Jiraiya's Return
Dairuko and Itachi left the Hidden Mist village early the next morning- thanks to Dairuko's midnight brawl- but Itachi had decided to make a stop before they actually left.
"So why're we here?" Dairuko asked looking up at the modest looking house while Itachi knocked on the door.
"I'm saying goodbye to some people." Itachi said and the door opened to an elderly couple.
"Itachi-san, what brings you here so early?" the old woman asked.
"Sugimoto-san, I apologise for disturbing your sleep but, I just came by to say that I'm leaving and I wanted to say goodbye."
"Ah soka… so that must be the Dairuko you spoke about." The old man pointed at Dairuko.
"Yes Jinpachi-san… that's Dairuko."
"Yes I am, Senju Dairuko." Dairuko stepped in with a smile.
"I see what you mean. He looks like that type of person."
"I told you."
"Wait what?" Dairuko asked. "What'd you say about me?" Dairuko asked turning to Itachi. "What'd he say about me?" he asked as he turned to the couple. "Whatever he said, it's a lie! Unless it was something good, then it was true, so totally true."
"We must be going now, I'm afraid, I hope we'll see each other again." Itachi bowed.
"Indeed, Itachi-san, remember our door is always open for you." Sugimoto smiled and the two shinobi walked out the village.
"No, really, what'd you tell them?" Dairuko asked once they were away from the village. Itachi just smiled to himself.
"Itachi, since you won't tell me what you told that couple about me, perhaps you'd help me out and tell me who they were?" Dairuko asked.
"They are Uchiha; they left the clan and Konoha when the idea to overthrow the village was still just a rumour. They've since just lived in the Mist." Itachi said.
"Oh, well, then… you're not alone anymore."
"I was never alone, Dairuko." Itachi said with a smile and placed his hand on Dairuko's shoulder.
Back in the village Natsuki played with Keiko while waiting for Dairuko and Itachi to return to the village.
"Thank you again, Natsuki-chan, for taking care of Keiko while I'm at work." Ayame said as she tied her apron.
"Of course, what kind friend would I be to turn you away in this moment of need, and what kind of aunt would I be to say no to spend time with my only niece." Natsuki said with a smile, cuddling said niece to her chest. Ayame gave Keiko a kiss on her forehead before leaving.
A while later there was a knock on the door and Natsuki answered, she had just put Keiko down to sleep.
"Missed me?" Jiraiya asked.
"Sensei, you're back." Natsuki said.
"Yup I'm back and here to stay… until I have another mission of course."
"Very reassuring." Natsuki said sarcastically, when Keiko toddled into the room.
"Oh." Jiraiya said staring at the baby. "So… you and Itachi, eh?"
"No, sensei." Natsuki picked up Keiko. "This is Keiko. She's your granddaughter."
"M-m-m-m-my what?"
"Your granddaughter." Natsuki's words came out in slow motion to Jiraiya. "She's Dairuko and Ayame's daughter." Natsuki said.
"I'm a jii-san?"
"Yes."
"Wow… I never thought I'd call myself that." Jiraiya said and leaned down to Keiko. "So… what's your name?"
"Yesth." Keiko answered.
"She always answers questions with 'yes', thanks to Tsunade-sama always asking Keiko if she's the best baa-chan." Natsuki clarified.
"How old is she, Natsuki?"
"She's two years old."
"Two years?! Why didn't anyone tell me I was a jii-san in two years?"
"We had no way of contacting you, sensei. You did go AWOL on us during your time with Naruto."
"Can't argue with that."
"No, you can't. Now say hello."
"Hello." Keiko said.
"Not you, Keiko, I was talking to jii-sensei."
"Oh, hello, Keiko." Jiraiya said and realised what Natsuki called him. "Oi! I am still your sensei and you will respect that."
"Okay, Jii-raiya-sensei." Natsuki laughed and Jiraiya pouted then whispered to Keiko.
"Please don't let your aunt influence you."
"I hope she doesn't turn out like you…" Dairuko said upon entering the front door as he arrived with Itachi. He had just caught Jiraiya's stage whisper. "…Hello, father."
