Disclaimer: By now, do you seriously think I own any manga or anime titles? Because if so, why did no one tell me about Naruto and To-Love-Ru then?
Chapter 6:
"What in the hell do you mean I have to die?" Naruto yelled; body hunched over in disbelief as he stared down his toad familiar.
"GAMAKICHI! That was totally unnecessary!" The orange toad shrank slightly under the intense gaze of his elder before breathing a sigh of relief when those golden eyes were once again trained upon Naruto. It wasn't like he was lying or anything…if his blond buddy screwed things up, he'd die just as quickly as any other deathblow. Natural chakra wasn't something you messed with willy-nilly.
"Naruto, stop acting stupid. I know you like super simple solutions but this isn't the time to act like you're mentally handicapped. Especially for this type of training." Jiraiya mentioned, crossing his arms over his wide chest while looking at his student in minor disappointment. The other shinobi grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck at being seen through so easily. Busted…
"Don't worry, Naruto-chan. Ya won' really die. As long as ya listen ta what I say…I'll start from the beginnin'. One needs ta be able ta feel the energy and draw it in first before ya can control where it goes through yer body. So the easiest way to train…is to not move."
Naruto's shock from before had dropped into curiosity as Fukasaku began his speech but instantly dropped into disbelief. Was he serious? That sounded…stupid.
"I'm damn serious and it ain't stupid at all, brat! You can feel natural energy once ya cease all movement like an animal and harmonize with nature!"
"So all I have to do is not move…I can do that. All the training I've already done involved moving around, so this is gonna be way different." The shinobi grinned uncertainly and socked his fist into his palm, taking a look over his shoulder at Gamakichi and Jiraiya. The large toad and tall man just nodded before both focused back on Pa, getting Naruto to do the same. Said amphibian hopped past them all with a few quick shoves of his legs before stopping at the lip of the nearby fountain and turning to regard his audience.
"This will take time…it's pretty dang hard."
"There's no easier way? I mean, if it's tough I don't care but I'd like to get a good grasp of it quickly." Fukasaku remained silent at Naruto's proclamation before closing his eyes in thought. It almost made the toad laugh ironically; he should have known the boy would ask that. They had all summer to train but Naruto was a teenage boy and he had a lovely lass waiting for him back with Ma. Lala seemed fine being here with him but with all of them being busy but her, it was no contest she'd grow bored after some time. Oh well…
Clearing his throat, the lone sannin strolled past his student and slowly walked towards Pa. He knew exactly what was going on in the summon's mind and wholly disagreed with the idea. He had the same mindset as Naruto when he was younger and tried the 'easier way', only to swiftly deny ever trying it again after the first few moments. The feelings his body had been forced through once the training began was extremely unsettling and he almost lost his life in the blink of an eye. If it hadn't been for Fukasaku, the man wouldn't have been there now.
"What you see before you is Myoubokuzan's secret oil. It only exists here in this realm's atmosphere and quickly evaporates anywhere else. The smallest amount will do things to your body that speed up any training in the sage arts. But you have to be careful."
"Why?"
"C'mere a sec, Naruto-chan." With a wave of Pa's hand he called the blond over and had him crouch down. Having the boy roll his sleeve back, he dipped a finger within the darkish liquid and placed the wet digit upon his bare skin. "This toad oil draws in natural energy and by rubbin' it on ya, it lets the chakra enter yer body and gradually learn how ta feel fer it. But there's a risk…"
As if on cue with his warning, the right side of Naruto's body shuddered and morphed in an instant. Fingers grew and became webbed, skin grew mottled and dry, and his eye turned golden and the pupil stretched horizontally. A scream of surprise tore from his throat as he looked at his reflection, clutching at his changed appearance. Holy hell, what just happened? "WHAT IS THIS?"
"If ya can't control natural energy, this is the consequence. Ya turn into a toad."
"Now do you see why? Maybe my body was especially weak to it but even the smallest amount of oil nearly changed me completely. There's nothing wrong with taking the longer road to reach your goal if you don't think you can handle it." Jiraiya said, dropping into his serious instructor mode. Naruto was a good kid and he'd be damned if he lost himself doing something that needn't be rushed. They had all of summer break to train. Sure, they said they'd be back to hang out with their other friends but 'situations' might happen that no one planned for. They'd all get over it.
Seeing as the jinchuriki was still screaming, Pa quickly slapped his palms together with a quick surge of chakra. A thick black club appeared in a puff of smoke that was quickly swung to connect with the back of Naruto's head. As he complained about head wounds and the pain he was now in, Naruto suddenly noticed his human, toad-free features. It was perfectly clear. Blemish free. No half-amphibian monstrosity in sight.
"It's all about balance, muh boy. Spiritual, physical, and natural. Can't make sage chakra without 'em harmonizing equally. Too little, there's no sage energy. Too much and ya turn into a toad." At that Fukasaku tilted his head downward and pointed a finger in Naruto's direction. "A little too much and I can jus' knock it back outta ya. But absorb way too much…well, I hope ya can get used to the taste o' bugs."
Naruto only gulped.
"That's what I was talking about when I said you'd die. Die as a human." Gamakichi explained. It literally would be the same as resigning himself to death if he overloaded with the power of nature itself.
"Look at all of the statues, Naruto. Those are the remains of those that lost themselves due to the dangers of taking in too much nature chakra. Can you really throw it all away just to get your training over with quicker?"
The boy looked down, thinking about the severity of his options. He could kill himself in a sense, losing out on his future and life. His goal! Oh, his dreams…would they even allow a non-human to become the Hokage? And what about his friends? Or…Lala? Would she even care? After seeing Ghi Bree, appearance didn't really seem like it mattered much to the Devilukans although she seemed to like the fact that both of their physical makeups were similar. Not only that, but would the King blow up Earth because of his mishap? After his daughter left, of course.
Taking the easy way out would go against his whole lifestyle though. When had he ever just given up when the going got tough? That's what made him Naruto-fucking-Uzumaki! That, and his shiny blond hair, blue eyes, and adorable whiskers (Risa's words, not his). With a snort, he slammed his knuckles into the opposite palm and ground them into the skin. Backing down? Like hell he would! Those present saw the determination in his features and knew he had made up his mind. The two toads grinned and even Jiraiya let loose a smirk. Good, the decision might have been tough but it would have been feeble to watch the boy go against his own morals.
"Bring it on! I don't care how tough or dangerous it is, I'm still gonna do it!"
With a croak, Fukasaku brandished his staff and leveled a smile at the ninja as Jiraiya placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's the spirit! Now take off yer clothes!"
"…eh?"
