Like Father, like son

"It's possible," Jiraiya replied.

"Because it's one of the spirits who possess the strongest Chakra…"

"Hmm….." Hiruzen thought for a minute.

"What has got you thinking?" Jiraiya asked.

"You said you wanted to know Orochimaru's movements here in the village right?" Hiruzen asked.

"Yes!"

Hiruzen inhaled from the smoke pipe and let out a small cloud before he continued.

"You remember the team led by Minato?" Hiruzen asked.

"Mm," Jiraiya nodded.

"I put the boy, Kakashi in charge of a new team of genins who are a lot like the old team."

"…"

"Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura."

"They were exactly like Minato's old team of Kakashi, Rin, and Obito."

"Naruto took after Obito, Sasuke took after Kakashi and Sakura…"

("Sakura is not like Rin") Hiruzen thought.

"This was decided before the academy until…."

"Until?" Jiraiya asked.

"Until the boy, Naruto changed…"

"Its like he evolved."

"The boy is the same old, but at the same time, he has become a splendid ninja" Hiruzen smiled.

"Say it old geezer."

("Geezer?")

"…"

"There was a name I mentioned now amongst those three, Uchiha Sasuke."

"I have heard the rumors. The boy survived the massacre."

"Precisely,"

"Orochimaru is now after the boy."

"Hmm…" Jiraiya thought.

"What is it?" HIruzen asked.

"There's just a nasty feeling regarding that particular part…"

"Why?" Hiruzen asked

"Orochimaru did not leave the organization on a pleasant note."

"He had gone after Uchiha Itachi and was later forced to leave abruptly, which they considered as a betrayal." Jiraiya frowned.

("Why is he going after the last two Uchiha brothers?") Hiruzen thought.

"So what happened to the boy now…" Jiraiya asked.

"?"

"The Uchiha brat."

"The funniest thing was that Naruto stopped Orochimaru from making any advances on him."

Jiraiya was shocked.

"WHAT?"

Hiruzen indicated for him to calm down.

"One of my subordinates Anko confronted him the same evening the incident took place."

…

Flash Back Chapter 26

"I've heard of some excellent ninjas in this village, so I thought I'd put dibs on it."

"But who knew a progeny of the fourth would stand in my way…."

"It's kind of an unexpected twist you would come across in a story though….." Orochimaru sulked.

"But fighting with the kid, He is a pure genius, too sad the kid was not an Uchiha…."

"That boy is the son of the Fourth Hokage? You fought with him?" Anko thought back to Naruto's words and still found it hard to believe.

"Yes, and not only that, the brat is in full control of the nine tails. He is also capable of using all the fourth's techniques; the flying thunder god, the Rasengan….." Orochimaru praised Naruto.

…

Jiraiya was getting surprised by the moment. His life for the past decade went in chasing after Orochimaru, though he still took his time to write books and search for his supposed fated student.

"Jiraiya!"

"What is it?" Jiraiya asked slowly still being shocked from what he had heard earlier.

"My guess is Naruto must have met Minato and Kushina when training to get control over Nine-Tails."

"Indeed!" Jiraiya agreed.

"Jiraiya!" Hiruzen interrupted.

"Even if Naruto is capable to a certain extent, it does not mean he will be able to take care of himself."

"I had appointed Kakashi in hopes of looking after him, but the boy has surpassed him."

"Though it remains that he was able to go toe to toe with Orochimaru. It does not mean that the boy can live watching his own back."

"Mm," Jiraiya nodded.

"Sooner or later, Naruto will have to deal with things alone, but it remains that he is young and I want you to take care of him for a while…" Hiruzen said.

…..

Meanwhile outside the door.

Naruto had finally managed to calm himself down.

"Naruto is everything okay?"

"Who is Pervy-sage?"

"Ah! It's nothing really" Naruto tried to avoid the subject while Karin started to wonder, who the mysterious figure behind the door was.

….

"All right!"

"I will take care of the boy."

"But there is one more thing I want to tell…"

"What is it?" Hiruzen asked.

"It's about Akatsuki's latest movements."

"They are trying to recruit one of those S-Rank criminals from the Hidden Stone…"

"From what I have intercepted, their target seems to be a man named Deidara," Jiraiya concluded.

