Chapter 3: Change Of Heart

802 31 15
                                    

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
---

A tall man with a long ponytail could be seen walking through the streets of Konoha, white hair swaying as he walked.

This man was Jiraiya, one of the Densetsu No Sannin. His destination? The Hokage Tower.

The old Hokage had summoned him for a special meeting regarding his 'Neglected Responsibility'.

What that meant was everyone's guess.

Hiruzen was very fond of his more reliable and trusted student, ever since Orochimaru's deflection the student and teacher duo has grown closer, even if the student was rarely in the village, but still.

The sentiment was there.

What Hiruzen meant by 'Neglected responsibility' was of course one Uzumaki Naruto, he was the godfather of the boy after all.

While the title didn't carry much weight or obligation other than being the one to name the child, Jiraiya was very close to the boy's father and saw him as the son he never had. That should've counted for something.

Hiruzen was very aware of Jiraiya's service for the village as their spymaster and as such, would've never forced him to stay to raise a single child, that didn't mean he couldn't stop by sometime and spend some time with the kid, Kami knows the boy grew up lonely enough.

'He did send that Frog wallet Naruto loves carrying around.' He thought.

Maybe he was being a little harsh on the man, he just couldn't fathom the logic behind his actions after the death of Minato. Either way, the man was damn good at his job and the Hokage wouldn't argue with results.

No use crying over spilled milk.

Hiruzen took the place that he felt should've been Jiraiya's and he doesn't regret it one bit. As far as he knew Naruto was his grandchild, family means more than merely blood to him and nothing could change that.

The reason for the meeting was however more important than just Naruto.

Very few people were aware of the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre and Jiraiya -being the Hokage's most trusted advisor- was one of them.

Uchiha Itachi needed to be informed of his brother's demise and Hiruzen needed Jiraiya to get in contact with him, it would do the village good to actually learn something of the organization he infiltrated so long ago.

---

The old Hokage was busy doing his paperwork like he always was, paperwork was truly the bane of his existence.

He just couldn't figure out how Minato managed to always have a clean and free desk, on his right waiting for the meeting to start were two of his old teammates and advisors, the famous Konoha elders Homura and Koharu.

There used to be three of them but after one diminished his authority and went behind his back to order the extermination of the Uchiha by one of their own he completely lost his trust.

Trust that should've never been placed on him.

Shimura Danzo committed countless crimes on what he believed to be the greater good of Konoha, Hiruzen thought he was a petulant child obsessed with power he could not possess.

Everything's a matter of perception.

A knock on the door stopped the Hokage's musing.

"Come in." Ordered the man with his usual calm and collected voice.

Not long after the white haired Sannin stepped in the office he took a look at his surroundings, Jiraiya immediately realized whatever this meeting was about had to be serious upon noticing the presence of both elders at his sensei's side.

Sharingan No NarutoWhere stories live. Discover now