A/N: Warning for this chapter: swearing and innuendo. Courtesy of Kiba and Jiraiya. I'll let you guess in which order.
Chapter 11
Kiba Inuzuka was irritated. After the meeting, he thought taking a walk through the village would lift his mood, but it had not helped.
But this was nothing new. Ever since hearing that his big sister had been the one to (literally) sniff out Sasuke, his irritation over his own skills kept nipping at his skin like Akamaru did during their early days together.
He was useless in the last mission. No doubt about that. All he did was get beaten up by one enemy, and kicked to oblivion by another.
He thought he was strong. Better than that dead-last Uzumaki, anyway. He could run circles around him back in the day. And he really only won in the Chūnin exams because of dumb luck and opportune bowel movements.
But since then, Naruto had only gotten stronger. He had fought Pain, the leader of Akatsuki, and had come away with mere chakra exhaustion. Kiba had read (skimmed) the report from Shizune. One that heals any injury besides total cellular destruction and severing of nerve and chakra networks.
In other words, only one jutsu in a thousand would do enough to permanently damage the guy. And even then, all he had to do was get another corpse.
That was the ability of just one of them.
Kiba knew he and Akamaru weren't just lying around – they were definitely getting stronger. But Naruto was reaching – no, had already reached another level a long time ago. And he was only getting higher.
Kiba grinned wildly, his fangs glinting in the sunlight. That irritated him. And made him extremely happy as well.
He would not give up. He'd get strong enough to stand by Naruto's side, whenever he needed him.
And Sasuke…
Kiba paused. Then nodded.
He would protect Sasuke. He had never liked the old version. But the dog-boy had no particular aversion to cats – they did not discriminate in their home – and this little cat's… spiciness reminded him of Akamaru in a way.
Plus, seeing Naruto get disciplined via claw-poking was entertaining.
Akamaru whined and nudged his hand.
Well speak of the devil.
There he was, sitting on a short dock overlooking the lake, the only other sizeable body of water in Konoha besides the Naka River. Kiba stopped, staring down the grassy slope at his comrade who looked…
Upset.
Kiba tilted his head. Then shook out his hair.
"Know-Your-Village mission huh?"
"Well Sasuke-chan, the Inuzuka are a noble clan of Konoha. We specialize in taijutsu mostly, cooperating with our ninken to pull off powerful attacks that deliver devastating damage to our enemies. Also, by focusing chakra to our noses, our senses of smell can surpass that of any other animal or shinobi in the entire world, allowing us to pick up scents from great distances."
"How far?"
"Hm, I can go for fifteen kilometres usually, and eighteen on a good day." Sasuke's ears drooped. "Oh, but don't worry Sasuke-chan! I trained hard for years to get to that level. Your distance of 70 meters is quite impressive. I was years older than you before I could smell that far."
The kitten cheered up a little. "So, to continue… well I kinda said everything, didn't I? The Inuzuka are a proud breed of warriors who use our great strength, our bonds with our beloved companions, and our superior noses to serve and protect Konoha and all its inhabitants. And I trust that it will be like that for many more generations to come."
Naruto stared. Sasuke smiled. Kiba scowled.
"I told them all that already Sis."
Hana, kneeling next to a large pen full of playing, nibbling and rolling puppies, did not even acknowledge her brother, only turned to Naruto.
"Did he say all that?"
"Uh, well…"
"He just said that the Inuzuka were the best and coolest clan in Konoha who use their totally badass skills to save all the civilians and unfortunate ninja not blessed with such awesome talent on a day to day basis."
"Sasuke – you little –!"
Now you know my pain, Kiba.
Sasuke, perched comfortably on Akamaru's back, stuck out his tongue at the fuming Inuzuka.
"You've only gotten smaller you little brat, you haven't changed one bit!"
It's nice to be understood, even if it is Kiba.
"It's your own fault for saying something so ridiculous," Hana scolded, her tone snarling for a moment, making her sound more like her mother.
That was why, despite her gentle disposition, Kiba treaded just as lightly around his big sis.
"And don't use words like 'badass' around Sasuke-chan. He's just a baby."
"But you just –!"
"Kiba," she growled.
Kiba shut up. Naruto snorted. Sasuke ignored both of them, focusing on the animals inside the pen instead.
Hana noticed his gaze. "You want to play with them?"
Sasuke stiffened, recoiling out of instinct.
"Don't be scared. They're the same as Akamaru, only a little smaller." A fresh breeze blew, rustling the grass in the large field behind the Inuzuka compound.
Naruto had never really recognised Kiba as part of a noble family until he saw how big his house was. In terms of property, he was on par with the Hyūgas.
However, most of this property was made up of a wide and open field, bordered with healthy forests for dogs and humans to run, train, or just stretch their legs.
Hana gestured towards the breezy field. "I was just about to let them out for some exercise. But if you want to play with them, you have to let them get used to you inside the pen first. Otherwise they'll just keep running away from you."
She held out her hands for the kitten. Sasuke shot a quick glance to Naruto, who gave his approval. He went to Hana, who hoisted him into the pen.
The reaction was immediate. Every puppy ran, tottered and stumbled to the other side of the pen, where they huddled together in a wary mass, watching the newcomer with obvious distrust.
Something flashed in Sasuke's eyes, something that reminded Naruto too much of his past when those eyes followed him everywhere he went.
He stepped forward. Hana held out a hand to stop him.
"Let them come to him."
Naruto waited, watching in fascination. Finally, realising that Sasuke was not going to leave, one brave puppy, a bit bigger than the rest, bounded forward.
Its fur was a deep, lustrous brown. It had a round patch over its right eye that was the shade of copper.
It was obviously the leader of the litter.
The kitten tensed as the puppy, almost matching him in height, came closer.
"It's okay," Hana said softly from behind him. "She's just going to check you out. That's how she protects her friends."
Sasuke remained still as the puppy sniffed him all over, similar to what Akamaru had done earlier, but with much more energy and less discretion.
The inspection ended abruptly with a high pitched yip and a big, wet lick on Sasuke's cheek.
Once again, the reaction was immediate.
Every puppy ran, tottered and stumbled to the kitten, licking, tugging and nibbling every part of him. Sasuke fell over, disappearing under the mass of warm, furry bodies as he was effectively dog-piled.
Kiba and Hana laughed. Naruto did too, though with a tinge of worry as he searched for any sign of black within the white, grey and brown.
Finally, Sasuke popped up for air, his hair and clothes hopelessly rumpled, but his face flushed with laughter. Naruto laughed half out of relief.
