Naruto waited until well after he heard the door of the apartment close and Jiraiya’s footsteps died away, before sneaking out of his bed. He traversed the hall and stairs on tip-toes, still wearing his blue nightwear, and made his way to Jiraiya’s bedroom, softly locking the door behind him. It was as big a mess as it always was; full of worn clothes and crumpled notes and with a lingering smell of alcohol that pervaded the room. Another person might have wondered whether the person who slept there was really a ninja at all, and not just some local drunk, but Naruto knew better.

Searching through the belongings of a ninja was incredibly dangerous, as there was always the risk of traps – which was why Naruto had sent a shadow clone to search the room. It was underneath his godfather’s bed that he found what he was looking for: A metal box of which he had once caught a glimpse while peeking through a crack in the door as Jiraiya looked at the parchment contained within. The box was locked and covered in an array of protective seals carved within the very metal, but the shadow clone technique provided a way around that also: He infused the box itself with chakra, slowly spreading it out through his palms, and formed the seals for his technique – creating a clone of the box itself along with its contents. With another seal he dispelled the cloned box, but by keeping the entities distinct within his mind, the pages inside remained intact as they piled onto the floor. He reached out with one trembling hand, the answers he had been looking for finally within his grasp.

“Actually, that’s just the manuscript for my next book.”

Naruto twisted around and stumbled in shock at what he saw. “Dad? But… how?”

Jiraiya harrumphed. “I may not look like it, but I am a ninja, y’know.” He picked up the metal box, sighed, and placed it back where Naruto found it. “I’m gonna have to find a better place to put that now… what’d ya expect to find in there, anyway?”

Naruto took a deep breath. “Dad… Am I the son of the Fourth Hokage?”

His godfather turned around in shock. “The Fourth Hokage? Why on earth would you think that?”

“It was in the forest,” Naruto explained. “Mizuki-sensei asked why so many Anbu came after us, so fast, and he said…” Thin trails of blood trickled down Mizuki’s eyes, and he screamed soundlessly. “…he said of course they would be watching me, because of my eyes and hair. Dad, the Fourth Hokage was one of the only people with blond hair and blue eyes in the Village, in the whole world.”

“But… the Fourth Hokage, Naruto! You can’t possibly believe one of the Leaf’s greatest heroes was your dad, just because of the colour of yer hair!”

Naruto shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way, dad. Things don’t become less likely just because you say it in a way that sounds impressive, or because you make the evidence sound stupid. I guess I could have Yamanaka blood or something like that man from yesterday, but then why cover it up? Why is one of the Third’s legendary students and the Fourth’s teacher my godfather, and why are the Anbu watching me? That only makes it more likely that my dad was someone important. Plus I already know I’m related to the Uzumaki clan, just like the Fourth Hokage’s wife.”

“But –”

“…but all of that’s not even counting the fact that you haven’t actually tried denying it,” Naruto finished. He crossed his arms and glared at Jiraiya, willing his adoptive father to lie to him.

The old Sage let out a long sigh. “I guess you really are just as brainy as yer old man was…” He rolled up the sleeve of his green short-shirt kimono, revealing that not only his hand but also his arms were covered in tattoos; a vast network of seals all over his body. Touching one of the markings, a scroll appeared in mid-air, which he caught and spread out onto the wooden floor. The scroll was inscribed with yet more seal work, a series of intricate symbols each with a circle in the middle, and he touched one of these with his finger. A box appeared in its place; an unadorned wooden chest with a simple bronze lock.

With the tip of a kunai Jiraiya drew a drop of blood from his thumb, before forming hand-signs and pressing both hands onto the wooden floor. A small orange toad appeared before him then, and after Jiraiya uttered a passphrase spoken only in rapid clicks, it opened its mouth and handed him a bronze key with its tongue, before vanishing once more.

Jiraiya took the box and the key, and pushed both of them in Naruto’s direction. “This’ll be what you were looking for, I reckon. Go on then, open her up.”

Naruto accepted them in reverent silence. The key had no cuts or wards, but as it was bound to be covered in yet more invisible seals Naruto was sure that made no difference. With trembling hands he placed the key against the lock, and when the box opened and revealed a parchment inside, it was with trembling hands that he read the scroll.

