Foreword: I don't own Naruto or any other characters. All of it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Destiny Rebirth – Chapter Twenty: New Family, New Skills! The Third Exam, Begins!

Ignoring the Bijū, Naruko took a step forward, flipped out a kunai in a blink of an eye before pressing it right beneath Jiraiya's family jewels, causing the man to yelp. Even Naruto unconsciously covered his own privates as she did that, silently telling Kurama to remind him not to get on his girlfriend's bad side. Ever.

"I believe," she began, smiling sweetly at Jiraiya all the while. "We have much to discuss, ne?"

~ D ~ R ~

"Er …" Jiraiya began eloquently, inching slowly backwards from the kunai that was still aimed at his family jewels. "Can we talk about this?"

Naruko raised a mocking eyebrow. "We're talking right now, aren't we?"

"Well, yes, but …!"

"Then start talking," Naruko said flippantly, inching her blade closer. "Or your days of getting it on with the ladies will be cut drastically short. We don't want that now do we?"

Off to the side, Naruto was watching the scene play out with a massive sweat drop hanging from his head. He knew that Naruko was playing with the Sannin, but he also knew she was serious in getting the answer she wanted from the older man. He wondered briefly if she would eventually find a job with Konoha's T & I Department.

– I heard that Naruto-kun! – said girl mentally sent. Naruto most certainly did not yelp when he heard her voice in his head, not at all. – I most certainly do not enjoy other people's misery like Ibiki and Orochimaru do. That's too much, even for me. –

Naruto mentally sighed. – I swear you're having too much fun with him. –

– Whatever gave you that idea? – Naruko asked innocently.

Her answer to that question was for him to give her a deadpan look, causing her to giggle mentally in response. Turning her attention back towards the Toad Sannin, Naruko noticed the man inching away from her blade, understandable seeing as she was holding his baby maker hostage.

"Well, Jiraiya-kyōfu?" she asked, "Anything to say for yourself? About how you abandoned me when I needed you the most and not even bothering to check up on me even once all these years? Unless you have a damned good excuse, you can say goodbye to your womanizing ways."

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Naruto mused as he watched Jiraiya's facial expression. The Jiraiya he knew would take the plunge and go for the lesser of the two hard places, namely about why he wasn't around when Naruko was younger.

Jiraiya gulped.

His original plan of confronting the ones who ratted him out of his precious 'research' spot had quite spectacularly spiraled out of control. He was quite shocked to find the culprits to be none other than his own goddaughter, along with another young man who looked like a complete carbon copy of his late student, the Yondaime Hokage.

All thoughts of acting as he normally would with the two teens were swiftly thrown out the window when Naruko had introduced herself using her full family name — Uzumaki-Namikaze. He had paled considerably at that — that meant she knew who her parents were, and no doubt his role as the girl's godfather.

The older man let out a sigh, closing his eyes as he mentally prepared himself for the worse. He didn't know how, but Naruko had found out he was her godfather and was now demanding answers that Jiraiya didn't know it would be good enough for her. Nevertheless, what he lacked in social tact he made up for in sheer guts and determination.

He just hoped that Naruko understood his reasons.

"Okay …" he began, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly. He glanced at Naruto who was still watching the unfolding scene silently. "Are you sure you want him listening to this, Naruko?"

"Yes," Naruko replied instantly, slightly surprising the Sannin at the sheer conviction he heard in her tone. "I trust him with my life, certainly more than I trust you at the moment."

Jiraiya sighed at her, admittedly, well-deserved jab of him. For all the white-haired man knew, he could explain and justify his reasons all he wants, but the final decision of whether he was forgiven or not rested entirely in the blonde girl's hands.

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it a moment later. Now that he was in front of Naruko, no words came to him. No excuses, no reasons — his mind was utterly blank as he tried to come up with any sort of justification for leaving his goddaughter alone for all these years. Managing his spy network and tracking down Orochimaru seemed like paltry excuses that wasn't worth squat, and the man knew it.

He screwed up, he knew that much. He screwed up so badly that he had no doubts that Kushina was waiting for him to join her in the afterlife, murder in her eyes and hair flitting about like an ethereal flame behind her. No amount of apologies would be enough for the suffering he had put Naruko through, considering the girl's condition as the Jinchuriki of the Kyūbi. The sheer guilt that flooded his veins was suffocating.

As his dark eyes met with the blonde girl's violet ones, it was the last straw for the years of pent up emotions within him — he broke down.

None were more shocked than the Uzumaki siblings when Jiraiya, one of the strongest shinobi to ever live, fell to his knees as his shoulder shook from the outpour of emotions that gushed out of him like a tidal wave. Tears unwittingly fell from the man's eyes as he looked back at the stunned visage of Naruko, whose kunai had slackened in her grip.

"I'm sorry …" Jiraiya began hoarsely, "I have no excuse for leaving you alone all those years ago. I'm so sorry that I didn't do a better job as your godfather — Kami knows just how badly I screwed it up."

"Jiraiya …" Naruko whispered. She almost wished she hadn't gained Kurama's negative emotions sensing, as the sheer guilt and sadness that came from the man nearly overwhelmed her senses. Looking back at her boyfriend, she noticed that Naruto was looking at the white-haired man with sad and understanding eyes.

– He's a man of many regrets, regardless of his perverted tendencies. – Naruto said mentally as Naruko looked back at the broken man before them. – After having known him for so long, I finally understood just what exactly he was burdened with all these years — the mistakes he made along with the regret that it could turn out better, the prophecy from the old geezer toad, Tou-chan's death and now his failure of his prized student's daughter and, indirectly, failing him as well. –

Naruko felt her eyes water as she listened to Naruto explain just how much the man was suffering for his own mistakes. – I didn't know …–

– He never told anyone, not even me …– There was an undertone of deep sadness in Naruto's tone as he spoke. – I only learned it after Kami-sama told me … damned perverted idiot … –

"I thought I could justify my absence by saying that I needed to manage my spy network," Jiraiya continued, oblivious to the mental conversation that happened in a millisecond. "But even I know that's a weak excuse. I could've managed it and still take time off to see you here in the village …"

By now, Jiraiya had hung his head in shame as tears continued to fall. The more he looked at Naruko, the guiltier he felt when he initially wanted to justify leaving her to fend for herself all those years ago to maintain his spy network and track down Orochimaru. He felt that by failing Naruko, he had failed Minato as well. Another failure to add to a growing list of failures in his life, and he knew he deserved it.

