I will be using the United States Midwest time table for school, even though it really doesn't make that much sense in the context of the ninja world. It will be much easier for me to keep track of time tables and what not. This means school starts in Late August, and ends in early May.
A/N: I understand Fuinjutsu means sealing techniques, which means it should really only be used to seal things. For the purpose of the story, anything that uses a jutsu formula that is inked down one way or another will be considered Fuinjutsu. This means that barrier ninjutsu, if used with a formula, will be considered Fuinjutsu, or at least a part of it. It's just easier to refer to everything as seals, even if it's not sealing anything. The techniques gotta be related somewhere along the line anyway. I know it's not really canon, but I like it better this way. I will be doing my best to keep it balanced though, I don't want the answer to every single problem to be, 'Oh I conveniently have a seal to deal with just that' like some stories that I've read.
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One and a half years later - June - Naruto and Sasuke are 11
He was finally here. As Naruto stood before the village, he felt some apprehension and nervousness. Was it right to come back here? Was it okay for him to be here? Did he truly belong?
Uzushiogakure. The home of the Uzumaki Clan. The old Uzumaki Clan. The new one would be rebuilt in Konoha when Naruto returned in a few months. The village was mostly ruins at this point, and what wasn't in ruin was overrun by plant life. If one were to view the village from the sky they would notice a certain pattern that the buildings formed.
There were no walls in Uzushio, a people of Fuinjutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu had no need for such crude landmarks or defenses. Naruto walked slowly through the village, taking it all in. Jiraiya was following the boy, but not too closely. Naruto had matured a lot in the time that he had been with Jiraiya, and he felt the boy needed to take on this adventure alone. It was his clan after all, and he would be the head of it soon enough.
Amongst the rubble of buildings, Naruto saw plenty of seals and barrier formulas inked onto the ground, all completely out of chakra after decades without a recharge. Whenever he came across one, even if he recognized it, he formed what had become his signature hand seal, and had a shadow clone record the technique in a scroll, before handing it to Jiraiya to keep track of.
Master and student continued walking, occasionally recording down seals, before coming to the center of the village. The main tower, where the village leader worked, and the records and jutsu archive would be if it was anything like Konoha. Naruto's curiosity peaked, as did Jiraiya's, when they realized the building was essentially untouched. Aside from the emptiness and lack of life in it, the building could have been in use yesterday, and they never would have known.
Approaching the doors, Naruto recognized the seal on the door. It was extremely similar to the blood seal that accompanied his Uzumaki scroll that Sarutobi had given him.
Jiraiya examined the seal, and the ones that branched off of it. He hummed while he worked. While he was technically a master, he was never able to really get to the point where he used Fuinjutsu in battle the way that Minato and Kushina had, but he had always enjoyed the art, and considered it a hobby.
After a minute or two, Jiraiya spoke. "I won't be able to go in, Whiskers." Jiraiya used Naruto's least favorite nickname, the one that he had come up with to counter 'Pervy Sage'. "The blood seal extends to a barrier jutsu that seems to draw chakra from the surrounding area." Jiraiya said. He'd never seen a seal that could absorb nature chakra, not even amongst the knowledge of his toad summons. That wasn't important right now though, he would record the seal for Naruto's library so they could study it later. "Without permission from whoever made the barrier, or the right passcode, I won't be able to enter. Your Uzumaki blood should let you pass though."
Naruto nodded, and bit his finger, swiping the blood across from the seal, and making a hand seal to release it. The black seals lit up gold for a brief second, before dulling down. Nothing bad happened, so Naruto took that as acceptance, and pushed the door open.
The building really was a lot like the Hokage tower. They would have been built around the same time, by allies too, so he supposed that made sense. He first headed to the archive room, knowing it would only be up one floor from where he was. There were no seals on the room when he found it, so he pushed on through the door. Nothing. Literally nothing. The room was completely empty, save for a seal that was on the middle of the floor. He recognized the basis of the seal, it was used to destroy documents that fell into the wrong hands. Though this one was much more complicated, he supposed that it was to clean house in the room, but not destroy the room itself.
