Forging Steel

1 Year into the trip

I was right.

My first assignment is bandit cleanup.

The mission itself did not come from the hokage. The town council gave it to us when we went to offer our services to them the next day. In fact, they were more than happy to do so. After getting the needed information I could see why.

The target was a small tribe of bandits. Tribe because they were a functional, cohesive bunch that moved around the area doing hit and runs. Strike here, steal resources, and then move on. The fact that they didn't stay in place and had no confirmed kills is probably what allowed them to continue operating until now. It simply wasn't worth the money it would have taken to hire a team of ninjas to deal with them. And it would have taken ninjas to complete this mission because they had two of their own in the tribe. Likely low level chunin from their description.

Hence their agreement to hire us. We were capable ninjas, but we would do the job for less than what even a minor shinobi village would charge. A win for both sides involved; they get rid of an annoyance and I get experience and pay.

Their terms: eliminate the two shinobi and bring back the chakra-less grunts to be sentenced and likely executed or imprisoned.

Seemed easy enough.

I was already in my current work attire which was basically what Kakashi wears but in black and without a vest or mask. After checking my weapon pouches and making sure my storage scroll had plenty of ninja wire, I set out. Leaving the town behind, I made my way towards where they were last spotted days ago.

I could feel Jiraiya shadowing me about a kilometer behind. I didn't pay him much attention.

Leaping through the trees at the pace I had set, it didn't take me long to arrive at a clearing with signs of past activity. Scattered rocks and ash where a fire had been. Indentations in the ground from various feet. They tried, but they weren't successful in wiping away the evidence. Especially the ones that showed in which direction they had left.

I followed them on the ground this time since they were so kind as to leave me a trail. Noon came and went, and I was still in pursuit. After some deliberation, I decided to not stop for a break just yet. It was about a few hours later that I finally got a ping on my radar. Slowing down my pace and paying more attention for scouts, I continued to advance.

One and then two small chakra signatures. Small compared to me or even Jiraiya, compared to the others around them they might as well have been torches amongst candles. Opting to tree hop as I got closer, I caught my first glimpse of them about seventy meters away.

Various tents, a fire with something roasting, and people milling about. With no signatures further out, I knew that these nineteen people I sensed made up the entirety of the tribe.

Finding a good vantage point, I settled down under the chameleon jutsu with some dry rations to eat. Because I planned on using the stealth approach, nighttime would be the best time to attack. Although common sense would dictate to be even more on guard at night, this bunch had no reason to be overly vigilant so the cover of darkness would suit me well.

…

It's a little past midnight when I made my move. Using empathy one last time to make sure no one in a tent is conscious, I drop down from the tree and sneak towards the sentry at the north side of the camp. From his chakra pool, he is one of the ninjas I'm here to eliminate and one of the three people awake keeping watch.

For obvious reasons, he'd be my first target.

Have to give credit where it's due; for someone with no idea that there is a hit on his group, he's taking watch duty very seriously. Sneaking among the trees while keeping an eye on him, I don't detect even a touch of boredom on his face or any small movements denoting wanting to be elsewhere. A dedicated one then.

Too bad it wouldn't save him from me.

Waiting for one of his periodic scans where he turns his head to look around, I launch a kunai at him. Dashing behind it, I was presented with the graphic sight of the metal tool entering and embedding itself into the side of his head. Catching his body and dragging it behind some trees I use empathy another time. No signs of alertness.

Just one more threat left, and I had already memorized which tent was his. Striding quickly yet quietly through the camp, I stopped in front of the designated tent and observed it. Besides the common traps, seals can also be used to ward off trespassers when set up correctly and they are much more dangerous. Finding none, I enter the tent to find the ninja snoring away. The lighting is poor in here, but I can make out the slashed grass headband. Same as what the other one wore, perhaps they deserted together. Bracing myself, I reach out with one hand to jerk his chin up and with the other add a slash to his throat to match the one on his forehead protector. Looking down at his rapidly bleeding out corpse, I can't help but feel some complex emotions over doing the deed. But now isn't the time. There are others to take care of.

With that in mind and no more ninjas to potentially sense chakra use anymore, I create five clones who leave to carry out their purpose.

