The Pantheon of Nine
By: Finn Mertenz
A/N: Uchiha Arashi - I love your comparison much more than I should, both of them are indeed powerful retards.
ShadowDeathSkull - The death flag will wave for several individuals in this story but the next person who dies won't be Lee. Tayuya's introduction is chapter 30.
GunBlade2018 - Don't worry about it, you were much more kind in pointing out my failure than I was in criticizing myself. I'm very brutal when judging myself and everything I do so I tend to come across as self-hateful when really I'm just encouraging myself to be better.
In regards to your 2nd review you are absolutely right, Naruto is becoming quite conflicted. Not just because his life in Konoha but his life as a shinobi overall.
The quote you refer to is a statement I wrote to properly convey this. The shinobi world encourages sacrifice and loyalty for one's shinobi's village, instead of loyalty for the ones you love.
jtcookie96 - You point out my extremely low opinion of myself and let me explain that this is on purpose.
If you always assume the worst then by its very nature life can only improve. This isn't just the philosophy I apply to my writing, this is the philosophy I apply to my daily life.
My time is not precious, my writing is terrible, my grammar is dog-shit and my story is absolute trash, just like me. These thoughts force me to improve instead of becoming stagnant and lazy.
In regards to your actual review - There are several reasons I didn't have Neji VS Naruto, manily because I needed a Hyuga VS Uchiha battle. Also, I need an excuse to develop Gaara's character between the Konoh Crush. (And Naruto would footstomp Neji in 5 seconds)
Hiatagi-Satori - My hatred for Hinata always overwhelms me, it is a deep hatred, deeper than any ocean or crater. But I do apologize for misspelling your name, its fixed now and Tayuya's introduction is chapter 30.
Eoncho - I'm glad you enjoyed my story enough to let me take your review virginity and I will try my hardest to remain worthy for your future reviews.
I extremely dislike the high number of discontinued TayuyaxNaruto and Rinnegan stories. Because of this I promise to finish this story even if it takes a few years.
The flaws many authors on this website preform are one of the reasons I started writing. Many authors just write stuff they consider badass without properly explaining the psychological aspects that would make it badass or even developing their own characters.
Every time a new ability is displayed, I always think about what the nearby side characters would say or even how they would react. A story needs to grab the reader and pull them into the pages, it's purpose is to transport them into a new plane of existence.
This plane must envelop the reader while at the same time giving off the illusion that they're in an entirely new world. A world the reader wants to willingly explore and learn more about, which is why they continue to read.
While I do not consider myself a good author, I have strived to write and create such a story with this fanfiction. I thank you for taking the time to review my story, it always makes me happy when people takes time out of their day to help me improve my writing.
iShyboy - My major flaw is grammar, every couple of days I go back and read random chapters to update and write in my modern style of writing, but as for now if there is a grammar error the best way for me to fix it is for readers to point it out.
In regards to your 3rd review, yes it was a snake clone of pedomaru that dissolved and broke apart once the chakra rod stabbed through it's body and nullified the chakra.
Your next review points out a great plothole I made, I've gone back to that section and rewrote it entirely to fix this.
OmegaTakuTachi - Sakura complaining towards the 3rd Hokage is no more unrealistic than Gaara, Kankuro or Temari complaining towards the 3rd Hokage. They've done it in canon so I don't see how Sakura doing it in this story breaks the lore.
In regards to your 2nd review, the episode you mention (the Tsunade infinite Tsukuyomi dream episode) is filler, there-fore it doesn't count and no argument or philosophical meaning can be derived from it, it's just filler-garbage.
While I'm all for a debate over what dream Minato believed in, a filler-episode can in no way confirm or deny those dreams.
In regards to your 3rd review, Ino had the 2nd highest grades in the academy but I don't see how that changes anything. Just because she can write doesn't mean she wants too.
In regards to your 4th review, in terms of Waifu wars Hinata stomps Sakura. But in my opinion, I like Sakura's character design better so I lean more towards her even though she is just a terrible person.
Christopher. - While I do not consider your review a 'big deal' I do consider the point you bring up to be very valid, the subject of me skipping over fights/moments.
My 1st response to this subject is who decides which fight to cut? (jokes aside of course it would be me) Would I skip over Kankuro's fight? Or Temari's? Or maybe just write Hinata completely out of the story so I could avoid that dog-shit character?
The moment I start cutting out and skipping over side-character progression is the moment I devolve into Kishimoto and Akira Toriyama. While I am a bad author, I don't want to be as bad as Akira Toriyama or Kishimoto.
You personally mention you desire for Naruto's or Hinata's fight, while maybe some other people only care about Sasuke's and Sakura's. Which is exactly why I can't skip over fights, because every reader looks forward to a different thing.
If you as the reader don't want to read Dosu VS Shikamaru, or the death of the 2nd Hokage, or Kakuza VS Hashirama and etc, etc. That is your right as the reader, but as the writer I am required to write them.
I don't believe in skipping over fights, plot-progression or the psychological development of my characters. This is why I can devote an entire chapter to Hinata even though I hate her existence.
I apologize that my embellished reading disturbs your experience. But at the same time, if you want to just skip over Dosu VS Shikamaru and rush straight to Gaara VS Naruto then I don't blame you at all.
This isn't just 'Naruto the story' this is the entire Naruto anime rewritten by me. While Naruto is the main character, he isnt the only character, side-characters are real, they exist and they are apart of the world so I have to write them.
After rereading through this chapter and chapter 30, I've realized just how bad of an influence Jiraiya is, and I love it.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.
Chapter 29: Wisdom Of The Toad Sage! Knowledge Of The Rinnegan.
4:27pm Wednesday, June 1st 58SSP
"Excuse me, which room is Rock Lee in?" Naruto questioned as he stood infront of the front desk to the Konoha Hospital, his left arm and hand were still gloveless and sleeveless suggesting he ran straight to the hospital after the Preliminaries ended at 3:30pm.
"I'm sorry but Rock Lee is in critical condition, no visitors are allowed." A black-haired female nurse seated behind the counter replied, she wore the standard medic-ninja outfit for Konoha with a name tag resting over her heart that had the name 'Fujin Asumara'.
Standing to the left behind the unnamed nurse was a male doctor with his iconic doctor mask covering his face, concealing the disgusted scowl that formed there as he glared at Naruto.
"Do you know when he can accept visitors? I really want to see him." Naruto asked, determined to check up on his friend and sibling-student.
"I'm sorry but he is suffering from severe muscle failure while his joints and bones are cracked in several locations, in will take atleast 3-5 days before any guests will be allowed." Fujin replied with a smile, she couldn't have be any older than 19 suggesting she just began working as a nurse.
As Fujin spoke, each of her words caused the frown on Naruto's face to grow more wide and deep, something that delighted the unnamed doctor standing being the counter, a doctor who was atleast 40-50 years old.
