A/N: Update number three. I had a lot of fun writing the Kyuubi scene- even if I resorted to the old cliche of using 'bold text'. There a good old fashioned training montage in here, but I absolutely loathe training scenes. I really do. There's nothing more boring than reading three of four chapters of people training. There probably won't be too many more of these.
Anyway. Enjoy.
It was dark, and wet, and cold.
The transition for Naruto was jarring. One moment, he was sitting on the grass in Training Ground 1, listening to Jiraiya of the Sannin speak to him as the breeze brushed past his hair and the heat from the fires radiated down to him. In less than a second, he found himself somewhere completely different. He was lying on his back, eyes staring up at a dimly lit ceiling. An instant later, he had risen to his feet. Water dripped from him, the walls and the ceiling. Naruto reached for his belt and pulled out a kunai.
Where was he?
It looked to be some kind of indoor canal- maybe the inside of an aqueduct, or a sewer. Dim red lights glowed ahead, and pipes stretched all across the walls, leading further down the long tunnel to distant light. He was at a crossroads. The path before he led deeper into the tunnel, lined by the red emergency lights, but the two paths on his left and right and the one behind led only to the empty depths of darkness. He eyed the paths, smothering his emotions and trying to think logically.
The enemy would be expecting an assault from the front. Going down the long path towards the light was an obvious ambush. He glanced to his left and right and, chakra settled, he chose the one on the left. He walked towards the inky blackness and out of the range of the emergency lighting.
He didn't have to walk for long. There was a light ahead, and Naruto cautiously moved towards it. He emerged from the darkness, only to see that he had arrived at another crossroads, almost identical to the first.
Wait.
Naruto observed his surroundings very carefully. In fact, it looked exactly like the one he had just walked out of. He took a deep breath, and then bent down and placed his kunai on the ground. Then, he stood, turned around and walked back into the darkness.
He came out of it at another crossroads and walked to the middle of the intersection. There, on the ground, was his kunai. He smiled grimly, picked up his weapon and stared down the tunnel. It seemed there was only one way he could go.
He began to move forward, idly noting how each emergency light he passed got that little bit brighter. The pipes seemed to stretch on forever, riveted down and held up on the walls with giant bolts. It was when he was passing one particular pipe that he noticed something etched into the metal. It looked like rust, except that it was darker in colour, and Naruto had to scratch at it with his kunai to reveal the writing.
011506
What did that mean? Was it a password, or a code? Naruto memorised it, stood back and continued walking. He kept an eye on the pipes, and came across another patch of rust. Underneath it, he saw another six-digit number code.
010344
That one seemed familiar. Naruto had sworn he had seen those numbers before. He was thinking about it as he came upon another spot of rust. This time, when he scratched it out, his blood ran cold as he stared down at the numbers.
009676
They weren't codes. They weren't passwords. They were registration numbers- shinobi registration numbers. Naruto knew that one in particular because had he been the one to fill in the casualty report once he had returned from the Manufactorium. It was Yuna's registration code- and now that he had been prompted, the second one was familiar because it had been the code of the Akimichi that had saved his life during the first bombing of the Blitz.
Naruto looked around and saw that along the pipes, there were countless patches of rust and weakening metal. He suddenly had no desire to see what they said, and ignored them as he kept walking forward.
The tunnel seemed to stretch on for eternity, but Naruto knew he was making progress. The emergency lights bolted to the walls were becoming brighter and brighter, and the light at the end seemed to drawing closer and closer. It was also getting hotter- much hotter, actually. Naruto abruptly realised that his clothes were almost dry from his initial fall, and that a lot of the dampness that he could feel was his sweat.
He stopped.
From what he knew, Jiraiya had placed a seal on him that would allow him to go into his mind and meet the Tailed Demon sealed into his navel. He eyed the lights and considered the heat carefully. He must be getting closer to it. He kept on walking.
As he drew closer and closer, it grew much hotter- to the point of being painful. A terrible wind was beginning to blow throughout the sewer, a wind that reeked of something foul and dead. Naruto pressed on, and had to shield his face as it grew stronger and stronger. The heat licked at his skin, and Naruto grunted as he pushed forward- it was almost like a physical barrier, but he hunched up and pressed against it with all his might.
Then, abruptly, with a single step, he was through it. Overbalanced, he came crashing down and landed in the dark water once more. He spluttered, spitting water out of his mouth- not even wanting to consider where it could have come from- and staggered to his feet. Then he paused, and his eyes widened.
He was out of the tunnels, and he had arrived in a giant room. The ceiling above had disappeared into the darkness, and he couldn't see any sign of it. The lights on the walls were bright, but they somehow didn't seem to penetrate much of the darkness in the room, providing only enough light to cast a dim glow on everything. Giant pipes lined the walls, running up, across, and then behind Naruto to disappear into the blackness.
