Summary:
Naruto is entrusted with being the shinobi who takes on any mission by his father and Jiraiya. After the battle with Pein, Fukasaku gives him Jiraiya's final letter and a box of Minato's effects. How will Naruto be affected by this burden?
Author's Note:
Hi! This is my time writing anything, so I hope you enjoy it! I've been reading fics for a long time, and I finally decided to give it a shot. Please feel free to leave any reviews, as I am happy to take constructive criticism. The story begins after the Pein attack, but will branch away from the manga's story.
Chapter One: The Burden
The streets of Konoha were dark, quiet, and barren. A lone blonde was walking the streets, taking in the progress that had been made in rebuilding the village since the battle two weeks ago.. Dressed in a black shirt and his trademark orange pants, Naruto Uzumaki was on his way to the Hokage Monument to reflect on recent events. He had just defeated Pein and saved the village from destruction and due to the commotion and praise, he barely had time to process everything he had learned from the battle. Arriving at the monument, Naruto sat on top of his childhood hero's head and chuckled softly to himself. It made sense why he felt such a comfort here with the newfound knowledge that the Yondaime Hokage was his father. 'I can't believe that you're actually my dad' he thought to himself, 'But why? Why didn't you tell me Ero-Sennin?'. Shutting his eyes, Naruto reflected on what Fukasaku told him before they departed from Mount Myoboku.
Flashback
Naruto stood with the great toads as he prepared to defend his home. Mentally preparing himself for the battle ahead, he didn't hear Fukasaku at first until he hopped onto his shoulder.
"Naruto-chan, are ya listening to me?" the great toad asked.
"Sorry, Gramps. What were you saying?" Naruto replied.
"I was just sayin' that I've got some stuff Jiraiya-chan left for you. I wanted to let ya have it once you mastered senjutsu but we've got bigger problems, Naruto-chan. Once this is over, make sure ya come back so we can discuss his affects." Fukasaku said.
"Sure thing, Gramps. Let's get going."
Flashback end
Naruto opened his eyes and stood up, stretching his arms up above his head with a yawn. It was late, nearing 1am and Naruto had barely slept since the battle. He had been so preoccupied with helping rebuild the village and using his shadow clones to speed the process along that he was only getting a few hours of sleep a night. With a sigh, Naruto jumped off his father's stone head and made his way to his apartment to get some rest. 'I need to thank Yamato-sensei for rebuilding my apartment building so quickly. Even if I need to replace the furniture, it beats camping. Tomorrow, I'll visit Gramps and figure out what Ero-Sennin left me'.
It was early morning and the birds were chirping. A platinum blonde was standing alone in the Konoha cemetery, with a lone tear falling onto the dirt. By some miracle, Pein's attack left the cemetery mostly untouched. Ino Yamanaka had been a frequent visitor of a particular stone, the grave of her late sensei Asuma Sarutobi. Ino had thrown herself into training after his death, and the recent attack on Konoha furthered her resolve. She knew she had to improve after the events, as the village needed strong shinobi more than ever.
"I'm working hard Asuma-sensei but it's hard without you" she whispered. "Whenever I would hit a wall with a jutsu, you would always give me advice or motivation." Ino sighed, and looked up when she noticed a blonde head standing at the memorial stone alone. 'Naruto' she thought to herself, knowing that he barely had any time to grieve for Jiraiya-sama. Taking one more minute to pay her respects to her fallen sensei, she walked over to make sure that the newly dubbed hero of Konoha was doing okay.
"Naruto?"
The tender voice broke Naruto's train of thought. He had been reminiscing about his training trip with Jiraiya when he heard her voice.
"Ino? Visiting Asuma-sensei?" Naruto asked, knowing that he was right.
"Yeah, I've tried to stop by a few times a week to talk to him." Ino replied. She took a moment to notice Naruto's features. His normally bright eyes seemed to have a weight to them, as if he was grappling with something. "How are you holding up? I know you were close to Jiraiya-sama."
"It's just hard to believe it. He always was so confident whenever we trained and traveled. He made me believe he was invincible. I wanted him to be here, to see the village finally acknowledge me…" Naruto's voice trailed off, a few stray tears dropping and making a soft dripping sound when they hit the ground.
Ino's heart seemed to ache at the sight. Naruto was always so bright and positive, seeing him upset just didn't seem to make any sense. 'He's really hurting, he must have thought of Jiraiya-sama as a father figure'.
"I'm sure he's proud of you, Naruto. You were able to defeat Pein and save us all." Ino said, trying to improve the mood.
"Yeah, I guess so. He taught me so much, and yet I have so much I want to still ask him that I won't be able to. I remember our training trip like it was yesterday." Naruto chuckled, "He was such a perv, but when he wasn't peeping he was truly kind and helped me so much."
