AN: Thank you all for the reviews and contributions.
This is the fourth chapter of Kurama's resolve. Enjoy and tell me how it is. Thank you all.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Story begins.
The day has been a very long one and Naruto smiled in anticipation as he entered his empty apartment. He opened the door and yelled "I AM HOME" of course he wasn't expecting a reply. But …. "Welcome home Naruto kun " a voice replied in amusement from the kitchen ... Naruto froze at the door.
He didn't sense anyone within his apartment when he was coming but now he can clearly sense someone. He doesn't sense any ill intent from the person but better safe than sorry. So, after taking out a kunai, Naruto gathered his courage and asked "who is there?"
A man in his fifties with a wart on the left side of his nose and waist-length, spiky white hair that he ties back into a pony tail, with two shoulder-length bangs framing his face. Walked to him. There are red lines under his eyes which extended further down his face to the bottom. His attire consists of a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, under which he wears mesh armour that is visible at his wrists and ankles. He also wears hand guards, a black belt, traditional Japanese wooden sandals, and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side. He carries a large scroll on his back, he has a tattoo on his left palm, and he wears a horned forehead protector with the kanji for oil.
Naruto's jaw dropped followed by his kunai. An action which surprised the man a lot. He saw this man from his dream. The man trained him but died later on. So, to Naruto it is like he was seeing a ghost. With a shaky hand, he pointed at the man. " I saw you in that dream." He said causing the man to title his head to the side amusement more pronounced on his face. " You are Ero-sennin right?" Naruto inquired.
"A Dream?" the man asked as Naruto nodded. "ha ha ha ha I am so popular that even people who don't know me dream about me. Ha ha ha ha" he laughed then paused instantly as his expression changed into a serious one. He stuck a kabuki pose and said while waving his arms around dramatically "I am not Ero-sennin. I am, Jiraiya, the epitome of manliness! I shall fall for no woman's wiles! When you're me, you only need to flash that sexiness to have women fall at your feet." "Are you a pervert?" Naruto asked. "No, I am a Super pervert" Jiraiya declared with no shame at all whatsoever.
Kurama shook his head. At both idiot sage's antic. This is a dramatic change something he didn't expect at all. He isn't the type to dwell on issues like this but he suspects that the Hokage asked the sannin to come probably to check on the seal retaining him. "so the old monkey has an eye on Naruto so much that after some few days, he noticed a change in the boys behavior and called the toad sage back to the village to check it out." Kurama wondered.
Anyway, this might play into his favour. If he plays his cards well he can convince the sannin to give the seal's key to Naruto. He really need that in order to start training Naruto and talk with him without drawing him into the mindscape.
"Naruto follow me to the Hokage office. There is something we are going to check" Naruto stared at Jiraiya's back as the man left his apartment and started walking towards the Hokage tower. After standing at the door like a statue for a while Naruto ran to catch up with the sannin.
If someone who always come to you uninvited to threaten you that he will take your position from you stop coming to you all of a sudden, you should be happy but what if that person is your surrogate grandson?
About a week now the Sandaime Hokage noticed that Naruto had a change in behaviour many people will shrug off but he isn't considered the professor for nothing. Heck he always keeps a close eye on Naruto either through Anbu or via his peeping orb as Naruto calls it.
The boy has become reserve, stop pranking and surprisingly started training. Tree walking exercise is not taught at the academy. Only the Hyugas teach their children that exercise. The question is how did naruto know about that? In one of his conversation with Hinata, the boy nearly mentioned Kyubi. The Hokage became worried since then. So, he ordered Jiraiya to come and check the seal. Better safe than sorry. This was only confirmed to him today when Naruto had almost no reaction when Mizuki told him that he is the Kyubi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Naruto for almost a minute saying nothing which made the boy feel uncomfortable under his gaze. Is the old man angry with him for stealing the scroll and learning the shadow clone jutsu? He was about to apologize to the Hokage when the old man talked. "I am sorry Naruto-kun" he said as Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "What!" he nearly shouted. "We are sorry Naruto" Jiraiya said from his position on the Hokage's office window frame.
Naruto has no idea what they are apologizing for but does it really matter? "he he he he he. What is going on? Are you planning to do something to me?" Naruto asked as he scratched the back of his head. "Yes Jiraiya-San is going to check on your seal and I want it to be done before me. That's why he brought you here" Hiruzen informed Naruto who looked at him dumbly. Kurama shook his head and muttered to himself "paranoid humans"
After some arguments, Naruto took off his clothing leaving him in his boxer. The Hokage silently activated the private seal in his office and sent the ANBU out.
Kurama grinned as Jiraiya laid Naruto on his back and started inspecting the seal that kept him away from the real world. Hiruzen placed four seals tags on Naruto and nodded for Jiraiya to start. As soon as Jiraiya touched Naruto's stomach, he found himself in a sewer with ankle deep water and a huge cage held shut by a small paper with the kanji for seal written on it.
Jiraiya knew immediately where he is but he didn't have much time to think about it before a mountain size fox appeared before him at the other side of the cage. He couldn't help but take a step back when for no reason at all the Kyubi grinned. "see the look on your face Jiraiya. It is priceless. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA." Kurama can't help but laugh at him.
