Disclaimer: If I had owned any of these franchises then I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.
XIII. Hell Hath No Fury
Today is the New Year's Festival. Three year old Naruto Uzumaki couldn't be any more excited. He had managed to sneak out of the orphanage underneath the matron's watch so he could join in on the fun. He never did understand why he was locked in his room during certain times a year. However, he did put it together that it was always when people are celebrating outside. Last year when he complained how the mean matron always kept him while she takes everyone else out, Hokage-jiji came straight to the orphanage looking very scary. He then ordered Naruto to go to his room and read the new scroll he brought for him while he and the matron had the "grown-up talk". In his room, he heard yelling coming from both Hokage-jiji and the matron before everything slowly went quiet. After a while, Hokage-jiji came into his room looking both sad and angry. He told Naruto that from now on he had to be good and stay in his room, and in return, Hokage-jiji will make it up to him by spending more time with him. He also noticed that things around the orphanage had changed since then. He had more food now even if he had to eat alone in his room which was a welcoming change when before he only had a glass of water and a piece of bread. The matron also seemed to be less mean to him even if she tried to ignore him most of the time as if he didn't exist. And it's been that way ever since.
Right now he was walking through the festival, taking in all the sights and sounds and completely ignoring the harsh stares that always accompanied him whenever he went outside. He stopped a little bit away from the crowd of people congregating around an area. There were various stalls selling delicious food, the smells wafted from them as it tempted anyone's stomach passing to come and buy. Games were everywhere as both children and adult all gravitated towards them and compete to win a prize from the counters. Naruto stared at the stalls longingly. He didn't have any money so he can't join in playing alongside the kids his age or purchase any of the treats from the stalls. For now all he could do was watch and made a mental note on all of the things he should do next year when he does have money to join in. Still, it would be nice if he could do it now.
"Oh how adorable!"
Naruto started at the loud voice coming near him and whirled around to confront the person only to find himself smashing into a mass of soft purple cloth and falling on his butt with a yelp of "itai!" Rubbing his behind, he looked up to meet the pink eyes and smiling face of a very pretty lady. She had silky orange hair that framed her delicate face and tied back in a neat ponytail with a purple ribbon that matched her outfit. Her "kimono" was weird and all poofy as it flared out below her waist and had a lot of decoration to it. Somehow it suited her despite how odd it looked in fact her "kimono" made her seem prettier if possible.
"Why hello there, you must be Naruto-bou-chan. You can call be Sharon-onee-sama." The pretty lady introduced herself.
"H-how do you know my name!?" Who is this lady?!
"It's hard to explain. You see I came with your cousin, who knew your father. And my friends and I just learned about you." Sharon explained, the gentle look on her face never changing. Naruto, on the other hand, was completely shocked. "His cousin? Father? They knew his father!?"
"You know about my father! What can you tell me about him?! Was he a ninja? Jiji said that he was and that he died! How did you-"
"Naruto-bou-chan please! I can answer your questions if you don't give me time to answer." Sharon childe.
Naruto flushed with embarrassment. Can you blame him for wanting to know more about his parents. He had asked the Hokage countless of times before but was always answered with "when you are older." All he knew was that his Kaa-san and Tou-san loved him very much and that they were shinobi who died fighting the Kyuubi, leaving him an orphan.
"Besides it's a long story. To be honest, I don't know your father personally. None of my friends do. We just heard that he had a son and came to find you."
Naruto became chestfallen at that. He had hoped to know more about his parents. But then he perked up as he remembered that he still had a cousin. A cousin that came all this way looking for him. What sort of person were they? Would they be adopting him? What if it was all a mistake? What if they're not actually related? What if they were but his cousin didn't want him?
"Now, what is a sweet little boy such as yourself doing over here and not over there?" She asked, changing the subject when she saw the turmoil swirling in the boy's mind. Her eyes went to the area where he was staring earlier.
"I-I don't have any money, Sharon-nee-chan. So I can't play games or buy any food. Oh, but it's all right! I can save up next year. So Sharon-nee-chan shouldn't worry about me." Naruto confessed as he ended with a big smile, hoping she would buy that he was actually alright.
Sharon frowned, not fooled one bit by the little boy's smile. She had seen that look of longing before she approached him. At that point, she made up her mind. No child should be so unhappy during a day of celebration. It was the New Year's for Abyss' sake! He should be able to greet the coming year with joy in his heart, not one filled with envy.
Sharon gently touched the boy on the shoulder. "Come right this way, please." She then led him towards a nearby stall that sold takoyaki*. "Pardon me, good sir. I would like to purchase enough for two if you please."
"Sure thing, little lady. Just a moment." The man called out to her from the grill without looking up. With professional ease, he made two orders within seconds and finished it off with a quick brush of sauce and a sprinkle of garnish. The stand owner then turned to give the young lady her order until he caught sight of the Kyuubi brat shyly clutching onto the "unsuspecting" girl's dress.
"Oi, beat it, kid! What do ya think you're doing hang off of her like that?! Can't you see you're bothering the poor lady?! Now get out of my sight and don't come back!" The man roared at Naruto. He took sick satisfaction at the fear and shame that appeared on the boy's face once he started yelling. The girl would thank him for this for getting rid of the disgusting leech. After all, having an eyesore around you like that isn't good for a tourist.
