It was the most prolonged weekend Naruto had ever experienced. The range was closed due to the rain they got on Friday night, and the club was still closed from the flooding. Naruto was mainly bored after going to the gym, doing his homework and chores, and then going for several runs. Much to the annoyance of his godfather, he expressed his boredom to Jiraiya a lot. He never thought he would wish the weekend was over, but that is what he found going through his mind on Sunday afternoon.

When it was finally over, Naruto woke up too early on Monday morning and figuratively shoved Jiraiya out the door. The drive to the prison took longer than he had expected. They had sent Minato to a maximum-security jail several hours away. When he thought about it, it made sense. His father was convicted of murder, not petty theft. After the first hour, he fell asleep, the adrenaline of seeing his father wearing off. Visiting hours were only during certain times, and since it was a few hours away, they had left early, before the sun was even up.

"Naruto," Jiraiya called, shaking the boy's shoulders, "We are almost there."

Naruto grunted like a typical teenager before sitting up from his very awkward position.

"I don't know how you were comfortable enough to sleep in that position," Jiraiya shook his head.

Naruto just shrugged, "How much farther?"

"Only a couple of minutes," Jiraiya replied, watching the road.

Naruto nodded but didn't reply. He leaned against the window, watching the outside fly by as they drove down the highway.

Jiraiya didn't lie; a few minutes later, the white Tesla turned into the prison entrance.

"Don't speak unless spoken to," Jiraiya ordered.

Naruto was amazed by the sight. It was a vast white building with tiny window-like squares surrounded by ridiculously high chain-linked fences topped with barbed wire. He looked to his left and noticed a massive white tower.

"Pay attention," Jiraiya ordered as they approached the security guard for the gate. Jiraiya rolled down his window and kept both hands on the steering wheel.

"Purpose?" the guard asked as he approached the window. Naruto noticed that he was armed to the teeth. A rifle, pistol, several magazines on his bulletproof vest, plus a few knives. He was also holding some tablets.

"Visiting an inmate," Jiraiya stated simply. Naruto noted that he had done this several times before.

"Name of the inmate?"

"Minato Namikaze."

The guard looked up when Jiraiya said his father's name, and internally, Naruto started to panic, although he wasn't sure why. He did his best to look as normal as possible.

"You are here to visit Namikaze?" the guard asked, like he had not heard Jiraiya correctly.

"Yes, that's correct," Jiraiya replied as if he was unaffected by the guard's reaction.

After a moment, the guard nodded, "Very well. Are you legal, law enforcement, or clergy?"

"No."

"Have you applied to visit?"

"Yes, the approvals were sent a few weeks ago."

"Names?"

"Jiraiya Ogata and Naruto Uzumaki."

"ID?"

Jiraiya nodded, grabbed the two IDs off the dashboard, and handed them to the guard.

When did he get my driver's license?

The guard looked them over and compared them to something on the tablet, and then he looked up and reached the photos of the two men in the car. Nodding in acceptance, he returned them to Jiraiya, who stuck them in the same place on the dash they were before.

"Please unlock your doors and pop the hood of your car. Stay in your vehicle. We will be opening and looking through the vehicle."

"Yes, sir," Jiraiya nodded and did as he was told.

The guard they had been speaking to and a couple of others, and a drug dog started rummaging through the car, opening all the compartments. After a few minutes, they were satisfied that they found nothing. The guard returned to the driver's side window.

"Have you visited before?"

"Yes."

"Very good, then you know the process?"

"Yes," Jiraiya nodded.

"You may proceed."

The guard stepped back and waved a hand forward. Jiraiya rolled up his window and drove through the gate that had slid back. Once they were through the first gate, Jiraiya stopped. The first gate closed, then the second gate started to slide back.

As they drove slowly down the path, Naruto looked at Jiraiya.

"Are they always that weird about dad?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," Jiraiya nodded, "Unless I get a guard that has seen me before, but that guy was new. I think it has something to do with Minato being the Chief of Police before. The guards get more riled up about inmates who were previous law enforcement, so it would be even more so when it was the Chief of Police."

"I get it," Naruto nodded.

After a few minutes, Jiraiya parked the car in the lot. He leaned over and grabbed Naruto's arm before he stepped out of the vehicle.

