DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. NARUTO IT'S OWNED BY MASASHI KISHIMOTO

After failing to retrieve Sasuke, Naruto was understandable sad, it was his failure, there was no way around that fact.

Naruto was by no means, strange to failure, hell, failure was practically all he knew during his first twelve years of life, to the point where his successes where achieved thru perseverance and never giving up almost exclusively, it took him twice as long as the rest of the kids in the orphanage to learn the basics of writing, it didn't amuse the staff in the slightest, but at least he wasn't alone, his slow learning curve just a matter of not enough staff to do the job properly.

You see, he was not the only troubled kid to be found in the overcrowded place, certainly not after the kyubi no kitsune attacked Konoha, back then the public wasn't even aware that the kyubi was sealed instead of killed, just like outside the highest ranking shinobi in the village everyone ignored that the village had two jinchurikis containing the biju.

It was sometime after his fourth birthday that the knowledge about the kyubi's survival, and the individual it was sealed into, was made public by some unknown party.

With this information spread around konoha in a matter of hours, the masses where not happy, that knowledge was like a kunai reopening old wounds, reminding them of the terror, the pain and the void left by those whom were lost in the calamity.

A few of the more unstable members in the village, mostly civilians were caught planning on executing the kid whom in their eyes, was the kyubi itself, were apprehended by the ANBU and in turn, executed themselves under treason charges. This was made public along with a new law, forbidding to talk about the biju or its container to those that didn't already know.

This law was made with the intention of not only protecting the village secret jinchuriki, but to give Naruto a chance to live a normal life. The law, succeeded partially, no outsiders knew who exactly the jinchuriki was, but Naruto did not live a normal life.

The glares, the whispers, parents telling their kids to stay away from him started immediately after the law came into effect, shortly after that, he was moved from the orphanage to a small apartment where he spent the next eight years of his life, living off of ramen eggs and milk and the occasional meal treat of the sandaime hokage.

The less said about the academy the better, his time after becoming a genin was an opportunity to experiment success again, the kage bunshin no jutsu being his greatest success, it took effort, but he learned it using just the instructions on the scroll, it was as if the jutsu was tailor made for him, even if he didn't really understood half the words on it, he pulled it off.

Naruto can say without a doubt, that the time he spend with his genin team was the best of his life to date. Even with the endless chores the village calls D-Rank missions, even with crazy kiri nin out for the blood of their drunken charge, even with snake like creeps going after them in a forest of nightmares, even fighting giant sand tanukis on the head of a giant toad… especially while fighting giant sand tanukis on the head of giant toads.

But then it happened, the dead of old man Hiruzen, the sandaime hokage, Itachi and his Akatsuki partner after him, Sasuke beaten like a rag doll, by the man whom he swore to kill, and then… that genjutsu leaving him in a coma, utterly defeated, and him unable to help.

It was the timely intervention of pervy sage that saved the day, they all lived to tell the tale. But that was the day that would mark the beginning of his greatest failure: Sasuke's defection to Orochimaru.

Beaten and in a hospital, feeling all the weight of his failure, it was then that Jiraya came to him telling him rather than asking about the training trip he had planned for them, and his advice: Forget about Sasuke.

Of course, Naruto agreed to train, if not for ramen, he would live to train, but he rejected the advice, saying that he would not listen, that it was not late to save Sasuke, according to the white haired sannin himself, the have 3 years before the snake its ready to take possession of the Uchiha's body.

Jiraya, didn't agreed with him.

Then, the travel began, and after a couple of days away from konoha, Jiraya repeated his advice, much more forcefully this time, it was more an ultimatum than an advice.

Being the stubborn person he is, Naruto took the challenge to change the sannin's mind about the matter, they made a bet:

If Naruto could land a single blow on his new sensei during a sparring match against him, he wins, and he would receive the training from the sannin and after they were done, he would look for his teammate and fulfill his promise to Sakura, proving how amazing he is as a shinobi in the process.

If he loses, he would have to abandon the idea of actively looking for Sasuke, and accept any order from his sensei regarding his training.

