Author's Note: Anddddddddddd we're back to the main story (for now). The Part 2 wrap up to the Omake will be coming back shortly, but first I really want to conclude this first 'Arc', if you want to call it that.

I've been so happy with all of the reviews that this fic has received. The vast majority of people seem to be really enjoying it. Seriously, thank you. Even the reviews that aren't positive. They all help me make this story better.

32 Reviews, 95 Favorites, 170 Follows, 12,726 Views! Thank you so much for the support!

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think in the reviews!

Chapter 10: Family

-Early This Morning-

Jiraiya kneeled next to the body and grimaced. While he had expected the worst when Naki hadn't shown up for their meeting, the scene before him left him slightly baffled. The Sage was no detective, but there was obviously a break-in and a subsequent struggle. The door had been busted down. He looked around the room, noting the deep slashes on the walls and floors. Then at the deceased man's arms and face. 'Wounds he got probably from struggling when being held down.' All of that was pretty normal for this kind of crime scene. There was only one thing that sent chills up his spine.

Naki's heart was gone. That could be chalked up as animals coming in through the broken-down door to eat the corpse, but they wouldn't take just the heart.

'This doesn't make any sense. Why would someone take his heart?'

Another thing that concerned the Sannin was the fact that someone had managed to kill Naki. The man was a strong Jonin who specialized in water jutsu, infiltration, and stealth. To be able to just charge through the door and defeat him in his environment was a very tall task. Whoever this was, they were very skilled. At least High-A, possibly S-Rank level.

He noticed some trace amounts of water droplets on the floor and the walls of the room. 'Naki probably tried to fend them off with his Jutsu.' Glancing over at the bookcase in the corner of the room, he took note that the books did not appear to be wet or damp. 'Looks like they didn't give him much opportunity to go on the defensive.'

Based on the state of the body, Jiraiya concluded that all of this had to have happened a couple days ago. 'With the door destroyed, no one came to check to see if everything was okay? They had to have heard the struggle!' Looks like he had some neighbors to question.

While stepping outside, in the corner of his eye something moved. He looked in that direction and saw that someone had shut their blinds swiftly. 'Oh, so I'm being watched? You have to do a better job than that. Don't make it so obvious.' Thinking to himself. 'I guess I have my first volunteer.' The sage mused as he walked over to the house that held the person who was trying to hide from him.

He knocked on the door.

…

Sighing, he knocked once more.

…

"I know you're in there. I saw you watching me through the window." He said just loud enough that whoever was in the house would hear him clearly.

…

"If you don't answer, I'm just going to take this door down.' He stated as he began knocking on the door for what he deemed was the last time.

…

Jiraiya didn't have time for this. He began gathering chakra into his palm to form the Rasengan. Just as he was about to blow the door down, the lock clicked. Dissipating his attack, he waited patiently as the door slowly opened, revealing a bald middle-aged man with a thick beard. He looked scared.

"Please don't hurt me." The man blurted out before the Sannin could say anything. His body was trembling, and it almost seemed as if the door he was holding onto was the only thing that was keeping him from collapsing to the ground. Whatever this stranger had seen, it had clearly rattled him.

"I'm not here to hurt you." Jiraiya said, trying his best to sound as reassuring as he possibly could. "I just need to know if you saw anything." He continued, gesturing towards the house of the deceased informant.

The bearded man stayed quiet, seemingly trying to determine whether or not he trusted the stranger who came knocking on his door.

"Please." The Sage continued. "The man who lived there, he was a friend of mine. We were supposed to meet earlier this morning, but when he never showed up, I figured something bad must have happened to him. Did you see anything that could help me find out who did this?" He asked genuinely.

The bald man suddenly collapsed against the door, unable to withstand the strain it took to stand. As the Leaf Jonin did his best to help him get to his feet, he noticed something.

This poor man's right leg, from the knee down, was gone. Cut clean from his body. What was worse was that this relatively fresh wound didn't appear to have been tended to by a medical professional. It was taped and wrapped sloppily, clearly by someone with no medical experience. He had probably tried to dress it himself.

Jiraiya, now unofficially invited into this victim's house, helped him sit down in a nearby chair. "They'll kill me if I do." He finally said after a long stretch of petrified silence.

Whoever had dismembered this person was also the one who had killed Naki. This Jiraiya knew. 'Seems like they didn't want any witnesses. And if there was only one person that saw them kill Naki, scaring him into not talking was a better option than killing him outright. That could've attracted even more attention. That's why they cut off his leg.'

