have both her parents in her life. Sometimes she felt like a bad mother for keeping Jiraiya away from Mito when it perhaps never had to be that way. The similarities between Jiraiya and Mito were uncanny. They may not look alike, but they shared the same dark eyes, and an adventurous, happy-go-lucky personality. However, as Mito matured more and more into a teenager, she picked up Tsunade's temper. Tsunade could not deny how much Mito reminded her of Jiraiya, no matter how many times she tried to water it down. It was clear that Mito was definitely Jiraiya's child, especially when she would get so excited upon seeing a frog at a pond when she was a toddler.

On top of the secret she has been carrying with her for so many years, and being offered the Hokage position, she also had Orochimaru's bargain circling in her mind. She would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted by his offer to revive her lost loved ones. How wonderful it would be to see them again. Nawaki would get the opportunity to meet his niece, and maybe, just maybe she would get to pick up where she left off with Dan. She immediately stopped walking when that thought crossed her mind. What would she do upon seeing Dan again? Vow to love him for the rest of her life and raise another man's child with him? The thought seemed absurd. She knew she loved Dan, but was she still in love with him? Suddenly, Orochimaru's offer didn't seem so tempting after all. She decided to still meet up with the snake Sannin, but it wouldn't be to heal his incapacitated arms.

She walked into the inn she was currently occupying, and saw Shizune trying to calm an obviously upset Mito down. She knew she was the cause of her daughter's anger. She completely understood why Mito was so angry, but she knew there was no way she could be the Hokage just to appease her child. Being the Hokage is a big responsibility, and she felt as if she was not suited for the job. How could she protect an entire village if she couldn't even protect two people from their demise?

"Lady Tsunade." Shizune said upon realizing that Tsunade joined them in the room, "Can I speak to you outside for a minute?"

Tsunade nodded her head and exited the room with the younger woman. She already anticipated what Shizune wanted to speak to her about.

"You were still with Master Jiraiya?" She asked, even though she was quite aware of the answer, "Did you tell him about what happened with Orochimaru?"

Tsunade shook her head, "No and neither are you."

Shizune looked frightened, "Are you actually considering his offer?" She asked, afraid of the answer, "Please tell me you aren't."

"How's Mito doing?" Tsunade asked, completely changing the topic.

Shizune wanted to squeeze an answer out of her mentor. She didn't want to talk about anything else. The only thing on her mind, and the one thing that was driving her absolutely insane was the encounter they had with another of the Legendary Sannin, the evil of the trio, Orochimaru. However, as much as she was screaming internally at her mentor, she knew she couldn't push too hard or Tsunade would snap. So she decided to leave it alone, for now, "You know she's upset Lady Tsunade." Shizune said, "She thinks that by you becoming the Hokage, she'll finally get the chance to be a ninja. She wants that life so much. Would it be such a bad thing?"

"You of all people know why I can't be the Hokage." Tsunade said, "I'm not what they need."

"Did you tell Master Jiraiya about Mito?" She asked bravely.

"Of course not."

"Don't you think he should know?" Shizune said, "It's been twelve years."

"I'll tell him in my own time in my own way." Tsunade said.

Shizune knew better than to continue to poke and prod for answers, so she left it alone and watched as Tsunade reentered the room. Once Tsunade was in the room she walked over to her pouting daughter and sat on the bed, "Mito." She started, but the girl turned away from her. She persisted nevertheless, "Living in the Leaf Village would be dangerous. I should know, I lived there before."

"I know you grew up in the Leaf Village, but that's about it." Mito said, turning to face her mother, "I don't know what happened to make you so afraid of returning there, but living your life in fear is not living at all."

Tsunade never shared details of her past with her daughter. In fact, Mito was completely ignorant of the fact that her mother once had a younger brother. It was as if Tsunade just did not know how to speak of her trials and tribulations without surely breaking down before the eyes of her child. Therefore, she kept it to herself, hoping that Mito would never pressure her to reveal her truth. Secrecy and silence between mother and daughter is what it boiled down to. While Mito was accustomed to their dynamic, she secretly loathed it. She hated that her mother never opened up to her, but instead tried to keep her locked away from the world. Shizune always told her it was because her mother only wanted to keep her safe, but Mito was adventurous and yearned to experience the ups and downs of life itself. She also wished her mother wasn't so cold and distant, but realized she couldn't change her mother and was left only to accept her for who she was.

"Mito, you have to understand," Tsunade started.

The young girl turned from her mother once again, "I don't want to talk anymore. Goodnight."