He wore a surgeon outfit with the standard surgeon hat and doctors mask, something that concealed his entire face except for his eyes, on his outfit he wore a name tag fashioned over his heart, a tag that read 'Hasui Bonko'.
"Yea can go around and leave now - boy." Hasui spat out as he pale-green eyes narrowed while he continued to glare at Naruto.
Hasui's words caused great confusion in Fujin who didn't understand the unwarranted amount of hostility towards a child let alone a customer but Naruto understood all-to-well, almost everyone in the village treated him like that.
"Yea... okay." Naruto whispered out in response before he turned to the left and began walking towards the front entrance of the hospital before quickly exiting the building and standing outside.
The hospital was 6 stories tall with a wide awning extending out over the front entrance that read 'Konoha Hospital' in bright yellow Kanji, paving this awning and the roof were a series of teal blue shingles that sparkled in the evening sun, a sun that would begin to set soon.
Guess I'll go eat... Naruto concluded as he positioned his left gloveless hand over his stomach while he walked past the 8ft tall fence that lined the hospital grounds.
"KID! HELP ME OUT!" The voice of Jiraiya pleaded as he ran down the street towards Naruto with a horde of over 30 women wearing nothing but towels chasing after him.
This cry for help caused Naruto to drop his left hand from his stomach as he glanced to the right in confusion while the white-haired Shinobi continued to dash towards him.
Once Jiraiya approached Naruto, he was so terrified of the women behind him that instead of side-stepping in an attempt to run past the latter he continued to run expecting Naruto to step out of the way, only for him to run face first into a unseen wall that was protecting the latter.
The force of this impact was so great that it crushed Jiraiya's nose before forcing him to fall onto his back with such a heavy thud that he bounced up before rolling slightly in midair and crashing face first into dirt road that made up the pathway and streets of Konoha.
While Jiraiya laid atop his stomach infront of Naruto, the large horde of women continued to run towards them, causing the blond Shinobi to panic since he didn't expect or understand the situation of events unfolding infront of him.
These events caused Naruto to reach down with his right hand to grip Jiraiya's left ankle before turning to the left and dashing down the road, causing the latter's face to drag and bounce across the dirt road several times as Naruto dragged him away from the horde of women.
While Naruto continued to drag Jiraiya across the road, he began to run around corners and leap across several other pathways in an attempt to lose the chasing women, something he managed to do successfully before standing beside a tree and dropping the still groaning Shinobi atop the grass that lined the side of the road.
As seconds turned into minutes Jiraiya continued to lay on his stomach as he face-planted the grass underneath him while panting heavily in an attempt to catch his breathe and groaning from the pain inflicted upon his nose and face.
" 'Don't make a sound' I told myself, I knew they would hear me sneeze but I couldn't hold it in anymore... the least they could have done was bless me with some more inspiration..." Jiraiya muttered as his face continued to press against the grass he was laying on.
"Inspiration?" Naruto asked, still confused about the situation of events that caused a crowd of women to chase after Jiraiya, women who wore nothing be towels, some even had shampoo still in their hair suggesting they all rushed out of the hot springs before instantly chasing after the latter.
"Yes... YES - beautiful inspiration." Jiraiya replied as he leapt onto his feet before he began rubbing his hands together as he stood infront of Naruto, the streams of blood that fell from his nose ran around the corners of his mouth before running down his neck, giving him 4 red-lines on his face instead of his standard 2.
Spots of dirt stained Jiraiya's face and his once solid-white hair but he was so focused on the inspiration he garnished from spying on the hot springs that he didn't even notice while he dreamed of showing his inspiration to Naruto.
"This is actually a great way to begin your training - this is the most important thing I will ever tell you, this can and will save your life on countless occasions so listen closely." As he spoke, he raised his armor-plated right hand vertically infront of his face before extending his index finger out while closing the rest.
"Yea?!" Naruto exclaimed in anticipation as he grinned while raising both his clenched fists to his jawline in excitement.
"Never get caught, the only reason all those women were chasing me is because I got caught." Jiraiya explained, causing Naruto to tilt his head to the right in confusion.
"Got caught doing what?" Naruto questioned, causing a seductively innocent smile to form across Jiraiya's face as he giggled several times.
"I would love showing you but sadly the hot springs close at 5 so by the time we got there they would be closing, so lets go get some training done before the sun sets." Jiraiya spoke as he wrapped his left arm around Naruto's shoulders while using his right index finger to poke the latter's chest several times.
"Oh well... I was planning to go get some ramen but I guess we can just eat when I have in my scrolls." Naruto replied without noticing Jiraiya's eyes examine his left sleeveless and gloveless arm.
"Oh ho ho - already sealing food in scrolls? That'll help you alot down the road Naruto!" Jiraiya proclaimed as he used his left hand to pat Naruto's back several times.
"Now then, we need a training ground - got any ideas?" As he spoke, Naruto raised his left hand to his face before scratching his nose and allowing his arm to fall back against his side.
"Well there is this place that me and my friend having been training at for the past 3 years, it's in the woods." Naruto explained, referring to the training ground that him and Lee first met in.
"The place where Guy trains at? That won't work, we need a location with a steady stream of water." Jiraiya responded as he crossed his arms infront of his chest, suggesting that he knew much more about Naruto's life than the latter expected.
"What about the training grounds for my team? It has 3 logs and a small stream of water." Naruto suggested only for Jiraiya to shake his head in disapproval.
"No that won't work either, we need a large body of water and I got just the place kid, walk with me and I'll show you even greater ways to avoid a woman's wrath." Jiraiya replied as he turned to the right before he began walking down the street, pushing Naruto as he walked to encourage the blond Shinobi to walk beside him.
Naruto didn't really understand the concept of a 'woman's wrath' because other than Sakura he wasn't near girls all that much, the closest he got to hanging out with a girl was when Hinata would spy on him from behind a corner or a tree.
Naruto was so overjoyed at the thought of learning new jutsu that he eagerly walked beside Jiraiya whose left arm was now once again wrapped around the formers shoulders in an endearing fashion as the 2 of them began to journey through the streets of Konoha together.
20 minutes later, 4:58pm on the northern outskirts of Konoha
"I've never see this before..." Naruto whispered timidly as he and Jiraiya stood infront of a 10ft wide and 7ft deep river of that stretched out infront of both Shinobi, the river was so long that neither the end or beginning of it could be seen.
Jiraiya and Naruto stood atop a white rocky shore line that rested on the east bank of the river while on the opposite side sat a shore line of grass and dirt before morphing back into a forest the further away from the river it when.
"It's a pretty alright place, I used to come here all the time to fish." Jiraiya explained as he approached the edge of the river and crouched down while shoving his armor-plated hands into the water before splashing it on his face to wash away the dried blood and dirt that stained there.
"Now, why don't you go ahead and walk out onto the river." As he continued to speak he removed the scroll from his back before siting down and resting against a large white rock.
