Chapter 8: Meeting Jiraiya

Kushina, her hands covered in flour and her hair tied back in a loose bun, let out a frustrated sigh as she stared at the pot before her. The contents had once again turned a horrifying shade of purple.

"How did Minato do all this? Missions and Hokage duties, and do you still have time to cook? And here I am, ruining rice." She muttered to herself, poking at the gooey mess with a chopstick.

Just as she was about to attempt another dish, a familiar voice called out from the entrance.

"Kushina, I'm back."

Half-distracted, she assumed it was Mikoto, who visited daily to check on her and Naruto.

"Come in, Mikoto!" she shouted over her shoulder, stirring the pot furiously as if sheer willpower would make the food edible.

"Idiot, it's me, not Mikoto."

The chopstick in her hand snapped in half.

Her body froze. The voice was unmistakable, yet impossible.

Slowly, with wide eyes and a pounding heart, she turned around.

And there he was.

Jiraiya.

Standing in her doorway, arms crossed, wearing that same old goofy grin. His white hair was as wild as ever, his red markings as prominent as the last time she saw him. A ghost from her past.

For a moment, Kushina just stared, her emotions colliding like a storm—shock, relief, anger, grief.

Her throat tightened. "Jiraiya…?"

He took a step forward, his usual playful expression softening.

"Yeah… I'm back, Kushina."

She clenched her fists, blinking back the sudden burning in her eyes.

"You bastard!"

Before he could react, she launched herself forward—not for a hug, but a punch.

Jiraiya barely dodged as her fist whizzed past his face, crashing into the wooden frame of the door instead.

"Where the hell were you?!" she shouted, her voice shaking. "Minato died! I—I was alone, Jiraiya! Naruto—"

Her breath hitched.

Jiraiya didn't dodge the second punch.

It landed hard against his chest, but he barely flinched. He just stood there, taking it, letting her pour out all the pain, the anger, the loneliness.

When her fists finally stopped trembling against him, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know," he said softly. "I should've been here."

Kushina sniffled, furiously wiping her eyes. "Damn right, you should've."

There was a long silence before she let out a deep breath stepping back.

"Hmph. You better make yourself useful." She turned back to the pot, scowling. "If you're back, then teach me how to cook. Because I seriously suck at it."

Jiraiya blinked, then burst into laughter.

"You? Cooking? Oh, Minato told me horror stories about that!"

A frying pan flew past his head.

And just like that, for the first time in what felt like forever—Kushina laughed too.

"Kushina, where's the little guy? I need to see him."

Kushina, who was trying to salvage her latest cooking attempt, froze.

"Jiraiya… don't." Her voice was firm. "He's finally asleep. If you wake him up, he'll throw a fit."

Jiraiya waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, come on. I just want to take a look. What's the worst that could happen?"

Kushina narrowed her eyes. "Jiraiya."

But Jiraiya, being Jiraiya, completely ignored the warning.

He strode over to Naruto's crib and leaned in, staring at the tiny blonde baby. "So this is Minato's kid, huh?" he whispered. "Damn… he does look like him."

Curious, he reached out and gently poked Naruto's chin with his finger.

Naruto stirred.

His little blue eyes fluttered open, staring at Jiraiya. His tiny face scrunched up in confusion.

Inside, Leo's mind raced.

"Ah, that's Jiraiya."

But what came out was—

"Bah… Bah."

Jiraiya's heart melted. "Oh my god, that was adorable."

Then, Naruto's expression changed.

His mouth opened wide.

And then—

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A loud, ear-splitting cry filled the room.

Jiraiya panicked. "Oh crap, oh crap! Kushina, do something!"

Kushina sighed, already prepared. "I warned you, idiot."

She walked over, picked up Naruto, and gently rocked him. "Shhh, shhh, it's okay, baby. Stupid Jiraiya-ossan just scared you, huh?"

Jiraiya scoffed. "Scared? More like he just doesn't like men!"

