After they spent the rest of the day getting situated in the old Uchiha hideout Naruto and Izumi woke up in the morning ready to start out their two years of training.

"Naruto-Kun I hate to say it but either the standards of the leaf have dropped severely for your skillset to be the way it is or all your senseis deserve to be demoted. You have two offensive techniques, rasengan and your kage bunshin, and you are the only person I have ever seen to use an information gathering technique like the bunshin so purely offensively. Your taijutsu before you started this trip was laughable and from what I saw in the last week shadowing you and Jiraiya-Sama all you and him have done is working on your body, you have no distinct style. It seems like you are flailing around praying something connects. It honestly is a credit towards you that you have reached the level you have with the distinct lack of either advice or training given to you. Truly your ingenuity and creativity are your biggest weapon and the reason you are known as Konoha's most unpredictable ninja."

"Heh, if you think all that you should see my henge Izumi-Chan!"

"Oh and why would that be?" Naruto sweatdropped at his stupidity, was he really going to show off his Oiroke no jutsu to an S ranked woman debatably stronger than Baa-Chan?

"Umm, I'll show you later but for now why don't you let me know what we should do first? But first why did you say kage bunshin is an information gathering jutsu, no one has ever told me that?"

"Wait a minute, no one told you the secret of kage bunshin?" Naruto just shook his head in confusion. "Everything your clone learns you learn if you intentionally dispel your clone. You probably have never noticed since you only use your clones in groups for combat. Most people will send a kage bunshin into combat to start to gain information on their opponent before the original gets into battle. Many also use it in conjunction with the henge for spying purposes." Naruto was shocked, his favorite technique was this overpowered? Why hadn't Kakashi ever had him working with clones to learn anything. Hell if Kakashi had told him this in Wave when they were learning tree walking He could have covered the forest in clones to get tree walking down in a day. Jiraiya always told him it would take to much time to teach him the toad style of taijutsu so they focused on improving his body first. If he had just a hundred clones doing the katas everyday in the past year he could have actually had a style by now instead of fighting blind. Why did everyone who was supposed to be responsible for his growth ignore him and just bother doing the bare minimum. "Well whatever Naruto-Kun it doesn't matter, I actually agree with Jiraiya-Sama's training methods in many parts. Your fitness and control do need to be better before we start your elemental training. Instead of mornings doing fitness and afternoons doing control like you did before you will be doing fitness until we take a quick break for lunch. After that we will do some light sparring and then you will go back to your bodily training until we end for the day. While the original you is doing that I want a hundred clones doing the katas of the Uchiha interceptor fist so you atleast have a style even if it doesn't fit you. I also want two hundred and fifty clones doing chakra control exercises. I know you can do many more clones but the mental fatigue from gaining so many experiences will tire even you out and I don't want you burning out after a month. I'll make some clones to oversee your clones while The original me will be doing the fitness with you, I've started to become a little out of shape."

The first month followed this schedule and in Naruto's opinion it went swimmingly. Doing physical exercise almost twelve hours a day meant Naruto was in such a shape that he had never previously been in, he felt incredible. Alongside his training he was overjoyed in the fact that he and Izumi had really gotten to know each other well. Every day after their training he and Izumi would talk and their friendship had started to grow immensely. This also made Naruto think back on his life, he never really talked to girls before Izumi. Aside from Sakura he only really talked to Baa-Chan or Shizune-Neechan. While he loved talking to both and saw them as family it wasn't the same as having a female friend near his age. Sakura was also a topic he thought a lot on, more specifically his crush on the girl. What did he see in her, while not ugly she was far from the best looking in the academy class, the top spot easily being Ino and he thought Hinata had a cute charm about her. Thinking back on his crush it all started when they met on a playground when he was six, they became fast friends and promised to meet each other the next day. She came an hour late to their meeting and told him to leave her alone, that her mom told her he was a bad guy and she should stay far away from him. Once they met again in the academy he tried to regain their friendship, and his drive for companionship slowly started to annoy the poor girl. Naruto, with his sad lonely life started to look forward to the refusals, that it would at least ensure a minute or two of conversation before he went back to his frigid reality of isolation. He realized any relationship built on that would be close to abusive, she would hurt him to force him to dance on her strings like one of Kankurou's puppets and he would happily do it to please her. Izumi started to take her place in his dreams, The woman was beautiful and actually enjoyed his company. He was a little ashamed to admit it because of her help in his training but he knew he was slowly starting to fall in love with her. He wouldn't say anything of course because there was no way he would have a chance. Izumi was beautiful, no one could compare to her in his mind. Why would she settle for the demon brat, a kid five year younger than her who she was teaching, no he would never ask her out. That would ruin the first real friendship Naruto could honestly say he ever had.

Little did Naruto know that Izumi was thinking on similar lines. She just couldn't get the blonde out of her head. The first person she could actually talk to as herself since the massacre was slowly making an impression on her. She loved how hard he threw himself into everything he did. If he was training then it was a one track mind on him improving himself in the best ways he could think of. In their conversations he was genuinely interested on everything she had to say. This didn't feel like it had with Shisui, her only friend before this. Shisui was her best friend but he didn't know her true gender. She didn't tell him about the inner workings of her family life or almost anything about her. When Shisui died she had given up on friendship but Naruto wormed himself into her heart. She also had to admit the compliments he gave her felt amazing. Being called beautiful or intelligent by her mother felt good, but she knew if she was an ugly idiot her mother would still say the same in her soft, loving voice. With Naruto though it was completely different. When he called her beautiful her heart fluttered, she honestly wasn't aware of her appearance and had self image issues. Who wouldn't after spending almost fifteen years of their life as a man? Naruto calling her pretty made her feel special, and she loved it. Izumi had never had a an infatuation with a man before but she was sure she had developed one for Naruto. But obviously he didn't feel the same, She was five years older than him and was his sensei besides, not the greatest position to start a romantic relationship. She also remembered Zetsu's report stated he was in love with his pink haired teammate, civilian born Sakura Haruno. Watching Naruto flow through his exercises reminded Izumi of a hypothesis she had thought up a few days ago. He was a handsome man, his long blonde hair framed an angular face which was just made more ferally attractive with the whisker marks. The month of training they had done together made him look good, whenever she would supervise his training when he was shirtless she would have to constantly suppress a blush. Overall he was starting to look like a young hero to Izumi, not a stereotypical hero but one very specific one.