Ino could see a bit of joy spark in Naruto's sapphire eyes, the memories of Jiraiya taking a hold on his thoughts.
"What was traveling with him like?" Ino asked. She had always been curious how the dead last of her graduating class had managed to become the apprentice to a legendary Sannin.
Naruto smiled softly and looked into the sky, as if trying to find the words to describe his time with his teacher.
"It was amazing, I learned so much and got so much stronger but more than that…" Naruto took a breath and looked right at Ino, "he was always there when I finished training. I'd never had someone to go home to before that. He encouraged me, helped me, and believed in me. He always said that I'd become Hokage one day."
Ino saw the bittersweet look on his face, the pain of losing Jiraiya evident but behind that the pure thankfulness for the memories as well.
"Asuma-sensei was the same way. Every time I felt frustrated with my training, he was able to keep me focused and motivated." Ino looked at the memorial stone, and then back at Naruto. "Let's make them proud, Naruto. We have to be strong for them."
"Yeah, Ero-Sennin would smack me into next week if he saw me pouting like this." Naruto smirked at the thought of it. "Thanks for checking on me, Ino. I needed that. I have to get going though, Grandpa Fukasaku wants to talk to me. See ya later!"
"See you around, Naruto." Ino replied.
Naruto turned and walked away, heading towards the training grounds. Ino watched him walk away, and smiled softly. 'You really have changed, Naruto.'
Naruto arrived at an empty training ground, before taking a breath. He was nervous about what Jiraiya had left him. He loved the self proclaimed super pervert, but the revelation and knowledge about his father had shaken him. Jirayia was closer to the legendary fourth Hokage than anyone. Minato Namikaze was a son to the man, he had to have known about Naruto.
'Well, it's now or never' thought Naruto, before he bit his thumb. With the iron taste of his blood in his mouth, he made the necessary signs to summon Fukasaku.
Fukasaku appeared in a puff of smoke, his large eyebrows illustrating his shock at being summoned to an empty field before his eyes narrowed on the tall blonde in front of him.
"Ah, Naruto-chan. Finally ready to talk?"
"Yeah Grandpa Fukasaku, sorry for taking so long. Rebuilding the village has taken a lot of my time." Naruto replied and put his hands behind his head and shot his trademark grin to the elder toad. "I'm ready for whatever Ero-Sennin left me."
Fukasaku smiled and replied "Well, let's get going Naruto-chan. Ma just finished breakfast so we can discuss Jiraiya-chan's effects over a meal."
Naruto inwardly groaned, 'Oh no, not a meal' he thought to himself before he vanished with a familiar popping sound.
"Ma, look who's here! Naruto-chan came for Jiraiya-chan's effects." Fukasaku yelled from outside the house. Naruto and the elder toad had appeared outside of Fukasaku's and Shima's house at Mount Myoboku.
"Oh Naruto-chan's here? I'll be out shortly!" Shima yelled from inside. Some rustling could be heard from inside the house, drawers opening and shutting, doors slamming.
Naruto sweatdropped, 'Did they lose it?' he groaned inwardly. The door suddenly flew open and Shima was holding a large wooden box and an envelope. Shima set the box down in front of Naruto and handed him the envelope she was holding. It had Jiraiya's handwriting, and simply said 'Naruto'.
Naruto's hands began to shake, his nerves now showing. He wasn't sure what was contained in this letter. 'What else has Ero-Sennin hid from me? Will he talk about my parents?'. Naruto took a breath and shook those thoughts and opened the letter and began reading.
Naruto,
Hey kid. If you're reading this, then I'm sorry. I wrote this letter before leaving for Ame in case the worst happened. I have so much to tell you, and now I'm worried I've waited too long. First, I'm so proud of you. You were a great apprentice, even if you got in the way of my research most days. You'll become a fantastic Hokage just like Sarutobi-sensei and Minato were.
Speaking of Minato, he's your dad. I know you're probably thinking of a million different questions. Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage, was your dad. Your mom was a young woman named Kushina Uzumaki. She was from the Land of Whirlpools but that area was destroyed well before you were born. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but it was for your own good. Your dad had plenty of enemies, namely Iwa and Kumo. Iwa has a grudge because he single handedly decimated a platoon of their shinobi in the last war. Kumo, well he might have kicked their ass as a kid when they tried kidnapping your mom. If they knew about your parents, they might have started a war over you. Sarutobi-sensei was worried they'd send an assassin after you, and I would be lying if I didn't agree. That being said, I should have told you after we returned to Konoha. You proved yourself after your mission to Suna, not to mention your jutsu to defeat Kakuzu. Yeah, Tsunade told me about your rasenshuriken. Nice job, gaki.