"All right," Hana opened the pen. "Go play!"
Sasuke, immediately on all fours, was ahead of them all, bounding with graceful and effortless leaps.
About midway into the field he stopped and looked back to see how far ahead he was. For his arrogance, he was immediately tackled by the puppy who had inspected him earlier, and had remained right at his heels.
Sasuke laughed and charged back, bowling over two of them. The three immediately became a rough-housing heap, with Sasuke emerging victorious. Leaving the puppies tumbling in the grass, he was off again, the rest of the pack chasing after him.
"Oh, impressive," Kiba admitted. "He's already in command."
"You mean their leader?" asked Naruto, his pride overflowing.
"No. That big one's still the leader," Kiba informed him. "He's not the same species, and he's still a newcomer. He's in command for now, but that could shift any time and to any one of them. Leader is something more permanent."
Now Naruto was the one impressed. That was the first time he heard Kiba sound knowledgeable.
The rest of the day passed out in the field. At some point Hana brought snacks for everyone and Naruto chased Kiba around the field five times for stealing his riceballs; at another, Kiba and Naruto joined in the puppies' games, only to get dog-piled in a collaborated attack orchestrated by Sasuke and the leader.
"Those dogs are smarter than they look," Naruto grumbled, falling back into the grass and nursing a few bruises.
"Ninken are different from normal dogs," Kiba grinned. "Their minds are on par with ours."
"That's not really comforting."
"Oh? I think it's awesome."
Naruto eyed his fanged grin then watched as Sasuke, the leader, and a few subordinates tackled each other in what could only be sparring matches.
Sasuke was grinning. The sun was setting, making the blue tinge in his hair stand out and gleam.
Naruto smiled, something warm filling his heart.
Kiba, who had the gnawing feeling that he was forgetting something, finally came to a decision, having observed his two guests for their entire stay. The Inuzuka was stealthy when he wanted to be. He could not call himself a shinobi or an Inuzuka otherwise.
"I'm gonna be straight out," he sat next to the blond. "I don't want the old Sasuke back. I like him just like this and I want him to stay this way."
Hana, who was preparing to lead the puppies indoors for the night, stilled. Her brother had just challenged his friend. And, in an instance so rare she could count them on one hand, he did not use brute force, but words.
He had been thinking about this for a while.
She lowered the fingers she would have used to whistle. This was important: the pups could stay out a little while longer.
Naruto said nothing. He did not move. Just as in Tsunade's office, the light in his eyes disappeared, replaced by satirical dark hues.
Kiba looked out at the sunset. It was huge, sitting right atop the Inuzuka's forest, lighting the treetops aflame with vibrant scarlet.
It was an amazing sight. Sasuke and the puppies stopped their play to watch it, though it was half because they were too tired to play anymore.
Sasuke yawned, his tail and body stretching in sync. He ended up yawning too big and losing his balance, toppling over only to be cushioned by one of his new canine friends.
Sasuke thanked him with a nose bump.
Naruto did not take his eyes off him. He knew very well that the dog-boy next to him saw the wavering film over his eyes.
He rapidly blinked it away.
Kiba was instantly irritated, which he did not hide well. Akamaru lay down next to him, watching the two with interest.
"What about you?" It was not left in the air like a question, but bluntly dropped like a large stone.
Naruto had to answer.
"Idiot." There was nothing of Naruto in that word. Not even his voice. It was mere air shaped into an insult without a beating heart behind it to make it burn.
It was the most disgusting sound Kiba had ever heard.
"Sasuke can't stay like this," he continued, breathing out cold, shaped air. "This isn't him." Those dark shades of paint that were once eyes turned slightly to look at him.
"When Kakashi-sensei and the others come back, they'll bring information about what happened to him. We'll be able to figure things out. We'll get closer to changing him back."
The corner of Naruto's lip turned up. Kiba's stomach convulsed; that thing (hell as sure wasn't a smile) on Naurto's face made him sick.
"I'll help. In any way I –"
Kiba punched him.
Sasuke, his ears standing straight from the solid thud of fist hitting flesh, whipped around. His eyes widened – Naruto was on the ground – and shrunk into pointed ellipses.
He charged on all fours, but did not make it very far.
Every inch of his tail and part of his legs were in the mouths of his newfound friends. Sasuke hissed. The leader clamped down on his ear, gnawing it softly.
That calmed him enough to throw a questioning glance to the pup. She only settled beside him, commanding the others to let Sasuke go with a short yip.
After a moment, Sasuke sat down beside his friend, watching the scene before him avidly.
If he hit Naruto again…
Kiba was screaming.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
He was livid. Naruto stared at him from where he lay in the grass, with wide eyes and a hand held reflexively to his cheek.
"I invite you into my house!" he gestured to their canine audience, "I let you play with our clan's precious children –!"
Spittle flecked onto Naruto's face. He made no move to remove it.
"I was straight out with you! And you have the nerve – the bloody balls to lie to me?! To lie to my face!"
He was shaking, veins popping in his clenched fists. His teeth were so gritted that his fangs pierced his bottom lip. Naruto's eyes followed the trickles of blood to the Inuzuka's chin, where they collected into a single drop that dripped into the spiky fur of his coat.
Kiba took a deep breath. Though his feral appearance remained unchanged, his voice was calm.
Like a wolf, waiting for its prey to show weakness.
"I'll give you a second chance." Naruto's painted eyes widened. Kiba gazed furiously at them – imposter eyes that he wanted to shred to ribbons with his claws.
"Because you are a fellow comrade of the Leaf."
The imposter's mask shattered. Naruto's eyes were his again.
Whether from surprise, sentiment or both, Kiba did not know. But he knew what was important; the imposter was gone. This Naruto would tell him the truth.
"You really want that Sasuke back?"
Naruto shook. Kiba could see him trying to turn back into the imposter, but it just wouldn't work.
Kiba smirked.
"You like being nearly killed all the time? Being told things like, 'you're a relic of my past' and 'I can kill you on a whim' and other things that are worse than a fucking curse?! Are you some sorta masochist that doesn't like being loved?"
Movement – a solid crash of knuckles on flesh – and Kiba hit the ground, his face throbbing.
Naruto, standing and holding out a bruised fist, choked.
Kiba grinned. There he was.
"Do you want this Sasuke gone?" He slowly stood.
"No." That response, quicker than his fist, shook Naruto with its force.
"Then why'd you say you'll help them change him back?" Naruto stared at him, at his growing grin. "You're a straight out guy like me man. I get you. You don't gotta lie."