I dragged out the body and set it down at the center of the encampment. It doesn't take long for my clones to knock out the other sentries along with the sleeping bandits. Upon doing so they bring them to where I stood and began binding their limbs with the wire I brought. Once done, they went back out collecting everything that was of use and storing them into two scrolls. While they did that I went to the trees where I had left the other ninja and return placing the body on top of the other. Running through hand seals and feeling my chakra respond almost sluggishly, I set the bodies on fire using the great fireball technique.

After only ashes remain, I create more clones, one to carry each remaining bandit, and then speed back towards the town.

From the first kunai thrown to my departure, less than half an hour had passed. What an eventful night.

…

"You did good." Were Jiraiya's first words regarding the debrief.

Running all night, I had managed to get back by dawn. Leaving the town hall sans bandits and a little bit richer, we had retreated back to our hostel to discuss things. After running all day yesterday, attacking the bandit camp, and then running throughout the night, I was pretty tired. And having shadowed me the whole time so was Jiraiya. But I'd rather get this out of the way then sleep on it.

"Picking up and following the trail, observing the camp for the best time to attack, and the attack itself were all well done. You did most of it without using chakra?" At my nod he continued, "I thought so, only noticed it when the clones came out of the tent. Anyways, the only comment I have is to take out all the sentries first next time. You may have known ahead of time that there were only two shinobi and made them a priority but that may not always be the case. It's best to deal with those on watch and minimize the chances of the alarm being sounded if something is discovered. Understood?"

"Yes. I'll remember that for next time." I affirmed.

"Good. That was the only suggestion. Now," His look of concern grew more prominent, "How are you feeling about your first kills?"

"I feel like a mess at the moment. An uncomfortable blend of many different emotions." I decided to be as honest as possible. "It was easier and harder than I expected it to be. But I'm really happy they didn't ask for the death of the others. Bad enough I had to kill the shinobi, doing the same to what amounted to civilians would have been harder."

"Naruto… As a war veteran and someone who has experienced a lot of what the shinobi world has to offer, I'll be honest with you and say that it gets easier. Not the act of killing, but in the way of living with yourself afterwards. You have to find your reason for what you do during missions. For many it's because they were ordered to and it was their duty, for some it's a way to feed their family, and for others it's to protect their loved ones and their home. My advice to you is to find your own reason for carrying out the tasks in a shinobi's life. A greater purpose to assuage that pain you feel. Recognize that each life you take is precious but that each violent act can play a part in the creation of something better. Do you understand what I'm asking of you?"

I find myself staring in shock and even some awe at these words. They're surprisingly eloquent compared to other stuff that I've heard Jiraiya say. But it's not a bad philosophy to live to. One that I would do well to take as my own.

Not finding the right words at the moment, all I could do was nod.

"Do that, and I promise that you will be alright. One more thing, would you say that mission was hard?" At the shake of my head in the negative, he continued, "As expected. I accepted this one to allow you your first experience in taking a life, not to test your combative abilities. I know that you could take on dozens of ninjas of that level easily even if you hadn't caught them unaware. No, your real test will be more challenging. I will work with Tsunade to assign you an A-ranked missing-nin and you will find and defeat him. Understood?"

"I do." I confirmed. This was a pretty big leap, but not one that I didn't think I was ready for. It might be my first real fight against someone that wasn't Jiraiya. I say might because I didn't plan on attacking anyone face to face unless I had to. I'm a ninja, it's what we do. No need for stupid banter or letting them figure out how to beat me in a drawn-out altercation. We will see how this missing-nin fares.

"I haven't picked one yet so until then we will continue with our normal routine. Think that's all. I'm going to rest for a little bit, and I think you should do the same. I have some time before I have to meet up with my next source so we can stay here for another week." Offering one last pat on the back he went to clean up before retiring to bed.

All the while his words of advice bounced around in my head.

…

That week went by peacefully. After that day we checked out and went back to the clearing where we had stayed and set up the camp again. From there the grind continued; physical training in the morning, sparring with Jiraiya, and meditating in the evenings. Those sessions were dedicated to coming to terms with my emotions and reaffirming my conviction to meeting my goal.