Tsunade sighed, feeling defeated and retreated to her side of the room. As a mother, she could have punished Mito for her blatant disrespect, but she could hardly blame the child for being angry. In fact, Tsunade was angry with herself. She lied to Jiraiya, withheld important information from him for twelve years, and couldn't even share details of her own life with her child, and for what reason? Because she was damaged beyond repair? She was considered to be one of the strongest ninjas the world had ever seen, so why couldn't she put her pieces back together, overcome her past, and reveal her truth? Why was it so difficult for her? With all her failures at the forefront of her mind, she slipped into bed hoping that sleep would soon claim her, but not prepared for the nightmares it would bring.

~~~

Naruto awoke from his slumber and felt a new sense of determination. No matter what he vowed that he would win the bet against Tsunade. He sprung out of bed and turned to see that Jiraiya was still sound asleep. Naruto sighed when he realized that Jiraiya would not be getting up anytime soon. He figured that he would be training on his own for the day. He got himself ready for the day before heading down to the dining hall to indulge himself on a hearty breakfast before heading off to train. After his meal, he was ready to go when he remembered that Mito told him she would help him with his training. There wasn't much the girl could teach him that he didn't already learn from Jiraiya especially since she wasn't officially a ninja. But she did excel in chakra control and that was the key to the rasengan. He decided to ask for her help.

He made his way over to Mito's room and knocked on the door, hoping that her mother wasn't around. He waited for a minute before the door opened, revealing Shizune.

"Naruto." Shizune said, "What are you doing here?"

"Is Mito around?" He asked while looking over Shizune's shoulder, peering into the room to see who else was in there.

"Why do you ask?" She questioned the boy.

Naruto sighed, feeling slightly annoyed that he was being interrogated, "She promised me that she would help me train."

"She said she would help you train?" She repeated, "But she technically isn't a ninja. How can she help you? I don't think this is a good idea." Shizune expressed. In reality, Shizune was not the one who had objections to Mito being in the company of Naruto. She just thought that Tsunade would not be comfortable with the idea, especially since Naruto was the student of Mito's father. Perhaps the more time Mito spent around teacher and pupil, the more obvious her parentage would become. Shizune knew Tsunade didn't want her secret to come out just yet and she had to respect that.

"Who's at the door Shizune?" Mito asked and appeared in the door frame next to her sister, "Hi Naruto." She said once she realized that Naruto was there, "What's going on?"

"Can you help me train?" Naruto blurted out before Shizune had the chance to say anything, "You promised remember."

"Sure!" Mito replied happily.

"Why do you want her help so badly?" Shizune asked, "Isn't Master Jiraiya supposed to be your teacher?"

"That old perv is still asleep." Naruto said while rolling his blue eyes, "Besides, he already taught me the basics. What I need help with is chakra control. That's where Mito comes in. I need to win the bet."

"Wait, what bet?" Shizune asked.

"The bet I made against Granny Tsunade." Naruto said and watched as confusion arose on their faces, "If I can master this jutsu within the week, then she'll admit that I'm worthy of being the Hokage and she'll give me her necklace."

"Why would my mom gamble with her necklace?" Mito wondered out loud, "She never takes it off and never let me wear it once."

"Naruto, don't take this too seriously. She can't part with the necklace." Shizune said.

"Well she should have never gambled with it because I'm going to win and prove her wrong."

Naruto said, "So can Mito help me?"

"Shizune, mom isn't here and she said she'll be back before sunset. She doesn't have to know." Mito said while holding Shizune's hand, "Please just let me go for a while and I'll be back before you know it."

Shizune looked at her little sister and couldn't help but feel obligated to allow her to go. She knew that all Mito wanted to do was explore and learn more about the world she lived in. Who was she to keep her locked away. It was against Tsunade's wishes, but what she didn't know couldn't affect her, "Alright Mito." Shizune sighed, "But make sure you're back before your mother gets here."

"Thanks Shizune!" Mito said as she wrapped her arms around her body in a tight hug, "Let's go Naruto."

As the two twelve year olds walked towards the field located in the outskirts of town, Mito couldn't help but wonder how Naruto came to be Jiraiya's apprentice, "Hey Naruto, I have a question."

"What is it?" He asked.

"How did Master Jiraiya become your teacher? I thought you were a member of a ninja squad. Is Master Jiraiya your team members' Sensei too?"

Naruto shook his head, "Kakashi Sensei is the Jounin in charge of Team 7." He started, "But he spends a lot of time training Sasuke so he got Ebisu Sensei to do my extra training."

"Who's Ebisu Sensei?" Mito asked.

"He's a Jounin who didn't really teach me anything." He shrugged his shoulders, "While I was out training with him I met the Pervy Sage and then he took over my training. He's been my master ever since."

"You're so lucky Naruto." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice, "You get to travel with your teacher and learn new techniques in the process. Your life must be so exciting, a new adventure every day."

Mito wished she could live the life of a ninja. Facing challenging yet exciting situations every day, defending her homeland, and being free and unfettered. The life she was currently living was quite uneventful. She traveled from village to village, spent countless hours locked away in less than appealing inns, and barely had any meaningful conversations with her mother. The only time she experienced real joy was when Shizune allowed her to venture off and explore, or if she snuck out unbeknownst to the adults in her company. She envied Naruto for his freedom and wished that they could somehow switch places for even a day. She just wanted to know what it was like to get a taste of true adventure. Perhaps that's why she took a liking to Naruto and even to Jiraiya.

"I wouldn't say that I'm lucky." Naruto said in a more serious tone, "Sure, I get to see new places and meet new people, but my life hasn't been easy."

They arrived at the training field and the two sat in the grass to finish their conversation.

"What do you mean?" She asked, not really understanding the hardships he claimed to have endured.

He took a deep breath before continuing, "Everyone in my village hated me." He started, "They called me a loser, I had no friends and I didn't understand why. On top of that I don't have any parents. Things got better when I met Kakashi Sensei, Sasuke, Sakura, and the Pervy Sage, but Mito, you're very lucky to have parents."

"I just have my mom, I never knew my father." She admitted, "My mom says that he loves me but can't be around me. I never understood that. If he loves me then shouldn't he be in my life? It's so confusing and another reason for me to be frustrated with her."

"Adults can be confusing in general." Naruto said and realized that the conversation was becoming too depressing, "But don't worry." He said as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Just don't let the bad things that happen to you define who you are." He smiled.

"How about we start your training?" She said, not wanting to talk anymore but instead wished to help Naruto master his jutsu, "You have a bet to win."