"Naruto, listen to me," Jiraiya said, and when Naruto nodded, he continued, "This place isn't like visiting a friend or a hospital. The people here are dangerous criminals. Listen to the guards; they are trained to keep visitors safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Naruto nodded.

"The guards may want to pat search you when we go through security; let them and don't argue. Just do what they say," Jiraiya continued, explaining, "Leave your cell phone, your watch, and anything else you have in your pockets, like your wallet."

Naruto nodded and did as he was told, placing his cell phone and other items in the center console. Naruto glanced at Jiraiya's attire; it was different than usual, more simplistic. A dark grey button-up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, dark jeans, and simple black shoes. It wasn't as loud or as obnoxious as it usually was. He had told Naruto before they left to wear nice jeans, no holes, with a simple shirt. Jiraiya complained that his shirt was too tight and to change, but too bad all his t-shirts were too tight. Jiraiya gave in, mumbling about how no one would think he was hiding anything.

Jiraiya placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and led him to the security entrance.

"Please wait, sir," the guard held up his hand.

After a moment, the guard waved Naruto forward through the metal detector. As Jiraiya had predicted, Naruto was patted down by one of the guards, just as Jiraiya was.

After security, they walked down a narrow outdoor pathway with chained linked fences on both sides. Naruto was starting to get nervous. He wasn't sure if it was about meeting his father or because they were inching closer to the prison. As if he knew, Jiraiya placed a hand on his shoulder in reassurance.

"Ji?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah?" Jiraiya looked down at him as they walked.

"Does he know that we were coming today?"

"No," Jiraiya shook his head, "I didn't have a way to tell him."

"Oh," Naruto nodded.

"He knows that I was going to try to get you to visit, so it's not a complete surprise," Jiraiya shrugged, "He just isn't aware that it's today."

"That's good, I guess," Naruto replied.

"Naruto, he wants to see you," Jiraiya stated, understanding the unspoken worry of his godson, "He will be happy to see you."

"Yeah?"

Jiraiya smirked, "Of course."

Naruto smiled as they walked the rest of the way.

They walked through a heavy steel door when they reached the path's end. There were two guards on either side, armed with a rifle. Inside was a typical waiting area that reminded Naruto of a small hospital. It was dark, gloomy, and outdated. Aside from one or two people and a few guards, it was also relatively empty. Jiraiya approached the women behind the steel bars and bulletproof glass to sign in. Naruto stood back until Jiraiya nodded thanks to the lady.

Jiraiya nodded, indicating to follow him to the dark grey door next to the lady sitting. Naruto stepped up next to Jiraiya.

"Ready, kid?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto nodded, unsure of his voice.

Then, a loud buzzer indicated that the door was unlocking.

Naruto swallowed hard as he followed Jiraiya and their escort down a path inside the prison; there were doors on each side that were only a couple of feet apart. These were visitation cells for the most dangerous prisoners, Jiraiya had explained. The prisoners weren't allowed visitation in the regular area with the others. Usually, the prisoners were kept away from the general population. Naruto nodded at his explanation but still wasn't fully understanding, mainly since he had never been to a prison before.

Was his father really that dangerous?

It was bright inside. White walls, white floors, white ceiling. The lights were the brightest he had ever seen. It felt like he was in some movie about an asylum or something. It was eerie. Before, when Naruto thought of a prison, he imagined a cold, dark place, not this bright place, where he felt like he could go blind from it.

The guard stopped, shaking him from his thoughts, and unlocked the last door on the left, opening it so Jiraiya, followed by Naruto, could walk in. It was empty, and for a moment, Naruto's heart dropped until the guard spoke.

"The inmate will be brought in shortly," the guard explained, almost reading Naruto's mind; then he pointed to a red button next to the door, "The door will be locked from the outside; press this when you are finished. The prisoner will have two guards with him at all times to ensure he is compliant. You will have no more than two hours for the visit. Any questions?"

Naruto shook his head.

Jiraiya was the one to reply, "No, thank you, sir."

The guard nodded and shut the heavy door.

