Ino was practically bouncing on her feet as she brushed her hair. Today was the day. There was no question in her mind. Nothing short of a natural disaster would stop her from getting what she wanted today, what she had waited so patiently for, what she was owed, what she was promised. Today was the day Naruto would finally take her on a date. If only the poor fool knew it himself.
It had been over a week since their little meet with the other rookies. Obviously, the news had been jarring to a lot of their friends, but most were able to take it in stride. Within a few days everything was almost back to normal. Naruto, the loveable idiot that he was, seemed over the moon at simply not having lost any of his friends by unveiling his secrets. The smile he had worn in the days following was so infectious that Ino and Sakura suspected a genjutsu… an annoyingly unbreakable one at that. In spite of the good mood, Ino had found Naruto to still be quite reserved, still somewhat retreated into himself. She knew why of course, as did anyone else who understood the whole situation.
Learning that Jiraiya of the freaking Sannin was Naruto's godfather had been a manageable piece of information when compared to the rest of the mysteries that had made up the young Uzumaki. Ino had been able to more or less shrug the fact off when she was told. That was until she realised that Naruto had family. Living, breathing, belonging to Konoha, family. Maybe not by blood, but who even cared about that stuff these days. There were stronger bonds than that of blood being forged in the world every day. No, Naruto had someone, someone who should have been there for the boy after losing his parents; only they weren't. It went without saying that Jiraiya was a very lucky man to have been mysteriously out of the village for the moment, lest he find himself at the mercy of one extremely irate Yamanaka.
Tsunade may have nearly killed the man in their youth, but Ino would have done her best to have the man begging for death.
Sadly, no matter how upset Ino may have been about the whole thing, she knew Naruto was much more so. He put on a brave face, focusing on the happiness of being free of the burden of his secret and spending time at the memorial stone whenever he could. Ino could see it though, the pain in his eyes whenever his thoughts drifted to his absent godfather, to the man he had spent years training with without even knowing the truth. There was a rage in that pain, in that sadness. Ino could feel it, as if his emotions were being broadcast directly to her through the Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto was being himself for the sake of those around him, and Ino knew that as soon as Jiraiya returned to Konoha, all hell would break loose.
That was an issue for a later date, however. Today was a day for good things, and for Ino Yamanaka that meant it was finally the day she provided Naruto with the greatest distraction from all the woes the world had to offer. Herself. Sure, it would be a surprise for him, and it was very likely that he would panic and not know what to do, but Ino figured that would be part of the charm. Naruto did his best thinking on the spot anyway, so it could only work in her favour. If by chance it fell apart around him, then Ino knew it would at least be entertaining and so very memorable. She pocketed a small camera just in case any memories needed to be captured for the world to see. There was honestly no telling what could happen with Naruto involved, so Ino stopped trying to plan around the chaos-magnet she was pining for.
With a quick check of her outfit and a satisfied nod, Ino was off. She didn't have to look for Naruto. His chakra signature was burnt into her mind by now, and he was only ever in the same four or five places when in Konoha. One day she would point that out to him when he complained about Kakashi being a creature of habit. Coming up on the training ground that homed the memorial stone, Ino slowed her pace and straightened out her clothes and hair before walking up to stand beside Naruto silently. He had brought her here before, proudly pointing out his parent's names with a big smile on his face before rattling off a book's worth of information on the two. Ino could only guess that he had spent a lot of time at the library absorbing every possible piece of information he could find on the two shinobi. As such, the Yamanaka had merely listened as he bragged, not so humbly mind you, about how awesome his parents had been. It had been too cute to stop him.
"Hey Ino," Naruto greeted happily. "What's up?"
Ino smiled warmly. "Nothing. Just checking in," she said innocently. "Got any plans for this evening?"
Naruto shrugged. "This. Maybe drop by Ichiraku's on my way home."
"I'm a little peckish too, mind if we get something together?" she asked.
"Uh, sure. What do you feel like?" Naruto wasn't dense enough anymore to think everyone could enjoy ramen for every meal, especially Ino.
"Not sure actually. How about we hit the town and figure it out as we go," Ino said with a smirk, enjoying the suspicious look on Naruto's face. Was it perhaps a little evil to push him into this situation? Yes. Thankfully, she didn't care about being evil. Naruto had made a promise, and she had waited nearly four years for it to be paid in full. He would just have to deal with it.
Naruto's eyes narrowed questioningly before going wide with realisation. He could only chuckle nervously as Ino's smirk got more sinister. She must have been planning something. It had been quite some time since he had fallen victim of one of her pranks, he figured it was only a matter of time before she tried to get the better of him. "Sounds good to me," he said with a smile. 'I got my eye on you,' he thought. He was the king of pranks. There was no way she was going to catch him out. "I might go get changed first."
Ino eyed him up and down quickly and shrugged. "Nope, you're fine as you are," she said. Whether it was a conscious effort or not, Naruto always managed to tidy himself up a bit more than usual when he went to the memorial stone. "Come on."
She walked alongside him in silence for a time, stealing the occasional glance to appreciate the thoughtful look on his face as they got back into the village proper. Would he figure out what she was doing before she had to spell it out for him? He had matured a lot in his time away, but some things never really changed. Ino wouldn't mind either way. She wasn't chasing Naruto for his mind, at least not in that way. If she wanted someone smart, she could have easily gone for Shikamaru, even if everyone and their grandmother knew how difficult a Nara male could be. No, Ino knew exactly what kind of man she wanted in her life, and Naruto was all that and more.
Ino wanted an honest man, a kind man. The kind of person she could rely on and trust without a second of hesitation. Naruto was the person she trusted the most. She didn't want her family's reputation or techniques to scare them away, something that Naruto had already proven didn't bother him despite his own history with Ino using the technique. She didn't want a man who would coddle her and treat her like a delicate flower, despite how much of a princess her father had accidentally raised her as in the beginning. There were more than a few scars across her body, as well as some more recent bruises, that proved Naruto wasn't going to hold back in their training. He wanted her to be as strong as she could be, and Ino appreciated that level of support and respect that he showed her.
There was no mistaking it. After many a night thinking hard on the matter at hand, Ino could only conclude that Naruto was absolutely the man she wanted. It helped that she already had a crush on him from years before, and that she knew he had one on her too. All Ino had to do was put in a little leg work, give the poor idiot the push he needed to sweep her off her feet and the rest would be history. Now it was just a matter of figuring out how to lead him into doing it of his own volition. Much harder said than done, Ino was sure.
"Know where you want to eat?" Naruto asked, looking around curiously at many of the restaurants and vendors lining the streets they were walking down. "Can't convince you to choose Ichiraku's, can I?"
Ino patted him sympathetically on the back. "No. Not a chance," she said. It wasn't that she disliked the humble ramen stand, quite the opposite actually. They made some amazing food, not limited to just ramen. Ino was long past her days of trying to diet to maintain her figure, and as such could enjoy whatever food she wanted. That being said, a shinobi needed a good, varied diet to be healthy. Naruto may have had the benefit of the Kyuubi compensating for that, but it wouldn't stop Ino from trying to impart the importance of trying new foods onto him. "Oh, how about there?"
She pointed to the distance and watched as Naruto's eyes followed her finger. The horrified expression he adopted once he saw Ino's suggestion was worth it even if he outright refused. It was a smaller restaurant, clearly one of a higher standard of dining. Neat little tables for two scattered around with enough room between them to provide a little more privacy than normal. Definitely not the kind of place that would serve ramen. Actually, anyone who knew anything about dining out in Konoha, would know this particular one was notoriously popular among couples. Ino was banking on Naruto not knowing that at all, and judging by the string of amusing expressions that crossed his handsome face, she was right.
Naruto tried to give her a convincing smile. "You sure?" he asked, voice straining ever so slightly. Ino nodded and he sighed. "Okay."
Ino held back a laugh. She didn't know what was cuter, the fact that he was willing to do it just to appease her, or the fact that he didn't seem to know that he could say no. She wouldn't accept it, but he could still say it. And so, on they went, marching right up to the host of the venue with wide smiles, strained or otherwise. Ino took her chance to sneak her hand into Naruto's as they went. He was either too distracted to notice, or he just didn't mind being seen holding her hand in public. Ino hoped it was the latter.
