This fic begins at the beginning of Naruto's 91st chapter, or its first episode of the third season.
Chapter 1: Jiraiya Returns!
"Hey, Closet-pervert Sensei?...".
Naruto looked at Ebisu, who was unconscious due to the old man's attack. Naruto performed the Thousand Years of Death on the man, attempting to wake him up. But Ebisu was out cold.
This old pervert... He knocked out Closet-pervert Sensei in just a single move! What a jerk!
Naruto turned to the man, pointed at him, and shouted, "What's the big deal, man, you knocked out my trainer! Who are you?".
The addressed man merely stared back at Naruto.
That's definitely Minato and Kushina's kid, no doubt about it. Is this God's way of punishing me...?
The man hid his sadness with a smirk, then stood tall on his summoned toad, and proclaimed, "I'm glad you asked! I am the wise hermit of Mount Myoboku, one of the legendary three ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, I am the Toad Mountain Sage, Jiraiya the Gallant!".
Naruto growled, and yelled, "If you're so wise and legendary, you gotta teach me some things so that I can become stronger for the chunin exams so that I can become stronger and then become jonin and then hokage! I mean, you knocked out my actual teacher, y'know?".
Jiraiya shrugged and responded, "He shouldn't have interfered with my research.".
Naruto asked, "Research?...".
Jiraiya pulled out an orange book from his pocket. He informed the boy, "I'm an author.".
Upon closer inspection, Naruto recognized the book -
That's Kakashi-sensei's smut! This guy writes those books?! How pervy can he get? But he IS a legendary ninja, I could learn something from him...
A lightbulb turned on above Naruto's head, and he twiddled his fingers as he fibbed, "Y'know... I'm a really big fan of your... books.". The toad sage scoffed, and replied, "Don't toy with me, I know that my books aren't available for purchase by anyone under the age of 18 years!". Naruto deflected as he approached the man, "Wh-well, okay, I haven't read the books, but, uh, the reviews! The reviews that I've read have been glowing!". Jiraiya jumped back, and stated, "No no no, you're not gonna butter me up like that! I'm a God-damn sage!", and disappeared behind a tuft of smoke.
This was the first time that Jiraiya been to the Village in nearly 12 years, and just as he did all that time ago, he ran away from his guilt.
Naruto saw the man leave and groaned, then looked back at Ebisu, before deciding to go and chase Jiraiya.
A few minutes later...
Naruto had been running around the Hidden Leaf Village, hot on Jiraiya's tail.
At one point, Naruto came across an intersection, and he heard a woman yelling from a nearby dango shop. The boy tensed up, and ran towards the shop to save that woman...
Only to find that she didn't need saving.
Just as Naruto approached the shop, Jiraiya was tossed out of it, followed by an angry woman matching towards him. As he laid on the ground, Jiraiya stammered, "Aw, come on, I was just- you have such a nice pair of warm and soft... Hands!". The woman walked over to Jiraiya, picked him up by the collar, and slapped him across the face.
So much for soft hands...
This guy's pathetic! He's even pervier than Kakashi-sensei and Closet-pervert sensei combined, and I wanna get trained by him? What am I thinking?... Ah, I should really stop pretending that I have a choice...
Naruto skipped towards the toad sage, and commanded, "Yo, Pervy Sage, I nerd you to train me!". Jiraiya gruffly sighed.
He's certainly inherited Minato and Kushina's tenacity... Maybe I should...
No. I shouldn't.
Jiraiya picked up Naruto, saying, "Alright, I'll begin training you. First thing you gotta learn is how to escape from this barrel.". With that, the blonde was tossed into a barrel, on top of which the old man placed its lid, and a heavy rock. Jiraiya then hightailed it and ran.
Before the sage could even get fifty yards away, though, Naruto had used a substitution jutsu to substitute himself for the rock, and reinitiated his chase after Jiraiya.
Damn, the brat's clever! I gotta run!
Another few minutes later
Naruto had chased Jiraiya into a forest nearby, and had almost lost the man in all the greenery.
At one point, the boy came across a long log, in front of which was a doll.
Is this a substitution, or a transformation?... Should be easy enough to figure it out...
Naruto said out-loud, "Oh, mannn, he used a substitution jutsu! How am I gonna find him now?", and pretended to go away. After a few seconds, the doll poofed, and revealed that it had been Jiraiya under a transformation jutsu. He jested aloud, "Thank God that kid's an idiot!".
However, it was just then that Naruto popped up from behind the log, frowning.
"What's this about me being an idiot?".
Jiraiya shrieked, before regaining his composure and catching his breath.
He got back up and started running in the opposite direction, only to find that Naruto had a shadow clone blocking that route off!
The clone immediately activated the sexy jutsu, transforming itself into the form of a naked young woman, causing the super pervert Jiraiya to go flying back and momentarily pass out with a nosebleed.
When Jiraiya wasn't feeling so dizzy anymore, he noticed that Naruto was standing over him. The boy questioned, "You gonna train me now?".
Jiraiya looked at the boy, dumbfounded.
That trick with the shadow clone... He's smarter than he looks! Almost reminds me of Minato... And he's not gonna give up anytime soon, either.
He wheezed, "Alright, fine, I'll teach you.". He then began snickering lecherously. "But first, you gotta bring me a pair of nice, round, plump, juicy melons!". Naruto asked, "Is that it?", and the Pervy Sage nodded. Naruto shrugged, ordered, "Wait right here.", and ran off into the village. Jiraiya shouted, "Hey, Brat, I'm not gonna wait here! Meet me at the hot springs!".
Sakura's house
Sakura sat on her bed with her knees held up to her chest. She didn't show it to anyone around, but she was worried sick, and her heart was hurting.
That mark on Sasuke's neck... I still can't believe how he pressured me into keeping it secret... Should I have stopped him by force if I had to? But then he'd be cold towards me! Then again, he's only occasionally makes an effort to be nice to me. Even after he complimented my forehead, he turned around and insulted me. But I'm sure it's just because he's suffered so much! I did act foolishly that day. I know he likes me, he even came and complimented my forehead just as I was about to give up on him, and he said that I'm smart, too... I can't give up on him now and let him fall into the darkness, that'd be horrible of me!
Sakura felt small. It was like any time she thought of Sasuke, her will to be strong would become weak, and she would wilt, sinking deep into her insecurities. And in addition to that, she felt burdened, as if she had to make sure Sasuke would stay sane.
Her mom called out from downstairs, "Sakura! You're not still asleep, are you? I was hoping you could come help me with this!". Sakura was broken out of her thoughts. Her voice quivered at first, but her focusing away from Sasuke brought back her strength. She responded, "I-I'm not asleep, Mom! I'm just busy!". Her mom shouted back, "Okay, Sweetie! But when will you be not-busy?". Sakura replied, "Later!". Her mom said, "Okay, then, just make sure you stay hydrated!". Sakura smiled, and lifted up a glass of water from her nightstand and finished it. She yelled, "Thanks, Mom!".
Truthfully, Sakura would've drank the water anyway. She still felt glad that her mother was so considerate as to remind her to do so. So, she figured, she might as well not have her excuse of 'being busy' be a total lie. She got up, and walked towards her dressing table, picking up the picture of team 7. She herself was at the forefront, resting her chin on her wrists and smiling, with Sasuke and Naruto frowning to her left and right behind her. Kakashi was also smiling (at least, that's what it looked like) as he ruffled the boys' hair.
We look so cute!