"Onto the river? But I can already do that, how is that training?" Naruto questioned, he had already spent years perfecting his chakra control so he saw no point in attempting to increase that any further.
"Now now, don't talk back against your master." Jiraiya exclaimed, causing Naruto to leisurely walk on across the river, a river that had an almost nonexistent current, something that made it even easier for the latter to stand atop it.
As Naruto stood effortlessly atop the water with his back directed towards Jiraiya, the latter couldn't help but smile with joy at the amount of potential the blond infront of him was displaying, the same type of potential Nagato had showed so many years ago.
"So, what kind of food where you planning to eat?" Jiraiya asked as the grin on his face grew even wider.
"Well I got tons of food in my scrolls, chicken on a stick, Sushi, potato chips and even Dango but I'm having trouble sealing liquids so the best I can do is just seal cups and then get something to drink from nearby." Naruto replied as turned around to face Jiraiya while using his left fingers to count out the list of food he mentioned.
He doesn't even need to focus his attention on his feet, his level of chakra control is truly incredible... just like you, Nagato. Jiraiya thought as the grin on his face evolved into a smile.
"Okay then, next step, take off your tunic and release the highest amount of chakra you can, I need to see what I'm working with here." Jiraiya ordered, creating an even greater look of confusion on Naruto's face.
"Why do I have to take my tunic off?" Naruto questioned.
"It'll allow me to get a better view of your chakra, just do it." Jiraiya sighed as he waved his right hand vertically through the air several times in encouragement.
After several moments of hesitation Naruto unbuckled the light-purple belt tied around his waist, loosening the white sash he kept under his belt before grabbing the opening on the lower section of his tunic and pulling the piece of fabric off his head and body.
After removing his tunic, satchel and 1 remaining glove, Naruto then tossed the bundled up ball of cloths towards Jiraiya who caught it with his left hand before placing the cloths atop the rock that his back was leaned against.
This action revealed Naruto's pale-skinned torso and arms aswell as a large black inked seal that was scribbled and sprawled across the blonds stomach, a seal that instantly caused Jiraiya's expression to grow more stern while his eyes narrowed.
So this is the sealing system that was used to seal the Nine-tails... 2 double Tetragram Seals placed atop one another, forming an Eight Trigram Seal - truly a legendary display of Fūinjutsu, Minato. Jiraiya thought as the smiling face of the 4th Hokage floated throughout his mind.
You managed to perfectly place the seals in a manner which allows to Nine-tails chakra to leak out before being converted into Naruto's own chakra, remarkable. As his train of thought continued to form, he noticed Naruto clap his hands together while overlapping his fingers atop one another.
This action caused the previously still river underneath Naruto to ripple and rupture as a massive aura of purple chakra erupted out from and surrounded the blond Shinobi, causing the white bangs that lined the side of Jiraiya's face to wave and brush in the breeze.
Something is wrong... the seal should only reveal itself when the chakra of the Nine-tails is used and manipulated or even when Naruto allows the chakra to seep out... but it appears to be streaming out on it's own accord. As he continued to observe the seal on Naruto's stomach, he noticed as the aura of chakra surrounding the latter doubled in size.
Is Naruto allowing the chakra to pour out?... No - he doesn't appear to have made direct contact with the demon and such a small amount of Nine-tails chakra is pouring out that I doubt he even notice. As his train of thought progressed, the aura of chakra Naruto was releasing caused the latter's bangs to float up, revealing his ripple patterned violet eyes.
I didn't notice this 5 days ago.. it's as if Naruto's chakra is completely overwhelming the Nine-tails... His train of thought halted entirely once he stared into Naruto's Rinnegan eyes, eyes that pulsated and throbbed throughout his mind once direct eye contact was made before he managed to mentally block the hypnosis from going any further.
Too a normal person staring directly into the Rinnegan was an act of suicide but Jiraiya had spent so many months training Nagato that he grew a slight resistance to the Doijutsu, atleast when it came to direct eye contact.
Suddenly, Naruto's chakra morphed and contorted into a massive fox head that hovered over the Genin, It's fur, teeth, snout and eyes were all violet, the same color of Naruto's eyes and chakra.
This action caused Jiraiya's eyes to widened with interest while he sat up straight , determined to see what happened next but also ready to react at a moments notice.
The fox manifestation then grinded and gnashed its teeth together as its snout pressed down against its lower jawline while its violet eyes glared towards Jiraiya.
So this is what happens when their chakra is merged together... still... I don- Jiraiya's thoughts cut off mid-sentence as the fox's teeth began to chip and crack under the pressure of it's jawline while several streams of chakra erupted out from Naruto, causing the nearby trees to wave in the breeze.
Jiraiya then shot up onto his feet, an action that garnished Naruto's attention before causing the large chakra fox hovering over him to dissolve and fade, after several moments the nearby trees and river he stood atop once again were completely still.
"Something wrong?" Naruto mumbled with his hands still pressed together while his fingers overlapped one another.
"You tell me." Jiraiya replied as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.
"I mean, I'm a little hungry." Naruto exclaimed as he lowered the palm of his right hand before resting it against his stomach and partially covering the 8 Trigram Seal that was scribbled there.
"That seal on your stomach, how long has it be visible?" Jiraiya questioned with a stern expression upon his face.
"The past week or 2, ever since I got back in the village from the Land of Waves." Naruto responded as he raised his right hand from his stomach before using it to scratch 1 of the 3 whiskers on his right check.
"My stomach has actually been in alot of pain the past 2 weeks." He continued to speak before allowing both his arms to rest against his side.
"What kind of pain?" Jiraiya asked.
"Sharp pain, really sharp - like stabbing into my stomach, ya'know?" Naruto explained in a nonchalant manner, as if he didn't even consider it a big deal.
"And you didn't tell anyone or go to the doctor?" Jiraiya questioned.
"Most people don't like talking to me, or being near me, or helping me... so I try to stay away from them... doctors tend to hate me even more than others anyway." Naruto spoke as he stared up into the cloudless blue sky, causing his bangs to part from his face before allowing Jiraiya to once again directly view his Rinnegan.
As Naruto stared up into the sky, he failed to noticed the look of disgust and annoyance that formed across Jiraiya's face, disgust towards the villagers and how they treated the 'Hero' of their village.
After everything you've done, Minato... they still do not see it... they do not understand that your legacy, your dream, lives right infront of me - infront of all of us. Jiraiya thought as the smiling face of the 4th Hokage once again floated throughout his mind.
I guess it's about time to teach him how to control the chakra of the Nine-tails... hopefully I learn more about the Rinnegan in the process. As his thoughts progressed, he uncrossed his arms from his chest before allowing them to once again rest against his sides.
"Okay kid, come here, I'm going to teach you a new technique." Jiraiya proclaimed, creating a wide smile on Naruto's face before the latter began to skip across the water towards Jiraiya.
