Disclaimer: Naruto is NOT mine! The series and all its problems belong to Kishimoto and SP, I'm just going through and trying to fix all the problems I had with the series that captured my imagination. Hope you all enjoy it.
A/N: Hi all, I'm back and with my newest story, the second part to my Naruto series recap. It will cover Naruto's journey while training under Jiraiya, plus there will be cameos from the other members of the Konoha 12 since I am actually going to try and make those characters more three dimensional than the paper flat characters that Kishimoto made them. Have fun.
Key:
JUTSU
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
It had been a week since Naruto had left the village of Konoha with Jiraiya of the Sannin, having been given a leave of absence from his ninja duties under the pretense of training under Jiraiya's tutelage, to get stronger and defend himself from the Akatsuki, as well as Kumo and Iwa. With Orochimaru's release of Naruto's heritage and his status as the jinchuriki of the Kyubi in the bingo book, Tsunade and the Council decided it was best for all if Naruto was trained outside the village and under the protection of Jiraiya. And so here Naruto was, trudging along after Jiraiya as the pair made their way through the thick forests that covered much of the Land of Fire.
"Ok Naruto, here's a good spot to stop for a bit," Jiraiya said as the pair came to a clearing in the forest. The Sannin dropped the large scroll he carried to the ground and turned to face his apprentice. "Let's see how far you've come with the Swamp of the Underworld."
Naruto frowned as he dropped his backpack on the ground and walked several steps away. Taking a deep breath, Naruto's hands slowly formed the two hand seals needed for the jutsu. "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" Naruto slammed his hands to the ground and channeled his chakra into the earth.
"Remember, you must use your chakra to soften the earth into mud," Jiraiya said. "While this jutsu is an earth jutsu, you must use your chakra like water, softening and turning the dirt into mud."
"I know," Naruto growled as he channeled more of his chakra into the dry earth. The ground in front of Naruto slowly turned muddy.
"Still pathetic," Jiraiya commented. "Come on Naruto, you managed to learn the Rasengan, the jutsu your father created, in less than a month but you can't perform a simple B-rank Earth jutsu."
"Hey, its not as easy as you think," Naruto snapped, sitting back on the ground. "I just can't manage to change the ground into mud. I don't have a strong enough earth affinity."
"Don't give me excuses Naruto," Jiraiya said. "A ninja doesn't make excuses, he endures. Are you really going to give up that easily? A Hokage wouldn't let a simple jutsu stump him."
"I'm not giving up," Naruto growled. "It's just this jutsu isn't me. I'm not a guy who traps his opponents like that."
"Exactly Naruto," Jiraiya said sharply. "With who is after you Naruto, you're going to have to be able to perform many different skills. A predictable ninja is a dead ninja. Try it again."
Naruto sighed but stood up, dusting himself off and raised his hands. "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Jiraiya watched as the ground directly in front of Naruto turned a muddy brown, spreading out rapidly. "Better," he commented. "But you still have a long way to go," Jiraiya added leaping into the middle of the swamp/puddle, kicking up a spray of muddy water right into Naruto's face.
"Ah! What the hell!" Naruto shouted. "Why'd you do that?"
"You need to pick up the pace," Jiraiya said. "And make it deeper, you won't even sink a rat in this puddle."
Naruto snarled up at the Sannin, wiping his face clear of the mud. "I don't know how I am going to make it through this trip without killing you," the blonde said.
"You've got a long way to go before you can even dream of killing me Naruto," Jiraiya laughed. "Now do it again."
"Why won't you let me use my Shadow Clones to speed up my training?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya gave Naruto a stoic look. "Fine," he agreed. "But only ten clones at one time, you are still too young to be over using this method. If you use too many clones at one time, you would fry your brain, and I don't fancy explaining to Tsunade why you are brain dead."
"Fine," Naruto said. "Multi Shadow Clones!"
Ten copies of Naruto popped into existence around the original. "Right then you clones, you know the drill," Naruto said. "Get to work."
The clones nodded and set off to various in the clearing where they could practice the jutsu.
"Naruto, come over here," Jiraiya said. The original Naruto turned away from his patch of muddy ground and faced his sensei. Seeing the serious look on the older man's face, Naruto thought better of snapping at the man for interrupting his training and walked over to Jiraiya.