Sakura placed the photo back on the table, then got ready to leave and go to the Yamanaka flower shop, intending to buy a flower for Sasuke and give it to him at the hospital. She walked downstairs, told her mother, "Mom, I gotta go out for a bit!", and out on her shoes before leaving the house.
As Sakura walked she hummed a tune to herself. The village was bustling as usual, but it also brought a certain peace of mind to her during her little trip.
As longs as I'm going to the hospital, I should buy a flower for Lee, too. He fought so hard just so he could have a chance to fight Neji...
The bells on the door of the flower shop jingled when Sakura walked in, indicating her presence.
Ino beckoned, "Hey, Sakura, you poor thing. It's not every day that a girl has to buy flowers for herself.".
Sakura frowned.
And I was hoping that this day wouldn't be so bad!
She blushed as she turned to face Ino, who was standing at the counter, and replied, "I'm not, I swear!".
I'll just have to make this quick...
The pinkette kneeled down to inspect a bed of flowers, as Ino mirrored her motion. The platinum blonde teased, "Ya know, giving someone such a long-lasting flower while they're in the hospital signifies that you think they're gonna be there for a long time. A cut flower might do you better.".
Sakura blushed again and stammered, "H-hospital? What do you mean?...".
Ino scoffed, "Please, don't think I don't know what you're getting at - you wanna go visit Sasuke at the hospital! Well, if you think that you're gonna be the first one to get in to see Sasuke, you're sorely mistaken.". She called out, "Hey, Mom, I'm gonna be going on break for a while!".
Stupid Ino... Always butting in!
Ino remarked, "I think I'll get him one red rose - it's the flower of love.". Sakura taunted, "Ha, how lame can you get? I'm gonna get him a single daffodil! A lovely flower that bravely endures the winter and blossoms as a sign of Spring.".
Just like you will soon blossom again, Sasuke.
Ino scowled, "What are you now, a botanist or something?". In response, Sakura frowned. "Whatever, Ino. I'd just like to buy two daffodils, please.". The blonde scoffed again. "Why two? Are you trying to impress him?". The pink-haired girl's voice turned soft, as she answered, "One for Sasuke, and another one for Lee.". A slight gasp came out of Ino's mouth - she was surprised to hear Sakura say this.
Ino's own voice turned soft, as she asked, "Sakura, you've heard the news about Lee, haven't you?". Sakura smiled, "News? What news? Is he getting better?". Ino looked downtrodden as she told her, "No... It's quite the contrary. Lee's injuries are really bad; his days as a ninja are over.".
This time, it was Sakura who was shocked to her core.
Meanwhile
Jiraiya was waiting at the hot springs for Naruto, wondering just where the boy was.
Could he have not heard me? There's no way that the Hidden Leaf Village is short on women with some big ol' titties, is there?...
Finally, however, Jiraiya heard Naruto arriving. But instead of hearing Naruto's footsteps in addition to those of a well-endowed woman, he heard Naruto's footsteps with a bit of extra weight to them.
Weird.
As Naruto came into view, Jiraiya saw that the scampering boy was holding... a peanut-shaped watermelon.
I can't wait to hear him explain this...
Naruto finally stood right in front of Jiraiya, and explained, "Pervy Sage, it was really hard to find a nice pair of melons, but I finally got it! See!". He proudly showcased the watermelon to an awed toad sage.
Jiraiya stuttered, for once in his life, he stuttered, "Th-th- I- you- how- You brat, I wasn't talking about those kinds of melons! I was talking about the human kind!". He squeezed his own breasts to demonstrate. "Mommy milkers, you catch my drift?!".
Naruto cocked his head and asked, "Mommy... Milkers?".
Jiraiya sighed, and requested, "Do that jutsu again, the one that knocked me out.". The boy argued, "What?! You pervert-". The sage interjected, "I'm trying to make a point, kid, just do it.". Naruto growled, placed the watermelon on the floor, and performed the sexy jutsu, transforming into a naked young woman. Jiraiya pointed to Naruto's chest and said, "Those jugs hanging from your chest - those are the mommy milkers.". Naruto undid the jutsu, and stared at Jiraiya quizzically.
Naruto asked, "Wait... Boobs have... Milk in them?". Jiraiya swatted his hand in the air and muttered, "Yeah, they do, but- never mind...". He took the watermelon and sat down, then started cutting it open as he inquired, "So, what were you training with the other guy?".
Naruto told him, "He was teaching me water-walking; I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm getting the hang of it, y'know.".
The sensei raised an eyebrow. "Getting the hang of it, eh? Show me, then.".
Naruto obeyed, and channeled chakra into his feet as he walked into the water. He was drenched from the ankles down, but he explained, "I know it may not look like I'm doing anything, but I swear I can feel my chakra stick to the water for just a split second before my foot passes through. And that amount of time's been increasing with every time that I do it, y'know.".
Just to prove it, Naruto got out of the water, channeled chakra into his feet, and walked onto the water again before slowly sinking. He turned around and smiled, exclaiming, "I'll have this down in no time!".
This kid... He's so much like both Minato and Kushina... Does he even realize his own potential? Forget hokage, he could rule the world some day!
Sakura and Ino (who was holding a rose for Sasuke and a dandelion for Lee) spoke as they walked to the hospital.
Ino teased, "Y'know, Sakura, you were cheering for Naruto pretty loudly during his match. Is it possible that you loooove him?".
Sakura deflected, "No, Ino. Just because I cheered for him, it doesn't mean that I loooove him. He's just a really great guy, alright?".
The blonde questioned, "Really? What's so great about him?".
The pinkette answered, "He might not be the perfect shinobi, but he's really brave, and he's actually smarter than he looks - when he actually bothers to show it.".
Ino pressed further, "When has Naruto 'bothered to show' that he's smart?".
Sakura recalled the first time that she'd seen how smart Naruto could be. She told her friend, "On Team 7's First C-rank mission, we'd run into an A-rank ninja called Zabuza. He managed to trap Kakashi-sensei in some sort of water prison, but he needed to have his hand inside the water prison to sustain it. So, he sent a water clone to deal with us genin and our client. Naruto... It was amazing... Naruto suddenly whispered this amazing plan to Sasuke. He created a bunch of shadow clones, rushed Zabuza's clone while Sasuke attacked, and was sent flying back by Zabuza's clone. Then, Naruto tossed a massive shuriken to Sasuke, who threw it towards the Zabuza clone. The clone caught the shuriken, but Sasuke had actually thrown two shuriken, the second of which was going right for the real Zabuza. But he dodged it. After the shuriken was behind Zabuza, it poofed, and it turned out to be Naruto using a transformation jutsu to look like a shuriken - the Naruto who'd thrown the shuriken to Sasuke was a shadow clone - and he threw a kunai at Zabuza, forcing him to move away from the water prison, freeing Kakashi-sensei. ".
Ino was dumbfounded. "Naruto thought of all that?".
Sakura nodded. "Naruto thought of all that.".
The Yamanaka gasped slightly as she remarked, "Wow, I really misjudged the kid... I thought he was all talk...!".
Sakura added, "Yeah, same here. We've actually come up with a nickname for him - the number one unpredictable knuckleheaded ninja!".
The girls laughed at the endearing nickname, as they walked into the hospital.
.
Once in the hospital, Sakura took the lead, and requested from the receptionist, "We'd like to visit Sasuke Uchiha and Rock Lee, please.".
The receptionist smiled, looked through her book, and responded, "Sure, I can make that happen. Rock Lee's room is closer, we'll go there first.".