Naruto turned to look at the room. It was bright as well. A heavy, thick, clear divider was between the two small rooms. He assumed it was bullet-proof. There was a small table attached to the partition on both sides. He noticed the table on the prisoner's side had a metal bar across the top. On his side, there were two chairs. Jiraiya had sat in one but didn't push Naruto to sit in the other. The younger continued to stand; one arm tightly gripped his other bicep. It was almost painful. His chest felt tight, and his heart was beating rapidly. He was nervous to meet his father.

Naruto jumped when the prisoner's side door buzzed and opened.

"Relax, kid," Jiraiya warned in a low voice after seeing Naruto startle at the noise. Jiraiya didn't look at him but continued watching the other, "He's not going to bite."

Naruto took a deep breath and nodded.

A guard walked in holding a rifle. An inmate in a dark red jumpsuit with familiar blonde hair walked in behind the first guard, followed by another. Naruto noticed the prisoner had a chain around his waist connected to two other chains, one going down to a set around his ankles and the other attached to cuffs around his wrists.

When the first guard stepped to the side, the prisoner lifted his head to see who his visitors were.

Minato had seen Jiraiya first, then his gaze shifted to the young teenager standing next to him, and he smiled. Naruto couldn't help but return it.

Both sets of blue eyes held each other's gaze momentarily until one of the guards yelled at the Minato to sit down. Naruto saw his father flinch and realized he couldn't hear anything from that side. Minato did as he was told, sitting at the little table and placing his hands on the top next to the bar. As the guard worked, Minato continued smiling at his son. The guard undid the chain that attached the cuff from his waist and reattached it to the metal bar on the table.

"Ji," Naruto turned to the elder, which caused Minato to look at Jiraiya as well, "Why can't we hear anything?"

"They'll turn on the speaker when they finish securing him," Jiraiya replied, nodding to Minato on the other side.

"Can he hear us?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "Not yet."

After securing Minato's hands to the table, the guard walked over and hit a large blue button that was above the same red button that was on their side.

"Speak," the guard ordered.

Minato smiled again, "Naruto."

"Hi, Dad," Naruto replied.

"Sit," Jiraiya ordered, and Naruto realized he was still standing.

"Oh," Naruto said, then did as he was told.

"You actually came," Minato said.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded.

"I wasn't completely sure if you would want to see me or not," Minato admitted.

"Ji said you wanted to see me," Naruto replied, still holding the smile.

"Ji?" Minato asked, looking over at the older man.

"He's called me that for years, Minato," Jiraiya waved.

"I know," Minato laughed, "I just never imagined that it still stuck."

"Well, it did," Jiraiya said in a slightly feigned annoyance.

"Well, I am glad it did," Minato chuckled, then turned back to his son, "I can't believe how much you've grown, Naruto."

"Well, it has been ten years," Naruto shrugged.

The smile on Minato's face fell, "I know."

Naruto immediately felt terrible but couldn't find the words, "But….um…I… um..."

Minato watched as his son fumbled for words, then smiled at him again, "It's okay, Naruto."

"I'm sorry," Naruto replied.

"It's fine," Minato replied, "We'll have plenty of time to catch up."

Naruto nodded.

"Jiraiya, you could at least buy him shirts that fit," Minato joked as he forced a laugh, trying to get rid of the tension in the room, "He looks like he's about to burst out of it."

"I told you so," Jiraiya turned to Naruto with a smug look.

"It's fine!" Naruto replied, crossing his arms, almost mimicking a toddler tantrum.

"He likes to wear shirts that are too small," Jiraiya explained to Minato, "He thinks it makes his muscles look bigger."

"I am right here!" Naruto protested, causing them all to laugh.

"Tell him about your hobbies," Jiraiya suggested.

Naruto looked over at him, then at his dad, "I'm sure Ji has told you about them."

"A little bit," Minato replied with a tiny shrug, "But I want to hear it from you."

Naruto nodded and launched into a monologue about his MMA fighting and competition shooting endeavors.

"A national champion at 12?" Minato asked, legitimately impressed with his son.

"In my age division and only in rifle," Naruto replied, "I've taken a step back and have been more involved with MMA and kickboxing, but I still get out to the range on the weekends."

"He must be running your bank accounts dry with all the ammo, Jiraiya," Minato laughed.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Jiraiya mumbled, causing both blondes to laugh.

"You are a sophomore now, right?" Minato asked.

