"Naruto, are you okay?"
Jiraiya and Might Guy landed beside them. The older man looked nervously at Naruto Uzumaki, worried he might have been injured during the chase. After all, the people Naruto had been hunting were no ordinary ninja; any one of them was powerful enough to stir up chaos in the shinobi world.
"Huh? Master Jiraiya!"
The moment Kushina Uzumaki saw Jiraiya, she instinctively stepped in front of her son. "You and Naruto… what is your relationship?"
"Kushina, you broke free from Orochimaru's control, too?" Relief washed over the white-haired man's face. Seeing her guarded posture, he let out a dry laugh. "Hahaha… this little rascal, Naruto, is a new student I took on not long ago!"
"That relationship is over now!" Kushina snapped, turning to lead her son away.
"Hey, hey, hold on a minute!" Jiraiya scratched his head and said softly, "Kushina, I may not have taught Naruto much ninjutsu yet, but…"
"If you're not teaching him ninjutsu, then what are you teaching him?" Kushina stared at Jiraiya in disbelief, her expression growing cold. "Master Jiraiya, Minato and I have always respected you, but Naruto is our only son. He is all we have left of us. He needs to grow up in a healthy environment."
A mother's worries are universal. The "Three Ninja Prohibitions" and a delinquent like Jiraiya were things Kushina absolutely refused to let her son be exposed to, at least not before he became an adult.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans. By the time she was revived, Naruto was already twelve or thirteen years old and, just like his father, had become Jiraiya's student.
Naruto could only follow his hot-tempered mother, shooting Jiraiya a helpless shrug over his shoulder. There was nothing he could do. She was his mom, and she had just been resurrected.
No matter how close he felt to Jiraiya, he couldn't get on her bad side right now, could he? Besides, his gut told him his mother's real personality might not be as gentle as the chakra remnant he'd met in the seal.
Once Kushina left with Naruto, the embarrassment on Jiraiya's face faded, replaced by a look of joy. "Hahaha… her temper is still as fiery as ever!"
He had always been close with Minato's family. Even though Kushina gave him the cold shoulder right after being revived, being able to see a lost friend again still filled the old wanderer, who had roamed the ninja world for years, with happiness.
Jiraiya was beginning to understand Tsunade's feelings. That woman, always drowning her sorrows in a bottle… just how much pain was she suppressing in her heart?
As shinobi, they were supposed to be accustomed to the deaths of friends and family. But to actually see them again… it stirred something deep in the soul. Those emotions, buried deep in the heart, would burst forth the moment a crack appeared.
Jiraiya finally couldn't help but sigh. "That guy Orochimaru has really caused a lot of trouble… Forget it, I'll deal with this problem later."
-----
Konoha. The Memorial Stone.
During the events of the Konoha Crush, many of the village's ninja had lost their lives, including their highest leader, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Although Hiruzen had made many mistakes in his final years, his place in the hearts of Konoha's ninja was irreplaceable. The Third Hokage could remember the name of every shinobi in the village. In the decades he held power, he had not neglected a single child who needed guidance. Almost every ninja had been influenced by him.
Even though Kushina was still angry about her son's childhood, standing before Hiruzen's newly erected memorial, she had to admit that the Third Hokage had shown great kindness to their family.
After the other Konoha ninja who came to pay their respects had left, Kushina led Naruto to place two white flowers on Hiruzen's grave. Then she turned to the man standing near the Memorial Stone. "Master Jiraiya, aren't you going to pay your respects to the Third?"
"Tch, the old man won't blame me," Jiraiya said, shaking his head with a lack of concern. "He's already gone. If you want to honor his memory, protecting Konoha is enough."
"Then I'll go see Granny Biwako," Kushina nodded and led her son to the memorial for Biwako Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's wife who had been killed.
Kushina's relationship with Biwako had been like that of a mother and daughter. After Mito Uzumaki passed away, Biwako had stepped into that elder role and had always looked after her. She was by Kushina's side when she gave birth and was ultimately killed by the mysterious masked man who attacked them.
"Kushina, I want to take Naruto out for a while," Jiraiya said, leaning against a wooden post. He continued his explanation, "I need to take him out for some training and to find someone."
"Who?"
"Tsunade."
Jiraiya rubbed his brow. "The incident with the Sand Village has just been settled," he said in a low voice. "The village's consultant elders want me to succeed as the Fifth Hokage. I refused, but on the condition that I find a suitable candidate for them."
"Wait, why wasn't I told?" Naruto looked up abruptly, staring at the white-haired man. "Master Jiraiya, what about the Sand Village's One-Tail Jinchuriki?"
"They've already left," Jiraiya replied, looking at his young student in surprise. "Naruto, what you need to be doing now is training hard, not worrying about these trivial matters."
Naruto tapped his fingers, his face clearly displeased. "I was the one who defeated the One-Tail Shukaku… and its power would be really helpful for my training."
One of the plans he and Kurama had made up was to defeat Shukaku and seize its chakra for his own use. It was a necessary step.
After returning to Konoha, he had gotten used to his mother's care. The warmth of family was intoxicating, and for a moment, he had actually forgotten his mission.
"That's not possible," Jiraiya said, shaking his head. He explained in a serious voice, "The One-Tail Shukaku is the Sand Village's Tailed Beast. If Konoha detains their jinchuriki, it will provoke the Sand ninja. The village just reached an agreement with them less than two days ago. We can't tear up the agreement so easily."
After the Chunin Exams, Konoha's losses had been huge. With the Third Hokage gone, the village was temporarily without a leader, and Danzo Shimura was already making moves in the background. This was a matter that could not be taken lightly.
If Konoha and the Sand Village were to fall into years of war, it would be detrimental to both great nations, especially since they had just re-signed an alliance treaty.
"Naruto, don't be so anxious..." Kushina patted her son's shoulder, gently soothing him. "Didn't the First Hokage say he was going to teach you the true Wood Style in a few days?"
-----
Bonus:
Kushina: The Three Ninja Prohibitions!
Naruto: Money, women, and alcohol.
Kushina: What else?
Naruto: And if I go find Master Jiraiya, I have to report to Mom first...
Kushina: Alright, you can go