He didn't sob, but just let the tears fall as he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you and … be the godfather that Minato would've wanted for me to become." He murmured brokenly. "If you don't believe me, that's fine — I wasn't expecting you to. But, at least believe me when I say that if things were different, I would've chosen you, regardless of my duties to Konoha."

There was a pregnant pause after Jiraiya's heartfelt confession. No longer was Jiraiya of Sannin — the man who could take on armies by himself and make it look easy — kneeling in front of them. In his place was Jiraiya the man — the man who made countless blunders in his life and carried with him the regrets that came with his mistakes and was trying to atone.

Naruto and Naruko both knew the man was sincere — almost nothing can get past their combined negative emotions sensing.

After a few moments of continued silence, Naruko moved.

Hearing the soft crunch of grass, Jiraiya braced himself for the worst as he sensed his goddaughter's approach. He expected a lot of things — a cold brush past his shoulder, a slug to his face, a cold reply — he was ready for anything the girl could throw at him.

Or so he thought.

Imagine the man's shock when he felt small and soft arms wrap around his midsection. Opening his eyes, Jiraiya let out a strangled whimper when he caught sight of the familiar golden hair of his goddaughter, hugging him! Gingerly, he wrapped his own arms around her before returning the warm embrace gratefully.

"You don't have to say anything, Jiraiya-kyōfu …" he heard Naruko murmur into his ear. He hugged her tighter in response. "It's alright, I've got you. You may think you have failed me, but you didn't. I became a stronger girl after what I've been through, and no amount of studying could prepare me for finding my own answer to the world as I've had now."

She pulled away slightly, grinning at him with misted eyes. "I now know that even with all the misguided hatred of humans towards things that they couldn't comprehend, that doesn't mean there aren't any good humans out there as well." She chirped as Jiraiya's eyes went wider with each word. "I know not to judge the majority by the actions of a few, and I wouldn't have learned that if I hadn't gone through what I had." Naruko said softly, "Do I wish to be loved and never have gone through that? Yes. But, at the same time, without those experiences I wouldn't be the same girl as I am today."

"Naruko …" Jiraiya breathed, amazed at the level of maturity that was the girl's answer. She really was her father's daughter.

Naruko merely smiled, patting the older man's head as she stepped back. "That being said, I forgive you, but," she said, drawing out the 'but' as she did, "You have to make it up to me by being there for me from now on and keep your perverted tendencies in check when you're around me. I am a girl you know."

Jiraiya breathed out a sigh, shoulders sagging in relief. The terms she had laid out were more than satisfactory to the Sannin, for he thought he deserved far worse. He gave Naruko a sincere smile.

"I can do that," he affirmed, wiping away his tears as he grinned goofily as he reverted back to his old personality. "Kami-sama knows that I deserve much worse than that, and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if I must!"

"Good," Naruko replied, grinning impishly as she did. "Because when I find out that you've been peeking on me or anything else perverted, I will not be held responsible for what happens to you if you do."

"Duly noted!" Jiraiya said instantly. He would vehemently deny it until his dying breath, but he did not let out a strangled squeak when Naruko had spoken those words.

Nope, not at all.

"Anyways, now that the mushy stuff is over and done with — I hate mushy stuff …" Jiraiya said, turning his attention towards Naruto who was watching them with interest, ignoring the overly dramatic roll of his goddaughter's eyes as he did. "Care to explain to me why is there a carbon copy of your father standing next to you, Naruko?"

Naruto merely gave a small smile. "You won't believe me — us — even if we told you, Jiraiya-sama."

"Try me," Jiraiya all but demanded.

Naruto nodded, taking a deep breath as he did before letting it out slowly. It was time for the moment of truth, and he sincerely hoped that after convincing Jiraiya, the only other one that would know about his predicament in the near future would be Senju Tsunade. After that the total number of people who knew where he came from would be five — and would stay that way until the end.

"Okay," the boy replied easily, slightly surprising the older man. He had expected the boy to put up more of a fight than this. "But don't say I didn't warn you. If you doubt my words, Sandaime Hokage-sama can verify my claims."

Jiraiya was about to reply, but the blonde boy's next words completely blindsided his expectations.

"My name is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto," Naruto announced firmly without a hint of deceit in his cerulean eyes. "And before you go off and dismiss my claims out of hand, remember that Hokage-sama can verify my claims. Naruko-chan already knows, and so does Hokage-sama, and I've decided to let you in on my secret as well."

"What in the name of Kami are you talking about?!" Jiraiya yelled out after he had broken himself out of his shocked stupor. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?!"

The man had already gone through an emotional rollercoaster beforehand, so the boy's claiming of being Minato's son (which to Jiraiya's knowledge was completely preposterous) was tipping his sanity very close to the edge of oblivion.

Naruto only sighed in response.

"If you would kindly just shut up and let me explain?" he began with deep annoyance in his voice that stopped the Toad Sannin dead in his tracks. After a few deep breaths, Jiraiya nodded at Naruto to continue. "Now that's you're sufficiently calmed down, here's the play. You're going to need Sake, the Memory Viewing Technique and a lot of time or you're never going to believe us otherwise."

"And even then, he might not." Naruko murmured.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at the blonde girl, his mind going a mile a minute. What could possibly be in the boy's memories for him to suggest alcohol in the equation? He enjoyed the beverage, but any suggestion of said liquid before a major conversation was a prelude to stressful and sometimes earth-shattering news. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

~ D ~ R ~

He was wrong — so, so wrong that he couldn't even begin to describe just how wrong he was.

Jiraiya stared blankly at the two blondes in front of him as his mind slowly processed everything he had been told for the past two hours. He didn't even know two hours had passed — it felt like an eternity to him as he stared into the cerulean blues of his godson (he was still trying to wrap his head around that particular fact)

He was glad that Naruto had suggested Sake before they started this conversation. He needed a stiff drink after this.

