Almost 7k and nearly a week earlier than my recent schedule? Huh, guess I'm improving.
Not much to say for this chapter. Received quite a few reviews commenting on Naruto's statement that he may stop being a Shinobi, so I should probably take a moment to address that.
Naruto wants to be a Shinobi- he's well suited for it and worked years to become one. That said, he wasn't responsible for an organization back then. His priorities have changed and following his dream of being a Shinobi doesn't mean much to him in comparison to taking care of the Wolves under his command.
He's willing to sacrifice being a Shinobi of Konoha in order to focus more on his projects and those that depend on him.
Even so, just because he's not a Shinobi doesn't mean he's not going to be able to go on mission, it just means they aren't missions from Konoha.
There was someone who said he couldn't lead the Wolves if he wasn't a Shinobi, but I seem to recall a certain old man whom Naruto very much resembles who had his own forces despite being retired. Think his name was Danzou or something, but I could be wrong.
With all that, you can also rest easy simply because I still have plans dependent on him being a Shinobi until partway into Shippuden. After that, well, who knows? The only thing I've really planned past that has been the ending.
Now that we have that out of the way, I'd like to thank Ncpfan for his help.
Probably kept you all waiting long enough then, yeah? Let's get started.
When he knocked on the door that morning, he had certainly not expected for it to be answered by someone wearing the mask of a wolf. Any possibility that it might be a member of ANBU was rather solidly crushed when, upon being granted entrance into Naruto's –he did have the right one, didn't he?- apartment, he found himself in the presence of yet another person wearing such a mask.
He really hadn't intended to meet with Hi no Kuni's newest Noble House today. Actually, he never planned to meet with them- politics really weren't his cup of tea. His luck, however, seemed to be exercising its odd sense of humor because here he was, in the presence of the Wolves, when all he was trying to do was meet with the son of his student.
It reminded him of that one time in Na no Kuni when- no, wait, he should probably be paying attention.
The new Wolf took one look at Jiraiya and his shoulders sagged, which was almost unnoticeable with the way his arms were crossed over his chest. With an audible sigh he knocked twice on the door and proceeded to stick his head in. The growl- for there was no other way to describe the sound- that came from within the room had Jiraiya even more curious, the guard at the door looking like he wanted to crawl into some dark corner to hide, and the Wolf next to him trying valiantly to stifle his laughter.
"N-Naruto-Sama, you have a guest." Well, at least he was indeed at the right place.
"I know, I was speaking to them when you interrupted."
"Ah, I mean, someone else is here to see you."
"And? I'm busy at the moment."
The Wolf that had shown him obviously thought the whole thing very amusing, as the man was dying of laughter and doing his very best not to make a sound that might let any of the others know. The poor man at the door, however, seemed like he was about ready to piss himself. Either Naruto really didn't like being interrupted or he considered his current guest to be very important. Admittedly, that too piqued Jiraiya's curiosity.
He was already surrounded by Wolves, who might he be meeting with?
The Wolf looked back at him, almost as if deciding whether or not it was worth it to push the issue, and almost resignedly stuck his head back through the doorway.
"It's Jiraiya-Sama, Naruto-Sama."
"Oh?" There was a pause. "Show him to the sitting room, I'll be out shortly."
"Yes, Naruto-Sama." Jiraiya could see as the nervousness melted from the Wolf at his victory. Or course, it was soon to return. "Um, Naruto-Sama?"
"Yes?"
"Which sitting room?"
Even from outside the room Jiraiya heard the sigh.
"My sitting room, the one that was there before one of you decided to start knocking down walls and take over the other apartments." The next part was spoken in a considerably more quiet voice but the Sannin still managed to hear it. "I still haven't managed to find out who came up with that idea…"
"It's fine, Naruto, the extra room has proven beneficial." A new voice joined the conversation, one Jiraiya and his familiarity with all things female could immediate tell did not belong to a man. If Naruto really was meeting with a young woman in that room he really couldn't blame the boy for being annoyed at being interrupted.
He also wouldn't be too upset if he considered his female guest to take priority over even he, the Gallant Jiraiya. How could he? He would feel the exact same way.
