Jiraiya's eyes almost popped out of their socket of what he witnessed in Tanzaku. Princess Tsunade who he and his new disciple has been looking for is cuddling a baby no older than one year old. In adition to that, the father who stood next to Tsunade, a very tall man with light pale skin, dark green eyes, and long pale light blue hair is someone who was supposed to have died a very long time ago.
'Kato Dan!'
"It's been a long time Jiraiya."
Dan smiled towards Jiraiya as he greeted his old acquaintance. Jiraiya is still in shock, his brain must have short circuited due to overexertion. Naruto waved his hands over the unblinking eyes of the sage before the big old sage fell face first. Tsunade by the side smirked at her old teamate. She had the same reaction at first.
'Its like you've seen a ghost.'
"Did I hear you say Jiraiya?"
A young man with light brown hair and hazel brown eyes came out of a room and parted the cloth cover over his door. He strangely resembled Naruto who is beginning to grow confused at how the events turned out. They found who they were looking for, but when they did, old man pervy sage suddenly fainted after the long haired dude spoke.
'Should I drag this old man? Sh*t he's too heavy.'
Naruto gave Jiraiya a few kicks to the side which garnered no reaction at all except for the now laughing trio who was watching him with entertainment.
"This is just so classic Jiraiya. Who'se the blond kid Tsunade oneechan?"
Nawaki spoke with a smile, the blush on his face grew redder as he spoke and reminisced of the old days. Dan then walked over to Jiraiya and lifted him like a princess before putting him in a nice long sofa.
"Oi kid who are you and why are you here?"
Tsunade finally asked Naruto.
"Me? I'm Naruto. I guess you already know my mentor the super pervy sage. He is looking for someone named Tsunade Senju who from what I've heard is supposed to be the candidate to be the fifth Hokage. I guess that's you? I don't think you'll fit the job though."
Tsunade nodded in understanding but her brows raised when Naruto said she wasn't fit to be Hokage.
"You are right about that snot-nosed brat. Aside from that, I have no intention to leave Tanzaku right now or in the foreseeable future. You can be Hokage for all I care. I have long severed my connection to the life of a shinobi. Tell that to your mentor when he... He's waking up."
Jiraiya slowly lifted his head and looked at Tsunade and Dan.
'Huh?'
"Nawaki?!"
Just then Jiraiya fainted again. The mother lioness is already gritting her teeth at these unwanted guests who are ruining her day. She wanted them out as soon as possible. Tsunade handed her baby to Dan and walked over to Jiraiya. The frog sage woke up with swolen face this time and did not dare faint anymore. Jiraiya gave them a long look as if he was llooking at animals in a zoo.
"What... How? You people are supposed to be dead. We buried you. I was even there when your dead bodies are being carried back. How are-?"
"Wait, wait, WAIT! Dead? Who? Do you mean these people are FREAKING GHOSTS!?"
Naruto was just about to bolt out when his collar was grabbed from behind be his mentor. Jiraiya looked straight into Tsunade's eyes waiting for an explaination before the latter sighed in defeat.
"This will be a long story. Do you still prefer tea over coffee and juice?"
"Water is fine. Please make it cold."
"Eh? Master Jiraiya is here?"
Shizune came in holding groceries in both hands delighted to find visitors. She briefly glanced at Naruto before flashing her ever smiling face. They sat around a small table that is slowly filled with all sorts of snacks by Shizune.
"It all started three years ago. A strange man came to me. He introduced himself as Yomi. But I guess the name is fake so it isn't important. He came to offer me a deal. In exchange for all the Jutsu that I knew he will resurrect Nawaki. I didn't believe him at first but seeing is believing and in front of me he summoned Nawaki. I emmidiately made the deal with him using that new seal that is all the rage these days. The 'gentleman's words' I think its called, something similar.
The point is that I made the deal and he delivered. After that he gave me a phone so that I could reach out to them if I ever needed to make a deal. Obviously, I called them quickly. In exchange for a contract with Katsuyu and information on the sage mode transformation of their clan Dan was brought back to life. Similar to Nawaki, he did not have chakra. But that's not really a problem for me. I have long given up that life. Plus I'm pregnant with another right now."
Jiraiya grew silent in contemplation.
"Do you still have that phone with you?"
Tsunade took it from a scroll and tossed the phone over to Jiraiya. Just when he was about to head out Dan stopped him.
"You have to know that he did the same to me. They made a deal with me and extorted every jutsu and contract there is to extort before I was able to get together with Tsunade. Do you know that giving us back our chakra is a simple matter to them? They said if I wanted that then a payment of equal value is in order.
Those people are not going to be easy to deal with old friend you will have to take extra caution if you ever decided to be their enemy. I will however try to convince you not to, because although they acted that way they still delivered on their promise without fail so I guess they aren't all that bad."
"I'll return it before leaving Tanzaku."
Jiraiya nodded his head to Dan and Tsunade before leaving. He knew he wouldn't be able to convince Tsunade to abandon her life here for the seat of Hokage. Now the ball is back on his side of the court, he for one didn't and wouldn't let Danzo hold the seat of Hokage as long as he drew breath. But if Tsunade is not available then that leaves him and Danzo as the contenders for it. He initially dismissed the offer but now he wasn't too sure anymore.
"Old pervy sage, where are we going? I'm hungry. I want some spicy ramen!"
Naruto who was silently following his mentor with a parade of clones training the rasengan like crazy behind him asked with a tired voice that roused Jiraiya from his stuphor. He kept the phone in his pocket and patted Naruto's shoulder.
"What do you say to a hotspring massage and some alcohol?"
Naruto looked at the old mentor accusingly.
"Ohoho come on champ. I will show you the true path of a sage!"
Naruto rolled his lazy eyes. He's already seen 'the path of a true sage' alright. Its full of boobs and ass and motivation and inspiration. His budding youth could not take it at all.
"Are you going to peep at the girl's bath again? Aren't you tired?"
"Hehe no. Naruto, can I ask you a serious question that has been bothering me lately?"
Jiraiya laughed before turning serious much to Naruto's amazement at how his personalities quickly changed as if he just flipped a switch.
"Go ahead."
Naruto touched his chin before he agreed.
"What did you use as payment for the info in that scroll?"
"I dunno exactly, I was given a scroll that took out some red thinggy out of my stomach. Gaara said it was one tail's worth of chakra. Nothing much really."
Naruto walked with both arms supporting the back of his head as he swayed left and right without a care in the world. His following slowly puffing off into clouds of smoke.
"Hahahaha I finally mastered it!"
Naruto materialized a rasengan in the shape of an arrow. The surrounding air got sucked into the elongated rasengan.
"Rasen Javelin: Gale bolt!"
"Shit where do I throw it?"
Jiraiya by the side didn't know what to say anymore. He is having a headache right now.