"Why are you all ganging up on me? I just found out that I have a granddaughter!"
"Ah, I remember when I found out I was going to be a father…" Dairuko trailed off.
Flashback
Dairuko and Hinata returned to Konoha for the first time in five months since they left for training. Hinata decided to catch up with her teammates and put her training to the test against them in a friendly sparring match while Dairuko went to Ichiraku's shop hoping for a chance to talk to Ayame… and possibly more.
"I'm back, Ramen-san!" Dairuko announced as he entered, when a knife flew pass him and lodged itself into the wall behind him.
"Teme! You stole my daughter's innocence!" Teuchi exclaimed then threw a series of knives.
"I swear it was completely mutual!" Dairuko called out and dodged the knives before grabbing a table head and blocking a knife aimed at his crotch. "Not cool." Dairuko said then saw old man Teuchi climb over the counter, Dairuko then ran out and down the street with Teuchi giving chase.
"I will catch you, teme!" he called out in a fury.
"How is it that old people can instantly run as if they were young when you're in trouble?" Dairuko asked himself. 'Reminds me of the Stone Village.'
Flashback inside a Flashback (because I can)
Seventeen year old Dairuko jumped out of a window in the Tsuchikage tower and, as he fell, the Tsuchikage flew after him hurling rocks at him.
"I'll kill you, when I catch you!" Tsuchikage exclaimed.
"You know, if you let me, I can explain everything!" Dairuko called back.
"I won't listen to your lies!"
"I swear it was mutual!"
Meanwhile inside the tower, Dairuko emerged from under Shirotsuchi- the Tsuchikage's oldest granddaughter's- bed.
"That was close." Dairuko said putting on his clothes. When he had heard the Tsuchikage coming, he knew he wouldn't have enough time put on clothes and hide so he instead made a fully clothed clone of himself, which the Tsuchikage was currently trying to kill.
"You could've just made your clone look like someone else." Shirotsuchi said.
"Wasn't enough time to make a fool proof plan."
"If you say so." She shrugged. "This is our last encounter, I take it."
"Sadly yes, but you are definitely top 3."
"Top 5."
"I know I did better than top 5."
"I'm not stroking your ego anymore, Dairuko."
"Too late."
"Just go already, before my jii-san comes back."
"Right, but first," Dairuko threw her bra at her. "that's yours," then he kissed her. "that's mine." And he left.
Back to the main flashback
'Good times.' Dairuko thought as he took a left turn then made a series of clones that scattered, causing Teuchi of Ichiraku Ramen, father of Ayame, to give up the chase and return to the shop. "Well damn… he knows I slept with his daughter, wonder if it would've changed anything if I'd have mentioned it was only one time." Dairuko said to himself as he got out of the wooden box he was hiding in.
"Probably not." Ayame said, suddenly standing behind him.
"Ayame!" Dairuko said excitedly, ready to hug her, and then he saw she had a belly. "Whoa, you let yourself go." Dairuko said pointing at her belly.
"Baka!" Ayame exclaimed, then hit Dairuko on the head before taking a deep breathe. "I'm pregnant, Dairuko."
Dairuko looked at Ayame for a bit, then blinked rapidly for a few seconds then spoke.
"Congratulations." Dairuko said shaking her hand. "Who's the father? I swear if I don't like him, I'll kick his ass."
"You're the father, Dairuko."
"Say what?"
"Yes. Remember that night by the lake?"
"Hehe, oh yes," he said grinning sagely, "yes I do."
"That's when it happened."
"But that's impossible. You can't pregnant in water."
"Who told you that?"
"Jiraiya… He lied to me." Dairuko muttered. "When did you find out?"
"Six weeks later."
"Why didn't you tell me? I was still in the village."
"Because I could see that spark in your eyes every time you spoke about training with Hinata, and I knew you cared about Hinata, and I knew that more than anything you wanted for her to realise how strong she really is. I couldn't rob you of that. I love you too much to do that." Ayame explained. Dairuko held her at arm's length.
