I'm sorry I took so long with getting this chapter up. It took a while for me to get it typed and then there was the additional delay with getting it to my beta. Hope you enjoy.
Ghost appears: I'm glad you like the story. With the Shika/Naru/Ino thing, I wouldn't necessarily say it would be a romance. It would be more like a friend who's willing to do a favor for the couple. I'm still weighing my options with the decision. It's tough to make a decision when you like all of the options, right?
Sefiriot: What exactly is Shovel Speech?
JessMess: Thank you. I'm sure you will enjoy everything that I have in store for the characters.
Narutoske: Sasuke and Naruto's relationship is a little tricky for me. It's really hard for me to allow Naruto to really start seeing Sasuke as a friend (I'm pretty sure I can blame an overprotective father for that one), but we'll see where he takes us.
Disclaimer: I'm tired of this drill, aren't you?
(Previously…) (A/N: Now to be added as per the request of LamboIsAnIdiot)
Pushing the distracting thoughts away, Jiraiya turned to Minato.
"How are you here?" he finally asked the big question.
"It's a long story," Minato declared.
"I've got the time," Jiraiya replied stubbornly.
Minato and Naruto looked at each other before sighing. There was no point wasting any time.
Chapter 28: A Troubling Discovery
Jiraiya rubbed at his temples, trying to absorb everything the two Namikaze men had shared with him.
He'd already known all about the invasion but the change in events brought on by the blondes and the knowledge of how Minato was tied to the living plane really gave him a headache.
"Who else knows about you?" he inquired. "Other than these two." He gestured to Ino and Gaara, both who admitted to being able to see Minato just as well as he and Naruto could.
"Kakashi-sensei and two foreign nin… Momochi Zabuza and his apprentice, Haku," Naruto explained, causing Jiraiya to raise his eyebrows.
"You let a nuke-nin in on all of this?" he asked incredulously. "What the hell were you thinking? What if he was to go to Iwa and speak of how you're still alive?"
"He won't," Minato replied. "Zabuza-san can be trusted. It was a gamble to tell him the truth but it all worked for the best. Besides, he would be a fool to try to go against me and he knows that. It's in his best interest to help us."
"I'll trust your judgment, Minato, but it was still a risky maneuver," Jiraiya berated. "With every new person you bring into the fold the more vulnerable you make yourself and Naruto."
"I'm aware," Minato admitted. "We're doing our best to keep my presence a secret. It's not the easiest thing, though… especially now that I seem to be exuding a much stronger presence than before."
"I wonder why that is," Jiraiya frowned. "When did you start noticing all of these changes?"
Minato looked thoughtful. "If I have to pinpoint when it all began, I would say it would be around the time Naruto became a Genin. People began to sense me more and many are beginning to realize that somebody is protecting Naruto."
"Do they know it's you?" Jiraiya asked sharply, concerned over the repercussions that could come with that.
"No," Naruto shook his head. "No one has got an inkling that it's actually him. After all, who would believe that the fabled Yondaime Hokage would protect me of all people?" Jiraiya and Minato frowned at the reminder of how people viewed Naruto in the village.
"Good," Jiraiya sighed in relief. Konoha couldn't afford the chaos that came with the news of the Yondaime Hokage's return. Not at the moment.
"So what are we going to do now?" Naruto wondered.
"Take the afternoon off," Jiraiya said. "I've got to do a few things before training can start."
"Alright…" Naruto agreed. He had no real complaints. He wanted the time to enjoy a proper reunion with his father. "How about you meet us at my apartment tomorrow morning? Do you need directions?"
"Don't you worry about it, brat. I know where it is," Jiraiya responded. "Just because I wasn't allowed to take custody of you or be a part of your life for the last thirteen years does not mean I didn't keep an eye on you. Who do you think pays for your apartment and all of your living needs anyways?"
Naruto frowned as he puzzled over that statement. He'd been given a monthly allowance from the Hokage to handle all of his needs. He'd always assumed it came from the Orphan's Fund, but the amount of money he'd been given was more than he would have gotten if that was the case.
"You're the one that the money comes from?" he realized, looking at Jiraiya with wide eyes.
The Sannin smiled wryly. "The money I earned from my books had to go somewhere, right?"
Minato gazed at his sensei incredulously. "That… smut… funds my son's livelihood?" he mused. "I don't know if I should laugh or cry."
