Author Note: I thought the response to Chapter 13 was fantastic! You guys left so many reviews about what you have thought about the story so far, and pretty much everyone had very positive things to say. So for that, I appreciate all the kind words from you all. One of the things I saw quite a few reviews about was Jiraiya's overall decision about choosing to abandon his writing in favor of being there for Naruto. The response was what I was hoping for, as many went on to say that they have never read it before in Fanfiction before. I want to keep doing things different in ways that surprise you guys, and hope to continue to do it.
Again, thank you, let me know what you think of this chapter, and I'll see you at the end as usual!
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Chapter 14: Author's Remorse
"You know, I don't see why you guys don't eat more of this stuff." Jiraiya said with a wave of a spatula after he flipped an egg in the pan in front of him. "You can get to the Leaf Village in no time. I mean, I know it isn't exactly your typical diet, but it's delicious. I promise." After eating bugs for months, the smell of bacon and the sizzling of the fried eggs were so satisfying. Naruto was going to be ecstatic when he woke up. Over the past year, with the Sage's best attempts to ween the kid off of a diet entirely made up of ramen, they found out he loved Eastern food, as it was very popular in the Land of Earth.
"I don't know, Jiraiya-boy." Fukasaku said slowly, apparent hesitation in his eyes, from the kitchen table. "I was really looking forward to eating Ma's famous beetle soup this morning. Why are you making… this again?" A little unsure of what to call the 'food' that Jiraiya was making.
"Yeah." Ma chimed in, in a similar unsure tone. Though, hers was probably more from their student overtaking her kitchen. "When you said you wrote Gamaden a shopping list, I didn't realize it was going to be stuff like this." She was standing on the counter next to the oven Jiraiya was cooking at, observing with a spoon in hand that rested against her hip.
The Sage would glance in her direction every so often with a wary gaze, afraid that he'd get whacked in the head by the disapproving toad.
Jiraiya chuckled lightly, turning his attention to another pan. He carefully rolled the breakfast sausages to their other side. Gotta make sure they cook evenly. "Well, I wanted to give Naruto a special treat. He trains hard, that deserves a reward once in a while, no?" That was a nice way of putting it. What the Sage didn't say was that it was to the point that the blond wasn't eating enough to maintain his caloric needs. Sure, a fix to that would be to just eat more. Yet, that was hard, especially when Naruto didn't want to eat any more frog food than he absolutely had to. What made it worse was the only available food consisted of bugs, vegetables, and rice. Sure, these foods provided plenty of nutrients that a growing boy needs, but the only one of the three that could be considered calorically dense was rice. His solution? High fat, high-calorie delicious food that the blond would scarf down with absolutely zero hesitation.
'If they like this, then maybe I can convince them to try other foods. After all, can't have Naruto eating this every day.' Jiraiya thought to himself, sure that this Eastern breakfast would open the two old sage's eyes beyond bugs and rice.
Fukasaku gave the spiky-haired man an inquisitive look, though it was directed at his back so he couldn't see it. "Ma's beetle soup is a reward…" The green toad grumbled to himself indignantly, upset that one of his favorite dishes was being taken away from him, even if only for a day.
"FOOD?!" The three people in the kitchen heard from a different room in the house. Seconds later, a blond boy still clad in his pajamas came sliding into the kitchen. What he saw almost brought him to tears? "REAL FOOD!?" Naruto began to hover over the Sannin's shoulder with drool dripping from the corners of his mouth, eliciting a small chuckle from his Godfather.
"What do ya mean 'real food', Naruto-boy?" Pa asked with genuine confusion. They ate real food every day, didn't they?
"Oh, uhh…" The Genin inwardly cursed to himself, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Jiraiya had told him to not make a big deal out of the food the toads served him. It was nice of them to feed him, so he didn't want to be rude by insulting it. Besides, what they ate at Mount Myoboku wasn't the worst thing the boy had ever eaten. If he was being honest with himself, once you got past the texture of the bugs the taste wasn't too bad. Though, the texture was pretty awful if you asked him. "What I mean is, this is one of my favorites!" Naruto exclaimed, trying to change the subject slightly. "I make it for myself all the time! You'll love it, trust me!"
Fukasaku nodded, seemingly accepting this answer. "Well, I'm sure it will be good, then." He smiled, slightly reassured of the merits of the food, based off of the boy's excited reaction. "Sit down with us, Naruto-boy. Let's talk while we wait for him to finish cooking."
