NARUTO

Forbidden Chronicles

Start of a Great Journey

For the next five to six years of his life, Naruto Uzumaki, container of the Nine-Tailed Fox, would train under the watchful eyes of the Legendary Toad Sannin Jiraiya, following his precise instructions, absorbing all of his teachings, and enduring all of the training schedules thrown at him, as well as undergoing training exercises of his own making. And this all started from day one, since Naruto and Jiraiya arrived at the Land of Grass.

Jiraiya followed through with the same training and endurance exercises he went through that started him down the path of a shinobi. He immediately began piling this up onto his student, wanting him to learn, and learn it quickly through the hard way. He figured the sooner Naruto learned of the pros and cons of rigorous training, the smoother the boy would be able to apply himself. Twenty-four hour strenuous exercises: push-ups, sit-ups, squats, running, weights and all that was focused on in the first few months, added with a few bonuses and extras. The first step was to train the body to endure.

Once that was over, the Frog Hermit then went on with the Ninja Academy basics, with Naruto giving him his full and utmost attention, as well as being given 'homework', so to speak, in the forms of serious reading time and physical training. He pushed Naruto to the limits, and the boy took it, determined to achieve the best. He trained so much, that on more then one occasion, he passed out from exhaustion. Hand-seals, tree-climbing, linguistic skills, geography, mathematics, chakra exercises, almost everything on paper were put into general practice, and Naruto practiced a lot. At night, when Jiraiya was asleep, Naruto would go out to the nearest clearing of wherever they were camping, and train until dawn.

Within a year and a half, Naruto had mastered all of the basics, and was then given the opportunity to try out his own jutsu. For making it as far as he had, and for learning and progressing at a phenomenal rate, way above normal academy standards, Naruto was given a pick from Jiraiya's list of techniques. The boy quickly found he had an affinity in the Clone Jutsu, and the Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu Technique Jiraiya conveniently had on hand. He also picked a number of wind release techniques corresponding with his wind chakra, and fire techniques. Furthermore, the strong-headed boy also decided t increase his speed, knowing that the faster he was and the better his technique was a big advantage in combat.

Along with learning to master these techniques, Naruto would further devote himself to learning more about close-quarter combat, martial arts involving various types of weapons, and shuriken jutsu. He would train often using a number of weapons and as much as he could to strengthen his body, and in hilarious encounters would often challenge Jiraiya to a sparring match whenever he was busy; whether taking a bath, eating or spying on girls. It was after the fortieth time caught off guard Jiraiya set up the rule of not attacking him during 'research' hour.

Within the next couple of years, Naruto would move between training and traveling with Jiraiya. In this time, it turned out to be quite eventful for the pair. Since leaving the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Naruto and Jiraiya had traveled across the entire Land of Fire, and into other foreign nations such as the Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, the Land of Wind (much to the chagrin of both of them due to the heat), the Land of Earth, the Land of Grass and much more. They visited quite a lot of shinobi villages too, including Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Takigakure, where Naruto would take some time off to go look around and learn some new things from the ninjas and martial artists living in those villages, and Jiraiya would go and do more… 'Research.' For both of them, they met some very interesting people.

While in Sunagakure, Naruto met a boy named Gaara, who like him was also a jinchuriki host coping with harsh times. The two immediately became good friends with each other, opening a new door for the container of the One-Tailed Shukaku, and the two of them would often hang out at the playground or pull pranks on Gaara's older brother. They would walk and talk, tell stories, share jokes, steal Temari's panties from her drawer, get away with painting graffiti on the most unorthodox places, and eat Ramen together. Time seemed to fly by between them. Then, after a week or so, Naruto had to go, and he left Gaara with a promise he would see him again soon.

But Naruto's biggest challenge would move far beyond the scope of his training regime, and far beyond the care and teachings of his master. By the time Naruto had turned ten, Jiraiya felt that his student was ready to take on the world, literally. Having watched him progress so rapidly, and having coped in the heat of battle and in unbearable environments, the perverted hermit knew that it would soon be time to initiate his student with his greatest challenge yet.

Six Years after leaving Konoha…

Due West close to the Land of Lightning Borders…

"Okay, okay…fine! I owe you that much. But I'll pay you back later, Naruto… I swear I'm good for it!" Jiraiya replied hastily, trying to end this awkward conversation as quickly as possible.

"Yeah! Sure… whatever you say, 'perverted-hermit.' You always try to run off on all your debts, like gambling and who-gets-to-pay-the-bill after lunch and dinner! It always ends up with me paying… one way or another!" Naruto said a-matter-of-factly. "Geez, you're even worse than Baa-chan when it comes to taking money for granted."

"Hey! I resent that!"

"Oh yeah! Well as soon as we reach the next village, you will give me my ten-thousand ryo! I'm sick and tired of having to contribute my wallet to your problems; past, present and future," Naruto stated, hands in his pockets. "Last time, when you pulled your dine-and-dash trick on me, I ended up getting arrested!"