The girls all walked upstairs and over to Lee's room, with the receptionist leading the way. They walked through the halls of the hospital, until the receptionist stopped and opened a door, calling out, "Lee? You have visitors!", only to get no response.
As the door completely opened, the receptionist was horrified to see that Lee was gone! She cried out, "Lee, where are you?!", and the girls all flooded into the room and into the balcony to look for him.
Sakura spotted the boy. He was in the yard, with his arm in a sling, as he performed one-armed push-ups with the other arm. He was totally fixated on his training.
One hundred and ninety-seven!... I must perform 200 one-handed push-ups! If I cannot do that, then I must perform three hundred squats! One hundred and ninety-eight!...
Lee thought of all the opponents whom he aimed to best - Neji, Gaara, Sasuke... It kept him going.
By now, the receptionist had reached Lee in the garden. Before she could say anything, though, Lee ordered, "Don't come near me! I must complete my training, every single day!", shocking the woman, who ran back inside for assistance.
One hundred and ninety-nine...!
As Lee performed the final push-up, Ino and Sakura watched from the balcony.
I can't believe that Lee's training so hard, even though he's got no chance of being a shinobi again!... I wish I could just do something for him, but it's too late for that...
After Lee performed the final push-up, he let his body fall, and was carried away by a nurse. The receptionist returned to his room. She told the genin who'd visited him, "Let's go and visit Sasuke now.". As the girls left, the genin each placed a single daffodil in an empty vase near Lee's bed.
.
The trio walked up another flight of stairs, and the receptionist opened Sasuke's room's door, only to find out that he was also gone.
Unlike Lee, though, Sasuke was nowhere to be found, even though the staff searched all around the hospital for him.
Naturally, this left Sakura and Ino with a great feeling of dread and worry for the Uchiha.
Forest, outskirts of Hidden Leaf Village
Kakashi was carrying Sasuke through a dense wooded area, with packed bags as he walked to his destination. A while ago, after notifying the hokage, Kakashi had stolen Sasuke from his hospital room. His concern being, that it was dangerous for Sasuke in the Hidden Leaf right now.
The image of Kabuto next to Sasuke on a gurney was fresh in his mind...
The jonin felt shifting on his back, and turned his neck to see that Sasuke was waking up. "Hey there, Sasuke.", the man greeted. "Don't you worry your little head about a thing, I'm just taking you to a safe place for your training. Gotta keep you strong for the chunin exams' third round, don't we?".
Team 10 Training Ground
Asuma Sarutobi watched as Choji (in his expanded form) rolled towards Shikamaru. The jonin called out, "Come on, push yourselves as hard as you can - I'll buy you some extra spicy barbeque if you do!".
Upon hearing these words, Choji was filled to the brim with excitement. He chanted, "Roll roll roll roll roll roll roll!" as he sped towards his childhood friend. Shikamaru narrowly dodged the boy, and ranted, "Are you trying to kill me?! You could've flattened me like a pancake, for God's sake!". Choji repositioned himself, and said, "I'll do anything for BBQ!".
Shikamaru groaned as he stood up. "I should've never signed up for the darn exam... It's such a drag!". He turned his head towards Asuma, and told him, "Asuma-sensei, you're a God-damn slave driver...".
Asuma sternly responded, "Hey, there're plenty of people who'd give their right arm to be a part of the final exam.". His face lightened. "Besides, Teams 8 and 9 are really grilling their genin. After coming this far, you don't want to make me look bad, do you?".
Shikamaru groaned even louder. "This is SUCH a drag!...", promoting Asuma to tease, "C'mon, Shikamaru, don't tell me you're out of gas already?".
Team 9 Training Ground
A bruised Tenten panted as she was surrounded by weapons that had sunk into the floor. She wheezed, "Neji, I think that should be enough for today... I'm not sure if I can take it!".
Neji himself was a mess. All scratched up and exhausted, he panted, "I think I used too much chakra...", as he collapsed in the center of a perfect-circle crater in the ground.
Team 8 Training Ground
Kiba and Kurenai ran towards Shino from opposite directions, as the Aburame released his insects to fend them off.
From the sidelines, a deflated Hinata watched.
Hot Springs
Naruto was standing on the hot water. Finally, after (what he perceived as being) so long, he was actually standing on the water! He took a step forward, and a step back, and even ran around a bit - it was definitely working! He laughed, and yelled, "Pervy Sage, look at this! I-I'm doing it! I'm walking on water!".
Jiraiya pinched Naruto's cheeks as he told the boy in a mocking tone, "Listen, I only let you do the stupid water-walking thing because I thought you'd be able to master it quickly, which you did. But I don't wanna waste my time teaching you to control it better when I could just give you a jutsu that takes advantage of your insurmountable stamina. ".
Naruto groaned, "Alright, alright! Just show me a jutsu...".
Jiraiya chuckled. "Alright, but first, you gotta sign a contract! It's for a summoning jutsu - a telportation technique that allows you to summon special animals through the use of ninjutsu. Before I do that, though, let me show you how it's done!".
The man bit his finger until it bled, made the handsigns Ino-inu-tori-saru-hitsuji, and slammed his hand into the ground.
After a poof of smoke, Jiraiya was seen sitting on the head of a big toad - no less than 2 meters in height, and 4 meters in width. It wasn't the same toad as before - this one was black, with face-paint-like pink markings on his eyelids drawing down his cheeks. The toad immediately said, "Sorry I'm late!", to which Jiraiya responded, "You're right on time, Gamaken. I've called you here to take a look at the next toad summoner - Naruto Uzumaki.".
Naruto walked up to the toad and inspected it closely. He greeted, "Hey, there, Gamaken.". Gamaken waved at the boy and responded, "Naruto Uzumaki, eh? I'll keep that name in mind. Hey, kid, try summoning me as your first summon, alright?". Naruto nodded, "Yeah, sure...", and Jiraiya then released the toad, sending it back to Mount Myoboku in a poof.
"Pretty neat, huh? Here's the scroll.". Jiraiya removed the scroll he carried on his back and opened it, laying it down in front of Naruto. The man ordered, "Here's a blank page, just get a sample of your blood, place it on near the side, and write your name there.".
Obeying, Naruto bit his thumb, drew blood, marked the paper, and wrote his name next to the blood (though, it was barely legible).
Jiraiya excitedly ordered, "Now, the handsigns are Ino-inu-tori-saru-hitsuji, so just do those and do the jutsu!".
Naruto was about to do the signs, but he found that he'd already forgotten them. He requested, "Wait, could you tell me the handsigns again?".
The man replied, "Sure. Ino-inu-tori-saru-hitsuji".
Naruto repeated, "Ino, inu, saru, tori, hitsuji...".
Jiraiya corrected him, "You said 'saru, tori' - it's 'tori, saru'.".
Naruto sighed, and responded, "Yeah, yeah, whatever.".
He then made the handsigns:
Ino-inu-tori-saru-hitsuji
And slammed his hand against the floor.
Naruto stared in disappointment at the pathetic being which he had summoned. It was barely a tadpole, let alone a toad. The boy looked up at his de facto sensei, the infamous pervert Jiraiya, and asked, "How's this thing gonna help me win a fight?".
Jiraiya let out a hefty sigh as he rolled his eyes and informed the kid, "Look, you've summoned a tadpole, but what I need you to do is summon a TOAD. Not a little itty-bitty toad that could fit under my fingernail, but a big toad, that'll actually HELP you in a combat situation. Try again.". The toad sage sent the tadpole back from whence it came.
Naruto grumbled under his breath, and made the hand signs:
Ino-inu-tori-saru-hitsuji
"Summoning jutsu!".