"What!? Really!? A new technique!?" Naruto cheered as he continued to skip towards his brand new Sensei, unaware that the man infront of him had been watching over him even longer than Iruka.
5 minutes later, 5:20pm.
"Before I teach you this new technique, there are several things I need you to understand, have you ever noticed that you have 2 different types of chakra?" Jiraiya asked as he sat indian style infront of a still half-naked Naruto who was also seated in the same fashion.
"N-no... I mean, all of my chakra feels the same to me." Naruto mumbled out in response.
Just as I thought... he doesn't even notice the Nine-tails chakra... usually the Kyuubi's chakra is powerful enough to overwhelm its host, which is why the Seal required to restrain it is such a high rank and technique... Jiraiya deducted only for his train of thought to continue.
First the seal has opened enough to where a steady stream of Nine-tails chakra can pour out... but at the same time its chakra is then merged with Naruto's before being overwhelmed and converted into his own... this is an unheard of ability... could this be the power of the Rinnegan? His eyes narrowed while his mind continued to study the fresh information.
"I mean - I can even see my chakra network and its all purple, except for this seal on my stomach, it's solid black and for some reason looks like its apart of my network." Naruto explained, his words causing Jiraiya's eyes to widen once again.
"You can see and even observe the chakra network?" Jiraiya questioned.
"Yea, I'm looking at yours right now, I can turn it off and on too." Naruto replied while using his left index finger to scratch the top whisker on his left cheek.
"How much chakra does it require to maintain?" Jiraiya asked while crossing his arms infront of his chest.
"None I think, it barely requires any to activate and I haven't noticed any requirement to keep it on, I've been looking through the chakra world since earlier this morning and it hasn't cost me any thing." Naruto answered.
"What else can your eyes do?" Jiraiya questioned, causing Naruto to tilt his head slightly to the right.
"I feel like Kakashi could explain it better but I can basically push and pull stuff away or towards me." Naruto mumbled.
Could that be what I ran into earlier? Jiraiya thought as his mind wondered back to when some unseen force around Naruto caused him to hurt his nose and face, a face he needed to impress the ladies.
"Show me." Jiraiya ordered, causing Naruto to hold his right hand horizontally infront of his chest before funneling a small amount of chakra into his eyes, forcing a small white pebble infront of him to float up through the air into his hand.
Naruto then turned his hand upside down before opening it and revealing the pebble to Jiraiya while once again funneling chakra into his eyes, forcing the pebble to fling itself through the air past the latter's face before cracking into the distant treeline behind him.
"Good, good - anything else?" Jiraiya asked while wrapping his right hand around his chin.
Jiraiya's question caused several moments of silence to fill the air between the 2 Shinobi before Naruto abruptly shook his head from side-to-side, denying any further knowledge of the power he possessed.
This hesitation was something Jiraiya noticed but decided not to press, he had already learned more about the Rinnegan in 5 minutes with Naruto than he did in 3 years while training Nagato.
A good Shinobi always has a hidden technique. The voice of Iruka resonated across Naruto's mind.
"Okay, listen up boy." Jiraiya declared in a fatherly tone while he stood up before using his hands to dust off his knees, knees that weren't even dirty.
Jiraya then took 1 step forward before shoving his left index finger down towards Naruto, causing his fingertip to poke the latter's nose.
After a few moments Jiraiya then pulled his left finger back slightly before thrusting his right index finger down and using it to poke 1 of Naruto's whiskers, soon he was poking the latter's face and nose several times in various different angles and degrees.
"The move I'm about to teach you requires a vast amount of chakra and chakra control, I'm only showing you this technique because I just feel like it'll cover all the bases." Jiraiya explained while he continued to poke Naruto's face.
"Cover all the bases?" Naruto repeated in a hushed tone, not even reacting to the countless amount of times Jiraiya was poking his face.
"Yes, what I am going to show you... is the Summoning Jutsu." Jiraiya exclaimed as he finally stopped poking Naruto's face just in time to notice the frown that abruptly formed there.
"Well uh... I kind of already know how to summon..." Naruto mumbled while using his right index finger to scratch the bridge of his nose.
"Before the Summoning Jutsu can be used, the summoner must first form a special contract with one of the viable species, usually a species that the summoner has a natural affinity for... so tell me... what species have you contracted." Jiraiya asked as he crossed his arms infront of his chest while a stern expression formed across his face.
"A dog and a crab, I think." Naruto replied, causing Jiraiya's head to tilt to the left in confusion.
Without allowing Jiraiya to speak any further, Naruto abruptly slammed his right palm in between his crisscrossing Indian style legs, causing his palm to press down against the white pebbles underneath him.
"Summoning Jutsu." Naruto spoke calmly before he was suddenly engulfed by a 20ft wide and 10ft tall pillar of smoke.
Despite the speed of Naruto's action, Jiraiya still managed to effortlessly evacuate the area before landing harmlessly atop a nearby treebranch, allowing him to get a better view of his students summoning once the smoke began to dissolve.
Jiraiya's eyes widened and bulged once the smoke fully dissipated, revealing a massive 15ft wide and 8ft tall crab-like creature that had the same Rinnegan eyes as Naruto while the latter sat Indian style atop the summoning.
It's no Gamabunta... but for his age he is clearly in a league of his own. Jiraiya thought as he stared intently at the large Rinnegan eyes the crab possessed.
"I can see out of it's eyes too." Naruto explained before placing left hand atop his stomach in an attempt to settle the rising hunger he felt.
"Hmph - well I think that's enough training for today then." Jiraiya chuckled out in response, causing a deep frown to form on Naruto's face.
"But we haven't even done any training and you said you were going to teach me a new technique..." Naruto complained.
"Well honestly I didn't expect you to know so much already, since you know the Summoning Jutsu well call it quits for today and get a brand new start earlier tomorrow." Jiraiya replied as he stared up into the cloudless blue sky while the image of a far-off and distant place sparkled in his eyes.
"That doesn't seem fair..." Naruto once again complained.
"I'm surprised, I thought you were hungry." Jiraiya remarked as a small grin formed on his face.
"You're right!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped up onto his feet, causing the soles of his Shinobi shoes to clap against the harden shell of the crab he had summoned.
"I do have 1 last question for today though." Jiraiya proclaimed.
"What kind of question? The answer is Ramen." Naruto replied while his stomach rumbled with hunger.
"It's about your cloths, I noticed you don't wear a shirt, why?" Jiraiya asked, curious as to why Naruto would wear a heavy tunic with a long mantle and elbow length gloves but at the same time not wear a shirt.
"I get hot very easily, I used to wear jackets all the time as a kid but I would always got really hot, I never get cold so honestly I don't even need to wear the tunic to stay warm, I just really like the color." Naruto admitted, he really liked the color purple.
He never gets cold... no doubt an influence of the Nine-tails... now I know why Minato's house was always freezing... Jiraiya thought as he tried to bury the horrifying and painful memories of the beat downs he suffered from Kushina.