And, on the other side of the room, there was a giant set of golden bars. They were enormous, taller than the village gate, and they, like the ceiling, stretched up into blackness. The bars gleamed with a dull shine, and paper fluttered as a wind blew to and from the cage. Naruto's eyes were drawn to the source of the noise, and he saw that there was a piece of paper where there should have been a lock and a keyhole.
A piece of paper.
Oh. Oh.
Naruto's face was grim as he stared into the cage. The darkness there was too strong, and he could barely make out the tag that represented his seal. He began to slowly walk forward, his feet making loud splashes that seemed to echo in the room- he did not want to sneak up on the thing that lay behind those bars, after all. The wind was warm and foul, and Naruto could hazard a pretty good guess as to the source of it.
Then, as he was about to take another step towards the cage, barely having reached the middle of the room, something stirred. Naruto froze as a glowing scarlet eye appeared from the darkness, one bigger than any man.
"Stop."
The other eye opened now, and they fixated on Naruto like a predator fixated on its prey. Naruto could make out a figure, something huge, with a long snout, big ears, and a human-like mouth that curled up with something between a smile and a snarl. Giant, gleaming white teeth were reflected off the light.
"If you don't stop, you'll die."
Naruto took a deep breath- and then abruptly realised that he had no idea what to say. His mouth open, he stood there, staring at the shadowed figure of what the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox in a way that must have seemed like he was gaping. There was a rush of hot air, and a low, deep chuckle that caused the hairs on the back of his arm to stand up. Naruto closed his mouth, and then decided to do what he did for anybody he didn't know.
"Good afternoon," he greeted quietly.
"If you say so." The voice boomed throughout the room, and the water around him rippled through the force of it. Naruto couldn't pick out any particular emotion, but on the whole, it did not sound very friendly. "I wouldn't know. I am stuck here in the cage, in the cold and the dark."
Naruto didn't quite know what to say to that. The demon had a fair point. He took a breath to steady himself and started to walk forward.
There was a flash of movement, and then Naruto reflexively jumped back as something large and red and angry slammed into the bars of the cage. The entire room shuddered, and the air whistled. Naruto landed further away from the cage, his eyes wide as he stared at the full might of what had been sealed within him. It stood larger than the Hokage's Tower, large than the village walls. Its fur was red and orange, its teeth as large as a house, its eyes glowing in the light. It seemed to be surrounded by aura of dark red light, which writhed and oozed around its gargantuan form.
"I said stop." The voice hadn't changed at all. The giant fox stared down at Naruto, its eyes pinning the young ANBU to the ground with a simple stare. "If you come forward again, you'll die."
Naruto gathered himself. "You're the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox," he said.
It wasn't a question, but the beast answered.
"Yes."
"I'm a shinobi," Naruto began, but he was cut off.
"I know." The fox was lowering itself back into the darkness, dropping back into the water with a loud splash, and Naruto could see it resting its giant head on its paws.
"I fight," Naruto continued. He swallowed. "Sometimes my enemies are too strong. Sometimes I need to use your power to win." He paused. The giant fox said nothing. "Will you let me?" He finally asked.
The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox watched him for a very long time, and Naruto couldn't tell what was going on in those giant eyes. Understandably, there were no tells, no facial giveaways or emotions that a human might unconsciously reveal. It was an enormous mass of chakra taken physical form in the shape of a fox, after all. Then, the demon fox spoke.
"No."
"I might die," Naruto continued. He thought back to his fights, against those shinobi who so far outclassed him it wasn't even funny. "I almost have."
"I know."
"If I die, what will happen to you?" Naruto licked his dry lips. "I don't know if things like you can die like we do, but shinobi don't think you can, that the Tailed Demons just reform somewhere else. Is that painful? Does it hurt?"
"Yes."
"If you let me use your power, then I'll live," Naruto said. His fists were clenched, his knuckles whitened. Every part of his body felt tense. "I have enemies that might kill me."
Finally, he got another reaction of the fox. The giant beast shook, and the water rippled as a low, rumbling filled the room. The walls seemed to shake, the pipes rattled on the walls, and Naruto realised that the demon was laughing.
"Of that, you truly have no idea." The fox spoke, sounding like it was chortling. Its laughter died down after a few moments, and silence filled the air, save for the drip of water and the light rush of the demon's breath. "Regardless, my answer remains. No."
"Why not?" Naruto took a step forward, his face determined. "I need to be able to protect my…"
Something moved in front of him and Naruto grunted. He struck back something with his kunai, the metal striking metal and producing a shower of sparks, but it looped around and wrapped around his leg. It was a tight grip, one that dug into his skin, and Naruto grunted. He looked down, his heart racing.
It was a chain, a corroded, metal chain, made of the same blackish rust that he had seen back on the pipes.
"I told you not to step forward." The fox shifted, moving its head. "I will answer your question."
The chain around his leg tugged at him, and Naruto dug back on his heels. He flipped through a few hand-seals, moulding chakra- and the pipes on the wall began to shudder and squeal, shaking against their brackets. Naruto, almost finished casting a wind technique to slice away the chain, paused.
