~Scroll 3~

Kakashi and Naruto walked in silence as they went to meet Naruto's teacher. They both knew that once Sasuke was healed, the council would order Kakashi to teach and train the Uchiha Heir. However, what they did not anticipate was the council overruling Sasuke's medical team's recommendation for at least a week's rest and observation. The boy's chakra coils were barely stable, and the council just authorized the boy's release!

Kakashi was fuming. Not only was the council sabotaging Naruto's chances of success, but they were also compromising the Uchiha's health. And all for what?! Kakashi mentally growled, For a cursed eye?!

A small hand reached out for his own, sending a warm rush through him and calming him down. Kakashi took a deep breath and squeezed Naruto's hand.

"Thank you." He mumbled.

Naruto smiled then frowned.

"Isn't that Konohamaru's teacher, Ebisu?" Naruto asked.

"It is. I asked him to train you on your chakra control." Kakashi replied then turned to the dark clothed shinobi, "Isn't that right, Ebisu?"

There was a dark undertone in Kakashi's question that Ebisu knew if he did not answer correctly, he was going to regret it.

"Ye-yes, Master Kakashi!" Ebisu replied.

Naruto arched a brow then looked at Ebisu.

"And what about Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, "Surely, his training isn't complete."

"Of course not." Ebisu snapped then coughed in nervousness when he spotted the dark warning glare from the silvery-haired Jounin, "It's just since Konohamaru is at the Academy, my schedule has been… eh… rather open…"

"Besides," Kakashi interjected, "it's only temporary."

"Temporary?" Naruto asked while looking at his sensei.

"I sent a message to a more qualified teacher, but I don't know when he'll receive the message nor do I know how quickly he'll be able to get to the village. So until he arrives, Ebisu will train you."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding.

"Good luck…" Kakashi whispered as he turned to leave.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called, making the Jounin to turn around, "Be careful."

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask.

"I think we've only delayed the Darkness." Naruto replied, "Too many strings have snapped in his Song."

"Are you certain?" Kakashi asked, knowing what his student was saying.

They had only delayed Orochimaru's influence over the Uchiha Heir. The boy's desire for revenge was going to overrule his loyalty to the village, and one day he will betray the village. Unfortunately, no one in the village or on the council wanted to believe what was in front of their eyes.

"I want to be wrong." Naruto whispered.

"I'll watch myself. You focus on your training." Kakashi sighed.

"Hai."

Naruto gave his sensei a baleful look as they stood outside an onsen.

Ebisu cleared his throat as he fidgeted under the scrutiny he found himself under.

"Eh… we'll be using the hot springs to train." Ebisu remarked while pushing his glasses up.

"The hot springs?" Naruto repeated.

"Yes."

"And why are we training at the hot springs?"

Ebisu found his confidence to smirk.

"We're going to walk on water!"

A delicate brow arched.

"Master Kakashi told me that you'd already mastered the no-hands tree climbing exercise." Ebisu explained himself, "This takes it to the next level! For tree climbing, you only need to gather a requisite amount of chakra in the requisite place and just maintain that set volume of chakra the whole time.

"Because the tree is a stationary object, all you have to do is keep your foot attached like a suction cup… it's an exercise that demonstrates how to produce and maintain a set amount of chakra. In order to walk on water, however, you have to continuously emit a tiny amount of chakra from your feet into the water's surface, constantly adjusting that amount to just allow your body to float.

"This type of chakra control is more difficult than mere maintenance, and is a type of control exercise where you learn to regulate your expenditure of a fixed quantity of chakra!" Ebisu lectured then clasped his hands together, "First, you gather chakra to the sole of your feet. Then, while you continuously emit a set amount…" He then walked onto the water, "you fine-tune it to your body weight…"

Ebisu stood in the middle of the hot spring, feeling rather smug at the surprised look on the blonde's face.

"Alright." Naruto took a deep breath and clasped his hands together, "Let's give this a try. First, chakra to my soles… and then release a set amount…"

SPLOOSH!

"Just as I expected…" Ebisu muttered as Naruto's head breached the water's surface, "You did not emit enough chakra to remain a float."

Naruto glared at the shinobi before swimming to the shore to begin again. He began again; only to drop into the waters once more.

Ebisu was impressed by the blonde's persistence but then remembered something his student, Konohamaru, had once said. Konohamaru had told him that there was no shortcuts to becoming Hokage; just hard work. When Ebisu asked his young student on who taught him that philosophy, Ebisu was surprised to learn that it was the blonde.

"Hey!" Naruto's cheer caught Ebisu's attention, "I think I'm starting to get it!"

Ebisu was surprised at how quickly the blonde picked up the chakra control. The blonde was standing on the water. True, his stance was wobbly and he was standing as if in an ankle deep puddle. But he was standing on water.

"Oh…!" Naruto gasped as he pointed behind Ebisu before falling into the water.

Ebisu turned around and saw what had caught the blonde's attention. It was a long white-haired stranger, appearing to be peering through the cracks of the fence into the women's baths. Ebisu immediately lunged toward the intruder, who turned around to the sudden noise of rushing feet.