"Hmm…"

"All right! I will send some people to investigate the matter."

(Knock!)

(Knock!)

(Knock!)

"Come in!" Hiruzen said.

Naruto entered the room. He had already calmed himself down since he knew in advance that Jiraiya would be here while Karin waited outside.

("Pervy-sage, I am glad to meet you again…") Naruto thought silently pinching himself with the hand hidden behind his back to completely resist the urge of running towards Jiraiya and hugging him.

"Naruto!"

"I want you to meet my student, Jiraiya of the legendary sanin." Hiruzen introduced Jiraiya to Naruto.

Naruto turned towards Jiraiya and nodded with a smile, while a teardrop slid down his cheek.

("So this is Naruto…") Jiraiya stared at Naruto.

…

…

….

(Boom!) An explosion took place in the forest

The smoke cleared revealing a man pointed the Kunai to another who has on his knees.

"Give it up" The man holding the Kunai said.

.

"Can I say one thing?" The man who was kneeling asked as he tried to stand up.

"I don't care to listen" The man interrupted as he pushed the other towards the bark of the tree.

"Die Already!" The man said as he pierced the Kunai against the other who tried to stand up.

"Give up…"

(poof) the one who was cornered was a shadow clone.

"On making me give up!" He said as the man sent a chop to the nape of the man holding the Kunai who then lost consciousness and fell.

"As long as we are cursed to live in this ninja world, there will be no peace." The man lying on the ground said.

"Then…I'll break that curse!"

"If there is such a thing as peace, I'll seize it!"

.

.

.

.

A man with yellow hair kept treading the book on Tales of a gutsy ninja with keen interest.

(Slap!)

Jiraiya slapped the yellow-haired man as he commented…

"Oh!….you were reading my 'Tales of Gutsy Ninja' ?"

"But it's my first published work."

"The sentences are childish, and I didn't do a good job," Jiraiya said as he scratched his head while turning a bit embarrassed.

The yellow-haired man was naturally Namikaze Minato.

"No, I don't think so. This tale is wonderful!" Minato complimented Jiraiya.

"Oh..?" Jiraiya's interest got piqued as he wanted to hear a review.

"The main character of this book…"

"I thought his determination to never give up was really cool."

"He's a lot like you sensei!"

"Which is why I'd like your permission to name my son after him," Minato said as he smiled at Jiraiya who was shocked from hearing an unexpected comment.

"I really hope my unborn child can become a ninja just like this character," Minato said.

Jiraiya was too happy, but he was also feeling a bit worried…

"H-Hey!"

"Are you sure?"

"It is a name I randomly came up with while eating ramen," Jiraiya asked.

"Naruto!…" a sweet voice intervened.

A woman in red hair appeared near the kitchen.

"It's a wonderful name," Kushina said as she bowed lightly to show her gratitude for fulfilling a small wish of Minato's.

"Kushina…" Jiraiya was shocked as he saw her gently rub her hand around her pregnant belly.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"If I name him, that makes me his godfather, huh?" Jiraiya asked in an unconfident voice.

"You are my sensei!"

"And you are a great ninja who possesses a true talent of a ninja!"

"There is no other like you" Minato reassured.

….

It was almost a decade and four years after which Jiraiya saw Naruto.

"Young man, Why do you have tears coming out of your eyes?" Jiraiya asked Naruto.

"Oh, this?" Naruto asked as he cleared his tears away…

"I am finally able to meet the man who was the teacher of the fourth Hokage…" Naruto said.

("He seems to be emotional.") Jiraiya thought as he saw Naruto turn towards the Third Hokage.

"Old man!"

"I need a favor," Naruto said while looking earnest.

"You have done a meritorious deed today Naruto."

"Go ahead" Hiruzen gestured.

Naruto turned towards the door and called…

"Karin!"

…

The door opened, and Karin walked towards the desk and stood by Naruto while appearing a bit shy.

"My name is Uzumaki Karin. I'm pleased to meet the Third Hokage…" She said as she bowed down towards Hiruzen.

Jiraiya and Hiruzen were stunned as they looked at Naruto and Karin who were standing side by side.

("That Yellow hair and Red hair combo...")

("They both look like Minato and Kushina in their teens")

Hiruzen and Jiraiya turned towards each other as they smiled.

("Like father like son…")