The result was humbling, in extreme, Jiraya taught him a lesson that day, no amount of luck will make u win a bet with zero per cent chances of success, for he showed Naruto the abysmal gap in skill between an S-class Shinobi seriously intending to win and a stubborn genin.

In the end, it took seventeen hours for the genin to admit defeat, and the worst part was that the only thing he managed to do to Jiraya was keep him with an empty stomach.

Unable to stand on feet, hungry, almost without chakra, with small chakra burns on his arms produced by the use of his tenants red chakra, literally nothing worked against Jiraya, the rasengan he is so proud about, the hundreds upon hundreds of bunshins trying to overwhelm him with numbers… even a couple of toads made no difference.

Jiraya barely even moved more than two steps at a time, his punches where barely strong enough to dispel the clones, or to make the original aware that he knew he was the source of the seemingly infinite amount of punches and kicks, it was obvious he was conserving his energy, he didn't used a single jutsu in seventeen hours, yet, he was completely untouched.

"Just say it, kid" Jiraya spoke, like it was the first time he was saying those words, but in reality, he already lost count.

"I haven't lost yet, old man!" Admitting defeat… Naruto realized, would mean breaking his promise to Sakura, and he does not go back on his word and never breaks a promise.

Carefully analyzing the short blond, Jiraya, decided, he would make a final bet.

"You lost, Naruto, you don't have the strength to throw a single punch left in you, and to prove it, I'll just sit down here without moving, if you hit me, you win, but if I count to ten, and you don't, you lose, do we have a deal?" standing just a couple of steps away from Naruto, Jiraya was just waiting for the blond to accept.

"No deal, you'll just count really fast!" Naruto wasn't expecting Jiraya to do so, but he was trying to gather enough strength to actually punch Jiraya, it was his only chance!

Jiraya stretched his hand and brushed his index finger at the side of the blond's mouth, five hand seals later, there was an old, small toad between them.

"Jiraya-chan, are you two still at this?" the toad asked, after the blond tried to use the amphibian's help to win the bet, they spread the words among the clan, and the old toad did not looked amused to be summoned in this situation.

"Sorry Fukasaku-sama, we will be putting an end to it now, if Naruto agrees" said Jiraya getting the toad now known as Fukasaku's interest.

"And how do you propose to do that Jiraya-chan?" asked the small creature.

"Simple, I'll sit down in front of Naruto, and if after ten seconds, he cannot hit me, I win"

Naruto, still not feeling the strength to throw a hit said "I won't trust someone summoned by pervy sage to do the counting!"

"Very well" Jiraya still sounding as confident as ever conceded "Summon one of your own to do the counting" it would only be on his favor if the blond agrees to it.

"Tch. Fine" caught on his bluff the genin had no option but to accept, unable to stall any further, but already gathering some of his tenants chakra to help him with the punch, he had practically won by now.

"Hmm, Ok then, but don't make a habit of calling me for such mundane things, Jiraya-chan" the old toad seemed more amused than anything, but still felt the need to remind the toad sage, that he was not a toad he can call often, due to his standing among the toad clan.

With a smile and a small nod, Jiraya of the legendary three sat down in front of the genin.

"One… Two… three" Naruto was ready, the chakra in his belly was flowing on his system and he was guiding it to his right arm, with more effort than he though was needed his fingers closed and his hand made a fist "Four… Five" but the fist was heavy, it felt like he was lifting one of Rock Lee's leg weights instead of his hand "Six… Seven…" finally he managed to get his hand close to his chest, intending to unleash the most powerful punch of the day on the legendary pervert… but "Eight… Nine…" the chakra on his arm was burning him from the inside out, like the first time he made a bet, like when he was racing against time to master the rasengan "Ten…" his hand still refusing to obey his commands, his body unable to strike, after seventeen hours, the genin used most of his enormous reserves of chakra on countless clones, forming hundreds of rasengans, he had a rare case of chakra exhaustion and chakra saturation, simultaneously, his muscles locked his arm close to his chest unable to move even a little "You lost, Naruto-chan" as the words of the old small toad hit him with the full force of reality, he fell to the ground, totally exhausted, totally defeated…