"Welcome to the Enchanted Leaf," the host greeted pleasantly, only momentarily eyeing Naruto with a strange expression before his eyes were met with a cold and daring stare courtesy of Ino. "H-how may I be of service?"
Ino smiled and perked up. She was very prepared to deal with anyone's distasteful opinion on Naruto. Thankfully, she had a reputation of her own around the village, so it was unlikely that anyone would try anything with her around. "Just a table for two please," she chirped, not daring to let go of Naruto's hand even as he chuckled nervously under the scrutinising gaze of the host.
The host was quick to give up with a shrug and gestured for them to follow, leading them quickly to a small table at the back and in a corner. Ino knew it was to keep up appearances by tucking them away like this, but it worked in her favour. The less people that saw Naruto eating here, the better for the business, just as the less people that saw the two of them eating together in a place like this, the less headaches and questions Ino would have to deal with later. She was only going to put up with that crap after she had officially sunk her claws into the boy. They were handed a menu each and quickly left to themselves to read over it.
Naruto hummed thoughtfully as he scoured the menu for anything he recognised and liked, only to pout and put it down. "I have no idea what any of these are," he admitted defeatedly. Ichiraku's at least had the decency to put photos with their menu.
Ino waved dismissively. "Don't worry. I'll order for you. How does something with pork sound?" she asked, getting a nod. Ordering was as quick and efficient as the seating had been. Ino ordered a beef curry for herself and chose to spare Naruto any embarrassment by ordering him a simple pork bowl. Being adventurous with food could wait for subsequent date nights.
"You going out after this?" Naruto asked curiously, eyeing Ino's current attire.
Ino smiled. She hadn't gone all out for the occasion, knowing it would set off alarms in Naruto's mind no matter how dense he could be at times. Her skirt was a longer version of her normal one, her small purple top replaced with a dark blue blouse that went a little past her waist and had long sleeves. She had chosen to wear her hair down today, not needing it to be tied up when not out on a mission. Subtlety would be the best weapon Ino would have against a man like Naruto. Just enough for him to notice, not enough for him to figure out why.
"Something along those lines," Ino replied nonchalantly. "I just wanted to be comfortable for today. Why? Do I not look good?"
Naruto's eyes widened. "What? No. That's not what I meant. You look great. As beautiful as always. I swear. I just-"
"Calm down," Ino laughed. "You worry way too much, Naruto. But thank you for the compliment. I'm glad you think I'm beautiful." She winked at him, making a mental notch in her mind as he blushed slightly. She promised she wasn't keeping score. That would just be petty. "So, I see you're handling things well. Do you feel better? Knowing who your parents are now, I mean." Ino had waited to ask this question until it was just the two of them, in a situation where it wouldn't distract him too much. Assuming he could get any more distracted. He had been so out of it lately, the poor thing. While there were no regrets in telling Naruto the truth, a part of Ino still worried that the information had left him with unresolved issues he was keeping to himself. It would explain why he was spending so much time at the memorial stone.
"It's…" Naruto smiled sadly. "It's a relief, you know. But at the same time, I think in some ways, it was easier not knowing who they were. Not better, exactly, just easier. Back then I didn't have to think about it too much. I wanted to know, but I also didn't think I'd have any names to live up to or anything. Now that I do, I dunno, it kinda feels… weird."
"It is a lot to take in," Ino said. "But if you're worried about whether they would be proud of you, don't be. I know they would be, and so does everyone else."
Naruto didn't put up a fight. "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you," he said earnestly before chuckling to himself. "Has Kiba gotten over it yet?"
"I mean, he's come to terms with it being the truth, if that makes a difference," Ino answered amusedly. It didn't. Everyone knew. The Inuzuka was slowly working his way through the revelation, and it was clearly not going the way anyone would have liked. If Kiba had been cocky before, he was on the right path to being doubly so. Being able to claim that he only failed the chunin exams due to being matched against the son of the fourth Hokage and jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi was going to the boy's head. Eventually someone was going to have to knock him down a peg, and Ino had called dibs. "You don't have to worry about him. We have it under control."
Naruto winced at that, forcing Ino to suppress a laugh. It was no secret that whenever Ino said 'we' she meant Hinata and herself. There were many in Konoha who had begun cursing Anko for her contributions to moulding the two clan heiresses into what they were today. Naruto had likely heard more than enough since his return to know better than to get on either of their shit lists. Good thing he was smart enough to know better, and sweet enough to never get written in one of them. She watched him relax a bit and look around the restaurant, a strange look appearing on his face as he started realising just where they were. Oh, so he had been properly out of it when she nabbed him. Good. That would make this all the sweeter for her.
Ino felt him steal a glance as she turned to wave the host back down. They were going to need something with alcohol if they were going to get through the entire night without one of them getting too nervous. Ino refused to let butterflies ruin her masterfully not-thought-out plans. When she turned back to him, she was met with a smile that she knew was Naruto's attempt at hiding his true expression. By now he was probably realising what was going on, or at the very least was trying to deny it somehow. 'No way. This is all part of a prank. Ino wouldn't do this to me…' that was what Ino figured was running through his head right now. Her own smile only grew as the horror in his eyes became more apparent until his face went blank.
'Yep. He's got it now,' Ino thought happily. Now the real fun could begin.
"Where are you going later?" he asked casually, trying and failing to not give himself away.
"Not sure yet," Ino answered just as casually. "I'll see where life takes me, but I am prepared for just about anything to happen tonight." She may have put a little bit too much emphasis on the whole being prepared part, if Naruto's nervous gulp was to be trusted. She wanted to make him sweat, not scare him away. "What about you? Any plans? Any promises you have to run off and fulfill? I know you're a man of your word after all. It's one of the things I admire about you, you know."
He laughed anxiously and scratched the back of his head out of habit. "Oh? You think that's a good quality? Most people think its annoying or naïve, what with being a shinobi and all. Not exactly a good profession to prioritise keeping your word."
Ino rolled her eyes. Of course a world full of back stabbers would think being honest and truthful was a bad thing. "Well, I like it," she said. "It means you're trustworthy, and trust is something I take very seriously."
"Didn't you just break the Hokage's trust not that long ago when you told me-"
"That was different!" Ino spluttered. She was immediately grateful for the drinks having been served in that moment. Naruto's cheeky grin wasn't missed by her, however. "And would you rather I not have told you?"
He frowned. "If it got you in trouble, then yes," he said honestly.
Ino shook her head with a smile. Naruto would really rather not learn who his parents were if it meant getting someone close to him hurt in any way. Thankfully, Tsunade had been more bark than bite on the subject. Sure, Ino had been called in for the tongue lashing of the century, but considering that it was a controlled leak, and the fact that Naruto was handling it so well, there wasn't much to punish the Yamanaka for. Ino was also pretty sure Naruto had said something to get her off the hook since Tsunade hadn't really put her all into it.
Ino took a sip of her drink. "Good thing it never came to that," she said. "While I've got you to myself, I wanted to ask you something."
Naruto tilted his head curiously. "Okay?"
"My mother has invited you over for dinner with us," Ino said with a shrug. "No set date, no pressure or anything. I think my parents just want to meet you properly. You can refuse if you aren't comfortable with the idea." She definitely wasn't going to force her parents upon anyone, especially Naruto. As much as it would mean to her for them to all get along, Ino wouldn't tell Naruto that, knowing he would twist himself up inside and force himself to go even if he didn't want to. That wasn't what she wanted at all.
"Oh," Naruto said in pleasant surprise. "Dinner? At your house? Are they sure they want me there? They do know who I am right? What I am?"
Ino nodded. "Naruto, my father is the head of the T&I department of Konoha. He has the highest clearance, second only to the Hokage herself. I do not think there is anything about you daddy hasn't already thoroughly investigated. As for mom, well, she is very intuitive. Daddy wouldn't let anything too important slip, even to her, but you can never know what she can figure out on her own." For example, how her mother had deduced Ino had developed a massive crush on Naruto only days after Ino herself knew. Looking back, however, it was probably easy to figure out. There had been some very clear signs. "It'll be fine. I promise. But like I said, you don't have to do it. It's only an offer."