"Yeah," Another brief sigh was heard. "I suppose you're right, as always."
Jiraiya could make out she sound of faint giggles.
"Of course I am, Naruto-Sama. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll see your guest to the sitting room myself."
The Wolf that had turned to escort the sage froze in place upon hearing that, unsure if he should proceed with his orders or let his superior take over.
"Will you be staying?"
"No, I have some matters to see to and I'll probably grab lunch afterwards."
"With Tsume?"
Oh? What was this? The young woman Naruto knew regularly met up with Inuzuka Tsume? Jiraiya was getting really, really curious and he already had three new ideas for his books. This visit was already proving extremely fruitful.
Just not for the reason he was actually here.
Yet, anyway. The day was still young.
"I-if she's free, maybe. You don't mind?"
Jiraiya could have sworn he heard Naruto's brow rise at the question from where he was, though it was probably more likely that he just imagined it.
"Your friends are your business, Mai, and your free time is yours to spend as you like. If you do see her, however, mention that Hana might be stopping by for the public portion of the Chuunin exams. I'm sure she'll appreciate the news."
"Does that-" She was quickly interrupted.
"Jiraiya of the Sannin is here, Mai, let's see to him first." It was impossible to miss the way his name was stressed and it wasn't hard to imagine why either. He was a well-renowned master spy, after all, and that was a very difficult balance to pull off.
"Ah, of course, my apologies." The guard stepped out of the way of the door just in time to allow a young woman with long black hair to exit the room which, from the brief glance he was able to get, must have been Naruto's personal office. Not that Jiraiya currently had any idea what Naruto needed an office for.
"Thank you for your patience, Jiraiya-Sama, my name is Mai." She greeted him immediately with a curt bow. "Naruto will be out soon. Come, let us move somewhere a bit more comfortable."
Mai began walking towards the front of the apartment, looking back only to send the first Wolf to prepare refreshments, and Jiraiya followed with only a single backwards glance towards the office he knew Naruto was in.
He thought things were pretty odd back when he first encountered Naruko and later met up with Kushina again for the first time in years, but this certainly took the cake.
Led to a green couch, Jiraiya took a seat and idly noted the brownish stains that peeked out from beneath it.
"You know," He commented as Mai took her own seat in a blue chair across from him. "I know a couple of tricks that are pretty good at getting the blood out." His head tipped towards the most prominent section of the stain.
"So did Yugao, she said there were few better at removing blood than the ANBU." She gave a slight sigh, her cheeks only dusted by the barest hints of embarrassment. "Unfortunately it's Uzumaki blood and is as stubborn and resilient as its source. We would have had the carpet replaced, but with the…improvements…some of the others have taken into their own hands it would mean redoing the carpeting for most of the first floor at this point. Naruto doesn't want us spending that kind of money on his apartment just because he returned home to patch himself up instead of visiting the hospital."
"Yeah, I could see how quickly that might add up. Have you considered wooden floors? They require more regular upkeep than carpets but if you get a nice, dark finish it both improves the atmosphere and does wonders for hiding any blood that ends up on it. Made the switch years ago and it's saved me tons of trouble and a small fortune on stain removal."
She blinked twice, running the idea through her head.
"That's-" She shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "That's actually a really good idea, especially with how hard it is to remove Naruto's blood. I'll run the idea by him later." Her smile became slightly mischievous. "Or the same Wolf who had the idea to start knocking down walls might receive a friendly suggestion soon.
Jiraiya couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Oh, he liked this one, no wonder Naruto was irritated about being interrupted. She was a keeper if he ever met one. Considering her looks and the fact that she seemed to be around Naruto's age- Going for the older woman? Atta boy, Naruto!- he couldn't think of a more perfect match.
Well, maybe not a match, he hadn't even met the boy yet, but certainly a wonderful prospect and an option that was very much available considering what he had heard of their interaction earlier.
He was totally shipping this- not that he would ever say it such a way to anyone else.
"You're a crafty one, aren't cha?"
"Anything for Naruto."
Alright, that sealed it. These two were getting together even if he had to play cupid.