Something felt off to Naruto's Master. This all seemed like too much of a coincidence. The Akatsuki being spotted relatively close to where he and his ward were. Not only that but in a place where they were planning on going to soon. 'We're separated right now. And Naki, what if his death was used as a distraction to keep me here...?' Something in his brain suddenly clicked.

"Naruto!" He yelled aloud, startling the fragile man.

He looked back at the wounded man, his eyes were now desperate. "Please, you have to tell me who these people were! My Godson might be in danger!" He was frantic. This guy needed to cooperate with him.

However, before answering, he just stared at his leg. The two monsters who came promised to do much worse if they had to come back. He couldn't bring himself to open his mouth, too petrified by the fear of death.

Jiraiya tried his best to calm down. As desperate as he was, he couldn't bring himself to harm an innocent person who had already been made into a victim. "Please, just tell me this." He began, hopeful that he would be able to get just enough information to confirm or deny his fears. "Does the person who did this to you wear a black cloak with blood-red clouds?"

The bearded stranger recoiled at the description as if he didn't want to remember that terrible cloak himself. He stared Jiraiya in the eyes, lip quivering, and gave him a weak nod. That was all he could muster.

The Sage's eyes widened, his worst fear coming to life right before his eyes. He whipped a scroll and pen out of his pocket and began to furiously scribble. 'I have to tell Tsunade what's going on. They might be able to send backup if I need it.' He glanced down at the scared man who was still able to help him even if it meant signing his own death sentence. 'And I can ask her if we can grant him asylum in the Leaf.'

Now finished writing his message to the Hokage, he wrapped the scroll up and bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

'Poof.'

A tiny red and blue toad with goggles around his neck appeared. "What is it Jiraiya?" He asked, prepared to speed off at a moment's notice.

"Kosuke, I need you to take this to Tsunade as fast as you can. My student is probably in danger."

No time for talking, the toad named Kosuke grabbed the letter and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

'Good, he'll go back to Mt. Myoboku and then use the well that will take him right outside the village.' He turned to the man that helped him. "Thank you so much." He thanked with a bow. "I asked the Hokage if she could give you asylum in the Leaf Village. Just keep the door locked and don't let anyone else in until Leaf ninja arrives to get you."

Before the man could get out any words of gratitude to thank the odd stranger, 'Jiraiya' disappeared in a plume of smoke.

He blinked in confusion.

…

A wave of memories flooded back to the real Jiraiya, who had already been speeding through the forest towards the Land of Waves. He gritted his teeth in anger at what his clone had learned and immediately sped up to his maximum.

He had a bad feeling about the entire situation, so when Naki didn't meet up with him he decided going back to regroup with his student would be the best choice. Naki was so reliable that him not showing up most likely meant he was already dead, meaning that leaving a clone behind to collect evidence was more efficient than going himself. Having just learned what his copy had uncovered, he was beyond grateful that he made the correct choice.

"Akatsuki." He growled in a low, threatening voice. "You had better not lay a hand on Minato's son, or you'll regret it."

All three set of eyes were now completely transfixed on the new arrival. The tension could be sliced by a butter knife. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Jiraiya, however, had no interest in any of that at the moment. His eyes were too busy scanning the area for his ward.

"Where is he?" The Sage broke the silence that had fallen over the battling Shinobi.

With the one named Hidan distracted by the arrival of the Leaf's most powerful ninja, Uddo suddenly ripped himself from his grasp. As he was leaping away, he undid the Jutsu that was concealing the young blond.

He was still lifeless.

Hidan sneered, ripping out the Tanto that was still buried in his chest.

Jiraiya was so overcome with worry that he didn't even register that Tsunade had assigned the Leaf's only Wood Style user to protect Naruto. Noticing this, the mystery Shinobi was quick to calm him down. "He's not hurt." He tried to reassure. "He's just been through a lot." Uddo finished as he picked the boy up and slung him over his shoulder.

Kakuzu, using this conversation as a way to get the jump on his opponent, used his free hand to aim a punch at his opponent face.

Jiraiya, still looking away, simply leaned to the side, allowing the punch to fly harmlessly past him. Anger flaring up once more, he wrenched Kakuzu's wrist back, hell-bent on snapping it in two.

The deep-voiced Akatsuki member remained silent but grimaced behind his mask. He went for a leg sweep but was taken off-guard when Jiraiya threw a swift knee to his gut, forcing him down to one knee. The Sannin didn't notice his opponent's free hand turning a darker, almost black, color.

Just as Jiraiya was aiming an elbow to the back of his head, Kakuzu swiped down, severing the part of the tree branch that Jiraiya had been standing on. Slightly surprised, Naruto's mentor was forced to let go of the masked man's hand as he began freefalling.

He landed lightly on the ground, a scowl adorning his lips.