Naruto gave the toad an odd look, but obliged and took a seat across from Fukasaku, and the newly sat Shima. "What did you have in mind, Boss?" That was what his Godfather called the old toad, so, unsure of what to call him himself, the blond figured that was his safest bet.
Jiraiya, still cooking, glanced back at them, but didn't say anything.
Pa smiled. From what he had observed so far in their time together, the supposed Child of Prophecy was an interesting young man. Outspoken, yet reserved; brash, yet respectful; goofy, yet occasionally serious. Sometimes, he almost seemed like two different people in one body, each one coming out at the time that best suited them. The toad just chalked that up as him still getting used to being around new people after spending his entire life with other humans in the Leaf Village. He would get settled, then act more natural over time.
"I just wanted to ask you a couple questions to get to know you better."
Having lived there for six months already, the blond felt they knew each other relatively well. Likes, dislikes, his life in the Leaf Village, missions he had undertaken so far, they had already talked about these things over the course of their stay. The request seemed odd considering that they were far from strangers. Still, Naruto would play this game willingly.
"Sure, what did you want to know?" He asked.
"You're still a Genin." The male toad began with a statement, which elicited a stiff nod from the young boy. "For someone as strong as you, that's surprising, Naruto-boy."
Naruto inwardly winced at being reminded of his insignificant ranking, so much so that he didn't catch the compliment that had followed. At home, his graduating classmates, and Team Gai were probably busy getting their ranks up. 'I wouldn't be surprised if guys like Neji, Shino, and Shikamaru were all jonin by the time I got back.' Thoughts mixed with a swirl of both envy and happiness for his friends. He had been offered the prospect of going back home to represent his village in the Chunin Exams, but ultimately turned it down to continue his training in Mount Myoboku. While it certainly wasn't an easy choice, Naruto believed it was the correct one.
"Do you want to be more?" Surely, a ninja as strong as he could be at least a Chunin by now. For all Fukasaku knew, rank might not even matter to the blond.
"When I get back to the Leaf, I'll work hard until I'm a high-ranking representative of my village." The Genin answered with conviction.
"Oh? So, do you have a goal?" Was the old Sage's next question. Someone who aspired to be of a high rank surely wanted to accomplish something worthy of that lofty title.
Naruto blinked, running a hand through his moderate length spiky blond hair, a pensive look spread across his features. "Goal? A goal for what?" Sure, the boy had many goals. Ranging from wanting to break his current record of bowls of ramen eaten in one sitting, to his desire to keep innocent people out of harm's way; and everything in between. Which goal was the green toad asking about?
Fukasaku chuckled at the vagueness of his own question. "What I mean is, what do you want to accomplish as a ninja?"
Naruto mentally sighed. No one cared about how many bowls of ramen he could eat. Though, getting back on the subject matter, that was a heavy question that was difficult to answer for the Genin right now. The boy's head began to ache as he placed his hand on his temple. His thoughts drifted to Wave… his mind always seemed to be going back to that terrible day. Having to live knowing that dozens of innocent people died because of him had been wearing down the blond for months. So much so, that sleep had been a luxury. Only after his… encounter with that little weasel of a politician did the blond finally understand why the Land of Waves was targeted. Yes, his presence there played a big factor in the Akatsuki setting its sights on the town, but they only did it as an extension of the Land of Water. The reality of the situation was, that egocentrism and radical nationalism caused innocent people to die. Jaaku and the Land of Water only cared about their own interests and would kill innocent people to further them. He would never let something like that happen again.
If he had to put his answer into words…
"I want to keep innocent people safe… no matter the cost."
Fukasaku eyed the boy carefully. That was an honorable goal that was to be respected, for sure. However, the intensity in which he uttered that sentence was not something Pa had expected. It was uncommon for a thirteen-year-old boy to speak as if he was a seasoned shinobi. Though, considering what the boy had been through, the answer wasn't all too surprising. Despite that, the last part of that answer was a little concerning.
"No matter the cost?" The toad repeated to ensure he got the full effect.
Naruto nodded stiffly, his intensity never waning.
Before Fukasaku or Shima could say anything, Jiraiya hastily began dropping plates full of food in front of them; this was not a conversation the Sage wanted to be had now. Not even the great sages know about what happened in the Land of Water. Naruto is far from an idiot, but the Sannin still couldn't risk that information slipping out somehow.
"Now, now." The Sage warned teasingly. "We have the rest of the day to talk, it's time to eat."