"What do you want Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"I know that you've been using weight seals to train your speed and strength," Jiraiya said. Naruto nodded. "Well release them. I've got a better set you will use." The Sannin reached into his jacket and pulled out a battered set of weights.
"What are those?" Naruto asked after releasing and removing this weights seals.
"These are the weights your father trained with, "Jiraiya said. "He fastened them after normal weights that ninja like Gai or his clone use but these are smaller and use chakra instead of just metal. They also are more durable than pure weight seals." Here Jiraiya pulled out one of the metal bars from its pouch. "Since the seal was etched into the metal, you don't run the risk of the seal being worn away. Also there are seals on these that will spread the weight around your body rather than just on your arms and legs."
"My dad used these?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya nodded. "They helped him become the fastest ninja alive even without his Flying Thunder God jutsu," he said. "Now they are yours."
Naruto took the set from Jiraiya and looked more closely at the weights. He ran his fingers over the etched seals, feeling his fingers tingle slightly at the cool touch.
"That's another thing I am going to make sure you learn on this trip," Jiraiya said causing Naruto to look up again. "You can have all the power and jutsus in the world but if you can't hit your opponent, it won't matter. Speed is the ultimate equalizer in this world. If you can be faster than your opponent, you will win many more battles because of it."
"Speed kills."
"That it does Naruto, and never forget it," Jiraiya said. "Now put them on and channel chakra into them and don't stop until I say so."
Naruto gave Jiraiya a questioning look but did as was requested, pulling on the weight bands and started channeling chakra into them. Immediately Naruto felt his limbs and chest grow heavy.
"Good, that's enough for now," Jiraiya said a moment later. "Get up."
Naruto slowly got to his feet, swaying slightly from the weight.
"Did Kakashi tell you the risks about using weight seals?" Naruto nodded slowly. "Well just to make sure you know since if you misuse could become overstressed and damaged. So you will release those weights one hour before we stop for the night and for one hour in the morning, that way you can adjust to your body without the weight. Additionally you will not increase the weight you are wearing without discussing it with me. I helped your father with this training, so I will know when you are ready to add more weight."
Naruto nodded, his limbs shaking slightly from the extra weight. "How long did it take Dad to fully use this training method?" he asked.
"Minato used it for years," Jiraiya answered. "This method can be used for pretty much all your life, as long as you can take it and use it responsibly. Now get back to working on the Swamp of the Underworld."
Naruto huffed but headed back to his chosen spot amongst his clones. He reached his patch of grass and nearly fell to a knee. 'Wow, the weight is catching up with me already,' Naruto thought. 'Dad, how much weight did you usually carry?'
"Getting tired already Naruto?" Jiraiya called.
"Piss off," Naruto snapped. He looked at his clones that were watching him. "What are you looking at? Get back to work!"
The clones quickly went back to work, though several of them were grinning at their creator.
"Ok Naruto, go ahead and dispel your clones, one at a time though," Jiraiya ordered. Naruto got to his feet, dusted off his pants and turned to the ten clones that were waiting and watching the original. With a mental command, the clones vanished one at a time and Naruto shivered as the ten clones' memories assaulted his mind. Naruto had to close his eyes just to make sure he didn't fall over.
"You good Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto nodded slowly, his head still pounding from acclimating the memories. "I'm ok," he said.
"Good, now try out the jutsu again," Jiraiya ordered.
Naruto grit his teeth but kept his mouth shut. Breezing through the two hand signs, Naruto said, "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" Slamming his palms on the ground, Naruto watched as the dirt in front of him turned a reddish-brown.
Jiraiya grinned as he watched the swamp his student had created. "Much better Naruto," he said. "Now why were you more successful this time than before?"
Naruto frowned. He honestly didn't know, it just felt easier to perform the jutsu. "I don't know Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto said. "It just was easier."
"Ok while we are moving, I want you to think on why the jutsu was easier this time," Jiraiya said. "And if you don't figure it out by the time we stop for the night, well lets just say you won't be having an easy time getting to sleep tonight."
Naruto shivered at the smile that Jiraiya gave him. It reminded him of the second proctor from the Chunin Exams, Anko, and her over the top attitude.
"Grab your gear Naruto, we've got ground to make up," Jiraiya said picking up the scroll. Naruto picked up his backpack and leapt off after Jiraiya.
