The dazed Naruto had no choice but to come out of the classroom.
I don't want to explode in the classroom...
"Isn't the fox demon an orphan? Since when did he have relatives?"
"Yeah, I also heard that he has no parents."
A group of children whispered and gossiped.
"Quiet! Focus on your studies! Stop talking about others!"
The teacher slammed the table with force to redirect the students' attention. Deep inside, even he was curious. But as a teacher, he needed to maintain a basic sense of propriety.
"Teacher, what parents? I don't have any parents."
As Naruto walked down the hallway, his groggy thoughts slowly began to clear. Something felt off. He was an orphan, wasn't he?
Besides Grandpa Hokage who visited occasionally, he had no relatives at all.
"Don't mumble nonsense. Keep moving."
At this point in time, Iruka's attitude toward Naruto was still quite poor. He hadn't yet gone through the emotional maturity that later led him to truly understand Naruto and even become a source of encouragement for him.
This was the handiwork of the Third Hokage's psychological manipulation—forcing Iruka to let go of hatred and take on the responsibility of watching over Naruto.
"Oh."
Naruto didn't react much to Iruka's coldness. He was long used to it. With his arms behind his head and his usual indifferent face, he trailed behind slowly.
Iruka, walking ahead, had veins bulging on his forehead.
"Lord Jiraiya, Naruto is here."
Iruka offered a fawning smile.
Jiraiya nodded with a grin. "Thanks for bringing him."
"It's my duty, Lord Jiraiya."
Iruka bowed respectfully and departed the office.
"Hey! You're the uncle who ate ramen last night! And you, the white-haired stinky uncle!"
Naruto looked up and blurted a greeting that left both Jiraiya and Hiko stunned.
What kind of nickname is that?
How is 'ramen-eating uncle' or 'stinky white-haired uncle' acceptable?
After confirming that Naruto was indeed being Naruto, Hiko raised a brow, then slapped Naruto's rear without hesitation.
Without another word, he turned and left, waving lazily at Jiraiya—and casually flipping him the middle finger as a parting gift.
"If something like this happens again, don't come looking for me."
The head of the Konoha Police Department had a notoriously terrible temper. Not only did he kick Naruto, he even had the audacity to flip off Jiraiya.
Iruka stood frozen, staring at Hiko's retreating back, mentally vowing never to provoke anyone from the Police Department or the Uchiha clan.
"Why'd he kick me?!"
Naruto rubbed his sore backside, clearly upset.
Jiraiya shook his head with a wry smile. Standing before Naruto, he was hesitant—unsure how to start the conversation.
Hiko's already gone, and yelling won't bring him back.
Naruto, still rubbing his bottom, looked at Jiraiya irritably. "What do you want, stinky uncle?"
"You can call me Jiraiya Grandpa."
Jiraiya hesitated over what to call himself, but finally settled on seniority. Given his relationship with Minato and his age, it made sense.
Even if he wasn't Minato's biological father.
"Grandpa?"
Naruto's jaw nearly hit the ground.
"Yeah, Grandpa."
Jiraiya grinned, inwardly delighted.
"Pfft, no way!"
Naruto crossed his arms and turned away, his expression sulky. "I don't have a grandpa."
Something's off.
Wasn't Naruto supposed to yearn for affection the most?
When I showed up, wasn't he supposed to throw himself into my arms, crying in joy?
Jiraiya stepped forward, his tone soft. "Naruto, I'm your father's teacher, so that makes me your Grandpa. I'm sorry you had to suffer all these years. I just got back to the village. I didn't know things were this bad."
"Phooey!!"
"You're a liar! A big fat liar!!"
Naruto exploded. He spat toward Jiraiya and yelled with red, teary eyes:
"I've been alone since forever! No family, no grandpa! You're lying!"
Naruto had always longed for attention—love, family, the kind of care other kids received so freely. But all he got were cold glares, rejection, and the label of "fox demon."