Before them was a massive amount of food. Bacon, eggs, and breakfast sausage. Considering the voracious appetite his student possessed, he made sure that there was enough to feed twelve people.
Just as Jiraiya predicted, without hesitation or restraint, the hungry Genin began to rapidly stack copious amounts of food onto his plate. Once it was piled high with everything, he began to viciously stuff the food into his mouth.
While Jiraiya had expected this result, the horror in the small toad's eyes meant that they did not. In all their years, they had never seen such a small, cute boy eat in such a ferocious manner. When the kid ate Shima's food, he ate fast, sure. Yet, not with that much enthusiasm.
"Wow." Shima breathed out in wonderment. "You really do like that food, huh, Naruto-boy?" Fukasaku could only nod in agreement with Ma's assessment.
"Oh… yeah." Naruto got out in between bites. Stopping for a breather, he continued the conversation. "You have to try this food. It's great!"
Before they could say anything in response, their student placed a plate of food in front of each of them. He was grinning ear-to-ear. There was a cocky twinkle in the middle-aged man's eyes that made the two old amphibians uncomfortable.
…
"So...?" The lingering question was accompanied by an obnoxiously sly smile. In truth, Jiraiya already knew the answer.
Fukasaku and Shima's faces turned a light pink from embarrassment as they finished the last of the food on their respective plates. Judging by the speed they had eaten everything; they had enjoyed it thoroughly. Something neither had expected in their wildest dreams.
"It was good." Fukasaku said as he avoided further eye contact with his student. It was more than just good, it was great. Naruto hadn't been downplaying the food, at all. The toads just didn't want to give the Sage the satisfaction.
A good meal sometimes made all of a person's trouble go away. Naruto, who was blissfully unaware of what was going on, let out a content sigh as he patted his now full stomach. The Genin couldn't remember the last time he had eaten like that.
"How about you, Naruto?" Jiraiya turned his attention to his young student, deciding that if he kept pushing Shima was probably going to eventually smack him with that spoon. "Did you like the food?"
"Huh?" Naruto's head snapped in the direction of his sensei. Suddenly, as if his brain to a second to process the question, the Genin realized what was asked of him. "Oh, it was awesome! I haven't eaten that much in a long time."
"Neither have they." Jiraiya gestured with a chuckle to the full toads who were both nursing their small bellies.
Shima huffed. "Don't go getting all cocky now, Jiraiya-boy!"
"Yeah, what she said." Fukasaku chimed in. Though, he wouldn't mind having that food again sometime soon.
"Okay, okay." Jiraiya held up his hands in mock defeat. "I'm sorry, guys." He glanced over at Naruto. "This seems like a good time to start today's training, huh kid?"
"Hehehe." Naruto put his hands behind his head and watched them in mild amusement. He was glad they liked the food. Maybe this would mean that they could start eating things that weren't bugs more often. Training sounded great right now.
"Sure!"
"It's Sunday, so you know what that means."
Naruto nodded. Today was taijutsu.
In the past, taijutsu training was done with his weights activated. However, that had only been because Jiraiya was essentially forcing the blond's body to get stronger and faster as fast as possible. He did this by having the kid carry around that weight around whenever he could. Now that he was sufficiently strong and fast since all of his combat in the field would be done without the use of the weights, it was smart to train with them deactivated. Train as you would fight, as Jiraiya-sensei liked to say.
Jiraiya brought his hands together, forming his student's favorite hand sign.
'Poof.'
Five copies of Jiraiya appeared, each settling into an offensive stance.
"Based on that Rasengan you made the other day; I think it's safe to say you retained some of the stuff we've been going over these last few months." Doing his best not to bring up WHY the plateau had occurred, only that it happened. "So, I want you to show me how much your taijutsu has improved. Sound good?"
Naruto smirked and obliged, shifting into a sideways stance with his lead leg far out in front of him. This orthodox karate stance was something that he and the Sage had both come up with and tweaked to make it perfectly aligned with the boy's strengths in hand-to-hand combat.
"Are you ready, Sensei?"
Instead of giving an answer, one of the copies rushed forward. The white-haired clone threw a swift left hook.
Naruto, who had been bouncing back and forth on his back and lead legs, anticipated this. Gathering chakra into his front leg, he kicked off it, exploding backward and avoiding the strike entirely. The clone stumbled forward, giving the blond all the opening he needed to take advantage. Still moving backward in the air, he now pushed chakra into his back leg. Landing, he kicked off his back foot and was sent flying forward.