"Excuse me, sir. If you may please repeat what you just said to that darling child for me." Naruto couldn't help but let out a small "eep" as he slowly backed away from the newly angered Sharon-nee-chan. The nearby onlookers looked on in horror as the "civilian tourist" began emitting a malevolent aura around a person. What's even scarier is that she still had a "sweet" smile on her face even though it looked more bloodthirsty than anything. A Chunin who was present in the area was in awe of the girl. He didn't think that civilians were even capable of producing an impressive amount of KI until today.
"I-I-I-" The owner couldn't get another word out. He was shitting his pants already.
"Yes~"
"…I-It's nothing. F-Forget I ever s-said anyt-thing. HERE! T-Take your order! It's on the house! P-please forgive my outburst, milady!" The man practically shoved the two trays of takoyaki in her face with a bow so low his nose was almost touching the takoyaki grill. For a moment, everyone likened the scene to a desperate sinner presenting an offering to appease a scorned goddess.
Sharon suddenly beamed happily and the dark atmosphere disappeared as if it were never there, much to the people's bewilderment. "Why thank you very much, good sir! You are too kind." Sharon then dainty took the snacks from the man's hands. Turning to the still shocked Naruto, she planted her newly gained treat into his small hands and took hold of one of them. She then proceeded to lead the frozen boy away from the stall to enjoy their takoyaki elsewhere.
For a while the people who witness the incident stared at the woman as she disappeared down the street and into the crowd with Naruto in tow. There was an awkward silence for a while until the stall owner let out a loud sigh of relief and sank onto his knees, breaking the spell cast onto the people. After they all snapped out of their shock, they then left to go about their business. It would be too soon if they ever run into that girl.
* For those that don't know, they're Japanese snacks that are basically balls of wheat flour cooked with a chuck of octopus in the center. They have to be made in a specially made pan in order to make them, and they come with various toppings and sauces. Takoyaki are also one of the popular festival foods sold.
XIV. The Foundling
Minato Namikaze was an abandoned child Jiraiya found during one of his many investigations. He had been following a lead on a nukenin who had sensitive information about Konoha, and the chase took him outside the Elemental Nations and into different country altogether, where the bastard hid to lay low until he thought the people hot on his trail lost interest. In the end, he was able to track him down and complete his mission by killing the traitor in his safehouse. However, the chase had led him deep into the heart of the foreign nation, forcing Jiraiya to navigate his way out to go back to Konoha. On his way to get out of the foreign land, he took shelter in an obscure church from a sudden blizzard that hit the area he was at. The nun in charge of the place, Clara-san, was kind enough to house him until the storm ended. He ended up staying almost a week at the church. During that time, he helped Clara-san take care of the baby who was abandoned one December night. She had found him crying on her doorstep one early morning and had taken care of him since. Since the newborn was obviously abandoned, she didn't hold much hope that his biological parents would come back and claim him. It's been a month since. She had uncreatively dubbed the infant "John Doe" as she can't refer to him as "the baby" or "the child". It would've been a disaster in the future. Nothing she thought up fits him, she claimed.
"It's sad, really. Cases like his are all too common, even rarer is that he's lucky enough to be left in good place. Most orphanages don't treat the children very well. Many end up on the streets to survive. Those that aren't given up are often killed. Usually it's the children of prostitutes who can't afford a child ruining their businesses or an illegitimate noble bastard who don't want a scandal ruining their family name. I mean, look at him. He's too pretty to be a common-born. Definitely a bastard at the least."
Jiraiya ended up getting attached to the baby boy. A natural father, Clara-san offhandedly described him one time when she caught him telling the infant a bedtime story. In turn, the boy was also equally excited to see him every day as he often turned towards Jiraiya with a toothless smile even with Clara-san in the room. By the end of the blizzard, he was almost disappointed that the storm didn't last longer.
Right when he was about to leave, Clara-san deposited "John Doe" in his arms and slid a piece of paper towards him. She wanted him to adopt.
"It's obvious to me that this child needs a proper parent. I'm too old to take care of him. In fact, I probably won't live to see him reach puberty. You've grown to love that boy as your own. Let me guess, you don't have children of your own, but you still want a family. Don't deny yourself the opportunity to be a father when fate's practically handing everything to you."
In the end, Jiraiya didn't hesitate to sign the documents. Clara-san even took out an old camera she owned and dusted it off for the occasion. And so Jiraiya left the church with a baby in tow. Inside his pouch, he kept a copy of the adoption papers and the original photo of the new father and son.
He can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces from this new development.