“Naruto. My son,

There is so much I want to tell you, yet time is running out even as I hold this quill, and the fate of our Village and the world may well depend on what I write. Your mother has no chance to say anything at all, as she died in defence of this Village and its people, so I must count myself fortunate to have even this small opportunity. They say two shinobi of sufficient skill can see into each other’s hearts with just a single exchange of blows, so I can only hope that by the time you read this, you are able to imagine all that we would say to you if we could see you now. No matter what happens, know that we love and support you in all that you do.

Second only to that, the most important fact for you to learn is that this attack was no accident: Someone planned for the Nine-tails to be released, foresaw all the devastation and tragedy it would bring, and decided to make it a reality. I suspect their main intention was to kill me, knowing that in Jiraiya-sensei’s absence only I would be able to sacrifice my life to seal the Beast once more. If that is the case then they may come after you as well, because of your relation to me and as an inheritor to the Will of Fire – both of which make you a potential future candidate for the position of Hokage. But no matter their motivations, you should assume this person to be the most dangerous foe you could ever face. Beyond raw physical power, more so even than their mastery over darkness and whatever other techniques they may possess, it is their prudence and wisdom that frighten me the most. For a monster to have those traits and yet still remain a monster is a perfect storm indeed.

The most important skill for any ninja to possess is the ability to remain hidden: Your foes cannot fight you if they do not know you exist, nor uncover your secrets if they are not aware of them. The Enemy has mastered this skill, and you must do the same. Your opponent will have spies and pawns even within the walls of Konoha, so you must not reveal any secrets you uncover without thinking twice and then twice again, or it will not just be you but those you care for who pay the price for your mistake.

You must not, under any circumstances, trust the man called Shimura Danzō.

Jiraiya-sensei and the Third will fight this battle for you in your formative years, but if the one who hides in Darkness is Uchiha Madara as I fear, then we are dealing with an immortal shinobi who will wait patiently for forty years if it suits his plans. If that is the case and he has not made a fatal mistake by the time you read this, then you need to prepare and become stronger in any way you can. Contrary to popular belief, I find that battles are usually decided by the time swords are drawn, not when they are sheathed.

I see the preparations for the Nine-Tails are almost done, and they are calling for me. Naruto, I will leave the rest up to you. Looking at your frail little body, I still do not know if I am doing the right thing by sealing this creature within you. Yet I fear it is a dangerous world I’m leaving you in, and you will need whatever advantage I can give you. If I am wrong then I hope you will forgive me one day, and if ever you were to become Hokage, that you do a better job of it than I.

Your loving parents,

mum and dad.”

Naruto blinked hard as he stared at those last words, trying vainly to bring them into focus. His hands were shaking harder now than when he had begun reading. There was too much, just too much to take in all at once: An attack on the village, the identity and deaths of his parents, secrets and conspiracy and an immortal enemy who controlled the darkness… yet when his lips parted, there was only the one thing that came forward, the one concern more pressing than any of the others.

“The Nine-tailed Daemon Fox,” he said numbly. “I am host to the Nine-tailed Daemon Fox.”

Jiraiya regarded him steadily from where he sat on his bed. “You didn’t realize? I figured that since you already found out about your dad, you would’ve puzzled this one out too. I mean, what with the boosted chakra and healing, and people looking at you funny, like they sense something’s off about you.”

Naruto stared at him. “I was supposed to… to realize that I’m possessed by the most powerful daemon in the world, just from that? That I’m, I’m the monster that parents scare their children with at night?” Another terrible thought occurred to him. “Wait, is that why people like Iruka-sensei never liked me? Because of what I am?” They knew all along, calling me a monster behind my back… I’m such an idiot.

“No!” Jiraiya raised his hands. “You’re not the Nine-tails, and we wouldn’t do that to you even if you were. The peace depends on other countries not knowing our daemon host is a kid. The Fourth put the seal on your belly in secret, and there’s only a handful of higher-ups who know about it. It’s just…” He hesitated. “The Fourth set the seal up so that it leaks a small amount of daemonic chakra over time, so you could slowly absorb it and make its powers yer own. Only I think some of it is leaking out, and people can sense the Beast’s killing intent, like you smell kinda funny.”

Like I smell kinda funny… Naruto almost would have preferred it if they had known, because then at least there would have been a reason for them to treat him the way they did. But I guess people don’t really need a reason, do they?