'Poof.'
The clone ate a vicious right-straight to the side of the head, dispelling it instantly.
The second and third clones were on him immediately, on both sides of him. The Genin, sensing the clone behind him immediately, swiveled his hips and launched a spinning wheel kick aimed at his six o'clock.
Another satisfying 'poof'.
The Sannin doppelganger that had been in front of him gave him no time to recover, throwing a potent combination. Jab, right-straight, push-kick to the body. Having no time to react, Naruto had no choice but to put up his guard and eat the punches. The jab got through, snapping his head back a little.
"Oof." He winced slightly and stumbled backward as the clone's heel dug into his sternum. Resetting his stance, it was just in time as the clone was already in front of him. Molding chakra into the necessary body part, Naruto blasted a right-leg high kick.
The poor clone put up a sidearm guard at shoulder height to defend, but it did little to stop the impact of a chakra reinforced strike.
'Poof.'
'Last two!' Naruto thought to himself. He stayed calm, not moving from his spot beside the bouncing back and forth he did in his karate stance. It was a good way for him to remain lose and reactive.
This time, the two remaining clones came at him from the same direction; one trailing slightly behind the other. Suddenly, the rear clone leaped into the air while the grounded clone used that as a distraction to try and land strikes. Left jab, right hook, followed up with a left uppercut.
Displaying beautiful head movement, Naruto ducked and weaved out of the way of the punches and inside the pocket of the fake Jiraiya. He opened up with a short right elbow strike to the chest and, while grabbing ahold of his bright red robes tightly, a devastating left knee to the liver.
'Poof.'
As if it just came naturally to him, he kicked off of his chakra infused plant leg just as the last clone landed where he had been standing.
They locked eyes, each breaking out in a wide, but intense, smile. Both master and student were greatly enjoying this.
'Jiraiya' quickly followed, hellbent on not allowing his student anytime to recover from his back step. However, he was playing right into the blond's game.
Just as his enemy was getting within range, the Genin, still leaping backward at high speed, flipped his hips to the left. Using that momentum, he swung his right leg out and connected with the back of the clone's head. Right behind the ear.
'Poof.'
Naruto could just make out the sound that ensured his victory as he tumbled to the ground. Throwing that kick meant that he wasn't going to land on his feet, a risky proposition had he missed. But this was his specialty, he was accurate.
"Beautiful!" Boomed his incredibly proud teacher. "That was absolutely beautiful, kid!"
Naruto, who was picking himself up off the ground, smiled brightly. He loved being complimented by his teacher. It wasn't an ego thing; it was just someone finally acknowledging his strength made him feel really proud of himself. It was nice. "You think so?" Still beaming.
"Definitely." The Sage ruffled his Godson's spiky-blond hair affectionately. "You made quick work of my clones." Sure, the clones weren't trying as hard as they could have been, but they both already knew that. Saying it aloud would just ruin the moment. Still, it wasn't as if the copies hadn't tried at all. What the boy did was by no means a small feat.
"Honestly, Sensei." The boy began, hair falling into his eyes because of Jiraiya patting his head. "I just remembered a lot of the stuff that we went over. Before at first, none of it made sense and I was getting confused and angry that I couldn't understand. I couldn't focus on what we were doing." He threw his hands up in the air in triumph. "But now? It all makes sense."
Early on, Jiraiya had determined that Naruto had two valuable skills when it came to taijutsu; counterstriking, and creativity. He has lightning-fast reflexes, and the innate ability to come up with creative forms of attack on the fly. A perfect example being that falling away head kick that he landed on the fifth clone. Most people wouldn't even attempt, or expect, that. But that was Naruto, he kept you guessing.
"Now, remember." Jiraiya drilled. "Being the aggressor is sometimes necessary for a fight, but with your strengths, you should let your opponent come to you. Just like how you did with my clones. You let them be the aggressor, and it opened up your ability to counter them with your chakra enhanced strikes." That was another idea they came up with. Due to the immense ocean's worth of chakra that Naruto possessed, he had plenty to spare to use to increase his power.
"But what if they don't give me any openings to exploit?" In theory, counterstriking was the best form of hand-to-hand combat. Capitalize on your opponent's missteps and deliver devastating damage in return. Though, the blond raised an important question. What if he fights someone that doesn't make mistakes?
"Remember, no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes." Jiraiya instructed. "Though, if there is a time where you can't find any openings you change it up. You can either push the pace and apply pressure with your striking, or you can implement your ninjutsu to add another element to the battle."