"Whoa!" Naruto yelped as he nearly crashed into a tree trunk for the second time in only ten minutes of moving.
"Come on Naruto, pick up the pace!" Jiraiya barked not even glancing over his shoulder back at Naruto.
"Sorry, it's just that I'm still getting used to this new weight," Naruto said.
"Well you better figure it out quick cause I'm not slowing down," Jiraiya said.
Naruto growled at the Sannin's not caring about his problem. "Let me lower the weight I'm carrying and I'll be able to keep up," Naruto argued.
"Nope," Jiraiya said. "That would just ignore the training weights in the first place. This training method is as much mental as it is physical. You must preserve and overcome your limitations in order to get truly strong. And besides, your father wouldn't complain so quickly."
Naruto bit off another growl at the Sannin but got to his feet and launched himself off the branch he had been kneeling on. "I can take anything you hand out Jiraiya-sensei."
"Then quit complaining and keep moving," Jiraiya laughed.
"All right Naruto, I want you to release your weights," Jiraiya ordered two hours later. "We'll be stopping for the evening soon so I want you to get used to not having your weights activated."
Naruto nodded. He was too tired to speak. After wiping the sweat from his face, Naruto touched the quick release on the weight bands and put them away in his backpack.
"Take a few minutes to get loose," Jiraiya said. "I don't want you to hurt yourself adjusting to your lighter weight."
"Ok," Naruto said dropping his backpack to the ground and began stretching. His arms and legs were trembling after running and leaping through the forest for two hours.
"How are you feeling Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.
"Fine," Naruto said standing up straight. He couldn't believe how light he felt now, he felt like he could jump higher than ever before.
"Good, let's get moving then," Jiraiya said. "I want to get a little farther tonight before we stop. We are a little too close to the border of Kusa for my liking."
"Has there been any word on Kumo or Iwa since we left the village?" Naruto asked. He felt somewhat responsible for the situation that was brewing between Konoha, Iwa, Kumo and Oto, even though it wasn't his fault. With Orochimaru releasing Naruto's heritage, both Iwa and Kumo felt threatened by the announcement of the Namikaze line surviving and had begun to mobilize in response. Minato had been the boogeyman to both Kumo and Iwa during the Third Shinobi World War, decimating both villages' armies with his Flying Thunder God jutsu.
"Hey Jiraiya-sensei, can you teach me the Flying Thunder God jutsu?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya slipped and nearly fell face planted at Naruto's question. "Are you serious?" he asked.
"Well yeah I'm serious," Naruto said. "That jutsu was the one that made my father so feared, and it would be a great tool to have in my arsenal. And I'm sure that Iwa and Kumo haven't forgotten about what my father did with that jutsu."
"Before you can even think of recreating your father's jutsu, you need to learn fuinjutsu at a mastery level," Jiraiya said. "Hell brat, I'm a fuinjutsu master and I couldn't make heads or tails of the seal that your father created."
"Well then teach me," Naruto said. "If dad's jutsu could spread so much fear in the Third War, then it should have an even greater effect when it's his son laying waste to Konoha's enemies."
Jiraiya looked at his apprentice, watching as two shimmering figures seemed to phase into existence at Naruto's sides; a tall blonde man wearing a white haori with orange flames along the hem, and a beautiful red haired woman with piercing violet eyes that had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
"When we stop for the night, we'll start your training," Jiraiya said. "I want to know how far you've come in your own work before I get you working on anything to advanced."
Naruto nodded with a big grin. "Well let's get moving then!" he cried.
Jiraiya shook his head at the hyper blonde before leaping back into the trees with Naruto on his heels.
An hour later, Jiraiya called for a stop as he and Naruto reached the edge of the forest.
"Ok Naruto, we're walking from here," Jiraiya said. "We are close to the border and we are going undercover. We are both recognizable to our enemies, so you need to change your appearance. Make yourself look unremarkable, someone forgettable but so don't be radical. Simple is better."
"Ok," Naruto said. He put his hands in a Ram seal and muttered, "Transform!"
In a puff of smoke, Naruto's blonde hair turned a light brown, his blue eyes became a light green and his skin darkened to a tan more suited to that of someone who lived in the Land of Wind. The only thing that stayed the same on Naruto's face were the whisker marks that had been in place since his birth.
"Not bad but take this," Jiraiya said taking a small jar from his pocket and tossing it to Naruto.