His teeth gritted; his eyes plainly bore his conflict.
"It doesn't work on me. Besides, lying like that just stresses guys like us out anyway." He ended with a clumsy laugh.
Just like that, Kiba won his challenge. With eyes still in turmoil, Naruto surrendered with a silent nod.
The Inuzuka glanced away, idly wiping the blood off his chin. He was embarrassed now.
"If Kakashi-sensei really does come back with stuff to change Sasuke back, well, I'll help you with whatever you wanna do. I already decided that I'm on your side. And that I'll protect Sasuke. So… yeah!"
Akamaru made a rolling sound in his throat that sounded like he agreed. Hana secretly smiled.
Naruto slowly looked towards Sasuke, who had not taken his eyes off of them. Every muscle in the little cat's body was tense, every hair on end. His pupils were slits, and glowed slightly in the growing darkness.
Too far away to hear the details of their conversation, the kitten was none-the-less ready to tear Kiba's throat out if he put a hand on Naruto again.
"Waa," said Kiba, seeing that look in Akamaru too many times, "He's really ready to kill me over there. That's my bad, I forgot that you two are partners like us," he said, landing a few solid pats on Akamaru's neck.
And in the midst of his internal battle, Naruto smiled – Sasuke blinked – and gave the kitten a thumbs-up.
Sasuke's ears twitched and, in a motion missed if one blinked, he was running on all fours. When he leaped into Naruto's arms, the ninja was knocked back a few steps.
"Hey, I'm okay," Naruto half-laughed, wiping some dirt from his face. Sasuke purred, worriedly nosing the growing bruise on his cheek. "Hey c'mon I get beat up worse than this on most missions."
At the horror in Sasuke's eyes, Naruto knew that was the wrong thing to say.
"I – I mean –" he flashed a cocky grin, "I'm the Great Naruto Uzumaki kid!" He pointed to the risen purple flesh on his face, "A little scratch like this can't bring me down. I can take a hundred, no a thousand of these before you need to start worrying."
Sasuke blinked innocently. "Really?"
Naruto nodded. Sasuke's face softened in relief. He nuzzled his bruise again, and Naruto got a good whiff of him.
"Wouf, Sasuke you stink!"
The kitten gasped, highly offended.
His indignant response was interrupted by Hana's brisk whistle, which also hid her smile.
"They all need a bath. Sasuke-chan should come too, we've got extra washbasins."
"Hey Kiba."
It was night.
"Huh?"
The stars twinkled in a cloudless sky and a cool breeze blew.
"How'd you know about that stuff Sasuke said?"
Sasuke was sleeping, huddled together with the litter of freshly bathed puppies on soft blankets. The leader lay over his waist, looking protective even in sleep.
"What stuff?"
The babies' bellies were full of warm milk and they slept deeply, embraced by warmth inside and out. Naruto did not want to disturb them, but he knew he had to.
"That stuff like 'I can kill you on a whim.'" Those words choked him slightly, but he did not show it.
Kiba glanced at him. Naruto nonchalantly scratched at his shirtless chest.
"Sai."
Naruto's eyebrow twitched. He only said one word. "Why?"
"He wanted to know if you were a masochist."
Naruto slowly turned to face the dog-boy. "What."
"Yeah. He was just starting to understand about bonds and stuff. But then he wondered if what he saw between you and Sasuke were bonds, or masochism on your side."
Naruto stared.
Kiba scratched his temple. "He almost came to you first, but then he thought that Sakura might hit him. So he came to me. Something about the both of us being loud and dickless. I punched him."
Naruto continued to stare. Oh, he would find Sai tomorrow and have a nice long 'chat' with him.
But first he had to deal with Kiba.
"So."
"So?"
Sasuke turned, mewling softly in his sleep.
"What'd you tell him?"
"That when it comes to your tastes, you prefer the whip and –"
In a quick moment, Naruto sat atop of Kiba, raising a fist to cave his face in. Akamaru, who lay next to the litter's bed, made no move to help his partner.
"Bonds! Bonds! I told him about bonds!"
"I don't believe you," Naruto cocked his fist back further.
Kiba's smile faltered. He really was in no position to defend himself. "I swear I did. You can ask Sai yourself." Kiba's eyes widened. "On second thought, don't ask him. I got kinda sappy."
Naruto managed to keep a straight face for two seconds before it crumpled into laughter. He got off the Inuzuka just as the door to the den opened.
Hana walked in, carrying Naruto's freshly cleaned clothes.
Naruto, only in his boxers, was grateful. The puppies' shed was warm, but sitting out in his underwear was still a little uncomfortable.
"Sorry about that. When Dōmaru got away from me, I didn't expect her to jump into Sasuke's bath like that. You really got drenched."
"No mind, no mind," Naruto muttered, quickly getting dressed. Being naked in front of Hana was more than a little embarrassing, though she genuinely did not mind, having seen Kiba in boxers and less all the time. The dog-boy had no shame in his own house, despite the many yellings, beatings, and thrown objects at his head he received from his mother and sister.
Naruto glanced at the puppy lying over Sasuke. It had surprised him that the leader of the litter, Dōmaru, was a 'she'.
"I'll bring back Kiba's baby clothes tomorrow."
"Oh, keep it," Hana smiled, though it was more at Kiba's crimson blush than anything else. She handed over Sasuke's clean clothes in a paper bag.
"Orange," Kiba smirked.
"Shut it." He turned to Hana. "It's really okay that I keep it?"
"Kiba's not going to wear it anymore, and at the rate he's going no one else will either."
"What's that mean Sis!" Kiba's voice cracked.
"You see?" she sighed, shrugging helplessly to Naruto, who laughed.
It was short-lived and half-hearted.
Kiba turned to him. "Oi, Naruto, you're not still –"
"I've gotta get going."
He reached for Sasuke, trying to pull him discreetly out of the furry mass huddled closely around him.
Obviously, this failed.
One by one the puppies, sensing something amiss, started whining even before they opened their eyes.
Dōmaru tried to hold on to Sasuke with her front paws, but Naruto was too strong. Her eyes shot open as Sasuke was pulled free and she scrambled over her siblings, barking at the one responsible.
Akamaru threw one deep boom of a bark at them and the litter instantly settled down, though they stared at Naruto with forlorn eyes.
Dōmaru whined. Sasuke reacted; his ears twitched and his eyes slid halfway open. From where he lay in Naruto's arms, he glanced down at his friend and tugged on Naruto's shirt, pulling him to crouch.