"I can't… no, this isn't right… I… I made a promise to Sakura-chan…" The disbelief on Naruto's words was evident, moving his head to glare at the white haired man he finally said "Please pervy sage, I… I made a promise, you can't make me break it… please" he was clearly begging, he was unable to deny the fact that he was defeated, that he was bound by his own word, but now, for the first time two promises of his were conflicting with each other, he really wanted to keep his promise to Sakura-chan, even if it means that in the end she will have Sasuke, and he won't have her, at least his best friend would be back in the village, and at least they would be happy…

"I hope this teaches you kid…" Jiraya's voice was soft, caring and compassionate, they filled the young jinchuriki with hope "To not make promises you can't keep" he didn't understood, how such harsh words could be spoken in such a gentle way.

"Jiraya-chan is only looking out for you, Naruto-chan" Fukasaku's words carried the same gentle tone as Jiraya´s, but they were what finally made Naruto understand…

This is just another Failure to add to his long, and seemingly ever growing list.

With his eyelids closing and losing consciousness the only thing he could think was 'Sorry… Sakura-chan…'

0x0x0

"Was it necessary to do this, Jiraya-chan?" Fukasaku asked to the sage while looking at the unconscious form of the younger toad summoner.

"The kid was behaving the same way I did after Orochimaru left konoha, I might not be the best, most caring godfather out there, but…" as Jiraya spoke his eyes fixed on the horizon, looking on something that cannot be seen, remembering his own past experience's, his own failures, remembering all the chaos, dead and suffering his old friend caused in this world, remembering the time he could have prevented so many dead's, just by killing the monster Orochimaru became, that one time when he escaped konoha, remembering how he missed the date for Naruto's birthday to not lose the tail of the snake, which he did, remembering that the day the blond was born, he was supposed to be there, lending an apparently unneeded set of eyes on Kushina's seal…Remembering… that if he had choose to stop going after Orochimaru… maybe, Naruto would still have his parents, and his sensei would still be alive… so many, scenarios ran on his mind, all of them useless, this was reality " at least my godson won't have to suffer for the actions of a former friend".

"What are you talking about Jiraya-chan?" asked Fukasaku not knowing what started this whole mess, of course, he had no way of knowing the running similarities between master and student.

Jiraya let out a breath, he knew he had some explaining to do.

0x0x0

Naruto awoke the next day, alone in the camp that Jiraya must have set the day before, it was close to mid day according to the sun, but the pervert was nowhere to be found, his body aching, his chakra pathways burning he was defenseless at the moment, not to mention, his face devoid of life.

Not even in his sleep could he forget the beaten he received yesterday, and the bet with Jiraya, what the hell was he supposed to say to Sakura-chan "Sorry but I can't keep my promise because of a bet I made with a perverted old man?" and what about Sasuke? Was he supposed to let the snake use his bod like a suit? To just abandon him? But after the other day, what choice did he has?

"Welcome back to the land of the living brat" Jiraya's voice brought him out of his musings he had some firewood in one hand and a hare in the other, the hare reminded him that the last time he had eaten something was probably more than a day ago, he was hungry.

"Why?" he asked with a serious tone of voice, he will break a promise for the first time on his life, he decided, the sannin answer will determine if he keeps his promise to Sakura-chan, or if he keeps his word to him instead.

"You mean why I don't want you chasing after a boy?" the grin in Jiraya's face could be practically heard, you knew it was there without actually having to look at him, angrily, Naruto turned his face so he could glare at his master, it seemed to have the desired effect and Jiraya's face went for a well natured teasing one to a the face of a shinobi who survived thru two shinobi wars, but he still did not talk.

"I'm serious Jiraya" he said, without adding any nickname or title, he just wanted to know, Jiraya during the duel made it clear, he held nothing back in order to win, he made a point, he wanted to know why?

"You know," Jiraya started, his face still the same mask of seriousness "Orochimaru and me used to be teammates right?" he asked, as if he didn't knew It already.

"You, Tsunade-bachan and that bastard snake where all students of the old man, everyone knows that!" Naruto was irritated, what was the point he was trying to make.