"What's this?"
"Make-up."
"Make-up? Like women's make-up?"
"Yes," Jiraiya said. "The simplest methods are usually the best. And this way someone can't release your jutsu. When we get to the village that's just a bit ahead, you'll be going old school."
"Old school?"
"Hair dye and contacts," Jiraiya answered. "As Konoha's premiere spy master, you learn these things. And so will you."
Naruto nodded and opened the jar.
"Cover your whiskers, they are a dead giveaway to who you actually are," Jiraiya ordered.
Naruto dipped his fingers into the jar and scooped out a glob of the make-up and covered his cheeks with it. "How's that?" he asked.
"Good," Jiraiya said. "Now that stuff won't wash away with just water, it needs a specific type of remover so even if you get hit by a water jutsu right in the face it won't come off."
"Wow," Naruto said.
"Now keep moving."
The pair reached a small village that straddled the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass just as it began to get dark. They found a small inn on the outskirts of the village where they got a room.
"Ok Naruto, if you even want to think about learning the Flying Thunder God you'll need to be even better at fuinjutsu than me and that book is the best way for you to start," Jiraiya said tossing a small, weather-beaten book to Naruto.
'A Beginners Guide to Sealing' was the title but the author's name had been worn away from time and use, making it impossible to read.
"That was mine at one time," Jiraiya said. "And I gave it to your father when he first took an interest in sealing."
Naruto opened the book and saw that it was filled with doodles and scribbles from several different people judging from the different hand writing styles. "My dad read this?" Naruto asked.
"Yep," Jiraiya said. "The notes in there are from me, your dad and your mom."
"My mom and dad both read this?"
"Kid, you clan, the Uzumaki, were considered the greatest fuinjutsu masters this world has ever seen," Jiraiya said. "Your mother said that it was one of her clansmen that wrote that book. She and your dad added some tips and such as they got older, something about making sure that future generations would understand the wonders of fuinjutsu."
Naruto's eyes widened as he took a closer look at the handwritten notes in the book. Gingerly he ran his hand across the worn pages trying to feel his parents' hands as they wrote in between the lines.
Jiraiya wore a small, sad smile as he watched Naruto read the old book. 'Minato, Kushina, how I wish you both could be here in my place,' Jiraiya thought. 'Minato, you would be extremely disappointed in the village and the villagers, well those left alive after Kushina got done with them. I vow on both your memories that when Naruto gets back to the village he'll be so strong that no one will be able to touch him.'
"Naruto, when learning fuinjutsu you will not use your Shadow Clones nor will you be using them to learn anything else at the same time," Jiraiya said.
"Why not?" Naruto asked.
"Fuinjutsu is a very serious art, one mistake when creating a seal could spell disaster," Jiraiya said. "You can't afford to be distracted by a dispelling clone. And I want you to study properly with fuinjutsu. If you were to use Shadow Clones, studying too many things at one time could bog you down. With fuinjutsu, you have to understand step one before moving onto step two."
"Fine," Naruto said.
"I want your word Naruto," Jiraiya commanded. "One mistake, one mis-stroke while writing a seal can kill you, and I don't want your parents to crawl out of the Shimigami's stomach and kill me because you got yourself killed because of a screw up working on a seal."
"OK Jiraiya-sensei, you have my word," Naruto vowed staring right into the eyes of his sensei.
"Good, now I'm going out to do some intelligence gathering, I'll be back later," Jiraiya said before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
Naruto rolled his eyes at his sensei's antics. With practiced ease, Naruto drew out a simple security seal that would alert him if anyone tried to enter the room. After placing the seal on the door and windows, Naruto sat down on the bed and opened the fuinjutsu book.
"Heh," Jiraiya chuckled as he slipped past the security seal that his godson had placed. 'They weren't too bad but for a ninja of my level, its too simple and easy to bypass,' Jiraiya thought as he replaced Naruto's seals with ones of his own design. 'A better way would be to tie a companion seal to the security seal. That way he could put the second seal on himself which would alert the wearer of anything happening to the other seal.'
"You're back Jiraiya-sensei," a sleepy voice said from the bed.
"And you're awake," Jiraiya answered.
"When you grow up like I did, you learn quickly to become a light sleeper," Naruto said.
Jiraiya was glad for the darkness of the room as he normally jovial face twisted into a scowl.