He had been studying Fuinjutsu relentlessly in the past year and a half, though it was extremely slow going. For starters, he had just cleared Jiraiya's calligraphy test so that he could start working with more dangerous seals three weeks ago. It was a prerequisite before Jiraiya would let him come here. Second, as much as he had learned to enjoy reading and learning, it was still difficult for him. His attention span was short, and he had trouble focusing on a book for longer than 20 minutes before he found himself rereading lines and becoming mentally fatigued. He had improved this to 45 minutes over the last couple of months, but that still wasn't enough. He had tried using clones, but they had the same attention span as him, so while he could take in more information, it was still slow going. He also had to read a book or scroll several times before he properly learned the information, which was frustrating because a shadow clone would only clone the cover of the book, and any page that it was opened too, or that he had memorized. This made memorizing a book slow going, because it would still take him two or three days to get through once, and two or three more to actually absorb the info.
Reading really just wasn't his thing, as important as he knew it was. He learned much better through trial and error, and 'feeling' things out. Jiraiya had assured him that the more advanced stages of Fuinjutsu were all trial and error, but not before he suggested he give it up. Naruto had been furious at this, and doubled his efforts. He was an Uzumaki, and he would be feared for his Fuinjutsu prowess, or he'd die trying. He'd told Jiraiya that he'd give up ramen before he'd give up Fuinjutsu. That had opened the Sannin's eyes.
He was extremely disappointed that the records room was destroyed though he wasn't surprised. Jiraiya had prepared him for this possibility, but he had been hoping it wouldn't be true. He moved on.
The third and fourth floor would be the jutsu library. He took the winding stairs to the third floor, and entered without trouble. There was nothing in there either, just empty bookshelves. In his anger, he kicked a bookshelf over in his anger. What he saw, or rather didn't see, was quite surprising. No dust, anywhere in the room, the very abandoned room. Naruto made the hand seal to create shadow clones, but nothing happened. He tried again, and nothing happened. Then he saw the big sign that read "NO JUTSU" and frowned. It apparently wasn't a suggestion. Naruto exited the room and stood right outside the door. He tried to make a shadow clone, and this time it worked. He made 20 more, and had them fan out through the third floor and the rest of the building, checking everywhere they could for seals. If there was no dust, and nobody here to clean it, then there must be jutsu keeping the building clean, just as there was keeping it protected.
When he made it to the fourth floor, he couldn't get into the room. This room would be for jonin ninja and above. There was a guard station right next to it, so he guessed Jonin were either expected to get cleared to enter, have the jutsu password, or be able to 'hack' the seal. Looking at it, he could guess that if he tampered with it too much, it would destroy the contents of the room. If it hadn't already. He sighed, he wouldn't be able to get in this room for a while it seemed. He decided to head to the top floor. The office of the Kage.
The history books had said that only the leaders of the Five Great Nations could name their leader a Kage. Uzushiogakure, while small, was dangerous enough to name their leader a Kage. The Uzukage. Jiriaya said their refusal to remove Kage from their village leaders title was likely one of the reasons that they were destroyed.
The large wooden double doors were so elegantly carved it looked as if they hadn't been carved at all, but rather formed that way. These doors too, had a complex seal, though it didn't appear that anything would be destroyed if it was tampered with. It was strange that this door had less security than the jonin level jutsu library, but then again the most powerful person in the village was usually within this room. He supposed that while the village was still operational, it would have been foolish to try and break in, and likely akin to suicide.
Naruto decided it was time to test his newest Fuinjutsu theory, centered around the his nine tailed tenant. He closed his eyes, and made the rat seal, focusing on entering his mindscape. After a few seconds, he felt the somewhat familiar pull in the back of his mind, and let it overtake him.
…
Naruto found himself in his mindscape, which was built a lot like an underground facility. It had one long hallway, and a giant cavernous room, like a warehouse, that held the caged beast. The remnants that reminded him of a sewer, the pipes that ran along the roof, and the rotten smell, were gone. Now it was a more neutral place, and not quite so dark.
The water on the floor of the cage room was still there, and Naruto had begun to suspect that this represented the Fox's chakra that was constantly being pushed into his system.
The deep rumble of the Fox's breath told Naruto that he was asleep.
"I know you're not asleep you grumpy old Fox" Or at least pretending to be. "Now get up!" He shouted in his most shrill voice. The fox's ears twitched back at it, and he slowly opened an eye.
"What do you want, Brat." The mass of chakra grumbled.
"I wanna try my Fuinjutsu theory, but I need your chakra!" The 11 year old called out
"No. Now leave you insolent flea." The fox replied.
Naruto giggled at the Fox's insult. They weren't very insulting when it was stuck behind the bars of the seal. "But you know that the more chakra you let me use, the more the seal loosens." Naruto sang to the fox. He knew it wasn't a joking matter, but he also knew that it was the best motivation to get the fox to let him use his chakra.