"In this place, that would be unwise." The fox said. Its crimson eyes stared down at him, showing absolutely nothing. There was no amusement, nor concern or anger, in its eyes."You shall not wield my power because you in doing so you will unchain that which has been chained."
"What?" Naruto asked, gritting his teeth as the chain pulled him closer and closer to the giant golden bars of the cage.
"Look down."
Naruto did so, and his eyes widened. The chain was not dragging him to the cage, nor did it seem to be coming from it. Rather, right before the cage, there was a huge abyss, of cracked stone and concrete, leading down into blackness. As Naruto got closer and closer to it, he saw movement in there- something shifting in the pitch black. He struggled against the chain, and to his surprise it snapped. It reared back, as if a living thing, and retreated back into the abyss from where it had come.
"What… what is that?" Naruto gasped, stepping back from the crevice.
The fox shifted its gaze. "That is your child." There was inflection in its voice now, something that sounded like disgust. "That is what you have nurtured all of these years. It is the sum of your fear and hatred and anger and pain and sorrow. You have fed these into that pit, where it has taken hold and grown under your tender care."
"What?" Naruto didn't understand, couldn't understand.
There was a pain in his head, and he forced it back down. He took in a deep breath, forcing everything back down, calming himself- and the room shuddered. There was the sound of clanging chains, and Naruto stared at the abyss with horror.
"That is everything you hide from. That is everything that causes you pain." The fox continued. "It is disgusting. It is foul. It is your legacy- the legacy of the human race, their greatest creation."
The fox turned its large, crimson eyes back on Naruto, and there was condemnation in them.
"It is misery."
Naruto looked away from the fox, and he looked away from the crevice. His head was hurting again.
"Listen."
He shook his head.
"Listen!" The fox was insistent.
Naruto listened. There were voices coming from the black, tiny little voices that he could barely hear- but hear them he did.
"I'm cold! It hurts! There's so much pain! It hurts so much! Make it stop! Make the pain stop! Take it away! Why does it hurt! Help me! Please! Stop this pain!"
"I hate them! I hate them so much! Fuck them all! We'll kill them! We'll tear them to fucking pieces! We'll kill them, and their families, and everybody they've ever loved! We'll burn their homes with their children inside!"
"I'm so lonely. Where is everybody? Why do I sit in the dark? Help me. Please. Somebody? Anybody? There must be somebody who can love somebody like me! Please! Please!"
"…Why won't anybody love me?"
Naruto jerked back.
"That is why you cannot have my power," said the giant fox. "For you are foul. You are diseased, Uzumaki Naruto. There is darkness in you that has taken root and grown fat off of your misery and my power. You have created this abomination, so close to where I could smite it, and yet so far. For that, Uzumaki Naruto, I hate you."
The fox leaned forward, pressing its muzzle to the cage.
"I hate you. I loathe you. I despise you. Leave here, and never come back."
Silence filled the room. Water dripped from the walls and the ceiling above. Naruto stood there, reflecting on the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's words as the giant beast retreated back into its cage, disappearing from view.
"Then…" He paused. Anger was welling up now. "What did you just say- the part about it being fed off of your power?"
An eye cracked open in the darkness.
"Shinobi do this all the time," Naruto continued. His tone was quickening, his heart racing. He licked his lips. "We repress. I'm told it's not healthy. But not everybody has a giant chain monster trying to… I dunno, eat them, do they?"
Naruto smiled, baring his teeth.
"This is your fault," he concluded. His voice was firm. "If I'm that thing's father, then you're its mother. I created it, but you raised it and fed it." He spat to one side. "Take some fucking responsibility."
"I did not ask to be put in this cage."
"And I didn't ask to be the one holding the key!" Naruto retorted just as quickly.
Both eyes opened now.
"You do hold the key." The fox came back into view. It stared at Naruto. "There is another way. Free me."
"No," Naruto denied.
"Release the seal. Set me free. I will destroy this abomination."
"Never," Naruto promised quietly.
"Let me go. Give me my freedom. In return, I shall grant you the power that you want. There will be no enemy that could stand up to you. You can fight for your village."
Naruto shook his head.
"You're stuck with me," the young ANBU said quietly. "When I die, you'll die. If I live, you live. Look, I'll try to work on… on that," and he pointed to the crevice and the sounds of jingling chains. "But, I'm going to need something in return."
"I see." The fox moved closer. It rested its paws on the ground and bought its muzzle right up to the bars of the cage. "There is still one issue of concern. Observe."
Naruto watched as a tendril of the red aura that surrounding the fox in the glowing haze rose off of the beast. They travelled towards the pipes that ran into the cage and entered it with a hiss of steam. The pipes rattled and grew hot, water hissing and spluttering, and Naruto could see a faint red shine begin to move across the room through the pipes. But then, as it left the cage, the chains rattled and dozens of them shot up. They wrapped around the pipes on the walls, and the metal groaned in protest. The red glow continued unimpeded, but the chains were swaying and bobbing in movements reminiscent of the suckling of a baby on a teat.