The weekend came around again and I decided it was time I got over myself and stop acting like a monk. And I had the perfect way to do that. Learning from Jiraiya the ridiculously long chain of hand seals for the anti-pregnancy jutsu and donning a slight transformation on my face to add a few years, I was ready to go. My appearance now put me in that range where it was hard to discern a specific age. Could be a mature seventeen or a youthful twenty-three. And being tall for my age allowed me to pass myself off as a shorter adult. A fact due to the lower than average height of people here compared to Earth.

Strolling along the dirt roads, my head was on a swivel. The social scene around here was not what I was used to. No parties where the ladies would congregate. No clubs where they would go to dance and have fun. No social media. With that being the case, I chose to go looking for them in the way many of my friends use to. Bar hopping.

Walking into the second bar I had found, I struck gold. The first thing I had noticed was her butt squashed atop the stool she sat on near the counter. After that was the long black hair falling to her midback and the intricate kimono she was wearing. I was interested, but I had to see the other side before I could commit. So, I approached her. Sitting in the seat beside her and casting a subtle look, I mentally patted myself on the back. Fair complexion and while not having any striking features, she was still a pretty woman. She had reminded me of Shizune, with a better butt. But with the hard training kunoichi commit to, it makes sense that you're more likely to find sculpted and powerful figures rather than soft and fleshy.

Not that both don't have their benefits.

Engaging her with a smile and a compliment on her kimono, I slowly began to chat her up. Learning that she was a seamstress, was celebrating a successful commission, and was single. The flirting ramped up after getting that tidbit. And if her ques were to be believed she didn't mind. Empathy backed that up. In the end, we took the party back to her place where things got a little intimate.

Now finding myself laying in bed with her cuddled to my side still asleep, I was satisfied. Different body in a different world but the pleasures of sex remained a reliable constant.

Although, I don't think I'll experience it too often.

This experience shows it's possible to satisfy my bodily urges while on this trip but since we're not always around civilization, there will be times where I have to tough it out. Just another form of training I guess.

After this trip is over and I've dealt with the Akatsuki I can look into starting a relationship of some type. Praying for fortitude because I don't plan on starting anything with anyone in the Leaf without first talking to Hinata. Seeing how I'm already using duty as an excuse to push it off, it's going to be a long time before that conversation and a long while without.

It is what it is.

One might think I don't owe anything to Hinata since we never made any promises or even talked about our, her, feelings, but I would feel horrible otherwise. Sleeping with women during the trip is one thing, going back and doing the same where she would be forced to bear with it is another. I'm not going to play the fool so there is no way to act ignorant of her crush on me without looking and feeling like some kind of jerk. Or a short-sighted teenager. So, don't know what it is I'm going to say but we have to clear the air somehow. And who knows, maybe starting over as actual friends might lead to something between us.

Feeling a shift in the form beside me, I drop that trail of thought and make sure to reapply the transformation. Keeping it up while being busy was hard enough, maintaining the technique while sleeping was impossible.

Speaking of jutsu, I think a special thanks should go to the creator of the jutsu I used. If I was back home, I would have had to use a whole box of condoms just during the one night. While here they don't have such protections. The only methods I know of to prevent accidental pregnancy was some tea leaf that women could take at the beginning of their cycle and the jutsu. The jutsu had a version for females and a longer one for males. But I think thirty-four hand seals is an okay trade to having sex bareback.

Turning and running my hand over the curve of her hips, I placed a kiss on her forehead. "Good morning, Yua."

"Mmm, good morning to you too Naruto-kun." She smiled.

"How are you feeling on the start of such a beautiful day?"

"Great. Had fun last night, I wouldn't say no to a repeat. Is that what you wanted to hear?" She asked with a laugh.

"Can't a man wonder about the health of his lover? I genuinely care." I replied with mock indignation.

"I know what you were after. And lover, am I?"

"Yup. I know you loved what we did last night."

"Someone sure seems confident." She challenged.

"I know where I stand. And if I didn't, your reactions would have clued me in." I responded with a wink to which she playfully slapped my shoulder. "So, what do you have planned for today?"