Naruto sighed in relief before drumming his fingers idly on the tabletop. "Dinner with the parents…" he mumbled quietly to himself. With a worried expression, he looked up and met Ino's gaze. "Ino… Is this a date?" he asked apprehensively, gesturing to the both of them. "I know I promised I would take you on a date when I got back, and things have been super busy and unexpected, so I haven't had time to think about it. I'm sorry if I was taking too long to ask you. I didn't mean to force you to take it upon yourself or anything. I-"
"Shh," Ino interrupted gently, reaching over and grabbing his hands. "Settle. No stress, okay." She waited for him to take a deep breath and calm down a little before smiling and continuing. "Yes, you did promise me a date. I haven't forgotten. I also understand everything that's going on and that you have bigger things to think about right now, so don't worry about it. As for this. This is whatever we want it to be. A dinner between friends, a little practice run, or, if you'd like, I'm more than happy for this to be the start of our first date night." The way his eyes lit up had her hands itching to snatch the camera from her pocket. Sadly, it would have to wait for a more opportune moment.
"You've been planning to catch me off guard like this for a little while, haven't you?"
Ino grinned. "I'm not very patient. You should know that."
Naruto snorted. "You could have just asked."
"A lady shouldn't have to ask for a date, Whiskers," Ino chided playfully. "But now that we are here, what will it be?"
"Hmm, let's think about my options," Naruto started. "I could turn down a date with the most beautiful girl I know, who happens to be my best friend, and look like a complete loser for a few months, until people forget, or I do something even more stupid to make them forget. Keep in mind that I know turning you down will result in some sort of consequence involving poison that I may or may not be able to recover from quickly. Or I could take you up on the offer and make a fool of myself anyway because I'm hopeless at this stuff. I'm willing to bet that you were banking on that fact for your own sick amusement."
Ino propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand, all the while beaming at Naruto and idly playing with a strand of her hair. "You know me so well, Whiskers," she cooed. "There is still the option of making this a practice run. Help you get over those first date jitters before the real thing." Ino could have trapped him here and had her fun, but that would be needlessly cruel. It wasn't as if Naruto was avoiding the whole thing, he just needed a little push.
Naruto shook his head firmly. "Nope. Can't do it," he said. "It's all or nothing. No half-arsing important things."
"Oh? Is taking me on a date that important, is it?"
"You're important," Naruto said with a mischievous grin as Ino blushed. "Another point for me."
Ino narrowed her eyes. "Keeping score, are we?"
"And you weren't?"
She shrugged. "Fair point. Now, enough of that," Ino said, lifting her glass up. "I think it's about time you and I had a drink together."
Naruto eyed his own drink warily. That last stint with Tsunade had left him with an unsure opinion on alcohol. With any luck, having a drink with Ino would change that. Picking up his glass, he moved it towards Ino's and clinked them together before he took a tentative sip. He grimaced at the taste but kept his complaints silent. And so, the night went on, the two of them losing themselves to each other's company, aided along by the growing number of drinks they were having. The food ended up being amazing, even in Naruto's biased opinion, and for the first time in quite a while everything felt like it was going the way it was supposed to. Sadly, fate had an interesting sense of humour.
"Well-well, if this isn't a pleasant surprise," a loud an overly excited voice announced, followed quickly by the sound of a chair being dragged over to the couple's table. "And here I thought I had wasted all that money on those private tutors for you, eh Naruto. You should have told me you had such a beauty waiting for you back home."
Ino felt herself sober up almost immediately. Not out of any sense of threat or danger, at least not for herself, but more so that she didn't want to miss anything that was about to happen. Someone would have to be a reputable eyewitness if things erupted. A single glance was all it took for her to see that Naruto was in the same boat, his carefree smile having dropped after the first few words of the new member of their table. Her eyes turned back to the interrupter with a vicious glare. How dare anyone disturb what was turning out to be an amazing night for her.
"Pervy-sage," Naruto greeted flatly, smiling emptily at the Sannin. "When did you get back?"
Jiraiya was either unaware that he was interrupting, or he didn't care. Either option was dangerous. "Only a few hours ago," he said, reaching out to take Naruto's cup without a care and finishing its contents. "Damn, brat. This is good stuff. You're really pulling out all the cards for this one, huh? I'm so proud. I was almost going to teach you a lesson about being so hard to track down, but now that I see why, well, I certainly can't blame you."
Ino held back a growl. Did Jiraiya need to continue to talk about her like that without even properly trying to introduce himself? Ino idly wondered just how much trouble she could get in for killing a Sannin. Surely Tsunade would understand, maybe even be elated at the news. That was if Naruto didn't manage to do it first. If the rage boiling in the jinchuuriki's eyes could spill out, this side of the village would be an inferno by now. That wasn't even the worst of it. Ino could feel the Kyuubi, it's chakra stirring and bubbling so intensely within Naruto that it was affecting the traces in her own body. Whatever anger Ino had naturally in this situation was being amplified, incredibly so. The fact that Naruto was dealing with it much worse than her, along with having much more reason to be angry, spoke volumes to his level of control.
Jiraiya needed to put some distance between himself and his student if he knew what was good for him.
"Did you need something?" Naruto asked.
"Nope. Just thought I'd check in and see how my favourite student is getting along," Jiraiya said cheerfully, patting the boy on the back. "Heard you had a run in with the Akatsuki already. Gave them a real beatdown too. Guess all that training I gave you paid off, huh? Don't worry, you can thank me later."
Ino could feel how tightly Naruto was gripping the table. Where was Tsunade when you needed her?
"Actually, there is something I would like to show you, Pervy-sage," Naruto said suddenly. "Wanna go to the training grounds? I promise it'll be worth it. I've been waiting for you to get back so I can show it off."
Jiraiya glanced questioningly between the two blondes. "After this, or…?"
"Now is fine," Naruto said, flashing Ino an apologetic smile as he stood up. "It's too good to wait. You'll lose your mind once you see."
"Well, alright then. Consider me intrigued. But let's make it quick. If I'm lucky I can still get back to Tsunade's office and catch her on the end of a bender," the Sannin said with a perverted glint in his eyes. "She's much friendlier in those moments."
Jiraiya turned to leave, and Naruto took a moment to look at Ino like he had just accidentally kicked a puppy. She smiled at him and nodded. "It's okay," she mouthed silently, gesturing for him to go ahead. He didn't need to be told twice, quickly following after his sensei. Ino sighed deeply and downed the last of her drink. She settled the bill, making a note for Naruto to be the one to pay for the next outing, and set off to the Hokage's office. As creepy as Jiraiya's earlier comment had been, it had let Ino know that Tsunade was still there. Ino could have left well enough alone, left Jiraiya to his fate with Naruto, but that wouldn't be right. Jiraiya and Naruto had a lot to sort out. Trying to beat someone to a pulp wasn't usually the recommended method of working things out though, and Ino needed to make sure the fallout was contained. They were two of the most powerful shinobi in the village, so there was no telling how out of hand things could get.
{I}
Naruto managed to maintain his flimsy façade for the entire walk to the training grounds. Not once did he faulter as he and Jiraiya caught up on the days from their travels, exchanged stories from the past weeks that the Sannin had been out for. No matter how much every part of him screamed to punch his godfather in the face, he didn't let it take control, not yet. Naruto wasn't quite drunk enough to think he had any kind of a chance facing the Sannin, not without losing control of himself. No, he had to rely on the element of surprise, catch the toad off guard and get in as many cheap hits as he could before Jiraiya got serious and beat the shit out of him. One decent punch to the man's smug perverted face would be enough for Naruto, even if he knew it would only be shrugged off.
As they came to the centre of one of the more out of the way training grounds, Jiraiya stopped and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Okay brat, let's have it. What spark of genius has that weird little mind of yours conjured up?" Jiraiya said.
Naruto continued to smile. "Hey, Pervy-sage, can I ask you something? It's been bugging me for a while now, and I was hoping you'd know."
Jiraiya shrugged. "Sure. Let's hear it."
"The old man, I used to ask him who my parents were sometimes. He never told me… said it wasn't something I should worry about at the time," Naruto told him. "I… I thought he would tell me after I learnt about the Kyuubi, but he still didn't say anything. Then the chunin exams happened and… I did have parents, right? One's that loved me? I wasn't just some baby dumped somewhere in the village and made into a jinchuuriki, was I?"