"Oh? Have you known him long?" Old habits died hard and he was far to curious to wait for information to be given to him. With a bit of luck, he might learn enough to have something to speak with Naruto about once the young man made his appearance.
"Three?" She seemed to mumble the first bit to herself. "No, not quite." Her voice picked up. "Two and a half years now, I'd say, going on three."
Hm, I suppose at your age that's actually a pretty significant amount of time. You've known him for what, a fifth of your life? I suspect that's only going to be increasing over the years."
"Well, yes." The faint dusting of pink was back on her cheeks. "I don't expect anything to separate us anytime soon. My brother and I have become quite close to him and it wouldn't feel right to work with someone else."
"I understand, he must be very important to you, the both of you." There was a reason he had said it that way and now, with her distracted, maybe he could get some answers to a more interesting question. "What kind of work are three of you doing."
"Oh we've been helping him-" Even as she appeared to catch herself another voice entered the room.
"Thank you for keeping our guest company Mai, I'm sure you're eager to visit Tsume." The dismissal in his voice was as clear as the look he shot the Sage. It was pretty obvious he knew exactly what Jiraiya had tried. In response the old Shinobi just shrugged and shot him a rueful grin.
"Heh, sorry about that. Old habits die hard and you have me mighty curious, Naruto. That's a bad combination, you know."
"Quite." Naruto took a seat in the chair Mai vacated and Jiraiya got his first look at him. He had to say, he was pretty impressed. Wrapped loosely in dark fabrics that were a bit too pricy to just be sitting around at home in and that contrasted his pale skin just as well as his blood-red hair did he cut a rather striking figure even sitting down.
It wasn't a Jiraiya-level entrance but the effect was commendable. Maybe he could offer a few pointers, too, it couldn't hurt now, could it?
Naruto continued, paying no heed to the paths Jiraiya's mind saw fit to wander.
"I'll have to keep that in mind." One leg crossed the other as a Wolf emerged with cups of tea for the two of them. Naruto took one but did not drink, instead keeping his eyes focused on his rather prominent- and unexpected- guest.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, was more than happy to partake in the offered refreshments. It helped that he was both the strongest person in the room and that some of his training with the toads made it nearly impossible to poison him.
You had no idea how beneficial that had proved to be over the years. Accepting drinks from strangers gave him a trusting, carefree reputation to the masses and the fact that those that were poisoned didn't end him gave him even more credibility in the eyes of his enemies.
"So, Jiraiya –Sama, what was it I could help you with today?" His eyes still focused on his guest, he took a slow sip of his own tea, more to keep it from being wasted than any actual desire to drink it.
"Ah, so serious, Naruto-Kun! Is that any way to greet your- erm." Jiraiya paused at this. He wasn't his godfather- did they ever change that from Orochimaru?- so was it something like god-father-in- law? No, that would require the Uzumaki siblings to be married, if that was even a thing. God step-father? Couldn't be, that suggested the godparents had been married and that he had been the one to marry his godmother. Last he checked Tsunade had never said 'yes'. A noticeable frown showed on his face as he tried to think of what his actual relationship with the boy could be described as. Unfortunately "Your father's father-figure" and "The teacher of your pops" were both out. Damn secrets.
"Huh, well, I guess we can just say I'm your god-uncle, or something."
Naruto raised a brow. "A sibling of one of my parents?"
No, that wouldn't do at all.
"Fine," He eventually grumbled. "Great God-uncle, happy?"
"You're a strange man, Jiraiya-Sama. I suppose that only leads credence to the fact that Konoha's greatest power lies in its eccentricity."
Jiraiya had to take a moment to both blink and remind himself that he was supposed to be speaking with a twelve year old Genin of Uzumaki Blood. Minato hadn't any Aburame or Nara blood in him, did he? Because there was no way in hell Naruto's personality was from his mother's side.
That one blink, however, was long enough for him to recover.
"And you're a very interesting young man."
"To some, perhaps." Naruto gave a gentle shrug. "You still have not graced me with the reason for your visit, great god-uncle."
The Sage winced slightly at the title- he wasn't old, damnit!- but relaxed further into his seat before shooting Naruto a small smile.