Naruto slapped his hand against the floor and tried the jutsu again, summoning...
The same tadpole.
Naruto began fuming as he cried, "This stupid jutsu's pointless, Pervy Sage! I don't even know why you're teaching it!". Jiraiya ignored Naruto's whining, though, instead trying to think about what the issue was here. Naruto had more chakra than even he himself, so why was the kid having so much trouble just summoning a toad? It didn't make sense!... The toad sage thought about it some more, but his mind was interrupted when Naruto began pulling at his leg. He hadn't noticed, but Naruto had stopped yelling a few seconds ago, and was now just vying for his attention.
Jiraiya stated, "I got an idea to help you summon a real toad, Naruto...".
Naruto perked up, and questioned, "Yeah? What is it?".
The sage asked, "You have two types of chakra, don't you?".
Naruto nodded, "Tch. Yeah, I do. What about it?".
Jiraiya questioned further, "Well, do these two different sources of chakra feel different?".
The blonde frowned for a second as he thought of an answer. It was such a simple question, but it was also so loaded at the same time. Naruto's face turned neutral, as he answered, "... Yeah, they do feel different. There's my regular chakra, which, if I had to give it a color, would be yellow. But the other chakra, it's like, red.".
The sage commanded, "Alright, then, Brat, use that red chakra to summon a toad.".
Naruto shrugged, and tried as hard as he could to summon the red chakra - the chakra of the nine-tailed fox. He didn't really know if it was working, since he didn't feel anything happening. He made the signs again:
Ino-inu-saru-tori-hitsuji
Naruto shook his head, and made the right signs this time:
Ino-inu-tori-saru-hitsuji
"Summoning jutsu!".
Naruto prayed that something was gonna come of this exercise, as the poof of smoke that concealed the summon slowly dissipated. The smoke cleared and once again, the same tadpole was summoned.
Jiraiya groaned, "Aggh, what the Hell, kid?! Is this all the power of the nine-tailed fox?".
I don't get it... I tried to summon the fox's chakra, but nothing happened... The other times I used it, it worked perfectly fine! It helped me beat Haku, and it helped me... Do something against the snake-guy? I don't really remember my fight with him... But hey, maybe that's it! The chakra of the fox came out when I was in mortal danger!
Naruto turned to Jiraiya and told him, "The fox's chakra is powerful. But it only comes out when I really need it, y'know. Like, if I'm about to die.".
A cunning smile crept its way into Jiraiya's face.
"Only if you're about to die, huh?...".
A few minutes later
As Ino and Sakura walked back home from the hospital, the blonde whined, "What a waste of a rose...". Sakura added, "What a waste of a daffodil...".
Naruto and Jiraiya stood in front of a massive gorge, with an abyss below. Naruto questioned, "Uh, Pervy Sage, what're we doing here?".
Jiraiya answered, "I'm gonna push you down there, and you're gonna use your special red chakra - the fox's chakra - to summon a toad.".
The blonde winced, and stared deep down into the abyss. As doubt crept into his skin, he asked, "Pervy Sage, how do you know that this chakra even exists?".
The man simply said, "Because I'm a sage!", and pushed Naruto down into the gorge, watching the boy fall.
It's all up to you, now. Naruto, you have to use the power of the nine-tailed fox - turn the key by yourself!
Naruto shrieked as he fell, wondering if Jiraiya was trying to actually kill him.
I'm falling I'm falling I'm falling! If I keep going down like this, then I'm really gonna die!
.
Die!
.
.
Die!
.
.
.
Die!
Naruto felt his consciousness shift. He was no longer falling down the abyss, he was now standing in some sort of sewer, with many open doorways that only led to dead-ends. The boy looked around, and he suddenly heard a shrill screeching coming from one of the doorways - eerily comparable to a woman screaming. Naruto was intrigued, and began to walk towards it. He found the one doorway with no dead-end, and walked down until he saw a white light at the end. He walked to the light, and found himself in a large room that looked like a temple, with a massive cage at its end, whose center bars were labeled 'SEAL'. Naruto stared at the thing in awe.
He hadn't even realized that the screeching stopped until he suddenly heard it again. It was coming from the other side of the cage! Regaining his composure, Naruto walked towards the cage, noticing that the floor felt as if it had been flooded. As he got closer and closer, the shrieks started getting louder and louder, indicating a heightening sense of urgency to the boy. He jogged over to the cage, and as soon as he was just a few feet away, massive claws JUMPED out towards the boy, causing him to fall down in shock. The claws, however, could not penetrate the cage.
Naruto stared beyond the blackened side of the room, and saw two giant eyes, with red irises and black slit-pupils, along with a smile as wide as a building, staring at him.
The being spoke in a low, deafening growl, which quickly shifted into a smoother, cool voice. "Finally, Brat... we meet.".
The red chakra really is the nine-tailed fox's chakra!... So, this is the spirirt...
"We'll skip the pleasantries, for now, boy, you've certainly already figured out who I am... What I want from you is a few answers...".
Naruto cocked his head in confusion. "What does a nine-tailed fox not know that I know?".
The fox chuckled. "All I want to know is your personal opinion - What's the difference between you and me? And don't say something stupid, like you're a human boy and I'm a nine-tailed demon fox spirit. What really separates our entities?".
Naruto thought about it for a second. Just what was the demon getting at? Clearly, he and it were completely different! The blonde sractched his head and rubbed his chin and thought about it more, trying to reach a conclusion. He couldn't think of something, so he asked, "What do you think?".
The demon responded, "It's quite simple, really... our innate capabilities. The world is a big place, brat, and you've not even scratched the surface of how ugly it can be. To put it simply, you're not prepared for the trials and tribulations of the shinobi world - as such, you require deep, critical thinking to succeed in battle. I rely on what has already been ingrained into the confines of my mind. I needn't tell you that I would surely outperform you in any fight? You are weak... But this forsaken seal confines me - prevents me from taking any action...".
Naruto frowned and scolded, "Quit your rambling, ya stupid fox! I need to use your power so that I don't die! Idiot...".
The fox bellowed, and laughed. "Heheheh, you foolish boy. Being such an insufferable jackass to the only one who'll help you... Not like I have a choice, though. If you die, I die. Here, take my chakra, you brat! Take it, and become stronger! Because if you don't, then I'll do it for us!". The fox just continued to laugh...
A pool of red chakra surrounded Naruto, and he began to feel an intense burning sensation as he was suddenly whipped out of the sewers, and back into reality.
Now with a burst of conviction, Naruto's eyes flickered red with black slits for pupils, as he bit his thumb to draw blood, and used as much chakra as he could for the summoning jutsu. He made the handsigns ino-inu-tori-saru-hitsuji. Then, a flurry of red chakra burst out of the boy's hand, and a giant poof of smoke engulfed the entire gorge. As Naruto's eyes reverted to their natural blue color with regular circular pupils, he was now sitting atop a giant toad (who was holding on to the sides of the gorge). The toad was smoking a pipe, and was clearly enjoying some liesure time before it had been summoned.
The toad yelled, "JIRAIYA, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, SUMMONING ME IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?!".
Naruto coughed, and slid down the toad's head so that he may be visible - the toad's eye itself was the same size as him! He scolded, "Pervy Sage didn't summon, you, I did!".