"I have to open the store soon. Probably in another hour or so." She said glancing out at the rising sun.

"Right, you mentioned that. Hey, do you mind if I hang around and look at your products?"

"Of course not, I would love to show you my wares. But you have to buy something though."

"I'll do you one better," I replied, "I want to arrange a commission."

"Really?" She moved around to place her back against the headboard. The new position causing her chest to be exposed to the air and of course my eyes fixed onto her girls. She only smirked. "You would trust me with a commission before seeing if I was worth it?"

"Why not?" Sitting up and giving her my attention. Above her neck this time. "Based off that kimono you wore yesterday; you have serious skill. And I want to make use of them."

"Well thank you, it's my passion in life. So, what are you looking for?" She inquired.

"A cloak. Mainly black with some red thrown in. Should go down to about my knees. I can draw it up later if that would help." I offered.

After seeing Naruto in the six paths sage mode, I knew that black and gold was the move. With the wisps of chakra flowing off of him and the truth-seeking balls in the back? Badass. I didn't have access to that form and might never, but I can copy the basic idea. Due to that, I already had a color scheme for my future armor but since I didn't plan on wearing that everywhere, I needed another signature. Thus, the cloak. Loosely based on what I remembered him wearing while confronting Pain, it would be my go-to.

"Sounds easy enough." She commented.

"Cool. Knew I could rely on you."

"I have yet to make it flatterer," rolling her eyes, "It will probably take a few days. Even longer if you want more than one of them."

"That's to be expected. And I definitely want more than one. A couple made with tough fabric for traveling and then another set for casual wear. I'll be leaving the town soon, but I can come back when they're ready. We can figure out the timeframe later."

"Agreed. Now, I think there's something that we've been neglecting…" Her eyes went down to my waistline where the unobstructed view of her breasts had caused a certain reaction.

"I can get behind that. Or behind you actually." I affirmed with a grin. Taking the hint for what it was, she pushed the sheets to the side and turned around placing her hands on the headboard.

Taking in the view, all I could think of was how lucky I was. Honestly, to meet a good-looking woman, who was also a seamstress, and also had this great of an ass? Christmas must have followed me here.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked while giving a little wiggle. "Hurry up back there."

"Where do you want it?" I knew what I wanted to try again, but better to let her make the decision.

Giving me a heated look over her shoulder, she chewed her bottom lip in thought.

"Where you ended yesterday?" She finally picked.

That... would be exactly what I had in mind. Though I didn't think she would ask for that herself before getting warmed up. I could definitely work with that though.

Grabbing myself with my free hand, I guided it to its destination.

A lucky man indeed.

…

Walking into our shared room to applause, I ignore his antics and shut the door behind me.

"My little boy's a man now!" Proclaims Jiraiya in faux tears. "He's went out and had his eyes opened by the wonders of the female persuasion."

Pretending to not care about his words externally, I couldn't help but feel accomplished. I crossed that milestone much earlier in this life than my past one. And who doesn't appreciate a good hype man?

"I'm so proud of you Naruto. None of my past students took to my teachings as well as you have. Now you can go forth using what I taught you to woo all those lonely hearts throughout the nations. And then you tell me about your 'adventures' to create my next bestseller. Make out paradise: what the heart wants. A man looking for love while roaming the elemental nations. Steamy action galore." The last part is said with his typical laugh. That weird giggle he has going on.

"Woah. Hold on there. First of all, you didn't teach me to woo anyone. Secondly, if anyone is writing a book about my sex life, it's me. Not some old man." I state.

"I didn't have to teach you, you picked it up from me just being around me. I'm that good." His chest puffs up.

"It didn't work that way. I'm just a natural lady's man."

"Yes, it did. And what do you know about writing fine literature? I have to be the one who writes it."

"Like I said, I'm a natural. And no one is writing erotica about me except me. Get your own muse."

"Fine, I'll base it off my experiences." Huffed Jiraiya, before his tone changed, "So, how was it?"

"It was amazing. Mind-blowing." I replied in the same manner. "And get this, she's a seamstress."

"Hahaha, that's what I like to hear." He crowed, extending a fist to me.