"Just like that Pink-haired girl, Sasuke and you were Kakashi's students right?" Jiraya, really didn't want to explain this in detail, it is still painful, but to him it was evident.

"Not the same you pervert!" Naruto replied getting irritated with his teacher's antics "None of us is a backstabbing murderous bastard like the Snake!"

"You are right, Sasuke it's a chest stabber" Jiraya for his part, was getting tired, he didn't wanted to spell it to the blond, but he will if it's necessary, Sasuke it's on the same road Orochimaru choose, and if he does survive his former teammate, he will be as much as a monster as Orochimaru, if not worse…

"It was not Sasuke, it was the curse seal!" Naruto defended Sasuke, it had to be! Sasuke would never try to kill him like that if not for the curse mark.

"Did you knew, there is another person who has the curse mark in konoha kid?" this time Jiraya sounded amused, but internally he was suffering, in the end he would have to share his past with the brat, and hope he learns from his mistakes "But she doesn't go around stabbing people in the chest, despite her quirks, she is one of the most loyal kunoichi in the leaf, and she never let the seal influence her, and her seal was applied ten years ago, so she had time to stab a couple of people".

"Does she have the second stage of the freaking seal?" Naruto countered, he was getting tired of Jiraya comparing his murderous former teammate to Sasuke.

"No, she does not, and it does not matters" Jiraya was calm while speaking a total opposite of his student "If she did, she would not use it, the seal it's still activated by the will of the bearer" lifting a finger he continued "You have something far more powerful than Orochimaru's curse seal at your disposal, and from your report to Tsunade, you Used your tenants power to match the stage two of the cursed mark, am I right?" Jiraya asked Naruto simply answered with a nod of his head "The kyubi it's said to be a being of pure hatred able to flatten a mountain with a single swing of a tail, yet, you showed restrain and didn't stroke a fatal blow, like Sasuke when he pierced your left lung while aiming for your hearth"

"It's not the same!" Naruto protested with some rage.

"Calm down Naruto" Jiraya took a kunai from his robs and started to skin the hare "it's true, it's not exactly the same, both seals provide the user with tainted chakra, the factor that matters, is what the user does with said chakra, it says a lot about you, all of it good, and about Sasuke, it says nothing positive" with a single hand sing Jiraya lit the wood he brought on fire putting the hare near it to cook and continued "How I see things, Sasuke could be Orochimaru Jr. they are both the same" Jiraya said without looking at him, the hare slowly starting to change color with the fire.

"The hell are you talking about?! I told you, Sasuke its nothing like that damn Snake!" Naruto insisted, his rage evidently on his voice and his face becoming slightly more feral.

"He was considered a prodigy, he lost his family as a child, and he wants power. Tell me kid, who I am talking about?" Jiraya asked rotating the hare so it doesn't burn.

A little annoyed Naruto responded "Sasuke" everyone always talking about how great he is, even now, Jiraya reminds him of it, even while trying to make him forget the idea of bringing him back.

Chuckling Jiraya responded "Wrong, I'm talking about Orochimaru" that changed Naruto's facial expression from rage to confusion, so he pressed the point "Orochimaru and I were kids too, it was a long time ago, but we were young, just like you and Sasuke are now, he wasn't always the amoral, crazy murderer and plotter he is now kid, I don't know exactly when he started to change, but he changed, just like Sasuke"

"You cannot be sure he will end like Orochimaru just like that!" Naruto protested, sure they may have started in life in a similar way, but it does not guarantee they will end the same way.

"True, but they are not the only ones that are similar in my team and yours kid" Jiraya this time seemed a bit tired, he looked from the cooking hare to his apprentice "Kid, I don't think I've told you this, but you remind me a lot of myself when I was your age, you have guts kid" this surprised Naruto, somewhat unsure what does it have to do with what they were talking until now "we are so much alike, that when Orochimaru left… I went after him to convince him to come back" smiling in a teasing way Jiraya continued "I wasn't stabbed in the chest, but I too, was left injured while the bastard made a run for it"

Letting Naruto process what he just said, he waited a minute before speaking again "Kid, you have done enough for Sasuke, if you continue looking for him, you will lose other things in life, the way I did"

"Like what?" Naruto asked he had no one but his team, just Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke, and the Ichirakus if the pervy sage says he reminds him of a younger self, he could accept it, but like Sasuke and Orochimaru, they are not the same person.