Jiraiya palmed his forehead and sighed as the boy began to creep away from the elder amphibian. He hoped the inspirational mood wasn't lost with that one comment because, sadly enough, Naruto needed to strip down to his undies to make full use of the toad oil. Hell, the sannin didn't like it when he tried either but it made things a lot easier. "Just get down to your skivvies already. It's not like I want to see your lanky ass naked either but it's necessary to get the oil in your skin."
Oh. That made more sense. But…they keep talking about sage mode and senjutsu and yet he had not seen hide nor hair of this 'amazing' ability. Jiraiya had never shown him what it looked like and the thought had struck him on how he didn't even think to see what it was like after hearing so much about nature chakra and sage abilities. So…it was time for Naruto to fix that.
"Wait, wait wait! Time out!" he crowed, slapping his arms together in front of his body in an 'X' position. "I just had a thought. Ero-sennin knows sage mode and I want to see what it's like first. I learn better when I see it happen or do it myself. Since I can't exactly do it yet, I wanna see an example."
"A kinesthetic/vision learner, eh? Well, ah suppose Jiraiya-chan can enter sage mode real quick-like. What do ya say about that, lad?"
Said shinobi didn't look that pleased to be put on the spot, merely shrugging his broad shoulders in uncertainty. "We'll need Ma for this then…god, I really don't like to pull this out unless I really, really need to. I lose my devilishly handsome good-looks because there's an imperfect balance when I mix the three together. I'll scare the babes away!"
"Don't care. Besides, there are no women here."
With a pout unbecoming of a man of his stature and age, the toad summoner sighed deeply and removed the scroll from his back. Muscles were flexed as he stretched out his neck while Gamakichi hopped off to alert Shima to the newest development. It wouldn't be too long before they returned but Jiraiya hadn't used senjutsu in years. Better get the prep work started in the meantime. Nipping the skin of his wrists he used his finger to paint the fallen blood underneath his eyes, extending the lines already there and making a small 'L' shape that started at the edge of his two orbs and passed over his cheeks towards his ears.
"There's still Lala…" he groused, actually getting a glare from the blond. Ooo, was that some jealousy? Ha! The idiot didn't even seem to realize he was doing it! The elder male would have laughed if this hadn't been such a serious situation. Luckily Ma took that moment to hop into the picture, soon followed by Gamakichi with the pinkette alien riding on his back. As soon as her green eyes locked onto blue, the girl squealed in excitement and launched herself off of the large animal's bumpy back. Naruto had to grunt when Lala impacted against his chest, sending him skidding across the ground as she hugged herself to his chest.
"Hi, Naruto-kun! I missed you! It was fun staying with Ma but I was getting a little bored! When Kichi-kun showed up and said she was needed for a demonstration I wanted to come too~!" The tailed-alien snuggled against him, rubbing her face like a cat as he coughed to get air back into his lungs. Damn she hit hard! Stupid extraterrestrial strength…thank god he was as durable as a thick-skinned...something. His brain was currently too frazzled to think of a good analogy.
"I…I missed…you too, Lala-chan. But…try not to kill me…with your…greetings next time…" Lala hummed and sat up, inadvertently straddling the boy as her dress was forced to ride up her thighs. Perverse giggling reached their ears as Jiraiya eyed them with a creepy grin and analytical eyes that did all they could to preserve the moment for future novel references. That was, until both Ma and Pa jumped and slapped him forcefully in the back of the head which led to his face imprinting itself in the soil. Once that was done, the lone female amphibian cooed at the cute scene before her while standing atop of Jiraiya's twitching head.
"Now ain' that jus' too cute? It's jus' like us when we were younger, Pa!"
"A lot younger is more like it…"
"What was that?" she growled, causing Fukasaku to look away innocently.
"Get. Off. My. Head." They could barely hear the mumble as Jiraiya's lips were still stuck within the dirt but the toad gave him one extra stomp for good measure before hopping down. With an oddly misplaced squelch, the sannin pulled his face free and stared at the surrounding life-forms. "If you want to see my sage mode, I suggest you be nicer to me." With a snort, he spit out a clump of sod and slowly returned to his feet.
"Ya will do it regardless! Don't back-sass me, laddie!" Instead of pulling out her club like Naruto believed she would, the female began cracking her knuckles menacingly which actually caused Jiraiya to pale. How could women always be so scary?
"Y-yes, Ma!"
"Good. Now let's get this over with already." As her sentence ended, both older toads moved to stand on Jiraiya's shoulders; Pa on his right and Ma on his left. Both were holding up their hands with their spindly fingers in the ram seal, chakra coursing through their bodies as the anticipated event finally began to unfold. The son of Gamabunta stood at Naruto's side while the boy had pulled up into a sitting position. Lala had slid slowly off of the boy (causing him to shiver) and was now resting on his back, arms around his chest as she continued to hug him while her chin rested on his shoulder with sparkling eyes. All three were watching with rapt attention.
"Senpō: Ryōsei no Jutsu (Sage Art: Amphibian Technique)!"
Both of their feet seemed to meld seamlessly against the cloth and skin underneath and before long Jiraiya's appearance began to change. His spine grew hunched and his nose grew bulbous, a few warts springing up across the skin. His hair grew coarser and a pointed goatee grew upon his chin while the bloody lines on his visage spread to cover a large portion of his face. Lastly his eyes transformed to mimic Fukasaku's, Shima's, and Gamakichi's. Naruto could literally feel the immense power emanating from his teacher and two elder summons, sobering the male into a thoughtful yet serious gawking. Lala was the first to speak, breaking out of her stupor a lot quicker than her fiancé.
"Oh wow!"
Naruto's mind finally rebooted with a sputter and squeaking of a rusty wheel before he shook his head to recover, pointing a disbelieving finger at his teacher and jostling Lala in her spot. "I'm gonna look like that? Gross!"
"No, you fool! This is because I can't get the mixture right like I already explained!" Jiraiya growled; his voice a bit rougher due to the change. Becoming toad-like must have had that effect on people. "To counteract the problem, these two fuse with me and continuously pump natural chakra into my body. That way I don't have to waste time in battle standing still which would also leave me open to attack."
"So…I won't look like that?"
Jiraiya slapped his forehead again. He had been doing that a lot lately.
"No. Well…if you can't perfect sage mode for yourself then you'll likely have the same problem."
"Just another reason for me to get it right!" The blond stood up quickly as he pumped his fist, lifting his female companion into the air without pause. She in turn squawked before pouting and readjusting herself by placing her feet on the ground so she now stood behind him, still holding the boy in her embrace.
"Mou~…be careful, mister!"
"Heh heh…sorry, Lala-chan." She simply nodded into his back, getting the boy to crack a small smile. Jiraiya sighed as he released his hold over the power-up, his features sluggishly returning back to normal as the others leapt back to the earth and disengaged their own techniques. With a nod and soft sentence to the alien that she needed to release him, Naruto thumbed his nose and stood in front of the three teachers.
