You and Him

HI!!!! Do I dare mention how long it has been since I last posted something? I don't think I dare, people are probably waiting around the corner with rifles and knives for me. I'm so dead.

It's not like I can help it. For those who has read As the Season Fall, I am still occupied with the stupid project (God knows how much I hate it by now) and won't be able to have any time of my own again until the start of March.

So I hope this humble little one shot, I was writing during a lunch break, will be able to help you overcome your dreadful long wait because the story is not dropped, just delayed until all this project-hated-...-thing is over!

Disclaimer

Don't own, so don't batch your prosecutors on me, ok!

Summary

Naruto looks like the Yondaime, but what is the truth? What does the Sannin keep within his heart that the blond doesn't know?

You and Him

by: Shitza

The sun was shining and the road ahead was dry. The wind came softly with a fresh wave of grassy smell that made it clear summer was upon them. A blond fourteen-year-old teem was strolling down the lane, hands in the air stretching and blue eyes watching the landscapes come and go as they walked. His aura seemed orange, which wasn't surprising as his clothes screamed orange, which fit horribly to his already blond hair and tanned skin. Beside him walked his not-so-beloved-teacher-always, the Legendary perverted sannin Jiraya, with his wild untangled mane of hair and his weird facial expression as they passed another tree, another rock and another pack of wild animals. Birds chirped in the trees, watching them come and soon went to hide themselves within the protectiveness of the leaves. The two humans, were having one of their usual talks, which involved high voices. The only creature who normally did run in range of hearing something, the deers, stood still however happily eating on the green grass. It became obvious even for their simple minds that these two wouldn't even notice them as they came. They could also sense that they meant no harm, and only wished to travel, not to mention their prey was something completely different. A young deer stood watching these weird creatures for a while, then found himself a much more interesting leaf on the ground he decided to taste.

“We'll soon be in the Hidden Grass, Naruto” Jiraya suddenly said as they walked. “Before we cross their borders I want you to remove your hitaiate for a while and swear to me you won't mention Konoha even in your breath. There is a lot of rivalry between our villages, and they trust too few, less us from Konoha. You do remember during the Chuunin Exam that three of theirs were slain, and used as masks for Orochimaru's purposes. They say Orochimaru was our fault, I think you can guess the rest.”

Naruto looked at him most bewildered. Before realisations hit him.

“Then how come you are coming along?!” he asked pointing his finger at him. After all, it would seem quite unfair if one would have to carry a mask and not the other. “Your face is planted on every rock and stone outside the village's borders.” After all, Jiraya was far easier to recognise than an hitaiate. Many lower rank shinobi could not recognise the Leaf's symbol yet kids in all other villages were still being frightened by horror stories of the Sannin, and Jiraya happened to be a quite famous one.

“Well, that is true!” Jiraya said laughing heartedly. “But, they will not stop me from coming or going, like they could. No, Tsunade also sent me on this mission to do her a last small favour as I have already been spoken to about whisking you away.”

“Yeah, as if...” Naruto said. “And what kind of favour?” he asked, suspiciously knowing how the Legendary Sucker probably owned the five countries more money than the Fire Country's Lord had ever owned.

“Just delivering a letter, it's not what you think it is.” Jiraya said, ending the topic. Naruto kept trying to figure out more, but the white haired Sannin wouldn't help him. All he received was a secretive smile as his newest student seemed to pull his hair in frustration over something that wasn't even worth it. Naruto was obviously not in the best mood as he had been told to do everything he usually did not, that went straight against his personality. Keep quiet and don't receive attention, which was the normal ninja rules. The poor boy was the precise opposite, he loved attention, hence his usual loud self.

The blond teen walked ahead pouting and as Jiraya watched the blond locks from behind, dangling in the wind, he couldn't help but to think about a boy that once as well, had been something special in his life. A boy, with blond hair and blue eyes that he used to teach, many years ago.

-Flashback-

“Hurry up boy!” Jiraya yelled over his shoulder, stopping for a moment to wait for the young teen to catch up. The blond teen looked away from the herd of deers he was watching, sighed before speeding up to catch his teacher before he left.

“I'm sorry sensei.” the teen said. “I was just watching the deers in the clearing.”

Jiraya shook his head. We can do that later, right now we are in a hurry after all. The Nara clan keeps a patch of deers by the village, why don't you ask your friend Shikaku to take you there instead?”

The blond teen stared at him. “Him?” he said with a sigh. “He more cares about sniffing his flowers than his animals, guess why he gets along so well with his teammates. He and his team are such weirdos.” he commented having seen Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chouza having a staring competition over something so stupid as a riceball that Hyuuga Hizashi stole later claiming it was his, since his dear twin brother had stolen his own earlier.

They continued walking silently as the blond teen, who we should mention was known as Kazama Arashi by name, was watching a couple of squirrels chase each other around.

“By the way.” Jiraya said right into the open air. “How is that new technique of yours going? You know, I haven't seen you since the Chuunin Exam, you are too busy for your own good it was with a miracle we have time to talk again.”

Arashi smiled warmly. “Great, it's getting better and better. I still haven't reached a powerful level enough, though it has been two years, but technicality, this technique will be better than the Sandaime's Diamond pole. You know, my dream is to succeed the old man once he retires. I want to become the best Hokage there has ever been.”

“Well, so far so good then. You passed the Chuunin Exam on your first try and you are equal to many Jounin already. Sometimes I can't believe you scored so low in the Academy, seeing you are quite sharp minded when you feel like it.”

Arashi looked as if he had swallowed something bitter. “I couldn't stand listening to old Taro-sensei's boring lectures, normally I kept my ears from listening.”

Jiraya laughed. “You're funny.” he said ruffling the blond hair.