The toad growled - he seemed really mad! The growling got more and more tense, until it broke, and the toad guffawed, "A puny little brat like you? Summoning I, the great Gamabunta? I don't think so! Don't bullshit me, kid!". Unbeknownst to the toad, he had tapped into one of Naruto's pet peeves by mocking him like that. The boy shouted, "It's not bullshit! I really did summon you!". Then, he scoffed, "Y'know what? It doesn't even matter! Just get us out of here!". With that, Gamabunta began climbing up and out of the gorge.
As soon as Gamabunta climbed out of the abyss with Naruto on his back, the blonde hopped off the toad, and walked sternly towards Jiraiya.
Naruto scolded, "Pervy Sage, if I summon THAT guy (Gamabunta) during the match, the entire arena's gonna get destroyed!". Jiraiya scoffed, "Then don't summon him.". Naruto internally screamed, and shouted, "Teach me something useful, old man! You owe me that much, after knocking out my actual sensei, y'know!". Damn it, Naruto needed a good jutsu! How else would he beat Neji, avenge Hinata (not that she's dead or anything), and prove to Sakura-chan that he's strong?
Jiraiya simply rolled his eyes again. What was with this kid? Minato was never this annoying when he was learning, so why was Minato's son so absolutely insufferable?! Not wanting to hear any more of the kid's ranting, Jiraiya concocted a genius plan, and mock-relented, "Fine, I'll teach you an actual combat jutsu.". Naruto perked up at this, and he got stars in his eyes turned to stars, as he asked, "Really? What is it what is it what is it? Is it super awesome and stuff? Please say it's super awesome! Pleeeeeease?".
Jiraiya smirked and responded, "Oh, yeah, it's SUPER awesome. It's called the spiraling sphere, and it was taught to me by the fourth hokage - he may have been my student, but he was also a pretty good teacher.". Naruto got even more excited at this prospect - the fourth hokage was his hero! An excellent example of what to strive for as a shinobi! Naruto pleaded, "Show me show me show me!", and Jiraiya said, "Alright, alright, just simmer down. Let me tell you about the jutsu first.". He cleared his throat. "The spiraling sphere was created by the fourth hokage. It's an A-rank jutsu, meaning that it's the second-hardest type of jutsu to learn. It's the highest form of chakra control and shape transformation, and its pure destructive force is unmatched by other jutsu. Simply put, the spiraling sphere can work as an equalizer against a tough opponent, and as a means to end fights quickly. Now, the first thing you wanna do is pop this water balloon, using your chakra alone.". With that, the sage handed Naruto a water balloon, and held one in his own hand as he demonstrated the part of the jutsu. Holding the balloon firmly in his hand, Jiraiya poured chakra into it until it spasmed and exploded.
Naruto was basically drooling, and he immediately tried replicating this with his own balloon, but found that it was literally not moving at all. He squinted harder, and concentrated more chakra into the balloon, but it just wasn't working! Hook, line, and sinker! Jiraiya chuckled, and remarked, "I forgot to tell you. It took me six months to learn the spiraling sphere.". And half of that was spent trying to pop the water balloon alone. Surely, that would put the genin in his place. Who did he think he was, ordering around a legendary Sannin like himself? And now, he'd be humbled, and have to listen to the sage for the remainder of the training time! At least, that's what Jiraiya thought would happen.
In reality, Naruto pouted, looking back and forth between the balloon and Jiraiya, before adorning a face of determination. The boy proclaimed, "I've got three weeks to learn this jutsu, I can do it! Believe it!", and began pouring chakra into the balloon again. Jiraiya inwardly chuckled again. This kid wasn't gonna last three days!
Three days later
Jiraiya was sitting at Ichiraku's ramen stand, devouring his supper while writing his smut, when Naruto suddenly appeared right beside him, panting like a sick dog. Naruto wheeze, "Pervy Sage, I, popped the water balloon, y'know!".
Jiraiya nearly choked on his ramen.
How the- how did Naruto pop the water balloon so early? This has to be some kind of a joke, right? Maybe Naruto thinks that he can skip a part of the jutsu? Tch, no... He isn't that dumb, is he?
Jiraiya hacked, and swallowed his ramen, then handed Naruto another water balloon. He ordered, "Pop the water balloon, Brat.". Naruto eagerly nodded, holding the balloon with pride as he poured his chakra inside. Jiraiya's eyes widened, and they continued to widen, as the water balloon expanded, spasmed, and exploded right before his very eyes! HOW?! IN THREE DAYS?! Jiraiya's eyes nearly began to bulge out of his head, before he took a moment to collect himself, reminding himself that this is Minato's kid. Could he have really inherited his father's ingenuity?
With this same disbelief, a feeling of intense gladness began to slowly rise in Jiraiya. Naruto's resolve was strong, and the more Jiraiya thought about it, the more he found himself believing that Naruto actually could do all the things he'd said - learning the spiraling sphere in three weeks (doubtful, but still possible, considering how far he'd gotten in such little time), earning the villagers' respect, and becoming hokage, all seemed plausible, and Jiraiya was amazed that something as simple as a water balloon was having this sort of effect on his perception of the boy before him. The same boy who seemed to be a hapless idiot only obsessed with looking strong, seemed to have transformed into a determined idiot. And to be a determined idiot was akin to being a genius.
The toad sage smiled - pridefully, this time - and told Naruto, "You've surpassed my expectations, Brat. You're ready for the next part of the jutsu.". He pulled out another balloon, and told Naruto, "This balloon is empty. It'll be harder to pop it without any water inside.". Naruto didn't understand why this was, but he didn't feel the need to question it. He excitedly took the balloon, and ran off to leave Jiraiya in peace while he tried to pop it.
It had taken Jiraiya two months to master that part of the jutsu.
He gave Naruto two days.
Two days later
Jiraiya was putting his master-skills as a super spy to good use in the Hidden Leaf Village, expertly sneaking over to the women's side of the bath house to ogle them while sporting a lecherous smile... 'Research', he called it.
Suddenly, however, the legendary ninja felt a sharp, shard-like pain in the crack of his buttocks. He lost all sense of, well, his senses, and was sent flying into the air, before falling down and landing right in the middle of the women's bath with a big SPLASH. Red from pain and embarrassment, Jiraiya began to sheepishly rise from his prone position, but a shriek of "Peeping tom!" ended all his hopes of escaping with his body intact.
Five minutes and a thorough thrashing later, the now-bruised Jiraiya painstakingly lifted himself up, turning around to find Naruto standing right there, with a shit-eating grin on his face that could put unbridled fury into even the calmest souls.
Naruto yelled, "Yo, Pervy Sage, I popped the balloon, y'know!". Jiraiya mumbled, "Great...", and walked towards his student. He pulled out another balloon and drawled, "Do it again...". Naruto received the empty balloon, placed his hand on it, and proceeded to pop it, just as he did to the water balloon.
Jiraiya remarked, "Fantastic. For the last part of the jutsu, you'll have to stick with me. It's the most dangerous part of learning it.". Naruto leaned in closer to listen to the sage, and he was about to say something, too, but it was just then that the bath house's security guards rushed in, chasing the duo out of the property.
After getting kicked out of the hot baths, the student began to lead his sensei to Team 7's personal training grounds - he really was eager to start training! Though, in the middle of the walk, Naruto spotted Sakura on the other side of a street. He hadn't seen her at all this week, and he had really missed her - he could only hope that she felt the same way towards him. Naruto ordered, "Pervy Sage, wait here!", and crossed the road to meet Sakura.