"Like the night the kyubi attacked kid, I was supposed to be in konoha, but instead I was chasing the snake, Minato could still be alive, as could be many other people!" it wasn't much but for the first time the legendary shinobi allowed himself to show despair, hoping to get into that thick skull of his student.

"Minato? As in Namikaze Minato? The fourth hokage?" Naruto asked the man who sealed the kyubi on him, his idol, even after sealing a biju and fucking his life, he was still awesome.

"Yes kid, and not only that, there are so many other things I could have done instead of chasing Orochimaru, I could have completed the Sage arts training" Jiraya said but clearly exaggerating on the last part, not like Naruto know what the sage arts entail, it is not common knowledge.

"But we are not the same pervy sage" Naruto countered "I have no family but team seven if I stop looking for Sasuke, I would be abandoning my family" Naruto just wanted Jiraya to release him from the bet, so he could keep his promise to Sakura-chan.

"How old are you, Naruto?" Jiraya asked turning back to the hare on the fire.

"I'm thirteen" responded Naruto not sure why it was important all of a sudden.

"You have other friends in konoha, right? Even if they are not as close as you and Sasuke? Naruto just nodded his head still unsure of what the sannin was trying to say. "You are so young Naruto, you will grow strong, I'll make sure of it" Naruto just smiled at that, yes, he wanted to be strong enough to protect his precious people "and maybe you will find love, it could be with that pink haired girl or not, you can form a family Naruto, if you end up becoming hokage, you will have the whole village to protect" explained Jiraya trying to make Naruto understand what he could gain by abandoning the idea of going after his teammate "you will gain more friends, love, hell even may become a father at some point…" Jiraya extended his arms making a big circle with them "and you will leave all of them to go find someone whom does not want to be found" this time Jiraya pointed an accusatory finger at Naruto "It won't be fair to your other friends, friends that are loyal to you and will fight by your side, to try and find an old friend, what could happen to Sakura, or Kakashi or any of the friends that you have at konoha, if you are not there when they need you Naruto, protect what you have, chase your happiness, not Sasuke" finished Jiraya smiling at the blonde.

Naruto was genuinely touched by Jiraya's words but still not convinced "I'm not sure if I'll ever have a family, ero-sennin, I don't know if anyone will want to be with me, if they find about the fox" said Naruto clearly sad, but almost accepting his fate. A bit ironical if you asked Hyuga Neji about it.

"You don't know that kid, as I Said, you are young, only thirteen many things can happen in a lifetime" Jiraya said putting a hand in Naruto's shoulder.

"Besides, stay around me and you will learn your way with the ladies Naruto" Jiraya always confident on his ability to seduce any woman (but the one that truly mattered) gave him a smile.

"But why do I have to choose, sensei!" Let it be known, Uzumaki is not one with lack of ambition "I could have friends, family and Sasuke all in konoha!" Naruto said with a smile.

"It is possible Naruto, it can happen" said Jiraya with a smile.

"You mean that you are liberating me from the bet?" Naruto was excited to have convinced his sensei, but this victory was short lived, as he watched Jiraya shake his head.

"Naruto, you made a bet with me, and I expect you to carry on with your end of the bargain" Jiraya's words confused the blond, his sensei was sending mixed signals.

"But… it is still possible for Sasuke to come back to konoha on his own will, and if he does, maybe, that is the best way for him to go back home" explained Jiraya "Sasuke is his own person, he is similar to Orochimaru but not the same, so the chance exist, but the decision, is his to make, not yours Naruto, it was never yours" Finally the sage took the hare off the fire and offered it to his student.

Receiving the cooked animal from his sensei and before taking the first bite, Naruto made his mind, he just hoped that he could be forgiven for breaking his word this one time.

"I just hope the teme hurries before Sakura-chan finds out about our bet, ero-sennin"

A/N

I've had this idea for a while now, this will be a story about a Naruto free to focus on himself and his dream to become hokage