"So," he began, taking a swig from his fifth bottle of Sake. "You're Minato's son?"

Naruto, who was watching the man with amusement, nodded. "Yes."

"From another dimension?"

"And time."

"Yes, couldn't forget about that, could we?" Jiraiya grumbled, throwing his hands up in the air in surrender. "Dimension travelling was bad enough, but time travel? It's like something out of a cheap novel that the author just couldn't find a suitable plotline to start from and went ahead with that."

Naruto and Naruko didn't know what to make of the white-haired man's lamentations. Shaking his head, Naruto turned to look at Jiraiya who had finished downing his bottle, carelessly throwing it behind him. There was a brief moment of silence before anyone spoke again.

It was Jiraiya who spoke first, unsurprisingly.

"So, let me see if I got this right," he said, taking a breath as he did. "In your time, the Fourth Shinobi World War was in full swing and the Allied Shinobi Forces were losing — badly."

"All the events that led up towards the war were caused by a deranged psychopathic plant-like being named Black Zetsu that has been manipulating the history of the shinobi world ever since the time of the Rikudō Sennin, all because of this … Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan, which is really a front for the reformation of the Jūbi followed by the 'Usagi no Megami', this Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. And somehow, after you were killed, Kami-sama herself sent you back to make sure something like this would hopefully be mitigated?"

Naruto nodded. "That sounds about right."

"Why only mitigating it though?" Jiraiya asked with a frown, ignoring the fact that he was actually considering that the boy was speaking the truth. "Why can't you just stop this whole damn war from happening from the get-go?"

A determined, but resigned look came across the young boy's face. "Because, not even Kami-sama herself can mess with the intricacies of space-time itself," he said. "The timeline must not deviate too drastically from what Fate has laid out for each of us, or the fabric of reality would begin to tear apart at the seams — that's what Kami told me."

"Oh …" Jiraiya said, slightly disgruntled at the information.

There was a small, comfortable pause after Naruto's explanation. As Jiraiya was trying to collect his thoughts, Naruko took Naruto's hand in hers and squeezed it comfortingly. Seeing the tension slowly leave her boyfriend's shoulders, she was rewarded with a grateful smile from Naruto as he squeezed back in response.

"Okay," said Jiraiya, causing the young couple to look at him. "Even if your story is as farfetched and insane as you made it out to be … I can't deny that you are not lying. I can see it in your eyes that you do believe them — your memories also helped in that regard, but there had been cases where a person's memory has been altered to counter the Yamanaka Clan's signature technique."

He ran a hand over his face, sighing as he felt a migraine coming. Alcohol helped plenty in helping the man accept the near fantastical events that has happened for the past few hours. Glancing behind him at the empty Sake bottles he had emptied, he couldn't help but grimace even through his alcohol addled mind — tomorrow morning was going to suck.

"But, for whatever reason: I believe you." Jiraiya finally surmised, looking back at the two blondes. Naruko was giving him a bright smile while Naruto gave him a nod of gratitude. "You can't just make up something this insane (and I'm using the term loosely here) at a whim and expect people to believe it. There are no holes in your story, or in your memories that suggests that your minds had been tampered with. Your story seems outright impossible, but if one eliminates the impossible …"

Surprisingly, it was Naruko who spoke up.

"Whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." She finished, blushing at the looks she was receiving from the men in her small family. "What? I like reading fictional books occasionally, y'know!"

Naruto laughed while Jiraiya gave an amused snort, causing the girl to pout childishly earning more laughter from her fellow blonde. Naruto blinked as he looked at dusking sky, the clouds glowing in shades of yellow, orange and pink from the setting sun.

"Well, it's getting late," he announced, letting the privacy seal drop with a snap of his fingers. "If you have any more questions, or should you decide to just have a friendly chat, meet us at Training Ground Seven tomorrow at dawn — we'll be there training all day long."

Jiraiya only nodded his assent, finally feeling the effects of downing five bottles of Sake at once in one sitting as he struggled to remain standing. Wobbling a few times, he managed to stand somewhat upright on his own feet while flashing a thumbs up at the blondes.

Naruto nearly laughed, but disguised it as a cough to hide his amusement. Looking at his girlfriend, he could see she was doing no better than he was at the moment judging by her quiet snickers and shaking shoulders. Showing no signs that he had heard their amusement, Jiraiya turned around before smacking face first into the ground with a loud thud.

A moment later, a snore was heard coming from the Toad Sannin.

Unable to hold it any longer, Naruto and Naruko broke down into hysterical laughter as they both held onto one another as they laughed. They couldn't help it; it was just too hilarious not to laugh at the white-haired man's expense. Even as Naruto shushined them away, their laughter could still be heard long after they had left.

~ D ~ R ~

All was peaceful the next morning. The weather was perfect, the breeze was relaxing, the birds were chirping, the villagers were going about their daily business and shinobi were moving to their assigned posts or were going out on missions as they moved swiftly over the rooftops. It was just another normal morning for Konohagakure no Sato.

However, the same couldn't be said in one of the training grounds usually reserved for shinobi-use …

"Fūton: Kazeryūdan no Jutsu! (Wind Release: Wind Dragon Bullet Jutsu)" a female voice cried out.

Almost instantly, the winds around Training Ground Seven picked up exponentially, the very air itself coalescing into a semi-transparent dragon made of wind with yellow eyes that roared along with the winds around it. It reared its magnificent head before diving onto its intended target below, whom just so happened to be Uzumaki Naruto who was rapidly flashing through hand seals.

"Dōton: Dai Doryūheki! (Earth Release: Great Earth-Style Wall)" he yelled, slamming both hands onto the ground. A moment later, a thirty foot high, twenty foot wide stone wall erupted in front of him just as the Wind Dragon crashed into it. The winds whipped around the blonde time-and-dimension-traveler as the powerful technique slowly but surely grinded its way through his most powerful earth release defensive jutsu before finally losing steam and stopping altogether.

A thoroughly windswept Naruto mirthfully remarked, "I don't know how you do it Naruko-chan, but this technique takes the cake — what the hell have you been reading in your spare time?!"

A melodious laugh in the distance answered him.