"Alright, I'm impressed. Let's get this training started!"
"Ya know what ya gotta do then, Naruto-chan. Off with 'em!" The boy felt his eye twitch at the blatant way the three older people in front of him were now grinning at him without a care. A quick look over his shoulder showed the princess watching him with a warm smile, unknowing of what they were talking about with her arms now clasped behind her back. The ninja's head whipped back around as he sent a pleading look towards Fukasaku but the old toad wouldn't have any of that. "Ah don' care if you're gonna get embarrassed! She's ta be yer wife so get used to it!"
"Not like you haven't seen each other naked already, brat. Besides you'll still be in your underwear so get it over with already!"
Confused by what was going on and why Naruto was suddenly tugging his clothes off, the girl cocked her head and turned expectantly towards Shima, who only shrugged and placed her cheek against her hand after slapping Jiraiya across the face for 'already corrupting the teenagers'. "It's part o' the trainin'…looks like Naruto-chan decided to take the more life-threatenin' approach to learning senjutsu. Are ya gonna be okay knowin' there's now a chance he might lose his life?"
Her mouth dropped open slightly and her shoulders drooped at the summon's words, feeling a small clenching within her chest. Naruto could die? No one said anything about that happening! She didn't want him to die! There was still too much for her to learn about him and not only that, they still had to get married and do all the things married people do!
But she could see resolve in his body language as he sat cross-legged on the lip of the large, brownish pond. She became immensely interested in the large stone toad statues littering the area due to her childish attention span but that curiosity would have to wait; Naruto had just sighed and looked a bit uncertain sitting there in nothing more than his boxers, completely different from the determination he showed only a moment ago. Lala knew her fiancé as one who was headstrong and knew she had to do something. So, fidgeting with her hands, she decided to show him her support.
"Good luck, Naruto! I know you can do it!"
She could see his eyes flicker brighter as he looked towards her with a small blush of discomfort but eventually returned the smile with one of his own. Somewhat content for now, the pinkette felt a weight appear on her shoulder as Shima jumped and perched herself there like a parrot. "Yer good fer him, Lala-chan. As a married woman muhself, trust me when ah say that."
"Excellent, Lala-sama! You may have just moved another step closer to winning Naruto-dono's heart!"
The alien princess giggled and rocked on her heels, liking the compliments very much. She just did what she felt was appropriate and turned out, it was right on the dot. "Thanks Ma-chan, Peke." The old toad rolled her eyes discreetly (seriously, a woman her age being called –chan? Preposterous.) but patted the teen's head all the same.
"Yer welcome. Now come on, let's leave the men to their work. Ah'll show ya around the mountain in the meantime." Lala chirped in reply and bounded off with her company in tow, leaving the men to continue on with their current plans. As Naruto sat there waiting to learn what he had to do he noticed Pa watching Jiraiya with lidded eyes. The man himself was staring right back at the smaller creature in uncertainty before finally clearing his throat and flicking his arms forward in question.
"What?"
"Ah don' see ya getting' over here ta join Naruto-chan."
"Huh? But I already know how to sense natural energy!"
The toads eyes narrowed even further. "And who needs me and muh wife to constantly be there when he's in sage mode? Jus' cause we're here for the boy don't mean ya can't train on yer own ta get better at yer technique!"
"But!-" A dry, thin arm flashed forward and pointed near the ground next to Naruto, not taking any more argument. With a growl and shaking of his fist, the toad sage slinked forward like a spoiled child not getting their way and finally planted himself next to his student. "This is so stupid…I'm a grown ass man!"
"An' I still outrank you in every way! So I don' give a flyin' fig how old you are, you're still just a tadpole compared to me!" At this point Jiraiya held his tongue despite the fact he so wanted to continue arguing. But Pa was tapping that damnable cane into his other palm with a slow, steady rhythm. Jiraiya was a seducer of women! A Casanova of amazing notoriety, both good and bad! And here he was, afraid of a pint-sized animal! But…well, okay…it was for a good reason. Fukasaku was damn scary when he wanted to be.
And then there was Shima…
With a shiver that coursed down his spine, the sannin entered into the same meditative pose that Naruto was in and breathed out slowly through his mouth. Looked like he better just humor Pa for the time being…because, y'know, it wasn't like he didn't wish his senjutsu was more streamlined. He just never had the time to practice thanks to his spy network and travel, and now there was also having to look after the blond son of his former student. Plus he was already a crazy strong motherfucker! So yeah. He'd practice since the older gent had been given the chance.
It wasn't like he had to though!
Meanwhile, farther down the mountain, Shima had been showing her charge around the beautiful swampy mountain while making sure the girl didn't wander off on her own. That's all she needed…losing Naruto's cute fiancé because she hadn't been paying attention. The duo walked along until Lala suddenly squealed and ran forward, forcing the elder to hop after her in a huff that caused her cloak to billow out in a wide arc behind her. Catching up she found the alien royalty speaking animatedly with a large yellow toad that Shima realized was Gamatatsu. The young animal was grinning in a dopey manner at the pinkette, merely letting the girl talk and talk until he found the space to answer.
"Tatsu-kun! How are you? It's been awhile but it's so nice to see you again! Your home is really, really cool but I think I like Naruto-kun's house more!"
"Oh…hiya, Lala." The toad blinked lazily before waving a hand in front of his body. "Do ya got any snacks?" Wow. Shima totally saw that coming. Not even a 'when did you get here' or 'wait, how'd you get here?' The toad blinked once before finally realizing that a non-summoner was in his specific realm and speaking with him. "You can't summon toads. How'd you get here?"
There it was.
"That's something I'd like to know, too." a booming voice asked loudly, echoing with unabashed irritation around the valley and getting Gamatatsu to perk up considerably. Lala actually jumped at the sudden noisy intrusion and covered her ears slightly, twisting her head around and around to try and find the source of the loudness but she just couldn't lock onto the one that spoke. Was it another awesome yet crazy shinobi thingy? "Up here, girl."
Muscles stretched as Lala tilted her neck back, long silken hair slipping over her shoulders and down her back while her greenish eyes widened considerably. The rusty, reddish-colored mountain behind the yellow toad was not a mountain at all. With a hand shielding her eyes against the sun, she was forced to gaze straight up with her body in a perfect line and could still barely see the top of what she was trying to see. "…ooooooOOOOOOOOOOOO WOW!"
The 'mountain' was actually another toad. A big toad. A really big toad. From what she could make out from her tiny perspective, the monster was brick red and held brighter red markings on his body though it was tough to make out at the angle. Over the yellowish toad eyes, there was a scar going from the left brow ridge before ending underneath the eye. A massive blue vest/coat covered his large frame held in place by a white cord belt, and there was a huge blade strapped to his side. Lastly, the toad was holding a thin pipe in one lanky hand that was lazily belching smoke into the clear blue sky while the other clutched a wide sake saucer. Like, really really wide. On the ground near his foot rested a large jug of, most likely, the same alcoholic liquid sitting in the cup.