"Anyway... lets go eat so Ramen." Jiraiya suggested after he leapt off the treebranch before landing 5ft infront of Naruto and the crab he had summoned.
"YES!" Naruto screamed, causing the crab he stood upon to instantly erupt into a puff of smoke before the blond boy dashed out of the smoke cloud and became running towards the village in an alarming amount of speed, eager to eat some food.
This action caused Jiraiya to sigh as he downcast his head while using his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in disbelief, unable to believe Naruto forgot his tunic.
After several moments of sulking, Jiraiya walked towards the bundled up ball of Naruto's cloths before picking the fabric up with his left hand and trailing after his new student, eager to fulfill a promise he made over 10 years ago.
6 days laters, Tuesday 10:19am, June 7th 58SSP inside the market of Konoha
"What are we doing here, Sensei?" Naruto asked as he trailed behind his new white-haired teacher while both of them walked in between the stalls and displays of the thriving Konoha market.
"Since we spent the past 6 days training I figure we can spend today on learning the Shinobi rules." Jiraiya proclaimed as his eyes glanced at several fine women in the crowd, causing him to build up and create several ideas of inspiration.
"The 6 Shinobi rules? They teach us about them in the Academy, I already know all 6 of them." Naruto replied as he stared at the long spikey white haired pony-tail that trailed down Jiraiya's back.
"Oh really? Then recite all 6 for me." Jiraiya ordered as drool began to drip out his mouth once his eyes focused upon a rather large breasted woman.
"A Shinobi must always put the mission first... a Shinobi must never show their tears.. a Shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meaning... a Shinobi must follow their commander's instructions... a Shinobi must prepare before it is too late to... and a Shinobi must never show any weakness." Naruto counted off by using his fingers.
"Wrong!" Jiraiya declared as he instantly stopped walking, causing his student to walk face first into his long spikey pony-tail.
"You've forgotten 3 rules kid, and they are the most important rules for any Shinobi! I can't believe a student of the greatest toad sage from Mount Myōboku would forget them!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he turned around before pinching Naruto's cheeks and moving them in several different angles.
"Whuatu arue thuey?" Naruto asked while Jiraya continued to push and pull on his cheeks, causing his speech to become muffled.
"Women, Alcohol, and Money." Jiraiya declared as he released Naruto's cheeks from his grasp before crossing his arms infront of his chest while a mischievous smile bloomed across his face.
"How do those things make me a great Shinobi?" Naruto asked while using his hands to rub his now sore cheeks.
"Just stick with me kid and I'll show you, by the time I'm done you'll be swimming with ladies." Jiraiya proclaimed as his head twisted to the right while his jaw fell atop the dirt road underneath him once he noticed an extremely beautiful woman on the side of the street.
The woman was roughly 20 years old and had shoulder-length spikey black hair with 3 distinct bangs that protruded down the bridge of her nose and the front of her face, partially concealing her pale-skin and the grass green eyes she possessed.
She wore a skin-tight black sleeveless tunic that was cut short enough to reveal a large portion of her midriff and barely concealed her D-sized breasts, breasts that almost popped out of her clothing, something Jiraiya was overjoyed to see but he still knew Tsunade's were bigger.
On her lower torso she wore a pair of tight black shorts that ended 5 inches below her petite waist, on her arms and legs she wore elbow-length fishnet gloves and a matching set of fistnet knee-high socks, both of which covered the majority of her visible skin.
Instead of standard Shinobi shoes, she wore a pair of solid black high-heel shoes which focused more attention on her beautiful legs, something that clearly had an effect on Jiraiya.
For several moments a confused Naruto glanced in between this unknown woman and his now drooling Sensei as he attempted to understand what was happening.
Naruto then came to the conclusion that this was a test set up by Jiraiya to see if he could indeed 'Swim with the ladies', this train of thought convinced Naruto to walk towards the unknown women before standing behind her.
"Excuse me." Naruto mumbled sheepishly, causing the black-haired woman to turn around and stare at him.
"My Sensei said I need to 'Swim with the ladies', can you help me?" Naruto asked innocently, not understanding what he was actually asking for.
"Awwwww, look at your cute little whiskers." The unnamed woman teased in a seductive tone as she used his right fistnet covered hand to gently grip Naruto's face while pushing his cheeks together, causing his lips to puff out.
"I'm new here, just visiting from the Land of Rivers to watch the Chunin exams and I get a good vibe from you, do you get a good vibe from me?" As she continued to speak her words made an obvious impact on Naruto as his face turned a shade of red, something that delighted the woman even further.
"I mean... I don't feel bad." Naruto admitted as he made a mental note about the weird feeling he was getting in his stomach, a good feeling, something that was rare for him.
"That's lovely, my name is Anzu, Anzu Mazaki, what's your name, cutie." Anzu asked as she crouched down infront of Naruto while shoving her face against his, causing them to rub their noses together.
This action caused Jiraiya's eyes to turn solid white as a stream of blood shot out from his left nostril while his dropped jaw continued to rest atop the dirt road.
"Na-Naruto Uzumaki." The blond boy muttered out sheepishly while Anzu continued to rub her nose against his.
"An Uzumaki!? That means you're a rare little thing aren't you? Do all Uzumaki have such adorable whiskers?" Anzu teased as she used her left hand to twirl Naruto's hair with her index finger.
"I-I don't know..." Naruto spoke in an embarrassed tone as he attempted to lower his head in shame, he had never seen another Uzumaki for his entire life, to his knowledge he was the last living one and since no photos of Mito or Kushina Uzumaki were ever available for him to look it he never knew what members of his clan should look like other than having red hair.
However Anzu's right hand prevented Naruto from lowering his head and instead pulled him even closer as she brushed against the right side of his face before whispering into his ear.
"Don't be sad dear... I've never had an Uzumaki before." Anzu pointed out as she breathed into Naruto's right ear.
"What does that mean? Is that how I swim with the ladies?" Naruto questioned innocently, causing Anzu to abruptly stand up while wrapping her arms around the former and shoving his face into her breasts as she shook him through the air repeatedly.
Once Jiraiya noticed that Naruto's face made direct contact with boobs 2 streams of blood instantly shot out from his nose as his dropped jawline began to twitch and shake while Anzu continued to shake Naruto through the air.
"You're just such a cute little innocent baby! How old are you?" Anzu asked as she finally released Naruto from her grip only for him to stumble in several different directions and angles, suggesting he was dizzy from being shook through the air for so long.
"12..." Naruto choked out as he barely managed to stand, he was so focused on keeping his balance he failed to notice Anzu's eyes widen and bulge before she abruptly walked away from Naruto and disappeared into the crowd.
Naruto was still too dizzy to function as he continued to stumble about before walking blindly in one direction and tripping over his shoes, an action that caused him to fall face first into the dirt road before he allowed several moments to pass in an attempt to regain his senses.