"No offence but, even if you had told me before I left, I still would've taken Hinata training, only because I made her a promise that I would, and I am a man of my word. So you can trust me when I say that once I'm back in the village, I will be the best damn father I can be. That's my promise… to both of you." Dairuko pulled Ayame into a kiss. "You know I love you."
"You lied to me." Dairuko said evilly, looking straight into Jiraiya's eyes.
"What I did?" Jiraiya waved his hands.
"You said girls can't get pregnant if it's done in water."
"Wait… you actually believed me?"
"Yes!" Dairuko said and Jiraiya laughed. "You are so lucky that my daughter is here, otherwise I'd kick your-"
"Language." Itachi stepped in.
"I was going to say something else."
"Did you guys find out anything in the Mist?" Natsuki asked of her teammates after they left Keiko with Jiraiya, much to Dairuko's horror.
"I should stay with Keiko and Jiraiya." Dairuko said.
"No." Itachi answered Natsuki. "What about you?"
"I mean, it's Jiraiya! He could be using my daughter to pick up girls!" Dairuko stressed.
"My contact told me about a village hidden in the sea." Natsuki said.
"Curious… we should follow up on it." Itachi said.
"I know it sounds crazy but, I think we should- wait what?" Natsuki asked confused.
"We should look into it if that's all we have to go on; and it isn't as crazy as you think it sounds… it would explain how he vanished into the sea in the first place. His body would've been conditioned for that environment and the fact that he could easily be outmanoeuvred." Itachi said.
"Wow, with such a crazy lead I thought for sure I'd have to do a lot more convincing." Natsuki added. "Where's Dairuko?"
Dairuko returned to Ayame's home to find that Jiraiya and Keiko weren't there anymore.
"Damn it." Dairuko said as he looked around, then he had a brilliant idea. "Senju genes save me again." Dairuko said and placed his hand on the ground and let the chakra flow before he found Keiko's chakra. "Got you."
Dairuko arrived on the training grounds where he found Jiraiya sitting on the grass watching Keiko play in the shallow end of the water in the stream.
"I know you're there, Dairuko." Jiraiya said with a knowing smile.
"Only because I wanted you to know." Dairuko said as he sat down next to his father.
"Didn't trust me with your daughter?"
"It's you, sensei, you who told a thirteen year old kid to come back to see you when she's older. I always assume you have plans for girls."
"Oh, I do, but only when she's older… I will play a blind man, she will guide me around and I will accidentally brush some voluptuous breasts and for the main act, because I will be 'blind', and clumsy, she will walk me straight into the female baths and leave me because she has to do something else, and I will finally best the world. HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jiraiya gave an evil laugh.
"You're a perverted genius, but you are not using my daughter for that." Dairuko said sternly.
"I had to try…" Jiraiya sighed. "Dairuko, do you know why I brought Keiko here?"
"Enlighten me."
"At one stage I figured I would bring my own child here to play in the water. Just watch them play."
"Well you did… in a sense."
"That was training, doesn't count."
"Yeah, well, we both didn't expect to become fathers so soon."
"Sounds like a family curse." Jiraiya joked.
"Possibly, but I don't think the day will ever come where I'll regret having Keiko."
"I know that feeling, son." Jiraiya smiled and looked at Dairuko.
"Enough with all of this guy love nonsense. I think Keiko could use a playmate." Dairuko said and was about to summon Genki when Jiraiya stopped him.
"I think she'll prefer toads rather than trees." Jiraiya said.
"What girl likes toads?"
"I know my granddaughter."
"You just met her."
"Doesn't matter." Jiraiya said and summoned a small toad.
"Jiraya-sama." The toad spoke.
"Hello, Nimura, do me favour and play with that little girl." Jiraiya pointed out Keiko and Dairuko summoned Genki and told him the same thing.
The two of them watched, waiting to see which one Keiko played with but she ended up playing with both summons.
"Call it a draw?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yup." Dairuko agreed and two of them sat and watched the latest generation in their family play with a humanoid tree and a talking toad.