"I just returned to Konoha and while I might not be your godfather I have always considered myself pretty close to your parents and the Uzumaki clan."
"Oh? Then what brings you here?"
"Eh?" That was not what he had expected to hear. Was there more that had happened he hadn't been informed about? This is what he got from focusing on the rest of the world so much.
"You do know, do you not, that I no longer claim my Uzumaki heritage?" At Jiraiya's surprised look he continued. "I was the only Uzumaki in Konoha and started having…disagreements… with another clan after an accident I was involved in ended with the deaths of one of their members. In accordance with the old ways I denounced my clan name as to not tarnish it. With the clan head not present and no way to contact them it was only the right thing to do, I think. This way, at least, my squabble remained solely my own."
Jiraiya could have sworn he heard a snort from a nearby room. Obviously there was a Wolf that did not share the same opinion.
"I had not been informed." Frowned Jiraiya, but a small smile quickly replaced it. "Still, I was a friend of your parents' and haven't seen you since shortly after your birth. I had intended to catch up with everyone at once until I learned that you had alternate living arrangements. So," he spread his arms to show himself. "Here I am."
"So you are." Agreed Naruto. "This is a social visit, then?"
"Absolutely!" The sage paused. "Well, unless you do publishing, I suppose. Then it could become business."
"Social it is." Still, he made note to look into that as an option to help his house's financial status. Nami Publishing had a nice ring to it.
"So, tell me, Naruto- what have you been up to these last twelve years?" It was an open question, a very open question, and Jiraiya leaned back further into his chair, almost to the point of lounging to wait for a response.
"Lived in the compound for the first eight, spent most of my time by Kushina's knee or watching over Naruko as she played outside. Eight to twelve was mainly taken up by the academy and scrounging up the funds to pay for food and housing. Beyond that I've made some friends, made some enemies, and become an officially recognized Shinobi." Naruto gave a light shrug. "Nothing too extraordinary, as you can see."
Another snort came from outside the room and Jiraiya had to agree. He had the feeling that everything had been seriously understated. 'Made some enemies'? That alone could involve a lot of happenings that certainly weren't ordinary.
Jiraiya made a show of running his eyes over what had once been a single apartment and made sure to place extra emphasis in the direction the Wolf was present. Finishing, he shot Naruto a dry look before repeating Naruto's first word of the conversation.
"Quite."
"The ordinary, I suppose," Naruto spoke after only the briefest of pauses. "Is dependent on the person. I'm sure you've seen stranger over the course of your career, Jiraiya-Sama."
Well, he had him there.
Of course, he was still the Toad Sage and he was more than capable of working the conversation to his advantage.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I'll have to start sharing some of my stories with you and your sister now that I'm back in Konoha for the foreseeable future."
Naruto frowned slightly at the mention of his sister- something so faint that anyone but Jiraiya might have missed it- before moving his arm to rest his cheek against his knuckles.
Jiraiya waited patiently to see how the young man would respond to the words he obviously didn't care to hear.
"It would certainly be interesting to hear of your many travels over the years, Jiraiya-Sama, and I have no doubt they would also serve as valuable lessons for any who aspire to walk the path of the Shinobi. We'll have to see what schedules permit, as I currently lack a team and, thus, a solid schedule and I'm fairly certain Naruko is quite busy with her own training."
Interest, pointing out the value of the offer, before a soft decline in the form of open possibilities that were unlikely to come to pass due to not one, but two of the three proposed parties.
Fair enough.
Honestly, Jiraiya was a bit impressed when he reminded himself of Naruto's age. Still, there was something about the way he spoke that pulled at his mind, a familiarity he was reminded of with the way Naruto's eyes had glinted as words flowed from his tongue.
It took a moment to place that cold detachment, the aloof superiority with undertone of danger.
'Orochimaru.'
Minato's son reminded him of Orochimaru. Really, with how well those two actually got along he shouldn't be surprised but it still caught him off-guard.
