Jiraiya

The footsteps faded into nothingness as the village came into view. The sound of the crackling fire mixed with the hint of a cold morning shower, filled the silence. The scene in front of the Legendary Sennin was devastating.

He came to a halt as soon as he reached the entrance of the massacred village. Surrounding him were the bodies of innocent women and children. None of the mutilated bodies belonged to men, let alone shinobi.

The white-haired man let his arm dangle helplessly by his side. His bag and the scroll he always carried slid off his back, landing on the ground with a soft thud. He didn't bother picking them up.

"If... If only I had been on time!" he cursed himself, his fists curling up into a ball, anger surfacing on his skin.

Taking a step inside, he knelt down and scooped up the bloodied soil in his hands, cursing himself even more. There was nothing he could do; his mission had failed. He had failed.

He spun around on his feet and prepared to leave with a heavy heart. He had to follow the attackers and free the men of the village whom they had probably enslaved-if they were still alive, that is.

Look for survivors. His mind screamed. No one could be alive after this type of bloodshed. He argued with himself. The attackers couldn't be far away; if he hurried, he might catch them and free the captured men.

But there is no way to guarantee that the men are alive. He had to make a decision, and quickly.

The long-haired man clapped his face with exasperation. He was getting old and slow at making decisions, but he followed his heart and entered the village.

Just one quick look.

He thrashed around the broken houses and threw aside chunks of logs, only to find everything covered in crimson. After surveying the village once more, he decided that there was no point in wasting his time.

With a hasty movement of his hands, he wiped off the sweat from his face and proceeded out of the village.

I could have saved them. I could have. No. I should have.

Picking up the scroll lying on the muddy ground, Jiraiya wondered if all he could give the village was the silent echo of his footsteps. But just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard a cry.

"Help... someone..." the voice croaked.

Immediately, the man made his way towards the sound of the cry.

Someone is alive.

He moved quickly and swiftly, but his thoughts were elsewhere. The woman who called for help was not alone. The source of the sound he was following obviously wasn't a woman.

He pushed aside the last few burning logs and stared at the blood-smeared visage of a young woman and...

an infant.

The white-haired man instantly dug his hands into his pouch and prepared for first aid. He kneeled down beside the woman and tried to ignore the shrill cry of the baby. He studied the wounded woman and hurried through her treatment.

The woman was badly wounded, her stomach agape. Cuts covered her body, and blood gushed out of them. Worst of all, her eyes were smashed beyond help.

Maybe I can still save her, he thought.

The woman, who could no longer see, fumbled with her hands as she took hold of her savior's arms. She gripped him tightly, almost digging her nails into his skin.

With a weak voice, she pleaded, "Please save her...," she managed to speak, "save my daughter!"

"She is safe, Miss. Now please try not to move," he told her and removed her grip from him. If she moved too much, he wouldn't be able to do anything.

"The men," he tried to distract her, "do you know where they are?"

The woman pursed her lips and shook her head. With a tiny voice, she told him that they were probably all dead.

Oh.

Blood trickled down her face in the form of tears, even though she couldn't open her eyes anymore. Her heart beat faster, and she gasped for air. She knew she wouldn't live, no matter what the stranger tried.

"Please take her to a safe place," she insisted. "She has a duty to fulfill."

Confused by her words, he asked, "What duties? She is just a child."

"The Prop-" the woman coughed blood, and the white-haired man tried to heal her with his chakra.

"Don't move!" he shouted, panic surging through him. If only she were here, she could have saved at least this woman, unlike me.

The woman smiled and removed his hands from her wound. She knew her time had come.

"The Prophecy..." she completed.

"What prophecy?" he asked in a low tone, disappointed by his inability to save her, as he made his way toward the child.

The sun was almost up now. The first ray of sunshine hit the child directly, and something inside Jiraiya's body churned.

Oh my god. What had this child done to go through such a punishment?

He neared the child and knelt down. The crying suddenly stopped as he hovered his fingers above the child's head and stroked. He scooped up the child swiftly and gently wiped away the blood smeared face, taking care not to touch the eyes.

The child looked at him with utmost curiosity.