After an affectionate nose bump, Sasuke's eyes closed. Dōmaru gave Naruto a sour look as he straightened.
"I'll bring him back to play some time," he promised. Dōmaru, unable to pick up the scent of any lies, was mollified. She made to follow Naruto out, but Hana stopped her, putting her and the rest of the litter back to bed.
Kiba walked him out to Konoha's streets. Before the blond leaped for the rooftops, he threw a short glance to his host.
"Thanks."
He was gone before Kiba could smirk.
The dog-boy returned to his compound. Akamaru trotted out to meet him, meaning that his Sis managed to get the kids sleeping again, or at least calmed down.
"Looks like the Inuzuka clan's part of Sasuke's Know-Your-Village tour was a success."
"Yeah," he chuckled. "The kid's pretty all right –"
Kiba froze.
He knew he had forgotten something.
"However," the voice came from his left. Kiba felt a familiar shudder crawl over his skin like a hundred insects. Ironic, really.
"I cannot congratulate you. Why? Because you forgot about our arrangements to take Sasuke out for barbecue, and have him properly meet all of us. Together."
Kiba flinched, feeling more presences show up. "Uh, yeah…"
"That was quite unyouthful, hoarding little Sasuke and Naruto-kun here all to yourself."
"W-well, I really didn't expect them to stay that long –"
"And it looked like Sasuke was sleeping," Tenten sighed, "I wanted to get to hold him at least once."
"Tsunade-sama said that Sasuke should eat more meat, but you ruined his diet Kiba."
"Chōji, you just really wanted barbecue for yourself," Tenten quipped.
"We shall still eat barbecue. Why? Because I already made reservations, it would be rude to waste –"
"How'd you guys know Naruto was here, anyway?" Kiba had long learned to ignore the flare of annoyance and hurt that rose from Shino whenever he was interrupted.
"Um… I…"
"Oh, Hinata. Shoulda known."
"Sorry Kiba-kun, but I sort of wanted to hold Sasuke-chan too."
"What is up with you guys and holding him?"
"Um… well… he's really cute." Kiba was about to pry, but she was blushing, so he ended up sighing instead.
"Sai-sama? There are many things happening here that I do not understand."
"Don't worry Tori, I'll explain them all to you later. Everyone. It's almost time for our reservation."
"Oh, right, just lemme get –"
"You are no longer invited, Kiba," Shino said coolly. "Why? The purpose of the barbecue was to have everyone start on common ground. But you forgot about us and hoarded baby Sasuke, thereby one-upping us in the Know-Your-Village mission. Therefore, you have no reason to attend."
"Wha – but I –"
They left.
Kiba was sad, until he went to bed and promptly forgot about the entire incident ten minutes later.
While the structure of government in the Village Hidden in the Leaves worked with a standard of fairness towards all shinobi, there were some positions of office that undeniably held certain perks.
The Hokage's advisor was one of them.
Besides the greatly improved living quarters and lofty status, one had a perfectly viable excuse to see the most beautiful Hokage the Leaf has ever produced any day, any time of day, and for any reason, even if it was no reason at all.
This was the one perk that Jiraiya had no problems taking advantage of.
He had never been made to regret it.
Though standing stunned under the unbelievable words Tsunade had just spoken to him did make him wish he had at least had dinner before coming to see her.
But that would have ruined his pretence for asking her out. Not a date, two government officials eating out together on one of Konoha's lovely evenings could not be called a date.
At least that was what Tsunade was still naïve enough to believe. It was one of her rare strains of cuteness that Jiraiya found endearing, and quite easy to take advantage of.
Unknowingly, however, her words had saved her from the 'platonic' outing.
Jiraiya's invitation died on his tongue, leaving silence and insensible mutterings in its ashes. Finally, an all-intelligent response pulled itself through the decay of past propositions and into the light.
"What?"
Tsunade frowned. She sat at her desk, her fingers folded beneath her chin, the setting sun giving her hair a burning glow.
"You heard me."
"Yeah. But I can't believe it," came the candid response. Tsunade's frown deepened. Jiraiya blinked rapidly.
"Tsuande, you want to give me Danzō's arm?"
"In layman's terms, yes."
Jiraiya's lone arm flopped limply to his side. "No."
Tsunade was flabbergasted. "Why?"
"It's Danzō's arm," he said; that statement alone explaining the great waves of disgust that churned his empty stomach. "For one thing, Naruto would never forgive me!"
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. Jiraiya stiffened. They were the same in terms of raw speed, but Tsunade could augment hers much more easily than he could.
In other words, if she came after him, he had a very slim chance of escaping.
"I said in layman's terms, Jiraiya. Surely you can understand the nuances."
"That doesn't mean I have to like them."
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Now you're just being stubborn. I told you that I completely separated my grandfather's cells from Danzō's. None of Danzō's cells are going to be in the replica arm I'm making for you."
"But you still harvested the cells from…"
"Yes. That arm was my only source."
"And you're using the bone structure and tissue –"
"All right, yes. I'm using that arm as my basic blueprint. It's the best I have to work with. But the base of your arm will be my grandfather's cells… a.. ..ll a.. m..uf..y..wn."
"What?" Her voice had gotten soft there, parts of the words falling away into nothing. "What was that last part?"
Tsunade 'tch'ed' and averted her eyes, her cheeks very, very slightly pink. She would swear on her three foot stack of gambling debts that the colour came from her make-up.
"I put some of my cells in there. The vitality of grandpa's cells could fool anyone, and would have more than sufficed, but I felt the arm would be more stable if some cells came from someone alive. It's probably unnecessary but I didn't want to take any chances. This way, you probably won't have to keep fighting against grandpa's chakra like Danzō did, and you won't have to wear those braces and… stop looking at me like that dammit!"
Jiraiya was smiling at her like Dan had smiled at her a lifetime ago. And it was starting to make her feel the same way.
"You're wonderful, Tsunade." It was said as a simple truth. Tsunade's heart did not beat too fast; those kinds of things were for Sakura to experience now. It was past her time.
Her pulse did become a little stronger though.
But Jiraiya's smile was fading, and the beat of her heart mellowed with it.
"You still don't want it?"
The corners of Jiraiya's mouth tightened. "I understand that the arm itself won't have anything of Danzō. But…"
"But?" Tsunade encouraged.
"It still feels like he's helping me somehow. I can't stand that."
"Because of Naruto?"
Jiraiya lowered his eyes. "I didn't say anything. Danzō stood right there, humiliating Naruto, degrading Naruto, and I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything."