~~~

It was almost sunset when Jiraiya was walking through Tanzuku Town. He spent the day trying to understand why Tsunade was so cold and distant towards him, why she seemed to be strict with her child, and why she was reluctant to accept the Hokage position. After manifesting in his thoughts, he just could not come up with any answers. Tsunade was like a mystery to him. As he continued to walk he encountered Shizune who looked to be frantic as she hurried through town. He wondered why she seemed to be so frazzled and decided to catch up to her. When he was closer to her he called out her name, "Shizune, what's wrong?" He asked.

She stopped walking when she heard her name. She turned around to see Jiraiya and almost felt relieved to see his face, "It's Mito." She started, "She went to help Naruto train but I told her to be back before sunset and she hasn't returned yet. Lady Tsunade will return to the inn any moment now and when she sees that Mito isn't there she's going to flip out."

"Tsunade does realize that Mito isn't a baby right?" He asked while rolling his obsidian eyes. For the life of him he couldn't understand why Tsunade insisted on treating Mito like an infant.

"No disrespect but I don't have time for your sarcasm Master Jiraiya." Shizune sighed and started to walk again, "I have to find Mito."

"Hold on Shizune." Jiraiya said as he took hold of her upper arm to prevent her from walking away from him, "I know where they are." He told her, "I'll take her home but I need you to tell me something."

"What is it?" She asked.

"What's going on with Tsunade?" He asked, knowing very well that Shizune of all people should know exactly why Tsunade was acting so strangely.

Shizune froze upon hearing Jiraiya's question. She figured he was depearate to know the happenings in Tsunade's life when they went their separate ways, but she was in no position to tell him anything. She could not betray Tsunade's trust, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean Master Jiraiya." She lied.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Shizune." Jiraiya asserted, clearly seeing past her fib, "She's not herself."

"She's been through a lot Master Jiraiya." She reminded him, refusing to say anything else.

"We've all been through a lot." He said louder than he should have, "I lost her, Minato and Kushina died and so did Sarutobi Sensei, but here I am." He said, feeling the pain he felt when those unfortunate events happened in his life.

"She was in love with you." Shizune said, growing tired of the conversation, "You had to have known that. She loved you so much but was afraid to love you that's why she left."

"What about Mito's father?" He asked and Shizune felt her heart stop, "Did she love him too? Where is he?"

"That's not for me to say." Shizune told him, "Look, if you don't want to help me find Mito then that's alright, but I'm not going to tell you things that I have no right to tell you."