As the red glow approached Naruto, he felt a surge of power flood his body, of red-hot chakra that whipped every muscle into frenzy- but his head suddenly was flooded with pain and hate and anger and sadness. He clutched it, grunting, but the sensation had already begun to fade, as well the unnatural vigour that had rejuvenated his entire body.
"It feeds off of my chakra as it leaves the cage," the fox said. It rested its paws on its legs. "The chakra will not run out- it cannot run out. But, those chains corrupt everything they touch. When you take my power, you take a little bit of that which resides in that pit."
"That's… my problem," Naruto said after a pause. He flexed his fingers, and smiled tightly. "Besides, if I can do something to fix… that thing… then I'll know that I have by using your chakra."
The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox stared at Naruto for a very long time. The blond ANBU wasn't sure how long had gone past, for he was lost in the glow of the inhuman eyes and the miasma of dark-red power that surrounded the mighty fox.
"Very well," the fox finally said. "I shall grant the use of my power."
"Thank you," Naruto said gratefully, and with a rush of relief.
"But make no mistake, "the giant fox continued. "That pit, this cage, the pipes- this is all symbolism. We are not truly here. These things represent ideas and concepts about you, and in that pit is no monster. There is nothing in there that did not come from you."
"Then…then what is it in there?" Naruto asked quietly.
The fox smiled, baring its teeth."It is the lonely child. It is the angry victim. It is the grieving friend. It is the hatful warrior. It is Uzumaki Naruto." It began to retreat into the darkness. "Now go."
"How do I leave?"
"Foolish boy. You already have."
Naruto blinked, dazed. There was something on his head, a tag of paper- yellowed and old. Before his eyes, it fell off, swaying gently in the wind and dropping into his lap. He picked it up, staring at the yellowing paper and the faded writing. Before his eyes, the paper began to crumble away into dust, and he let the wind blow it out from between his fingers.
He took in his surroundings. He was sitting back on the grass in the field, deep beneath the Hokage's Monument. The fires above him were casting a brilliant light all around him, warming him as the breeze brought in by the intricate system of vents tunnelled in through the rock.
"Welcome back!" somebody called.
Naruto turned his head. Jiraiya was sitting on a nearby rock- one that hadn't been there before. The Sannin had a notebook in his hand, and he was scribbling something down. He hadn't looked up yet, and he briefly paused, placing the pen on his lip for a moment, before scribbling down something else. Then, he put the pen and notebook away.
"How did it go?" Jiraiya asked cheerfully. "I assume from the traces of demonic chakra that you made contact?"
"I did," Naruto answered. He held a hand to his head, feeling a vestige of pain. "And it went…weird."
"Weirdly," Jiraiya corrected. "Use your adverbs properly."
Naruto just looked confused. Jiraiya ignored him, however, and adopted a serious expression. The changes in the man's demeanour, from cheerful to solemn, made Naruto sit up straighter.
"Tell me everything."
And so Naruto did. Jiraiya sat there, listening. Naruto half-expected the man to be writing something down with his notebook, but the Sannin just sat there fiddling with his pen, listening attentively. When Naruto was done, the Sannin just at there, thinking. He was quiet for a few minutes, letting Naruto sit back. The young ANBU found that he was rather anxious about how the legendary shinobi in front of him would react.
"Heh," Jiraiya uttered. He grinned, and ruffled Naruto's hair. Naruto visibly squirmed under the hand of the older shinobi. "You did alright, kid. Now, let's see what you can do."
Naruto nodded, and closed his eyes. The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox had resided in the sewers of his mind- but like the beast had said, that had just been a representation, a symbol. Now that he had been there once, he found that he could easily go there again.
And he did.
A river of tainted power surged into his veins. Every cell in his body became enflamed. His heart beat furiously; his veins surged with adrenaline and power, his muscles thickened, and his fingers flexed as his nails sharpened. Skin was drawn back, tightening against his bone, and this had the effect of extending his lips, his snarl ever prominent on his face.
Overall, the physical changes were easy to handle.
However, the mental and emotional changes that he went through made him cry out in pain, and he clutched his head. His head became full of whispers, the whispers of those that came from the pit and the clang and rattle of chains filled his ears. Anger, rage, sorrow, pain, grief, loneliness, abandonment - they filled him up until he could barely think.
He gasped and choked, swaying on his feet even as a shroud of crimson chakra enveloped him, surrounding him with miasma of heat and power. A single, swaying tail of the bubbling power formed up behind him. He jerked, placing both hands on his head, trying desperately to control himself. His mouth moved, whispering soundlessly at first, but getting ever louder.
"Stopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopits topitstopit…." Naruto gasped and spat. He grimaced. "I'm real…I'm real… I'm here…"
Through all of this, Jiraiya stood back, his arms folded as he watched on stonily. It was only when Naruto lifted his now-crimson gaze to stare hatefully at him did he moved- and just in time, as the swaying tail of crimson power swung up from behind him and elongated, striking out at the Sannin in a manner reminiscent of a scorpions sting.
