Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the affiliated characters, nor do I make any money from this work of fiction.

Warning: This is an AU fic. Non-cannon is kind of the theme here, so please don't be offended by what you read. It will contain multiple different pairings of the Homo/Het variety. No likey? No read-y. That simple. This chapter doesn't contain anything of the graphic nature, so you're good... for now.

Also, this is non-Beta'd, so please pardon any grammatical mistakes. ^^

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Decision Time

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Naruto frowned as he parked in the shop's back lot, right next to a very familiar green VW microbus. His eyebrows furrowed down as he stepped out of the SUV carrying a clean pair of coveralls under his arm. He gripped the metal handle of the garage's back door with his free hand and was greeted by a chorus of guffaws.

Blue eyes crinkled as a grin spread across the blonde's face at the sight of his co-workers in varying states of comical disarray: Hidan and Deidara were leaning back-to-back in order to sty standing; Sasori was biting his lower lip in an effort to keep in an uncharacteristic show of mirth; Kisame was doubled over laughing, holding his sides as he gasped for breath; lastly, Zetsu and Pein both sat on the lounge's couch trying to catch their own breath.

A blond brow rose and Naruto's head tilted in confusion. "What the hell are you guys doing? Are where's the old man? I saw his piece of shit bus outside." In retrospect, he should have known what was going to happen next. But, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

As such, being so preoccupied with the condition his friends were in, Naruto was completely unguarded against the wet finger that found its way into his unprotected ear. With a loud, "AHHHH!", Naruto found himself sprawled out on his ass, staring up at the man who now crowed, "Wet Willy!".

"Ero-sennin?! The fuck?!" he scowled at the laughing white haired man. Jaraiya Sennin was a perverted old trickster who chased younger women and wrote smut novels for a living. He was also the closest thing to a father Naruto had ever had.

Jaraiya was tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular frame. He had evenly tanned skin; a darker, richer version of Naruto's own tan, as if he spent the majority of his time outside. He wore his long, spiky white hair in a low pony-tail and was known for whipping people with it like a Cat-o-Nine.

He had persistent grin on his lips and odd red lines tattooed down his face; starting from under his lower eye-lids and extending to under his jaw line. There was a constant glimmer in his black irises; an almost leer-like look permanently glued to his face.

Naruto paused himself from further berating the man when he noticed the unusual way in which he was dressed. Now, normally, Jaraiya wearing anything more than just his designer boxer-briefs was a welcome relief for the blond. But, for the old man to break out one of his beloved black-pin striped Armani suits… Something was wrong.

All pretenses of humor had drained from Jaraiya's face when he noticed the assessing quality of Naruto's gaze. "Hey kid, we've gotta talk." Naruto nodded grimly, getting to his feet and passing his clean uniform over to Kisame. The others watched in silence as the two men made their way out of the room.

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Jaraiya smoked his pipe as they sat on the curb outside of the shop. Both men watched as car after car pulled into the service area and front parking lot of the garage. Naruto grimaced as he fidgeted with his jeans, waiting for the other to speak.

The older man sighed out a puff of smoke after a few more moments of tense silence, he needed to word this just right. "A Fugaku Uchiha called me this morning." The blond whipped his head around to look at Jaraiya, blue eyes wide with surprise.

Jaraiya nodded, "Yeah, he was asking about you. Said that he talked to you yesterday, but you were, how did he put it?, quite a bit obstinate. He wants me to somehow convince you that going to Konoha would be a good idea."

Naruto snarled softly, showing off his slightly sharper than normal canines. Jaraiya winced on the inside at the site of them, remembering just who Naruto inherited them from. "That self-righteous, pretentious dick. What right does he have fucking calling you about me?" "Calm down, kid. This isn't the first time Fugaku's called me. Just the first time about you." "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

The white-haired one took another puff from his pipe before elaborating. "He works with and for one of my best students." Naruto snarled again, rage choking his words, "Minato. Namikaze." The smoke exploded from Jaraiya's mouth in an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, him. He wants to meet you, Naruto. He deserves a chance to get to know you, and your son."

"Fuck that!" Naruto leaped to his feet and began pacing on the asphalt like a caged beast. "That asshole doesn't deserve shit. What's he ever done for me, huh? Nothing! If it weren't for him, m-mom would've never suffered like she did." Jaraiya was unsuccessful at hiding his wince at that. Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was an incredibly touchy subject for the boy—everyone who knew Naruto, knew that.

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Kushina had been a wild woman in her youth; vibrant red hair and dancing, spitfire eyes. Originally a member of Uzu no Kuni*, Kushina's family fled when civil war threatened to tear the country apart. It was a chance encounter with Minato Namikaze in Konohagakure that changed Kushina's life forever more.

