Naruto now knew—
he was no longer the "demon fox" with no past, no origins.
He had parents.
Parents who had loved him.
A home that had been waiting for him all along.
Outside the Hokage's office, in the quiet corridor—
Listening to the sobs coming from within—the long-suppressed crying of a wounded child finally breaking free, like an injured cub—
Even Jiraiya, a man famed for his boldness and carefree spirit, found his eyes reddening. His fists clenched tightly, fingernails biting deep into his palms.
"What a sin…" he murmured hoarsely, his voice filled with boundless regret and heartache.
"Hmph."
Tsunade let out a cold scoff, her words sharp as blades.
"So now you say 'what a sin'? Where were you back then? The old man was indecisive, and all of you so-called 'elders'—every last one of you—if even one of you had the guts to step forward and take responsibility, would that child have suffered… suffered all these years?"
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, her chest heaving as years of fury toward the old regime's inaction poured out.
Jiraiya had no retort. Pain filled his face.
He leaned weakly against the cold wall, tilting his head back as if that might keep the tears from falling.
"Minato… he was the Fourth Hokage. A hero who died protecting the village… he was my student."
Jiraiya's voice broke.
"And yet I… I…"
"The son he left behind… was allowed—no, condemned—to be treated as a demon fox… living like that…"
"I…"
He couldn't continue. The crushing weight of guilt threatened to break him.
Seeing Jiraiya like this, Tsunade's anger slowly ebbed, replaced by deep exhaustion and helpless resignation.
She rubbed her aching temples, irritation and bitter absurdity written plainly across her face.
"Heh… just what kind of karmic punishment did I rack up in my past life?" she snapped.
"The piles of crap left behind by those old bastards—I can't even finish wiping their asses, and now it's all dumped on me!"
"The Uchiha mess. Naruto's mess. Every rotten disaster—I'm the one stuck cleaning it up! Damn it!"
At this point, Tsunade felt less like the Fifth Hokage and more like Konoha's historical janitor and trauma surgeon.
Jiraiya shook his head in anguish. His mind was a tangled mess—guilt, regret, and something else.
Fear.
Fear of facing Naruto.
"I… I don't even know anymore… how I'm supposed to face that kid…" he whispered.
"What if… what if he asks me, 'Pervy Sage, you knew my dad. You were his teacher. Then where were you all these years? Why… why didn't you come find me?'"
Jiraiya lifted his head and looked at Tsunade, his eyes filled with helplessness and a desperate search for an answer.
"What do I say? That I was out there chasing some so-called 'Child of Prophecy,' while turning a blind eye to my student's son suffering right in front of me? Or that I was afraid of the village's rules—too cowardly to stand up?"
The question was like a needle, pinning his conscience in place.
Tsunade took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the storm of emotion inside her. Her eyes sharpened, turning practical and resolute.
She shook her head as if casting aside useless regret.
"It's pointless to say any of that now. What's done is done. Konoha owes him. We owe him. That's an unchangeable fact."
Her tone was decisive, leaving no room for hesitation.
"What matters now isn't drowning in guilt—it's fixing the problem."
"We untie his heart. Publicly restore his identity. And then—we do everything we can to make it right."
She paused, a trace of lingering dread flashing across her face as she muttered darkly:
"I have no intention of waiting ten years just to see that brat standing on Konoha's ruins, telling me he's going to 'destroy the world.'"
"That would really be a sin."
This wasn't a joke.
It was the most realistic fear born from the celestial prophecy.
Saving Naruto wasn't just about one child—it was about Konoha's future, and possibly the future of the entire shinobi world.
Listening to her, the pain on Jiraiya's face slowly hardened into resolve.
He straightened his back and fixed his gaze on the closed door, as though he could see through it—to the crying child inside.
"…Yeah. I understand," Jiraiya said quietly, but firmly.
"I will. I'll give everything I have… to make it up to him."
He repeated it—less to Tsunade than to himself.
"I will never… leave him alone again."
This time, there was no trace of his usual flippancy—only a promise as solid as stone.
After a long while, the sobbing inside the office gradually faded, leaving only faint, restrained breaths.
Some time later, the door opened from within.
Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a glance. It was time.
Tsunade took a breath, adjusted her expression, and walked inside.
Naruto stood there clutching the red scarf tightly to his chest. His eyes and nose were red from crying, making him look like a pitiful little rabbit.
The wooden box had been neatly packed again, resting in front of him.
Tsunade walked up and looked down at him, deliberately using her usual sharp, half-mocking tone.
"Hey, brat. You done crying yet? Tears and snot everywhere—ugly as hell."
Naruto, who had been drowning in sorrow and gratitude just moments ago, snapped his head up.
His blue eyes instantly filled with tears again—
This time, not from sadness, but because Tsunade pissed him off.
He felt like he'd been moved too soon.
This old lady's mouth was poisonous.
"Y-you're ugly! You stupid gran—uh—Granny Tsunade!"
Naruto puffed out his cheeks, glaring up at her with swollen, reddened eyes, furious yet not quite daring enough to go all the way. The look on his face was pure, miserable indignation.
Watching him struggle between rebellion and fear, a faint glimmer of amusement flashed deep in Tsunade's eyes—though her face remained impatient.
"Enough already. Look at you—pathetic. Wipe your face."
She shoved a tissue toward him.
Her tone was harsh, but the gesture warmed Naruto's heart.
He sniffed loudly and wiped his face messily.
Jiraiya stepped in as well. Seeing Naruto's earnest, aggrieved expression, he felt both bitter and amused.
He understood.
Tsunade was all bark and no bite.
In her own way, she had interrupted Naruto's spiral into grief—pulling him back to reality.
Because now—
Now came the real point.
It was time for Naruto Uzumaki to learn everything.
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