Recognizing what he was after, I reached out and pumped mine with his. This brought up fond memories of my friends. Hope they're having as much fun as I was. Likely more without me there to slow them down.

"So, you talked to her about that cloak you wanted?"

"Yeah. She agreed to make them, so I gave her the specifics. I'll have to return here in a couple months or so.

"Good. I don't mind coming back here again. For now, I'm feeling pretty hungry. Want to go to that restaurant across from us? Heard it's good." He asked getting up.

"Sure, I can eat again."

-GoS-

1 Year 6 Months into the trip

Flying under your own power is one of the greatest sensations in this world. Its fun, convenient for traveling, and can be the best escape route in a pinch. People here should do it more. Like honestly, if that short dude from Iwa can do it using an earth jutsu, then it shouldn't be that hard to figure out.

Of course, in this case when I say flying, I'm actually aero-stepping some kilometers in the air. Running on air platforms is more chakra efficient than my method of ejecting air from my palms and soles like the late Tony Stark. May he rest in peace. It also allows me the use of my hands for the special binoculars I'd obtained.

They allowed me to keep a visual on my target whom I'd been trailing for the past couple days. A missing-nin from Iwa named Shiroto, no clan affiliation. An A rank with known proficiency in earth and some fire release, he had a bounty of a quarter million ryo. The reward was decent, but it was not my primary motivation for targeting Shiroto; it was to pass Jiraiya's test. That desire leads to me being even more meticulous in my plan of attack.

After leaving the town where Yua lived, we had passed through many other settlements and sometimes they had something for me to do. Be it carrying a message scroll, seeing to bandit issues, and even being a guard; I had carried out a number of 'missions'. A few weeks ago, Jiraiya had finally decided and sent me out to find Shiroto here. Since then, it took me up until two days ago to find his trail and thus him where I had taken to observing him from above where the distance would make him unlikely to detect my presence. And now, I would make my entrance.

Palming the six kunai I had attached explosive tags to, I cut the flow of chakra beneath me and entered freefall. Adjusting my body, I fell towards him going headfirst at an angle. Ignoring the wind racing by me, I mentally counted down until I hit the optimal distance. Launching the kunai while leveling out of my descent, I watched the weapons fly toward the rogue ninja. They were not on course to hit him but that hadn't been my intention in the first place. As soon as they had flown into position around him, I triggered the specially made tags.

"BOOM."

Standing firmly outside of the blast radius, I waited patiently for him to reveal himself. His chakra presence was easy to discern even inside the dust and smoke, despite how muted it had become. It would seem that he was attempting to play dead. The foreign chakra trying to enter my pathways was further proof.

Enough. Flexing my chakra and sending out a gust of air, I dispersed both the genjutsu and the smoke cloud.

The explosive tags I had used were more akin to pressure grenades than anything else. Sure, it still had the combustion as expected, but the most dangerous aspect of it was the sheer force it packed. Enough to rupture blood vessels and harm internal organs in a shinobi if caught unaware. And Shiroto had been caught in the middle of six of them going off. Which made the sight before me as the cloud was swept away both surprising and then not so.

Still in what was ground zero, the missing-nin had managed to survive. Down on one knee and bleeding from his visible orifices, there was a certain sheen to his skin that was fading as I watched. Some type of body reinforcement, likely earth based like Kakuzu's. The fact that he was able to raise his defenses so quickly is commendable. A testament to his abilities. It meant that I would have to personally finish him off. Guess I would be getting that fight after all.

I dashed towards him while molding chakra for a hot water bullet. Seeing me approach, he slammed his palms on the ground after running through some seals, raising an earth wall. Launching my jutsu, I leapt into the air and above the wall using consecutive aero-steps which put him in my sight again. Forming a giant rasengan, I propelled myself off an air platform at him.

He jumped away at the last second causing me to impact the ground leaving a crater and flying debris. Ignoring that, I body-flickered behind his flying body and caught him with a roundhouse to the back sending him crashing through his earth wall. It felt like I hit a block of metal; he was handy with that defense of his.