"I don't recall hearing anything about another new summoner…at least this one's a looker compared to the last brat who got lucky enough to sign his name on our scroll."
"That's not very polite, Bunta. I find Naruto-san to be a nice young lad."
"You haven't been summoned by the little fool yet. Thinking to order me around…hmph!"
It was then Lala noticed that Gamakichi and the super toad weren't alone. How had she not noticed the colossal magenta toad resting next to the red one, nor the aquamarine one who had remained stoically silent while staring down at the small humanoid? Her eyes were bulging wide as the brilliant smile on her face grew to its stretching point. This was amazing! Naruto never said there were animals this big here on Earth! "This is so cool! Nana would love to meet you!"
Shima took that moment to waggle her finger to get the other's attentions before motioning to the girl whose shoulder she still currently rested on. "Bunta-chan! Ken-chan! Hiro-chan! This here is Lala-chan! She's no summoner, and the reason that yer son here knows the girl is 'cause she's ta wed Naruto-chan!"
The one called Gamabunta comically sputtered as his reddish cheeks swelled significantly. The spit-take that soon followed was of massive proportions, sending a spray of clear liquid mixed with saliva that spattered against the dirt with enough force to knock over a house. If Lala had been caught in one of the drops, she would likely have been swept away like she had been caught in a river current. To her good fortune she had been standing close enough to Gamatatsu and the other three summons to not become a missing person on accident.
"M-married? I thought Gamakichi was just telling a joke!"
"How the hell is that funny, boy? It sounds nuthin' like a dang joke!"
"Yeah, I can't wait to marry Naruto!" Oh good lord, the females were joined together on a collected front. That bode well for nobody. Recovering the best he could, Gamabunta tapped off a few ashes from the end of his pipe and coughed. He then had to do a double-take and cross his eyes inward when the girl was suddenly in front of his face. Flying. In some weird, skintight suit with a big hat that sported bat wings. He should've known any girl of Naruto's wouldn't exactly be normal…even by shinobi standards.
"How…are you flying, miss?" the magenta toad asked, causing Lala to drift around to look at him. She was able to get a much better look at him thanks to the fact she was now eye-level with the huge amphibian. This Gamaken was as big as Gamabunta, with black markings over its face and exposed body that stood out on its purplish skin, with horn like protrusions on his eye ridges. Unlike Bunta though, he wore a black kimono with a white sash and mesh armor underneath. On the toad's back rested a large, lid-shaped shield and a sasumata pole weapon covered in spikes. But unlike the slightly menacing way he looked, Lala could feel he wasn't a threat to her in the slightest.
She noticed the last toad of the trio nod his head as well making her spin that way too. Lighter green skin on the bottom, darker on the top, and grayish trim around the eyes. Gamahiro too wielded weapons, in this case a pair of huge katanas crossed in an X-formation across his back. They were held in place by an orange sash even as the animal summon used a finger to scratch at his chin in confusion and wonder.
"It's all thanks to Peke here!" she exclaimed, lightly rapping her knuckles on the white head covering that looked like some weird puppet. Showing surprising agility for her age, Ma hopped straight up onto Gamahiro's greenish head and decided to stare down Bunta, who was looking the most unnerved by the oddity before them.
"Ah figured both she and Naruto-chan woulda toldja at some point but there's no helpin' it now. Ah got to say that even I had a hard time believin' it at first…but there's really no other explanation fer what she is."
"And that is?"
Seeing the positive nod from the mother-figure toad, the pinkette softly grabbed her tail to bring it around into view without making her lose concentration at the touch. "I'm an alien! Lala Satalin Deviluke! Nice to meet you, big toads!" Bunta's eyes bulged out; Ken's mouth dropped open and at the most, Hiro's brow ridge rose a little higher but otherwise remained the same.
"That wasn't a joke either?" the boss sputtered, unnerved. Down below Gamatatsu continued watching everyone high up in the air as he remained in the very same spot he had been since he decided earlier he wanted to sit with his dad and his buddies. There was no need for him to move and honestly, he felt too lazy at the moment to try and jump up to join the others. Although…he did feel a bit hungry. He hadn't had any snacks for at least half an hour and that forced a single thought through his mind as he watched a few clouds slide by in the distance.
"I wonder if Lala or Naruto brought any of those taiyaki cakes?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[One and a Half Days Later]
All was calm.
All was quiet.
The only sound that could be heard was the constant stream of bubbling oil spraying downward into its attached reservoir pond. Despite the liquidy distraction, the three resident organisms paid it no heed. The small, greenish toad that had already spent many, many years on terra firma stood in the very same spot he had resided on the last few days, intently watching the charge before him. Occasionally he would dip his hand in the oil and rub it into the naked back of the blond he was training.
Next to said blond sat an older man, completely at ease with the world. Unlike the younger male he could already sense nature itself and so had no use for the brownish fluid that aided senjutsu. So immersed in the lack of activity that came with meditation, a few birds had perched upon his larger form as though he was a tree or rock formation. His chakra melded with the surrounded environment, both inside his body and outside his cells, and allowed him peace of mind and escape from the day-to-day problems that came with life. It was the very same reaction the last person was aiming for.
It was there, on the very edges of his awareness, and yet he still couldn't seem to fully feel the peaceful flow of the earth and sky itself. The oil was a boon, making him wonder how long it truly would have taken if he decided to follow the safer training course. One day was already over and he could nearly feel the energy of nature. He looked just as peaceful as the man next to him but it was actually pretty damn hard. Naruto Uzumaki was making headway in his sage training but it was almost hell…after all, he was a man of action. Staying still for an extremely long period of meditation was not something he was used to.
A small splash of oil smacked against his exposed skin thanks to Fukasaku but the amount was too great and caused him to flinch ever so slightly. The influx of chakra began to override his energy and it caused his body to begin to widen and grow, forcing the elder toad to smack him heartily in the spine with his cane. The power of nature was instantly expelled from his tenketsu and halted the transformation process.
There was also a yelp of pain that Naruto expressly believed was not girly in the slightest.
As he rolled around on the ground clutching at his new sore spot, the ninja found the time to whine. "Ow! I'm gonna be bleeding internally!" Pa could only roll his eyes and let the tip of his club drop onto the stone.
"Shaddup. Are ya givin' up already?"
