Yoooooy! I am the great Jiraiya-sama! Debonair! One of the legendary Sannin, ninja-extraordinaire! Did I mention debonair? But you all know me, right? It's the result of having written one best-selling novel after another. Hehe! Ahem! But if you're below 18, you're not allowed to read them yet.
So if you're young and still know who I am, it's probably because you've heard of famous ninjas that I took as my apprentices. Some of them turned good, some not so good. But no one can question that each of them performed great deeds, in his own way.
Let's see, there's Naruto, I have high hopes for that boy. A little slow on the uptake but steadily progressing to be someone formidable. There's Nagato, I had hoped he'd get passed his painful origins and move on but…*sigh* Ah well.
So anyway, I bet you didn't know how I chanced upon a little boy named Hikaru and how I took him under my wing. Kiiroi Hikaru, they called him because of his yellow hair. Are you ready? Have to warn you, though, this is not for little kiddies.
I've traveled the world for a good part of my life in search for the valuable meaning of our existence. There was a prophecy, you see, about a child and all that. But at the early stage of my travels, I was more interested in the part of the prophecy about me writing a book. So I made sure I went to all the entertainment districts of every town in order to, you know, enhance my research.
From time to time, I would go back to my own country to see how things are doing. On my way back to Konoha one time, I stopped by a little harbor town on the southern edge of Fire Country. I've been out of the country for a few months and I was raring for some locally manufactured good time. Instead I found something totally unexpected.
Okay so there I was, young, slick, suave, in the sleaziest part of town. Don't ask me how I got there. It was about this hot voluptuous uhm…er…
so there I was in the sleaziest part of town, taking in the sights and the stench, when I spotted two fellas huddled in a corner of a dark alley. Being naturally curious, I drew closer to see what they were up to. To my horror, I realized they were beating the crap out of a small kid. He was no more than five or six years old!
Thus, in my full heroic form, I immediately stepped between the poor thing and the bullies and challenged the latter to take on someone their own size. That or a brilliant flash of light suddenly came between them and the kid, making it possible for the little squirt to escape. You decide which version is more believable. Either way, I did hear yelling of some sort. Something like, "Hikaru, give us our money back!"
I put the incident out of my head. The night was young so I decided to resume the search for my paramour. A peek here, a peep there and voila! I found where my lady dwelt-a dank little shanty near the harbor. A bit shabby, not really a residence I expected for such an elegant lady, but the row of garbage bins gave it a nice touch. I was going to make a classy entrance and surprise her but my approach was halted by serious arguments going on inside.
"Look at you. You have been gambling again, haven't you?" It was my love.
"I haven't been gambling," a kid's voice protested.
I got curious…again…so I delayed my entrance and waited outside to hear what it was all about. I took a peek at the two combatants. To my surprise, it was the kid who was getting pummeled at the alley early that same evening.
"Not gambling?" I heard the woman continue. "Not gambling? Playing with cards for money, not gambling?"
"Aw ma, it's only gambling if you're not sure you'll win. I always know I will," the kid replied. That sent a grin on my face. Your mum's gonna explode now you smartass, I thought.
"Alright then, how about cheating? You cheat other people at cards. Am I raising a criminal now?" The mother was in tears. I felt kinda sorry for her.
The kid's head was bowing so low it's nearly touching the ground. "I-I can't help it if I see what the cards are face down."
My eyebrows cocked. He could see what the cards are face down. Interesting.
The mother drew near and gently cuddled the kid. "Hikaru, it's not an excuse. You have a wonderful gift, which you have only begun to explore. This early, you must decide you won't use them to do bad things."
"I only wanted to help you momma. We barely had anything to eat for three days now…"
Okay, time for me to make my grand entrance. Luckily for them, I brought a tasty treat with me. I entered the shanty as Hikaru was finishing his sentence.
"…especially now that the baby's coming." I felt myself tripping on something and landing on top of my 'tasty treat' in front of mother and son. They both stared. My chest smelled of sushi. Mental note: Bath. Later.
"Uhm..ahh..hi there. Ah hello. I was in the neighborhood so I decided to drop by. You remember me right? I'm…"
"Jiraiya-sama", she finished for me. Hah, of course she remembered. It's me we're talking about.
"How did you know I live here?" she asked.
"Well, you know, small world. I was having a drink somewhere nearby when your name came up and this chap told me where you were."
"I see."
"But anyway, here, I brought you something."