"I'd recommend laughing," Jiraiya suggested. "Considering how all of the bastards who hate your son are essentially paying for everything."
Now Minato looked amused. That was kind of ironic.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Jiraiya bid the group farewell before walking away.
Minato turned to the three Genin once they all arrived at Naruto's apartment. "You did well," he complimented the young ones. He turned to Ino, who was gazing at him with awe. "I think a formal introduction is due, don't you? I'm Namikaze Minato, also known as the Yondaime Hokage, Konoha's Yellow Flash, and most affectionately as… Naruto's father and 'guardian angel.'"
"It's an honor to meet you, Yondaime-sama," Ino bowed politely.
"There's no need to be so formal with me, Ino-chan… I'm not the Hokage anymore," Minato pointed out.
"Still…" Ino protested. The man in front of her deserved all of the respect he'd been given. It felt weird to consider him as anything less than what he was.
"You'll get used to it," Naruto assured his friend with a smile.
Minato turned to Gaara, who was gazing at him shyly.
"You look better, Gaara-kun," Minato complimented. "Sleep has done wonders for you."
It was true. As Gaara regained his ability to sleep peacefully through the night, he had grown to look much healthier.
"It's thanks to you and Naruto… for that, I'm eternally grateful," Gaara declared, bowing.
"Don't mention it," the elder Namikaze replied. "I only did what should have been done long ago. You deserve to be happy."
Gaara just looked down.
Naruto and Minato glanced at each other. They would have to work hard to get Gaara to come out of his shell.
Minato turned his attention to his son, looking amused. "I find it ironic, Naruto, that I'm gone for a week and you adopt two new siblings in my place."
"Not in your place," Naruto argued back playfully. "In addition to you. I always wanted a big family."
"As did your mother," Minato stated affectionately.
'Mothers,' Kyuubi corrected almost instantly.
"So let me get this straight… now I have two sons, a daughter, and a vulpine granddaughter?" Minato mused as Sakuya leapt into his lap to be petted. She had missed him too.
"You forgot to mention your son-in-law," Ino added, looking amused at the look of chagrin that crossed Minato's face at the thought of Shikamaru.
"…And a son-in-law," he agreed grudgingly. 'That doesn't mean I have to like it…'
'Be nice, dear,' Kyuubi reprimanded. Minato just huffed.
"So we've got an entire afternoon just to ourselves," Naruto commented. "What do you all want to do?"
"I know what I want to do," Ino asserted, gazing up at the only adult present. "Do you have any interesting stories concerning when you were alive? I've always been curious about how things were before Kyuubi's attack but no one seems to want to talk about it. I suppose it kind of hurts to think back to what they once had."
Minato looked surprised and then noted that both Naruto and Gaara looked intrigued too. He couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at their curiosity.
"I think I might have a few…"
Asuma gazed at Jiraiya with a raised eyebrow.
"You want to train Ino? Might I ask why?" he queried.
"I can see that she has a lot of potential that she hasn't tapped into just yet. She's actually a little late in her development as one of Konoha's new generation of kunoichi and I figured I could help jump start her on the right path now that she's opened her eyes to her current limitations," Jiraiya admitted. "In addition, with her budding friendship with Naruto, she's bound to face many dangerous situations. I think she should be prepared for them, don't you?"
Asuma had to admit that Jiraiya had a point. He really could help Ino get stronger and prepare her for whatever was to come her way. "Then you have my permission."
"Good. Also, there is one more thing that I wanted to address with you…" the Sannin spoke, earning a curious look from the bearded Jounin.
"What is it?" Asuma inquired.
"I'd like to talk with one of your students… the Nara," Jiraiya declared.
"Shikamaru?" Asuma frowned in confusion. What did the legendary nin want with him?
"From what I hear, he's pursuing Naruto romantically, right? I wanted to talk to him about that," Jiraiya stated.
Asuma looked apprehensive. Would the Sannin try to put a stop to the relationship? The Sandaime's son hoped that wouldn't be the case. Naruto helped motivate Shikamaru in a way nobody else could. It was quite clear how much they cared about one another. Asuma would hate to see that shattered.
"Why?" he pressed. "I don't see how what they have has anything to do with you." He didn't know how Jiraiya and Naruto were related, so to him, it didn't make much sense at all.
"You know as well as I that getting involved with Naruto is nothing to laugh about. I want to make sure the boy is up to the task," Jiraiya responded.