XV. Dysfunctional
Even though the Second Great Shinobi War was going on, the weather in the Fire Nation was still pleasantly sunny and warm. Inside the walls of Konohagakure, Jiraiya and the newly christened Minato Namikaze were inside the Toad Sannin's apartment. The trip back to Konoha was exhausting. Little Minato was practically drooling on his shoulder throughout the whole journey. He was never thankful to see the white walls surrounding his beloved home. Once he set foot inside the gates, he sent a Kage Bunshin to report to the Hokage and to show off the document and photo as proof his newly acquired title of "Father". Grimacing as he looked around his small not-yet-child-proof apartment, he decided to make due as he placed his sleeping son down on his bed and tucked the child in. A son. His son. Those words have never sounded so special. He felt the urge to share the good news to his teammates. And he knew exactly how he wanted it to go. Creating a Kage Bunshin to watch over his sleeping child, he left his apartment and headed straight towards their usual rendezvous spot. Now the question is: what should he say to his teammates about Minato?
U(•ㅅ•)U
"TSUNADE, MARRY ME! I NEED A MOTHER!" WHAK!
"It's bad enough that you keep begging me to go out with you, but this is a new low! What kind of woman would want to marry you if you want them to baby you all the time?!"
"NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! I MEAN-" SMACK! "Itai! Will you stop trying to hit me?! Listen to me!"
Orochimaru signed at his teammates' antics. If it's not one thing, it's another. Come to think of it, why would Jiraiya suddenly go from proclaiming his love to the sole female member of the Sannin to proposing out of the blue? Maybe it's because he's feeling his years. Not that he blamed him. They were all thirty, and at the right age to start their own families if the Second Great Shinobi War wasn't still going on. Perhaps something happened during his last mission that Jiraiya felt that he should marry the woman he loves before he regrets not to.
"OROCHIMARU, BE MY SON'S GODFATHER!"
"…"
"…"
"SON/GODFATHER?!" Tsunade and Orochimaru yelled at the same time! "YOU'RE A FATHER?!" What kind of woman was willing to procreate with their idiotic teammate and spawn his offspring?! Oh, Kami-sama! A son! A miniature Jiraiya running around the village! One was bad enough but two?!
"Only by adoption. I found the kid during my last mission. He was abandoned and the old woman taking care of him won't live much longer. So why not?" One of Jiraiya's biggest desires was to have a family of his own. Now that they thought about it, it made sense for him to suddenly adopt out of the blue. But still…
"Tsunade, I can understand…but me…a godfather?" Orochimaru questioned his old friend.
"Of course, why not? I can't imagine anyone else looking after my kid in case anything happens to me. Besides, as my friend, I trust you, Orochimaru." The way Jiraiya looked at him earnestly as he said that caused a stir within Orochimaru's chest. The Snake Sannin actually felt touched that Jiraiya thought that he was so dependable. Turning away in embarrassment, he didn't say anything to confirm nor deny but the two men got the unspoken message.
"So what are we all standing around for? Are you going to introduce us to the gaki, Jiraiya? I want him to meet his Tsunade-ba-chan~" Tsunade demanded, ending her last sentence with a girlish squeal as she imagined how cute the child might be. If she played her cards right, she can teach him how not to be a pervert like Jiraiya. A little gentleman. As if she'll let Jiraiya keep her away, who knows what sort of things the gaki will pick up if she's not there.
When the trio finally reached Jiraiya's apartment complex, they saw an unusual sight at the outside of Jiraiya's door. It was Sarutobi-sensei.
"Now where's my new honorary grandson?!" Hiruzen boomed excitedly, a happy glint in his eyes. …And why was he emitting a bright golden aura and sparkles?!
U(•ㅅ•)U
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. The war was still going on, and the Sannin were forced to leave Minato's care to the Hokage and the village to fight alongside their comrades. It would be years before they would see the boy again. By the time things finally settled down, Minato was already an independent young man. All they could do was watch over him from far away. While Jiraiya may have missed his son's childhood, he was determined to make up for it by becoming his sensei. As the years passed, he continued to feel nothing but pride as Minato took the world by storm. It was when Minato declared Jiraiya to be the godfather of his unborn son, Naruto, that he finally revealed his parentage.
Minato, of course, was shocked. He didn't even react when his heavily pregnant wife, Kushina, ranted and raged at his adopted father about how he should've come clean about everything earlier and why he kept it a secret all this time. Jiraiya just stayed put and took Kushina's infamous temper tantrum like a boss. After all, she had a point, and he deserved it. Once Minato snapped out of his shock, he got up and hugged the Toad Sannin.
"Welcome home…Tou-san." Minato whispered. Jiraiya returned the hug and allowed himself to cry. All the while, Kushina smiled at the long awaited father-son reunion. She rubbed at her protruding belly fondly as she waddled out of the dining room.
"Why don't me and you leave your Tou-san and Jii-san to catch up? OK, Naru-chan?" Kushina whispered to the child in her womb. As if he wanting to answer his mother in affirmative, Kushina felt a soft the unborn Naruto kick where her hand was.
AN: I just realized after I posted the last chapter…I FORGOT ABOUT EMILY! So I edited the last act. Sorry for the inconvenience. That Acts are getting longer and longer. Should I be happy about it? What am I talking about? Of course I am! It just means my plot bunny's still going! Now that I think about it, I think it spontaneously spawned. Should do a separate omake story on what happens in between Acts? I want to hear your opinions on it in your reviews.
But anyways, thanks for reading this, and please leave behind constructive criticism. (ノTДT)ノ ┫:･'.::･┻┻:･'.::･