She smiled at my token then she faced little Hikaru. "See dear, you don't have to resort to doing bad things to receive provision. Now what will you say to our nice friend?"
The kid shot me a glance then looked away before mumbling his thanks.
After finishing their meal, Hikaru hurriedly excused himself. I could tell he was eager to be rid of me but could not manage to be rude in front of his mother so he just stuck his tongue out at me on his way out.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a son?" I asked her once we were alone.
"You didn't ask. Besides, it was such a short acquaintance." But a sweet one, I remember.
"I understand you have a kid on the way." And pretty soon too by the looks of her belly, I thought.
"Yes, you heard that, didn't you?" she said obviously embarrassed.
"My ex-husband, Hikaru's father, comes whenever he feels like it then does what he pleases. He takes the money I have saved and leaves us to fend for ourselves."
"I see," I said. So that's why she was forced to work at that sleazy bar I visited a few months back.
So here was a beautiful young woman, struggling with her condition and taking care of a precocious young kid by the name of Hikaru, who was possibly on his way to becoming a full-time con artist. So what do I do about it?
Nothing. The great Jiraiya-sama didn't really care for such trouble. I just came to see her pretty face again.
"Can you take him with you?"
"Say what?"
She sighed and asked again. "Can you please take Hikaru with you?"
"No way. Why would I want to do that?" It suddenly felt like I was developing some kind of skin rash.
"Please Jiraiya-sama. I'll be giving birth soon and I will find it even harder to take care of him. I'm so worried that he'll go deeper into his new-found abilities and use it in a dreadful way that will get him in deep trouble."
"Yes most likely, if he hasn't already, but what does that have to do with me? He's not even my son. " Even then I still didn't have any intention of getting involved, I thought.
"Jiraiya-sama, I wish Hikaru had been much older before going through this again. I should've realized he was different, special. He's not a bad kid. He's sweet and kind."
"And a con", I added, but immediately regretted doing so when I saw tears trickle down her cheeks.
"It's just that the last few weeks have been very difficult," she continued. "I've been ill and finding it hard to work. We're both going days without food. He feels sorrier for me than himself so he went out on his own to look for food. I just didn't expect he'd find use for his abilities in a gambling alley."
I have to admit, the situation was pitiful. Still, I didn't know if I could sympathize. My reputation would be ruined if I brought home a kid... Aw look at her, eyes pleading.
"Please take him, Jiraiya-sama. I cannot take care of him now."
Take note, those two lines of hers were the ones little Hikaru heard just as he was about to come back in. Typical, ain't it? So thinking his mother hated him, he felt bad and ran away. Her next words were what he didn't hear.
"I'll come for him just as soon as I wean the little one. I love Hikaru so much. It breaks my heart to part with him even for a moment but I must do so for his sake. I must get in better shape to protect him again as a mother should."
See, jumping to conclusions before hearing the whole story, never healthy, especially when you're only eavesdropping. Anyway, I didn't agree to her proposal. I didn't disagree either. We just sat there sort of in a stalemate, waiting for something to break the silence.
Fortunately, her motherly instincts broke it soon enough. It was getting late and she noted that Hikaru had not come back. She stepped outside and called out.
"Hikaru! Hikaru!" No reply. I could feel her tension. Obviously, the kid's never been out this late. I thought, great! Now I have to find him 'cause he stayed out because of me. I knew I should've just said goodbye the moment the little brat stuck his tongue out at me.
His mother and I circled the bridge a few times. When it became evident Hikaru was not within the area, I volunteered to venture out on my own to look for him. The streets are not safe for expecting mums like her. She graciously accepted my offer. Of course, I was thinking that when I get my hands on that stinking kid it'd be best if his momma's not around to see what I'd to do to him.
I was looking rather forlorn, and feeling quite bored walking the alley streets. "It's so dark! How can I ever spot a tiny kid? No wait, I can't use that as an excuse. I saw a dog eat him? Nah, too gross." Sigh.
It's not like I would like for him to get lost. I just didn't know if I wanted to find him. He's kinda creepy. And no, it wasn't my imposing hunk of a figure that helped him escape the two guys in the alley. It really was that bright flash. So you can just imagine my..ah..delight when I finally spotted the lil one with a group of witless fellas playing poker. And by the look on their faces, I could tell that Hikaru had already milked them out of their resources so early after midnight.
As I was about to call the young charlatan to put a stop to the charade, a voice from behind beat me to the task.