Inside Naruto's mind—

[Why the hell are you making a ruckus now?]

Aurora's voice was bored.

"Do you think I'm doing this on purpose?! I can't even control my body! Ever since I got here, I've been stuck acting like a damn baby!"

[That's because you are a baby, genius. Your instincts are kicking in. And by the way, you're only attached to female characters. The moment you see a guy, you either start crying or throwing tantrums.]

"That's not true!"

[Oh really? What about Kakashi? He was so excited to play with you, but you screamed and flailed like he was a demon. The poor kid cried to Kushina, saying, "Naruto doesn't like me, Kushina-san!" Do you know how bad he felt?" ]

Naruto paused.

"…Okay, that one wasn't on purpose."

Aurora sighed. [Well, congratulations. You just did the same thing to Jiraiya. The man fought wars, but you? You defeated him with baby tears.]

Jiraiya, meanwhile, was pouting like a child.

"Geez, Kushina. Your kid is brutal."

Kushina smirked, bouncing Naruto gently. "Maybe if you listened for once, you wouldn't be in this mess, huh?"

Jiraiya grumbled, but then—he softened, looking at Naruto again.

"Minato… you'd be proud. He's gonna be something special."

Kushina's smile faltered, her eyes shimmering for a brief second before she turned away.

"Of course he will." She kissed Naruto's forehead. "He's my son."

Just as Jiraiya was recovering from Naruto's rejection, a slurred voice called out from outside.

"Ku…shi…na… Ku..sh..ina…"

Kushina froze, instantly recognizing the voice.

"Oh no."

From the doorway, a very wobbly Tsunade stumbled in, her arms swinging loosely as she tried to balance herself.

Behind her, Shizune sighed heavily, struggling to keep the legendary Sannin upright.

"Tsunade-sama, I told you not to drink so much! Now look at you—you can't even walk properly!"

Tsunade waved her off, flexing her arms as if to prove she was fine. "Shizune, you've been with me for decades, and you still don't understand me."

Shizune pinched the bridge of her nose. "I understand you perfectly. That's why I told you to stop drinking."

Jiraiya grinned, shaking his head. "Heh, same old Tsunade. Still can't handle her emotions without a bottle."

Tsunade's head snapped toward him, her eyes squinting as if she were trying to confirm he was there.

"…Jiraiya?"

She blinked, swayed a little—then, suddenly, she lunged forward and grabbed his collar.

"You idiot! Where the hell have you been?!" she slurred angrily, shaking him slightly. "You vanished! You left, and now—Minato—Minato is—"

Her voice hitched, and for a split second, her drunken haze cracked.

Jiraiya stiffened, his usual playfulness fading. He gently pried her hands off his collar, his face unusually serious.

"…I know."

Silence hung in the air for a moment. Even Kushina, who had been trying to soothe Naruto, felt the shift in the mood.

Tsunade exhaled sharply, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Damn it… Damn it all."

Then, as if realizing she had gotten too emotional, she sniffled, wiped her eyes, and slapped Jiraiya on the shoulder—hard.

"Ow! What the hell, Tsunade?!" Jiraiya yelped.

"That's for disappearing, idiot."

Shizune shook her head. "Tsunade-sama, maybe you should sit down—"

"Nooo, I'm fine!" Tsunade insisted, though she almost tripped over herself.

Kushina sighed, but a small smile played on her lips. "I'll make some tea… though, uh, you might not want to drink it."

Jiraiya snorted. "Knowing your cooking? I'll pass."

Tsunade, still half-drunk, looked down at baby Naruto, who was staring at her with big blue eyes.

For a moment, her gaze softened.

Then—Naruto hiccupped.

And then, to everyone's horror—

"Bah....Bah", he stretched his arm to touch Tsunade.

Jiraiya groaned. "Oh, for the love of—why is he like this?!"

Aurora's deadpan voice echoed in Naruto's head.

[....See I told you.... ]