Sakura was taking her daily walk around the village, trying to get her mind off of Sasuke - her crush had just disappeared from the hospital, and she was really worried about him! As she walked, she heard Naruto's dopey voice calling out, "Hey, Sakura-chan!". She turned around to see him jogging towards her. She was pleasantly surprised to see him, as she thought he'd be off training or something. She greeted, "Hey, Naruto, what's up?". Naruto stopped right in front of her, and said, "Well, I haven't seen you all week, y'know! And with Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei off training or something,". Sasuke's training? That's a relief... Naruto continued, "I was really missing my favorite member of Team 7, so how about we go and get some ramen today?".
Sakura bit her lip and contemplated the offer. She didn't really want to go, but she also didn't want to not go. She thought about it some more, and ultimately decided that having lunch with Naruto wouldn't be so bad... She smiled and responded, "Sure, Naruto, where're we gonna go?". Naruto, not wanting to be glared at by villagers for the whole meal, suggested, "Let's go to Ichiraku's! For supper!".
At that moment, Jiraiya walked over to the genin and bellowed, "Alright, Naruto, if you're done talking to your girlfriend,", he slapped the boy's back, "we gotta go and train you some more, Brat.". Naruto nervously chuckled and abashedly explained, "She's... not my girlfriend, Pervy Sage...". Sakura cleared her throat and asked, "Who's this, Naruto?". Naruto told her, "Ah, this is some 'legendary ninja' who's actually just a legendary pervert.". Jiraiya playfully smacked Naruto on the back of the head and scolded, "Respect your elders, Brat!", earning a giggle from Sakura. The girl reminded Naruto, "I'll be at Ichiraku's at eight P.M., alright? Be good!", and went on her own way. Naruto watched her walk away, and kept the image of her adorable face, pink hair, and kindness fresh in his mind. It truly amazed the boy, how she made him feel happy like nothing else did. As far as making Naruto happy, ramen didn't even come close to where Sakura stood.
As Naruto and Jiraiya went to the training ground, Naruto warned Jiraiya to not mess up his chance with Sakura-chan.
As Sakura walked, she thought about how her relationship Naruto had changed over the past few months - when Team 7 first formed, she thought of him as just an idiot who got pleasure from bothering people. Then, when Sasuke had scolded her, she decided to start being nice to Naruto, though it wasn't always easy, since he was kind of a mess. By far, the lowest point in her view of Naruto was when he froze up during the Demon Brothers' attack - while Sasuke had saved her life and his, Naruto just stood there like an idiot. She truly thought of him as a coward for those few seconds before he stabbed his hand with a kunai to avoid being sent back to the Village. That was the first time that Sakura had seen him act brave. Foolish, sure, but still, brave.
Sakura saw even more of that bravery when Naruto went head-to-head with Zabuza solely to get his headband back, and she began to wonder just how much more there was to him as a person when he'd come up with his brilliant plan to free Kakashi-sensei from the water prison. When Naruto blew up at Inari and ran out of Tazuna's house, Sakura saw his pain - something whose intensity she was grimly glad that she had never felt. When they thought that Sasuke had died, Naruto couldn't even look her in the eyes...
Sakura raised her hand, and nearly quit the chunin exams' first part, just so that Naruto's dream wouldn't be crushed - she hadn't even thought of Sasuke in that moment, but she knew now that he'd be mad if they did quit. She still didn't regret raising her hand. But Naruto was willing to stay as a genin forever, if it meant that he'd never go back on his word, his 'ninja way', as he called it. Naruto showed further courage unmatched when he battled Orochimaru in the Forest of Death - by far, the most terrifying moment of Sakura's life. When Naruto had gone limp and fell from the trees, the possibility crept into Sakura's mind that he was dead, and she prayed as she threw a kunai to cease his descent that she was wrong. She remembered the relief that washed over her when she saw that he was breathing.
Sakura recalled how even in her most hopeless moment in her fight against Ino, Naruto cheered her on, never once losing faith in her. He had given her strength. His words were the catalyst that turned a certain loss into a draw. If it wasn't for Naruto, Ino would've won the fight, and proved herself superior to Sakura. The pinkette would always be thankful to Naruto. In fact, she'd shown just how thankful she was when it was Naruto's turn to fight - she openly cheered him on, never losing faith in him, and always believing that he would find a way to win. She giggled a bit when she remembered how the match ended, but the hilarity of the situation was overshadowed by her pride in the blonde.
The question she'd asked herself when Naruto retrieved his headband from Zabuza came back to her:
Why do I have this feeling?...
Team 7's training ground
Naruto sat atop the post to which he'd once been tied by Kakashi, and asked, "Hey, Pervy Sage, what am I gonna do now?". The addressed man smiled, cracked his knuckles, and replied, "This is the last part of your training for the spiraling sphere, Naruto. Incidentally, it's the part where you actually make the jutsu. Watch closely.". Naruto leaned in to get a closer look, as Jiraiya showed the boy his hand. The toad sage focused chakra into his palm, and a spinning blue ball began taking form in it. It was made of pure chakra, and he explained, "You'll be taking what you learned from popping the balloons and applying it to your empty hand. It can be quite infuriating, but if you just keep at it, you might just make it to that three-week goal you've set!". He added, "And once you've learned the jutsu, you can do this!". Jiraiya ran to a nearby tree and thrusted his hand into it, ripping apart the wooden behemoth, until there was a massive spiral scar on it, running nearly through the entirety of the thing.
Naruto jumped up, and was now standing on his post. He held his fist out and proclaimed, "I'll learn it in no time!". He flipped forward and landed on his feet on the ground, before beginning to try to make the spiraling sphere in his hand. He concentrated as much as he could, but he could do no more than summon just a wisp of yellow chakra. He concentrated harder, until his face began to turn red, until he heard Jiraiya guffawing. Naruto let his arm down, and frowned at the man. He questioned, "What's so funny?", and his sensei answered, "You look absolutely ridiculous when you're concentrating!", and doubled over as he laughed some more. Naruto crossed his arms and grumbled a bit, something about the 'super pervert' being more of a 'stupid pervert', before going back to attempting the spiraling sphere. Jiraiya eventually stopped laughing, approached Naruto, patted him on the back, and told him, "Keep working on it, Brat.", and sat on the ground.
Naruto tried once again, as hard as he could, to summon the spiraling sphere, but it still wasn't working! As hard as he concentrated, he just couldn't get the chakra to the size and shape that it needed! He gruffly sighed and ordered, "Pervy Sage, show me the jutsu again.". Raising an eyebrow, Jiraiya rose from the ground and walked up to Naruto, then summoned the spiraling sphere again. He studied Naruto's face, and saw that the blonde was intensely staring at the spiraling jutsu. Naruto's expression altered between confusion, amazement, and finally, clarity. Naruto chuckled, and stated, "The chakra's moving in every single direction at the same time...".
So, in the third state, you pull out everything you've learned so far full force, and then... contain it! In short, while you maximize your chakra's rotation and power, you add an additional membrane on the inside of the balloon and visualize compressing the chakra within... I understand the principle of it in my mind... I can't seem to compress my full chakra and compress it in the shape of a perfect sphere, but I can see that the chakra must move in every single direction simultaneously!...
As Jiraiya dispelled his jutsu, the student took a step back, and once again, began concentrating the chakra into his hand. This time, however, when the yellow wisp appeared in his hand, Naruto used his other hand to make rapid motions, that seemed to be directing the flow of the chakra... He was manually shaping the spiraling sphere!
But was it gonna work?