Moving onto more important matters, Minato left this box for you. The box has a blood seal on it, so I have no idea what's inside. If I were a betting man, I'd bet some kunai and personal scrolls and journals. Whatever is inside, it's all yours. They loved you Naruto, that much was clear to me before you were born. When you get back to Konoha, assuming that you're at Mount Myoboku right now, ask Tsunade about your new estate. It's time you moved into the home you were meant to grow up in.
Finally, I entrust the Toad Summoning Contract to you. You're the new Toad Sage kid, sort of. Fukasaku needs to teach you senjutsu first, that's the requirement. It's not going to be easy, but I know you can do it. Make sure you master it, and the combination jutsus of the toad style. That means learning some fire, wind, and oil techniques. I'm sorry that I won't be there to pass the title along personally. As the Toad Safe, you'll have more responsibilities. It'll be your decision who gets to sign the contract, and your job to train them in our style. You'll probably get a promotion to jonin once Tsunade realizes you've mastered senjutsu. Don't get cocky though gaki, this is so she can give you higher rank missions. The burden of being the Toad Sage is that you'll be sent on the most dangerous missions. I ran the spy network, but I imagine Tsunade would rather you in the field. This means S-Rank missions. Infiltrations, clearing out enemy lines, and more. It's a lot to ask of you, but I know you can do it. You're a fine shinobi Naruto, now go make your parents and I proud.
See you,
The Gallant Jiraiya,
AKA Ero-Sennin
A few tear stains had found their way onto the letter, before Naruto folded it and put it back in the envelope. "He didn't think I'd have learned senjutsu already" Naruto laughed, looking at the elder toads, "We showed him, didn't we?"
"Hai, that ya did Naruto-chan." Fukasaku replied with a sad smile. It was evident Jiraiya loved Naruto like a son, and it touched him.
Naruto looked at the box on the ground and knelt down to inspect it. It had a detailed engraving on it with a complex seal, with an open circle right above the lock. 'That's got to be the blood seal' thought Naruto. Taking a kunai from his pouch, Naruto cut his left thumb and smeared the blood into the circle. The seal engraved on the box began to glow, and Naruto heard a small click before the box opened. Inside the box sat a few scrolls, a diary, an envelope, and a kunai. Naruto picked up the kunai and noticed the weight was different. It felt more balanced, as if it was meant to be used to parry larger weapons. The shape had three prongs, two short ones on the sides to act as a guard. Finally, it had an intricate seal on the hilt. Putting the kunai down, he picked up the envelope which was similar to Jiraiya's and simply said Naruto on it. 'This must be dad's handwriting'.
Naruto opened the letter and his heart rate picked up. His palms began to sweat in anticipation, his dad had written him a letter before he died. Naruto knew from meeting the chakra manifestation of Minato that the Kyuubi incident was an attack on Konoha but was still surprised that his dad would have a letter ready. Sighing, Naruto opened the letter and began to read.
Dear Naruto,
If you're reading this, then unfortunately the worst has happened and I'm no longer with you. There's so much I want to say, but words won't do it justice. Just know that your mother and I love you very much. The day Kushina told me she was pregnant was the best day of my life, I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I'm sorry I wasn't around, and if I know Jiraiya-sensei and Sarutobi-sama, you probably have just found out about your mom and I. My diary is in this box. I hope reading it will help you understand how much I love you son.
Next, I've left my personal notes regarding the jutsus I've learned and created. I hope you'll be able to learn and improve upon my techniques. My notes include the rasengan, Hiraishin, sensing chakra signatures, and more. The rasengan is incomplete, but I know you'll be able to complete it. The kunai that I left in the box is an example of the one I used for my Hiraishin. Behind my portrait in the Hokage's office is a stash of them. There should be plenty, and when you do finally run out the specifications are in there as well. Find a weaponsmith you trust once you need another order.
I know you'll become a strong shinobi who will defend the village. You'll do incredible things and the entire village will be proud of you. I know you'll take after Jiraiya-sensei and I, protecting the village by shielding everyone from the most difficult and dangerous missions, after all, you're my son.
With love,
Dad
P.S. Find someone to share your burden with. Your mother was my greatest supporter, find someone who will support and love you unconditionally. It makes the work easier.
Jiraiya's letter was only a warm up to his father's, as Naruto was now gently crying. Tears mixed with pain and joy streamed down his face. 'He loved me. He believed in me. My dad believed in me and left me his notes and kunai. I wish I could have learned from you in person, dad.' Naruto took a deep breath to center his thoughts and reflect on everything he read. His father and teacher were counting on him. Naruto knew he had to become strong enough to shoulder the burden they entrusted to him. With a newfound resolve, his eyes glowed with pure determination.
'I will make you all proud.'
Author's Note:
Let me know what you think! Like I said, this is my first attempt at writing a fic. I hope you all enjoy it and I am open to constructive feedback, just don't be an ass.