Hidan, seeing his opportunity, rushed him from behind. He pulled out a small black rod that extended into a spear-like weapon. He slashed at his target.

'Poof.'

He stumbled forward. "Another substitution?!" Hidan yelled angrily. "Where did he go?!"

"Rasengan!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he slammed his blue, spherical Jutsu into the unsuspecting criminal's back.

Hidan let out a startled yelp and was sent spiraling away from the force of the Jutsu.

Kakuzu dropped down from the trees, landing next to his partner; once again holding the dismembered head of the bridgebuilder.

"Get up, Hidan."

"Shut the Hell up, Kakuzu! That really hurt, you know?"

"Master Jiraiya." The Wood Style user began. "The one you just hit with your Jutsu, I don't know if it's some cheap trick or not, but I think he might be immortal." He sounded like he didn't even believe it himself. "He was stabbed twice in the chest, and not only does he seem fine, but those wounds are healed!"

Jiraiya nodded, noticing the necklace the strange man wore. "I've heard of something like this. A cult, calling themselves the Way of Jashin. They claim that through their adherence to their insane religion, by way of rituals including human sacrifice and mass murder, the followers can gain access to an ability similar to immortality." He remained quiet for a minute, seemingly trying to remember more details. "From what I recall, there were rumors that they had one successful case. Although, again, that was just a rumor I heard from one of my informants in the Hot Water Village."

'Naki…'

Uddo shuddered but nodded. "I see…"

"500 million."

Jiraiya's eyes shifted back to the shorter one.

"That's how much the bounty on your head is, did you know that?"

The Sage didn't answer.

"Now I can see in person why it's so high." His eyes drifted back to the ninja he was fighting before the Sannin's arrival. "And an incredibly rare Wood Style user, too." His eyes narrowed menacingly. "It enrages me that I won't be able to collect your bounties today. Together, you two would net me north of 800 million. I'll have to settle for this." Gesturing to the head he was holding. "A pity, really."

Jiraiya scoffed. "And who said I was just going to let you walk away? If I killed you two right now, that's two less Akatsuki trash to worry about."

Hidan, scythe once again in hand, brandished it menacingly. However, he was quickly cut off by his more calculating partner.

"You wouldn't want to endanger the boy there." He pointed to Naruto with his free hand. "Sure, you could let the Wood user scurry off to safety, but then you run the risk of their being more of us close by."

"If there were more of you, they'd be here by now." Jiraiya countered.

"Perhaps." Kakuzu's poker face was perfect, he was unreadable. "Then again, even if it was just only us and he gets away, are you that confident that you could defeat both of us at the same time?" It was a verbal and mental chess match, and both were experts in it. "With very limited knowledge of what our abilities are, is that the best move?"

"Sounds to me like you're bluffing." The Sage challenged back. "I'm right here if you want to fight."

In actuality, both were bluffing. Neither wanted to fight the other, except for maybe Hidan. Jiraiya, being outnumbered and unaware of the fighting abilities of his opponents, knew that it would be unwise to engage in combat. While there was a good possibility he would win, did he want to run that risk when Naruto needed him more than ever right now? No, he couldn't.

As for Kakuzu, he was warned by his leader to retreat if the Sannin somehow managed to show his face. That, coupled with the reputation of the man he was staring down with, made him reluctant to make an aggressive move. Even if there were two of them to his one.

Meanwhile, Hidan was doing his best to keep quiet. Even he knew when it wasn't his time to butt in.

"Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to capture the Nine-Tails." Kakuzu warned, his free hand coming up to form the ram seal. "There's no reason for us to fight today, Jiraiya of the Sannin."

The two partners disappeared in a plume of smoke, leaving the three leaf ninja by themselves.

The tension in the air receded, and Uddo found himself taking in a large gulp of air. He hadn't even realized he had forgotten to breathe. Even a powerful ninja like him felt useless when compared to three S-Level powerhouses.

Now that the threat was gone, the teacher could turn his attention back to his student. "He's catatonic." He said to himself aloud. "What happened to him?" He was confident he wouldn't like the answer.

"The head that that Akatsuki was holding, he was a dear friend of Naruto-san. He had been staying with a family of three that he had met when they liberated this land from Gato, I believe that the other two may very well be dead, as well."

Jiraiya's shoulders slumped at the news. His pupil had been so excited to see these friends of his, and then this happens. With everything that has been swirling in the life and mind of the hunted Jinchuriki, this was another thing that a 12-year-old shouldn't have to deal with.

'I don't know how much more of this he can take, Minato.' His thoughts were somber.

