"Sensei!"
"What?"
"It's hot. I'm thirsty. Can I have some water?"
"No. You have ridiculous amounts of chakra. Try to use the water jutsu I told you," Jiraiya said as they trudged through the city towards Suna. As part of his training, Jiraiya had decided to teach Naruto a jutsu for each element, as well as clones. They were, Wind-Style: Great Breakthrough, Water-Style: Water Jet, Fire-Style: Fireball Jutsu, Earth-Style: Leeching Mud and Lightning-Style: Electro Spark. He could so far handle the wind and find style quite easily, but was having trouble shaping his chakra to form different elements.
"Water-Style: Water Jet!" Naruto called out, and a thin stream of water dribbled out of his mouth, which he recaptured and drank. "How long until we get there?" Naruto said.
"Soon," Jiraiya replied. Honestly, all that kid did was ask for jutsu, talk, and talk about his jutsu. Or about his parents.
"Tell me more about my mum!" Naruto shouted excitedly, "You've barely told me anything about her!"
"Hmm," said Jiraiya thoughtfully. "Ok kid, I'll tell you a bit about her. She had fierce red hair, and had a huge temper."
"Oooh, red hair. I wish I had inherited that from her. I'd look so cool with long red hair." Naruto said
"Anyway, she was the host of the Nine-Tails, just like you. When she found out she was pregnant with you, she was so happy, even though so wasn't allowed to tell anyone."
"Why couldn't she tell anyone?" asked Naruto
"Because the fox's' seal weakens during pregnancy, and people could take advantage of that fact. The seal weakened enough so that the fox escaped, and the Fourth himself had to seal it away."
"So the Yondaime put the fox in me? Cool!"
"Your mother, despite her large chakra reserves, preferred to use taijutsu or kenjutsu instead of ninjutsu."
"What's kenjutsu?"
"Sword-Fighting. She used a special Uzumaki sword whi-" Oh crap, he thought as Narutos' eyes widened.
"Pleeeeease teach me how to use a sword!"
"Only if you can master all the jutsu I have told you. Get your papers out, we're near the village."
Naruto complied and Jiraiya took them out of his hand. The guards standing at the gate milled around the post, bored out of their minds at the job. Then one of them did a double take, seeing one of the legendary three shinobi approaching the gate. "U-u-m. Purpose of visit?" one of them stuttered.
"Simply passing through and I wanted to pick up some supplies. I'll be here for a couple of days at most." Jiraiya grinned and pushed Naruto forward "He'll be travelling with me as well." The guards looked over the papers, and once they had been assured that they were official, handed them back and allowed them in.
"Now Naruto, here's 5,000 ryo. Get some food with it or do whatever you wanted and come back here, at this hotel, by the evening. Ok?"
Naruto nodded and ran off into the street whilst Jiraiya wandered down the street, looking for the agreed meeting point. He sat down at a café on a street corner, next to a man holding a cinnamon roll. "Is the sand flowing smoothly today?" Jiraiya said to him.
"Not as freely as the leaves fall," the man replied, and the white-haired man sat down.
"What information have you got on Orochimaru?" said Jiraiya, slowly sipping a tall glass of water.
"He is establishing his own Ninja village, the Land Hidden in Sound, located in between the Land of Rice and the Land of Tea. He also left the Akatsuki recently, after trying to attack Itachi Uchiha, and will now be going after the only Uchiha left, Uchiha Sasuke back in the village."
"Of course he would. Have you any more info on the soul exchange jutsu?" The informant nodded and handed over a tightly bound scroll, which Jiraiya sealed away. "Thank you for the information. I'll wire money into your account soon."
Naruto sat down on a swing, eating an ice-cream which was slowly dripping down his hand. He saw several children playing in the playground with a ball, until they threw it up into the air and it got stuck on top of a wall.
"Aw man," one of them said "Now we can't play anymore."
"Don't worry about it," a small child said, walking up to them holding the ball, surrounded by sand.
"Stay away from us!" the children shouted, one of them flinging a rock at him, the rest running off.
"Please," Gaara said "I just want to play with you."
"Stay away!" the boy screamed as Garra reached towards him with his sand and squeezed his arm with it, cutting it. The boy cried out and ran off.
"He's just like me!" Naruto realised.
"Why does everyone hate me?" Gaara said, crying whilst crouching down next to the ground.
"Hey, wanna play?" said Naruto, running over to him and placing a hand next to him.
"Are, are you talking to me?" Gaara stuttered.
"Well who else would I be talking to? Yes you of course. Let's go!" Naruto's attitude was infectious, and Gaara stood up and the two of them ran off.
Several hours later, the two of them stood, panting, atop the buildings of Suna. "That was the first time anyone has talked to me properly. Thank you, Uzumaki-San."
"Garra, I've told you like twenty times, just call me Naruto." Suddenly Gaara stiffened and put an arm protectively over Naruto.
"Stay down," he said, his voice taking a cold tone.
"Hidden Art! Manipulating Attack Blades!" Kunai launched themselves from the masked assassins side, whilst others floated gently at his side. He pushed his hands forward and more kunai hurtled forward, blocked by the sand shield.
Gaara snarled and pushed his hands forward, sand shooting out from his gourd and smashing into the ground where the jounin had stood. "Wind-Style! Mystic Wind Blades!" A blade of wind sliced through the shield of sand, and Gaara stood frozen in place.
"Gaara!" Naruto screamed, and jumped in the way, leaving a huge gash in his stomach. It began to steam immediately, and red chakra knitting his skin together and pulling blood back in. "Fire-Style! Fireball Jutsu!" The jouin jumped out of the way, into the way of Gaara's sand coffin.
"Sand Coffin!" the jounin screamed as their left arm was crushed, and they fell to the ground. "Who are you?" Gaara screamed, ripping the mask off, to reveal Yashamaru's face. "Why?" he choked back a sob.
"Your father instructed me to, but I could have refused if I had wanted. I think that deep down, I resented you for killing my sister. Gaara, you are unloved by the village. You will always be resented, no matter how hard you try. You will only ever love yourself." Yashamaru chuckled darkly, before coughing up blood.
Gaara roared as Shukaku chuckled in his head, screaming commands at him. "Gaara! Are you alright?" Naruto shouted as Gaara collapsed, clutching the seal on his stomach. "Let me bring you to my Sensei; he can help you!"
Jiraiya tapped his foot, waiting for Naruto to come back. He saw him run down the street, carrying a boy in his arms. Everyone gave him a wide berth. "Sensei, please, he's like me! But the seal is really bad, and someone tried to kill him, and he looks like he's hurt and-"
Jiraiya shushed him, and took him to their room. "A Twin Black Lions seal? Concerning, If one point breaks, then all the pressure will be put on the other. It allows him full access to the Ichibi's power, but gives the Ichibi full access to his mind as a trade. It will be… taxing to rehandle."
Naruto reached out to touch Gaara's arm, but the moment he did so, he felt a tug, and he was pulled into the mindset of the Tailed Beasts.