Looking at the boy's slightly unsure face, Jiraiya continued. "Don't worry, kid. We still have plenty of time to get you ready for everything the world has to offer. Just remember your strengths."
Naruto nodded in agreement. Everything the Sage had said was completely right. Naruto felt completely in his element by allowing his opponent to lead the fight. Though, there was still something on his mind. "Sensei?"
"Hm? What is it, kid?"
"On Wednesday, can I practice my style with clones." Naruto began hopefully, with his hands balled up in front of his face in an attempt to plead. "I know you haven't wanted to me to use my clones much, but with this style, I feel like coordinating with my clones during a fight could be a good idea."
Before Jiraiya could answer him, he continued. "I-I just think that if I have clones, we can set up attacks that open up the opponent to be countered. I'll be able to make openings that otherwise wouldn't be there. D-Does that make sense?" He finished weakly, scratching the back of his head.
Jiraiya chuckled lightly. "Kid, when I said I didn't want you relying on your clones all the time, that didn't mean that I never wanted you to use them again. Of course, we can start working on coordinating your clones better!"
Naruto blinked. "But I thought-"
He was cut off.
"I didn't want you to use your clones, because when you used them in the past you were unrefined and wild. And if I allowed you to rely on that, you would have never gotten as good and technical as you are now!" Jiraiya was so proud of Minato's son. "Now that you're more refined and polished, I think you and your clones would benefit greatly from getting some practice in."
Naruto smirked triumphantly, joyfully thinking about all the damage he could inflict on the Akatsuki using his shadow clones.
"Also, before we continue with today, I wanted to touch base with how your fuinjutsu reading is coming along." Usually done in the blond's spare time, or a clone studying adjacent to their training, Naruto has been reading up on basic theory and application for some time now. Jiraiya kept his distance with this aspect of the kid's training, allowing his student to try and grasp the concept himself.
Fuinjutsu is tricky, not everyone gets it and you can't teach someone to be a master. Sure, most people can create basic storage seals and what have you, but to be a master you must have an affinity for it. If Naruto showed that level of proficiency, then the Sage would double down on the fuinjutsu lessons.
Naruto's eyes lit up at the mention of the sealing technique. "That reminds me, Sensei. I wanted to ask you something." Naruto flipped open his kunai pouch and took out a scroll. Unfurling it, Jiraiya noticed that it was a storage seal. Eyebrow raised; he watched the boy inject some of his chakra into the seal.
'Poof.'
It was a book on sealing.
"You're already reading the intermediate level stuff?" Jiraiya questioned, surprised by this development.
Naruto, completely unaware that his master had said anything, was flipping through the pages of the large book. "Here." He said, pointing to the page in question.
"That's the fire seal. What about it?"
"I remember you using this to seal the black flames that Itachi left behind. It's a seal that can contain chakra techniques. Though, in this case, it is limited to fire." He said that last part more for himself than Jiraiya. Suddenly, he began flipping through the pages once more. "And here. This is a modified storage seal that is mainly used to store, and launch out, shuriken, kunai, and other projectiles at a target. I've seen Tenten use this one before." The gears were turning in the blond's head, but not in any way the Sannin could understand.
"What are you getting at, Naruto?"
Naruto took out and unfurled another scroll from his pouch. Though, this one had an intricate seal that the Sage did not recognize. "While I was reading this book, I came up with an idea for this." Gesturing to his seal. "Though, I'm not sure if it'll work."
Jiraiya blinked. 'He's already been trying to develop his own sealing matrices? How could I have not noticed?' Yet, on second thought, the Sage shouldn't be too surprised about the blond's natural aptitude for fuinjutsu. Given who Naruto's parents are… Jiraiya shook his head from his thoughts and back to the problem at hand. "Well, what is it supposed to do?" He finally responded.
"I took those two seals from the book, modified them a little to synergize with one another, and combined them into one." Now that he mentioned it, Jiraiya saw the similarities this seal had with the other two. "I wanted a seal that contained properties of both, a seal that could absorb a jutsu like, say, the Fireball Jutsu, and then redirect it back at the caster. By using the chakra absorption capabilities of the fire seal, and the projection attribute of the modified storage seal, I think it might work."
Jiraiya was in awe at the design. The boy didn't just try to mash two different seals together in a half-baked attempt to create something new. No, he designed it so, the two different components he wanted to extract from each seal flowed into each other. This was an entirely new seal with characteristics of both. "How did you come up with this?"
