Konoha
After completing his training in the Ryuchi Cave, Naruto had fallen into a routine of overseeing Neji and his other student's daily practice. The final round of the Chunin Exams was less than a week away, and they needed to make the most of every moment.
He was heading toward the Uchiha compound, where everyone were likely already gathered. News had arrived the day before that the Fourth Kazekage and his guard had reached the village, now staying in the hotel reserved for official guests. As Naruto walked, a perverted chuckle echoed from the direction of the Konoha Hot Springs.
"Hehehe, what a figure, and that pose... woohoo!"
Someone was clearly peeping into the women's bathhouse. Naruto noted, but he had no intention of getting involved. He ignored the sound and kept walking.
A moment later, the same voice rang out from the next bathhouse down the street.
"Hehehe, now that's a sight!"
The lecherous laugh was followed by the sight of a man with spiky white hair, his rear end stuck out in a completely undignified pose. When the voice appeared a third time, it was clear the man was trying to get his attention. Naruto stopped.
"You-"
"An excellent question!" the man declared before Naruto could finish. He was perched on a massive toad, and he struck an exaggerated pose, shaking his head with a theatrical flourish. "I am the sage of Mount Myoboku, the great Toad Sage... better known as Jiraiya!"
Naruto stared at him, unimpressed.
"I know who you are, Jiraiya-sama," he said, his voice flat. "One of the Legendary Sannin."
Jiraiya seemed taken aback. "You know me?"
"I've seen your file in the archives Grandpa Danzo keeps," Naruto explained calmly. "You're a ninja at the very peak of Konoha's power. If you wanted the seat, the title of Fifth Hokage would be yours without question."
"Hehehe..." Jiraiya puffed up with pride, but his mind was racing. 'Grandpa Danzo? Why does Naruto know about him? Is he close to that bastard?'
"So, if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way," Naruto said, already turning to leave. He had no desire to get entangled with the man.
He had to admit, he admired Jiraiya. He liked the character from the stories, the man who spent decades wandering the world in search of a prophesied child, the man who looked after the canon Naruto for three years and became something of a father to him.
But admiration was one thing, reality was another.
'But the boy Jiraiya might have expected to find isn't me,' Naruto thought. 'And this man has no place in my life.' He knew how to separate fantasy from reality.
"Rude brat," Jiraiya grumbled under his breath.
Naruto stopped and turned back, his gaze steady. "Before you call someone rude, maybe you should consider your own behavior."
'This kid's gaze is a bit unsettling,' Jiraiya thought. Of course, he wasn't like the academy students or teachers who could be cowed by a single look from Naruto.
"As I said," Naruto continued, his tone leaving no room for argument, "I have things to do."
He turned away again.
"Hey, kid, don't be in such a hurry," Jiraiya called out. "You and I have a connection, you know."
Naruto didn't even slow down. "I know. You're the one who named me."
Hearing that, Jiraiya froze. 'What does he know?'
"I know more than you think, Jiraiya-sama."
When he was younger, Naruto had allowed himself to imagine what life would have been like if Jiraiya had been in the village. He'd wondered if things would have been different if the Sannin had remembered him sooner. If one of Konoha's most powerful shinobi had decided to take him in, the Third Hokage would have gladly allowed it.
But there are no 'ifs' in the real world.
Jiraiya never came. Kakashi never came. The Fourth Hokage's guard squad never came.
Naruto had abandoned those fantasies long ago, the day the small, broken place he called 'home' was destroyed for good. He didn't blame Jiraiya. His father's teacher had no obligation to him. Helping would have been a kindness. Not helping was simply the norm. He understood that perfectly.
To him, Jiraiya was his father's sensei and the man who gave him his name. Nothing more.
The only true father figure he ever had would be Goku, that is the man who taught him how to fight, showed him care and concern and supported him through the worst moments of his life.
"Having met someone as amazing as me, surely you must want to..." Jiraiya began. His combat prowess represented the peak an ordinary mortal could reach without a Kekkei Genkai or special lineage, the limit of sheer effort.
"That won't be necessary, Jiraiya-sama," Naruto said, shaking his head. "I've learned a great deal from Grandpa Danzo. One lesson that stuck with me is that 'there is no reward without merit'."
His reply was neither arrogant nor subservient, neither friendly nor cold. His tone was perfectly respectful, leaving Jiraiya with no opening. He felt like he was talking to a stone wall.
Naruto knew why Jiraiya was really here. He must have heard rumors about Orochimaru, his information network was vast, and decided to check on Minato's son while he was in the village. Perhaps seeing Naruto stirred some guilt in him, a desire to make up for lost time by teaching him something.
But that had nothing to do with Naruto. Everything he had, he had earned with his own sweat and effort. No one had ever given him anything. If he were to thank a teacher, it would be Goku, for Goku would always be his true teacher and the only one he truly respected with that title.
"Don't be like that," Jiraiya insisted, sticking to him like a shadow. If he'd shown this much persistence with Tsunade, they might have been married by now. "I taught your father. Aren't you curious about him?"
This first meeting was going nothing like he'd imagined. His usual plan of playing hard to get was completely useless here. So he got desperate, directly hinting at most orphan's weak spot, information about their parents.
"Jiraiya-sama," Naruto said, stopping again to face him directly. "I know that I am a jinchuriki and I've met Kurama. He knew my parents, and he's been with me since I was a child. I probably know more about them than you do."
'Kurama? Is that the Nine-Tails name? His relationship with the beast is that good?' Jiraiya's mind raced, piecing together the implications. He scratched his head in frustration. 'Sarutobi-sensei, what exactly has been happening in Konoha all these years?'
"Now, could you please stop following me?" Naruto asked, his polite but distant tone making it a clear dismissal.
This time, Jiraiya didn't follow. He watched Naruto disappear into the trees, then turned and headed for the Hokage Building.
He had too many questions and urgently needed to find someone who could explain the situation. Reality was quite different from what he had imagined.
The Third Hokage was undoubtedly the best person to ask.
Seeing that Jiraiya wasn't following, Naruto turned and disappeared into the woods.
--**--**
Hokage Building.
The office door was pushed open roughly. Jiraiya strode quickly toward the Third Hokage, who was seated at his desk.
"Sensei, I have some questions for you."
The Third Hokage looked up, not particularly surprised. "Jiraiya," he said, his voice heavy with weariness. "You've been gone a long time. So, you finally decided to come home."
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