"I'll carry him." Jiraiya said. Uddo obliged and handed over the blond, who was then placed on his mentor's back; piggyback style. "Tsunade was smart to send you of all people to watch over Naruto."

The mystery Shinobi nodded. "Indeed, although I didn't have to use it, my abilities can be used to suppress the Nine-Tails chakra." Although his face didn't show it, he was a little surprised at the Sannin's reaction. "You seem to know of me, even though my existence is a well-guarded secret within the village. How?"

"Well, I am close to Tsunade." The lecherous man began. "Though, it was actually Kakashi that told me about you. If I'm not mistaken, you're Tenzo, correct?"

Tenzo let out an embarrassed chuckle. His name was a complicated subject, but Kakashi always referred to him as Tenzo. So much so, that it kind of stuck. "Yes. Call me Tenzo." Was the ANBU Elite's response.

"Would you mind accompanying us back to the Land of Waves?"

"Why? We should be heading back to the Leaf Vil-"

"It's for Naruto. If those other two are still somehow alive, he would want me to make sure that they were okay."

Tenzo paused, unsure of what to do. The Hokage had instructed him to return Naruto to the village immediately if something bad had happened. But, did that give him the authority to disagree with another Sannin? Even if it did, he couldn't do it. If Jiraiya wanted to do something, there was nothing he would be able to do to stop him anyway.

Tenzo simply nodded his agreeance.

"Okay." Jiraiya began. "Let's go."

They were approaching the Great Naruto Bridge. The entire trip up until this point had been silent between the two Shinobi. Jiraiya was too busy worrying about the child on his back to make small-talk conversation, and Tenzo wasn't much of a talker anyway.

"No…"

Jiraiya stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Naru-"

"No!" Naruto was beginning to become restless, despite his eyes remaining shut. "Please don't hurt them." His voice was pleading.

"Naruto." He placed his student down on the bridge, lightly shaking him. "It's okay. Everything is okay." He didn't know what to do. How could he make his student feel better? After tragically losing three important people, what could someone say that would make it hurt less?

"Not it's not…" He was sobbing lightly now, eyes still closed. "T-They're dead. They're all dead."

The Sage was silent, wracking his brain to try and find a way to calm his pupil down.

"I-It's my fault." Sobbing and sniffling of the child was growing even louder. "If it wasn't for m-me being here, t-they would still be alive."

"It isn't your fault, Naruto." His voice was genuine. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I should've realized that this was an Akatsuki trap. I failed you…" The emotions he was seeing the young blond struggle with were breaking his heart.

"No, it's my fault. I can't protect anyone precious to me." He lamented through his choked speech. "O-Old Man Third, S-Sasuke, Inari, Tsunami, T-Tazuna…" He clutched his chest tightly where his heart was, a searing hot pain washing over him. "I don't deserve to have this bridge named after me. I'm pathetic."

"Naruto…" Jiraiya was at a loss for words. He desperately wished for Minato and Kushina's wisdom as parents.

"I have no real f-family, and I b-barely have any of my precious p-people left." It was true. All he had left was Kakashi, Sakura, and Jiraiya.

"That's not true… I'm your family." This wasn't something he ever thought he was going to say. Should he say it? The Sannin still wasn't sure if it was a smart thing to do. But Naruto needed to hear it, it could be the only thing that could stop this downward spiral that he was going on. The blond needed to know why he cared for him as much as he did.

Naruto's eyes opened, filled with tears he looked up at his teacher. "What do you mean?"

"I was very close to your father." He scratched the back of his head, still unsure if he should utter these next words. "And he made me your Godfather." He did his best to smile brightly to show Naruto that he wasn't alone like he thought he was.

The boy's eye's widened. He was speechless, barely able to process what the older man had just said. Was it true? "Wha-"

"Why do you think I took so much of an interest in you? Or why I'm trying my best to make sure you become as strong as possible? For the Leaf's militaristic interests? No, it's because you're my family and I care about you deeply." The man's words were completely genuine. He had thought of The Fourth Hokage as the son he had always wanted. The instant he had learned he would be the godfather to Naruto, those feelings carried over to him, as well.

"Family…" He repeated that one word in a low whisper. While the deaths of his friends still had unforeseen effects on the Genin, he was no longer shedding tears.

Noticing this, Jiraiya put his hand out for Naruto to grab. "Now get up. We have to check on your friends and the village."

The vessel of the Nine-Tails stared at the hand for a moment, but then grabbed it and pulled himself to his feet. Not saying anything, he just began to walk towards the house of the now-deceased bridgebuilder.

'I have to watch him carefully. He's showing signs of psychological trauma.' The white-haired ninja thought to himself worriedly. 'Who knows what kind of lasting effects this could have on his mind.'