"That's only because I was busy saying everything. And then I crushed the same boy I tried so hard to defend. I'm far worse than you, Jiraiya."
"That's not true. You still said something. I just –"
"What could you have said?" Jiraiya fell silent. "As much as I'm loathe to admit it, Danzō had us. Nothing you said could have helped. You're a top-level shinobi. We're not the type to say pointless things."
"It wouldn't have been pointless. It would have let Naruto know that I believed in him, that I acknowledge and value his efforts, that I –"
"Stop." Jiraiya did. "When has Naruto ever doubted that?" She pointed a finger at herself. "I'm the one he doubted and hid from afterwards. He's always been open to you."
She leaned forward, unconsciously showing more of her cleavage than she wanted. Jiraiya could not even enjoy the view.
"That boy loves you. The day he doubts you is the day he acknowledges that ramen did not descend from heaven."
Jiraiya could not help a chuckle. He smiled, some of the heaviness in his features lifting. One weight remained, however.
"I still don't think he'll forgive me for letting Danzō help me like that."
"I don't think he's that spiteful, Jiraiya."
"It's not that, I just –"
"All right. I'll summon him here and ask him myself."
"What? No!"
"No?" her voice was flat. "I'm the Hokage, Jiraiya. I do have some authority to do as I please."
Jiraiya finally snapped. "Is there some mission you want me to go on or something? Why do you want me to get this arm so bad?" Tsunade froze. Jiraiya shrugged helplessly. "I'm not the only shinobi in the village who's lost an arm. A normal prosthetic will work fine. Why are you going so far for me?"
Tsunade's eyes moved slightly as she searched for an answer.
Finally, with flawless diplomacy, she spoke. "Strength. For all that Danzō was, he was strong. The Hokage's advisor is also his support. If you're not at full strength, you won't be an asset."
"You're saying that Homura and Koharu are at satisfying strength? The last time I saw them fight they were barely past Naruto's level. Even with one arm I'm still –"
"You're stronger than them, true. But you aren't…" her voice was steady. But somewhere, an undertone shattered.
"You aren't strong."
He knew better than to respond with the first pulse of indignant anger that rocked through him. He wanted the words he spoke to her now and onwards to be untainted by emotions that would fade. But, no matter how much time passed, he was sure that these next words would always be true.
"That's the worst you've ever insulted me, Tsunade."
Tsunade pressed her lips together. "It's true," she shot it out harder than she wanted. "Like this – you aren't strong like you were before. You're not the Jiraiya I knew before."
"I'm still –"
"I know. You are strong."
"You're contradicting yourself."
"I forget!" She was standing, her palms pressing dents into her desk, staring at him with wide eyes that were always too honest.
"I forget sometimes. You have one arm Jiraiya. You lost your arm when you should have lost your life. And when I look at you now, I think about how close you came to dying, I think about how I just let you act cool one last time and stride off to your final battle, and I feel bad for you. I feel bad for myself. And…
"I forget how strong you truly are.
"And I'll keep forgetting. And soon it'll be natural, and I won't remember at all. I don't – I won't let that to happen. I need you to get that arm… so that I can't forget."
Quiet settled in the office; silence into which the sound of Tsunade's breathing permeated. She stared down at her desk, unable to look at Jiraiya. After saying all she had, there was no way she could look him in the eye.
Jiraiya came to her.
Slowly, softly, his steps stirring the silence into something lighter. Something that made it easier to breathe. A moment after the steps stopped, right in front of her, a rough palm gently touched her face. She looked right into the same smile as before. This time, she could not yell, or say anything at all.
"You're an idiot, Tsunade." She took no offence to that. "These days, that seems to be true of all the people I'm fond of. I wonder if it's because I'm an idiot too."
With a tenderness that made something in Tsunade's chest tremble, he brushed a lock of hair from her face.
"All right then," his voice dropped to a deep husk. "If it'll make an idiot like you feel better, I'll get the arm."
He was stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. Tsunade stood still, mesmerised by his touch.
"But more than that, I'll live everyday by your side," he was drawing closer, and Tsunade did not stop him, "and I will make sure," they were inches apart, "that you will never forget."
Tsunade came to her senses then and jerked back, banging her chair into the wall behind it. Jiraiya smirked.
"Damn. Almost had you that time."
"You old pervert!" Tsunade yelled. No amount of make-up could have explained the redness of her face. "You just never quit, do you?!"
"Nope," Jiraiya chuckled, then turned serious for just a moment. "I meant every word I said though. I told you before, I'm not leaving you. I'll stay by your side the rest of your life, as your advisor, as your friend…" he paused. Tsunade stared. "… and as anything else you want me to be," he finished with a smile and a shrug.
Tsunade scowled. Her cheeks were still too red. "Well, that's good enough for now, I guess."
Jiraiya unlocked the door to his apartment. The stump that had once been his left arm ached with phantom pain.
In the end, he never did ask her out for dinner. His stomach grumbled – looked like he was eating alone tonight. Nothing new.
He opened the door and stepped into his home, shaking his head to rid it of its gloominess. There was tomorrow. There were all the tomorrows for the rest of his life. He'd get another chance.
The first thing to hit him was the aromatherapy coming from the decorated pot of incense near the door. He sighed, and doused the thing with water from one of the vases filled with freshly picked flowers. His living quarters had been upgraded since his promotion. He now lived in a top floor penthouse, in a building almost as tall as the Hokage's tower. One thing he could say, the housekeeping staff here did their jobs too well.
He sighed again. The extravagance really did not suit him, but Tsunade insisted. He supposed this was her way of being grateful that he wasn't dead, as well as a punishment for leaving her and walking off to his death like a nihilistic hero.
No, this was strictly a punishment. Tsunade knew well that all he wanted was a roof over his head, a desk or good floor on which to work on his novels, and a warm, soft place to rest his head at the end of the day. Now if only she had accepted his offer to be that warm and soft place, that would have been the perfect… apology…?
Jiraiya stared. Opposite his front door was a large, curved window. Sitting inside the window frame, with one leg dangling outside was a very familiar blond apprentice, stroking the head of a now-just-as-familiar kitten who slept in his lap.
Jiraiya closed the door behind him.
Naruto did not turn around. He simply stared outside at the sprawl of shorter buildings with shadowed eyes.
When Jiraiya did not move for a few minutes, the apprentice spoke.
"Do whatever you want Ero-sennin. Take a shower, eat, even sleep if you need to. I don't mind." The hand stroking Sasuke's head trembled in mimicry of his wavering voice.
