Six months after the Kyubi attack
Jiraiya and Tsunade were both exceptional ninja. The kind that they only appear once every few generations. They both graduated the academy at an age most kids still can't tie their shoelaces, made Chunin before hitting puberty and managed to become Jonin before being sixteen.
From that point onwards, the two Sannin, and their fallen teammate Orochimaru took a myriad of dangerous missions. If there was a task with a high chance of dying, they would do it without receiving a single scratch. If there was a mission that appeared to be impossible, they made it look as if it could be done by a mere Genin.
They never stopped to better themselves and improve in their areas of skill. Jiraiya became a Seal Master of renown and one of the few Senjutsu practitioners alive. Tsunade became one of the best medical ninja the world ever knew. And both of them became incredibly powerful ninja, overshadowed by few and admired by many.
Still, despite all the skills they had learned and honed over their lifespans, nothing could prepare them for the horror that it was to take care of a baby. Naruto used to cry a lot, often for no reason, and at completely random times (though he was rather fond of doing it at nighttime). He had to be watched constantly, or else he would somehow disappear, only to mysteriously appear outside the house. He would try to grab anything within his short reach, and more often than not he would try to eat it.
One of the few things that would calm Naruto whenever he had a crying fit was Tsunade holding him against her chest. Jiraiya had joked that Tsunade's knockers would of course have a soothing effect on any men, no matter their age. Yet it turned out to be more than a joke when the Slug Princess breastfed Naruto, and the little Jinchuriki just wouldn't let go of her breast.
The fact that the baby was positively elated whenever Tsunade started to undo her blouse wasn't a good sign at all.
"This is bad...you're not even a year old, yet Jiraiya is already rubbing off on you!" Tsunade said after the first time it happened.
Or then again, it could be something else, since Naruto's stomach was a bottomless pit. He would eat a lot, and would never be satisfied. He always wanted more, and whenever his food was denied, he would go into a crying fit. Everybody wondered where the hell his little body stored all that food.
On the bright side, Naruto was at least easy to feed, if a bit costly.
Today was one of Tsunade's two days off after a rather long shift at the hospital. She would have spend the day sleeping, but neither Jiraiya nor Shizune were there, so she had to watch over Naruto, who just had calmed down from one of his random crying fits. She sighed in relief when she heard the main door opening.
"Tsunade-sama, I'm back!" said Shizune's voice as she entered the house.
Shziune was wearing a green flak vest common among the Konoha Chunin and Jonin over her usual clothes. A forehead protector was wrapped around her head.
Unlike Tsunade and Jiraiya, Shizune showed interest in joining the Konoha ninja. Shikaku Nara, Konoha's current Jonin Commander, alongside other Jonin, tested her abilities to determine her rank, and they decided she was good enough to be a Chunin. Plus she was a good medic, something Konoha was in desperately need of. Everybody hoped that Tsunade's presence in the village would solve the issue.
"Good, because I need you to go buy some baby food. I was about to go myself, but you know how Naruto gets when we go out and he's hungry," the blond woman replied.
"What? And what happened with all the baby food that I bought before I left for my mission?" Shizune asked, incredulous. Tsunade stared at her in a way that said "do you really need to ask?"
Without further ado, the younger woman nodded and went to buy the much needed food.
Tsunade wondered what was Jiraiya doing. Given that the Toad Sage rarely left the house – Tsunade had forbidden him from doing any "research" anymore, meaning that he could only use his imagination to write his erotic novels – she was hoping that he would take care of the baby while she had a much needed nap.
But unfortunately for the Legendary Sucker, an ANBU appeared, claiming that the the Hokage requested Jiraiya's presence. Of course, such a convenient timing. It seemed that fate was conspiring against her.
Meanwhile, in the Hyuga compound, a toddler sneezed.
…
"You know sensei, I wasn't expecting that you would call me into action so soon. Are you sure that this mission is something no other ninja but me can do?" the Toad Sage asked, a bit skeptical.
Once the old Hokage activated all the privacy seals, he answered. "Yes, yes indeed. You're the best information gathered this village has seen. If somebody can unfold this mystery, it's you."
"Let me guess: you think that the Kyubi escaping Kushina wasn't an accident?" Jiraiya ventured to ask. "Because we all knew that it was something that could happen."
"Yes, and we set the proper measures. But no, that's not why we came to the conclusion that there was somebody behind the attack."