The Nine Tails grumbled. What the boy said was true, though he hated that it was. He didn't want the brat to use the chakra for something so trivial. It should be used to inspire fear in others. He was the most powerful being in the world, his chakra shouldn't be used for cat burglary.
"No." Was his short response. He closed his open eye, signifying the end of this conversation.
"Oh c'mon, why do you have to be so grumpy? Is it because you have all those pointy teeth, but no toothbrush? I can get you a toothbrush!" Apparently a certain child didn't understand the giant fox's body language. Naruto knew what he was doing though. He didn't get a response, so he carried on. "Now Mr. Fox," Naruto said, knowing it would enrage Kyuubi. He wouldn't have to call him that if he would just tell him his name, though the fox insisted he didn't have a name. "You know I will do the thing if you don't give me what I want." Naruto said.
The Fox's eye opened back up. He did not want Naruto to do 'the thing'. He also didn't want to give Naruto his chakra, as the brat was disrespectful, and hadn't offered him anything in return, except for an unlikely way of escaping. He closed his eye again, maybe if he fell asleep, the blond would leave him alone.
"Alright, you brought this upon yourself though. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled. 50 copies of himself burst into existence, all with huge grins on their faces. Naruto knew the only thing more annoying to the fox than him talking, was a bunch of him talking.
"Hey Fox!" "Oh Mr. Fox!" "Do you like ramen!?" "Do you have any brothers or sisters!" "How'd you get to be so big anyway?"
51 different Naruto's shouting random questions at the same time appeared to do the trick.
"Fine you insolent little brat. I will gift you a drop of my chakra, and when I get out of here, I'm going to eat you for an appetizer before I eat the villagers of the Leaf!" The Nine Tailed fox yelled.
Naruto dispelled his clones with a big smile. "Thank you Mr. Kyuubi, I appreciate your help."
"I am not helping you, I'm just getting rid of you so I can sleep." The fox replied, pushing a small amount of chakra through the seal. It was much easier than it had been the first time he had done it back when Naruto was seven, though it still took way too much effort to try and make a break for it.
"Whatever you say, I appreciate it regardless, thank you!" Naruto shouted before fading out of his mindscape.
The fox went back to trying to sleep. In all honesty, the 50 clones of Naruto were annoying, but he could sleep through them if need be. What was unbearable was the blonds chakra when he performed jutsu. He hated how much it reminded him of Kushina's, of the chains that had bound him. More than that though, he hated how much it felt like his creators. The blonds chakra was nearly identical to the Sage of Six Paths, and it brought him great pain, and a lot of anger. The human had no business being mentioned in the same thought as the Sage, let alone being compared to him. He couldn't help it though, the thoughts appeared despite his best efforts to ignore him. The warmth of the chakra, the memories that accompanied them, it all made him so angry. The brat didn't even know that he was using ninshu subconsciously, and that angered him even more. All in all, it was easier to just give the blond what he wanted so he would leave.
…
Naruto was right where he had left himself, and he put his hand on the seal of the door, and started channeling the Kyuubi's chakra. If anybody had seen him, they would have noticed his hair lengthen ever so slightly, and his finger nails and canine teeth sharpen ever so slightly. More noticeable would have been the slitted pupils in his still blue eyes.
The fox's chakra was incredibly corrosive, something that made Naruto frown. He knew that chakra often reflected a person's feelings as it was inherently and deeply linked to who they were. He could only assume it was the hate the fox had for the world and for humans that made his chakra so volatile. It made him sad that any being could feel that way.
Still though, the chakra was eating at and overwhelming the seal on the door, and soon there was nothing left. Naruto pushed the doors open.
The setup of the room was eerily reminiscent of the Hokage's office back in Konoha, at least what Naruto could remember of it. Looking around, he noticed there was a pattern on the walls in front of him. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the pattern extended to the floor and ceiling too. Seals. It should've been obvious immediately given where he was, yet he was still surprised. In all his reading he hadn't heard of having an entire room covered in seals. In fact, the largest seal that had been covered was a barrier that was meant to protect large areas like villages. Of course those needed multiple seals working together, but they were no larger than the scroll on Jiraiya's back.
He actually recognized some of the seals. One of them was a simple converter, chakra would run through the seal, and the energy would be converted into light. It didn't appear to be giving any off right now, as it was mid day, and there were large windows that kept the room lit. Another seal seemed to be a simple detector seal, which would recognize the amount of light in the room, and whether or not the room was occupied. He would've thought that he wouldn't be able to channel chakra in here either, but he was able to make a few shadow clones to record the seals. As basic as their application, there were still parts of the seals that he didn't recognize, and studying them might reveal something important. When it came to Fuinjutsu, you could never have too much information.