Once Naruto tilted his head up he noticed Jiraiya holding 2 hand-held signs extended out towards him, each of them had a white background with the number '10' painted on them in black ink.
"GOOOOOD! GOOOD! It looks like you're a natural!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he used his red sleeves to wipe the blood off his face.
"Natural at what?" Naruto asked as he continued to lay on his stomach in the middle of the road, still completely confused with the events surrounding him.
"Don't be modest, you're form was great, you even made direct contact with those lovely balloons, did you get any inspiration?" Jiraiya asked as he held his fingers vertically infront of his mischievous grin.
"What kind of inspiration?" Naruto questioned as he slowly stood up, causing him to not notice Jiraiya shaking his head from side-to-side in disappointment.
"So much natural talent but you're still blind to the amount of babes you could be getting... so sad." Jiraiya exclaimed as he wrapped his left arm around Naruto's shoulder before both of them continued walking down the road that lined the Konoha market.
"I feel like that more than counts for the 'women' category, now lets move on to Alcohol." As he spoke both he and his student disappeared entirely into the crowd, atleast the members of the crowd that didn't run from Naruto.
1 hour later, 11:32am at Naruto's new training ground.
"Were lucky it's the middle of summer, they had quiet a large supply of water balloons for us to buy." Jiraiya exclaimed as he sat with his back against his familiar large white rock while Naruto unrolled a series of 10 scrolls he had managed to seal 20 balloons in each, giving a total of 200.
"Sensei, why do we need water balloons? I thought you said we were moving on to Alcohol?" Naruto asked without fully understanding what he was suggesting.
"Well for the past 6 days you've done pretty good with your training, you've managed to successfully preform quiet a bit of my jutsu but while you were getting smothered by that lovely ladies balloons I realized one last technique slip my mind." Jiraiya explained.
"Did you get her name? I'll tell you this, there are several girls I've been with whose names I never even knew, those are the best ones." As he continued to speak he failed to notice how confusing his words were to Naruto.
"Anzu was her name, and what's the difference between her balloons and this one, Sensei?" Naruto questioned as he held a red water ballon in his left hand, causing Jiraiya to giggle like a school boy while a mischievous smile formed upon his face.
"Didn't you notice how soft and warm Anzu's melons were?" Jiraiya asked.
"Melons? I thought we were talking about balloons." Naruto mumbled.
"Melons are balloons and balloons are melons, weren't they soft?" Jiraiya exclaimed while at the same time questioning his student.
"They were soft." Naruto admitted in a hushed tone as he rubbed the glove-covered palm of his right hand against his face in the same fashion Anzu had done with her breasts.
"And when you're a great Shinobi, you get to have those all the time." Jiraiya explained as he crossed his arms infront of his chest while a wide smile formed across his face.
"So since I've gotten some balloons, now I need to have some Alcohol and then I can learn that last technique?" Naruto spoke as he attempted to understand what he needed to do next.
Most people would understand the terms Jiraiya used and especially would know about Alcohol but Naruto wasn't very street smart, his years with Iruka left him as a devoted reader to historical and martial scrolls but as a result his social skills plummeted and fell.
"Last technique now and then Alcohol later." Jiraiya explained while picking up a grass-green water balloon with his right hand before holding the balloon infront of his chest.
"So, first thing we need to go over is rotation." While he spoke, the balloon in his hand began to ripple and rupture in several different angles before exploding entirely, covering his palm and armor-plated wrist with water.
He rotated and turned the water inside the balloon without even moving his hands... was it... chakra? Naruto pondered while he used his right gloved hand to wipe away the drops of water that had splashed upon his face.
"Go ahead and infuse some chakra into the water and remember, rotation..." Jiraiya exclaimed as he dried his right hand against his pants before leaning back against the large rock behind him.
"Rotation..." Naruto mumbled quietly while the balloon in his left hand began to bulge and swirl as the water inside rotated in one constant direction to the left, unlike Jiraiya's whose twisted and turned in several different directions at once.
At this moment Jiraiya reached out and placed his right hand atop Naruto's hair, an action that caused him to stop infusing chakra into his balloon.
"I see what's wrong, the problem is you're a right rotation type and since your rotating the water to the left, you've got your chakra working against yourself... a good way to build up chakra in the body is to spin it into a tight spiral like a spring and whether the chakra spins to the left or right depends on the person." Jiraiya explained.
"But how are you able to tell that I'm a right rotation type?" Naruto questioned.
"By the way your hair grows, if it grows to the right you're a right rotation type and if it grows to the left you're a leftie, it's actually quiet simple" Jiraiya replied as he ungripped Naruto's hair before allowing his right arm to rest against his side.
"Huh... I might've known that if I ever brushed my hair..." Naruto spoke while he brushed his right hand through his hair several times.
"So... like this?" As he spoke he once again infused a significant amount of chakra into the balloon gripped in his left hand, forcing the water to spiral to the right.
As Naruto continued to pour more and more chakra into the balloon it began to rupture and protrude out in several different angles before exploding entirely in a similar fashion to Jiraiya's, something that caused the latter's eyes to bulge and widen.
Remarkable... it took me 9 hours to perfect the rotation when I was first learning this technique and yet he preforms it during his 2nd try... he truly is your son, Minato. Jiraiya concluded as a wide smile bloomed across his face.
"That was the rotation, right? What's next?" Naruto questioned as he attempted to dry his soaking wet left glove.
"Here ya go." Jiraiya declared as he reached into his red robe before pulling out a white rubber ball and tossing it towards his student who caught it with both hands.
"Lets see if you can pop this one." As he continued to speak he once again reached into his red robe before pulling out yet another rubber ball and holding it vertically beside his right shoulder.
Suddenly the ball began to rotate inside Jiraiya's palm while the force released from such an action created a shockwave of air that rippled out from the object before it began to bubble and rupture in several places until it exploded entirely, creating 2 more shockwaves in the process.
"That looks like it'll be alot harder to pop than a water balloon..." Naruto mumbled.
"Oh it is but don't let that scare you, this is the perfect lead-in to stage 2: Power, and since this object is solid it's far more difficult to exert your chakra rotation on it." Jiraiya explained as he held his right index and middle finger into the air between him and his student.
Naruto then used his left hand to hold the rubber ball gifted to him infront of his chest before once again infusing his chakra into the object, forcing it to bulge and protrude in several different angles before halting any movement entirely as it returned to normal.
"Now that you got the basic's down, I'll leave the rest for you to figure out, I saw a waterfall on the way here and I want to go see if I can find any research while you get this stage down." Jiraiya exclaimed as he turned around and began walking away.
"Re-research?" Naruto mumbled out in response.
"Focus on one thing at a time kid." Jiraiya replied before disappearing entirely from view leaving Naruto alone by the river side, he had no problem teaching the latter but he didn't want to just explain everything outright.