Naruto blinked. "Well… I don't know, it just, sort of, made sense?" He responded, slightly unsure of it himself. "Almost like two puzzle pieces that you have to pick out from a big pile. They just... fit together? Do you think it can work?"
The Sannin looked at the design up and down. The lines were neat and straight, the matrix flowed beautifully into itself. Everything appeared to be in order. "I think so…" Unsure of it himself.
"Good. I want you to shoot some fire at me." The teenager asked if it was the simplest thing in the world.
Normally, Jiraiya would object to this rather vehemently. He would go on and on about how it was a bad idea and that they should be more responsible. However, Jiraiya loved fuinjutsu, he found it fascinating. So, it only made sense that he, too, was insanely interested in what Naruto's seal could do. He made up his mind.
"I like the way you think, kid."
Walking a decent distance away from his student, he began to gather chakra in the pit of his stomach. "Are you ready?" To which the blond nodded stiffly.
"Fire Style: Fire Bullet." Running through a quick series of hand signs, Jiraiya spat out a medium-sized ball of fire at the boy.
Naruto smirked, excited about the prospect of trying out his invention. "Here goes nothing!" Naruto yelled as he pumped chakra into the scroll, he was holding out in front of him. The matrix glowed a bright blue, humming softly with energy as the fire approached rapidly. Once the technique got within ten feet of the seal, something amazing happened. Blue light poured out of the scroll and raced to meet the orange flames. Stopping all of the momenta from the attack, the bright energy wrapped itself around the fire, as if it were taming the inferno itself. Slowly, it drew the flames into the seal, the light fading quickly after.
"Woah…" Naruto breathed out in awe of what he saw. Shaking his head back to reality, he dropped the scroll on the ground and began to go through the same hand seals that his mentor had done.
"Fire Style: Fire Bullet!" He yelled as he stomped down on the seal, sending a pulse of his chakra into the paper.
The matrix lit up once again, though this time it glowed a hot orange. Without warning, the same jutsu, albeit noticeably smaller, that Jiraiya had used was now coming right back at him with righteous fury.
'Boom!'
Naruto's eyebrow rose at the display as he plopped down in front of his creation, cross-legged. Examining the seal, he adopted a pensive look. Instead of being happy at the success of his seal, he was left feeling conflicted and confused.
"Did you see that?" The blond called out into the dissipating smoke, not looking away from the scroll.
Jiraiya stepped out of the smoke, his hair still wrapped around him from his defensive jutsu. Slowly, his white locks began to revert back to their normal length, flowing gracefully behind him. "Yeah." The Sage nodded in agreement, though Naruto wasn't looking to notice. "It was significantly smaller coming back at me." Taking the space next to the boy, he, too, looked at the seal for any answers that it could provide.
"I expected some energy transfer loss, but that was much more than I thought." Looking over the matrix, the blond couldn't find the reason behind why this happened.
"Well." Jiraiya brought his hand to his chin, deep in thought. "What if there isn't a problem with your seal, at all?"
"What do you mean, Sensei? You saw it! It didn't work!"
"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean it's your fault." To make his point, the Sannin picked up the book the Genin had been studying and pointed to the cover. "Those two seals you used to create this one are barely intermediate level. One is used to seal away stationary fire, and the other is used to store projectile weapons. They probably aren't advanced enough to fully contain strong jutsu."
"I see…" Naruto contemplated these words. What his Godfather had said made sense. From what he was understanding, he was trying to force a seal to be more powerful than it actually was. Almost like the clone jutsu. If in the proper hands, the regular clone technique could be useful, but an E-Rank technique can only go so far. It pales in comparison to the much more advanced shadow clone variation. "Maybe I'll be able to figure it out once I start learning the more advanced stuff. I still have a lot to learn, huh?" The aspiring seal master grinned weakly.
"Don't be sad about this, your design is nothing short of genius." His mentor praised highly. "The fact that you thought of this all by yourself; you have real talent, Naruto."
Naruto's eyes widened. "R-Really?"
Before the Sage could respond, their attention was directed at the sound of nearby hopping.
"Kosuke?" The Sage questioned. "Do you have something for me?"
"For the both of you." The small toad answered, staring at both of them.
"Me?" The confused blond asked, pointing a thumb into his chest.
"That is what I said." Kosuke answered dryly, handing each of them a scroll.