Arashi fought the two larger hands from his head. “I'm not!” he said complaining.

“It was meant as a compliment.”

“Do you think Tsukiko-chan will think the same?” the blond asked, with enthusiasm. They proceeded by staring into each other's eyes before breaking out in a loud laugh. That until Arashi interrupted again.

“But honestly, Jiraya-sensei, do you think I can become the Hokage one day? Perhaps Tsukiko will like me more if I do, after all the popular guys seem to get more attention than the usual amount.”

“Better you than me, then. But don't tell Tsunade-hime about it, or she'll probably try to dislocate your ribs until you get better and more rational ideas. That woman, she's been like it for a long time and will probably never stop. Poor Sarutobi will have to stay in his position for a long time, with her in charge over the hospital.”

“But, what about Orochimaru-sama?” Arashi asked sounding bewildered. He had never thought of the head of the hospital as such an anti-Hokage person.

“No idea, but he us a choice. Not the best though, he sometimes lets his own ingeniousness take the better of him. Only last week did I find him with his hand in a snake's nest. He's lucky he didn't get his eyes poked out.”

Arashi nodded, though he had never truly liked Orochimaru, but he respected the man's vast knowledge in methods that he couldn't help but to agree at this statement of being a pure genius. He had, after all, a feeling he wasn't on Orochimaru's best side as well, seeing those poisonous gazes. He liked his new student though, Mitarashi Anko. Compared to her sensei she knew how to relax and enjoy life, she knew how to laugh and crack jokes. Sadistic ones perhaps, but still jokes.

“Jiraya-sensei, can I ask you something?” Arashi asked slowly.

“Sure, sure... go ahead.”

“Do you believe in fate?” the blond asked, looking curiously at his teacher.

Jiraya looked at him. “What do you mean?” he wondered back.

“You know, during one of the fights in the Chuunin Exam, I fought Hyuuga Hizashi. He said that it is fate that decides our future, and lately...”

“Now, don't go listening to them boy!” Jiraya said before the teen could continue. “Though they are one of the village's strongest clans, but most are kind of weird. Their eyes have probably damaged their way of thinking.”

Arashi looked stunned at him. Jiraya looked back, smiled and started to laugh wildly again.

“You are so dumb!” he said ruffling the teen's hair. “I was only joking. I know why Hizashi said what he said, and he has his reasons.”

“But...”

“Another time perhaps, another time.”

Arashi stared at his teacher before ge started to laugh as well. The blond teen clutched his stomach laughing as his teacher continued down the road, without his student even noticing it. The white haired man looked back, noticing that his student had once again stopped walking.

“Hurry up, will you! We haven't got all day!” he shouted.

“Yes” he heard his student answer before five seconds later, in which he stood beside him. The white haired man, who would one day be known as the Frog Hermit Jiraya, ruffled hi student's hair for the last time that day, a boy who would one day become Konoha's Yellow Flash and the Yondaime Hokage. Neither knew that within the next coming years their lives would be a great influence for their village, and their achievements archived in gold.

-End Flashback-

Jiraya chuckled watching Naruto chase a squirrel from his small package of food he carried with him. This teen was the last living evidence of a long history of ninjas and the son of his beloved student Arashi, though he did not know. Jiraya could still remember the years afterwards when Arashi and the girl he loved, Tsukiko, had married after many arguments between the clans, which resulted in a tragic fact that Naruto was all alone. All of his relatives had been slain, thanks to an unwanted marriage that was well unknown to most since it would prove a scandal beyond scandals. The reason for this was because it had been uncertain if Tsukiko could bear an heir to the two clans, which caused an uproar.

It had taken years before Tsunade had been able to help them to solve the problem, and Tsukiko became pregnant the year, three years after her husband became the Hokage so the news became extraordinary.

Ironically enough, if Naruto would have been born the day they had predicted his birth tom he would have been raised as a spoilt brat knowing who he was and he would probably had a much easier life. But his father was more careful than that and had sealed a protector within his child.

Arashi had died with the seal, and Tsukiko had died in labour. In the end, few knew who he was. Jiraya quietly laid his hand on Naruto's shoulder. The blond teen tensed, wondering what was going on. Jiraya said:

“Let's sit down for a while, Naruto. There is something you need to know.”

A few minutes passed as they sat down on top of some boulders, a few metres from the road, facing each other. The fire was burning with some teawater. The white haired Sanning picked two Bamboo cups which he filled with the steaming liquid, giving one of the cups to his student.

Both took a deep gulp of the warm liquid, feeling utterly refreshed.

“When are you born, brat?” Jiraya asked suddenly.

“October 10” Naruto said in bewilderment.

“And it was the same day as when Kyuubi no Kitsune was sealed into your stomach and Konoha's Yondaime died, wasn't it?”

Naruto nodded.

“I am going to tell you why, the real reason why and why only you would be the one.”

Naruto's lower lip trembled slightly. He was listening, licking down all the words like a ct cleaned her bowl of milk.

“But before I start, I must warn you. If you spread this to someone else you will not only put the village in danger, but also yourself. If worse I will be forced to kill you, because this is one of the best kept secrets in the village. Only me, Tsunade and the Council know of it, no one else.”

Naruto nodded slowly. “I won't say anything, Ero-sennin.” he said. “That's my ninja way.” he added.

And Jiraya told him, told him everything late into the night. About the two clans, about his parents and about their sacrifice. As he spoke Naruto's hands started to tremble and unknowingly tears had started to trickle down from his eyes. When the blond teen had finally, after many more tears, fallen to sleep that night, Jiraya smiled. An image lay abode the blond's features and it amazed him how someone could be so much alike Him.

He really is your son, Arashi. He truly is, my dear friend.

The End