Naruto made his way across the room to the desk, his short ponytail bobbing against his upper back as he did so. The desk, much like the doors, was made of intricate wood. In fact, it seemed to be an exact replica of the one in the Hokage's office, save for the Uzumaki symbol carved into the front of it.
He ran his hand across the smooth face of the desk as he worked his way around it, not finding a speck of dust. When he made his way behind it, he pushed the chair out of the way. He wouldn't sit in it yet, it was reserved for a shinobi with much more power than what he had.
The desk seemed simple enough. A few drawers on either side, and they didn't even seem to be sealed shut. Just to get in the room you'd have to get through several layers of security, and probably whatever Uzushio had that was equivalent to ANBU.
Naruto opened the first drawer on the left. An ink jar, brush, and a few blank scrolls. Naruto had plenty of those things himself, so he let them be. The next drawer down had a few kunai and shuriken, though he wasn't sure why they were just sitting there given the village's Fuinjutsu abilities. The final drawer on the left side was completely empty, so he moved on to the other side.
More of the same in the first two drawers on the right side, disappointingly enough. The last drawer however, was different. He found familiar storage seal in this one, exactly like the one on his Uzumaki scroll that the Sandaime had given him. Reopening the already closed wound that he used to unseal the doors into the building, Naruto let the blood seep for a second before swiping it across the seal while channeling chakra. This time around, it seemed to take an extra few seconds before accepting him with a flash of deep red. A flash of smoke revealed one large scroll, with many more seals running all over it. Naruto knew from one look that he wouldn't be able to open it, so he sealed it within his own storage seal, and stood up.
On the wall opposite him, next to the door that he had entered through, he saw two pictures. Given what he knew about Konoha's Hokage office, he figured that these must have been the two Uzukage that the village had. He approached the two images, both of which were of long white haired men. The first one had a pair of very familiar looking white sword handles sticking up over his shoulders. Naruto held his breath. Had his mother really left him with the weapons of the Shodai Uzukage? (First Uzukage). He suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders. These two men led a village feared enough that it took a combination of three great villages to destroy it. Now he was all that was left to live up to that reputation. It was a lot to take in, and a lot that he would have to rebuild. He silently swore that he would surpass both of them.
—-
Naruto and Jiraiya were making their way back to Konoha, much slower than the blond was happy with. As nervous as he was to go back to the village, he was eager to return to his home. He may not have had many friends or any real family, but there were still several people that he was aching to see. Iruka-sensei, Teuchi, Ayame, Hokage-jiji, Kakashi-sensei (he had taught him a thing or two when they met up), heck he even wanted to see Sasuke, even if it was just to kick his butt.
He was also much different than he had been the last time that he had been there, and he was looking forward to trying to make friends in his class again. He was also looking forward to playing some harmless pranks with his acquired ninja skills. He had just been starting to develop a reputation as a prankster when he first left, and he had a lot of ideas that had gone unused. Now that he could walk on walls, it would be even easier.
He frowned. According to Jiraiya, he was to be publicly instated as the heir to the Uzumaki clan. While the clan had not had a large basis in the Leaf, it was well respected. He knew that he wouldn't be able to play pranks on the village at large or the random shopkeepers who treated him poorly. Speaking of which, Jiraiya had mentioned that training with him might be enough to sway some people to think of him as more than the biju that was sealed within him. The people of the village had a great deal of respect for the Sannin, and as Jiraiya was the only one that was still (somewhat) within the village, he currently held the most respect. Still, others would lose all respect for the toad sage, thinking that he had sided with the nine tailed fox that had nearly destroyed the village. Naruto had felt bad about that, but Jiraiya didn't seem to care too much. Still, he was grateful that the Sannin had taken him from the village and given him the means to take care of himself, more psychologically than physically.
Naruto shook his head at his thoughts. The villages really didn't know any better, and he supposed that if he were in their spot, he probably wouldn't like himself all that much either. Still, a part of him resented them for not seeing that he was just a child struggling to find his way in life.
"Cheer up kid. I told you, the villagers will come to realize soon enough." Sometimes Naruto wondered if Jiraiya could read minds. He had heard of a clan in Konoha that could do that, maybe the Toad Sage was secretly a part of them?