Jiraiya, the spymaster he was, had decades of experience in controlling his outward expressions. As such, he didn't so much as blink at the question, offering nothing more than another careless shrug. "Beats me kid. I wasn't around when the Kyuubi attacked. Only person that would know would have been the old man or the fourth," he said nonchalantly. "I guess if it's really bugging you, you can ask Tsunade to look into it. Might take some digging, if they can find anything in the first place. You gotta remember, a lot was lost that night. Not just people and buildings, but records too. What I'm trying to say is don't get your hopes up. Dwelling on the past isn't what you want to be doing right now."
Naruto smiled sadly and nodded in acceptance, though internally his rage ignited anew. Even after all this time, after everything, Jiraiya was still choosing to play dumb. This man, this perverted buffoon, his godfather, was still unwilling to tell him the truth and embrace him as the only family Naruto had left in the world. That couldn't be allowed to continue, it wouldn't be allowed. Silently, Naruto lifted his hand and channelled his chakra, a small ball of rapidly spinning energy springing to life, floating just above his palm. A perfect, one-handed rasengan. His fathers jutsu, his legacy. It had been an awesome jutsu before, something Naruto had invested a lot of time into trying to perfect. After learning the truth, he had returned to it with a vigour unlike anything else, committing himself to perfecting it, to mastering it. In his mind there was no better way to honour his father, and he had succeeded.
"Woah-oh, and not a clone in sight," Jiraiya said proudly. "I'd say even the fourth Hokage would be impressed."
"You think so?" Naruto asked. "I thought it would be a good idea to perfect it. You know, as a way to remember dad a little better."
Jiraiya nodded sagely, stroking his chin thoughtfully and not registering Naruto's words at all. "Hmm, well, at a base stage you've got it down perfectly," he explained. "But your dad always rambled on about it being an incomplete jutsu. Something about trying to add a…" The sage's words died in his throat as the gears of his well-oiled mind came to a screeching halt. Alarm bells were going off and somewhere deep, deep down inside of him, Jiraiya felt a sudden spike of fear the likes of which he had only felt once before when Tsunade caught him peeping on her.
"You okay, Pervy-sage?" Naruto asked innocently, only there was nothing innocent about the way he was grinning at his sensei. "Something wrong? Perhaps there's something you need to get off your chest? I know how much a secret can weigh on you. Trust me, it feels much better to tell someone."
Jiraiya could practically feel the Shinigami tickling his spine with the sickly-sweet words of his dear student. This must have been how Sarutobi felt whenever Orochimaru talked to him like that. No wonder the old goat aged like bad milk. The toad sage was already feeling the years weighing down on him. He went to say something, only for Naruto to close the distance between them in the blink of an eye, the rasengan aimed for his stomach.
"Here, let me help you get it out!" Naruto yelled, slamming the swirling ball of chakra into his sensei with as much force as he could.
The toad sage was sent flying away, skipping and hopping across the open field like a stone across a lake until he caught his footing and came to a sliding stop. Naruto rolled his shoulders and took a defensive stance in preparation. He hadn't put nearly enough power into that rasengan for it to be lethal, and even if he had, he knew from experience that Jiraiya had a knack for shrugging off some truly scary jutsu. Naruto weaved through some hand seals and ducked just in time to avoid the kick aimed for his head, his hands pressing down on the ground as he went.
"Earth style: Rupturing Earth!"
The ground around them erupted, the once most flat training ground quickly turning into a giant field of rubble and raised rocks. The earth seemed to erupt and shoot up at Jiraiya wherever he moved as he was forced to retreat until the technique finished, leaving him standing atop one of the higher pieces of earth. Naruto jumped up onto his own high ground and glared at his sensei.
"Ready to start telling me the truth?" he asked coldly.
Jiraiya frowned. "Naruto, I don't know what's gotten into you, but this isn't what it seems-"
"Shut up!" Naruto yelled. With a single hand seal, the field was swarmed with shadow clones, all of whom set upon the Sannin with a matching rage. "I gave you a chance to do the right thing, and you blew it!"
Jiraiya faced the small army of clones head on. For all of Naruto's power and skill, he was still young and nowhere near the Sannin's level. Not without the Kyuubi anyway. Time would fix that, no doubt, but for now, this little show was exactly that, a show. It wasn't the physical bombardment that bothered the aging shinobi, no, it was the psychological warfare being thrown his way.
"Why weren't you there for me?"
"What was more important?"
"I didn't even know who you were?"
"Were you ever going to tell me?"
"Do I even mean anything to you?"
With every clone he dodged, with each one he pummelled into a satisfying plume of smoke, came another question, cold and sharp like a knife to the guts. There seemed to be no end the clones, and with them came no respite from the questions as they slowly whittled him down. Sure, he could have answered, he could have come up with a million different reasons for his absence from Naruto's life. None of those answers would be true, and Jiraiya knew Naruto would know that. The brat had an annoying way of figuring people out like that. There was nothing he could say right now that would make a difference in Naruto's mind, not with the boy being so angry. And so, he remained silent, taking the onslaught without a word, without complaint, battling his own student down piece by piece in the hope that he would wear himself out sooner rather than later.
Not a likely outcome to say the least.
"Why aren't you talking!" Naruto yelled, charging the man with another rasengan from behind, his clones keeping Jiraiya distracted… or so he thought.
No sooner had the words left his mouth were his clones slaughtered by a sweeping of weaponised hair, Jiraiya spinning on the spot and catching the real Naruto by the wrist, rasengan dissipating instantly. Following his momentum, Jiraiya spun, driving his elbow into Naruto's gut before launching him across the field, his body pinballing off several pieces of raised earth. Racing through hand seals of his own, Jiraiya brought his hands down before the next wave of clones could engage him once more.
"Swamp of the underworld."
The field shifted once more, the ruptured earth melting into a giant swamp of deep dark mud that swallowed the small clone army as suddenly as it appeared. Only the very tips of several raised pieces of earth were left protruding from the muck, a handful of clones being quick enough to take refuge on them. Jiraiya stood atop his own and cracked his neck. Naruto was a good shinobi, a good student, but even he would struggle to fight on such hostile terrain. Jiraiya may have taught him well, but he still taught him, and as such he knew everything the kid did. There wasn't a jutsu in his arsenal that couldn't be immediately countered. That's what was eating at the Sannin. Angry or not, Naruto had to know trying to fight his sensei was pointless. Unless…
He got his answer in the form of a torpedo of wind chakra shattering the earth pillar beneath, forcing him to jump to another spot, taking out another clone in the process. Looking back, he watched as the swamp bubbled and bulged in a strange way, a clawed hand emerging from its murky depths as Naruto, clad in the red shroud of his stage one bijuu cloak, pulled himself atop the mud and glared at Jiraiya. To his credit, Jiraiya didn't flinch, even if he was surprised to see someone not only overpower his jutsu, but also treat it like a mere inconvenience. Swamp of the underworld was not supposed to be that easy to ignore, even for a jinchuuriki. Add on to that the fact that Naruto was angry enough to start using the Kyuubi, and Jiraiya was ready to start sweating. Maybe he really should have told the boy about everything before he started training him to be a monster.
"Nothing?" Naruto growled. "All these years, and you've got nothing? No excuses? No reasons?"
Jiraiya took a deep breath and positioned himself, ready to continue the fight without a word. He knew there was no talking the boy down, and even if there was, this confrontation was a long time coming. It would do him good to let off a little steam.
Naruto lowered himself onto all fours, a single red tail swaying behind him. The remaining shadow clones dispelled themselves as he stared down Jiraiya. "Fine then. Don't talk," he said. "You spent three years trying to get me ready for the Akatsuki. Let's see how well you did."
With that, the two lunged at each other, the populace of Konoha being reminded once more of just what kind of monsters it so proudly raised within its walls.
{I}
"Well, this is fucked," Tsunade grumbled, rubbing her eyes in frustration.
She stood on the edge of the training ground, or what was left of it that is, where Naruto and Jiraiya had chosen to have their little grudge match. The earth shook again as the aforementioned battle raged on, a little too close for the Hokage's comfort, but certainly not close enough to be a danger to anyone. With a silent gesture the Anbu behind her leapt into action, scattering themselves around the ground. Within moments a giant barrier of chakra erected itself around the training ground. A wonderful failsafe installed on many sections of Konoha thanks to the late great lord Fourth. Tsunade would have to a drink in the man's honour after tonight.