Jiraiya immediately recognized where the message had come from. He sucked in air, releasing a deep, tired breath. "Oh boy." Sarcasm was woven heavily into his word. "I was dreading when this was finally going to arrive."
Naruto blinked, confused by his teacher's sudden change in attitude. Now interested, he opened his own message, unsure of who it was from. "Land of Fire Publishing Company?" Naruto said out loud, hoping it would help him understand what he was reading. Suddenly, it hit him. He published a book, didn't he? That's right! Naruto Uzumaki was a published author!
'How did I forget that?' He thought to himself, as he began to read the letter addressed to him.
"What does yours say, kid?" The older man asked, slightly afraid to open his own.
"My book, it became a best-seller." The blond's voice was surprisingly low as he read off his accomplishment, despite the great news. "And to celebrate, they're making a limited edition hardcover copy. They sent me a copy, too."
'Poof.'
Naruto undid the seal that was attached to the letter, releasing the copy in question. The binding was jet black, the rest of the book was a burnt orange, save for the red and black Uzumaki symbol that adorned the cover. In Jiraiya's opinion, it looked far better than the original neon orange softcover book the boy had designed.
"You got a check, too. " Jiraiya noticed a piece of paper fluttering to the ground when the seal was undone. Picking it up, he whistled at the amount that he saw written. "Well, well." His smile was a mile wide. "My boy is rich! What are you going to do with the money?"
The blond was too busy staring at the book that was now in his hands. Despite writing it less than a year ago, it felt like nearly a lifetime ago since he had come up with the idea. His face contorted into a grimace. Flipping through the pages, the scowl on his face only deepened.
"Naruto?"
"Huh?" The blond's head snapped in the direction of the sound, effectively getting him out of his own thoughts.
"I said, what are you going to do with all of this money?" Jiraiya repeated, waving the check in front of the boy's face for good measure.
Taking the check-in question, the author looked it over. It was a sizable amount. More than a kid like him ever needed. "I had been thinking about what I would do with this money when I finally got it for a while now." Though, none of that thought revolved around him using it for himself. Sure, he'd keep some for any expenses he would incur; like food, ink for writing, scrolls, ninja tools, and whatever else a ninja needed. However, he would not waste this money on frivolous things. No, this money could do some real good in the world. There was one place, in particular, he had in mind…
"I think I'm going to send most of this to Wave." He said after a long pause, face falling into a slight frown. "They need it after all of the trouble we caused them. Hopefully, it can help people who lost a lot get back on their feet, at least a little."
Jiraiya's eyes softened. "You know, that's not a bad idea." His mentor joined in. "I think I'll write them a check, too. After all, it's the least that I can do for them."
Naruto smiled lightly at the kind gesture from his Sensei. "Thanks, Master." Getting off the depressing topic, the blond addressed the new elephant in the room. "So, what does your letter say?" His student had noticed the sullen reaction the Sannin had when he found out it was from their publishing company.
Jiraiya huffed in annoyance, clenching the note tightly in his hand, arms crossed firmly at his chest. "Well, let's just say that they are not happy with the news that I'm retiring from writing the Icha-Icha series."
"Oh?" Naruto commented, a slight amount of amusement intertwined into his voice.
"Yeah!" The Sage threw his hands up in the air in annoyance. "They're even threatening to sue me for breach of contract! Talking about how we have a written agreement together for at least two more books! Those bastards, I made them plenty of money as it is." He wasn't worried about the lawsuit that much, Jiraiya was angry that they had the audacity to try and reel him back in after all he had done for them over the years.
"What are you going to do about that? Sounds kind of serious."
Jiraiya waved off any concern that the boy had for him. "Don't worry, I'll be able to figure something out." Looking up at the position of the sun, the Sage realized how much time they had wasted not doing taijutsu. "We'll worry about that stuff later; we have to finish our training for today."
Naruto hastily agreed. Anything to distract his mind from where it was trying to go.
Naruto let out a heavy breath, leaning up against the table he was sitting at. It was now dusk; training had concluded some hours ago. It was a good session, Naruto had thought. They worked on head movement, agility and evasive drills, and even a spar against a horde of his clones. This time, unlike the last few months, the real blond had come out victorious.
Shortly after their session was over, the boy claimed that he was going to come here, to the Mount Myoboku archives, to study. During his free time, this was where a lot of his fuinjutsu reading took place outside of training. It was very quiet, and it contained a decent amount of literature revolving around fuinjutsu. That was what he had told his teacher he was going to be working on, his work-in-progress sealing matrix; but that wasn't true. What he was really occupying his time with was currently staring him right in the face.