They continued on in silence to where the tragedy had taken place.

…

Bodies everywhere. The smell of smoke filled the air. The explosion, probably instigated by one of the Akatsuki member's attacks, appeared to have instantly killed everyone that had been in close proximity; including the two ANBU that had initially confronted them.

"The rest of the town seems to have evacuated." Jiraiya said aloud, hoping any amount of minuscule good news could cheer his godson up. 'Still, this looks like it was a high traffic area. We're looking at about 50 civilian casualties.' He kept that last bit of information to himself. Only monsters could inflict this kind of damage without a second thought. A perfect example of why the Akatsuki needed to be taken down.

Naruto, face expressionless, walked past all of the charred corpses that littered the street, not even glancing in their general direction. Getting closer to the house, eyes fell on the body of Tazuna. His vacant stare was the polar opposite of what he had been like earlier. After a long pause, he walked past the decapitated bridgebuilder, into the house that he had once felt at home in.

The two Jonin followed behind him but didn't say anything. The boy didn't need any distractions right now. The three ninjas thoroughly checked every room in the damaged house.

The bodies of the other two were nowhere to be found. Yet, the kitchen floors were painted with blood.

"This blood is still somewhat wet, but there's no trail." The Sage was stumped. "It's as if they disappeared."

The blond stared blankly at the bloodstains; his face unreadable. Jiraiya, unsure of what his student was thinking, remained quiet for the time being.

"I can't even give them a proper burial." Naruto finally stated; his voice bone-chillingly monotonous. "Why do people do things like this?" The broken boy asked.

Jiraiya, unsure if the question was rhetorical or not, decided to answer it anyway. "This world we live in has way too much hate in it."

"Too much hate?" Naruto asked, but didn't take his eyes off the blood coating the floor.

Jiraiya walked to his godson's side, nodding somberly. "People are driven by hatred, so much so that they will do unspeakable things to their fellow people. I've always wanted to do something about all of this hate."

"What could you do?"

Jiraiya sighed lightly. "This is something that I've been thinking about for a long time. I don't have the answer right now, but I truly believe that there will come a day where all human beings will understand one another and live in harmony."

Naruto remained silent.

"Maybe if I can't figure out what to do, I'll entrust you to find that answer for me, Naruto."

"I… don't think that's possible."

All he thought of were the sadistic Akatsuki duo. From what he had gathered, they only had two targets. Himself and Tazuna. Yet, they killed dozens of innocent people. Not only that, but they appeared to have enjoyed causing all of this death and chaos. If there were people like that in this world cursed by hatred, would there come a day where everyone would live in harmony? The blond couldn't see how that was feasible. Not after what he just saw.

"Well, what do you think we should do?"

There was a brief moment of silence, as Naruto seemed to mull over his Mentor's words. Finally, he decided.

"If we just snuff out all of that hatred, no more innocent people would have to die like this. Wouldn't that solve all of our problems?"

They traded a glance that told the Sage more than words could ever.

Naruto was finally beginning to understand the horrors of the world. The only problem was, having seen those horrors firsthand at such a young age, how would that change his future?

Author's Note: The tone shift in this chapter is a drastic, but necessary one considering everything that has happened. While I won't be abandoning humor in this fic, this is by no means a light-hearted, funny series. I'm aiming for something more serious and impactful.

Leave your reviews and I'll make sure chapter 10 is out in under two weeks! Your words are my motivation.

The Omake will wrap up either after chapter 10 or Chapter 11, I have to see how it plays out. I will let you know in the Author's Note of the next chapter.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!

deniswanheda - I assume that there are other who expected Naruto to access the Nine-Tails chakra. The reason why that didn't happen will be addressed later, so don't worry. As for Naruto resigning himself, I've made it a point of emphasis throughout the story that Naruto has been struggling with all the pressure mounting on his shoulders. The sudden death of those in Wave completes a string of very recent devastating losses that Naruto has gone through (Third Hokage, Sasuke, Inari, Tsunami, Tazuna). That, coupled with not getting any Fox chakra to fuel his rage, led to what you saw.

nughar2.0 - Thank you for the high praise, and I will do my best keep it up! As for the whole Kurama saying 'Kit' thing, he will definitely not be saying that. And not just because you mentioned it, I never intended that to be apart of this story.

Richard1081 - It has reached The Sand Village, but I haven't decided if I'll show that like I did with The Leaf Village.

ThelittleKing - Thank you for the kind words! I'm trying to do things a little different than others so hopefully I continue to do things you aren't expecting. As for the entirety of the Fic, this story will most definitely go far beyond the time skip so don't worry about that.