There was another part that felt off, too. The way he spoke and presented himself was like the Orochimaru he remembered but the words were like…Sarutobi-Sensei? No, that wasn't right. It reminded him of the Hokage and his politicking but- ah! That was it, the words were designed for someone in a more political position, one that reminded him of the old Sarutobi who had to deal with it on a daily basis-
Or himself when he had to endure the same.
A cross between himself and Orochimaru and reminding him slightly of the Hokage, two rivals and their sensei. That, of course, brought to mind Hiruzen's own rival- Danzou.
A shiver went down Jiraiya's spine. Yeah, he was similar to the old warhawk too.
Hiruzen and Danzou.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Naruto.
Both halves of a repeating cycle, would Naruto be the one to end it?
It was a curious thought; one Jiraiya would have to give more time later. For now, however, he needed to focus on the present.
"Oh, I'm sure we can work something out. In the meantime, however, let's discuss you. After all, you'll hear enough about my years when we find time that's good for you and Naruko."
"I'm not sure what there is to discuss."
"I'd say those enemies you mentioned earlier seem pretty interesting. They wouldn't happen to be the clan you mentioned having 'disagreements' with, would they?"
Ha! A specific example he had already confirmed earlier. Maybe now Jiraiya would be able to learn some more about what Naruto had been up to these recent years.
Naruto frowned but answered regardless. It wasn't like Jiraiya would be incapable of finding out on his own and he had no need to give the man a reason to start digging things up about his past. Who knew what the sage might stumble upon?
"That is correct." Short, simple, to the point. If he was really lucky he would be able to keep from volunteering any information and provide only what the man asked for. Of course, he probably wasn't that lucky.
"And?" Naruto rose his brow again, as if he didn't follow. "Come on," prodded Jiraiya. "There must be more to it than that, fill an old man in here."
"What did you want to know?" Wasn't getting caught that early, thank you.
"Who they were, what started it, how it ended, everything. You can't just tell an old spy that you have enemies and leave it at that, you'll make me far too curious for my own good!"
Well, damn. He had said "For my own good" but it was more accurately "For your own good". "For our own good" however, might work well too. Either way, Jiraiya was quite plainly pointing out that he would be looking into things if he wasn't provided information from the primary source. Chances were he would anyway, that was his nature, but driving him to it certainly didn't help Naruto or his Wolves.
"The Yamanaka heiress and I, as previously stated, had a disagreement. It got out of hand, undoubtedly, and was mostly due to our pride. She carried the weight of her clan and their dislike for me already and acted upon it, something most of them readily approved of, and I was simply too full of myself.
"When that was combined with a reminder of the same mistake that had earned me such ill rapport with her clan, everything became a rather large mess. We have since come to an…understanding. Or, at the very least, I've come to an understanding with both Inoichi and Ino. I'm not sure how the rest of their clan feels about me, but I highly doubt I'm viewed in any sort of favorable light."
That was a lot more than Jiraiya had been expecting, both for an answer and for the situation. He had expected anything from an academy rivalry to getting on the wrong side of one of Konoha's few gangs. Hell, even pissing off one of the guilds, like the Merchant Guild primarily ran by the Haruno clan, wouldn't have been too surprising, but to have made an enemy of an entire Shinobi Clan? That was almost Icha-Icha plot worthy in its incredibleness. Hell, that was nearly Jiraiya level!
Once again, Jiraiya was reminded of just how much the boy seemed to resemble some of Konoha's greatest Shinobi, even if those Shinobi were not so widely acknowledged as such. Orochimaru the criminal, Jiraiya the pervert, Danzou a retired relic from an age long past, and Hiruzen who would never be seen in the same light as his predecessors despite his immense skill and even greater knowledge.
They were known, yes, but no one ever placed them on the same pedestal as the other three Hokage or the lost founder Madara. People just didn't realize how important they truly were or the effect they could have on the world.
And here Naruto was, already making a name for himself by going against entire clans as a Genin and showing qualities from all four of those great names. To Jiraiya it was clear the boy could probably reach the same level as his father, if not far exceed it.
Of course, every legendary figure needed a mentor and he did pretty damn well with the last one, if he did say so himself. Perhaps it was time to guide another into the recordings of history.