"There's no stopping them, is there?" Ino asked sadly from beside the woman. She had raced to the Hokage's office in an attempt to maybe catch Naruto and Jiraiya before they could start. Not fast enough apparently.
Tsunade shrugged. "I'm not going in there. Are you?"
Ino looked past the barrier and watched the two blurs speeding around, jutsu after jutsu being thrown around like children's toys, the very landscape changing with each one. That didn't worry her. Ino knew Naruto was tough enough to walk away from this fight, and Jiraiya had his own reputation for such things. What worried Ino was the mental ramifications of such a battle. Even now, as she could feel the Kyuubi's chakra flowing from Naruto, she knew the fight was less about physically overcoming an opponent and more about coming to terms with his own emotions. Easier said than done, even for someone as optimistic as Naruto.
"What the hell is going on?"
The two blondes turned to acknowledge Kiba as he landed near them, followed quickly by a large group of shinobi, many of whom seemed fully prepared for a fight. Apparently lighting up an entire training ground like a warzone without properly notifying anyone set of a lot of alarms across the village. Who would have guessed. As Ino went to answer, her voice was drowned out as the earth shook again, the barrier before them being covered by a wall of fire as one of the largest fire jutsu anyone had seen collided with it full force.
Tsunade tsk'd in annoyance. "Those idiots are going to kill each other."
"Are we under attack?" one shinobi asked in a panic.
Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan and peered beyond the barrier. "Lady Tsunade, the Kyuubi-"
"Is perfectly contained," Tsunade interrupted, the headache already forming at the front of her head. "Everything is fine. Naruto and Jiraiya just have a little family matter to resolve. Nothing to panic about."
Many of the shinobi present nodded in understanding, letting their guard down as they instead went on to simply watch the show. It wasn't very often someone got to see Jiraiya of the Sannin in action. Those that weren't in the know looked at their Hokage like she had just blurted out gibberish.
"Wait, Naruto's in there?" Kiba asked incredulously, watching in horror as the scale of the jutsu being used within the barrier only increased with each turn. "And Jiraiya? A family matter? Don't tell me that idiot's related to a Sannin as well."
Ino laughed sheepishly. "Well, not by blood. Jiraiya is Naruto's godfather," she explained, much to the growing confusion of many present. "Naruto didn't know about it until recently, and now he has some stress to take out. That's all."
"Yeah, and technically the little shit is distantly related to me by blood," Tsunade chimed in. "The Uzumaki and Senju have a distant relation. Don't go telling him that though. Can barely stand him calling me granny as it is."
Kiba completely blocked out Tsunade's words as he looked at Ino with wide eyes, slowly turning between the Yamanaka and the literal natural disaster being unleashed right before their eyes. "Oh, yeah. Just a little stress. That's all. Perfectly normal. Nothing out of the ordinary," he said meekly, wincing as everyone watched Jiraiya take a particularly nasty hit that sent him flying through a tree. "You don't think Naruto can hold a grudge, do you?"
Hinata placed her hand on her teammates shoulder and looked down solemnly. "You will be missed," she said softly. "Do not worry, I will care for Akamaru in your place." Said dog chose this moment to slowly inch away from his partner.
"Why me."
{I}
Jiraiya groaned as he righted himself, clutching at his side. That hit definitely cracked a rib or two. Damn that brat was strong, and fast too. Two tails, that's what Naruto was up to, and he showed no signs of slowing down as of yet. Jiraiya knew he had to put a stop to that. Not for his own safety, but for the safety of everyone. Naruto was a tough kid, stubborn to no end, but the Kyuubi was much more than anyone could handle with even a calm mind. No matter how good Naruto might be at controlling his emotions, at harnessing the bijuu's chakra, he was still only human, and that left too many opportunities for a freak accident. Something like that couldn't be allowed to happen so close to the village.
His hair whipped around him in a hardened shell of spikes, a large, uprooted tree crashing into his new shield hard enough to shatter the trunk and throw Jiraiya off his feet once more. Twisting himself in the air, he narrowly dodged a punch from Naruto, bringing his own legs up and driving both of his feet into the boy's stomach. As his student was sent crashing away, Jiraiya made a quick hand seal, four shadow clones quickly appearing at his side and scattering across the battlefield. Landing atop the mud, he looked up to where Naruto was already back on his feet and closing in fast.
"Earth style: Mud Dragon."
The swamp around him churned and erupted out towards the oncoming jinchuuriki, taking the form of a giant dragon that chased Naruto, tearing through anything that got in its path. He considered summoning the elder toads and ending things quickly but decided against it. Naruto was their summoner too, so it would be unfair to make them choose a side. This was Jiraiya's fight, and his alone. His mud dragon exploded as a wind bullet tore through it like paper, showering the area in mud and debris before he was set upon by his student once more.
Jiraiya was almost impressed as he guarded against the flurry of punches and kicks aimed for him. Naruto's taijutsu was definitely coming along nicely. He could tell Naruto was holding back, even with the bijuu cloak activated. The only thing Jiraiya had working in his favour was his longer reach, years more experience, along with having trained his attacker. Knowing how someone fought was half the battle, and he had almost taught Naruto everything he knew. Unless the brat had been learning some tricks on the side, there wasn't anything he could use that would surprise the Sannin.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Naruto asked angrily, accentuating each word with a strike.
Jiraiya winced as he blocked a kick with his arm, the force behind it making his whole arm ache. His expression quickly changed to a smirk as one of his clones emerged from the ground beneath Naruto's feet, grabbing hold of the boy and pinning him in place. Two more clones appeared at Naruto's sides, grabbing an arm each. It was only a momentary pause to the fighting, but a moment was all Jiraiya needed. With fingertips suddenly alight with chakra, he rushed the blonde, hand aimed for the seal on his stomach only for it to stop short, one of the chakra tails wrapping tightly around his forearm and halting his jutsu mere inches from its target. He should have known that wouldn't work.
His clones were carved through by the second tail as he was whipped around and flung away like a toy. Jiraiya landed heavily and caught his breath, clutching at his arm where the vile chakra had slightly burned his skin. Looking at Naruto now, it was with some annoyance that the only marks on the boy were similar burning patterns, courtesy of the bijuu cloak. Not a single jutsu he had thrown at his student had left a lasting mark, with every physical attack he managed to dish out having been almost immediately shrugged off. Jinchuuriki resilience and healing was so unfair.
"Nothing I will say will make you feel any better about this, Naruto," Jiraiya said, staring the boy down.
Naruto growled. "Maybe not," he said. "But you could still try, dammit! Am I not worth that much?"
Jiraiya sunk into the ground to avoid the tails slamming into the ground where he once stood. Burrowing deep, his eyes widened as he felt the ground above him shatter and move out of the way. He didn't have time to move before a tail, having wormed its way into the earth after him, wrapped around his leg and began dragging him back up to the surface. Thankfully, he was able to keep his technique in play, allowing him to almost harmlessly pass through the earth even against his will. As he breached the surface, Jiraiya was met with the sight of a much larger than normal rasengan aimed straight for him. Likely not powerful enough to cripple or kill him, yet certainly strong enough to inflict some serious pain.
'Dammit Jiraiya. You really fucked up this time,' was all he could think before his world went black.
{I}
Naruto was angry. He had been angry at Jiraiya before the man's surprise return. How could he not be. The self-proclaimed pervert that was meant to be his godfather, his sensei, had proven himself to be an irresponsible fool. He had left Naruto alone, without guidance, without knowledge of his family, with only the coldness of the village that feared and ostracised him. That would have been enough to excuse the events currently unfolding, had the sage not gone that one step further to rub salt in the wound. Before he had been angry, but now he was furious. Not only did Jiraiya reappear surprisingly, but he had also done so at the worst possible time, interrupting what was turning out to be a very good night with Ino no-less. Then came his worst offence of the night…
He kept lying.