"I know, I'm just nervous about going back. Before I came with you, I was naive to the treatment I was receiving. Now I'm not so sure how I'll take it, and part of me is scared that I'll begin to resent the village because of it." Naruto said.
Jiraiya internally whistled. The boy had come a long, long way when it came to his dialect. Not that he showed it often, he was still the loud knucklehead that played pranks and worshiped ramen, but now he was capable of speaking in a respectable manner. "Knowing you, you might get upset, but you won't truly resent the village. You have too much kindness in your heart. Just like your parents."
Jiraiya's eyes glazed for a split second while he thought of the two, and he came to a decision. Sarutobi hadn't explicitly given him permission to tell Naruto this information, so technically he was to be sentenced to death for revealing it. His sensei wouldn't have him killed for it though, he was too valuable to the village. At least he thought he was.
"Speaking of which, when you're revealed as the Uzumaki clan heir, there will be some complications." Jiraiya said. Naruto's head tilted like a confused dog. It was still adorable even though he'd lost a little bit of the roundness in his face. "There was only one Uzumaki left in the village 12 years ago. Many of the jonin that are Kakashi's age and older will remember her, as will all of the clan heads. Many of these people were aware of her relationship with your father, though it was technically in secret." Jiraiya explained.
Naruto's deductive skills had grown greatly as Jiraiya challenged them throughout their time together, so it only took him a few seconds to reach his conclusion. "They'll know who my dad was?" He questioned. He had often questioned Jiraiya, but he always got the same response. That it was too dangerous for him to know.
"Correct. He had picked up quite the reputation, and was well known within the village. The clan heads and the smarter jonin will make the connection instantly, so I think it's time I tell you." Jiraiya explained. If he hadn't seemed so serious, Naruto would have thought he was messing with him.
"I cannot stress enough how serious this situation is. I believe you have matured enough to know, but you are not yet powerful enough to have it openly revealed. If the shinobi world finds out, you will be targeted. You have to be able to dispose of jonin level threats, or at least be able to escape them before we can reveal it." Jiraiya said. His voice was sharp, and sterner than Naruto had ever heard it, even sterner than the time he had tried to make an explosive note without Jiraiya's permission, and burnt his eyebrows off.
"I would like to hold this off until you turned Jonin yourself, but I'm afraid too many of the shinobi will figure it out, and from there it will inevitably leak out." Jiraiya said. Reaching into his vest, he withdrew a small square from his inner pocket. A photograph.
Naruto found it strange that it wasn't something he kept sealed away, as Jiraiya didn't carry many things on his person besides his large scroll, and his notebook for 'research'.
Jiraiya looked at the photo, tears forming in his eyes. It had been years since he'd looked at the photo, but he always kept it in his pocket over his heart. He had considered the man in it a son, though he was technically only his sensei.
He slowly handed the photo over to Naruto, as a lone tear slid slowly down his left cheek. "He was one of a kind, Kid. He was like the son I never had." Jiraiya said so quietly that Naruto had to channel chakra to his ears to hear.
Naruto took the photo and looked at it. His heart was pounding in his ears, and his hands were shaking. The first thing that he noticed was the vibrant red hair of his mother. His pregnant mother. And standing next to her, huge grin on his face, and hand on her belly was…
"This is the Yondaime." Naruto said in shock. Jiraiya nodded. "My father… was the fourth Hokage?" Jiraiya nodded again, not knowing what to say.
"I- This- no." Naruto said. He bit his lip drawing blood, but the photograph didn't change. He built up his chakra as much as he could, and released it violently, the grass around him shifting slightly. No change. "This can't be real, I can't be his son." He said out of breath.
"It's true." Was all Jiraiya could respond with. He knew Naruto would be mad at him, and he was waiting for the eventual explosion. It never came.
Silent tears streamed down Naruto's face. His vision was so blurry he couldn't see the photo in his hands anymore, but he'd never be able to unsee it. He was the son of the fourth Hokage. The son of his hero, and one of the most feared shinobi of all time.
When he finally regained his composure, after nearly a full minute, he spoke. "You gotta be fucking kidding me, Pervy Sage." He choked out, snot streaming out of his nose as he did so.
Jiraiya didn't know what to say. Naruto was as unpredictable as ever. Seeing that he wasn't going to say anything, Naruto elaborated. "I'm the son of two of the most badass ninja ever!?" Naruto half asked half stated. "They died because of me." He said after a moment of realization. Jiriaya had told him that his mother was the previous Jinchuuriki, and that she had died helping the fourth seal the fox away.