A far worse realization came to him. “You’re saying that the seal is leaking? Like it’s gonna break, and, and the Kyūbi could just come free at any moment?” If the Kyūbi really is just a mass of malevolent chakra like they say, then there’s nothing that could kill it, nothing that could stop it from spreading… Before his eyes, a picture of abject horror unfolded, fuelled by endless night-time stories and history lessons: A nightmare of Fire that was more than fire, living flames that spread out to consume the entire world and all its people, a daemonic force tearing down all of existence because nobody had ever thought to consider the risks…

Jiraiya snorted. “’Course not! Kid, the Uzumaki were the greatest sealsmiths in the world. It was the Fourth himself who cast the Dead Daemon Seal, and he possessed the kind of genius that comes only once a generation. That beasty isn’t coming out unless someone opens the seal, and even then it’s set up so it can only release as much chakra as yer body can handle. Tailed Beasts aren’t much of a bother without their hosts to control ‘em, anyway; unbound spirits are little more than animals, so they’ve got no real defence against genjutsu and the like. Even the Nine-tails was contained as soon as the Fourth sent the one controlling it scurrying back to his hiding place.”

Naruto breathed out, his wits gradually returning to him as his heart rate slowed to a bearable rate. Right… The Tailed Beasts were beaten before, so they can’t actually be that dangerous, and the Kyūbi would’ve come out when I was a baby if it was that easy for it to escape. Of course, that only meant that he could focus his growing panic on the bigger threat, which was…

“The one who hides in Darkness,” he whispered. That was how the Fourth Hokage – his father – had described the enemy who had outwitted the greatest genius of his generation, and killed him without ever so much as laying a hand on him. “It can’t really be Uchiha Madara, can it? I mean, even if he didn’t die in his duel with the First Hokage, he would have to be a hundred years old by now.”

“It can be if he’s immortal.” Jiraiya fiddled idly with his hands, his fingers folding and intertwining with no apparent purpose. “This is Uchiha Madara we’re talking about, kiddo: There are no impossibilities where that one’s concerned. There’s rumours he conducted dark rituals to gain the First Hokage’s wood-style bloodline ability, which granted regeneration. If he managed that, he might still be alive – and happy to wait until all his enemies die of old age if that gives him the chance to put his twisted ideology in action.”

“And… if it’s not him?”

“Then any of our friends in the Village could be the Enemy in secret, plotting against us while putting on a friendly face, and we wouldn’t know about it.” Jiraiya shrugged. “It could’ve been the late head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku, who felt his clan was being marginalized by the Village Council. It could be lord Danzō’s scheme to rid the Leaf of someone he saw as a weak leader, or it could be that my former teammate Orochimaru felt bitter about not being chosen as the Fourth Hokage before he left the Village. And of course, any of our foreign enemies would’ve benefited from burning down our Village and killing the Fourth. It could’ve been Inoichi controlling the Kyūbi with his mind-body switch technique for all I know.” Jiraiya was suddenly sitting at a small table that had appeared from nowhere, pouring a bottle of sake into one of two bowls. “Want some? I figured if we’re gonna be up late, we might as well.”

Naruto glared at him. “The tea was enough, thanks.”

“Suit yerself.” The old sage took a long swallow from his cup, then sat back and sighed. “See, this is why I didn’t tell you about any of this stuff before: I wanted to keep you from having t’ worry about Daemons and traitors and putting an end to all the darkness in the world, like the Fourth had to. They don’t tell you this at the Academy, but fear and worry can kill you as sure as any shuriken… it keeps you alert when yer tired or weak, and that’s all well and good, but keep it up for too long and it eats away at you ‘til there’s nothing left. Our history books are filled to the brim with brilliant shinobi who went funny in the head from getting too much responsibility, too fast – especially when they started young.” He gave Naruto a hard look. “Leave this to me ‘n’ the Third. The Fourth might’ve expected you to follow in his footsteps, but yer still only a kid. Take the time to make some friends, become a chūnin at least. Do that and if by then we still haven’t caught the bastard, then you can come and lend us a hand. Not before.”

Naruto considered this. His godfather was making an unusual amount of sense, but… the thought of not helping to fight the person who killed his parents and threatened the Village seemed unbearable to him. He shook his head. “Not a chance. I get that I’m not strong enough to fight yet, but… that’s not what the enemy is doing either. I can still help by figuring out what’s going on, and I think… I think that’s what the Fourth wanted me to do, too.”