Jiraiya should have known that Shizune's loyalty was with Tsunade and she would never do anything to betray her. He just wanted to get some information about her so badly that he wasn't thinking clearly. The only way to get intel on Tsunade was to go directly to the source, "I'm sorry Shizune." He apologized, "I'll find Mito and take her home. You just find a way to stall Tsunade, and if she gets suspicious just tell her that Mito is with me."

"Thank you Master Jiraiya." She said and noticed how defeated he looked, "Just give her time." She told him before heading off in the direction of the inn.

~~~

Jiraiya arrived at the training field and saw Mito healing Naruto's palm. He was amazed to see that for a girl of her age, she was quite adept at medical ninjutsu. There was no doubt in his mind that she was Tsunade's child. Of course she would ensure that her daughter be skilled in the healing arts. Naruto however, looked burnt out. He wasn't surprised that the blonde knucklehead was overdoing it. He was aware that Naruto wanted to win the bet, but pushing himself to the limit was not the way to do it.

"Naruto, what did I say about going overboard with your training?" Jiraiya asked as he stepped closer to the pair.

Naruto smirked at Jiraiya, "I have to work hard to win the bet against the miserable granny." He said but remembered that he was in the presence of that miserable granny's daughter, "Sorry Mito, no offense."

Mito giggled at Naruto'a apology, "Don't worry about it."

"Mito, you know it's past the time you're supposed to go home." Jiraiya reminded her, "Shizune is worried sick and your mother is going to freak out."

"Don't remind me." Mito sighed, "She never lets me do anything."

"I understand your frustration, but she is your mother and you have to do as she says." Jiraiya told the young girl. It felt strange to him that he was actually being a responsible adult, "Let me take you home."

Mito finished healing Naruto's palm and rose reluctantly to her feet, "Fine." She sighed.

"You too Naruto, let's go." Jiraiya said but Naruto didn't budge.

"Can I just stay for another hour." He asked, "I promise after the hour is up I'll go straight back to the inn."

Jiraiya thought about it for a minute before agreeing to the blonde boy's request, "Alright kid, but if you're not back at the inn in an hour no more training without my supervision. Got it?"

"Loud and clear!" Naruto agreed.

Jiraiya and Mito started in the direction that would lead them back into town and ultimately back to the inn. As they were walking, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel as if he were walking beside a miniature version of Tsunade. It was baffling how they resembled each other, but their personalities were quite different. He also couldn't help but wonder why mother and daughter had such a strained relationship. He figured it had something to do with Tsunade never allowing Mito any kind of freedom, but after his encounter with Shizune, he didn't want to poke and prod at Mito for answers.

They walked in silence with the occasional sigh from Mito. He could tell how unhappy she was and wanted to do something to cheer her up. He wasn't sure what he could do since he didn't know her all that well, but he wanted to try.

"Hey, are you hungry?" He asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Not really."

He could tell she was lying and was probably upset with him for taking her back to her mother, but he was good with kids and knew exactly what to say, "You know if we stop to eat the longer it'll take us to get back to the inn."

He watched as she thought about it and when he saw a small smile emerge on her face, he knew it worked.

"I suppose I could eat something." She said, trying to make it sound like stopping to eat or going back to the inn didn't matter to her.

"Great!" He smiled, "What are you in the mood for? What do you like?"

"I like ramen but I don't have it very often since my mom and Shizune don't care for it." She told him, "Do you like ramen?"

Jiraiya couldn't believe that a child of Tsunade would like ramen. Tsunade hated it while Jiraiya loved it. It was the only thing he ate when he was writing his first novel, "Of course I like it. Let's get that."

The two found themselves at a nearby ramen shop. They were the only ones there which Jiraiya was happy about. It would give him an opportunity to get to know Mito better. The ramen shop owner came over to take their orders. Jiraiya ordered a large bowl filled with fish cakes and scallions, while Mito ordered a smaller bowl with boiled eggs and pork. As they waited on their meals, Jiraiya took the opportunity to engage the girl in conversation.

"So Mito, when did you learn medical ninjutsu?"

"My mom started to teach me when I was eight." She replied, "Shizune helped to teach me too." She then looked at Jiraiya with seriousness in her eyes, "I know you're trying to get to know me better Master Jiraiya, but I have a few questions for you."

Jiraiya was slightly taken aback by what she had to say. She was straight to the point which was a quality she more than likely inherited from her mother, "What would those questions be?"

"I know you grew up with my mom, that means you know her well." She started, "So my first question is, why did she leave the Leaf Village?"

Jiraiya didn't know what to say. It was strange to him that Tsunade didn't bother to mention anything about her past trauma to her child. But if she didn't tell her, that simply means that she did not want her to know. Therefore, Jiraiya had no right to reveal the truth to Mito, "I'm sorry Mito, but the answer to that question has to come from your mother not me."