Going on the offense once again, I reached him after he got back on both feet and we engaged in taijutsu. It was quickly obvious who was superior in that regard; he was injured which lowered all his physical attributes while I was still at a hundred percent. His only saving grace was his body armament; with proper warning he could reinforce his arms to block hits or his critical areas in time to mitigate the blows that landed.

Well if speed was one way to victory, then I had solutions.

Deflecting a left hook, I used that hand to grab the back of his neck to introduce his face to a rising knee. Letting him go, I gave him two quick strikes to the midsection, a straight to the nose sending him reeling, and then a wind bullet launching him backwards.

Whipping out another kunai, an application of chakra saw it multiplying into half a dozen that rapidly overtook his flight. This next part required a high level of concentration, but I had practiced it enough to be battle ready.

Everything seemed to slow down; my focus only on the airborne ninja and kunai. In a flash, I was off.

Three substitutions. Three rapid-fire strikes.

Knife hand to the throat.

Upward punch to the lumbar bone.

Rasengan to the sternum.

The last attack saw us in a situation to similar to how we had started, with him in a crater. Except this time, he would not rise again with half his chest shredded. Waiting until the life had left his eyes, I began to clean up.

"Weakling. That was not a match worth watching." Remarked Kurama, breaking the radio silence.

'It wasn't. But he can hardly be blamed for that.' I responded internally. Taking out a special storage scroll, I unfurled it next to the corpse.

"Because you attacked while he was unaware. I suppose the credit would go to your proficiency rather than his innate failures."

'Yeah. I doubt many people expect danger from the heights I can now reach. Very few shinobi can fly.' After some maneuvering, the body was sealed away in a puff of smoke.

"You passed the white-haired one's test. Will you return to him now?" He asked.

'I'll stop by the nearest bounty office first if it is on the way. And then I'll return.'

"Very well. Don't forget our agreement." His mental presence receding from the forefront.

Looking around the clearing one last time, I set off.

Couldn't help but think over Kurama's words. That fight had been very easy. After the failed assassination attempt, the now dead missing-nin had been off balance during the rest of the encounter. Overwhelming offense had made it hard for him to get any real attacks in, never mind the fact that he was already injured. Can't really call it a fight; more like a beatdown in my favor.

And I had no problems with that.

Having encounters end that easily is something that I know is unlikely to happen all the time, but I will keep pushing for it. If the possibility for a fatal sneak attack is there, then I can't hesitate to take it. Not with the people I am preparing to fight. People with strong abilities and years' worth of experience in combat over me. Of course, I too had a pretty good hand of cards, but stacking the deck further in my favor doesn't hurt.

'Work smarter, not harder' is a saying for a reason.

…

Turning in the bounty and getting my reward hadn't taken very long. It was a simple process with none of the annoying bureaucracy that one would have expected when dealing with such large sums of money. All the better for me I suppose. Leaving the center behind and meeting back up with Jiraiya, I had presented him with the evidence of my success and received a pretty lackluster congratulations from him. I found it odd, but a scan of his emotions had revealed a crisis of a sort raging internally. So, I had put my concerns aside for a while and simply went about the rest of the day silently after assuming that he would open up whenever he decided to.

It was as we were sitting around the campfire that he finally seemed to reach a resolution.

"Naruto." Looking up from my half-eaten deer haunch, I quirked my eyebrows at him. "I have something to tell you. You've reached a point in your life where you have the strength and maturity to be privy to this information. Especially since it regards you."

Oh. This was looking up to be a very interesting talk. And I think I already knew where this was going.

"It's about your parents." Called it. "Your father was Minato Namikaze, the fourth hokage, and your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, an envoy from the Land of Whirlpools before it was destroyed. She was also the nine-tails jinchuriki before you but that is something that very few people knew. Due to this and the notoriety that your father had gained, they kept their relationship and especially your approaching birth a secret. Not that it helped in the end; the night she gave birth, something happened, and the nine-tails was released."

He gained a far off look in his eyes as he looked back to that day. Probably the worst event in Konoha's history as of yet. It cost him a lot; his student, friends, dreams for the future… But being a shinobi meant enduring and Jiraiya had.