That, however, could wait until he had established himself with the boy. He'd give it a month or two before trying anything like that. In the meantime, he could still act in his god-uncle capacity. You know, if that was actually a thing. Wasn't exactly Shinobi-Mentor of a legend, but it was a relaxed mentor for a young man, and that was just as important.
Still, against the Yamanaka? He was still having trouble wrapping his head around that. What the fuck happened? Actually, that lead right into the perfect next question.
"What the fuck happened?" It would also suffice as that next question.
Before Naruto could offer some pointless answer that clarified nothing, as he seemed most want to do, Jiraiya further clarified his previous, rather broad, question.
"I get that you two had a disagreement that served as the spark, but what brought things to that point. Didn't get caught sleeping with Inoichi's wife now, did ya? He grinned at the end of it, hoping to inject some humor into the situation but it didn't seem to work at all. Naruto's response made it pretty obvious why.
"No, I was involved in the death of his sister."
Oh. Well, shit. That would do it.
"His sister?" He may have been mistaken, but hadn't she left the clan years ago? He hadn't heard anything about her since and he had to wonder how much the Yamanaka clan had before her demise.
"Yeah, his sister." Naruto gave a long, tired sigh. "I made her acquaintance one morning near the market district and we had tea at a nearby shop. She was my first friend."
Ouch. This didn't sound fun. He briefly weighed getting the full story against avoiding what could very easily be a painful topic. In the end, the chance that talking about it may do him some good won over and Jiraiya pushed forward.
"I would assume, then, there was some sort of accident?" He most certainly wanted to avoid making Naruto believe he thought him responsible. He needed the full story before he could make any sort of judgement. He did not, however, believe the young man had actually meant for the woman to die. At the same time, he didn't seem to fully blame himself, either. Rather than say he had killed her, as someone either proud, guilty, or ashamed may have, he described it as being part of the death.
He was there, present for the death, or did something that eventually caused that death, but he knew it wasn't his fault and certainly hadn't meant to bring it about.
"I was going to visit her one evening and found a drunkard assaulting her. I tried to stop him, but she was injured in the fight and died soon after. I consider myself immensely fortunate to have been given the chance to say goodbye."
Oh, so not just an accident, a combat accident in which he was actively trying to save her. Kid must have been beating himself up over it for weeks, god's knows he did on his first protection mission that went south. He, fortunately, could say he did not know the man he was protecting very well. Naruto, on the other hand, lost his friend and somehow managed to get an entire clan against him.
Those had to have been some hard times for him even without Kushina gone. It made it quite easy to see why he had not accepted her as soon as she returned. During times of struggle one becomes closer to those around them, but if you didn't have anyone you learned to rely only upon yourself. That makes it difficult enough to let anyone back in, to say nothing about those who hadn't been there for you when you needed them.
Kushina was going to have quite an uphill battle if she really wanted to become part of her son's life again.
But that really wasn't a concern at the moment.
"Cherish those last moments, Naruto, remember them fondly, and keep her in your heart as you continue to live." Jiraiya gave a sigh, his age showing for just a brief moment. "I'm not going to say something as insensitive as "Get over it" or "Get used to it", but you should realize that's it's going to happen. You'll lose friends again and again and again to situations you have no control over and in situations you thought you had complete control both.
It doesn't get easier, there's no preferable way for it to happen, you just have to keep going and keep the guilt from eating you alive because, at the very least, one of you still is. As soon as that grief overcomes you, as soon as you give into the guilt and sorrow, you've died. And if you've died after them just because you weren't strong enough than they should have been the one to go back home. Unfortunately, we don't get a choice in the matter, so you have to be strong enough to live for both of you.
It's a lesson passed on generation to generation, but only truly learned the hard way."
Naruto stared at him for a moment, pondering, before the faintest smiles graced his lips. Not quite sad, just a touch bitter, but mostly thankful.
"I certainly would have benefited from hearing that back when it happened but thank you all the same, Jiraiya. I appreciate your insight."
Jiraiya returned the smile with a bit more cheerfulness, happy to have been able to impart some of his wisdom to one of the next generation.
"No problem, Naruto, it's what god-uncles do. You ever need any sort of advice you can always seek me out."