Apparently, the spiky-haired blonde boy had developed a real positive and hot-headed attitude towards his now long-term sensei. Of course, Jiraiya didn't mind this change of persona from the timid and shy Naruto, to the rogue and no-shit-taking form of Naruto at all and simply took it in stride, comparing him to the personality of the characters from his stories. Naruto had almost completely transformed himself into the character from his Tale of a Gutsy Ninja novel, and he was looking great in the process.

Not only had Naruto grown significantly over the years, but he had also chosen a rather cool outfit to go with his new him. Aside from the spikier and longer blonde hair (resembling his father's) and the black head-band with the protector inscribed with the Fox symbol on it, the boy also adorned a simple black singlet with orange track-pants combination, a red trench coat and a khaki ANBU vest armor to go over that, fastening it to him. He also had metal arm guards, leg weights covered by shin guards, black sandals, and a tanto (a combat blade resembling a small-katana like Sai's) sheathed on his lower back, along with a bandoleer of scrolls and kunai attached to his vest. He looked like a fearsome competitor, and was a shooing for Jonin status in appearance.

His skill and strength at this point however are unknown, a secret held between himself and his sensei, who, notably, remained relatively unchanged.

Bickering and talking animatedly as they walked down the dirt road, Naruto and Jiraiya eventually came to a crossroads in the middle of the small patch of forest they were traveling through, with a sign-post on the corner of the road indicating which direction leads where. Looking up, the pair read the sign, and looked in the different directions they could take.

Before any decision could be made as to which way they would go, Jiraiya turned and beamed down at his young apprentice, smiling.

"Well Naruto, I guess this is where we part ways for now…"

"Huh?" The boy was taken aback.

"You need to carry on your journey without me. I've got some business I gotta take care of down South…"

"Wait a minute! Hold on there!" Naruto shouted, pointing up at the Sannin accusingly. "Are you trying to cheat me out of what you owe me? UH-UH! You're not getting away that easily, Pervy Sage!"

"You idiot!" Jiraiya exclaimed, bonking him on the head. "Listen… this is all a part of your training! This next and final task I leave for you to handle… and I expect you to complete it…"

Naruto paused for a moment, looking up at the white haired old-man with curiosity rather than annoyance. The old hermit smiled down at him and patted him on the head, this time in sort-of encouragement.

"When you asked me to make you my apprentice, you said to me that you wanted to see the world through my eyes, and to walk in my footsteps. Well… this is where you really start walking in my footsteps. So far, your journey has consisted of me training you and teaching you how to survive. Well… now it's time to put that into practice." Taking the boy's shoulders in his hands, he nodded down at him affirmatively. "You need to experience this world first hand… on your own. I'm taking away any boundaries I have placed upon you and am allowing you to continue on freely, to go wherever you please. For the next year or two… what you do from here, is your call…"

Releasing him, Jiraiya thumped his student in the chest with a gentle fist, and started down the road behind him, smiling and saluting to the boy. "I'll see you when our paths meet in the Land of Fire, kiddo! Travel the lands, train hard, learn… and good luck!"

Just as Jiraiya was just over the ridge-line and nearly out of sight, Naruto suddenly snapped back into reality and shouted after him.

"HEY! PERVY SAGE! WHAT ABOUT MY TEN THOUSAND RYO!"

"What… sorry… can't hear yah! See yah around… Naruto!" The Sannin's voice echoed back from down the road. Soon enough, he was gone.

Naruto, sighing, folded his arms and sat in the middle of the cross-road, frowning and looking up towards the sky. Seeing as how hot and sunny it was getting at this point, the young shinobi brought out a Chinese Straw-hat out of nowhere, and fitted on, letting out a sigh and looking down at the ground in disappointment.

"Oh well… it's just you and me now, I guess," Naruto said, addressing the crystal necklace around his neck with two orange stones on either side of the aqua gemstone dangling on the chord.

"Speak for yourself, brat. You're not the one stuck in a necklace…" the crystal growled back.

"Come on, lighten up… at least now we won't have to endure sensei's perverted antics anymore!" Naruto replied in thought. "…and get blamed for it…"

"Look who's talking. You take right after the old wind-bag!" the voice stated.

"Shhhh!" Naruto hushed, looking around worriedly as if someone was watching him. He had completely forgotten that he was sitting out in the middle of no where. "I don't want anyone to find that out about me, Kyuu-chan! That would just be a stain on my reputation!"

"Uh-huh… sure it is. You know… your thoughts aren't as innocent and clean as you claim them to be. Not after reading all the perverts adult novels…"

Blushing a bright red, Naruto pulled the straw-hat over his face a bit more, before getting to his feet and heading down the road, moving east. The voice, now recognizably girly, giggled and continued poking fun at him.

"Did I touch a ticklish nerve there, Naruto-kun?"

"Please Kyuu-chan… I'm getting a bit uncomfortable…"

"Adjusting emphasis on the tent in your…"

"Shut up…"

TO BE CONTINUED…