"But." He stopped and tried to clear his throat silently. It was futile. Jiraiya heard him. "But (his voice did not sound any more solid) if you've got any time at all, can we talk, Ero-sennin?"
And suddenly, all phantom aches disappeared, and Jiraiya's hunger vanished.
It never ceased to amaze Naruto just how different Konoha looked at night. The people, the buildings, even the winds that blew felt different; darker, cooler, charged with a different energy.
It was not a bad thing. In fact, it created the perfect ambience for the Master and Student who sat amidst the Fourth's stony locks to talk.
Though, they did not do so right as they arrived. A good ten minutes passed before one of them spoke.
"Ah! Look!"
Jiraiya looked. All the former students of his godson's generation, except for those on the mission with Kakashi, were entering Yakiniku Q.
"Oh look the Tori girl's there too," he noted.
"Who? Ah! That Sai bastard has a girlfriend?!"
"It's not really like that –"
"Quiet Nawuto."
"Hehe, sorry 'suke."
They settled into silence again, though Naruto soon started grumbling.
"They could've invited me."
"It's too late to invite you somewhere, Naruto," Jiraiya informed him.
"What d'you mean? I'm not a hundred percent but I don't need nearly as much sleep as before…" he faltered at Jiraiya's stern look. It was the one where he wanted him to figure out something painfully obvious on his own.
Naruto thought on it, absently stroking the sleeping Sasuke's head.
Stroking Sasuke's…
"Oh."
"Yup. You've got considerate friends. You're lucky."
"Hehe…"
Silence reigned for the third time that night. It was a cloudless night; if Sasuke was awake, they could watch the stars together.
Naruto blinked. He never thought that this would be the capacity in which he finally understood Shikamaru's cloud gazing.
"Naruto." The boy turned to his sensei expectantly. Jiraiya leaned back a little. "Start."
"Huh?"
"Talking."
"Huh…?"
Jiraiya's hand jerked upward, aiming for his forehead, but fell to his side before reaching it.
"You called me out here to talk. So talk."
Naruto blinked twice; the second time was slow with pure anxiety clouding his eyes. The corners of Jiraiya's mouth grew a little tighter.
Naruto swallowed audibly and deeply, as though trying to swallow an army's courage in one gulp.
"You know, today Sasuke had ramen for the first time. He really liked it."
"I see," Jiraiya's voice, gentle and patient, soothed Naruto's heart more than he could ever say.
"I was nervous, 'cause I thought he wouldn't, 'cause the old him never seemed to like ramen. I watched him eat it and I – I felt so…" he moved his arm, trying to think of a word, "… so warm, and peaceful, and happy. Feeling that way just from watching someone eat is kinda weird but…"
Naruto laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his head.
"I ended up giving him all of my pork. Just like you do with me, Ero-sennin."
"All of it?" Jiraiya could not help asking.
Naruto rephrased. "Well, all he could eat anyway. I forgot his stomach's a lot smaller now."
"I see."
Naruto paused, staring out at the artificially lit buildings below. Jiraiya waited quietly. With a short nod to himself, he inhaled a large volume of cold night air. The warmed air left his mouth in a faint cloud.
"Iruka-sensei was there. He got Shizune's report, and he asked about Pain. So I told him: what Pain was trying to do, what Pain believed about the world. I told him about the cycle of hatred. And I realised something."
And then the world grew silent; a testament to the heaviness of the words Naruto was about to speak.
"I realised that I'm just like him."
The world was still silent. But the colours were fading. Jiraiya knew he was sitting on stone, but for the moment, he could not feel anything beneath him. His hair was moving, but he could not feel the wind that blew it.
All that echoed in his world were his godson's horrible words, words that he himself vehemently denied every single day since their encounter with Pain.
Jiraiya, over the course of his long life, had lost a total of four students; one to causes unknown, two to overwhelming grief and subsequent madness, and the last to the very beast sealed within the boy sitting beside him.
Jiraiya had sworn that it would not happen again; sworn that he would not lose Naruto; not to death; not to twisted 'ideals' about saving the world.
"Why would you say that?" it was a whisper. Naruto did not answer. "You," his voice shook with dread emotion. Naruto's shoulders twitched.
"You are nothing like Nagato."
"I am."
"You will never be like Nagato!"
"I already –"
"Why? Why would you say that?"
Naruto looked down at the sleeping Sasuke and gently stroked his ears, eliciting contented purrs. He smiled, "He's still the weirdest thing I've ever seen," and said in a voice half-resigned,
"I love him, Ero-sennin."
Now Jiraiya was confused. Naruto saw his look and scowled, looking like his normal self for just a moment.
"It's not like that boring crap you write about."
If it was it would be illegal.
Jiraiya, tossing out his useless thought, clarified, "I wasn't thinking that, you idiot. I just can't see how loving Sasuke would mean that you're just like Nagato."
Naruto lifted his hand from Sasuke, his eyes shining with their earlier anxiety.
"Pain – no, Nagato and Konan were your students, right? Yahiko too."
"Yeah."
"Nagato and Konan really loved Yahiko, right? Yahiko died, and that's probably what made Nagato and Konan what they are now, right?"
Jiraiya was finally beginning to understand. "Naruto, wait –"
But Naruto rushed ahead, his thoughts flying out his mouth beyond his control.
"If Sasuke died I'd be the same way. If someone hurt Sasuke, if someone killed Sasuke…"
Naruto's face became blank, his eyes still shining. His words contradicted his expression, becoming louder, flowing faster, carrying with them deeper, darker, more manic emotion.
"They'd die. I'd rip them apart. Gouge out their eyes. Tear the flesh off their bones with my bare hands. Do anything, do everything to get my revenge, to make them suffer, to force them to feel… (Naruto swallowed and his voice shrunk to a chilling quiet)… to know my pain."
He expected Jiraiya to say something then. He did not.
"I get Nagato. If Yahiko meant that much to him, as much as Sasuke means to me, I get him. That's why I'm just like him."
He turned to his sensei, his eyes wide with terror. "I'm dangerous, Ero-sennin. I love Sasuke too much. If something happened to him, I'd completely lose it; I wouldn't be able to –"
And then a large, warm, calloused hand rested on his trembling shoulder, and Naruto stopped.
"Let me start by telling you one thing." Jiraiya met his eyes; they were so warm that Naruto could not look away.
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way you feel about Sasuke."
Naruto's lips parted, but he could not speak.
"Loving him too much? There's no such thing. Your love is what saved him. If you regret that, it's a lethal blow to Sasuke's very existence right now; an existence devoid of hate and free of the darkness."