"No Gaki, they died for you. It wasn't your fault the fox escaped the seal, and it wasn't your fault that you were suited to be a host, better than anybody else in the village." Jiraiya said firmly. He didn't want to leave any doubt in Naruto's mind. "They loved you more than anything, even before you were born. You should've seen how excited the two of them were when they found out." Jiraiya explained.
"I had parents who loved me?" Naruto asked rhetorically. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. First he thought that he had been abandoned. Then he found out he had a mother who loved him, but part of him still thought that his father had abandoned him, and that's why nobody would tell him about it. But they had both loved him, both sacrificed their lives so that he and the village could live on. In that moment he gained another burden. For some reason though, this one didn't add to the weight on his shoulders, it lifted it a little bit. He had lofty goals, and his parents had done everything they could to help him achieve it. Now it was up to him.
"Did my father leave me anything?" Naruto asked, wanting to have a piece of his father just as he did of his mother.
Jiraiya nodded. "Back in the village there's some things. His notes on jutsu and seals, including his most signature one. A few of his kunai are there, and if my memory is correct, one of his cloaks, though it's probably too big for you." He said.
Naruto nodded back, that was more than he was expecting. Much more. The Yondaime- his father, was most known for his use of the Flying Raijin, the jutsu that gave him the flee on sight order. He assumed it would be impossibly difficult for him to learn, as there were only two known wielders of it in Konoha's history, both of them being Hokage. If there was one thing he enjoyed though, it was the thought of doing something impossible.
"Alright," Naruto said, face determined and stoic, "let's get to work then."
Jiraiya just shook his head. "Whiskers, don't you think you should take some time to process this?" Jiraiya asked. "It's kind of a big deal, and you were in shock at least for a second, maybe you should just rest for the rest of the night?"
"Pervy Sage, both my parents died to save the village. Now you're telling me that I'll have Jonin level threats after me because of who they were. It would be a disservice to them to die from one of their enemies after all that they sacrificed for me. I have to get strong enough to survive, and I have to do it fast if what you said about Leaf shinobi figuring it out is true." Naruto explained seriously. "Plus, Kage don't just grow on trees, and Old Man Third ain't getting any younger." He finished.
Jiraiya was once again given a warm feeling by his students' almost palpable determination. Jiraiya pondered the blond's words. He was honestly above beginner genin levels already, and was seriously approaching chunin level with his ninjutsu. His knowledge was expanding rapidly with clones, and he was even getting some experience as Jiraiya had been giving him mock missions as a part of his training. The blond's Fuinjutsu was higher than 90% of the village so far, only being topped by the sealing corps, some of the Yondaime's closest allies, and perhaps the Hyuuga clan elders, who needed a baseline knowledge to be able to perform the caged bird seal. Still, while fast enough to outdo most genin, he would likely be taken care of fairly easily by any Chunin that had already reached maturity. His strength was good, really good for someone so young, but still not enough to overtake most chunin. His body just wasn't developed enough to take on older opponents physically yet. His chakra control was basically to the point where he could start channeling it internally to enchanted movements though, and that could make up a lot of ground.
"Alright Gaki, we can start taking your training seriously." Naruto smiled at Jiraiya's response. "But, you have to understand how hard it'll be. If we're gonna do this, it'll be painful, you will break bones. If you're not on your game, you could potentially take a fatal wound if a kunai slips by your guard. It won't be a game anymore. You have to be sure that you're ready." Jiraiya explained sharply. He preferred his carefully crafted aloof attitude, but sometimes it was necessary to get serious.
Naruto gulped at his sensei's declaration. His eyes never softened though, and his face never lost it's steel. "I have to be ready, there is no other option Jiraiya-sensei. There are too many people counting on me." Jiraiya knew he didn't just mean the people he loved. The dumb blond truly believed with all his heart that he needed to protect the village that shunned him. Jiraiya had never been more proud.
"Alright, Naruto, we have about three months until you start the academy. I will devote my full attention to you until then. No meeting with contacts, no spying, no research, just you." Jiraiya said, slightly shocking Naruto. "Once we get to the village and you enroll in the academy, I'll have to pass a majority of your training off, because I'll have to get back on the road, but until then I'm only focused on you. I doubt you'll still like me when we're done though."
Naruto grinned like the knucklehead he was. "Who says I even like you now Old Man?" He said cheekily.
The Toad Sage cracked his knuckles with a smile, and Naruto knew enough to know that he needed to run. And fast.