"The Uzumaki prophecy," the woman's voice echoed in his head as she tried to speak between her short breaths. "She has a reason to be born, just like everyone else, but with a slight difference-her reason is known."

"What the hell?"

"She will become a significant help in saving the future. Her fate... It is her fate to keep the past and future alive and separate..."

"You make it sound like the future is going to mix with the past?" the man stated with amusement.

"Doesn't it always?" the red-haired woman whispered, then didn't speak for a while.

"Can I?" She extended her hands forward.

The man bent down and let her take hold of the child, who started laughing as soon as she felt her mother's warm hands around her.

"Where do I take her?" he asked once again.

"Where do you live?"

"I have no permanent home as of yet..."

"Where do you come from?" she asked, rephrasing her words.

"Konoha," the man said.

The woman smiled once again and didn't say anything. She handed the child back to the man and peacefully closed her eyes.

"Konoha..." she repeated, and with that, she departed into eternity.

♠

Jiraiya peered over the walls of the hot springs at the beautiful, curvy, naked women. His eyes became small and his face became hot as he took in all the small details of the scene in front of him.

This is heaven!!!

He took out a small notebook and a pen and started scribbling on it, acting like a total maniac. His face was flushed as hot air constantly escaped his nose.

He took a look at the bath and quickly made a note. This happened for about five whole minutes before a shrill cry near his ear made him loose his balance and he was found out.

"Ahhh... hentai!" the women shouted and started throwing all sort of stuffs towards him.

Jiraiya immediately excited the scene, cursing his fate under his breath.

Why the hell did he have to carry such a thing with himself all the time? He picked up a tiny red haired baby by her collar and stared at her with an angry look.

The girl, almost about 1 year old, stared at his face, finding it quite amusing. She extended both her tiny hands towards his face and poked him. He sighed in defeat.

Shaking his head, he put the child on his shoulders and made way to another bath house.

"Always ruining my perfect plan..." he murmured.

After a few minutes, the thing on his shoulders started making noises and eating his hair.

Irritated, he grabbed her off his shoulders and screamed at her. "Will you stop chewing on my beautiful hair?!"

The girl looked at him with a big, surprised eye, tilted her face sideways and put a finger on his face, "Agoo..." she laughed.

Sighing for about a hundredth time on the same day, he lightly patted the girl on her head, making her smile even more widely.

"Save me, oh god, from this little devil." he prayed before putting her back on his shoulders. "Let's get you something to eat before you gobble up every single strand of my hair."

Minato

The birds chirped cheerfully in the village filled with lush green grass and trees. The sun peered down upon the villagers and illuminated the four stone faces carved on the mountain.

Everyone one was up early and preparing for their duties. Some of the children were still sleeping while the others were running around here and there, chasing each other and causing ruckus.

No one noticed the new addition in the village. They passed by her and greeted the white haired man who carried her on his shoulders. Every day was a busy day in Konohagakure-The Village hidden in the leaves.

But not everyone was active and out of their homes yet. One such household was of the Akai Chishio no Habanero (Red-Hot Habanero) and the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō (Konoha's Yellow Flash).

The yellow haired man found himself in the kitchen, making breakfast for his family.

"What would you like to have, Kushina?" He shouted.

"Anything you like."

Minato smiled to himself and started humming his favourite tune as he shuffled through the drawers.

He was going to become a father.

The thought made him very happy and nervous too. He did not know how he will be able to take care of his child, more so ever if the child turned out to be like his wife.

He winced at the thought and wiped of the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes due to laughing. I am going to be a father.

Just as he had laid every dish on the table, he heard the hurried knocks on the front door. Minato looked over at the wall clock and wondered who it can be so early in the morning.

"Are you going to get that or shall I come down?" asked Kushina's curious voice from upstairs.

"Ye-yea, Sorry." he apologised and made his way towards the door. "Hold on a sec."

Must be Kakashi.

The knocks turned to banging before he could open the door. He sighed and turned the door knob, "Who is it?"

Minato was shoved aside and Jiraiya quickly made his way inside, dumping all his belongings on the centre-table.

"Wo-Woah, Jiraiya sensei! What a surprise?!" Minato exclaimed, closing the door behind him. "What makes you come here?" he asked.