Now, out of nowhere, someone appeared claiming to be family?
He couldn't accept it—not immediately. This felt like a cruel joke.
If I had family...
Why weren't you there when I was suffering?
Why did I have to face all the hate alone?
Where were you back then?
Shaken and on the verge of breaking down, Naruto ran off crying.
"Naruto!!"
Jiraiya could only give chase. Seeing Naruto's emotional reaction only strengthened his resolve.
Whether the Third Hokage agreed or not, Jiraiya had made up his mind. He would never leave Naruto alone again.
"Yeah… Heartwarming moments like this aren't really my thing."
Watching secretly from the shadows, Hiko shook his head and departed quietly.
The two Anbu watching the school never even realized someone had been observing from nearby.
Naruto's reaction was perfectly normal.
After all, love and care were foreign to him—he didn't know how to accept them. Self-contradiction and emotional overload clashed inside him.
But as long as Jiraiya stayed by his side, Naruto would eventually accept him.
Jiraiya found Naruto sitting alone in the forest near the training fields. Taking a seat beside him, Jiraiya began to talk.
Slowly, Naruto's curiosity was piqued.
Elsewhere, Danzo muttered to himself: "So I can't move against the boy directly... But I can still go after Uchiha."
"So, the stinky uncle is actually a village hero?"
Naruto looked at Jiraiya with wide eyes, his earlier pain replaced with awe. Jiraiya's tales had gradually healed some of that emotional hurt.
"..."
If only Naruto would stop calling him 'stinky uncle,' Jiraiya would've felt touched.
"Call me Grandpa Jiraiya, brat. Be respectful. I was your dad's teacher."
Jiraiya scolded with a dark expression.
Giving everyone strange nicknames upon meeting them wasn't a good habit. Naruto might not fear offending others, but if he kept doing this, people would only reject him further.
"Oh, okay! I get it now, Grandpa Jiraiya!"
Realizing his mistake, Naruto quickly corrected himself. Despite his mischief, he was still a kind and warm-hearted child.
Any other child treated the way Naruto had been might've gone dark long ago.
"Grandpa Jiraiya, what was my dad like? Why hasn't anyone told me about him before?"
Curiosity burned in the boy's eyes. Jiraiya laughed awkwardly, suddenly conflicted.
Should he tell Naruto the truth?
Keeping it hidden felt unfair, but revealing everything might overwhelm him.
So Jiraiya chose a middle ground.
"Your father..."
He drifted into memory, back to the day he first met Minato Namikaze.
"He was a genius—Konoha's Yellow Flash and a true village hero. Powerful, courageous, and full of warmth. People in the village privately called him 'Little Sunshine.'"
"Why such a strange nickname?"
"Because your dad, like you, had a smile that could light up the darkest day."
Was that a compliment for me too? Naruto smiled sheepishly, scratching his head. It was the first time a relative had said something so kind to him.
"What about my mom?"
"Your mom…"
Jiraiya shivered slightly as memories of Kushina surfaced. Laughing nervously, he replied:
"Your mom was beautiful—but fiery. Very well-known in the village. That's all I'll say. Anyway, let's go get some dinner. Grandpa Jiraiya's buying barbecue tonight!"
Minato was easier to talk about, but Kushina's background was deeply tied to the village's darker secrets. Jiraiya didn't dare bring it up casually.
If Naruto got curious and started asking questions, things could spiral out of control.
"Awesome!!"
Naruto leapt up, eyes sparkling.
He'd been craving barbecue for ages, but even when he had money, many places wouldn't serve him.
Now, he could finally taste it.
Most barbecue places in Konoha were owned by the Akimichi clan. Fortunately, they didn't buy into the fox demon rumors. That much was clear from how Chōji and the other "rookie nine" interacted with Naruto.
They never initiated contact—but they didn't shun him either. They'd play with him, skip class with him, even nap in the same spot.
But just because...