"They managed to restrain and seal it into you at the cost of their lives. It was decided after that to keep the identity of your parents a secret to protect you. Both of them had enemies but Minato was a high-profile shinobi, any links to him would have put you under extra scrutiny. It could have revealed not only that you were his son, but that you were also the current jinchuriki which would have raised your threat assessment even higher. I can tell you more about them later, but before anything else, I want you to know that they both loved you. The months before your birth were some of the happiest for the couple and there was nothing that they wouldn't have done for you. Even sacrifice their lives to save yours."

After that spiel, he took a breath and looked me directly in the eyes before continuing, "I would know that, because I was close to your father. Minato was my pupil just as you are now. I saw his as family and the same was true for him; he even asked me to a surrogate father to you if anything happened to him. To which I agreed not knowing what was to come. Disaster strikes and he died, leaving you an orphan. And instead of fulfilling my promise, I used my duties and lies about your safety to remain outside the village. All the while drowning my sorrows in drink and women. That is one of my greatest regrets in life: abandoning you to a village that spurned the sacrifice that Minato made. I told myself that it was safer for you, but in the end, it was me running away from what mattered most. I will understand if you never forgive me, but I want to do right by you. I want t-"

"I'm going to stop you right there," I said while lowering my hand. "There is no point in asking for forgiveness. Jiraiya, I hold nothing against you. I've been spending some time thinking about the past and the future I want, and long story short, a lot of things have changed. My dreams are not what they used to be and the way I approach problems is no longer the same. I'm a different person now with a new perspective on things. So, you can rest assured that I am not going to hate you for leaving all those years ago. You have been a good mentor and a friend to me over the time that we've been together, and I want you to know that. You may not be a father figure to me, but we can still be family as well. So, stop worrying over stuff like that, you're just adding more years to your face."

"Still…" Catching my look, he let the matter drop, "Thank you. You've really grown Naruto."

"I know." At twenty-three years old mentally, I would find it pretty offensive to have shown no growth in maturity compared to Naruto. "And to be honest, the fourth being my father isn't all that surprising. I had already suspected it after connecting some of the dots. It's the identity of my mother that was harder to pinpoint. Thank you for telling me the truth Jiraiya."

"No need to thank me. You had a right to that information and as soon as you were ready, I had no justification for concealing it. And like I said, I knew both of them and can tell you more about their personal lives if you wish."

I nodded, "I'll take you up on that in the future."

After getting that confession of his chest, Jiraiya seemed to have found his appetite again. I really hoped he took my words to heart. Putting my feelings into words had never been my strong point, but a man has to try his best sometimes. Jiraiya had quickly became a close friend to me. All the time spent traveling, training, and just conversing together had elevated him to bro status in my eyes. Making sure he doesn't get killed by Pain and finding love in Tsunade were two things that I hoped my presence here would fix. Dude deserved at least that much.

Remembering Kurama's last comment, or order basically, I broke the comfortable silence between us.

"Hey, I plan to start training with the nine-tails chakra soon." I said.

"You've finally made up your mind? I remember you saying you wanted to prepare before you messed with that. What can I do to help?" He replied. After some suggestions about using Kurama's chakra, I had told him I wanted to train my body and mind beforehand to lower the risks of me going out of control. He had accepted my reasoning back then and hadn't brought it up again.

"Hopefully you can provide me with the key to unlock the seal. I've looked at it and it appears to have limits in place to prevent me from drawing out too much chakra. I could break them myself, but I figured there was probably a safer method, hence a key."

"There is a key, but do you really have to unlock it fully?" He seemed somewhat hesitant while responding. "I had planned to loosen it when you started training but only a little bit. I don't think going that far so fast is safe."

"I can handle it. Trust me, I wouldn't suggest so otherwise." Seeing his reluctance dimming, I sweetened the deal, "And I don't plan to do it just yet, just wanted to give you advance warning and time to prepare the key if you had it. I was thinking of doing it at the end of this year. Should give me a good amount of time to adapt to it before returning to the village."

After deliberating for a while Jiraiya sighed, "Fine. We can do it then. That should give me more than enough time to arrange some precautions."

"Cool."

"Soon…"

Third chapter.