The white-haired Sannin jumped backwards, and the blow struck the ground. It cracked, and the dirt trembled underneath their feet. Jiraiya landed, and continued to watch Naruto carefully, but the young blond had stopped, and was currently hunched over.
Then, the miasma of chakra around him grew thicker and thicker, until it was like Naruto was completely cloaked in a haze of dark-red energy. Hands clenched in his hair, Naruto brought them out, ripping out parts of his scalp, and he lifted his head back and screamed.
It was the scream of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, and it reverberated around the training ground. Trees swayed underneath its force, the ground shudder and the creek rippled. The wind was blown back and the grass flattened and, for a single instant, the power around Naruto took form above his head, becoming that of a leering fox.
Then it disappeared, and began to recede, and Naruto stop screaming. He stood there, hunched over with both hands on his knees, as his features became more and more visible. Finally, with what seemed like a great deal of effort, he straightened up. Face twitching, he turned to face Jiraiya.
"I'm… I'm fine…" Naruto said raspingly. There was an echo in his tone, something that came just a split second after he spoke. "I've…I've got this. It's okay."
Jiraiya nodded. "So I see," he said quietly. "Now, let go of that power. I've seen enough."
Naruto obeyed.
"I'll need some time to think," Jiraiya said. He slapped Naruto on the back, the boy wincing as the force of the blow made him stumble. "Let's go chill out somewhere. Say, do you like hot-springs?"
The very next morning, Naruto woke up early at six o'clock. He quietly left his room, entered the kitchen and prepared breakfast for Konohamaru and the Hokage. Then, dressed in his ANBU uniform, he left the Hokage's residence and made his way down to Training Ground 8- a large field reserved purely for the ANBU Corp.
A man was standing there, waiting. He didn't have his mask on, so out of common courtesy, Naruto also took off his mask and clipped it onto his belt.
"Good morning," Naruto greeted, falling back onto his politeness. He had never met this man before.
The man's dark eyes bore into his. "I am Crow-2," he said tonelessly. He reached behind his back and pulled out a sword. "I have been instructed to work in improving your speed, and close-combat tactics. We shall begin. No ninjutsu."
Then, in a blur of movement, the man darted forward, swinging the gleaming blade in a smooth arc. It would have taken off his head had Naruto not brought up both arms, blocking the strike with his forearm guards. His arms strained under the pressure- the man was far stronger than he looked, but Naruto dug in his heels and held his ground. He saw the follow-up kick coming, lowered his arms and hunched down, taking it with his elbows- but then Crow-2 abruptly ceased pushing with the sword, and Naruto lost his balance. He staggered, regaining his footing with ease but taking a moderate blow to the stomach.
He skidded back, his heart racing.
"You are small," Crow-2 said dispassionately, "And you are weak. You cannot match my strength. Block only when necessary. Parry when possible. Use my momentum against me. Evading is preferable."
He levelled the blade at Naruto, and charged.
Naruto was more ready this time, and he ducked the first swipe, and then rolled to the side to avoid the follow-up kick. He landed in a crouch, his hands gripping the earth, and as Crow came at him again, he hurled a fistful of dirt at the man's face. The man reflexively raised an arm- and Naruto struck, rising up and scoring a quick strike in the man's stomach.
Crow-2 remained expressionless. "Good," he said. "We will work on your conditioning your reflexes to a greater degree at first. There will be no need for ninjutsu. Once I believe you are fast enough, we will look at diversionary ninjutsu and tactics that will let you keep distance."
Naruto nodded resolutely. Then, Crow charged again and Naruto met him head on, parrying the blade to the side in a shower of sparks, his heart racing as adrenaline surged through him.
By the end of the session, Naruto felt like he was wiped. He made his way down to Training Ground 1 and met with the Hokage, who stood in front of the burbling stream, reading over a scroll. The old man sensed his presence and rolled the paper up, tucking it into his white and red robes.
"Let us begin," Sarutobi said, and Naruto nodded. The Third Hokage began lecturing as his student listened on avidly. "Now, the Dispel Technique is very powerful, but don't assume that you shall win a fight with it alone. In order to counter a technique, you must understand- understand how it works, and how it is shaped, and how it is formed, and how it reacts to external stimuli. Considering that the Great Villages hoard their secrets, this can quite troubling."
"Nonetheless, we shall work nullifying techniques that you are already familiar with. I have with me a list of ninjutsu- a mixture from all different elemental compositions. Study them. Pull each ninjutsu apart, look at its components and understand. My expectation is that you will be able to dispel each technique by the end of the month. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Naruto nodded obediently.
"Then begin."
He was still studying one of the ninjutsu scrolls, absently munching on a ration, when Jiraiya arrived. Luckily- for Naruto, at least- the man did not make as grandiose of an entrance as before. It was good thing that he didn't, for Naruto was still unsure on how he should present himself to the legendary shinobi.
Jiraiya was a well-respected shinobi of Konoha, one of the best to have lived, and praised and renowned for his deeds in service to the Village. That alone demanded that Naruto treated the man with respect.