"It's an original jutsu of mine," Naruko cheerfully replied, "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Naruto replied in mock-outrage. "I love it! You have got to teach me how to do that!"

Naruko merely laughed in response.

Deciding to whip out a surprise of his own, Naruto dispelled his stone wall, not waiting for it the completely crumble before charging straight at where his sensing had indicated Naruko's position. Creating a shadow clone as he dashed, the two blondes began flashing through two different sets of hand signs.

Seeing what her boyfriend was about to do judging by the eagerness she sensed from him, Naruko smirked at such a perfect opportunity to show ff her newest addition to her arsenal. Forming a tiger seal, she wondered what Naruto's reaction would be once he sees her newest technique. She was giddy just thinking about it.

Unbeknown to her as well as Naruto's distracted senses, someone was watching their little sparring session from a distance.

Completing their hand signs, Naruto and his clone called out simultaneously.

"Dōton: Doryūdan! (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet)"

"Katon: Karyūdan! (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet)"

The clone of Naruto started spewing forth a fountain of mud from his mouth which gradually formed into a massive mud dragon that spat out dozens of blobs of mud at Naruko's general location, and one didn't need to be a genius to know that Naruto was aiming right at her despite not seeing her. The original Naruto took a deep breath before a giant, dragon-like flame came out of his mouth before it combined with the airborne mud projectiles, setting them on fire thus making them even more potent and destructive than before.

'Holy hell!' Naruko cursed inwardly, focusing her chakra as she did. 'When he said go all out, he's not kidding! Let's just hope this works or this is going to hurt!'

Mentally praying to Kami that her technique will succeed and not end up a burnt crisp (along with a dead-worried Naruto on her case), Naruko proceeded to will her chakra into existence.

Behind her, corporeal chains erupted from her back before stabbing themselves deep into the ground. The feeling was amazing — she could feel them burrowing deeper into the earth before curving back towards the surface, just like she had planned.

Naruto, who was watching from a distance, prayed that Naruko could escape unharmed — he had gone a bit overboard with his latest attack, and was mentally kicking himself for it. He didn't have time to ponder further though when he felt his jaw slowly drop from the sight of dozens of chains coming out of the ground, forming a dome of sorts that started thrumming with power.

Naruto was gobsmacked. He had only seen those chains once before, and that was when he was first fighting for Kurama's chakra in his mindscape. And he only knew one person who could feasibly perform it — their mother, Uzumaki Kushina.

He watched as a shimmering barrier formed around the dome-like chakra chain construct just as his attacks hit home, doing absolutely no damage as the barrier held against the onslaught. Naruto was still standing there, stunned at the display even after Naruko had dispelled her chakra chains and had landed in front of the blonde boy.

He was finally broken out of his self-induced stupor when he felt arms wrap around his neck and a familiar pair of lips pressing softly against his own, prompting him to happily return the kiss. He could feel the amusement and happiness radiating from his girlfriend while they kissed.

Pulling back slightly, Naruko grinned at him. "Do you like my new jutsu, Onii-chan?"

Naruto grinned cheekily at her. "Do you even have to ask?"

"Well, can't blame me for asking," she replied, causing another round of chuckles from their mouths. She then decided to mess with her beloved. "You were standing there with such a stupid look on your face, and for a moment I thought there was a naked woman running around behind me."

She narrowed her eyes at him, enjoying the way his face paled. "Or is there?"

"Eh?!" Naruto yelped, waving his hands frantically in front of him. "No, no, no! That's not it! You've got it all wrong, Naruko-chan! I was just … well … you know … err …"

The sound of laughter interrupted his incoherent babbling, and he looked down to see Naruko clutching her stomach as she laughed her heart out. Realizing that he had just been played, Naruto snorted before joining in on her laughter. After a few minutes of cleansing laughter and sobering up, Naruko grinned at him.

"I found out when I was reading the journal," she explained, answering Naruto's unasked question. "Apparently only Uzumaki women can manifest the Kongō Fūsa (Adamantine Sealing Chains), while Uzumaki men were blessed with absurdly massive chakra reserves. With enough practice, chakra control and plenty of trial-and-error, almost any girl with the Uzumaki bloodline can do it! I thought it would be a nice way to remember Kaa-chan that way …"

Naruto pulled her into his embrace, breathing in her scent as she wrapped her own arms around his waist. "I agree — that's a brilliant way to remember her." He said, "I think Kaa-chan would be glad to know that her technique was kept alive by her precious daughter. I'm proud of you, love."

Naruko only hugged him tighter.

Their moment of peace was interrupted by several loud coughs coming from the side. The young couple turned to see Jiraiya grinning like a maniac at them, pen in hand as he scribbled furiously in his notebook. It was then that they were reminded that they were not alone when they were sparring — both blondes remembered the tingling feeling of their chakra sensory detecting a new presence nearby, but had ignored it due to their intense sparring.

Then, they remembered another thing they had done after that.

"Jiraiya-kyōfu!" it was Naruko who responded with massive blush on her face. Naruto wasn't doing any better as he tried to hide his flustered state with several coughs. "You Kami-forsaken pervert!"

Jiraiya merely cackled at them.

"Oh, this is rich!" he exclaimed, waving his notebook in the air for emphasis. "Not only do one of my deepest fantasies while writing 'Icha Icha' comes true, but it's happening between my godchildren — what more could I ask for?! Hah!"

The man didn't laugh for long though, as he let out a strangled 'oomph' when Naruko buried her fist in his gut. Her face was still tomato red, he noticed as he keeled over and whimpered pitifully on the ground in an exaggerated fetal position. Jiraiya regretted nothing though — he had gotten legitimate proof that the term 'twincest is wincest' was true indeed.

Naruko sighed at the Sannin on the ground. "Could you get up?" she said, "It's getting embarrassing with you on the ground like that. I didn't even use chakra in that punch."

Naruto, who was watching the entire scene while pinching the bridge of his nose, snorted when Jiraiya quickly got up like he hadn't been punched in the gut by the girl. The reason was obvious when he saw Naruko was preparing to drive her foot into the man's crotch.