"I know he is," Asuma replied with conviction. He would have been worried about it himself if he hadn't been so sure in Shikamaru's ability.
"I'll see that for myself," Jiraiya decided stubbornly and Asuma had to concede.
"I'll talk to Shikamaru and discuss a time in which the two of you can talk," the younger shinobi said.
Jiraiya seemed pleased with that response. "I'll see you later then," he replied before walking away.
Asuma glanced at the Sannin before sighing. "You better impress him, Shikamaru… or you'll lose Naruto…"
Baki gazed at Jiraiya, looking absolutely incredulous. What could the famed Sannin possibly want with his student? Could he know that Suna was working against Konoha alongside Orochimaru?
He couldn't… not if he was asking to train Gaara himself. There's no way that Jiraiya would make an offer to train a known enemy.
"Why should I let you?" Baki argued. It would actually be a good thing for Gaara to get trained by one of Konoha's strongest shinobi but there were a lot of risks as well.
"Because I can make him stronger than you can imagine and he will need that in the future," Jiraiya said.
"Why? He's strong enough," Baki countered.
"He's a Jinchuuriki," Jiraiya answered bluntly.
Baki froze. He hadn't expected anyone in Konoha to figure out that specific detail.
"There are people out there… extremely dangerous ones… that are interested in capturing the nine Bijuu for unknown reasons. You know as well as I do how bad that would be. Gaara truly is strong but even he would not stand a chance against them unless he gets stronger. It makes no difference to me if he's from Konoha or Suna. I just want to help keep him and the other Jinchuuriki out of harm's way," the Sannin reasoned.
"Who are these people?" Baki pressed, feeling apprehensive. Jiraiya had a point and the fact of the matter was that no one else in Suna would have cared for Gaara's safety other than Gaara's own team.
"An organization called Akatsuki… composed of nine of the Five Great Nations' most dangerous S-class nuke-nin," Jiraiya responded gravely.
Baki cursed. That didn't sound good at all. He could see why the Sannin was so determined to train Gaara now. If it meant Gaara would stand a better chance of survival against enemies of that caliber than the Suna Jounin really couldn't argue against Jiraiya training the boy, despite all of the risks.
"You have my permission," he stated reluctantly.
"I knew you would see things my way," Jiraiya mused. "See you later."
He had one last thing he wanted to check on…
"You want to see what?" Sarutobi gaped at his former student. Jiraiya couldn't be serious…
"I need to see Minato's body," Jiraiya stated. "I know it sounds crazy, Sensei, but there is something I have to see for myself."
"What is it exactly that you're looking for?" the Sandaime pressed.
"I don't really know," Jiraiya admitted. "I just need to see the body."
"Do you know how serious a request this is, Jiraiya-kun? Unearthing a body from its grave is no small matter, especially a Hokage's body."
"I know that, Sensei, but I have to do this," Jiraiya pleaded. "I'll never be able to rest until I address the situation."
"What exactly is this situation you speak of?" the aged Hokage wondered.
The Sannin averted his eyes. "It's personal," he replied evasively.
Sarutobi sighed in frustration. Jiraiya wasn't making this easy for him and yet, he knew the stubborn white-haired shinobi wouldn't relent now that he'd set his mind to the task.
"I really shouldn't be doing this," he sighed. "But I'll grant your request this once."
"Thank you," Jiraiya replied gratefully, bowing.
Jiraiya wandered through the inner corridors within the Yondaime's stone head, searching for the hidden cavern that held Minato's coffin.
His heart was beating rapidly at the thought of what he was about to do. Even knowing that Minato's soul still lingered in the living plane didn't help ease his nerves at the thought of what he would see when he unearthed the corpse of the one he loved like a son.
Nevertheless, he needed to see the body. He wanted to know if there was any sign on the body that reflected Minato's situation in some way or form. He didn't know what to expect but he would figure it out as he went.
'Found it,' Jiraiya thought as he came across the door to his student's tomb, going through the measures to unseal the door the way his Sensei had told him to.
Inside, he found an impressive, white marble coffin planted straight in the middle of the musty room, a familiar, tattered flame cloak draped over it like a shroud.
Swallowing audibly, Jiraiya approached the coffin carefully, slowly removing the cloak and putting it to the side gently so that he could remove the lid.