Straight to Naruto's face. With a bold practiced confidence that showed Naruto all he needed to see. Jiraiya could lie with the best of them, as was to be expected of a shinobi of his renown. That wasn't what bothered Naruto. It was the ease with which he did it to someone who was as good as family. Naruto couldn't help but wonder what that meant, how that realisation reflected on the relationship he had with his sensei. Did Naruto mean anything to Jiraiya, or was he nothing more than a tool, a jinchuuriki to be trained, another shiny medal to put on his record of powerful past students. Was that all this had been? Jiraiya didn't even deem Naruto worth the effort to try and make up an excuse, so he was left with only his own thoughts on the matter. Thoughts that were quickly being exaggerated and twisted by the Kyuubi's influence.
Sadly, there wasn't enough time to drag the well-deserved ass kicking out for as long as Naruto would like. No matter how good his relationship with the bijuu within him had gotten, there was no getting around the beast's nature. The more of the Kyuubi's chakra he used, the more the rage influenced him, and the longer he held it, the more he wanted to give in. He could already feel his rightful anger being poisoned into near actual deathly desire. Naruto was pissed at Jiraiya, but he didn't want the man dead. Things had to end, and they had to end quickly.
As such, he had been pleasantly surprised when one of his tails had caught the pervert under the ground, dragging Jiraiya up to the surface as Naruto prepared an enlarged rasengan specially for him. Tsunade was waiting close by; the barrier around the field letting him know as much. She would be able to heal her old teammate, if she felt kind enough. Naruto could interrogate his godfather all he wanted in a hospital room. By the time Jiraiya was free from the earth, Naruto was already at his side, a malicious grin spreading across his face as the rasengan collided with his sensei, only to fall suddenly as the man vanished in a plume of smoke.
'Oh shit.'
He felt the burning pain in his stomach before he saw the hand, five fingertips alight, protruding up from the earth and into his gut. Following the arm, he was met with the smug expression of Jiraiya. The rasengan fizzled out of existence, his connection to the Kyuubi's chakra disappearing along with his chakra cloak, and an intense burning pain set itself deep inside him. This was the forest of death all over again. Naruto slumped forward in pain, only to reel back as a fist collided with his face. Then one to his stomach. Then a kick to his head. His vision blurred as he tried to bring his arms up, his strength quickly leaving him. This was not how this was supposed to go.
Naruto couldn't do much as Jiraiya dished out several more precise strikes before sending him flying with a kick to his chest. He crashed to the ground and didn't bother trying to get back up. With the Kyuubi's chakra sealed, and his own being well and truly messed up at the same time, Naruto could only marvel at just how strong and effective Jiraiya was without any way to power through it. For an old man, the toad hit like a mountain. He wheezed and coughed as he tried to make himself comfortable on the ground. The fight was over. Without the fox's chakra cursing through him, and the pain he was starting to feel, it was easy to calm himself back down. Maybe he had gone a little too far there.
"You were holding back too much," Jiraiya chided as he walked over, standing tall over the boy.
Naruto tried to scoff. "And you weren't?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "Not the point. This shouldn't have been a strategy for me to use against you," he said. "You should have known better, planned better. You knew I could use this technique, yet you did nothing to try and make sure I couldn't get close enough to apply it. You let your emotions get the better of you, again, and look where it got you. The Kyuubi only works as a benefit when you don't give it anything to twist and turn against you. We have been over this countless times, Naruto. What if I had been a member of Akatsuki? What if something like this happened out there, out where no one can jump in to help you. What then?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was too busy dealing with the revelation of who my parents were, and who you are," Naruto said with a sneer. "Care to finally acknowledge that or are you going to continue pretending I don't exist as anything more than another student."
"Naruto…" Jiraiya sighed deeply and sat down next to Naruto. "You weren't supposed to find out like this."
"You don't say."
"I should have told you sooner. I know that, and I'm sorry," Jiraiya said. "Sensei was going to, before he died. He was waiting until after the exams, while I was around. We were going to tell you everything together. Then everything went to hell and-"
"I don't care about that," Naruto said, glaring up at the sage. "I understand why the old man kept it a secret. I understand why I couldn't know of my parents, or who I was. All of that makes at least some sort of sense. But you know what doesn't make any sense? How I didn't know who you were until I was thirteen! You, my own godfather, my father's sensei, the one person I had left. How did I not even know who you were? I never saw you. I never spoke to you. Nothing, Jiraiya. Why?"
Jiraiya winced. Naruto never used his actual name like that. "I…" he went to say something only to stop and take a deep breath. "I have no good reason for that. I have reasons, plenty of them, but none of them are good. I know I failed you. At the time I thought it was for the best. I'm a good shinobi, not a good man, not like your father was. I didn't want you to have me as an influence like that. I didn't want to risk you turning out anything like me. But now, as I look back on it, I think I was just afraid to be relied on like that, to have that responsibility. It was easier to stay away, to hunt Orochimaru, to keep tabs on the other villages and Akatsuki. It was just easier, and I was too weak to take anything but the easy way out. I'm still too weak."
"I would have done anything…" Naruto said softly, tears welling in his eyes. "Anything at all, just to know I had someone out there. Any kind of family. I used to cry myself to sleep sometimes, wondering why I had to be so alone all the time. Do you have any idea how much it hurt to find out who you are to me? You're my sensei. We were travelling for three years together… did you ever think of telling, even once?"
"I did… several times," Jiraiya admitted, suddenly looking much older and depressed than normal. "But every time I wanted to, I couldn't do it. I was afraid of… this. That you would hate me. Not that I blame you. You should hate me, and you can, as much as you need to. But I couldn't let you do that until after your training. Training you was the one good thing I've done these past years. Helping you grow, learn, and become the man you are now. A man I know your parents would be proud of. A man who could face anything the world throws at him… even if that includes my own stupidity."
Naruto sighed. "I want to hate you," he said. "But I don't think I can. Not really. It's just not in me." He snorted at his own words, then chuckled, then laughed softly; each movement of his chest only serving to hurt a little more. Somehow, even the pain he was in right now was funny.
Jiraiya looked down at Naruto worriedly. He hadn't hit the boy that hard. "Something funny?"
Naruto continued to laugh, grinning widely even as tears began streaking down his face. "This… this was my first fight… with family," he said. "It feels… nice. I always wanted to know what it was like to have a family fight, to butt heads with someone like that. Guess I know now."
"You're a strange kid, Naruto," Jiraiya mumbled quietly. "For what it's worth, I truly am sorry."
"I know," Naruto said.
"So… what now?"
"Now, you two are going to learn not to drag me away from my office without damn good reason," Tsunade said dangerously, her killing intent washing over the two. "Do either of you understand how much paperwork this little stunt is going to leave me with? Not to mention the cleanup teams for this training ground." She sighed deeply as both stared up at her in a shared expression of horror and realisation. "Did you at least resolve the issue? Or do I have to start bashing heads in?"
"It's all good, granny," Naruto chimed in, turning to smile softly at Jiraiya. "All sorted."
"Good. Ino, take your idiot to the hospital and give him a check over," Tsunade ordered to the Yamanaka as she came up to the scene.
Naruto grimaced as Ino walked up to him with an unreadable expression. 'This isn't going to go well,' he thought. Even if Ino had said it was alright back at the restaurant, Naruto highly doubted that what transpired here was going to get a simple pass from the girl.
"Feel better now?" Ino asked in a sickeningly sweet tone, kneeling down next to Naruto.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "There's no right answer to that question, is there?"
Ino smiled sweetly. "Nope," she chirped, grabbing him by what was left of his shirt and lifting him up onto her shoulder effortlessly.
Jiraiya waited until Naruto and Ino were gone before resting his head defeatedly on his hand. "Okay, let me have. I know you want to say it."
"I fucking told you so," Tsunade said, frowning afterwards. "Huh, not as satisfying as I hoped it would be. Hope you appreciate how well all this turned out for you. If Naruto wasn't half as forgiving as he is, you'd probably be a stain smeared across this field right now."
"I know, I know," he grumbled. "At least now he knows everything. I can focus on his training without holding anything back, and he has a new motivation to get stronger."
Tsunade's expression darkened as she slowly crept closer to her former teammate. "I'm so glad you brought up the topic of training, Jiraiya," she said sweetly, her voice freezing the man in place. "I do seem to remember telling you not to leave the village, to stay here and focus on training Naruto, and yet you left, without my permission. Where did you go Jiraiya? What were you doing?"