A dark shade, heavily painted, lifted from Naruto's eyes, but there were still many more layers underneath it.
"What if someone hurts him? Ero-sennin, I really will –"
"Like I said, Naruto. There is nothing wrong with the way you feel."
Naruto shook. "But, but…"
"If your love for Sasuke did not exist, neither would your hatred." Jiraiya's eyes darkened as he looked out over Konoha, not seeing the village at all. He was somewhere else entirely.
"When Nagato went after you, I…" Naruto's eyes grew huge. Jiraiya blinked, and with a brisk shake of his head he returned from Amegakure. "If Sasuke got hurt, or killed, your hatred will only prove how much you love him. I cannot call something like that a bad thing."
"B-but Ero-sennin, you said –!"
"That there's too much hatred in this world, right?" Naruto shut up and nodded vigorously. "Exactly. You said you get Nagato. What do you think happened to the man who killed Yahiko then?"
"He's dead," Naruto answered without hesitation.
Jiraiya nodded, also leaving no pause for silence.
"It's certain Nagato already killed the man responsible for Yahiko's death. Yet his hatred did not diminish. It simply moved, from hatred of that man, to hatred of the entire shinobi world. He became twisted, believing that to achieve true peace, millions must be slaughtered. Hatred uncontrolled and uninhibited grew into frightful ambition, creating the Pain we know today.
"He is not the only one. The Sasuke of old was a victim to this hatred. And so are countless others. They become consumed by it, twisted, just like Nagato. It has been part of the shinobi way since shinobi first existed. Even the war that took Nagato's parents and Yahiko from him was birthed from some old hatred between lands, between nations, between shinobi."
"A cycle of hatred," Naruto whispered.
"Yes. To achieve peace, an end must be put to it. We shinobi must find a way to rise above it."
Naruto looked down at Sasuke. His fat cheeks pink from the cool night air, his soft hair gently tousled in sleep, his face so sweet in blissful peace.
"I can't do it. I'll still hate whoever hurts him."
"I'll never forgive you if you don't." Jiraiya was completely serious.
Naruto swallowed. A sound knocked around in his throat that was a crude imitation of a laugh.
"This stuff's still pretty hard, Ero-sennin," he finally admitted.
"Yes," Jiraiya seamlessly agreed. "It is. Even hatred can be righteous." The Sage exhaled. "Even so, I don't believe it will consume you or corrupt you or destroy you like it did Nagato."
He turned to his student with a gaze fully confident.
"I know you won't go down Nagato's path."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because you're Naruto. Naruto can, Naruto will find a way to peace. I entrusted that to him. So I know he'll do it, because he's an idiot who can't help but do what his Master tells him."
Naruto turned away so Jiraiya would not see his eyes watering. Damn wind.
He looked back when he felt something rest on his shoulder. He took the book from his sensei, flipping casually through it.
"What's this?"
"My Will of sorts." Naruto stared. It was Jiraiya's turn to look away, but neither that nor the red markings decorating his face managed to hide the faint rise of crimson in his cheeks.
"You can read it with Sasuke when you have the chance." Naruto looked horrified. Jiraiya looked stricken. "I wouldn't give you a book like that to read with Sasuke! How perverted do you think I am?!"
Naruto opened his mouth. "Do not. Answer that." Naruto closed his mouth and tucked the book in the waistband of his pants.
"By the way, your kitten seems to have found his own way to deal with hatred," Jiraiya noted. "Care to share?"
Naruto smiled, more than happy to share the unique strength of a baby that the adult had never been able to find.
At the end of it, Jiraiya looked genuinely impressed.
"That's something. So he can't hate Itachi because that would be like hating you?"
"Yeah. Something like that."
"That's not something a baby could come up with, Naruto."
"I don't think he came up with it. He was just saying what he felt. Sasuke's a pretty emotional guy ya know."
"Really?"
"Yeah. That's why he had to be all blank and moody all the time. He feels more strongly about stuff than other people. So he always tried to hide it."
Jiraiya was staring at him. "You always knew that?"
Naruto shook his head in a rare stance of humility. "I actually only figured it out while Sasuke was (his features faded a little) mourning his clan."
"Oh."
"He cried and cried for so long… That's when I got it."
Naruto laughed. Its bitterness shook Jiraiya.
"You know, I always thought I knew him best. I thought I knew how much he hurt over the death of his clan. His parents. I didn't know anything. I never even thought about how much he would have cried back then. I didn't think about it at all."
Naruto's jaw set, his eyes turned to steel.
"I'm going to end Itachi." Jiraiya was silent, his expression unchanged. He did not even blink. "Train me until I'm strong enough to do it, Ero-sennin."
"For revenge?"
Naruto took a long time to answer. "I don't know what this is," he finally responded. "All I know is that, after all he's done, Itachi can't go around living and doing as he wants. He needs to be stopped. Sasuke can't do it now, so I'll take his place. I'll do it for Sasuke and his clan."
The idiot meant it. His eyes were shining just like that time, when a kid bandaged up in a hospital bed just for a moment became strong enough to make a legendary Sannin rethink his words.
"Yeah," Jiraiya felt no compunctions over his deceit. It was for Naruto's sake, as well as Sasuke's. When Itachi died, both of them would be truly free.
"I'll train ya kid. You'll get stronger than me."
That was not a lie.
Jiraiya made to call it a night, when his eyes flicked to something that was bothering him for a while now.
"What's this?" he tapped the medicine patch on Naruto's cheek.
"Oh, Kiba punched me."
"Ok. Why?"
"Because I was being a bastard."
Jiraiya stared. Naruto stared back, and smiled.
"Naruto."
"Yeah?"
"Elaborate. Or I'll punch you."
Naruto flinched. He had not forgotten that one punch from his master knocked Pain into oblivion, and most of his teeth into Amegakure's Great Lake.
"Well, I insulted him. He invited me and Sasuke into his house and –"
"For the Know-Your-Village mission?"
"Yeah, probably. Anyway, he asked me something, and I lied to him. So he punched me."
"What'd he ask you?"
A shudder shook Naruto's body. Before Jiraiya's eyes could go wide, the blond smiled a fake smile that could rival Sai's. He looked out at Konoha, doggedly keeping his eyes from meeting his master's.
"Hey, Ero-sennin." His voice was too bright, even for Naruto. Jiraiya could already feel himself prickle with anger. If this high-pitched, artificial self was what he showed to Kiba, it was no wonder he was hit.