"No…" Naruto grumbled. "But, hey! I think I have a better idea on how to do this. What about Kage Bunshin?" That…why didn't any of them think of that sooner? It was actually a good idea but the consequences were terrible. If any one of his clones lost control and turned into a toad, in essence he would too. Just because his main body wouldn't change didn't mean he wouldn't be forced into inaction. He would be assaulted with memories of turning and that would force his brain into a standstill. In essence he would lose himself. So Pa decided to give him a concession.
"Fine but no more than four! Anymore 'en that an' I can' keep up! Any o' yer clones turn and BAM! Say goodbye."
The copies were soon dispelled after being struck by the elder. It just made Naruto incensed and decided to take a break, sprawled over the ground as Pa watched him muttering about all the bruises over his body. This had actually been some of the toughest training the jinchuriki had ever been through but knew if Jiraiya could do it, then he would stick with it too. In fact he believed anyone would go through with it if it allowed them to become as powerful as the perverted sannin. That is, until the amphibian mentioned it was only because the two of them possessed enormous chakra reserves. Having that was a requirement to learning sage mode…as well as having the guts to never give up.
That fit both Naruto and Jiraiya to a 'T'.
With a happy grin, the blond shinobi threw himself willingly into the pool of senjutsu oil with a grand splash. Pa was horrified and even the older shinobi broke from his unmoving posture as he sensed his protégé sink beneath the placid pond. Birds chirped as they were spooked from their perches as both senjutsu users scrabbled to find a way to pull the boy away from certain death.
But that didn't matter at the moment.
What did was the overload every one of his senses were going through. As soon as he was immersed in the darkened liquid, Naruto's body immediately began to change. He couldn't seem to stop it no matter how hard he tried and a flicker of doubt shot through his heart like a bolt of lightning. This had been a terrible idea, brought on by the passive compliment given to him by the elder toad. And now he would suffer for it. Son of a bitch. Well…there goes the rest of his life.
Something long and thin wrapped around his expanding torso and jerked him straight out of the oil, causing him to awkwardly slip across the ground and roll to a stop while his body continued to tremble and alter itself. He could vaguely hear Fukasaku and Jiraiya shouting at each other before the feeling of a certain club began rapidly slapping itself into any skin it could find. No matter how many times it hit it could only knock out a portion of the overabundance of natural chakra in his body. It was undeterminable how many hits it would take before he was back to reasonable levels.
But Naruto was more concerned about the smattering of new feelings coursing through his body. It was…amazing. Maybe it's because he was changing…but he could literally feel every single living thing on Mt. Myouboku. And not only the animals, but the trees. The grass. The water and stone. If asked (and he was able to speak) he could have explained the general area of any other toad. The peaceful feeling coursing through his very soul made the teen want to slip off to sleep. He just had to give in…allow himself to become lost in the gentle folds of nature itself.
It would be so easy…
A flicker. One certain ball of energy grew in strength as it continued conversing with other chakra signatures. He could nearly see the brilliance of it within the darkness that had overtaken him. That was…his wife. Wife? No…fiancé. It was getting harder to think. He was supposed to be getting married. Even now, that thought made him feel oddly giddy and yet still greatly confused him. A girl actually wanted to marry him? It was so hard to comprehend sometimes even though one of his goals in life was to have a family. Something he never had before. But…if he became a stone toad, he would no longer be able to. Lala…Lala would be devastated, wouldn't she? He didn't want her to be sad, or heartbroken, or anything in between. It wouldn't be right to see a bubbly girl such as her expressing such dour emotions.
He wouldn't allow that to pass…while he still held onto consciousness.
With all the will he could muster, Naruto focused his chakra to mix with the abundance of extra nature chakra in his system and tried to reach a rough estimation. As the three wound together he focused on creating some sort of barrier to keep the rest of the energy from leaking in. It was really tough and the blond thought he was going to pass out at any moment, but one extra strike to the noggin both woke him up and removed the nature chakra stuck within his head. Despite all of the pain his body was currently producing the ninja was able to groan and roll onto his stomach with a muted sigh. Did Pa really have to keep hitting him so hard?
"Brat? …Naruto? Can you hear us?"
"…shut up…Ero-sennin…"
The sannin couldn't help but laugh in relief at his student's reply and help him unsteadily wobble to his feet. Pa wasn't as amused though, feeling as though Naruto still needed a few extra smacks with his stick until the old toad felt better about the heart attack he nearly had thanks to the boy's stupidity. When he said it took guts he didn't mean to commit suicide under the guise of trying to be tough!
"Ya idiot! Do ya even realize what ya nearly did to yerself?"
With one eye remaining bright blue while the other had taken on the yellowish visage of the very animals he summoned, Naruto grinned weakly as he stood next to Jiraiya with an arm around the man's neck for support. "Yeah…I can see nature energy now." There wasn't a 'maybe' in there. There wasn't a 'I think I see it' in his sentence. The jinchuriki was positive that he could sense and see the wisps of brownish-green miasma that seemed to flow off of everything in sight, even the very air itself, except for the two other senjutsu-users standing there next to him. It had to be nature chakra. For one he couldn't see it before he jumped into the pond and upped his sixth sense. It had to be the power that both Jiraiya and Fukasaku could already witness. "There's small waves of energy crawling off of everything…like when I channel too much chakra and it becomes visible. It's really faint though…huh…I wonder if this is what Sasuke sees when he looks at people while using his sharingan?"
"That sounds like natural chakra alright." Jiraiya found himself grinning alongside his pupil before slapping him heartily on the back. "Good job, brat! Looks like nearly killing yourself actually did some good!" As the boy stumbled and turned to yell at the other toad summoner (once again showing his amazing recovery ability. He might have still been shaky but it was nowhere near the level it had been moments before) Pa considered what had just happened with something akin to awe before smiling softly and prepping his cane against his shoulder. Simply amazing. The boy just continued to be full of surprises.
'So you really can sense the chakra a bit. Well done.' He quickly desummoned his walking stick and clapped his hands together, gathering the attention of the two humans. This was the perfect time for a break. "C'mon, you two. Now's a good time to go an' collect lunch." With a nod from both, the three traveled back towards the amphibian's home where they found both Shima and Lala waiting with steaming plates of insects. Naruto paled significantly as he stared down his soup, even as everyone else once again dug in like it was no problem. How could they eat this crap? It made him queasy just looking at it.
"Naruto, why are you so dirty?" Lala asked from his side. Never mind the fact he was still in his boxers but at that point the boy didn't care; he was still too excited from his latest discovery. She took to poking at one of the odd smudges on his arm as he lightly swatted at her hand, getting the girl to pout her lips and prod some more. She couldn't help that she was curious. Hanging out with Ma was nice but she wanted to spend more time with her live-in boyfriend fiancé person. "Come on, tell me! I wanna know!"