“Good!” Jiraiya finished his drink and slammed the bowl onto the table, loud enough that Naruto jumped in his skin. “Fact is I haven’t the right kind of mind for this sorta thing, anyway. Anyone who’s smart enough t’ figure out the riddle is a potential suspect, and the more people we talk to, the bigger the chance of a leak. So if you’ve got some clue of who we’re up against, you just let me know… and I’ll take care of blasting the bastard to smithereens.”

Naruto swallowed thickly. He could not help but feel that his godfather’s levity was a bit forced, considering the situation. He sat down, taking a deep breath. “What… what do we already know?”

“Nothing much, really.” Jiraiya poured himself another cup. “All I’ve got is what the Fourth put in that letter, and what he told the Third: There was an explosion just as Kushina was giving birth, killing everyone in the building except fer you, and then something released the Nine-tails from your mum’s belly and made it attack the Leaf. The Fourth figured that she must be controlled by genjutsu, and told Inoichi to look for a patch of chakra in the middle of the Village. He led an Anbu team against whoever was hiding inside it, but he found only darkness, and then the darkness vanished too.”

“Hold on,” said Naruto. “How did he know that? To look for the chakra, I mean.”

A shrug was followed by another swallow. “He didn’t say. I reckon he figured that’s what the darkness would look like to Inoichi. As fer how he knew that, though…. I’d ask him if I could.”

Naruto frowned. He had wanted to check the reasoning of the Fourth – his dad – to see if it made sense: Even if the darkness and everything else fit with Madara being the Enemy, Naruto could not imagine that it was enough to think that an ancient shinobi thought long dead was the most likely culprit. Even if Madara had survived, it still made no sense that he would do nothing notable for forty years after losing his duel to the First Hokage, and then do nothing again for thirteen years after attacking the Village. On the other hand, it could well be that there was other evidence that Minato had relied on, which left Naruto with having to decide just how much he should trust the Fourth Hokage’s judgment.

“Anyway, the Nine-tails was easily handled after that,” Jiraiya continued. “Only it turned out that it was the beast itself that was being controlled, not yer mum, and so when the genjutsu ended, she… she was already gone.” Jiraiya was not drinking anymore, but balanced his empty cup on its edge with one finger, and slowly spun it around in circles. His eyes were following its movements, as though hypnotized.

“Why me?” he whispered. “Why seal the daemon inside me, of all people? It defeats the whole point if the Daemon host can’t actually fight! It should’ve been someone like you, or, or your friend Tsunade…”

“The Beast’s got to go to someone young if its chakra is to merge with the host’s over time,” Jiraiya murmured. “But I reckon the Fourth was probably thinking that since he was about t’ die, he wanted to at least leave something useful behind for his kid, to protect you in his place. You see, all Tailed Beasts have incredible restorative chakra, but combine that with the Uzumaki clan’s natural vitality… Naruto, if you ever learn to fully control that creature’s chakra, it’s possible that you could never die – any injury you get, even whole organs lost, it would just heal right back.”

On any other day Naruto’s eyes would have widened in shock, but now it was just another blow to add to the ones that had struck him before. Immortality..? Could it really be that easy? But no, his mother had died regardless, and to the very flames that were supposed to protect her as well. Considering the risk of letting it escape by accident, Naruto was not sure he could justify using the Kyūbi’s power at all. Either way, the Fourth had been acting almost entirely irrationally, near the end: After sacrificing everything to become Hokage, he had sacrificed himself so that the Village would hold on to its Daemon, only to host the Beast inside a child that could not actually use it, all for the sake of his son… when Naruto would much rather have his original father still be alive.

Yet even as he reflected on the family he never had, another strange and distant part of his mind finished concluding that if he could not trust his father’s judgment, then the main reason to think the enemy was Madara was gone as well. He shook his head to dispel the thought. It was pointless to guess when he had so little information. He needed a clue: A hint, or a weapon, or a witness – something that everyone else might have missed, because it did not fall within the usual pattern of things they would consider…

“The Nine-tails,” he heard himself saying, his voice sounding strange to his own ears. “Would it be possible to ask the Nine-tails who was controlling it?”

“That,” his godfather said slowly, “is not a bad thought.”