Jiraiya was thinking of finding a way out when the Kyubi spoke "Jiraiya no sannin. I can't say that I am happy to see you but I have been longing to meet you." "what for?" Jiraiya said regaining his composure. Heck how does the Kyubi even know his name? Through Minato, he learned that Kushina's seal restricted the Kyubi to the extent that he was blocked away from the outside world. So, the biju shouldn't have known him. But does it matter now?
" Having been tailing Orochimaru and Akatsuki for years, do you know their goals?" Kurama asked as Jiraiya's jaw dropped. "how did you..." he was cut off by the biju. "Orochimaru and Suna are going to invade Konoha during the final of the chunin exam. He will fail but Konoha will lose its Hokage. I do not care much about that though, what I care about is the safety of Naruto, the other Jinchurikis and the possible return of a certain BITCH. Akatsuki wants us the Tailed beasts. " Kurama sort of Narrated to the sannin.
Jiraiya stared dumbly at the biju. He is investigating those two as the Kyubi said but he hasn't gotten to those conclusions yet. Even though he sensed no lie from the Kyubi, he is sure that the biju wants something from him in return for that vital information. "why are you telling me this? What do you want. How do you even know all this?" Jiraiya asked with narrowed eyes. Kurama couldn't contain his inner joy as he grinned. "I am from the future or should I say I have memories of the future...?" Kurama trailed off and shook his head oblivious of Jiraiya's jaw dropping for a brief moment.
" what I want from you is to help me train Naruto in the usage of my power." Kurama paused and sighed knowing that what he was going to say next will make the sannin suspicious. "Naruto can tap into my power even now or I can lend it to him if I want but he can't control it. Heck he might even go on a rampage destroying anything on his path. But with the appropriate training he will use my full power with no drawback. Before I start that training, Naruto must have the key to the seal" Kurama said pointing at the paper seal holding his cage shut.
Jiraiya's eyes went wide in alarm his mind racing a thousand miles per hour. 'so that's what he wants all along huh?' Jiraiya thought. 'no way I will fall for that' Jiraiya's expression changed all of a sudden. "I won't give Naruto the key for you to take advantage of it and escape" Jiraiya said resolutely as Kurama sighed. He didn't expect the sannin to believe him but after the death of the Sandaime he will come back to him. Not that Kurama cares about the survival of the Hokage anyway. "You will come back to me when reality hit you but then it will be too late. You will lose your teacher and regret the choice you are making now." Kurama said and pushed the sannin out of the mindscape.
Jiraiya panted when he was back to the world of the living, sweating like a crazy bitch. He disconnected his hand from Naruto's tummy and stood up, earning a confused look from the Sandaime. Jiraiya might be talking with Kurama for about thirty minutes but to Naruto and Hiruzen, only five seconds passed. Hiruzen noticed how Jiraiya froze up when he touched the seal and the way he reacted worried the Hokage a lot.
"What is it? He is there anything wrong with the seal? He inquired. "No, I didn't check it" Jiraiya admitted and quickly went back to his knees and checked on the seal. He sighed in relief when he realized that the seal was intact. "The seal is intact" he declared and Hiruzen sighed in relief. "But there is something we need to discuss one on one" he quickly added.
"OK can I go home?" Naruto asked looking at the Sandaime who nodded. He quickly put on his clothes and made his exit. Both men sighed. Hiruzen reactivated his privacy seal he deactivated for Naruto to leave then made his way back to his seat as Jiraiya found a seat and settle across his mentor. It is going to be a long night for both men.
To say Kurama was angry with the toad sage will be an understatement. He was furious. But in all this pity him. The presence of the old monkey can be a huge asset to the allied shinobi force in the future. But if they won't listen to him then so be it. They will have themselves to be blame.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was greatly disturbed by the news from the Kyubi. They can't help but feel like the Kyubi words are true but at the same time feel like the fox is just being a typical fox trying to trick its way out of the seal. The thought of that alone makes the Hokage who is considered a god of shinobi pale.
The toad sannin Jiraiya left the village early the next day but not before coming to a conclusion about what to do. Should the events the Kyubi predicted come to pass, they will buy his claim of being a time traveller with the key to Naruto seal. But in case the biju is playing cunny fox, they will strengthen and tighten the seal with the same key.
Hinata Hyuga had a very bad start to the day. She woke up sad not because of her father's constant scorns but because her crush, her inspiration and love Uzumaki Naruto couldn't graduate. All this because of a stupid clone jutsu. She may not be the smartest in class but after getting close to Naruto, she realized that the boy has too much chakra and too much trouble controlling it. That jutsu required the tiniest possible drop of chakra, a fist which is impossible to Naruto considering his immense chakra reserve. So, all in all, the academy has been unfair to Naruto. She was the only genin at the academy that morning who wasn't exited. Therefore, imagine her joy/surprise that morning when Naruto came into the Academy late but with a forehead protector signifying that he graduated somehow. ...
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AN: Hope you enjoyed it.
Real improvement on Naruto's power might start after the invasion since Kurama wasn't able to secure the Key to the seal. Until the end of the invasion, this story might just be almost like the canon with the Naruto of this story being barely stronger than his canon self.
So, my question is should I jump to the invasion or I should follow the normal trend?
Thanks for reading. See you soon.