"Kakashi-sensei's gonna come back real soon, right? When he does, we'll be able to fix what happened to Sasuke. That's good."
"Naruto." Stop. Just stop. That smile is nauseating.
"It's good that we're gonna be able to change him back. It's good that we can even get rid of his amnesia. He'll remember everything again. He'll be the way Sasuke is supposed to be. He'll be the real Sasuke again."
For a moment, Jiraiya said nothing, silently waiting for his bristling anger to pass.
Finally, when he trusted himself to speak, he made one simple statement.
"The real Sasuke, huh."
Naruto nodded, keeping his neck rigid and his eyes on the village walls.
"What does that mean – the real Sasuke?"
"Well, what Sasuke was before, um, you know, a rude, strong, arrogant bastard. The first person I've ever had a bond with."
"I see. He was fed hatred, tainted by darkness, and driven to partake of polluted power. You're saying then, that an avenger steeped in darkness was the real Sasuke?"
"Well, yeah, I –" Naruto stopped. He needed to think a bit on this one. "I never wanted Sasuke to go to the darkness," he finally decided on. "I wanted him to be happy and live in the village as a comrade. But," he shook his head, his eyes dulling with pain, "I can't say that Sasuke didn't choose it for himself. He became an avenger. He went to the darkness. The Sasuke I saw at Orochimaru's hideout was bad. Really bad. But he wasn't fake. In that moment, that was the real Sasuke."
"So why try to save him? Why try to bring someone really bad back to Konoha?"
"Because this is where he belongs!" Naruto yelled, already braced for the claw-poke to his stomach. He only winced, but continued more quietly, "Konoha's his home he – he just didn't want to acknowledge that. He said he broke our bonds, but bonds can only break from both sides! (Another claw-poke. Naruto endured it.) Even if – even if he became an international criminal that targeted the Hokage, no, all the Kage, I wouldn't give up on him! I'd still try to bring him back to the village! I'd still have a bond with him! It'd be tough, I'd have to fight the real him over and over again until – until – until the real him changed! Until the real him turned from the darkness and revenge and insanity and became… became… the person who has a home, who has friends, who serves and loves his village… the person who's best for him."
Naruto stroked between Sasuke's ears; the kitten was growling now, having riddled Naruto's stomach with puncture marks to no effect. Only when he went from growling to purring, and finally fell into deep sleep again, did Jiraiya speak.
"You'd keep fighting huh? True. When it comes to Sasuke, that's all you've ever done." Jiraiya glanced sideways at him with a smile. "That's what you've kept on doing, even now."
"What? Wait, I can't fight Sasuke like this!" he gestured to the sleeping child in his lap. "I'd kill him!"
"I don't mean physically. Ever since you found him, with words, with emotions, with just being there, you've been fighting to save him from the darkness. And you won."
The tension fled Naruto's shoulders. He never knew how much he wanted to hear those three words until Jiraiya spoke them. Something warm and wet was rolling down his face – must be raining.
Jiraiya's smile grew warmer. A thick, battle-scarred finger slowly lifted and pointed at an untainted face that innocently slept.
"Sasuke faced his clan's death. He faced Itachi. And, with you by his side, he made new choices. Different, but his own. His will does not lack in front of his 'before' self. Just like the old one, this Sasuke will walk his path and see it through to the end." He gripped Naruto's shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"So you can acknowledge him. You're not betraying anyone. Whatever form he takes, your loyalty still lies where it always has, with the real Sasuke."
"It's okay then?" Naruto bundled the kitten up, suddenly hugging him close. "I know! The right thing to do is to change him back. But still," he whispered thickly, scared to bring these words to existence, "part of me – all of me wants him to stay here, like this, with me, a little while longer. Is that really okay, Ero-sennin? It's not selfish at all?"
"Oh, it's definitely selfish." Jiraiya never minced words with Naruto. The boy's expression crumpled a bit. "But then, most issues concerning love are. It's not necessarily a bad thing."
"So…?"
Jiraiya sighed. "As long as you get that we have to change him back, there's nothing wrong with wanting him to stick around a bit longer. I mean hey, the kid's cute."
And Naruto laughed, finally looking like his true self. "Yeah, yeah! I mean, I'd want to change back too, if I was in his place so… That's what I think too! Uh, I mean, geez you're better at saying this stuff. You're more… uh…"
"Eloquent?"
"Yeah! So, um," Naruto was blushing. Jiraiya smirked, amused. "Um, when the bastard really does change back though, um, do you think he'll try to kill me?"
"Oh, his embarrassment and shame will be a wicked force, and as the sole carrier of blame, you will most definitely be killed."
Naruto's complexion turned grey. "Yeah. Thought so. But for now," his voice shrunk as his blush returned. He glanced sideways at Jiraiya, almost coy as he pointed to himself. "Um, I'm the best for Sasuke? Sasuke's really happy with me?"
"The best, huh," Jiraiya pinched his chin, his eyes appraising. Naruto unconsciously sat up straighter. "Nope. Not yet. You need a lot of work." Naruto posture crumpled, dark depression hanging in an almost visible aura around him. "But, that can be fixed," Jiraiya quickly ameliorated. "And Sasuke's not just happy with you. I'd say it's his joy. In case you haven't noticed, he kinda loves you, ya know."
"H-hey!" at Jiraiya's mimicry, Naruto laughed. Sasuke, in his sleep, did not scold him for it.
It was okay if Naruto was loud when he laughed.
"Then I won't have anymore regrets, Ero-sennin. I'll take care of him, and raise him, and I'll become a really, really awesome ninja so that I can protect him. I won't let anyone hurt him. Not Akatsuki, not Pain, not Itachi, not anyone. And, if he stays like this for a really long time I'll – I'll even let him become Hokage! I'll be Hokage first, and then when he grows up and gets strong enough I'll pass it on to him. And I'll be his advisor and stay by his side, just like you and Baa-chan. Yeah, we'll both be Hokage. We'll – we'll – aw dammit I'm crying! Seriously what's with me…I'm like Bushy-Brows crying like this! Dammit… geez…"
The circles Ero-sennin rubbed into his back only made him cry more. His master very well knew this, and only smiled softly as Naruto wailed in honest joy.
Sasuke slept, Jiraiya smiled, and Naruto cried.
So in that simple perfection, the night concluded.
A/N: I agree Naruto, hatred is pretty hard. These conversations with Jiraiya were a bit tough to get through – I hope I did okay with them.
As always, favourite, follow and review as you like.
Thanks for reading and see you all next time!