"It's because Pa keeps hitting me with his stupid stick. It's the only thing that keeps me from changing into a toad." With a gag he was able to muscle down a grasshopper torso, licking his lips and involuntarily shuddering at the taste. He noticed she was watching him again, playing with the hem of her shirt with widened eyes. "That's…uh, that's the result if I fail sage training. I'll turn into a stone toad and his stick knocks the extra energy out of my body."
"That's apparently not the only thing. How did you stop yourself from changing after jumping in the oil pond-" Everyone heard Ma gasp and the clattering of her plate as she dropped her beetle against it, "-and making us think you were lost? If Pa hadn't snagged you with his tongue then you probably would have been. You were nearly completely gone when he started doing his best to strike the nature chakra out of your body but suddenly all the rock on your skin starts disappearing and you wind up with one toad-esque eye."
"Ya did what?" Ma shrieked, forcing Pa to raise a hand to get her to stay quiet. He wanted to hear what the boy had to say as all eyes present focused in on him.
"While I was still conscious, I knew I couldn't let myself be overtaken. Simple as that." Blue eyes flickered towards the pinkette at his side which did not go unnoticed by the others. Lala merely thought it was because he felt like looking towards her and she smiled anyways. Ma sighed dreamily as she thought it was yet another romantic example between the two, Pa nodded his head thoughtfully, and Jiraiya's lips slowly grew and grew. Oh, he would keep this for a later date. 'Deny it all you want, brat. You used Lala to bring yourself back from the brink.'
After a slightly tenser lunch, the three returned to the training ground with one extra passenger. Lala had decided she wanted to watch this time seeing as Naruto was now moving onto the next section of his work and she wanted to cheer him on. At first, Fukasaku asked the boy to try and lift one of the rock toads with only his normal chakra. Try as he might, even with reinforced muscles he could not get the statue to budge. Panting heavily, Naruto idly wondered just how much training it would take (if it was even possible) to raise the figurine like the elder toad did without nature chakra mixed in.
Probably never.
He did almost feel like crying however when his fiancé skipped over and lifted the statue over own her head with mildly shaking arms and a cute shout. "I-If I can do it the-then you can do it too, N-Naruto!"
BOOOOM
Dust and rock chips were thrown everywhere as the animal effigy slammed back into the soil. Naruto just smiled and gave her a thumbs-up anyways. Pa himself was speechless. It looked like he just learned something else about Lala's physiology besides being an extraterrestrial and having some crazy awesome genes that let her grow into quite the cutie. With a quivering hand, the amphibian could only point towards the oil and croak out a sentence.
"S-sage chakra next…"
"Alright!"
A tanned hand was quickly dunked within the thick fluid before the boy once again channeled his chakra, this time with the added bonus of a third addition as he dropped into his meditative stance. As the simmering waves of energy once again sprang into existence it forced his eyes to lengthen, grow black outlines, and bleed into a golden-yellow coloration. As the chakra slipped into his veins a few warts sprang up around his body but other than that he was able to reign in the worse of the changes.
This time he could do it.
No, he would do it.
Fingers dug into dense, weathered stone as drips of sweat began to roll down his skin. The statue was still exceedingly heavy but this time he was able to boost his payload up to eye level with some strain. Like Lala he dropped it once his arms began to quiver, sending yet another resounding crack that echoed throughout Myoubokuzan. Hot damn, he really did it! The alien royalty immediately tackled herself into her love's side and hugged him for all it was worth, ecstatic that the boy had grown nearly as strong as she was. That meant she didn't have to tone down her strength when she wanted to show him just how happy she was. That just made her more happy, which lead to more squeezing as Naruto just laughed and did his best to return it with a reinforced body.
"I hate ta break up such a touchin' moment but we need ta keep the ball rollin while we still can. I want ya to continue pullin' in natural chakra with the oil. When ya think ya've got a good grasp on it, then sit underneath the oil fountain. There's no quicker way ta get used to masterin' the oil."
"Right. I'll do that." With some minor difficulty, (Lala just did not want to let go) Naruto was able to get himself set in the same spot he was now used to sitting in, ready to continue absorbing the power of nature itself. Pa took a moment to hop over to the stoic Jiraiya and nudge him slyly in the shin. "He's takin' to his trainin' quicker than you did. You gonna let the boy pass you so easily?"
"Screw that." The pervert huffed, his face taking on a mixture of annoyance and revulsion. "Like I'd let the brat one-up me on this one. He's already got a banging hottie ready to marry him. That's the only time I'll let him beat me in anything since I'm much more taken with being an eligible bachelor." At that he fell to the ground and immediately began to meditate. Was he jealous of the boy's progress? Of course not…he just had to prove who the master was.
And now it had come down to the more inactive part of the training; waiting for the boy to move on to the next level. Scratching at a small itch on his arm, Fukasaku turned towards Lala and gave a small grin. "Ya can either stick around and wait if ya want or go on back ta Ma. Sorry if this seems borin', Lala-chan."
She shook her head and glanced at Naruto. "It's okay…actually I'm gonna go and work on some of my inventions." He regarded her quietly for a moment before nodding and waving his hand nonchalantly.
"Go on then. Don' worry, ah'm not gonna keep him busy the whole time. Once he's finished here, ah'll send him on his way and' you too can spend time together." Now that got her to smile, revealing a large amount of pearly white teeth. "An' this time, I'll convince Ma to let the two o' ya sleep in the same bed." What a shocker that had been for the older animals. Ma had gone to wake the two teenagers up after Naruto had pulled his camping tent out of his backpack the very first night and set it up. When she had zipped down the opening and popped inside, she came upon a nude Lala snuggling up against an obliviously sleeping Naruto in pajamas. Peke was off in one of the small corners, dozing away. The sight of the little robot did nothing to quell her motherly instinct and the shout that followed. Jiraiya wound up taking a beating later too since he obviously had some hand in the situation. "The tent o' his was made fer one person an' I'da been surprised if the two o' you hadn't wound up right on top o' each other."
"Thanks, Pa~!" With a flick of her thumb she opened her D-Dial and set about removing odd pieces of machinery that Fukasaku had never seen before. All held the same color scheme of being white with black markings and an emblem he guessed had something to do with Lala's family. As the girl drifted off into quiet mutterings accompanied by the clicking of fingers on the thing that sort of looked like one of those television screens with buttons, the elder once again craned his neck to look over at his students.
Jiraiya had easily slipped back into his tranquil state of body, mind, and soul to become one with the earth. That was good; he seemed like he was getting quicker at pulling the energy in. And Naruto? The blond was no longer in his spot at the lip of the pond. In fact he was already sitting underneath the small waterfall of oil that continuously spouted out of lone statue's pursed lips. Good. Very good. The boy's progress rate was actually quite astounding. Perhaps jumping into the oil had been the very boon he needed? It seems so, seeing as he was now being continuously pounded by the fluid with nary a problem to be seen. He now held a few less warty protrusions on his body and his eyes were the same as before. No stone skin or puffy body parts.