"Yeah, well, for only a few more weeks," Naruto nodded, "The year is almost over."

"I see," Minato nodded, "Any plans for after high school?"

"Well, my grades suck," Naruto replied with an uncomfortable laugh, scratching his head.

"Yeah, they do," Jiraiya shook his head.

"Hey!" Naruto glared at his godfather.

"I'm just saying," Jiraiya shrugged.

"But I should have a spot at SenU," Naruto smiled proudly.

"Senju University?" Minato asked, "How did you pull that off? And as a sophomore."

"Tsunade," Jiraiya replied.

"Tsunade? Your old high school crush?" Minato asked.

"Hey! We dated!" Jiraiya defended himself.

"Ok, sure," Minato nodded, "How did Tsunade help?"

"She's the headmaster now after she took over for her grandfather a couple of years ago," Jiraiya explained, "She pulled a few strings and got Naruto an extremely early acceptance, obviously contingent on him graduating high school."

"That's great," Minato nodded, "Any idea of what you'll study?"

"No idea," Naruto shrugged.

"Well, you've got plenty of time to decide," Minato nodded.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded back, then realized something, turning to his godfather, "Oh, Ji, that reminds me, they are closing Fireside."

"What?" Jiraiya asked, "You're kidding?"

"Fireside?" Minato asked.

"His high school," Jiraiya explained, then a little softer, he added, "I didn't want to send him to Konoha High."

"I understand, Jiraiya," Minato nodded, "But they are closing it?"

Naruto nodded, "The news got leaked on Friday. Mr. Sarutobi said that most students are being sent to Suna, but I and a few others have been recommended to transfer to Konoha."

"Well, shit," Jiraiya sighed, "We'll have to figure it out."

"At least they are letting us finish the year," Naruto shrugged.

"We'll figure it out," Jiraiya messed with Naruto's hair.

"Hey!" Naruto swatted him away, then ran his hand through his hair, trying to fix it.

"Naruto," Minato called.

"Yeah?"

"There is a reason I asked Jiraiya to bring you here, other than wanting to see you, of course," Minato explained.

"Oh?"

"Jiraiya may have explained to you that for my parole to be approved, I need to provide a place of residence that is suitable, where I will reside for the length of my parole," Minato explained,

"Okay," Naruto nodded.

Minato swallowed hard before continuing, "Jiraiya has offered me a place to stay, but I wanted to ask you first, since it's your home if you were okay with me staying there?"

Naruto blinked at him; it wasn't a question he thought he would be asked. Naruto hadn't even thought about the question of where his dad would live when they released him. Jiraiya had mentioned it last week, but it just never occurred to him that there would be a question about it.

Minato took his son's silence incorrectly, "Please don't feel pressure to accept. I have other places I can go, friends I could stay with, half-way houses…"

"No!" Naruto exclaimed before he could stop himself, cutting Minato off.

"No?" Jiraiya asked, shocked at Naruto's answer as he thought Naruto would want his dad at home; then he looked at Minato with an apologetic look.

"It's okay," Minato nodded, understanding how his son felt.

"No, no, no," Naruto backtracked and confused himself, "No, no, no. That's not what I meant. I meant yes, but I was saying no to the other places, not no to you."

"I'm a little confused," Minato stated, looking at Jiraiya, who just shrugged like he was used to it.

Naruto sighed, "I didn't think there was even a question about where you were going live."

"What do you mean?" Minato asked.

Naruto stared at him like the answer was obvious, "You're coming home, right? To me?"

The realization of what his son meant spread across his face as he smiled at his son, and Naruto could tell he was getting emotional.

"Oh, Dad, I didn't mean to upset you," Naruto said sadly.

Minato shook his head, "You didn't. You have made me happier than I've been in a decade."

"Really?"

Minato nodded as tears started welling up, "My son wants me to come home to him. You have no idea how much that means to me. Naruto, for you to still believe that my home is with you is, I don't have the words for it. God, I was terrified that you wouldn't want me around."

"Why would I not want my dad around?" Naruto asked. The question was honest and innocent.

Minato was shocked and then looked over to Jiraiya, who nodded.

"You believe me?" Minato asked his son.

Naruto nodded with a smile, "I do."