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama. It's a most gracious offer."
The old sage relaxed again into his seat, the years seemingly melting from his face.
"Like I said, it's what I'm here for. And, speaking of being here, it's probably about time I headed out. People are only able to handle so much of the amazing Jiraiya from what I understand." This earned him a small grin, though it was probably more to do with whatever comment Naruto had come up with and been courteous enough to keep to himself than what he had actually said.
"Before I go, however, I do have one more question."
Naruto took a sip of his drink- which was probably cold at this point- and motioned for the Toad Summoner to continue.
"Now that I have the background, what was the actual disagreement between you and the Yamanaka heiress?"
A small, genuine small crossed the young daimyo's lips as he thought about his little cult-leader and he answered the man simply.
"Hyuuga Hinata."
"Oh?" It was as much an expression of surprise as it was a prompt asking him to continue. On this matter, Naruto did not mind providing more information.
"I took Hinata under my wing shortly after she was branded with the Caged-Bird seal and demoted to the branch family of the Hyuuga clan. Ino, seeing me only as the killer of her aunt, wanted to dissuade her from spending any time around me. A noble intention, I suppose, based on the information she had available., but it was an action that displeased me greatly. In the end, I revoked my right to the Uzumaki name and declared the Yamanaka my enemies. Not the smartest idea, certainly, but it's the course of action I took and the one I've managed to live with."
The Wolves really had been a big help with that.
Jiraiya, while able to understand the entire situation, decided to focus on what he deemed the most important.
"The Hyuuga girl, eh? I remember her mother, spirits watch over her, the woman was one of the most gifted Kunoichi I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."
Naruto did his best to pretend he hadn't understood what the man was hinting at, but it was kind of difficult not to understand when he was making gestures in front of his own chest to denote size. Jiraiya was not deterred by the lack of response, however.
"So, this Hinata, she stacked yet? If she's anything like her mother she's probably already started growing, if you know what I mean."
"I would rather not discuss this Jiraiya." Oh, the honorific had dropped. Heh, looks like he was actually getting to him.
"Aw, come on, what better thing to discuss is there than women?" The old sage shot him a lecherous grin. "You know, if you don't tell me I'll have no choice but take a look for myself."
The light growl that came from the young redhead had Jiraiya pausing in surprise but before he could comment on it Naruto spoke.
Hinata was his, damnit, and this lecher wasn't so much as going to lay his eyes on her.
"Her…assets…are incredibly hard to miss."
"Hah! Atta boy!" Jiraiya's grin lit the room. "Looking then, are we? Can't blame ya. Hold on to that one, she's only going to grow more."
"I'm quite certain she's not going anywhere." Not if he had any say in it, she was proving to be too valuable.
"Eh? Sunk your claws into her already, I see. Good on you, Naruto, we'll make sure you don't become the sheltered prude your father was. Never figured out why I couldn't' bring him to the Icha-Icha side but he sure did well with Kakashi."
"Sheltered prude?" Neither in the room had spoken and as both turned towards the entryway where they heard it originate there was a snort of laughter and another voice.
"He already shares his bed with various women and Jiraiya-Sama thinks he's going to be a prude?"
It was the first voice's turn to snort. "They day Naruto-Sama turns out to be a prude I become celibate. It's never going to happen."
Naruto cleared his throat loudly, a faint dusting of red visible on his pale cheeks. "That's quite enough now, you two."
The two in the other room choked on the air, their words stuck in their throat as they realize they had been just a bit too loud.
"H-hai, Naruto-Sama."
The other voice was quick to join it.
"A t-thousand apologies, it was a most i-inappropriate topic for us to be discussing."
Two fingers came to pinch the bridge of Naruto's nose as he hung his head in irritation. "Go find Mai, I'm sure she has work for the two of you." He knew for a fact she had work for the two of them-guarding him- but if there were going to be talking about things like that and within hearing distance of his guest then they were going to need to be given some other task.
It had the added benefit of knowing Mai would be displeased to see that they had gotten themselves dismissed and dole out a suitable punishment.