"Kiiroi Hikaru, we have unfinished business, you and I." It was the burly man who was pouncing on the kid early that evening.
"And after you, it's me and him," the one beside him said.
"What's going on?" One of the players asked.
The burly one approached. "That little kid cheats at play. You should've caught on by now, friend. You seem down and out y'self."
"Yes I am," was the reply, then facing Hikaru, he said
"Why you little…"
Now before we get rough on the speeches, I think you get the idea. It's obvious our little Hikaru's in deep trouble. Five people were out to get the little nib and tear him to shreds. Luckily, I was there. As much as he creeped me out, I didn't think he's a bad kid at all. Just a little misguided perhaps. It's not really my place to show him the path to moral recovery. Just needed to save his hide once for his mum's sake.
"Alright, now fellas. Calm down all of you. No need for violence, seeing that we're only dealing with one little kid here."
"That 'little kid', sir, is more cunning than Madara himself," said one. Ooh, that would be quite the distinction, wouldn't it?
"Come on fellas, I can't believe that intelligent and respectable gents like yourselves will allow themselves to be cheated by a skinny, barely-weaned squirt like this, do you?"
The men were quiet considering what I said. Hikaru gave me a dirty look. I had him by the collar to prevent him from running away. This was going well. I continued. "Perhaps, the kid's just lucky…"
As if snapping from a trance, however, one guy asked, "hey wait a minute, who are you anyway?"
And then another. "You must be the one setting that kid out to prey on us, aren't ya?"
I thought the conversation started rather well but I decided it was time for Plan B. "Hikaru, can you do that bright flashy thingy again and get us out of here?"
"Okay," the kid replied and then he extended his right palm and formed what looked like a transluscent ball of light which he threw at the men in front of us and poof, white all around except for a clear path out which I quickly made my way for. I ran as fast as I could while carrying Hikaru by the side of my waist.
Good thing I've had some practice running from chicks that couldn't get enough of me. Ahem. Anyway, I heard angry threats from behind. "Hikaru, we'll get you. You'll never set foot in this town again!"
"Let go of me! Leggo!" I felt Hikaru struggling beneath my grasp. I set him down when we were far enough. He sprang up and attempted to run but I didn't become the great Jiraiya by being slow. He's not going anywhere. "Not even your flashies can make me lose my grip, Hikaru, probably only tighten it so give it up." He did. I then asked him why he didn't come back home.
"She doesn't want me anymore. She hates me. You heard her. She was talking to you," was the quick reply.
"She was but I don't remember anything about that part," I said.
"Liar! I heard her. She asked you to take me cause she can't take care of me anymore," he started sniffling. I began to understand. "It's because I'm bad," he continued between sobs. "I disobeyed her."
I rolled my eyes. I'm feeling Mr. Indignant coming on. "Hikaru, if you don't like disobeying her, why were you pulling that same crap again just now?"
His sobs were reduced back to sniffles. "I only wanted to make enough to help her when the baby comes. I was going away and no one will take care of her."
Touching. This kid's not so bad, just as I suspected. But still creepy so I decided that after I take him home, I was out of the picture. I told him his mother loved him la-dee-da then he agreed to go home. I was surprised he didn't float home from all those hiccups.
His mother was, of course, relieved to see him and disappointed to learn of the card game. But she was too worn out to berate him. She's just glad he's safe. Well, not safe for long. Unfortunately, that same morning, a mob was on its way to confront the little hustler.
"Momma, we have to go, something's coming," Hikaru appealed barely an hour after we got back. He had his hand on the floor.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Lots of them, they're after me."
I figured he's somewhat of a clairvoyant too. "Don't worry Hikaru. I can handle ten people," I assured…Really, I can. Ask Oroch!
Hikaru fidgeted. "More than ten."
Whoa, now I'm worried. "How many more?"
The kid was almost whispering. "Much more."
Time to panic. I'm not really allowed to use ninja techniques on ordinary folk. "How could that be? Did you beat the whole town at poker?"
Hikaru was staring at the exit. "Maybe just a little part of town."
I stood up. "We better get out of here now." This is a nightmare, I thought. I came here for a little romantic adventure and I get a horror flick.
Her face then was as calm as I ever saw her. She touched my face with her warm hands. "Jiraiya, take him with you."
"I can't leave you here," I protested.
"Of course, you can. They won't harm me. Besides, I'll only slow you down. Please, take him. Maybe you can introduce him to someone who can focus his abilities towards a noble cause."