After a few seconds, Naruto removed his hand, and a tiny yellow orb was visible for just a split-second, before dissipating. It was a meek orb, being almost transparent, but it still was existent. It was a vanishing spiraling sphere! A useless maneuver, yet indicative of Naruto coming close to learning it! Jiraiya brought a hand to his face, failing to mask his laughter, as he marveled at Naruto's ingenuity. He bellowed, "You're smarter than you look, Brat! I couldn't have thought of something like that in a million years!". He guffawed, and ruffled the blonde's hair, feeling utmost pride in the boy.
Forest
Sasuke yelled in frustration as he threw a flurry of kicks against Kakashi. The sensei, though, blocked every single one of them, before grabbing Sasuke's leg, tossing him over his head, and pinning him to the ground.
Kakashi told Sasuke, "You were doing so well, Sasuke. I've told you before, your problem is that when your plans don't work out, you freak out. After that fireball jutsu failed to slow me down, you should have focused on creating distance between us as I approached, rather than rushing at me.". The Uchiha grunted in frustration, and responded, "Alright, I get it. I- I'll do better next time.". Kakashi smiled, then replied, "I sure hope so. Now, let's get back to the lightning blade.". He let go of his student, and they both stood facing each other, a few meters away.
As Kakashi revealed his Sharingan eye, Sasuke took his cue, and recited, "The lightning blade is a B-rank elemental ninjutsu that accumulates lightning chakra into the hand as a weapon. Its hand signs are ushi-usagi-uma-saru-uma, but can be condensed to ushi-usagi-saru if the user has really good chakra control. It's a one-hit kill jutsu and it should only ever be used against my enemies, never my friends.". Kakashi smiled, and commanded, "That's really good, Sasuke. Now, show it to me.".
The same technique that I taught your brother... before he turned traitor.
Sasuke nodded, and brought his hands together to make the signs:
Ushi-usagi-saru.
Nothing happened. He sighed, and tried it again:
Ushi-usagi-uma-saru-uma.
Lightning began to form on the ground around Sasuke, in a perfect circle, as the earth crackled. The lightning jumped into Sasuke's hand, and he then slammed it into the ground as hard as he could, shattering the earth to create a crater five inches deep and one foot wide.
Thr Uchiha looked up at his sensei, who hid his Sharingan eye again. The man informed him, "You're getting closer to a perfect lightning blade i every day, Sasuke. I'm proud of you.". He added, "After we have lunch, we'll wait an hour before getting back to training your taijutsu and lightning blade.".
Sasuke nodded, "Yes, Sensei.".
I have to get stronger, so that I can beat Gaara!
8:00 that evening
As the sun was an hour from setting, Sakura had walked over to Ichiraku's to meet up with Naruto. When she'd gotten to the stand, she waited a few minutes for her teammate (friend? brotherly person?) against the entrance to Ichiraku's. It was a Summer day, but the breeze was mighty strong, and it was only getting stronger as day turned to night. There were now goosebumps on Sakura's arms, and the kunoichi wondered if she should just go inside already.
Luckily, it was right at that moment that Naruto arrived. He was in a slight jog, his jacket was open rather than zipped up ("Listen, Brat, girls like a guy who has a sense of style!"), and he frantically explained, "So sorry I'm late, Sakura-chan! Pervy Sage is a slave-driver, and I had to take a shower, y'know!". The blonde opened the flaps to the stand, and gentlemanly let Sakura go in first, following her as she took a seat at the counter. He plopped down on the stool to her left and was about to order his regular miso ramen. He'd gotten some tips from Pervy Sage earlier about going on dates with women (not that this was a date), though, so he followed the pervert's advice and asked, "What're you gonna have, Sakura-chan?". Sakura, flattered at Naruto's consideration, smiled and told him, "I'd like the vegetable ramen.".
Vegetable? The plan was for Naruto to order two of whatever Sakura was having, so that she'd feel more kinship with him (Jiraiya's words). But he didn't think he'd have to eat the green things! He was about to retreat to his miso ramen, but the fact that Sakura smiled when he asked what she wanted didn't escape him.
"Remember, Brat, if she's smiling, that's a good thing. It's a signal to keep doing what you're doing, got it?".
Naruto steeled his resolve, then turned to Ayame and ordered, "I'd like to order two vegetable ramens, please!".
Ignoring Naruto's bad grammar, Sakura smiled some more. She teased, "I didn't peg you for the kind of guy who likes vegetables, Naruto.". Naruto told her, "Well, I don't really like vegetables that much, but Pervy Sage said that it'd make you happy if I order the same thing that you do, y'know!". Sakura's heart fluttered.
He's so... Honest.
Sakura neglected to initiate a conversation about Sasuke. She had a feeling that Naruto felt inadequate around him, and she really didn't want to upset her friend (teammate? brotherly person? She really couldn't figure out how to feel about him). Besides, knowing that Sasuke was out training with Kakashi was comforting enough for her (even if she felt as if Kakashi had left her behind). Most of all, though, she was entirely comfortable around Naruto. She'd much rather sit in silence for the whole meal than to interrupt the peace between her and him.
Naruto himself found that he was getting lost in Sakura's smile. As he looked at her, he knew that he'd do anything to protect that smile, even if it cost him his own life. As Ayame returned with the bowls of ramen, Naruto asked, "Hey, Sakura-chan, what have you been up to this past week?". Sakura admitted, "Nothing, really. I've been hanging out with Ino, watching T.V., gaming, taking care of my little brother, and taking walks every day...". Naruto looked puzzled. He inquired, "Didn't Kakashi-sensei tell you to do something, or like, set up a training program?".
Sakura answered, "No, he didn't. I didn't even know what was up with you and Sasuke before you told me...". Naruto frowned, "That Kakashi-sensei... He's so insensitive sometimes! Like a bigger, less-bastardy version of Sasuke, y'know.". Sakura giggled, "Don't call Sasuke a bastard, Naruto... And besides, I'm sure Kakashi-sensei had his reasons.". The blonde wasn't letting up, though. He added, "Y'know, he did the same thing to me. He flat-out said, 'I can't give you my full attention' before I could even ask him to train me. As important as he is to me, he really upset me when he did that.".
Then, a voice from Naruto's left called out, "Aw, I thought you enjoyed our time together, Naruto.". The kids looked over to see who it was, and there was Ebisu, sitting at Naruto's left! The blonde greeted, "Oh, hey there, Closet-pervert Sensei!". Ebisu groaned and buried his face in his hands, as Sakura questioned, "Uhhh... 'Closet-pervert Sensei'? Naruto, who is this guy?".
Naruto told her, "This is Ebisu-sensei, but he's a pervert, just like Kakashi-sensei, Pervy Sage, and the hokage.". Sakura asked, "The hokage's a pervert?!". Ebisu revealed his face again, and whined, "No, Lord Hokage is not a pervert! Naruto's just... Exaggerating!". Naruto shrugged, "It's not exaggeration if I'm just calling it like I see it.".
Ebisu sighed, and asked, "So, how's your training with Master Jiraiya going, Naruto?". Naruto told him, "Pretty good, honestly. I've made strides in learning Pervy Sage's - actually, the fourth hokage's 'spiraling sphere' jutsu. It's this big ball in my hand that can wreck anything, y'know!". Ebisu smiled, "The spiraling sphere, huh... I've heard about it, it's like the embodiment of chakra control! I guess my teaching you how to water-walk was really helpful, wasn't it?".
Naruto smiled back, "Hell, yeah, it was, Closet-pervert Sensei! I mean, it took me a while to get it down, but once I did, walking on water became as natural as, well, as... Uhhhh...". Sakura piped up, "...Walking on land?". Naruto beamed and replied, "Yeah, like walking on land, y'know!". The pinkette felt herself smiling widely, too, now.