Jiraiya paled as his life flashed before his eyes. Apparently, the true implications of Tsunade being the Hokage hadn't quite sunk into his thick skull. What a mistake that was. "Now, now, princess. No need to get ahead of ourselves here," he said nervously, suddenly very aware of his own injuries and knowing damn well he couldn't outrun Tsunade in his current state.
"Not to worry," Tsunade said, her sweet and innocent tone never dropping. "You can tell me everything while you're recovering. All those pesky broken bones. I'll be stuck tending to you personally for days."
"What? No. I'm fine, I swear. Nothing's even broken." That wasn't a lie. Sure, his body ached and burned, his pride had taken a good beating, but Jiraiya was far from being out of commission. A few cracks here and there maybe, nothing that he couldn't sort out himself within a few hours.
Tsunade grinned as she cracked her knuckles, closing in on the pervert. "So many broken bones."
Jiraiya's face fell. 'Not again.'
The screams heard from the training ground that night would serve to remind everyone why Tsunade was so feared as a shinobi. Unlike many of the walking one-man-armies that had been produced by the village, none could truly compare to the fear inducing reality of being taken to the brink of death by someone who could just as easily bring you back from that point. People like Orochimaru could make anyone fear death, but Tsunade could make someone beg for it. And oh boy did Jiraiya learn to beg.
{I}
(Omake: Hyuuga Hospitality.)
(During the time skip period)
The Hyuuga were a proud clan of Konoha. They served their village well, utilising the prowess of their Dojutsu for the betterment of the village and its people. Over the years, they had gained many forms of reputation. Deadly warriors, unreadable diplomats, unflappable, all seeing, uptight assholes, there were no shortage of ways to describe the Hyuuga, you needed only ask around. Hiashi Hyuuga, current clan head and father to two beautiful daughters, was both proud of his clans well deserved reputation, while also feeling restrained by it. A certain level of professionalism was expected of him in all matters he tended to, and it was exhausting.
Dealing with the clan, attending council meetings, those were things Hiashi had no issues with. It was a simple thing to turn off his emotions and simply deal with whatever he had to with a cold calculation. Other situations, however, often left him wishing he could say to hell with his clan's formalities and expectations. Sadly, he couldn't do that, not after so many years abiding by the rules. And so, he remained calm, controlled, never uttering a word out of place or letting his tone betray a single ounce of his true feelings. Easier said than done considering his current… situation.
Family dinner.
While normally the tension of this simple activity was negligeable, tonight was noticeably different, and Hiashi knew exactly who to blame for that. His eyes turned to regard his eldest daughter, Hinata, with an emotionless gaze. Perhaps he had been too hard on her, pushed her too far, saddled too much weight and expectation upon the poor girl's shoulders until she finally snapped. That didn't give her the right to do this to him. Hiashi had only been worried about how his kind-hearted daughter would fair in such a harsh world. His methods may have been harsh, but his intentions were pure. Hinata needed to be stronger, she needed to be able to stand up for herself, especially if she took the mantle of clan head in the future. Hiashi wouldn't forgive himself if his beautiful little girl was left destined to be manipulated and pushed around by the elders of their clan.
Those particular fears were now a distant thought, and not for the right reasons.
"Thank you for allowing me to join you for this meal."
Hiashi's eye almost twitched. "Think nothing of it, Gaara," he said politely, offering the redhead a small smile. On the inside he was anything but calm. This mess stunk of the Mitarashi woman. He knew he should have never allowed the student of Orochimaru to take a vested interest in his daughter, but at the time the benefits of Hinata's extra training could not be ignored. No one could have seen this being a possible outcome. No one.
"Gaara is being considered as a candidate for the next Kazekage," Hinata chimed in proudly. The girl was either blissfully ignorant of the tension present, or she was merely stoking the flames.
"It is only in talks for the moment," Gaara clarified quickly. "I do not think my village will be too quick to consider me for the position considering my… past."
Hiashi nodded in understanding. With Hinata taking an interest in playing the role of go-between for Konoha and Suna, Hiashi himself had taken an interest in the allied village's internal matters. Gaara's history was… colourful, to say the least. The boy was troubled, and for a long time was no better than a deranged murderer on a spree. No matter how useful that had been for Suna, it was a massive red flag for Hiashi and anyone else of sound mind. Recent times had proven the boy to be much more stable, much to Hiashi's relief. Not to say that it made him any less concerned with the apparent infatuation Hinata was displaying towards the boy. Possible Kazekage or not, no one was good enough for his baby girl.
'Life was so much simpler when she had a crush on the Uzumaki boy,' he thought to himself, a headache slowly forming. "Do not be surprised. You have proven yourself to be a powerful and loyal shinobi for your village," he said. "Even with your past, there are many qualities that are taken into account when selecting a new Kage. There is always a chance." It also helped that Suna often cared very little about the morals of their leaders. Strength was what truly mattered to many of the other ninja villages, and Hiashi doubted there was anyone in Suna who could challenge Gaara in the middle of a desert.
Gaara stared emotionlessly at Hiashi. A natural poker face that threatened to crack the Hyuuga's own well practiced mask of calm. "Thank you. Such words mean a lot from someone such as yourself," he said.
The meal continued on for several awkward minutes of silence until Hiashi spoke up again. "I hope Konoha has been treating you well. With everything that happened during the chunin exams, I could understand if there are still those that hold reservations towards you. Allow me to apologize on their behalf."
"It has been pleasant," Gaara said simply. "Konoha's people are much more forgiving than I could have expected. Though I believe Hinata has had much to do on that front."
The girl in question blushed as all eyes turned to her, fingers nervously fidgeting in front of her. "I-I may have said some things…" she said meekly. "Only the truth. Gaara is not the same as he was back then. He is kind and caring."
If Hinata's words effected Gaara in any way, he didn't show it.
"I am curious as to what brings you to Konoha," Hiashi said. "Normally your sister is the one to perform such duties in rotation with Hinata. Is there an occasion?" Perhaps it was part of his candidacy for Kage. While not in any way required, having close relations with an allied village would go a long way to making him the more attractive option for the position. Hiashi couldn't fault the boy for thinking strategically, he would do the same in Gaara's shoes.
"My sister was unavailable at this time, so I volunteered to take the responsibility," Gaara explained. "Though I must admit, there was a more personal matter I wished to tend to while I was here." His eyes flickered ever so slightly to a now very shy looking Hinata, earning a knowing look from everyone present, except for Hanabi, who was thankfully not at all interested in relationship drama.
"Is that so?" Hiashi asked, his eyes boring into the boy's head to no affect. "And what might that be?"
Hinata was doing her best to shrink into her jacket by this point. Poor thing. Even with all the progress she had made in the recent years, nothing could truly take away her shyness… not yet anyway.
"I was hoping to get your approval to date your daughter."
Hiashi stared.
"…"
Hanabi was gobsmacked, staring wide eyed between the redhead and her father.
"…"
Hinata almost fainted.
"…"
Gaara blinked.
"…"
"Right…" Hiashi said slowly, his mind finally catching up. He had not expected the boy to be quite so blunt. There were seasoned shinobi who wouldn't have the guts to do what Gaara had just done. The Hyuuga were a feared and famous clan dammit! No one just walked in and asked to date a member of the main branch without breaking a sweat.
"It was Hinata's idea," Gaara said. "There are still uncertainties, but we both agreed it would be impolite and problematic to try and engage in anything without your blessing. I understand the Hyuuga are very particular in how you run your clan. I would respect your decision." Hinata fainted with a small 'eep' as she was ousted by Gaara, falling from her chair only to be caught by a soft blanket of sand that wrapped itself almost lovingly around her and gently laid her on the ground. "Forgive me. I did not mean for my words to cause that. I have been trying to help her overcome such habits. Progress is… slow."
Hiashi sighed at his daughter's antics. This was exactly the kind of behaviour that the elders and many others would use to their advantage against her in the future. Gaara's words did fill him a sense of hope, however. The young Suna shinobi was the son of a Kage, and as such had to have received some level of training in political professionalism. If Hinata truly did plan on having relations with someone so composed, then surely it would only guarantee improvements for her in the future. Where Hiashi had failed, perhaps Gaara would succeed. God how he hoped the boy would succeed.
"Perhaps this is a matter to be discussed in private," Hiashi suggested politely, side-eyeing his youngest daughter as she death glared Gaara. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign. "Please, come with me."