"Okay, okay — I'm up!" the man laughed, before a serious look crossed his face. "On that note, I'll not ask how you two got together. I'm not nosy enough to pry into your privacy. But all I have to say to Naruto specifically is this — hurt her, you die."

Naruto nodded and smirked, impressed, especially when Jiraiya subtly enhanced his voice with chakra to add more weight to his threat. The blonde gave a two fingered salute at the older man. His gesture was clear to all: read you loud and clear.

"Noted," Naruto said with a grin. Naruko could only blush in response, but kept up her annoyed frown at her pervert of a godfather.

"Good," Jiraiya said, putting away his notebook and pen. "I've talked with Sarutobi-sensei late last night — still haven't forgiven you two for leaving me by the way. Anyways, he confirmed everything that you said to me last night and, seeing as I'm beginning to step into the role as your godfather, start training the two of you to better prepare for the upcoming invasion."

He looked around the clearing, taking note of the devastation brought about by their spar. "But I have to say that Naruko's training has been going well, brat."

Naruto grinned at hearing the nickname once more. "I aim to please."

"I'm sure you do," Jiraiya replied with a small smile. There was a look in his eyes that neither Uzumakis could identify. "Sensei tells me that you're quite strong, despite your physical age. I know you're mentally a sixteen-year-old but forgive me for being a bit skeptical when the old man said you're at or approaching Kage-level already."

Naruto shrugged.

"I haven't really thought much about that," he admitted shamelessly, earning an incredulous look from Jiraiya and a giggle from Naruko. "Ever since I came here, I've been doing nothing but training and going on missions, or hanging out with Naruko-chan. I think only Zabuza gave me a real challenge in the past two and a half months. I can honestly say that I could hold my own against a veteran jōnin without breaking a sweat, and potentially take on a Kage-level shinobi if I so wished — possibly win as well, but I can't guarantee that I'll be in one piece as well."

Jiraiya was shocked. Naruto spoke as if holding his own against a veteran jōnin, and possibly winning against a Kage-level shinobi was an everyday thing. He knew the boy was strong, but just how strong was he?

"Just how strong are you?" he found himself asking, earning a chuckle from Naruto.

"That's for me to know," the boy began, "And for you to find out. But, I'll give you a hint — I fought Uchiha Madara in his Edo Tensei form on equal terms during the war."

Naruko laughed at the dumbfounded look on the man's face. Although Naruto had reassured her more times than she could count, Naruko wondered if she could ever become just as strong as her boyfriend. The boy was just so powerful — she had almost been floored when he had used his Rikudō Sennin Mōdo (Six Paths Sage Mode) to make sure his skills with it had not atrophied due to lack of use.

Naruto had said that the only time he would be forced to use this mode was when he was facing Madara or Kaguya during the final stages of the war. For now, he was content with using his own power in addition to Kurama's chakra.

The three of them spent the rest of the morning and afternoon talking about their lives, dreams, hopes and anything at all. When they had moved from the training grounds to another clearing that was on a cliff overlooking a stream, Naruto and Naruko had to distract or outright drag or knock out the Toad Sannin when he went into his 'Super Pervert Mode' on multiple occasions when he spotted several women bathing in the stream below in skimpy outfits.

Although he was a bit disgruntled by their efforts, Jiraiya was mollified when Naruto, annoyed by his godfather's constant urge to ogle at any random female, utilized a jutsu he hadn't used since his fight with Kaguya: the Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique). To say Jiraiya was pleased was an understatement — the man literally flew off in an explosion of blood that erupted from his nose. Naruto had laughed his ass off at Jiraiya for falling for his technique once again.

Naruko's reaction however complete blindsided the blonde boy. She had at first laughed along with him, but then began to blush a tomato red and Naruto swore there was steam coming out of her ears. Naruko started sneaking glances at him, only for him to realize that he had forgotten to dispel his jutsu. After dispelling it he noticed that the girl looked slightly disappointed at that.

That was when a stray thought slipped through their bond, prompting Naruto to sport a massive blush as well. The look Naruko had given him confirmed his thoughts, as well as a near hysterically laughing fox in his stomach — Uzumaki Naruko swung both ways.

He was struck dumb at the discovery, but recovered quickly to try and console his terribly embarrassed girlfriend.

It was almost 4 in the afternoon when Jiraiya, having recovered from his pleasurable shock, suddenly remembered why he was there in the first place that morning before he got sidetracked. Naruto and Naruko were glad that the man hadn't been present at the disclosure of Naruko's sexuality, and they were thanking Kami for small mercies.

They didn't need the Sannin hounding them for details for his next issue of 'Icha Icha'.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Jiraiya called as he pulled the giant scroll off of his back. "I was supposed to give you two this when I came over this morning, but as you can clearly see, I got sidetracked by your sparring session. Anyways, I'm sure Naruto knows what this is, since he had signed it once before."

The young couple's eyes were wide when Jiraiya unfurled the scroll, Naruto's in fond nostalgia and Naruko's in awed wonder. Laid out in front of them was the toad summoning contract, with five names written in blood. The first three names in blood were too indistinct to recognize. The last two names however were clear to the Uzumaki siblings: Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato.

"Your dad signed this," Jiraiya began softly, "And I'm sure that he would want you both to sign this as well. It is yours by birthright after all."

Without hesitation Naruko bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood before writing out her full name in the column provided. Biting her thumb again as her healing factor had already sealed up the cut she made, she dabbed her fingers in blood before pressing it down on the scroll, sealing her pact with the toads. Naruto repeated the process with his own name and fingerprints, allowing Jiraiya to roll up the scroll once he was done.

"Two new summoners in one day," Jiraiya remarked, pride evident in his voice. "If only Bunta can see me now. Alright, here are the hand signs for the jutsu …"

After showing them the required hand signs (though Naruto already knew them by heart) the two blondes decided via unspoken agreement that Naruko should be the one to start the summoning first. Speeding through the hand signs, Naruko bit her thumb before slamming her hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Summoning Technique)" she yelled.

A large puff of smoke erupted from where Naruko had planted her hand, and once the smoke cleared she found herself standing on a yellow and brown toad about twice the size of Jiraiya who was already pushing at six feet two inches. The toad looked up at who was standing on its back as Naruko looked down from her place, smiling warmly at the creature.