Minato was an up and coming business man, making his fortune with hard work and dedication. But, he was still only a young man. The two spent weeks in each other's company, getting to know one another and falling deeper in love with every day that passed. It wasn't until the eve of the Uzumaki Clan's departure from the Village of the Leaves that Kushina discovered that she was pregnant.

She did not tell Minato; instead, she left him a note explaining her condition and why she decided to keep it a secret. She left the next day, not knowing that she would never talk to her lover ever again.

When her family discovered that she was with child, she was disowned and cast out of the village in which they had settled. She wandered from town to town, trying to find a place that would take in the unmarried, pregnant disgrace of the Uzumaki Clan.

She found such a place in Kusagakure. She got a job in the local market—owned by an elderly man by the name of Hiruzen Sarutobi, a former doctor from Konoha. He was a kind old man who hired her after taking one look at her baby-swollen stomach. Two months later, he was the doctor that delivered Naruto.

As time passed, Kushina and Naruto became part of Sarutobi's family and Kushina was eventually hired on as a secretary to Jaraiya. Jaraiya treated the young woman like the daughter he'd never had and spoiled Naruto as any grandfather would.

But Kushina's vivaciousness began to wane and her bubbly personality seemed to pop. She often held her hands to her chest—pained expression pinching her otherwise beautiful face—as if her heart were hurting. Jaraiya and Sarutobi both expressed their concerns for her health, but the fiery red-head would hear nothing of it and continued to press forth.

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When Naruto was eleven, though, Kushina suddenly became horribly ill and ran a terrible fever. Tests showed that Kushina had been silently suffering with breast cancer. She had refused to go to the doctor because it was too costly—her wages made her unable to afford such a luxury as medical insurance. When she finally could not stand the pain any longer she checked herself into the local clinic. However, by the time she went in and had the tests done, it was too late.

Both Jaraiya and Sarutobi tried to help as much as they could, but nothing could be done. Kushina got progressively worse and worse and young Naruto had to watch as his mother withered away. Kushina was wrought with horrendous pain until the day she died; gasping and clutching to Naruto's hand, whispering "Happy Birthday" as her sputtered to a halt.

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Naruto's reluctance to see his father was palpable, but Jaraiya persevered. "I know, I know. But it's not like he knew any of that. Hell, according to the Uchiha, Minato didn't even know he had a kid until just recently."

Naruto kicked angrily at a piece of trash lying in the gutter, the poster child for petulance. "So I'm supposed to forgive him just 'cause he didn't know? Fuck that. If he loved her so much, how come he didn't go looking for her, huh? Sleezy asshole, probably said he was in love just to get in her-"

Jaraiya's fist to his face stopped Naruto from finishing his statement. The blond stumbled back a few steps from the force of the hit. He shook his head and looked at the other man in bewilderment, not sure when the other had even stood from his seat on the curb.

"You shut your fucking mouth this instant, brat. You don't ever talk about your mother that way. I don't really give a damn about your daddy issues, but don't insult the woman who gave up everything for ya. Do you hear me?" Naruto looked down, a shamed blush spreading across his cheeks at the admonishment.

"Yeah, I hear ya. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'm just, I, Ugh!" Naruto drew his hands through his hair in frustration. "What am I supposed to do about this, Jaraiya?!" He slumped down, back to sitting on the curb, rested his head in his hands and covered his eyes.

Jaraiya took another drag from his pipe, tapped the ashes out onto the ground, then settled a hand in Naruto's yellow locks. "You should do what you feel is right, kid. But, if it were me, I'd give the man a chance to get to know his son… and his grandson." He patted to downturned head once before walking away from the young man he saw as his own grandson.

The Uzumaki lifted his eyes to the sky that matched them; thinking. "Fuck." He groaned, and groaned again when he heard the tell-tale laughter of the older man from a few paces behind him. Looked like he and Kyuubi were going to Konohagakure.

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End!

*— This is the clan name that comes up for the Uzumaki's. Like, there's the last name and then there's the clan on the wholes name. That make any sense? If not, Narupedia it; that's what I did.

Author's Note At The Bottom!

Wow… that was incredibly short and took a long-ass time to get out. ^^; Super sorry about the wait on this one. I had it all written down (and it seemed much longer in handwriting than it is typed) but it took me forever to find the time to sit down and type it up. Curse you, English papers!

Anyway, hopefully I'll have chapter four up before the end of the week. If not… well, I can at least say that I attempted it. ( lol Animesweetie07 will get this)