Sliding the lid off with care, the Sannin slowly cast his gaze onto the body, only for his heart to skip a beat at the shocking sight in front of him.
Where he'd expected to see a decaying corpse, lay the perfectly intact body of his most beloved student. He looked as if he was merely sleeping.
'How is this possible?' Jiraiya thought in shock. There was no way that the Yondaime should look like this thirteen years after his death.
"Kai!" he murmured as he made the hand seal. Instead of a Genjutsu being released, the body merely collapsed into a puddle of blood.
'This isn't Minato's body… it's a Blood Clone!' Jiraiya recognized the way the corpse had dispelled itself and there was no way that would happen naturally, which meant…
Minato's body had been stolen.
Whoever had done it had been completely meticulous. There was no piece of evidence left that could hint at the culprit.
The tomb appeared to have been completely undisturbed and given the fact that the seal protecting the tomb had still been intact proved that whoever had taken the body had done so before the Yondaime's corpse had been entombed.
'For thirteen years, no one knew that anything was amiss,' Jiraiya thought with frustration. The trail had gone cold.
There were many questions to be answered. Who stole the body? How did they manage to do it right underneath Konoha's nose? And why did they steal the corpse in the first place?
"I'm sorry I'm late," Iruka apologized to Jin as he met him outside of the Academy once the day's classes had finally ended.
"It's alright," Jin reassured the gentle-hearted brunette. "I didn't mind waiting. How could I when you so graciously offered me the chance to see the village through your eyes? I'm looking forward to it."
Iruka just smiled. "Let's go then, shall we?" he stated and they left the Academy. "So where would you like to go first?"
"How about the Hokage Monument?" Jin suggested. "I've heard many stories about the famous monument."
"I suppose that's a good place to start," Iruka agreed, gazing at the large mountain proudly.
"Every Hokage you've had has their face carved into the mountain," Jin mused. "It's interesting to see how each nation pays homage to their Kages. I hear Suna has statues of all of the past Kazekage present in their Council Room."
"Ah," Iruka agreed. "Two of my students hope to have their face carved up there on the mountain one day, although I guess I have to admit one of them isn't my student anymore."
"That former student… he wouldn't happen to be Uzumaki Naruto, would he?" Jin feigned ignorance. Iruka glanced at him in surprise.
"How did you know?" Iruka wondered.
"I noted his desire to be Hokage during the Preliminary matches. Somebody with a Will of Fire as strong as his can only have been one of your students. You seem to possess a strong belief in it yourself," Jin remarked.
Iruka flushed at the praise. "You barely even know me. How could you see that in me already?" the Chuunin queried.
"You can say I'm pretty good at understanding a person's character at first glance," the Iwa nin replied with a mysterious wink.
"That must be a useful trait," Iruka mused aloud.
"You have no idea," Jin replied. Iruka didn't manage to catch the dark undertone in the Iwa nin's voice. His attention had been caught by the tall, white-haired shinobi who had just leapt off of the Yondaime's stone head.
"I didn't know that you had returned to Konoha, Jiraiya-sama," Iruka commented, recognizing the famous shinobi.
Jiraiya blinked at the unfamiliar Chuunin who had addressed him. "Ah… I had some business to take care of," he simply responded. He looked the Chuunin over before his eyes fell on the Iwa nin beside him. They shared unfriendly looks with one another before Jiraiya turned back to the Academy teacher. "Who might you be?"
"Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier, Jiraiya-sama," Iruka apologized with a bow. "My name is Umino Iruka. I'm a teacher at the Academy in addition to working at the Missions office."
Recognition flared within Jiraiya. So this was the Chuunin that favored Naruto. A smile appeared on his face. "It's nice to meet you, Iruka-sensei. I've heard stories of how all of our mightiest Jounin quake in fear of your wrath. You must be very special to have managed that," he commended.
This made Jin raise his eyebrows. That was something he hadn't expected to learn about the sweet-natured brunette.
Iruka flushed. He hadn't thought his reputation could have possibly reached the Sannin's ears. "The Jounin can be… very trying," he defended his actions sheepishly.
Jiraiya chuckled. There's nothing wrong with asserting a little force with the lot. They need to stay on their toes. Keep up the good work," he replied.
"I will," Iruka conceded. "So what brings you to the Monument?"