"Enlighten me then."
"After the Kyubi had been...contained, we recovered the bodies of my wife, Biwako, who was the midwife during the delivery, as well of the few ANBU that we had stationed to make sure nothing happened. The autopsy revealed wounds inflicted by ninja weapons."
"Shouldn't you have told me this much earlier?" Jiraiya asked.
"Maybe, but I didn't want call you into action so soon. You see, there has been another investigation going on during these past months, carried out by Danzo and his branch of ANBU."
Jiraiya frowned upon hearing that name. Danzo was known for being an extremist, often inducted orphans to bolster his organizations' ranks, was an open critic of Sarutobi's conciliatory efforts with other villages and never bothered to hide that he wanted to be Hokage more than anything. Fortunately, he never had enough support to achieve such ambition.
"I see. Did they find something?" If Jiraiya was asking this, he knew there would be two possible answers: they either found nothing, or they found something that Sarutobi didn't like, and wanted a second opinion. The super pervert prayed for the former, but just like with Tsunade, fate felt like conspiring against the Sannin.
"Yes," Sarutobi said, sighing. "Danzo and I had been discussing the events of that night. According to the many witnesses he interrogated, it's not like the Kyubi simply broke through our walls, it suddenly appeared in the middle of the village, coming out of a cloud of smoke."
"That sounds awfully similar to the Summoning Jutsu," Jiraiya pointed out.
"Indeed it is."
"But then again...summoning the Kyubi? The only person I can think of being able to pull something like that is Madara Uchiha, and he has been dead for decades."
"Maybe he had an apprentice? Someone he trained on how to tame the Tailed Beasts?"
"It sounds rather far-fetched. We all know that Madara left the village alone, and tried to attack it alone. He never married nor had any children that could avenge his death."
"Anyway, Danzo decided that Madara was a good starting point. He made some interesting discoveries. Besides Hashirama-sensei, Madara also had a way to control the Tailed Beasts. We believe it was his Sharingan. You see, Madara's Sharingan wasn't normal. Apparently, he managed to awake a higher level of Sharingan, that granted him extraordinary new powers."
"So? Madara was an unbelievably powerful ninja who had plenty of unique abilities, just like Hashirama. That doesn't mean said abilities can be replicated by his clansmen, just like how Hashirama's descendants did not inherit the Wood Release."
"The thing is, they can be replicated. You see, this new Sharingan, named Mangekyo Sharingan, is an ability every Uchiha can attain, but very few do because of its high price. If what Danzo uncovered is accurate, the prerequisite to awaken this Mangekyo Sharingan is to murder with your own hands someone you're close to or you love. The Uchiha might be a bit too battle eager, but not even them would go so far just for the sake of power."
"But Danzo believes that one of them did."
"Yes."
"Even if that's true...what was the point of throwing the Kyubi into the village? What did this person would have gained? Wait...please tell me Danzo doesn't believe the whole clan was behind the attack!"
"Sadly, he does."
"Stupid one eyed zealot..." Jiraiya muttered. This made the Toad Sannin feel grateful for not having Danzo as the Hokage, or else the situation could have been much worse. "That's stupid on every level."
"I know. That's why he ordered the Uchiha to stay in the rear and help the civilian evacuation. He didn't want any Uchiha to be near the Kyubi."
"Of course, a thief believes everybody steals," Jiraiya said. He had no doubt that that's what Danzo would do if he had the power to tame the beast. "You have to stop Danzo. The Uchiha are already cranky as they are without him poking them with a stick."
"That's why I called you, Jiraiya. The only way I can stop Danzo is with enough tangible evidence to discredit his own investigation. And I can't think in anybody better than you to gather said evidence."
"While I'm flattered that you think so highly of my skills, I'm not omniscient. This will take quite some time."
"I know. While you're working, I'll make sure to keep Danzo on a tight leash."
"Alright then," Jiraiya said as he headed for the door. "Oh, and one more thing."
"Hmm?"
"Do you realize that if I work on this, it will cut into my writing time, meaning that I will take much longer to finish the next Icha Icha book, right?"
Sarutobi gasped in shock, his eyes opened wide in horror. But said horror was short lived, and his face soon relaxed. A sad smile formed in his mouth. "Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater good, Jiraiya, regardless of how painful they may be."