Suddenly he heard a giggle and felt something tug his lowers. Startled by this, he took a step backwards and stared down at a red headed creature.

"Agoo!" she smiled broadly.

"This," Jiraiya pointed at the child, "I want you to keep it."

Heh? What?

"What?" Minato repeated. "Who is she?" He asked, picking her up in his arms.

"I found her on a mission."

Confused look surfaced Minato's viságe and Jiraiya motioned him to sit down beside him. He did.

Slowly but not in much detail, he told Minato everything that had happened a year ago in the village. He told him how he couldn't save anyone, how he met this child, about the Uzumaki prophecy- everything, excluding his adventures at the hot springs.

"And now I have to go on another mission. We have found out their hideout and I can't possibly take this thing along," he pointed at the girl in Minato's hands who was playing with his hair, "It's very dangerous."

Minato sighed, Jiraiya was right. He cannot take a child along on a S- Rank Mission but,

Why me?

"You do know that Kushina is already expecting, right?" Minato asked.

"Yes, but you are my only hope." He pleaded. "Plus, she is not giving birth anytime soon."

"B-But I don't even know how to take care of a baby!" he exclaimed, "What is her age anyway?"

"One, umnn, probably." Jiraiya said and dug out an old looking hitai-ate with Konoha's symbol carved on it. "I found it near her mother, probably belonged to her father." he said, handing it over to Minato.

"Wait, wait." Minato held up one of his hands, "I didn't yet say that I am going to look after her. It will be a problem to Kushina."

Jiraiya didn't say anything but looked blankly out of the window. Minato looked at the child who was still playing with his hair.

He sighed.

"What do you call her?" he asked Jiraiya in defeat.

Jiraiya's eyes lit up as he confirmed, "You agreed?"

"Okay, fine-whatever. Just tell me what her name is?"

Jiraiya found himself unable to answer that. He scratched his head and muttered something under his breath.

"What? You haven't even named her for the past one year?" Disbelief spread over Minato's face.

"Yea- I mean, No. I-"

"Menma." A voice addressed them from the stair case. "We will call her Menma." Kushina declared.

"Oh, Kushina. Come sit down." Jiraiya motioned to her.

"You don't object?" Minato asked, heaving a sigh of relief.

"Why should I?" she said, smiling broadly. "Naruto will get someone to be with."

"Naruto?" Jiraiya bursted out, coughing.

"Our child," Kushina said, "We decided to name him after the protagonist of your first book-The Tales of a Gutsy Ninja."

"Are you sure you want to name him that?" Jiraiya raised his eyebrow in question, "I just randomly came up with that name while eating ramen."

"Yea, it's a beautiful name." Kushina said.

"We want to raise our child to be a shinobi like the one in your book! That's why we've decided to name him after the main character in your book." Minato explained.

"Like him, huh?"

"I guess, probably not like you, though." Kushina smirked. "You will be good only as his god father."

"God father? Me?"

"Yes. You are such a great person." Minato chided.

"Hehh... I guess I have no choice, huh." Jiraiya stood up and neared Minato. "Naruto and Menma."

He touched Menma's cheeks slightly and smiled. She took his finger in both her hands and stared at it.

I guess she isn't much of a devil child.

Menma took his finger and bit it hard making Jiraiya jump up. "You little devil! I was wrong-totally wrong!" he cursed and picked up his bags.

Minato and Kushina suppressed their laughs and just smiled. Jiraiya bid everyone a good bye and left.

"Let's get you something to eat, Menma." Minato said and threw her high in the air. Menma giggled.

"We will have to hand Menma over to someone for a short while when you start getting labour pains." Minato stated.

"I know, but after Naruto is born... we can have a great family."

"Yeah." Minato smiled as he looked at Kushina, now playing with Menma.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

A/N

Hello and welcome to the revamped version of Naruto: Euphoria! This story will be mostly the same but with better grammar (maybe?) and little changes--- our dear Naeko is now called Menma.

I want to make this story a standalone, which does not change the original storyl-ine.

If someone is reading, I hope you enjoy!

Don't forget to Vote! Comment if you have anything in your mind and Share!

Love,
Aeon