"You speak like this is goodbye."
"It isn't. I'm just trying to make you understand. Now please go."
Just before Hikaru realized we were not taking his mother along, I had grabbed him as I did the last time we made an escape and got out of there. Halfway through the town, I could hear poor Hikaru calling out for his mother. I only blinked my eyes and ran faster toward the forest.
He wouldn't stop crying for days. Then the hiccups, then the wailing, then the hiccups. Believe me, after that, I can take any noise you throw at me.
Then the crying stopped altogether. I felt sorry for the little guy. He was like a wet, squishy, little…thing. He wasn't moving at all. He didn't eat for days.
"You okay, Hikaru?" Stupid thing to ask but hey, a conversation had to start at some point.
He didn't answer. "Hey your mum's gonna be okay." I heard a sniffle. I was afraid it's gonna start all over again. But it didn't. I just heard a tiny hoarse voice from that tiny head.
"She's dead," he said quietly.
I stepped back. What a horrible thing to come out of the mouth of a kid. But then, remembering he had a gift, I realized he didn't make this up. I realized too that I made a very wrong call. I shouldn't have agreed to leave her behind. It was time for my own tears to fall.
We stayed in the forest for a few days. I went out only to acquire food. I figured her sacrifice would be in vain if we starved to death out there. It took some coaxing and prodding for the kid to take a bite and he eventually did despite the lack of joy in doing so.
Another week and it was time to head for home. There's a change in Hikaru from that point on. He's certainly quieter, less feisty, more cooperative and less likely to complain. But the spark in his eyes that was previously so evident had also dimmed. I knew it's because he blamed himself for his mother's death. Maybe I should too but I couldn't. Perhaps it's because I felt his pain, his sorrow, his remorse. At least I'm confident he'd think more than twice before getting himself into trouble again. Still, it saddened me to think his heart was too broken to ever fully heal.
Just before we entered the village, we decided we better leave the name Hikaru behind. His reputation may have already preceded us and it would be dreadfully tiresome to have to explain. The memory of her death, too, was still too fresh. He came up with "Minato" in remembrance of the harbor from where he was raised.
"Alright then, Minato it is. Namikaze Minato." We kept his mother's name. "It has a very respectable ring to it if I do say so myself." He gave no reaction. I guess he didn't care what he was called.
Fortunately, I didn't get a lot of flak for bringing in Minato, as we now call him. Funny how you change one's name and eventually come back to it in one form or another. Kiiroi Hikaru would eventually be known as Kiiroi Senko, or Yellow Flash. The "ko" part of that title is, of course, the same kanji for hikaru, meaning light.
As I was saying, they pretty much took him in as part of the village. They said it's because he was cute or something. I think they just felt bad because of how pathetic and sad he looked. But no matter, he really was meant to be part of Konoha. He also made friends, however reluctantly with some of the children. But I still worried about him. Everyone marked his improvement since the first day he came…but only I knew of that spark in his eyes, the one that might never return until…
"Hello Jiraiya."
I looked up from my seat at the dango shop where I was having a snack that afternoon. It must be an apparition. It couldn't be her.
"Minato said you were dead," I said, unaware I had used a name unfamiliar to her.
"Hikaru. I meant Hikaru," I corrected suddenly embarrassed of the error. "We were in the forest, he was crying for days, then he stopped and he said you were dead. I believed him because he could sense that kind of stuff, couldn't he?"
She was quiet for a while before she invited me out for a walk.
I guess Hikaru's power was not that strong enough at the time in the forest but he did sense that death had occurred. She told me she had a miscarriage. The baby didn't survive. I asked her if it was because of the mob. She said no. One man from the whole group politely entered her shanty and asked her if Hikaru was there. When she said no, he left with the others.
She had been hoping she'd be able to successfully give birth but the pregnancy had been more difficult than she expected. She had a feeling it wouldn't survive. It was neither the mob nor Hikaru's fault. I asked her why it had taken so long for her to come. I was surprised when she said she had been here for months, lurking, watching out for Hikaru's development. With Hikaru's gift, didn't he sense she was there? "Oh he sensed me alright," she said.
"He knows I'm around."
"He'll be glad to see you," I said. There was a pain in my heart that I couldn't explain. I remembered her promise to come take Hikaru back. A few years ago that would have been a welcome relief but now…now that all in the village had come to love their little Minato…"
She seemed to have been analyzing my reaction. "Do you think I should show myself to him? After all this time when his life has taken on some peace and quiet? Should I take him back with me?"
