It had been a failed conversation, and it only made Jiraiya think about his own failed life.
He was a teacher who was never there when the students he was so proud of had died. It felt like fate was constantly mocking his incompetence.
Lying on the grass, Jiraiya replayed his greatest failures: he hadn't protected his students, he'd never truly gone after Tsunade, and he hadn't saved his friend Orochimaru from his dark path. It seemed his entire life was just one long string of failures.
"Emiya!"
A boy's loud voice cut through Jiraiya's gloomy thoughts, and he turned his head to see who it was. A yellow-haired kid in goggles was running toward Emiya Shirou, a huge grin on his face despite the fresh bruises covering it.
It was Naruto Uzumaki. No one else in the village would dare call Emiya Shirou by his name like that.
"Slow down," Emiya said, holding out a hand to stop him. A green chakra glowed from his palm as he began healing the boy's scrapes without even asking what happened.
"Thanks!" Naruto beamed, then looked over at the man lying on the grass. "Hey, are you friends with Emiya too?"
"Uh…" Jiraiya's expression turned awkward. It was a strange question.
No one in Konoha would dare claim to be Emiya Shirou's friend. Even the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, acted like a humble junior around him.
"He's a friend of Tsunade's," Emiya explained, handing Naruto a napkin.
"That scary lady…" Naruto shivered, remembering how he and Emiya had run into Tsunade and watched her casually punch a hole through a wall. "Someone's actually brave enough to be friends with her?"
"Don't talk about people behind their backs," Emiya said, ruffling Naruto's yellow hair.
He playfully defended the woman he had practically raised. "Tsunade was a very sweet kid. Maybe she just fell in with a bad crowd when she got older."
That's a bit of a stretch, Jiraiya thought, his eyelid twitching.
Sure, he and Orochimaru weren't exactly saints, but Tsunade had always been fierce.
It wasn't fair to blame them for it!
Emiya ignored Jiraiya's silent protest and turned his attention back to Naruto, listening patiently as the boy chattered on about his day at the academy. He talked about how his friend Shikamaru got yelled at for sleeping in class again, and how Choji got caught secretly eating chips.
They were just trivial kid stories. Anyone else would have been bored to tears—even Jiraiya found himself yawning. But Emiya listened intently, offering a comment here and there to keep the boy talking.
As it grew late, Naruto pulled out his small wallet, ready to reveal his big surprise. "Grandpa Hokage gave me my allowance! I can treat you to ramen tonight, Emiya!"
"Hey, kid, got room for one more?" Jiraiya asked, sitting up with a blade of grass in his mouth. He shamelessly offered himself up for a free meal.
"Huh?" Naruto scratched his head, surprised. Then a huge smile spread across his face. "Okay!"
It was a little weird, but Naruto was happy. This white-haired man was actually willing to talk to him and even eat with him.
The dinner, however, ended on a guilty note for Naruto.
He was happily slurping his ramen when Emiya pushed his own bowl over, claiming he wasn't feeling well and couldn't eat another bite.
Meanwhile, the white-haired freeloader shamelessly ordered two more bowls.
Later that night, after Emiya said goodbye to Naruto, he and Jiraiya stood watching the little kid's back as he walked home.
"Did you see the problem?" Emiya asked suddenly.
"Hmm?" Jiraiya frowned, genuinely confused. He thought back on everything he'd seen of Naruto that day but couldn't think of anything wrong.
A problem with the kid?
On the surface, Naruto looked a lot like his father, Minato Namikaze. His personality, though, was all his mother, Kushina Uzumaki—loud, lively, and full of fire.
Was that a problem? It didn't seem like it.
Jiraiya had even secretly observed Naruto at the ramen shop. He knew Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but he hadn't sensed any of its chakra leaking out.
So what other problem could there be? He was stumped.
But since it was Emiya Shirou asking, Jiraiya couldn't just ignore it. He decided to secretly watch Naruto for a full day.
At the ninja academy, Naruto seemed perfectly normal. He fooled around with his friends and got distracted in class, but that was it.
Later, Jiraiya saw villagers glaring at Naruto, telling their own kids to stay away from him. But Naruto just kept on smiling. His attitude seemed fine. He happily found Emiya and dragged him down to the river to go fishing.
After a whole week of observation, Jiraiya still didn't see a problem.
All he saw was an incredibly optimistic kid. Despite a harsh life with no parents, Naruto had a positive attitude that couldn't be broken. With Emiya around, he seemed to sleep soundly at night. He might get sad about being alone, but he always bounced back, ready for a new day.
"There's no problem," Jiraiya muttered, stroking his chin. "The orphans in the village all grow up like this."
He had. Kakashi had. They all learned to endure tough situations from a young age. Naruto just had it a bit harder because he was a Jinchuriki.
-----
Winter arrived, blanketing Konoha in snow.
Emiya helped Naruto into a thick new coat, wrapping a big red scarf around his neck and pulling on his gloves. The little boy's face was red from the cold as he hugged Emiya's leg tightly, his own eyes turning a little watery.
At that moment, they didn't look like friends. Emiya was the elder Naruto could always depend on. Having grown up without parents, Naruto was envious of kids who were doted on. A small wish started to form in his heart: he wished Emiya was his family.
After Naruto left, Jiraiya appeared silently beside Emiya. He had a look of understanding on his face. "So that's what you meant. You think Naruto's upbringing is a problem because he has no parents? But like I said, Lord Emiya, the orphans in the village all grow up like this..."
"It's different," Emiya said, shaking his head.
He watched Naruto's retreating figure, bouncing along and pretending to be happy. "The others have received more than he has."
Emiya's gaze shifted to a clothing store owner who was still scowling in their direction. "At the very least, other children don't face so much malice in their childhood."
"That child," Emiya said quietly, "is heading toward an extreme, step by step."
"How could that be?" Jiraiya quickly shook his head, unconvinced. "That kid is better at handling tough situations than anyone. He's going to grow up to be an excellent ninja."
A proud look crossed his face.
Maybe... he could be just like his father. With an attitude like that, he'll never give up.
Jiraiya was already getting excited about the idea of training the boy himself someday.
"Naruto won't turn to darkness," he declared, confident in his judgment.
"But can't light also be an extreme?" Emiya asked, turning to face him, his gaze calm as ever. "You've been watching him, but you've missed something. That child's heart is unconsciously trying to get close to any warmth it can find. He's starting to want to protect everything he's gained. In the future, that will to protect will fully awaken in him. It will make him strong enough to endure anything."
Jiraiya didn't quite understand.
Wait… isn't that a good thing? For a Konoha ninja, isn't that the ideal mindset?
"This child is strong," Emiya continued, his expression growing distant, as if he could see the future. "He will become even stronger than the Hashirama I once knew, because his will has become more extreme."
Jiraiya paused. If anyone else had said it, he would have dismissed it.
But this was Emiya Shirou. Could Naruto really surpass the First Hokage?
"But," Emiya added calmly, "absolute power brings with it an absolute desire for control. That child's will to protect everything he cares about will eventually turn into a terrifying need to control the people around him, to make them live according to his wishes."
Emiya turned his head slightly, his eyes locking onto Jiraiya's. "It won't just be the people around him. His will and his power will be great enough to reshape this entire world into his ideal one."
"That's…" A flicker of panic appeared in Jiraiya's eyes. "That's the Great Toad Sage's prophecy."
The child from the prophecy was supposed to bring a revolution to the ninja world, for better or for worse. And now, Jiraiya realized Emiya was right.
Naruto did cherish what little he had more than anything. He just hadn't yet realized what he would be willing to do to protect—or control—it all.