3 hours later, 3:13pm
Naruto sat Indian style as he panted and breathed heavily from exhaustion while his gloved hands trembled and shook with pain as the rubber ball rested in between his crossed legs.
Just like Sensei said... this is way more difficult than the water balloon... my hands are killing me... this pain, the more I try to increase the flow, the more it hurts... Naruto admitted as the chakra points in his hand throbbed with pain, evidence to the power of the technique he was attempting to master.
I just have to give it everything I got - I have to pour every last drop of chakra into it! As his thoughts progressed, Naruto picked up the ball with both hands before releasing such a dense amount of chakra that his entire body became engulfed and surrounded in an aura of purple.
If I can work through the pain and generate more chakra, and then push it right to the limit of what I can endure!... not enough yet... not yet... NOW! During this process the ball began to rupture and ripple several times before exploding with such force that over a dozen pebbles were flung back from the still sitting blond.
These action burned several holes into Naruto's gloves while strands of broken rubber littered his lap as he continued to pant heavily due to the amount of chakra he had used in the past 3 hours.
"You seem to have made some progress, lets stop for a break." Jiraiya declared as he appeared in a flashed barely 6ft behind Naruto, forcing the latter to stand up abruptly before turning around to face his Sensei.
This kid is something else... his chakra was so dense that it burned his palms... one surprise after another. Jiraiya marveled.
Upon inspection, Naruto noticed his teacher held a pair of purple popsicle sticks in his left hand before he used both hands the break the object in 2 and extend one of the popsicles towards his student with his right hand.
Naruto sheepishly reached out with his left hand before gripping down on his gift from Jiraiya and abruptly placing the frozen grape-flavored treat halfway in his mouth while biting down, something that would paralyze most living mortals but somehow left Naruto completely unaffected.
At the rate he's eating it, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten a brain freeze...… could it be because of warmth from the Kyuubi? Jiraiya wondered as he took several small conservative bites from his frozen treat.
While he continued to enjoy his treat, Jiraiya abruptly sat down Indian style atop the white rocky shoreline before he used his left hand to reach inside his red robe and pull out a sealed ink jar along-side a plain maple brush.
"Go ahead and take off your right glove kid." Jiraiya ordered in a muffled tone as a half-eaten popsicle stick protruded out from the left corner of his mouth.
Jiraiya's words caused Naruto to place his own popsicle into his mouth while using his left hand to pull off his right glove before extending his bare palm out towards his teacher.
Jiraiya then finished devouring his treat before stabbing the now empty stick into the rocks infront of him while unsealing the jar of ink and dipping his brush into the substance.
After several moments Jiraiya then extended the brush towards Naruto before using it to paint a small black swirl onto the center of the latter's right palm.
Naruto then retracted his hand back towards his body before positioning it infront of his face for several seconds as he observed the symbol his Sensei had painted on him.
"Uh... what is it?" Naruto asked in a mumbled tone, causing Jiraiya to unstrap the armor that was adorning his right hand before revealing his own right palm towards his student.
"It's the same mark but I don't get it, how is this supposed to help?" As he continued to speak, Jiraiya once again used his left hand to reach and shuffle through his red robe.
"You got yelled at alot in the Academy for lack of concentration, didn't you?" Jiraiya asked rhetorically since he already knew the answer.
"I don't see how that has anything to do with this." Naruto replied, not wanting to admit just how right his Sensei was.
Jiraiya then pulled out a small, rectangular shaped blank piece of paper before flashing the object directly infront of Naruto's face so he could get a good view.
"Look at this piece of paper." Jiraiya ordered, causing several seconds of silence to fill the air around them.
"I've looked at it..." Naruto declared.
"Alright now give it a 2nd look." Jiraiya spoke as he turned the paper around, revealing an same swirl as his and Naruto's painted in the center of the page.
"I've looked at it..." Naruto repeated out once again, causing his Sensei to sigh.
"Let me guess... the 1st time you looked at this paper, your eyes just glanced at the whole thing, right?" Jiraiya asked.
"Probably..." Naruto stuttered out, suggesting he didn't take the exercise that seriously, after all it was just a piece of paper.
"And what about the 2nd time you looked?" Jiraiya questioned.
"I noticed the swirl." Naruto responded.
"Exactly... anytime that a persons eyes gaze upon a blank piece of paper, they don't focus on where to look their eyes just wonder the page but if you put even a dot or swirl on it then the mind is drawn there as you are then focused on one-point and with that focus comes spiritual stability." Jiraiya explained.
"Cool..." Naruto mumbled out as he chewed up the last of his grape flavored popsicle stick before stabbing the empty object into the rocks below him in a fashion similar to Jiraiya.
"So listen Naruto, from now out when your building up chakra in your right hand make sure that you concentrate and focus only on that mark." Jiraiya exclaimed.
"Concentrate... sure no problem! I used to do that for Iruka-Sensei all the time..." Naruto spoke at first in a cheerful tone before quickly becoming depressed and timid once he began thinking about his fallen Sensei.
30 minutes later
"I supposed we should get started on step 3." Jiraiya sighed as his mind went dry of any and all inspiration, blocking him from achieving any mental progress for writing.
"What's step 3?" Naruto questioned, causing Jiraiya to once again reach into his red robe before pulling out a green balloon with yellow Polka dots, just as quickly as he revealed the balloon he then raised it to his mouth before blowing into the object several times, filling it with air and enlarging its frame.
"U-Uuu-ummmm... a regular balloon?" Naruto mumbled.
"Here." Jiraiya exclaimed as he released the balloon, only for the object to instantly float up into the air once it was caught of one of the ever-so-constant gusts of wind that were common in the Land of Fire.
The balloon then found itself gripped by an unseen force as it was abruptly pulled down through the air towards Naruto who gently grabbed it with both hands, an action Jiraiya observed intently.
"O-okay... so... what's the deal? An ordinary balloon." Naruto exclaimed as he lightly squeezed down on the balloon several times, creating a stretching rubber sound, during which Jiraiya managed to successfully fill his own balloon, a solid red one.
"The 1st step you learned was rotation... the 2nd step was power... while the 3rd and final step to master... is Containment." Jiraiya proclaimed as he held the balloon with his right hand vertically beside his shoulder.
Jiraiya's words created a void of silence for several seconds until Naruto's hidden violet eyes suddenly bulged and widened once he noticed the amount of chakra swirling inside the balloon, chakra that didn't even affect the object as it remained completely still.
No doubt about it... he can definitely see the chakra world... a trait that will come in handy more than he knows, especially given the lack of a chakra cost. Jiraiya concluded as he read the signals his student was giving off.
"The chakra itself spirals at an alarming rate of speed while at the same time remaining perfectly circular, like a small typhon." Jiraiya explained while his student continued to awe and marvel at he level of jutsu being displayed infront of him.
Awesome... he's got all of that chakra spinning around and the balloon isn't even moving... there's more power than when the rubber ball popped and way more rotation than the water balloon had. Naruto remarked.