"Who are you, a new summoner?" he asked.

Naruko nodded with a bright smile, ignoring Jiraiya's stunned gasp as she did. "Yes, I am." She confirmed. "My name is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruko, Genin of Konohagakure no Sato."

"Namikaze, as in Namikaze Minato-san?" the toad asked, stunned surprise evident in his tone. When Naruko nodded, the toad smiled up at her. "Good to meet you Naruko-san! You should probably summon the chief, Gamabunta. He's been feeling most dreadful after your father had summoned him to fight the Kyūbi all those years ago."

"Okay!" Naruko replied, jumping off the toad as it was reverse summoned back home. She turned towards Naruto, a nervous smile on her face when she remembered what the chief toad made her boyfriend do the first time around. She sincerely hoped she was up to the task. "Well, let's hope the boss is in a good mood today."

"You'll be fine, Naruko-chan." Naruto reassured. "Don't worry — you've got this!"

Naruko nodded, smiling at her boyfriend's words which he had used during the preliminaries to cheer her on.

Biting her thumb and going through the hand signs once again, she slammed her hand on the ground. This time however she poured a lot more chakra into her technique as a massive plume of smoke exploded around her. This time she was standing on a gigantic orange and black toad that was sporting a blue haori-like jacket, a tantō by its side and was smoking a stovepipe. The most distinctive feature of the toad was the scar that was on its left eye.

Naruto smiled up at the mountain of a toad. Gamabunta was still as massive and intimidating as ever.

"JIRAIYA!" the toad known as Gamabunta snarled. "Why in the name of Kami have you summoned me?!"

Naruko swallowed, feeling a ball of lead drop into the pit of her stomach. Only the comforting presence of Naruto in her mind and through their bond allowed her to pick up her courage and stare down at the toad. Gamabunta had also noticed that someone was on his head as well and looked up at a nervous, yet warmly smiling blonde girl.

"G-Gamabunta-san?" she began, cursing herself inwardly for her initial stutter. She was a kunoichi of Konoha, damn it! "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruko, Genin of—"

"Namikaze …?" Gamabunta interrupted her mid-sentence. Seeing Naruko nod, he smiled up at her. "Well I'll be — you're Minato's little girl aren't you? I can see the resemblance now. Your father was a good man, little one. It certainly warms my heart that one of his offspring is my latest minion."

The toad sighed, resting his flippers on his tantō as he did. "Normally I would test new summoners, but since I know of the burden you carry, your life was testing enough for you. If you ever need me, or anyone of the toads, just call."

"Thank you," Naruko said sincerely. "Before you go, I have someone to introduce to you. It may come as a shock, but bear with me okay?"

Gamabunta only gave an uncertain grunt in response. Smiling, Naruko jumped down from the giant toad to land beside Naruto who was looking at her with curiosity. She only gave him a grin as she looked up at Gamabunta who was watching in interest.

"Gamabunta, I'd like for you to meet your second new summoner," she called, gesturing towards the blonde boy. "His name is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, my Onii-chan."

Naruto watched as Gamabunta's face flickered from surprise, recognition to acceptance in less than a few seconds. He was sure that Jiraiya could see it as well judging by the amused look the man was sending his old friend.

"Another of Minato's offspring, huh? Hmph!" Gamabunta said with a smirk, puffing on his pipe as he did. "He may be your brother, but unlike you, he still needs to prove himself to me seeing as he couldn't even summon a toad as large as me yet!"

Naruko was about to protest, but a calm hand on her shoulder calmed her down. Glancing at Naruto who shook his head with a small smile, she relented with a smile of her own when she noticed him mold chakra to perform his own summoning.

Naruto stepped forward, biting his thumb enough to draw blood. "As you wish, Oyabun! (Boss)" he said, speeding through the required hand signs at speeds that made even Jiraiya gape before slamming his palm on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Another large plume of smoke erupted before it cleared to reveal Naruto standing on another giant toad, this one a magenta colored toad armed with a shield and a fork-like weapon. Unlike Gamabunta, this toad had horn-like protrusions coming out of its head.

He was Gamaken, the clumsiest toad on Mount Myōboku (according to said toad).

"Oh, hello there," Gamaken said as he looked up at Naruto who smiling down at him. "My name is Gamaken. I hope I don't disappoint, as I am not as graceful as Gamabunta in combat, but I'll do my best."

"Don't worry about it Gamaken — you'll do great, I know it." Naruto replied, patting the toad on the head as he looked up at an impressed looking Gamabunta. "So, do I past your test, Oyabun?"

Gamabunta laughed.

"You've got spunk kid!" he said, "I like it when my new minions have that kind of spunk in them! Nevertheless, you passed the test not because you managed to summon Ken, but as a favor to your father!"

"I'll take what I can get," Naruto said, smiling warmly at the toad boss. "Thank you, Gamabunta-Oyabun."

With that, the two massive toads dispelled, leaving Naruto, Naruko and Jiraiya left at the clearing they were at. The Toad Sannin was looking at the two blondes with jealousy.

"Bunta accepted you two, just like that?" he said incredulously, "He made me stick on his back while he jumped around trying to throw me off for 12 hours! How is that fair?!"

Naruto and Naruko looked at one another before they shrugged in unison, earning a face-fault from their godfather. They laughed at the man's expense, who was grumbling about disrespectful blondes.

Naruko sighed as she looked up at the dusking sky. With the toad summoning contract, it was yet another link to her deceased parents that she had acquired ever since knowing about her heritage. Slipping a hand into Naruto's own, she smiled when she felt him squeeze her hand in comfort.

It was then she noticed the thoughtful look in his cerulean orbs, prompting her to ask.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.

Naruto shook his head, smiling at her. "Nothing — just imagining Neji's face once I'm done training with you," he said. "He won't even know what hit him. I'll make sure of it."

Naruko nodded, remembering her — and by extension Naruto's — promise to Hinata to change the Hyūga Clan once she became Hokage.

The lavender eyed girl had come to see the blonde beauty ever since Naruko's name was paired with Neji's, and had explained to her why the older branch house member was so blinded by his hatred of the main house and by extension, Hinata as well. The Hyūga Heiress had all but begged her best friend to give her cousin a chance. The Caged Bird Seal, the main and branch houses — Hinata wanted Naruko's promise to change all of that once she became Hokage.