Even if he was odd.
Even if he was annoying.
Even if he wouldn't keep his bloody hands to himself.
"Gah!" Naruto blurted out as a large hand came down on his blond locks.
He squirmed as his hair was ruffled, glaring up at the offender indignity. He hadn't sensed anybody coming, and he had to calm his heartbeat as he saw Jiraiya staring down at him, grinning stupidly.
"Yo, brat!" the Sannin said cheerfully.
Naruto jumped to his feet, pushing away his irritation, and bowed his head politely. "Good afternoon, Jiraiya-sama," he managed to say calmly, and with respect.
Yet he couldn't stop the hand coming up to fix up his hair.
Jiraiya watched him do that, a sparkle in his eye, and then plopped down right next to him. He placed his arm on his leg and rested his chin in his palm. He was looking over the scroll that Naruto was reading carefully, but after a few seconds he made a noise of disgust.
"Urgh, how boring," he moaned. He reached into his red vest. "Here," he said. "Try this. Read page 32 out loud. It's the best part."
Naruto took the proffered orange book curiously. Were these Jiraiya's personal notes? Maybe his journal- but then, wouldn't it be coded. He opened it up to the correct page and began reading.
"She moaned in pleasure, the warmth filling up her body from head to toe, as the handsome man rested his hands on her back, holding her close. Every curve of her body moulded into his strong, firm chest, her bountiful bosom heaving with pleasure as the two forbidden lovers passionately kissed underneath the moonlight…" Naruto read out, and trailed off.
"Go on!" Jiraiya said with an encouraging grin. "Trust me, it's going to get really good!" He threw Naruto a thumbs-up.
Naruto eyed the book with confusion. "Is this to help me with my Jinchuuriki training, Jiraiya-sama?" he asked, although he felt something like butterflies as his eyes scanned the page- and they widened noticeably as he got to a specific bit.
"Gah!" Jiraiya scoffed. He ruffled Naruto's hair again, ignoring the boy's squirming. "Like I said. Boring!"
Naruto shrugged, and closed the book. He made to hand it back, but the Sannin was shaking his head.
"Keep it," the white-haired man said, and gave a giggle. "It's an order. I want you to read that tonight."
"Is this to do with the second part of my training?" Naruto ventured cautiously.
"Sure, why not?" Jiraiya confirmed. Suddenly, he paused, and stared down at Naruto suspiciously. "Wait. You do know where babies come from, right?"
Naruto cocked his head. "A penis is inserted into the vagina. There, semen is released from the testicles. In that semen, sperm cells move down…"
"Okay, okay," Jiraiya hushed him- and for a moment, he looked uncomfortable. "Please stop." He regarded Naruto with a frown. "You make everything so boring. Hey, want to visit the Hot Springs later? I'll show you what I mean."
"What?" Naruto was confused.
Jiraiya gestured to the book, cupped his chest and waggled his eyebrows. Naruto's eyes widened and he gaped. He could feel a flush of heat his cheeks and he almost stammered. His eyes darted around, looking for eavesdroppers, and he moved in.
"You can do that?" the blond boy whispered, sounding fascinated.
"You can," Jiraiya said, grinning broadly. He clapped Naruto on the back. "We'll make a pervert out of you, kid. For now, though, let's talk about your training."
Naruto nodded and composed himself. "As you say, Jiraiya-sama," he said politely.
"Tch. You speak in such a boring manner," Jiraiya muttered. He mussed up Naruto's hair. The boy's eye twitched, but he otherwise held still. "Here's the deal, kid. Every time you say something that makes me feel like I want to go to sleep, I'm going to do that."
"I apologise, Jiraiya-sama…" Naruto trailed off with a hiss as Jiraiya mussed his hair again.
The white-haired man was enjoying this! Naruto held in a glower and fell silent.
"Well, about your Jinchuuriki training…" Jiraiya trailed off, adopting a pondering expression. He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. "Yep. You suck at it."
Naruto twitched. "Excuse me…" The hand came to mess his hair. Naruto gritted his teeth. "With all due respect, Jiraiya-sama, how was that boring?"
"Most kids say 'what?'," and here Jiraiya spoke in a clearly-exaggerated gruff voice, "and not 'excuse me?' like a pretty princess. Be a man!"
"I'm twelve," Naruto deadpanned.
Jiraiya harrumphed. "Anyway," he said, and he mussed up Naruto's hair again. The blond ANBU took it with resignation. "Stop distracting me. I was trying to say something important."
Naruto held his tongue, but the Sannin seemed to have the same horrible ability as the Third Hokage to pull out the urge that made him want to scream at people- and then put them on fire. Lots and lots of fire.
"As I was saying, you suck as a Jinchuuriki," Jiraiya repeated himself. "Look at you, you girl. You can't use the power because of all your emotional baggage. What a woman."
Naruto was cocking his head, confused. "I'm only following the standard ANBU procedures for dealing with emotional conflict," he said. "And- that wasn't boring, it was a fact!"