"Now listen, you need to draw up 100% of what you learned so far and then, maintain it... in other words, keep the power and rotation of your chakra at it's maximum by visualizing a thin membrane at the center of the balloon, then compress the chakra inside it." Jiraiya proclaimed.
"So... this step is about keeping the same amount of power and rotation I've used so far, but this time the goal is not to pop the balloon?" Naruto questioned.
"There you go kid you're a natural learner, so go ahead and give it a try." Jiraiya ordered, causing Naruto to hold his Polka dotted green balloon infront of his chest before clasping down on the object while funneling chakra into it.
This action caused the balloon to instantly explode, creating several streams of purple chakra that streamed out and covered the surrounding area.
"There are no short cuts in this step, get your power and rotation to 100% without letting the balloon explode." Jiraiya ordered.
This is crazy... the more power I put into the technique, the more control and rotation I'll need, all without even letting the balloon explode... I see now, this 3rd step... it's on a whole other level than the other 2... Naruto concluded.
"Oh... I might've forgotten to tell you... this is an A-rank jutsu handed down to us and created by the 4th Hokage himself... in terms of difficulty it's the 2nd hardest jutsu to master." Jiraiya mentioned, causing Naruto's concealed eyes to once again bulge with shock.
"Handed down to... to me.. by the 4th Hokage?" Naruto mumbled as he stared down at the numerous holes that covered the palm-section of his gloves.
"That's right, so it's time to get started on mastering it, wouldn't you say?" Jiraiya asked rhetorically as he pushed his red balloon towards Naruto, causing it to float through the air towards his student who gently grabbed it with both hands.
"This isn't just some jutsu, this is the legacy of the 4th Hokage and I'm entrusting it with you, are you worthy of his legacy, Naruto?" As he continued to speak Naruto held his red balloon infront of chest while he glanced down at it from in between his bangs, obviously deep in thought.
"If you're entrusting me with this jutsu... then I promise I will be worthy Sensei, after all - I can't turn down a request from my master, can I?" Naruto exclaimed, repeating the same line of dialogue he had used so often when talking to Iruka.
At this moment Jiraiya took several steps forward before reaching out with his right hand and gripping Naruto's left shoulder while smiling with approval and admiration towards the latter.
"Lets go ahead and get this over with, the sooner you're done, the sooner you can try some Alcohol." Jiraiya expressed in an encouraging tone, he wasn't really one who liked rules that much anyway.
7 hours later, 11:24pm
Naruto rested on his back while his chest rose and fell several times due to his constant heavy breathing, his gloves or atleast all the fabric above his below wrist was completely torn off, revealing his bruised and dirt covered hands.
Surrounding the blond were a series of 8 craters that littered the white rocky shoreline while 4 trees in the distance were snapped in half by some unknown power, leaving 4 stumps jagging up out of the ground.
While Naruto continued to catch his breath he glanced up at the later night sky, staring at the moon and stars, an action that caused his bangs to part from his face, revealing his ripple patterned violet eyes directly to Jiraiya's field of view.
As Jiraiya sat beside his iconic rock he used his left hand to reach inside his red robe before pulling out a scroll with the Kanji for "Muffin" on it, no doubt a scroll he stole from Naruto when the latter wasn't looking.
Jiraiya then unsprawled the scroll through the air before placing the object atop the rocky ground infront of him and planting his left palm atop the page, forcing the object open with mental power as a cloud of smoke instantly erupted into existence around the scroll, catching Naruto's attention.
After several moments the smoke dissolved entirely, revealing a metal tray with 18 Muffins placed neatly on the tray, Muffins that Jiraiya quickly tossed in his mouth.
While Jiraiya had expected the snack to be decent, he had no idea or knowledge of the amount of flavor he had just tasted, it was a flavor beyond his comprehension, a flavor that was overwhelming his body, the flavor of a Banana Muffin.
This 1st taste caused Jiraiya to fall on his right side and lay there in a paralyzed state for several moments before springing back to life and hurling Muffins by the handful into his mouth, an action that sent him into a state of Euphoria.
"S-Sensei... are you alright?" Naruto asked as he sat up straight only to be drowned out by the grunts and groans of Jiraiya as the latter continued to stuff his face with Muffins.
Finally, after several seconds of devouring defenseless Muffins, Jiraiya managed to lean back against his rock while using both his hands to grip his now fattened and enlarged belly.
"Ahhhhhh - that's the spot kid, those Muffins were amazing." Jiraiya exclaimed while rubbing his belly, out of the 18 Muffins Jiraiya had eaten 12, leaving only 6 for his student.
"Th-thanks... Iruka-Sensei was always teaching me how to cook, said it's an essential skill or something." Naruto mumbled while he glanced back up at the moon.
"Hey, kid, come seat by me." Jiraiya ordered while he patted the loose rocks on his right side, an action that caused his student to stand up before walking over to him and sitting down Indian style in that very spot.
"Like this, Sensei?" Naruto questioned.
"Are you gonna have some of these Muffins?" Jiraiya asked.
"No thanks, my mind is just some where else right now, ya' know?" Naruto replied, after which he noticed a shift in the air as the aura surrounding his Sensei instantly changed from a joyful one to a stern and rigid one.
"My son..." Jiraiya spoke as he wrapped his right arm around Naruto's shoulder while he glanced up at the moon, an action that caused his student to stare at his face, allowing him to notice the distance and far-off expression in his teachers eyes.
Son... Naruto quickly thought, in his entire life, for his entire existence no one had ever called him that word.
"On the day you born... the very forest of Konoha whispered the name... Naruto." Jiraiya declared as a heavy gust of wind blew in from the south, filling the clearing with leaf's that danced and floated around the 2 seated Shinobi.
This moment stretched out for what seemed like minutes to Naruto as the leaf's around him appeared to freeze in midair but at the same time continued to float.
"My child... I have watched over you since the beginning, and I have watched with pride as you grew into a weapon... of righteousness." Jiraiya declared, suggesting he had some unspoken bond with Naruto.
"Remember... you're line has always ruled with Wisdom... and Strength... and I know that you will show restraint when exercising your great power." As he spoke he continued to gaze up at the moon.
"M-my line?" Naruto mumbled out, he knew he was an Uzumaki but he didn't know anything else about his 'line', so he wondered why Jiraiya would talk about it as if he did.
"But at the same time... the truest victory, is winning the hearts of your people." Jiraiya remarked while turning his gaze directly upon his student, causing Naruto to awe with wonder at his heroic words.
"I tell you this... because when my days come to an end... you, shall be the next Sage." Jiraiya declared as he stared at Naruto's face, catching a few brief glimpses of purple as his student stared back him from underneath his bangs.
After 40 years of searching, training and dreaming for the day when his destined student would arrive, Jiraiya had, for the 1st time since Nagato, once again found his purpose in life, the purpose of training Naruto to take up his mantle and lead the world into glorious peace.