Hiashi led a silently compliant Gaara away from the meal room and through the Hyuuga estate. While he was certain that the boy's earlier outburst had definitely been heard by several of his clan, Hiashi would make sure that any of the more intimate details would remain secret. Living amongst those who could see through walls left very little in the way of privacy without putting in some serious effort. There would be many questions tomorrow, that was a given. Opening the door to his private office, Hiashi gestured for Gaara to enter first, closing the door behind them and activating a privacy seal designed specifically for his clan. For obvious reasons, the existence of such a seal was on a need-to-know basis, with its details and design kept secret from even the majority of the clan itself. It wouldn't bode well for the world to suddenly have the means to render the byakugan useless.
Once he was sure there would be no prying eyes on this little conversation, Hiashi allowed his shoulders to relax as he sauntered over to his desk and sat down lazily, no longer bound to the image of being a perfect representation of the Hyuuga. "So, you want to date my dear little Hinata," he said casually, regarding the jinchuuriki before him in a bored manner. "And what, pray tell, makes you think that I will allow such a thing to pass?" Hiashi was actually not opposed at all to the idea, but Gaara didn't need to know that. This could be his one chance to act as a protective father and he'd be damned if he let it slip him by. Now if only Hinata could have picked a more easily intimidated boy… the Inuzuka would have been a lot of fun to mess with.
"I did not think you would approve at all," Gaara stated. "Hinata insisted I ask. This is not only a courtesy to you, but a show of respect for her wishes. I… I do not wish to upset her."
"Of course," Hiashi nodded in understanding. "You think showing care and concern for her is enough to sway my opinion. A valiant effort, though perhaps a touch misguided. The Hyuuga care not for such attachments. Hinata is the clan heiress, and as such any suitors would be judged by the clan as a whole. As the child of a Kage, even deceased as your father may be, your name bears weight. Your history and actions carry just as much weight. I'm sure you understand how that reflects on how you are seen. Should you and Hinata pursue a relationship, such a union will present conflict with one of your respective claims. Hinata being the heiress of the Hyuuga, and you potentially claiming the seat of Kage. One of you would have to make a sacrifice."
Gaara narrowed his eyes at the clan head. "Titles are meaningless things in the face of what truly matters."
Hiashi smirked. "And what might that be?"
"The bonds we form. Those we hold dear. Those who we would protect above all else," Gaara said, his tone gaining a surprising edge to it, as if he was ready defend his words with action at a moment's notice. "I was taught the importance of such things by one your village's shinobi. It is the reason I have strived to do better, the reason I sought a friendship with your daughter, and the reason I now stand before you, asking if I might be permitted to explore that bond further. If you have no intention of allowing such a thing, please, say so and I will take my leave."
Hiashi almost smiled… almost. It wasn't quite time to give up the jig just yet. "Ah, yes. The Uzumaki boy. He does have a way of influencing people, from what I've seen that is," he said. "Seems he has imparted some very good ideals unto you. I'm glad to hear it. Though to say you would take your leave so easily should I refuse your request, well, that doesn't fill me with much confidence in your commitment to Hinata. You would walk away from her at the first sign of challenge?"
Gaara crossed his arms. "I said I would take my leave, not leave Hinata."
'Bold. I like it,' Hiashi thought amusedly. "You would disregard my wishes?"
"Yes."
"You would pursue a relationship with my daughter even without my blessing? You would put that wedge between her and her own family?" Hiashi needled.
Gaara didn't waver. "So long as she still wished to do the same, and so long as it wasn't harming her… yes."
"And if my clan sought to remove such a distraction from their heiress's life?"
The sound of sand shifting ever so slightly was not lost on the Hyuuga clan head.
"You may try."
"Hmmm, and what of Hinata? Such an act of rebellion would be seen as a slight to the Hyuuga. She could be punished for such a thing, would be punished," Hiashi said, making sure to sound as if such an outcome was of no concern to him. He would never let it come to that; clan rules be damned. He just needed to see what Gaara would think, how he would react. Needless to say, he was not disappointed.
The sound of sand shifting got louder as Gaara's eyes went cold. That same empty gaze he once held returning to him like an old friend as he stared not at, but through the man in front of him, as if he was barely a person, barely an obstacle. "If you harm her…" The temperature of the room seemed to drop as Gaara's words hung in the air, the sand on his skin thirsting for blood once more. "I will kill you all."
Hiashi had to admit, were he not the seasoned shinobi he was, he would be sweating right now. Gaara may have been reformed, but one could never truly put the monster back in the cage once it was allowed to roam. There was still a cold-blooded killer in those eyes, waiting for a reason to unleash its fury on the world. The humbling realisation that Hinata was now likely all that was holding back a bloodbath was… a lot to take in.
"Excellent," Hiashi said happily, finally allowing himself to smile.
Gaara quirked his eye oddly.
"I approve," the man continued. "You have my blessing to pursue a relationship with my daughter, on the grounds that you two don't do anything that would bring shame upon the Hyuuga clan. I apologize for the theatrics, but I needed to be sure that you were not merely attempting to use her to gain anything for yourself. I can see your feelings, undeveloped as they are, are real, and strong. There are not many who would so boldly threaten an entire clan for the sake of someone they cared for. Though I suppose you are no ordinary young man, are you."
"Does my status as a jinchuuriki bother you?" Gaara asked.
Hiashi shook his head. "Not at all," he said. 'I am worried that Hinata seems to be developing a type though.' "I believe I have kept you long enough. Your time within Konoha is short, and I am sure you wish to spend as much of that time with Hinata as you can. She should have come to by now. Might I suggest you ask her to show you the sights. No point in keeping you two couped up in the clan estate."
Gaara tilted his head curiously at the man but didn't say anything. A shifting of sand behind him alerted Hiashi to a slowly receding tendril of sand that had somehow gotten into his blind spot. Activating his byakugan, his eyes almost bugged out of his skull as he followed the thin tendril down as it disappeared beneath the floorboards. Under his feet, beneath the floor, was a literal sea of chakra imbued sand, waiting to be commanded. Hiashi held back the urge to gulp as he turned back to Gaara. The boy still didn't look bothered as he stood and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you," Gaara said. "I will inform Hinata of your decision. She will be… pleased, to know that her father cares so deeply for her well-being."
'Is that a smirk?' Hiashi wondered, watching the boy leave quickly. As soon as he was beyond ear shot, Hiashi let out a deep breath, never deactivating his Dojutsu even as the sand beneath him moved to follow Gaara from below. What a terrifying young man. If Suna elected him as the next Kazekage, Hiashi knew he wanted to be on good terms with Gaara. 'Dammit Hinata. What have you gotten yourself into,' he moped.
"Oh, you son of a bitch!"
The Hyuuga clan would be privileged to several outburst from their clan head as Hiashi realised all too late that his attempt to intimidate one of his daughter's boyfriends had not only fallen flat but had been turned on him instead. With any luck, Hanabi would choose a softer sort.
A/N:
Sorry this took me so long guys, had some shit going on and could only really write during my work breaks for the past week.
Well, another chapter in, Jiraiya finally had to deal with Naruto. I hope my terrible fight scene was palatable for you all. I could have drawn out Naruto's anger for longer, but I don't feel like Naruto is the kind of person to hold a grudge for very long. And yes, Naruto and Ino's first date got interrupted, such a shame. Don't worry, he will make it up to her somehow, I promise.
You know, after all the praise I've been getting for this fic, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the first fic I wrote to compare and see how I've improved and... fuck me. I do not know how I got to where I am now from that, but I'm glad I can recognize my own improvements.
First time I've added a little Omake to a chapter. A few of you seemed interested in the Hinata/Gaara situation so I thought I'd give it a little more presence. I like the idea of Hinata being seen as having a funny type, in this case jinchuuriki, and I like the idea of Gaara being very quick to latch on to people and become dangerously protective. Could make for some cute future snippets.
In case anyone is interested, I quickly wrote and posted a tiny Naruko/Choji one-shot. It's a purely innocent, childhood friend, fluff piece. Check it out if you have a chance and let me know what you think.
Reviews have been great so far, keep them coming guys. Looking forward to hearing what you think about this chapter.
Till next time.
Soul out.