"Sheesh…" The intruder muttered as he summoned a giant toad.

"Y-you're…!" Ebisu gasped when he realized who the intruder was.

The toad snapped its tongue, attacking Ebisu and knocking him out.

"Don't make a fuss, sheesh." The intruder remarked from his perch on top of the toad. "You'll get us busted, and what'll we do then?!"

Naruto instinctively pulled himself out of the water and rushed over to Ebisu. Checking for a pulse, the blonde sighed in relief that the other ninja was knocked out cold.

"A giant toad?!" Shisui gapped with an open mouth, like a fish out of water, "Oh! Kami! That's the Toad Sage! Jiraiya!"

"I am supposed to be impress?" Naruto grumbled.

He may not have liked the idea of Ebisu being his teacher, but the ninja was all he had until his actual teacher that Kakashi-sensei had promised arrived.

"Good question!" Jiraiya bellowed in good cheer. "I am the most holy hermit sage of the Mount Myoboku Toads, otherwise known as the Toad Sage. Pleased to meet ya!"

Naruto gave the eccentric shinobi a deadpan look. Even though the man gave a jovial font, his Heart Song presented a man full of remorse and guilt. His Heart Song battered against Naruto to the point the petite blonde did know if he should give the man a hug or just flee.

"Naruto, you okay?" Shisui asked when he noticed Naruto's discomfort around the Sennin.

Naruto shook his head then turned to tend to the downed ninja.

"Eh…" The white haired ninja seemed to be flummoxed by the blonde's lack of reaction as he went about to make the unconscious Konoha ninja comfortable. "Perhaps you know me from my writings? I'm a writer… I write novels…!"

Naruto perked up a bit as Shisui gasped, "Oh no! Oh hell no!"

Jiraiya pulled out a familiar looking orange book and proudly presented it to the young Genin.

"Oh!" Naruto looked surprised at seeing his sensei's book in the other man's hands.

"Oh! You've heard of it?" Jiraiya grinned.

" 'tousan told me about it after I stole Kakashi-sensei's book." Naruto nodded, " 'tousan said it was a poorly written porn disguised as a romantic novel with an easily decipherable plot and weak two-dimensional characters."

Jiraiya was slacked jaw at Naruto, who just shrugged.

Shishui was howling in laughter.

" 'tousan said he could write better porn without it being explicit." Naruto remarked then furrowed his brows together. "Whatever that means."

Jiraiya sputtered in indignation while Shisui was still laughing.

Naruto looked back at the water and sighed. Since Ebisu was still unconscious, the blonde might as well continue with the exercise. Ignoring his two companions, Naruto removed his top then approached the edge of the spring. He took a deep breath, gathering his chakra and stepped onto the water. He made it a few steps before plunging into the water.

When Naruto popped back up for air, he was surprised to see Jiraiya standing over him. He held out his hand for Naruto to take. Naruto placed a smaller hand into the man's larger one, letting out a surprised 'eep' when he pulled the blonde out of the water.

"Hey…" Jiraiya started as he placed Naruto on dry land, "manipulate your chakra for me one more time."

Naruto looked at him curiously before nodding his head. Naruto began gathering his chakra. Unbeknownst to him, the seal, which trapped Ka'a within him, appeared; however, there was another seal over the original.

Jiraiya stared at the seals. The Toad Sage was impressed by the Fourth Hokage's ingenuity in protecting the boy. But it was the Five-Pronged seal that worried him. Placing an odd-numbered seal on an even-numbered seal, it was unstable and resulted in the blonde unable to properly mold his chakra. Based on the formula's coarse design, Jiraiya knew this was the work of someone else; most likely Orochimaru.

"Kiddo, come over here for a sec." Jiraiya called, hiding his hand behind his back while focusing his chakra to his fingertips.

Curiously, Naruto approached the bigger shinobi.

"Kuso!" Shisui cursed as soon as he realized what the Sennin was plotting, "Watch out!"

His warning, however, came too late as Jiraiya slammed his fingers into Naruto's abdomen; releasing the crudely made Five-Pronged Seal.

An explosion of repressed chakra engulfed the entire area.

Jiraiya found himself blown off his feet, falling head over heels into the fence separating the women's baths from the open bath.

There was screaming all around; however, Shisui paid none of the destruction any mind as his focus was on Naruto, who remained at the epicenter of all this chaos.

The petite blonde's head was thrown back. His mouth was opened in a silent scream while his eyes fought for a dominant color. Was it blue? Was it red? Shisui could not tell.

And just as sudden was the explosion, the chaos immediately settled as Naruto collapsed.

Immediately, Shisui came to the teen's side.

"Hey, kiddo," Shisui whispered as he laid a ghostly hand through the blonde's locks, "you okay?"

"Ka'a…" Naruto groaned with a smile, "I feel 'im…"

"That's good to hear. Tell that stupid fox he's been missed."

"'kay… tai-tai…"

"Sleep. I'll keep watch."