Very, very good indeed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
That…actually went better than expected. Everything had gone swimmingly despite the air of tenseness that stifled the office. All from one person. But there had been no injuries, no outcries of revenge or murder. Hell, none of the ANBU had to be called in to stop a path of blind destruction. And now, one day later, Tsunade finally felt like she could relax.
Well…as much as she could while being the leader of a whole village and a conglomerate of killers.
KNOCK KNOCK
Oh, come on! Why now, when she was just about to crack open a new bottle of booze? Grrr, fine! "Enter!" She was unable to keep the scorn from creeping into her voice, slapping her drawer closed and leaning back in her cushioned seat. When the knocking continued she grew continuously incensed before angrily stomping to her feet and nearly ripping the door off of its hinges.
"Hello, Hime-" The person outside was unable to finish their greeting as the Slug Sannin had decided to force her fist through their head with a roar of fury. Instead of sending her guest through the wall, the one after that, and so on and so forth, they disappeared swiftly in a puff of smoke. As she fanned the obscurant away she made out a small chuckle behind her back that caused the woman to spin on her heel. There, sitting in the window like he always seemed to do, was Jiraiya. Hopefully the real one and not another clone because she seriously needed to release some stress even while glaring at him skeptically.
"What? You seriously think I'd come in first and receive a beating? That's what clones are for."
"If I don't get answers soon, then you're going to get a lot more than a simple beating." Her words were venomous and even the toad summoner felt himself pressing into the office wall. "Do you even know how much shit I've had to put up with since the day I received your letter? We won't be back at the designated time. Sorry. Sorry? I've no idea where you are, no idea how Naruto is doing! *gasp* But, oh wait! He has a fiancé? He's getting married? And then Sakura goes and opens her big mouth! I nearly killed the girl for her amateurish mistake! But it wasn't her fault she was in the room when I opened that other damn scroll! I thought I was going to have a riot on my hands when the Hyuuga girl heard that the boy she has a crush on has already moved off onto someone else!"
Her hands were twitching, curling inwards as she visualized them wrapped around Jiraiya's thick neck and choking the life out him. Ever so slowly. So goooood…she just needed to move closer. But the even, unperturbed look on his face cooled her ire somewhat, blinking her eyes and feeling a bit of shock when he sighed and slowly shook his head from side to side. Where was the whole 'running scared' gag? He knew it, she knew it, and then they moved on with their lives.
"You finished? Good. Scared me a bit there but then again I've faced worse." He then walked past her, towering over the henged woman before sitting on the nearby upholstery and bouncing a few times on the plushy cushions. "This a new couch? I like it."
"Wh…wha?"
"Why am I not cowering in a corner, wetting myself in unbridled fear? Because I have a report for you that takes precedence over anything else." A small grin cracked over his lips as he pointed towards her desk, getting a funny look from the busty blonde before she finally trudged over and dropped into her seat. Clearing her throat lightly the female sat forward and entered her Hokage persona. Fingers clasped together in front of her cleavage as she rested them on the desk, drawing the man's eyes before he snapped them up to look within her amber orbs.
"Very well then, Jiraiya…let's hear it before I do something I probably won't regret."
His smile dropped as she crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with a rather intense stare. "Naruto is currently training with the toads in senjutsu."
"Are you crazy?" Her voice rose again, knowing exactly how intense it was having heard about the man's own experiences.
"Every ninja is crazy in their own way."
"He's not ready for such advanced techniques!"
"Oh?" he commented idly, scratching the side of his nose. "Then I guess the fact that he can already sense natural chakra is a fluke and that Pa already has him working on not having to use the special oil as a catalyst is something I hallucinated. Barely transforms now, too. I hate to admit it but the boy's done way more than I ever did in one and a half days of working under the elder."
"Seriously…?"
"Yup. Lala's there as well. Naruto was the one to come up with the idea and it seems to have brought the two closer together. The girl is clearly smitten with him and takes to letting him know all the time, but Naruto doesn't seem to understand his own emotions. It seems being around a girl that actually cares for him has slowly changed him. Hell, he admits he's not sure if he himself will fall for her when he hasn't seen that Sakura chick in years but I think Lala's already got her hooks in him."
"I still want to meet this girl…"
"Don't worry, you will. The school they go to is on vacation for the moment and I plan on bringing them back for a visit when training is over. Which, at the rate Naruto is progressing…should actually be sometime soon? Yeah. Probably. Unless we try to cram some more techniques into his brain." Swallowing, Jiraiya felt himself coming up to the one part of the report he knew would likely set Tsunade off.
"Okay. So they're still in the toad realm when you're here. You could have just sent another scroll instead of coming in person. What's the deal here, Jiraiya?" Her eyes narrowed somewhat as she noticed his body language become tense.
"It's because…of the promise I made to Pa if Naruto masters sage mode. If he doesn't do it, then we stick to when he becomes a chunin or gets older." Now that caused Tsunade to tense as well, now that she had an idea of what he was hinting at.
"You didn't…"
"I'm not keeping it from him anymore, Tsunade! He deserves to know!" The sannin roared as though provoked, jumping to his feet with a dangerous look in his eyes. "I don't give a shit about that anymore! At this rate he'll know soon enough and hopefully only hates me for a little while, instead of keeping the truth from him longer and making him hate me forever!"
"He's-"
"If you say he's not ready one more time, I swear I will hit you through the wall like you always do to me. I am not joking. This is why I decided to come here after finishing my own bit of training for the day. To tell you what is going to happen, not what might happen. It's my duty as his godfather that I've neglected for too long. Naruto is strong. His fiancé is strong too. He will inevitably fight against Akatsuki, and he will destroy them. He won't be alone, either." With a nip of his finger and a few well practiced hand-seals, Jiraiya summoned Kosuke and crouched down to look at the small amphibian. "Let them know I'm ready to come back."
"You got it, boss."
He sent another look towards his stunned former teammate as the toad vanished, this time with a softer gaze in his eyes. "Knowledge is power, Hime. I would know. Naruto knows how to keep his mouth shut regardless. Think how much harder he would fight and how stronger he would become if he knew who his parents were? I know I'd want to do them proud if my mom and dad happened to be those two powerhouses."
With a sigh, Tsunade of the Slugs finally rolled her shoulders and made a shooing motion with her hand. There was no arguing with him now. Naruto was going to pitch a fit when he learned the truth and better he first took it out on someone like durable old Jiraiya. "Fine…fine. Whatever. I don't care. It's out of my hands then. I'll leave it to you and I expect a front seat wedding invitation when the time finally comes." Now that got him to laugh heartily, relieving some of the strain between the two. With a faint smile of her own, Jiraiya gave her a wave and tossed her a small scroll that bounced along the top of her wooden desk.