Naruko had given her best friend a promise of a lifetime, and Uzumakis never go back on her word. When she informed Naruto of her decision, he didn't even need to think twice before agreeing wholeheartedly with her to make good of her promise.

"Jiraiya-kyōfu," Naruko suddenly said, turning to look at the white-haired man. "Will you help me — help us prepare for what is to come? The invasion, the Akatsuki, the Fourth War … will you help us make sure that Naruto-kun's dark future will never come to pass?"

"Naruko-chan …" Naruto breathed, stunned at the girl's words which brought a feeling of warmth in his heart.

Jiraiya smirked at the look in Naruko's eyes when she had asked that. It was the same look Kushina had had once she had an idea in her head and would see it through no matter what, no matter what the man said.

"Okay, you've convinced me." He began. Naruko cheered excitedly as Naruto fondly looked on. The white-haired man would've been disturbed if not for the obvious affection the boy held for his goddaughter. "But be warned — I'm going to work you two into the ground if you're going to have any hope of surviving against a group of S-rank criminals, especially the Akatsuki if what Naruto said was true."

"We wouldn't have it any other way," Naruto replied, grinning at the man. "Let's get started then!"

"Okay, but first —!" Naruko suddenly yelled, before a loud growl came from her stomach. She blushed at the looks she was receiving. "W-What? I was going to suggest we go get dinner. I don't know about you two but I am starved."

Naruto chuckled. "Okay, okay, we'll get dinner." He said, "As long as Ero-sennin pays."

"Don't call me that!"

"Hai, hai … whatever you say." The boy replied, much to the amusement of a giggling Naruko and a depressed looking Jiraiya.

~ D ~ R ~

The month passed quickly for the Uzumaki siblings. With the Third Exam hanging over their heads along with the expected invasion from Sunagakure and Otogakure, both Naruto and Naruko were determined to train as much as they possibly could. That meant abusing the hell out of their shadow clones which they did on a regular basis, a thousand clones at a time.

With Naruto's help, Naruko had fully perfected her taijutsu style — the Fūmuchi no Mai — which had since become her signature style. She had also managed to incorporate wind chakra into her movements, making her attacks much more fluid and dangerous. Her control over her chakra chains had improved dramatically due to constant utilization and continuous chakra control exercises, allowing her to form them at a moment's notice without hand signs.

The weight of her gravity seals were also increased as well, which in turn increased her speed as well. Naruko didn't know it as Naruto hadn't told her — she was carrying nearly five hundred pounds of weight spreading evenly over her lithe form, and it did wonders to the blonde beauty's figure much to Naruto's delight. Naruto had also started her on the basics of mastery-level fūinjutsu, and the girl had absorbed it all like a dry sponge.

Naruto had also taken the liberty of testing her chakra affinity, which unsurprisingly was wind. There was also an unexpected but not unwelcome surprise as well.

When Naruko had channeled her chakra through a chakra induction paper, not only did the paper split in half — indicating she had an affinity to wind, both halves of the paper turned soggy as well — indicating she also had a strong secondary affinity to water as well. Suffice to say, the blonde girl was excited about the discovery. More affinities meant more techniques, more techniques meant she was becoming powerful and was one step closer to achieving her goal.

That night she had celebrated her discovering her affinities with a thorough snogging session with her most precious person. She was glad that their shared apartment was protected with their most powerful privacy and chakra suppression seals. Kami knows that Jiraiya would somehow walk in on them and embarrass them.

In addition to Naruto's training, Jiraiya had also given her some pointers as well.

To start, she had learned mostly fire ninjutsu from the Sannin, as well as Jiraiya's favorite defensive technique — the Hari Jizō (Needle Jizō). Jiraiya's reasoning was that because of Naruko's long hair, it was perfect for her as the initial requirements — having long hair — was already met.

On her first try after learning the hand seals, her hair had been a complete mess once she dispelled it much to her chagrin and Jiraiya's endless amusement. Said amusement was thankfully short lived when Naruto had 'accidentally' sent a tree toppling onto where the man stood. The blonde had cited 'accidentally' overpowering his Rasengan when he was training with it. Of course, no one believed him especially when the boy flashed an all too innocent smile at Jiraiya.

She had rewarded him with an extra-long kiss for that.

It was three days before the start of the Third Exam that Naruto announced that she was ready — as ready she could ever be given the limited time they had available to them. Her taijutsu was solid, her ninjutsu was superb, and her physical training regime was coming along nicely.

It was also during this time that Naruto had a brand-new katana made tailored just for him. Revisiting the 'Tetsu no Konoha' blacksmith that had made his tri-pronged kunai, Naruto had requested the owner to forge him a new katana that was stronger than the generic ones sold by the smiths from the Land of Iron. The owner, a renowned blacksmith in his own right, gladly accepted Naruto's commission on the condition that Naruto himself was also taking part in the forging process.

While his clones trained, the original Naruto would visit the blacksmith — a man named Kuribayashi Kenichi — and together they went through the slow and painstaking process of forging his new katana. By methodically adding his chakra during the forging process, strengthening it far beyond any normal blade, the resulting katana was by far the old blacksmith's proudest work.

It had the standard outward appearance of a normal katana, but one does not judge a book by its cover. When Naruto had first closed his hand around the grip of the blade, he felt something within his conscience literally snap into place, filling him like pouring warm water down his spine. It was then and there that Naruto knew that the blade in his hand was the one.

He had a perfect name for his new sword — Reppūmaru.

It was also during this month that the Uzumaki Clan was reestablished as a major shinobi clan in Konoha, much to the shock of the Konoha High Council, both civilian and shinobi alike.

After careful deliberation, Naruto and Naruko had decided on leading their clan as joint-clan heads, with Naruto holding seniority in the clan — but in reality, any decision they make would be done together, either verbally or mentally. It was in situations like these that they truly cherished the bond they had with one another.