That's Naruto for ya... A really lovable idiot.
Ebisu pressed further, "So, how long did it take you to get water-walking down?". Naruto answered, "Not even a day, Sensei! It just got progressively easier the more that I tried it, y'know.". Ebisu's eyes widened in amazement. He then grinned and ruffled the blonde's hair, telling him, "Well-done, Naruto. I'm proud of you.".
Naruto froze. His face turned to one of pure shock.
No one's said anything like that about me since... Iruka-sensei called me an 'excellent student'...
He felt a wild grin coming upon his face. One that he couldn't control, as his breathing became short. He was just so happy. He requested, "C-closet-pervert Sensei, could you say that again?...". Ebisu was perplexed for a split-second, but was quick to repeat, "Sure... I'm proud of you, Naruto.".
At that moment, an overwhelming surge of pride and validation flushed into Naruto's spirit. He eagerly spoke, "No one says that kind of stuff me, y'know Sensei! It-it- haha, I feel so happy!". Sakura watched the scene unfolding before her. She'd always thought of Naruto as a happy person, but she'd never seen him this happy before. It made her wonder just how much of his happiness was something that he had to work towards, rather than something given to him. It was quite a different reality from what Sakura lived. Sure, her parents could sometimes be a bit overbearing, but they were good parents. They told her that they were proud of her, told her that they loved her, and respected her as a person. This gave happiness to her. In other instances, Sakura had to work towards happiness, particularly when it came to Sasuke. But the raven-haired boy rarely ever rewarded her, and even when he did, it was insufficient when compared to her efforts. Sakura thought about it some more.
I think... I think that I want to make Naruto- I want to give him happines...
Sakura tapped Naruto on the shoulder, adding, "Since it makes you so happy, Naruto, I'll say it too;", she smiled, "I'm proud of you.".
Without even giving it a second thought, Naruto enveloped the girl in a hug, released it just as soon, and turned around to give Ebisu a hug. He squeezed the jonin tight, before settling back down into his own seat and scratching the back of his head, explaining, "Sorry if that was so sudden, people don't really say that kinda stuff to me, y'know...".
Sakura would have been lying to herself if she said that she didn't enjoy the hug (though, she really would've preferred a warning). The hug was... Warm. Short as it was, the hug felt comfortable, and inviting. Sakura felt that it was akin to Naruto himself; someone around whom she could be comfortable being herself.
Ebisu patted the boy on the back, responding, "I understand, Naruto. You're a good kid.".
Naruto looked back and forth between the two, before grabbing his chopsticks, signaling for the trio to say:
"Thanks for the meal!".
.
After the meals were finished, Naruto offered to pay for Sakura's ramen ("That's what a gentleman does, Brat."). Instead, Ebisu insisted that he pay, and the boy didn't get the chance to argue.
After Ebisu paid, Naruto suggested, "Y'know, Ebisu-sensei, I was thinking... Since you were about to spend this whole month training me, but I've got Pervy Sage now, so how about you train Sakura-chan instead? You could even join me and Pervy Sage at our training ground, y'know.".
Naruto, again, looked back and forth between Sakura and Ebisu, waiting for their answers.
Naruto... Naruto can be so thoughtful!
Sakura looked at Ebisu. She bowed and stated, "I'm up for it if you'd like to train me, Ebisu-sensei...".
The man smiled, and gleefully responded, "Alright, then, I'll train ya!".
Elsewhere in the Hidden Leaf Village
Gaara of the Sand was sitting atop a roof in the Village, looking at nothing in particular as the night passed by. He was unaware that Dosu Kinuta, of the Sound Village, was stalking him from the top of a nearby apartment building. The young man had become aware that there was something really strange going on regarding Orochimaru. He knew that Gaara was involved, but he couldn't figure out how. He decided, the best way to find out was to ask.
Knowing about Gaara's homicidal tendencies, Dosu decided to play it safe, and made a clone - a blank, non-solid doppelganger of himself. The clone jumped across the roof to reach Gaara, and slowly walked towards him. The clone spoke up, "Hey, Redhead, can't sleep? Me neither.".
Gaara, without even looking at Dosu, said, "It was a full moon about a week ago. The full moon makes Mother hungry. But there was no way to get food then.". He looked at Dosu's clone now, eyes widening. "Better late than never.". Sand poured out of the gourd on Gaara's back, and rushed towards the clone, who was dispelled immediately upon contact.
The real Dosu's eyes widened, he opted to go warn his teammates. Just like that, Dosu escaped into the night, making a mental note to never cross paths with Gaara again - at least not in such close proximity.
What Dosu didn't know was that his clone's confrontation with Gaara had been witnessed by Kabuto, and a Sand jonin. The Sand jonin was a sturdy man, with huge muscles and a scarf wrapped around his head that draped down in front of his left eye.
Both of them unaware that the real Dosu was alive, the Sand jonin asked, "That man was a Sound ninja - is it okay that Gaara did that to him, Kabuto?".
Kabuto responded, "Yeah, it is. What's-his-face has long since served his purpose, Baki.".
Baki countered, "But I thought he was a Guinea pig... To test the power of that kid, Sasuke?".
Kabuto responded, "That is true - well, it was, but he isn't necessary anymore. See, the thing is, I was tasked with seizing Sasuke from the hospital, but I failed miserably in that mission.". He let out a small chuckle.
Flashback, hospital
Kakashi threatened, "... I ought to haul you in for questioning. ".
...
Kabuto mocked Kakashi - "I wonder if you could.".
...
The silver-haired man retorted, "You smart-alecky little brat, I'll teach you to mess around with grownups.".
...
Kabuto taunted, "The cards are clearly in my favor here. ".
After a few more tense exchange of words and kunai blows, followed by some shadow clone trickery, an ANBU guard rose from the dead and leapt out of the window. As the guard fell, he took off his mask, revealing himself to have been Kabuto the whole time.
Flashback over
Kabuto chuckled again, "They know my identity now.".
Baki wasn't amused. He growled, "Wait a minute, if they know who you are, and people find out that you're having a secret meeting with me, the plan to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village will be completely ruined! I thought you were Orochimaru's right-hand man, but after they've found out your identity, you just come up here nonchalantly to meet with me? You're a fool!".
Kabuto informed the man, "Well, to be exact, they didn't discover what my true identity was on their own - I let them find out. I wanted to know how far the Hidden Leaf Village would be willing to go once they found out the truth. And even then, I knew it wouldn't be too late for me to seize Sasuke.".
Baki scoffed, "Remember, this whole operation was set up by the Sound Village, so if you guys fail, we will have to back off immediately. The Sand won't make a single move until the last moment; this is the will of our kazekage.".
Kabuto handed Baki a scroll. "Very well, then. Here's the plan. Make sure you relay it to them as soon as possible.".
Baki received the scroll, and added, "By the way, I'll take care of our little spy.".
At the side of the building stood Hayate GekkÅ, the proctor for the chunin exams' third round preliminaries. He'd been spying on the whole conversation, but now, he'd been found out. He made a break for it, but couldn't even get five yards away before all of his movement was restricted by sand. He was floating in the air, and forced to face Gaara and Baki.
Hayate squirmed and struggled to escape, but the sand just wouldn't give way! Gaara was about to crush him, but Baki warned, "No, Gaara, if you crush him with your sand, the Leaf might figure out that it was you. Let me take care of this.". The man walked towards Hayate, pulling out a sword. He then pressed the cold steel blade against Hayate's neck, and in one swift swipe, slit the man's throat.
End of Chapter 1