'The Weight of the World: by Naruto Uzumaki.'
Its presence alone was angering the young author.
At the time, when he had found out that this book had gotten published, it was one of the most satisfying moments of his life. Not only had he found something that he truly enjoyed doing, but he was able to chalk it down as one more obstacle in his life that he was able to overcome.
That's why the news that his precious creation had become a best-seller should have caused him to be overcome with joy. When he had seen the long line at the bookstore in Wave, and people itching to get a copy of his work, it filled him with a sense of pride and happiness. Proud that people were accepting his writing as good enough, and happy that he would be able to share the story with the world. HIS story.
Then, why? Why wasn't he happy? This was what he wanted, after all, right?
Looking at the cover, he didn't feel any of the emotions that he thought he would. This moment was supposed to be filled with joy, pride, and a sense of accomplishment. Yet, all he felt was disappointment, contempt, and anger. Earlier, he had skimmed through the book to see its contents. Though, that wasn't really necessary considering he write the book himself. He just wanted to confirm why he was feeling what he was feeling.
'This book… it's so childish.' He thought to himself bitterly. 'So naïve.' The reason why he was so upset was simple once he thought about it.
Despite the novel being under a year old, the Naruto who wrote this, and the Naruto that exists today, are two very different people. The story paints a picture of an idealistic, picturesque world. A hopeful place, with good people. Sure, the main character goes through rough beginnings, but he is able to overcome that. The people that once shunned and isolated him, are now his allies and help him defeat the dangerous people who are trying to control the world. He's able to get humanity to trust one another to the point where they can live alongside each other. He had projected his hopes for the future into his writing.
However, he now knows that something like that is nothing more than foolish fantasy. When locking eyes with Jaaku, Naruto finally understood just what humans were capable of. They were filled with nothing but selfishness and greed. Those eyes haunted him more than he'd like to admit. There weren't words to describe what he was feeling, it was so many emotions at once. In essence, Jaaku's greed represented a microcosm of the entire world. Greed was the root of most evil in the world, and everyone was capable of it. If put in the right position, humans would show that they are inherently bad. That is what Naruto believed.
Naruto scoffed at the book in front of him. As far as he was concerned, the only good this book had was that it was raising him money to give back to Wave… Still.
"I can't let this book define who I am as a writer. I won't let that happen." He breathed out. Glancing over at the corner of the table, there was a notepad and pen. His frown evened out, a neutral and indifferent expression now adorning his features.
It was time to write a sequel…
Author's Note: Naruto is beginning to show off his expanding skillset. From his own unique style of Taijutsu, to his apparent affinity for Fuinjutsu, Jiraiya is trying to keep him from being a one-dimensional Shadow Clone/Rasengan spammer. And there is still more to come.
Jiraiya is also trying to devote his time to be there for his Godson beyond simply training him, as a way to atone for not being there the boy's entire life. Though, as seen later in the chapter, Naruto is still developing and thinking much differently than his canon counterpart. What does this mean for the future? Well, you'll have to wait and see.
Keep letting me know what you guys think of the chapters! It means a lot to me and your feedback is always taken into considerations!
Chapter 15 is already written for the most part, but the next installment of The Bet of a Lifetime is Omake 3: Head in the Clouds. I'll see you then!
ThelittleKing - A great review as always. I love Naruto as a character, but I feel like every rendition of him by other Fanfic authors are always either one of two things. He either acts in line with his canon self, or they make him edgy and emotionless with very little development. I have nothing against the first one as they are staying true to the original character, but I wanted to add my own spin.
Jiraiya is someone who I've thought a lot about in relation to my story. He's another character that most people keep pretty much the same as in canon. While I don't want to strip him of what makes him my favorite character, I also think he needed to change because of the direction the story is going in. I'm glad you found his inner monologue interesting.
36Barry72 - I'm happy you like where I'm taking Jiraiya and Naruto, though. Naruto still isn't a fully developed character, so I cant disclose how his ideals and thoughts will change over time.
rswknight - Saying that I am also growing as a writer is one of the nicest reviews I think I've ever gotten. I really am trying to continue to get better. Thank you.
GunBlade2019 - This one is probably my favorite review of this chapter. You understood exactly what I was getting at. This is a very pivotal moment in the development of our protagonist. Jiraiya realizes that he has to be there for him in the boy's time of need, to guide him in what he thinks is the right direction. Perfect analysis.