…
Shizune was in a mart close to her home, carrying out Tsunade's requests. After finding Naruto's favorite brand of baby food, she decided to buy all of it in one go to save further trips. Thoguh she couldn't help but wonder how long it would last. He needed to teach that kid the meaning of the word "moderation."
"Err...excuse me miss," a voice behind Shizune said.
The black haired kunoichi turned around, and saw a boy looking at her. The boy would be about five or six years old. He had dull black hair long enough to be styled in a ponytail, deep black eyes, and wore a black shirt, black pants and blue sandals. He appeared to be an Uchiha.
"Yes? Can I help you?" Shizune said, putting up her best smile.
"Do you really need all that baby food? I'd like some too, if it's not asking much."
"There is more baby food left here."
"Yes, but that's the only brand my brother will eat without throwing a tantrum," the black haired boy said.
"Oh, I can totally relate to that," Shizune said, giggling. "Guess that I wasn't too nice of me to take all of it like that. How many would you want?"
"Two would be enough."
Shizune complied, and gave two jars of baby food to the boy.
"There you go."
"Thank you, miss."
"My name's Shizune, by the way."
"Itachi. Itachi Uchiha," the boy said, confirming Shizune's guess.
"Nice to meet you, Itachi-kun. Your brother is lucky to have such a nice and caring big brother like you taking care of him."
Itachi blushed a little. "Thanks."
Both of them headed to the cashier. Itachi decided to keep talking.
"You know...that baby of yours must be really big if he eats that much," Itachi commented, looking at Shizune's basket, loaded with jars of baby food.
"That's the funny thing, he's so little! Tsunade-sama said that one day she's going to find where all the food he eats goes, because he's always hungry, and never gets fat!"
"Tsunade-sama?" Itachi repeated. Then a realization suddenly dawned on him. "Wait a minute, that baby of yours...is the kid with the Demon Fox sealed inside?"
Shizune's bright mood suddenly darkened, and pondered if he should answer him. But then again, most of the village already knew her as one of Naruto's caretakers, so lying would be pointless.
"Yes, he is."
"And...how is he?" Itachi asked with genuine curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"Does he have something that makes him different from other babies?"
"Nothing that I have noticed. Trust me, deep down he's like everybody else."
"My parents didn't say anything, but I heard many grownups saying that he's dangerous, and that we should stay away from him."
"That's nonsense! Naruto's a normal kid like any other! Just because he has a demon sealed inside him doesn't make him dangerous! The seal the Fourth placed on him will make sure the Kyubi won't see daylight in a long, long time. "
"Then why did they bring Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama taking care of him?"
Shizune didn't like the course the conversation was taking.
"What do you mean by 'bring'?"
"They say that the Hokage had to recall the two legendary Sannin to keep the Demon Fox under watch and make sure he doesn't try to destroy Konoha again."
Shizune was livid. Where did that rumors come from? Wasn't people aware of Jiraiya being the kid's godfather and Tsunade-sama being his only blood relative alive? It was obvious that neither Tsunade-sama nor Jiraiya-sama had heard of this rumors, or else they would have done something.
She remembered the first time she decided to take a walk while carrying Naruto on a stroller. People shouted at her to get away from them, that she was putting them in danger by taking that 'thing' out of his 'cage'. At first she tried to ignore them and go somewhere else, but whenever he went, the treatment she got was the same. How could they be afraid of such an innocent creature?
The next time she went on a walk with Naruto, Tsunade went with them as well. And they got the same treatment the moment they placed a foot on another street.
That was a fatal mistake.
Only Shizune's pleas stopped Tsunade from leveling the entire district. Still, quite a few people had to be hospitalized.
From that day onwards, the verbal abuse stopped. But things didn't change that much. Whenever Shizune would walk with Naruto, people would simply return to their homes or leave the street until she and her ward where far enough. Some people muttered under their breath words the medic in training couldn't hear but could guess. They also shot her cold stares.
She feared that Naruto would have a hard time making friends.
But then again, this was a new scenario for her. While she already knew what most adults thought about Naruto, she was now talking to a child with no visible parent present. It was a golden opportunity not only to learn what any children would think of Naruto, but to erase whatever prejudices were implanted inside his young mind.