"There's the 'official' report in case you need some sort of cover for the council about Naruto's updates. It was good seeing you again, princess. Problems or not I'm glad we were able to get this all resolved without a fight. Might I say though you look just as stunningly sexy as I remember!" Then he was gone, disappearing in a plume of summon smoke while leering at her with a dual thumbs up. Knuckles cracked in her hand as she squeezed the digits sharply. He just had to leave like the pervert he was instead of a more dignified goodbye. Still…it was rather nice seeing he hadn't exactly changed after nearly three years away from Konoha. A bit more protective of Naruto but she was quite fine with that.
And Naruto…she truly had to wonder how much three years had changed him.
It wouldn't be too much longer before her curiosity was finally fulfilled.
Humming to herself at the new information now floating around her noggin, the leader of the leaf finally retrieved the bottle of sake from her desk and took a large gulp. FINALLY! God it tasted so good. Cracking open the new roll of parchment she began to scan over the words written within. Sage mode…training with the toads…yup, pretty much everything he mentioned besides telling the brat about his parents. That would look good for documentation purposes later on. Taking another slip of her drink, the woman rerolled the information back up and took to looking at the photograph that had been nestled within. That man had seemingly turned into an amateur picture-taker over the last few months.
This one showed her favorite blond brat sitting in front of a small brown waterfall, legs crossed and hands resting together with his back straight and eyes closed. He wore nothing more than his boxers but that was completely beside the point; he looked perfectly at ease. Was this really the same hyperactive nincompoop she remembered saving her from Kabuto and his chakra scalpels?
Like the other former rookies, he had naturally aged. His hair still defied gravity but it looked to be a little bit longer. Naruto was taller (surprisingly) and had filled out with muscle, looking more like an adult and Minato than he ever did before. Poor Hinata…she really should have snagged him back when she had the chance. Oh well…tough luck for the pale-eyed heiress.
Slipping the picture into her sake drawer she placed it next to the one she still kept of Lala. Hell, if Jiraiya kept sending pictures then maybe she could file them all together into a photo album. Naruto and Lala's future kids needed something to look back on one day, after all. The same for the happy couple…because they were totally going to have a bunch of yellow or pink-haired children. Not one or two, but a whole bunch. Naruto needed to bring back the Uzumaki clan although he wasn't exactly the last of them. There were other survivors supposedly scattered to the winds...
…aw, who was she kidding? She just wanted some grandkids to spoil.
With thoughts of what her pseudo-son's offspring might look like, the strongest woman in Konoha finished her sake and reached for another bottle. Might as well embellish her freedom while Shizune wasn't around to harp on her and her beloved drinking habits.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto sat quietly in his tent, staring at the small book resting in his hands. Even though night had fallen and it was harder to see he could still make out the lettering on the front cover. The Legend of the Gutsy Shinobi. Jiraiya's very first book, given to the boy after he had finished with the day's training. The perverted shinobi had said it was a gift for him after reappearing from his mysterious disappearance and called it his very first novel. The book hadn't sold that well, compared to his Icha Icha at least, but he still mentioned it happened to be one of his favorites to create.
I won't always be around in the far future, even if I like to think of myself as an undying enigma. At least with this you won't always remember me as nothing more than a super pervert. That's what he said, yeah? His words made it seem like he was going to die. Naruto snorted at the idea. Yeah, he wasn't going to kick the bucket for a long time. Jiraiya still had way to many women to peep on in this world. Still, as he gently ran his hand across the hard cover and traced the kanji, the jinchuriki thought of it as a nice present. He'd read it first thing when he had the free time.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZIP
"I'm back, Naruto."
"Hey Lala."
"Oh?" She ducked down to allow the curly cue of hair on her head to enter the tent before zipping it back up, curiously looking at the item in her fiance's clutches. He didn't have that before. "What's that?"
"A book from Ero-sennin. His very first one, in fact." He smacked the stiff binding into his other hand a few times. "He said it was a gift…the bio seems interesting so I'm going to read it as soon as I can." She regarded it quietly as a finger found its way to prod her lips. He thought it was sorta cute when she did that.
"Can I read it too? I've gotten better at understanding Japanese words and symbols thanks to school. "
"Sure." He handed her the small book that quickly found its way clutched against her bosom. "You can look it over while I'm training. You'll likely finish it first anyways."
"Thanks~!"
Blushing at the way she was giggling and hugging the novel, he awkwardly scratched at his cheek before beaming and laying back into his sleeping bag. She was so simple…he wished his life could have been like that. If only…but at least she didn't have to worry about the things he did. With a soft goodnight Naruto turned onto his side and closed his eyes. Not a minute later he heard the sound of Peke disentangling from Lala's curvy body and said body pulling itself flush against his back. With an arm thrown over his torso, he felt the girl nearly purr as she burrowed against his form in her own sleeping bag.
First stiffening at the contact, Naruto eventually relaxed and did his best to nod off. As long as Ma didn't try and wake them up again…he didn't need to hear her throaty shouting so early in the morning. At least she didn't strike him like most. That was a big bonus in his book.
"Mmmm…Naruto…"
Eh? Lala's sleep-talking? Or was she just trying to speak to him while all was calm and he wasn't busy?
"Yeah?"
"Did you…know that my birthday is next week?"
"Really? What day?"
"…the seventh."
Wow that was close. He had no idea. "I hope I finish before then…I'll need to get you a gift."
"You don't have to…I'm happy enough right now."
"But that's tradition, right? Like…it's a must that you get presents."
He felt her shake her head against his spine. "Then you tell me when your birthday is too. That's what I want for a present."
"Oh. Well…not much of a gift but it's October tenth. I'm still going to get you something though...no idea what yet but I'll think of something." This time he felt her giggle and readjust herself, allowing Naruto to feel her breasts slide against him as she tried to pull herself closer while staying comfortable. Damn, he still didn't know whether to believe he was lucky or there was an invisible countdown gauging his actions until all hell broke loose. In the pinkette's mind, Shima's advice had worked.
Both began to drift off as their breathing evened out. Today was officially over and tomorrow would bring more challenges. But for now, they were nothing more than two teenagers embracing as they were swept off to dreamland.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A/N: Whoops. Mishap. According to the wiki, Lala's birthday is July 7th. Japanese schools don't go on summer break until late July. Oopsie. I guess that's what I get for being an American trying to write about Japanese schooling. So, for now, just act like things are normal. We good? We good.
Nothing more in this one than some sage training that was expanded on compared to the manga. Yup. Next comes some more training and then off to Konoha for a bit. Huzzah. Then back to To-Love-Ru canon and all of that until I decide what else to do. After all, I write on the fly pretty much.
God I'm tired.
The end.
Later.