"You don't know why she left? I don't believe that for a second."

"It's not that I don't know." He said, "It's that it's not in my place to tell you."

"But my great grandfather built the village, I know that much. So why would she just walk away? It doesn't make any sense."

"Mito, I can't tell you, but just know that if your mother never left then perhaps you would not exist right now." He said, trying to reason with her.

"That leads me to my other question." She said and took a deep breath, "Do you know who my father is?"

That was the question that has been bothering Jiraiya since he learned of Mito's existence. He had absolutely no idea, "I actually don't know the answer to that question." He said in honesty, "I wasn't around your mother when you came to be."

Mito sighed and slouched in her seat, clearly defeated. Jiraiya felt bad for the girl. It must have been quite difficult for her to grow up without her father. He suddenly became angry for he could not understand what kind of man would walk away from his responsibilities as a father. He wanted to somehow locate the man who fathered Mito and give him a piece of his mind, "You never met him?" He asked, but was certain what the answer would be.

"Never, not once." She sighed, but then pulled herself together, not wanting to crumble in front of Jiraiya, "It's ok."

"Did you have any other questions?" He asked, trying to stray from such a sensitive topic.

She didn't have any other questions for him, but decided to ask something random just to move on to lighter topics, "What's your speciality as a ninja?"

"I'm a toad sage." He replied.

Her eyes immediate lit up at his response, "Does that mean that you can summon frogs?"

"I can summon frogs among other things. Why? Do you like frogs?"

"I love them!" She said happily and pulled out a small stuffed toy in the form of a frog from her pocket and showed him, "They're my favorite! Most girls my age are repulsed by them, but I find them to be fascinating."

Jiraiya was shocked to know that out of all the cute, cuddly animals in the world, her favorite was a slimy, unattractive frog. That was the second thing they had in common, for frogs were his favorite animals as well, "Well how about that!" He smiled, "Maybe one day I can summon Gamakichi and introduce him to you."

"That would be great." She smiled.

Their food came and they started to eat while still participating in idle conversation. The more they spoke, the more Mito developed a fondness towards her mother's teammate. He was easy to talk to and he was genuinely kind. She didn't understand why her mother seemed to be so short with him, because to Mito, he was a great person. Jiraiya also grew to like the person Mito was and had a fierce sense of responsibility to protect her no matter what.

After they ate, and Jiraiya got a takeout bowl of ramen for Naruto, they arrived at the inn. Before knocking on Tsunade's room door he could tell how tense and nervous Mito was becoming. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and assured her that everything would be alright. He then knocked on the door and almost immediately it opened, revealing Tsunade with a less than amused look on her face.

"Hi mom." Mito said nervously.

"Get inside Mito, I'll talk to you shortly." She said and waited for Mito to go inside before stepping out and closing the door. She was now standing face to face with Jiraiya, "Have you lost your mind Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "She was helping Naruto to train then before taking her home we stopped to get something to eat." He said as he pointed to the takeout bag he had in his possession, "Don't freak out, she was safe."

"I thank you for getting her dinner, but I don't like her to be out an about a strange town that she knows nothing about."

"Then become the Hokage so she can have a permanent home instead of moving from one strange town to another." He said, making it seem as if it were that simple.

"Not going to happen Jiraiya." She rolled her eyes.

"You should be more lenient with her, she's a great kid." He told her.

"I know she's a great kid." Tsunade agreed, "But you don't get to tell me how to parent her."

"Fine, she's your kid you know what's best for her." He said while throwing his hands up in the air, allowing her to win the argument, "But if you do ever see that winner who is apparently her father, maybe you should tell him that he really did a number on your kid." He said with disgust.

"What are you talking about Jiraiya?" She asked.

"I'm just saying that she's hurt that he's not in her life. And you should make more of an effort for her to get to know you, the real you, not this person you're pretending to be. And you should allow her more freedom, she's not a baby and she wouldn't do anything reckless." He said, offering his advice. He would hate to see Mito become a shell of a person because her father was not around and her mother was distant.

"Jiraiya." She started, but he interrupted.

"I don't know why you're like this Tsunade, maybe that jerk who fathered your kid hurt you by leaving you, but remember who you are and do better for your kid." He said before walking away from her.

When she was sure that he was gone and could not hear anything did she say, "You're not a jerk Jiraiya. I'm the one who left you and I'm the one who hurt our daughter. It was never you." She sighed before taking a deep, steadying breath and returned to her room. This time, she would not lecture her daughter for wanting to be free, but perhaps she would take Jiraiya's advice.