"Your security seal was a smart move but still too basic for the like of me," Jiraiya said. "A seal of that level won't stop the people that will be coming after you. That will be the first thing I teach you regarding fuinjutsu, a more secure security seal."
Naruto nodded as he settled back down on the bed.
"Good night Naruto," Jiraiya said but only the light snoring of his companion answered him.
"Wake up brat!"
"Ah!" Naruto cried, grabbing a kunai from under his pillow and sat upright in bed. "Who's there?"
"Relax Naruto, it's just me," Jiraiya said.
"Oh right, sorry about that," Naruto said. "Habit I guess."
"It's ok Naruto," Jiraiya said. "Do you always sleep with a kunai under your pillow?"
Naruto nodded. "Have to keep a weapon close by, never know who will be visiting us in our sleep," he explained.
"A bit paranoid aren't you?"
"It's not paranoia if someone actually is after you."
"Touché. But enough of this depressing talk, it's time to move out," Jiraiya said. "Grab your gear and let's go. We'll grab breakfast on our way out of town."
Naruto nodded and pulled himself out of bed and went into the bathroom, leaving Jiraiya alone with his thoughts. 'Naruto, what happened to you that you have to sleep with a kunai under your pillow?' he thought. 'Damnit sensei, you said be would be protected and able to grow up as normally as possible.'
The Sannin was brought out of his thoughts when the water stopped running and a moment later Naruto slipped out of the bathroom, running a towel through his still damp hair.
"What?" Naruto asked noticing Jiraiya staring at him.
"Sorry, just gathering my thoughts," he said. "Now, your disguise. Catch." Jiraiya tossed Naruto a small sack, which he caught; inside the sack were several jars.
"You are going to dye your hair, cover your whiskers and put some contacts in," Jiraiya instructed. "And you'll have to lose the headband."
"What? Why?"
"It marks you as a Konoha ninja, and we need to keep a low profile since we are close to the border," Jiraiya said. "Notice how I don't wear a Konoha headband," he added pointing to the headband with the kanji for oil etched on it. "Since I am so infrequently in the village and am usually undercover, I can't wear a headband or anything with a Konoha symbol, that would give away my allegiance pretty quickly."
"I guess," Naruto said softly. He reached up and untied his headband. Naruto looked at his reflection in the hardened steel plate, he had rarely taken off Iruka's old headband since getting it over six months ago.
"Come on Naruto, we need to get moving," Jiraiya said.
With a heavy sigh, Naruto folded the fabric of the headband around the metal plate and stuffed it into his backpack.
"I know how you feel Naruto," Jiraiya said. "When I first started my journey I never wanted to take off my headband, it made me feel like I was betraying the village. But I realized that while the headband was a mark of my allegiance to Konoha, it wasn't the only one. I was loyal to the village through my actions not what I wore."
Naruto looked at his sensei and felt a wave of relief and understanding come over him. After dyeing his hair and covering his whisker marks, Naruto followed Jiraiya from their room and back out into the forest.
The pair traveled for several hours through the thick forests along the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. Naruto quickly fell behind as his new weights were weighing him down.
"Pick up the pace Naruto," Jiraiya called back over his shoulder. "You can't be tired yet, we've only been going for a couple of hours now."
"I'm going as fast as I can," Naruto shouted.
"Well you are going to have to go faster," Jiraiya said. "At this pace, we won't reach our destination until dark and that means no training time for you. So if you want to be able to train today, you better pick it up."
Naruto felt a growl stir deep in his throat but forced his mind past the pain that was coming from his burning legs, chest and arms. With each leap, Naruto felt his muscles howl, sweat was pouring down his face and neck but he relished in the pain. He knew that he was getting stronger and that pain was only temporary. And Naruto had battled pain all his life, be it physical or emotional pain, and he would not let this pain hold him back. He would get stronger, so strong that no one would even entertain the idea of threatening him or his village. A shine of determination came over Naruto's eyes as he leapt after Jiraiya.
A/N 2: All right, there you have it. The first installment of my newest Naruto story. As I explained at the top, it is about Naruto's journey with Jiraiya. Hope you guys like it so far, I will try and update roughly every two weeks but my new job is picking up so I might not have a lot of time. Let me know what you guys think of the first chapter, and let me know what missions you want to see in this story. Til next time,
SlyNinKnight