"Let me tell you that's a lie. Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama are taking care of Naruto because both of them had strong ties with their parents. If that wasn't the case, then Naruto would be on an orphanage or under the care of any foster family. He doesn't need to be under watch. Like I told you before, the Fourth's seal will make sure the Kyubi never returns."
Itachi's expression didn't change.
"I see. Then if you live with him,you're not afraid that the Kyubi won't be back...then I shouldn't be afraid either."
"Exactly! I'm so glad that you understand it," Shizune said, elated. Maybe there was hope at all!
After paying for the baby food, Shizune and Itachi went their separate ways.
"Goodbye, Shizune-san. It was nice to meet you."
"Feeling's mutual, Itachi-kun. I hope we meet again sometime soon!"
Shizune was in a considerably better mood now. That Itachi looked like a really nice and smart kid. Too bad he was too old to be Naruto's playmate. If only Naruto could meet some kids like him, then maybe she won't have to worry about him growing up without friends. Nevertheless, that possibility felt more plausible now.
Maybe Jiraiya-sama was right about trusting the next generation.
…
Tsunade was already regretting spending the afternoon napping, since once night arrived, she was too rested to fall asleep. She constantly shifted in her bed trying to get into a comfortable position, fluffed her pillow multiple times, opened the window in order to allow some fresh breeze in, closed the window once the room got too cold, opened the window again, until she punched the pillow in frustration.
Maybe her best friend since she became an adult would be of some help. She got up from the bed, put on a robe and went to the living room. Turned out that Jiraiya was there, also awake, as well as her and Jiraiya's best friend: a bottle of sake.
"What are you doing up so late?" Jiraiya asked.
"I could ask you the same," Tsunade retorted.
"True, but I did ask first."
Tsunade groaned. "Okay, fine, I couldn't sleep and thought that some sake could help. So you may pour me a cup now. What about you?"
"Sarutobi-sensei tasked me with a big-ass mission that's going to take years to complete, and if I fail Konoha's relationship with the Uchiha Clan may go down the drain," Jiraiya said as he carefully poured some sake on Tsunade's cup. "I thought that you'd sleep like a log, given how overworked you've been this week."
"I spent all the day sleeping, so yeah, guess that I messed my sleeping cycle," Tsunade said as she emptied her sake cup in one go. Jiraiya refilled it without a single word from the blonde.
"Do you hear that?" Jiraiya asked.
"Hear what?" Tsunade said, taken aback. Was somebody trying to break into their home? "I hear nothing."
"Exactly. Naruto hasn't cried a single time since sunset. I think that's a first."
"I didn't realize of that. And here we are, unable to sleep in our first silent night since we took care of that noisy brat."
"You've never been someone who appreciated irony."
"Oh, I do appreciate irony. When it happens to somebody else."
"Hehe, you're quite the smart girl, aren't you?" Jiraiya chuckled. "By the way Hime, can I ask you something?"
"I'm not drunk enough for that."
"Wow, shot down before I even asked. But I didn't mean that. Did you ever imagine your life turning out like this?"
Tsunade wondered about the question. The answer was a definitive "no". Since she was young, her picture of the future was her being married to her boyfriend Dan Kato, who would be Hokage, with her little brother Nawaki on his way to succeed him in the future. They would have at least two children. Tsunade would be retired from active duty and would work at the hospital, either treating the sick and wounded, or helping to shape the minds of the future generation of medics.
Yet fate had different plans for her. Dan and Nawaki's lives were brutally cut short before her very eyes. Unable to deal with so much death around her, she decided to flee Konoha and wander aimlessly around the world. She stopped thinking about the future and focused on the present. But the few times she did think in the future, she could only picture herself either dying alone on an alleyway after drinking way too much.
But...being back in Konoha, and raising a kid alongside Jiraiya? No, that never entered her mind. Hearing about the fate of Naruto's parents awoke a spark of determination within Tsunade that the Sannin thought it was long extinct. Maybe she failed to save Dan and Nawaki, but she swore that she'll do her best to ensure Naruto's safety.
Yet something that at first appeared some sort of self-imposed atonement task turned out to be rather...pleasant. Taking care of Naruto was a taxing job, but Tsunade considered it as much rewarding. And while living with Jiraiya didn't appeal to her one bit, the Toad Sage was a much nicer housemate than she had expected. In all these moths, he had never broke once the rules she had set. It almost felt like the old times.
"No," Tsunade finally answered. "Not that I complain. I didn't ac