It took a while for me to answer. "Yes, you should show yourself to him," I replied. "He blames himself for all that's happened and he hasn't been the same since. There's no peace and quiet quite like a clear conscience."
Then I nodded my head. "As for taking him back…he's your son. You have every right to do so. But just so you know, we will all miss him. I could offer for you to stay here instead," I said somewhat hopeful.
She looked me deep in the eyes and said," you're right, I should reveal myself. A promise is a promise. As for your other offer, we will see."
"Hey Minato, come here," I called to him. Immediately he came, as obedient as always, my young apprentice. "Go to this inn outside Konoha. Someone's waiting for you there". And so he did.
It's been a couple of days. After a long while of attempting to distract myself with my usual activities-the grooming, the hanging out with lovely females who admire all of my different profiles…I know it's hard to believe I'd get tired of all that but I was thinking of ways to tell people Minato might not come back. It's particularly difficult too because every hour or so, someone would ask me where he was. After the nth "where's Minato?" thrown at me, I decided it was time to gather everyone and announce the sad news.
When they were all together, I held everyone with my serious gaze. Orochimaru was particularly impatient and was expecting me to blurt out one of my jokes. The kids were attentive. Tsunade was muttering something under her breath. Sarutobi-sensei was yawning.
"My dear friends, I…" I heard my voice trail off as I saw Minato approaching from a distance.
"What Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked as she nudged my side.
"I uh uh I got a new haircut, how does it look?" I struck a pose.
"Oh for crying out loud!" just about everyone said.
"Hey you all need a distraction from time to time, you know. From your routine!" I yelled.
"It looks good, Jiraiya-san," little Kushina said.
I turned to Tsunade but she wouldn't buy it. She rolled her eyes and left.
Everyone was griping, which only meant I was going to get summoned by Old Saru later. I massaged my forehead to ward off an incoming headache. As I was doing so, I noticed that the noise had stopped. I turned around and saw that everyone was staring at Minato. He was shyly trying to deflect the stares to no avail. I heard comments like, 'Minato, there's something different about you, looking good', or 'Nice to see you, Minato. You seem to be having a good day,' and 'you look happy today Minato.'
He was coming toward me and I tried to figure out what was different. His features were the same, spiky blond hair…blue eyes… He was smiling, which was rare but not unseen. Wait, that's it, his eyes! The spark! It's back in his eyes. Little Hikaru's back!
"Jiraiya-sensei, I wanted to thank you," Minato finally said to me.
"Thank me for what?" I asked, trying to act humble. Not really my style but I was trying it on. Wasn't too bad. Of course, I knew he was thanking me for telling his mother to come for him. Wait, she must have sent him to say goodbye!
"Thanks for everything," he continued. Aack, I knew it! Sad day.
"I'm gonna miss you Hikaru. We all will." That's all I could say. How could I tell him he's been like a son, I mean a brother…a little brother I never had. At this point, he kinda looked at me funny.
"Are you sending me away?" he asked, which I thought was an odd thing to ask. "Not sending you away. No choice but to let you go if your mother wants to take you back." He had that funny look again.
"My mom's dead, Jiraiya-sensei. I told you that in the forest long ago, remember?"
After all this time, the kid's still creepy. "What are you talking about? Didn't you meet her at the inn?"
"Yes, I did. She told me everything that happened. She was very sick and she knew she wouldn't make it through labor. She had to find someone who would take care of me. She said she forgave me for the gambling and that she was proud I didn't do it anymore. She said I was meant to come here and be with all of you."
I was speechless. It's a little hard to take.
"Oh and she said I can keep my new name."
So ultimately it's a story of a mother's love. How Hikaru's mother saved him from a possible life of crime and helped him find a family that will love him after she's gone. And now I'm even more confident that whoever his father was, Minato was his mother's son.
Some time after Minato became the fourth Hokage, I asked him how he managed to play half the town and what he did with the winnings. He paused for a moment, trying to remember what happened. This is what he said-
"Those men hardly had anything. Some had a few coins, others pawned fake accessories. It was hard to scrounge up enough food no matter how many I played against. I think they just got pissed because a kid beat them. When I beat some with money and took them to my mom, she didn't allow me to spend it so I bunched them up, stuffed them on my pillow and slept on them. The money may still be there."
Oh well, I was just curious.