"Heh," Jiraiya said with a grin, removing his hand. "Still, we've got a couple of options. I thought about having you see a professional, but I kind of want to keep this hush-hush. The old man doesn't like it when I go around breaking S-rank secrets, and this particular training definitely counts."
"My emotional issues won't be a problem…" Naruto began. He shuddered, and twitched as Jiraiya mussed up his hair. It was beginning to get painful. "I'll deal with them. I just need practise…" He continued between gritted teeth.
"And that's what we're going to do," Jiraiya concluded cheerfully. "So get off your lazy bum, and let's get started."
Naruto rose to his feet, placing his scroll and other assorted pieces of equipment away. The Sannin moved to a safer distance.
"Assume your 'chakra shroud'," Jiraiya instructed.
Naruto nodded, and went back to the sewers- or at least, touched upon the part of his mind where they were 'located', so to speak. He felt the terrible power coarse through his veins- and with it, the rush of terrible sensations and feelings that accompanied it. It took him a few minutes before he regained proper control of himself and stood up, shrouded in a haze of dark red chakra. It coated his skin, bubbling and hissing away, and he could feel the tail swaying behind him, like it was a third arm, an extension of himself. The world around him seemed both darker and brighter. The colours had been muted, and everything seemed to be coated in a haze of red, but at the same time everything felt more vibrant and clear.
If it wasn't for the terrible mental conflict that was waging war in his head, Naruto could get quite used to this.
Jiraiya was nodding. "Good," he said. "Slow, but good. Drop it, and try again."
Naruto let go the power, and was silently relieved when the horrible feelings went away.
"We'll work on your speed in drawing out the power," Jiraiya said thoughtfully. "Your enemies won't let you just stand there and gather power- and wow, I feel like a hypocrite when I say that."
Naruto cocked his head. "Excuse me, Jiraiya-sama?" Then, he bit his lip as the man somehow cleared the distance and was striking Naruto on the head with the flat of his palm like he was a dog.
"Don't be boring!" the Sannin chided. Naruto gritted his teeth.
"Anyway, once you can summon the power quickly, we'll work on looking at what you can do with it. Hmm, we might spar. I prefer working hands-on, anyway."
He ruffled Naruto's hair.
"Stop making faces!"
Naruto's eye twitched and he felt his fingers flexing. A rather high-pitch giggle threatened to escape him. He had fought against Tsunade, an S-rank shinobi and somebody that Jiraiya was supposed to be in the same league, but the prospect of facing Jiraiya in a spar- well, there was something satisfying about the thought.
Naruto's training continued in this fashion for quite some time. He continued to work on his physical endurance and reaction times, and he expanded his repertoire of tactics to evade close-combat shinobi- the greatest threat to a long-distance fighter such as himself. Crow-2 was replaced by Snake-9, who was replaced by Dog-6. The focussed, one-on-one training- something that Naruto hadn't had a chance to do in a long time- went well.
His prowess with the Dispel Technique continued to grow. He poured over the seven techniques, pulling each one apart and studying every aspect of it. Nature manipulation, shape manipulation, elemental composition, whichof the tenketsu were used when moulding the chakra for it- every part of the technique was dissected and studied until Naruto felt he knew them like the back of his hand.
And then, halfway through the month, he finally nullified the first of the techniques. The 'Earth Release: Rising Plateau' rose from the ground and then Naruto, making the strange hand-seal and moulding chakra as he was instructed to do so, projected the inverted, 'negative chakra' at the very centre for the earth technique. Before his very eyes, it simply disappeared and collapsed in a pile of dust.
Naruto was pleased- but then he got right back to work. There were six more to finish, after all. However, with one done, he was confident he could get it finished, especially with the help of his shadow clones.
His training under Jiraiya was also reaping some good results. He could call upon the power of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox in under ten seconds now. However, he had found that with that much corrosive chakra pouring through his veins, it was almost impossible for him to mould chakra for his standard shinobi techniques. That said, under the shroud of the crimson power, Naruto found that his reflexes, physical strength and sheer speed had tripled, and the more he used the power, the stronger he became.
To Naruto, his tactics any future fights seemed simple. Use long-range ninjutsu when fighting at range, keeping his distance between him and his enemy. If the enemy came in close, evade and keep them at bay while summoning the fox's power. Then, using his powers as a Jinchuuriki, engage in close-combat with superior speed and overwhelming strength to defeat his enemy.
Perhaps one day, when sparring with Jiraiya, it might even work. His aggravating tendencies aside, the man hit like a brick and knew such a diverse range of techniques that it was almost impossible to land a hit- even when Naruto really wanted to because the Sannin was so goddam annoying!
He kept his cool, though- and that seemed to annoy the Sannin even more. Naruto took a deep-seated pleasure in watching the man scowl as he continued to be polite and respectful, doing it now more so to annoy the other shinobi than out of any real respect.