"B-but Naruto-Sama, we've been instructed to remain with you." Obviously they realized that he would be left here with his S-ranked guest, not to mention the Genin team that was around here somewhere, and that they would have to explain that to Mai who was probably spending time with Tsume and would already be irritated at being interrupted.
"And I've instructed you to report to Mai. Is there anything about that which isn't clear?"
"N-no, Naruto-Sama."
The two were quick to leave after that, but not without a stream of hushed expletives that were barely audible. The last thing Naruto and Jiraiya heard from them was "Mai's going to fuckin' skin us alive."
With that over, Naruto collapsed as bonelessly into his seat as one could when they were already in said seat.
"Like children, I swear." He muttered, which Jiraiya found quite amusing. From their voices alone, those had to have been grown men and here a twelve-year old was calling them children.
"Well then," Grinned the Sannin. "With that I do believe it's time for me to get going as well. It was nice talking to you, Naruto, we'll have to do this again soon. "
"Certainly." Naruto nodded, his eyes still closed, before the two amethyst orbs opened to watch his guest rise from his seat. "Shall I show you to the door?" He inquired.
Jiraiya waived him off. "Nah, I can get out on my own. I'll drop by sometime next week, are there any times that are bad for you?"
Naruto snorted. "Not in particular, but I don't exactly have a solid schedule. Eleven, however, is a most ungodly hour, so I'd appreciate it if future visits were a bit later. I'm usually up quite late."
"Afternoons it is." The sage turned to leave before pausing and turning to look at Naruto over his shoulder. "Oh, before I forget, Kushina asked that I let you know they miss you. Promised them I'd let you know if I could and that I'd make sure you're doing alright. Seem to be doing fine to me, especially with that little Hyuuga, so I'll just make sure to pass that along."
Jiraiya gave a slight shrug as he continued.
"Not saying you have to do anything with that information and I'm not urging you to let them back into your life, that's entirely your business, but I would like to remind you that accidents do happen and no matter what they do care for you. I understand if you've come to not need them in their time away, but that doesn't mean they don't need you. Just something to think about. See you around, Naruto, and don't forget to find me if you need any advice, especially about the women in your bed."
"Get out or here, you old pervert."
Amused, Jiraiya gave a hearty laugh and disappeared down the hall, retracing steps from his entrance. All in all, that's hadn't gone badly at all, he'd even dare to say it went pretty well considering this was their first meeting. There were still a lot of unanswered questions, but he had enough to interact with the boy now and had already started establishing rapport. He'd stop by to visit Sensei later to see if he could shed some more light on the subject, that would cut down his workload immensely and help him get to the bottom of everything far more quickly.
The old sage continued down the halls of what had once been a small apartment, careful to follow the exact path he had taken in lest the Wolves or his host believe him to be snooping about.
As he neared the front door, however, he had to pause and question what he was seeing.
Orochimaru? No, that wasn't possible. Latest reports had Orochimaru overseeing a project in Otogakure no Sato to, strangely enough, make it more accessible. There had been some talk about proposals to work on connecting some of the lakes and rivers to grant them access to the sea in the south and, possibly, connecting it all the way to the northern seas near Kaze no Kuni, but that was neither here nor there.
More important than location, the person before him was undoubtedly female. He was pretty damn sure after years of being on the same team and the occasional visit to the hotsprings- you know, when Jiraiya was actually on the male side and not looking through a fence- that Orochimaru was male.
The woman, however, possessed an almost uncanny resemblance to his former teammate. It was disturbing to say the least, not because she was unattractive but because he found himself very much attracted to her. And that was a damn scary thought.
Of course, that line of thought brought him back to the thought that Naruto might be a mix between himself and Orochimaru which, in turn, lead to the idea of Naruto being their son.
The son of Jiraiya and a female Orochimaru.
Gods above, he was actually about to be sick at the thought of getting with a woman.
What was the world coming to?
With a rushed greeting, he was quick to make his way past her and into the safety of the outside world. It was going to take a lot of research, and probably a lot of alcohol, to wash those thoughts away.
It was probably a good thing that he didn't look back, for the unmistakable smirk she wore would have sent him running for the hills.