There was some resistance to the reinstatement, particularly from Danzō who maintained his stance that a clan head should be at least of chūnin rank to take the post, not genin. The war hawk had been especially vocal when Tsuchi Kin of Otogakure was offered asylum by the Uzumaki Clan, making her off limits without breaking their own laws.

The Uzumaki siblings shared a brief chuckle at the constipated look on the bandaged man's face when he noticed that his hands were tied, politically speaking. He couldn't do anything to the girl he so wished to extract valuable information from.

Hiruzen had reluctantly conceded to the crippled man's point but remained firm on his decision to reestablish the Uzumaki Clan in Konoha — without enacting the Clan Restoration Act, which Naruto had wisely crossed out from the fine print before he had signed it.

Naruko had made this particular point absolutely clear — she was not sharing her most precious person with anyone else. Naruto couldn't argue with that. The blonde beauty was everything he ever needed.

Then Hiruzen informed the council about the information of the imminent Suna-Oto Invasion provided by the defected Kin.

The council's reactions were as expected — shock, anger, disbelief and finally, fear. Most of the major shinobi clan heads still vividly remember the Third Shinobi World War that ended nearly ten years ago, and were more than wary of another war.

The civilians on the other hand were simply too scared to even think about the possibility of war.

After everyone had calmed down somewhat, plans and contingency plans to counter the invasion were discussed mainly among the ninja of the council, whereas the civilian side was given the task of evacuating civilians when the time came. Unsurprisingly, Danzō contributed more to this new line of discussion than any other council meeting in recent memory — even Hiruzen was impressed, though unsurprised. The old war hawk was aptly nicknamed after all.

In the end, the Sandaime made information about the invasion an A-rank village secret with only members of the Konoha High Council and the Commanders of Konohagakure's military had access to. The general populace was not warned of this as they might accidentally tip off Orochimaru of Konoha knowing about his plans. The less the civilians know of the situation the better.

There were many who were worried about the combined numbers of Suna and Oto shinobi, which puts Konoha in a rather perilous position as their forces were slightly outnumbered at a ratio of 2 to 1. The Hokage had reassured them that with the additions of Jiraiya of the Sannin and the recalling of their ANBU Black Ops operators, Konoha would be more than a match for Suna and Oto despite the odds.

Unknown to the council however, Hiruzen had already discussed this particular dilemma with Naruto. The powerful man was confident that they could hold off the invaders, but at the cost of many lives and materials — just as Naruto had told him who had gone through it the first go around. The blonde boy's solution was simple yet extremely effective. The old man had gaped like a fish when the ludicrous plan was put forth by his surrogate grandson.

"Leave it all to me, Hokage-Jiji." Naruto had said, "After all, my name is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto after all!"

Years later, if one of them were to look back at what they had discussed on a bright Wednesday afternoon in the Hokage Office, they would fondly remember that it was the day Uzumaki Naruto and his closest confidants had truly begun to change things for the better.

~ D ~ R ~

"Are you ready, Onii-chan?" Naruko asked as she tied her hair to their usual pigtails, black ribbons and all, before strapping the rest of her gear to her person.

Naruto only nodded solemnly. "I can't believe that today's the day …"

"You and me both, Naruto-kun," she replied, sighing as she secured her equipment pouches and triple checked her supplies. "You and me both."

There was a deep rumble within their mindscapes.

"Kit, Vixen — are you two absolutely sure about this?" Kurama asked for the umpteenth time, "There will be no going back after this, and I doubt that Black Zetsu will remain ignorant for long. He knows someone has been meddling with his plans."

Naruto shrugged weakly, chuckling as he did. "Truthfully? Not really." He replied. "There are so many ways that this whole plan could go off the rails the second the invasion starts. But, at the same time …"

Glancing at Naruko who gave him a weak smile, he continued. "Call it gut instinct, but I know that I can change the outcome of this battle for the better. Even if that bastard were to be more wary of me in the future, it still doesn't change the fact that I can't just stand around and do nothing." He felt a small hand slip into his own. Naruto gave Naruko a grateful smile. "Kami-sama gave me a second chance, and it's time I repaid her by doing everything I can to change things for the better. I may not be able to do much, but it's at least something."

"And you're not alone this time," Naruko spoke up, "And you will never be alone again. You're my most precious person Onii-chan, and we promised one another that we will do this together. So enough of this 'I' nonsense, 'we' will do this."

Naruto only laughed, feeling the tension leave him with her words. "Hai, hai …"

As the two of them left the apartment and made their way towards the Chūnin Exam Stadium located in the middle of the village for the final part of the Chūnin Exams, they couldn't help but contemplate about what will happen in the coming months.

Saving Zabuza and Haku was one thing, but changing something as major as the Suna-Oto Invasion was something else entirely.

They couldn't change everything — Kami-sama had somehow placed a block on Naruto's consciousness to prevent him from doing anything that could potentially rip a hole in the fabric of reality. A sensible precaution, if one was to think about it.

But one thing was for certain — after today, everything will never be the same again. For better … or for worse.

The Third Part of the Chūnin Selection Exams was about to commence, but neither of the two blondes cared much about that for they knew the grim truth. It was Naruko who had made the connection — the start of the Suna-Oto Invasion signaled to beginning of the countdown towards the Fourth Shinobi World War.

The race for the fate of the world had begun.

~ D ~ R ~

And done!

Hello ladies and gentlemen and all my favorite people in the world!

Guess what? I'm not dead! Hah! Well, I'm sorry I didn't update this sooner, but life fir me has been stressful lately. This chapter didn't turn out the way I liked it, and after rereading it a few times and starting from scratch at least 3 times, I still wasn't satisfied with this chapter. I'd wager that this chapter would be just as bad as my 4th Chapter, but that's just my opinion.

Anyways, next chapter — the Third Exam, as well as the Suna-Oto Invasion! We're finally here after, what, a year since I began writing? Fuck, that's long, even for me. Well, we've finally reached the climax of the pre-Shippūden timeline, the others being the Tsunade Retrieval Arc and the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. Tell me what you think of this chapter, since I'm still convinced it didn't turn out as best as it could.

Well, enough rambling from me. Enjoy the latest instalment of Destiny Rebirth! Oh, before I forget: HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

This is HEIROFROHAN signing off,

PEACE!