(Although he had kept the book, hidden underneath his blankets with a low-grade explosive tag rigged on it just in case Konohamaru came snooping. It was an… interesting… read.)
At the end of the month, however, Naruto was called into the Hokage's office right after his personal training. He arrived in a quick Body Flicker and, sensing visitors, made sure he arrived in a crouch, kneeling before the Third Hokage.
It was important to show the proper respect, especially in front of foreign dignitaries.
"Excellent," the Third Hokage said quietly. He stood by his window, staring out at the village. A pipe was tucked into his mouth, which he puffed on every so often. "He has arrived. Stand, please."
Naruto obeyed, standing up and quickly observing the office. There were three others present in the room. Baki, of Suna, a dark-skinned man with what seemed to be a giant hammer strapped to his back sporting a Kumo headband, and a slender woman that Naruto recognised as Kurotsuchi, from Iwa. She gazed at him with her pupil-less eyes and winked.
"Uzumaki Naruto." the Third Hokage turned to look at him. "After consulting with the other Great Villages, it has been decided that you shall be the proctor for the Third Stage of the Chunin Exams."
Naruto stiffened.
"This is a very prestigious position, and you should be honoured in the trust that both Konohagakure and the other Great Villages have placed in you," the Hokage continued. He eyed the representatives from the other villages. "As representatives for your leaders, do you all agree with Konoha's decision to select Uzumaki Naruto as the proctor for the Third Stage."
Baki bowed his head, but kept his eye on Naruto even as he spoke to the Hokage. "The Fourth Kazekage accepts, Hokage-sama."
The large, dark-skinned man dipped his head. "The Fourth Raikage accepts, Hokage-sama," he murmured in low, deep voice.
Kurotsuchi bowed her head- but very slightly. "The Third Tsuchikage will accept the will of the other Villages," she said casually. She paused. "I was meant to say that in 'clipped' tones, okay, Hokage-sama?"
Sarutobi chuckled, and smoothed his goatee. "I understand," he said warmly. "Iwagakure accepts, however reluctantly. As a representative of Konoha, I also accept."
Naruto raised a hand. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama," he said quietly, "But do I have to accept?"
"Not at all," the Hokage said with a smile, and Kurotsuchi visibly snickered. Sarutobi turned to the other representatives. "I think we're done here. Thank you for arriving so promptly with your news. I wish your genin well in the upcoming exams."
They all nodded and left the office. Naruto could sense the presence of multiple ANBU around them, although it wasn't like Sarutobi needed any help dealing with them. He hid his displeasure as he turned back to the old man, watching him as he sat back down in his chair.
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama…" he began.
"You know, I find that when somebody begins a sentence 'with all due respect', they usually are about to say something disrespectful," Sarutobi said with a chuckle. "No, no, go on," he said, waving Naruto to continue.
"Why have I been given this job?" Naruto asked bluntly.
"Ah, that's simple," Sarutobi said, smiling. "It's because our village is weak."
Naruto froze. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama?"
"Of course, we're not," Sarutobi continued. "However, in the eyes of our competitors, we are reeling from a series of devastating blows. The Blitz put a dent in our forces, and while most of the repairs of our infrastructure have been completed, we lost some significant manpower during the attack. Make me some tea."
Naruto moved to do so as the Hokage puffed on his pipe.
"The attack by the Cult of Jashin also had a significant impact, with the short-term implications of a slowing in the logging industry, and the long-term implications of our troop movements," the Hokage continued. "There is rising trouble along the border between the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Frost. Both are situated between us and the Land of Lightning, and the latter has not liked our incursion into the Land of Hot Springs."
"Kitsune has been doing some good work then?" Naruto asked as he made the tea.
"No," Sarutobi said quietly, and Naruto turned to look at him. The old man had a grim look on his face. "The work that Kitsune and Alpha Platoon are doing is not 'good'. However, it is quite necessary, and they are very effective."
Naruto handed the cup of tea over to the Hokage, and then prepared to be barraged by boiling water. To his faint surprise, the Hokage did not do so, content to merely sip the tea and sigh in satisfaction.
"Which brings me back to my point," the old man said. "We are perceived as weak- or rather, weakened. I want to change that, both so our clients can see that we are still worthy of their investment, and so that our rivals can see that we are no wounded animal to be flocking over. To do that, I am going to use you."
Naruto cocked his head.
"Naruto, you are going to be the face of this Village for these exams," the Third Hokage said. He smiled faintly. "We are going to put your skills to good use." He reached into one of his drawers and pulled out a folder. "Here. Read this."
Naruto took it and read it. When he was done, his eyebrows were raised.
"Is that why…" He began.
"Partly," Sarutobi admitted. "But it worked in well with my plans for continued development. Tell me, what do you think?"
"Well, it's definitely showy," Naruto admitted. He scratched his head, thinking deeply. "But I can do it."
"Excellent," the Hokage said. "Now run that down to Yamanaka Inoichi, and then have him through the profiles of the attending Feudal Lords. I want to give them a show that they'll never forget."