"I was merely paying my respects to my student," Jiraiya declared, eyes darkening as the troubling situation concerning Minato's grave returned to the forefront of his mind. "I don't mean to be abrupt but I need to leave now." He walked off without another word.
Iruka's eyes glowed with compassion as he recalled that Jiraiya was the Yondaime Hokage's sensei. It must be hard for the man to return to Konoha for the first time since his beloved student had passed away. Iruka didn't want to think of how he would feel in Jiraiya's place. If anything were to happen to Naruto…
He quickly shook his head vigorously. He couldn't think like that. Naruto would be fine. He was sure of it. The boy was strong and his desire to live and persevere was second to none.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Jin queried, noting the glazed look in Iruka's eyes. The man quickly snapped out of his reverie.
"It's nothing," Iruka denied, a sheepish look on his face. "I was just thinking that I'm getting a little hungry. Do you mind if we make a pit stop in the middle of your tour?"
"I don't mind at all," Jin responded. "Lead the way." The tour really didn't mean much to him, after all. He just wanted to learn more about Iruka and he was already beginning to pick up on what set the brunette apart from the other Chuunin.
'I understand why you're stuck on courting this Chuunin, Hatake… I can't wait to learn more…' Jin thought deviously, eyeing Iruka with greater interest than before.
"…What do you mean Minato's body is missing?" the Sandaime Hokage demanded when Jiraiya returned to convey the disturbing news.
"Somebody managed to steal the body and replace it with a Blood Clone. From my investigations, I can only say that it happened between the autopsy and the transfer to the tomb," Jiraiya stated.
"We had Minato's body under constant surveillance. Who could have pulled this off without any of us knowing?" the Hokage wondered.
"I don't know," the Sannin replied with frustration clear in his voice. "Whoever it was, he was thorough. He left no trace of what happened behind. Even if there was, given how much time has passed, any possible evidence wouldn't have helped."
Teacher and student glanced at each other, processing just how dire the situation was. Some person had the body of the most powerful shinobi Konoha had ever produced. It was a serious matter.
The question was… if Minato's body had been gone for so long, why hadn't they ever caught word of the Yondaime's secrets being compromised? Surely whoever stole it would have taken advantage of the secrets Minato's body had, right? Why else would anyone steal the body?
"What should we do, Sensei?" Jiraiya wondered.
"For now, we keep it silent," Sarutobi answered. "If what you've told me about Oto and Suna is true, Konoha can't afford more chaos at the moment. After we've dealt with this problem, we'll handle this one."
Jiraiya had to concede that it was a wise decision. If the villagers learned about the missing body, they would all panic, leaving the village vulnerable to Orochimaru.
"What about Naruto?" Jiraiya queried.
"Don't tell him either," the Hokage replied.
"Why not? He deserves to know," Jiraiya argued.
Sarutobi fixed his student with a look. "Tell me, Jiraiya-kun… what will Naruto do if he learns that his father's body has been stolen?"
Realization dawned on Jiraiya. "He will drop everything and hunt down the culprit instead," he confirmed. Even he could see that was the last thing they could afford, especially with Akatsuki out and about, even if Minato was there to protect the child.
Minato was strong and Jiraiya was confident that he would be more than able to defeat any of the known Akatsuki members but the Sannin could see that the blonde Hokage only held a fraction of his former power. If Minato had been at his best, Jiraiya would have never managed to land a hit on his former student.
For now, he would keep this piece of information to himself, for their sake more than anything else.
'I'll find the truth myself,' he promised himself.
Miles away from Konoha, a spark of realization flashed through the sole Sharingan eye of one Uchiha Madara.
"So the clone finally dispersed…" he mused to himself with a dark chuckle. "I expected it to happen sooner. Konoha has become truly weak if it took this many years to discover what I did, isn't that right, Minato-kun?"
The masked man turned to look at the glass coffin behind him, which was not only surrounded by a large stasis field but was also filled with a clear, regenerative fluid. Floating within the fluid was the body of one Namikaze Minato, looking exactly the way he had on the night that he had died. The main difference lay in the fact that his body no longer held any trace of battle injuries or scars. He was perfectly unmarred, the way Madara thought he should be.
"You thought you could escape me through death, Yondaime-sama, but I'll never let you go. Your life was never your own to give away… it's mine, and one day, you will know that," he said darkly, not particularly caring that he was talking to a dead body.
After all, if everything went his way, Minato wouldn't be dead for much longer…