"Naruto-Kun we're going to stop early today. I am going on an errand back to Konoha and will be back in one week. I believe I may have an idea on who your parents are." Naruto couldn't believe his ears, his parents were one subject he never could forgive the Sandaime over. It doesn't matter the reason, a child should always know his parents if it was an option.

"Izumi-Chan, you really don't have to. I know I've told you how much I feel the need to know their identity but it's not worth it if you have to go into danger for me. If you were hurt I would never forgive myself, Izumi-Chan I don't ever want you to be put in danger for me."

"Oh don't worry Naruto-Kun if I really don't want to be seen I won't be. I was an ANBU captain so I know all the secret and unguarded entrances. I will go into the hokages records and find the file on your parents,I have a guess on who they are due to how my mother reacted whenever you were brought up in conversation. There's a chance your mother was my mothers best friend, Mikoto tried to adopt you but both the civilian council and Fugaku opposed it. If I'm right I will need a little bit of your blood to get into her house, She was a seal master so only those who hold her blood would be let in. While I'm gone for this week spend some time when you're not training with the toads, you haven't spent much time with them and a healthy relationship with your summons is important. Before I leave we will test your elemental affinity. I want you to spend this week training it along with your other training. Here is some chakra paper, just channel chakra into it." Naruto took the paper and did as Izumi asked. The paper split down the middle and one side dampened.

"Wind and water, one almost wholly offensive and the other has the potential to do anything from long range jutsu to defensive walls. Focus on wind for this week, once you have a usable arsenal of wind jutsu we will start on water. Use your clones to try and use wind chakra to split a leaf in half, after that is finished try to split the river on the north side of the hideout. It's going to be strange to not be around you Naruto-Kun, I've grown used to your presence."

"I've grown very fond of yours too Izumi-Chan, and I value it far more than my parents identities. Please be careful Izumi if something were to happen to you I don't know what I would do."

The two shinobis looked at each other for a moment before meeting in between them for a warm hug. After their final goodbyes Naruto watched her run towards Konoha, towards uncovering a truth that may shake his life to its foundations. 'As much as I hate to see her leave I do love to watch her go. Stupid Ero-Sennin clouding my mind with his pervertness!'

'Well brat that may be the first thing we agree on, she would make a good mate. As much as I hate Uchiha, this vixen is surprisingly likeable. Much better than Madara or her emo brother you're so hung up on.' 'Shut up fox, she deserves a lot better than to be with someone like me.' 'Oh ho, yet another thing we agree on, your ineptitude! Kit if things keep on going the way that makes your life so amusing and entertaining I may not kill you once I escape your foul body. Yes Kit, I will give you the honour to be the first priest dedicaed to the greatness that is the Kyuubi!' 'Hahaha, very funny baka-fox. In all seriousness I would like us to get along one day. Sadly I currently have no way to get through our hate and rage, so in the meantime I'm gonna hang with Kichi, so kindly shut the fuck up.'

After hearing an answering snort Naruto quickly summoned his amphibian friend. A poof of smoke an accompanying an orange toad that reached up to Naruto's chest answered him.

"Kichi you're growing so much! When I summoned you three weeks ago you were up to my waist."

"Heh yeah bro I'm just awesome like that. Pops finally got permission from Fukusaku-Sama and Shima-Sama to start my senjutsu training, soon I'm gonna be as big as pops and way stronger than you could ever be."

"Senjutsu, I don't think I've ever heard of that. Could you explain it to me?"

"Eh I could but the elders would do a better job. Come on I'll summon you to Mount Myoboku to talk to them!"

When Naruto was reverse summoned to the land of the toads he was awestruck, the lush jungle filled with multi coloured beautiful sights was something he was extremely intrigued to see. After showing Naruto around the main village Gamakichi took him towards ma and pa.

"Fukusaku-Sama, Shima-Sama, I've brought Naruto here so you could hopefully give him an explanation of what senjutsu is because honestly, I have no clue how to explain."

"Well Kichi-Chan, although I don't think Naruto-Chan here is ready for senjutsu, I guess an explanation wouldn't hurt. Naruto-Chan, senjutsu is the ultimate techniques a great summon clan can teach to their summoner. Senjutsu revolves around merging with your environment and absorbing the natural energy that flows throughout the entire world. A person who is adept at using senjutsu is called a sage, that is where little Jiraiya-Chan got the sage part of his name. You are not currently ready for learning how to utilize senjutsu, you are both too young and your skill level as a ninja is not high enough. You will die if you try to learn how to do this currently, in one to two years I will test you to see if you're ready."

After the quick explanation Gamakichi and Naruto thanked the elder toads and then went to look around the mountain of the toads. After a long night of visiting with the toads who he had come to know in the short time he was a summoner, Gamakichi led Naruto to his father Gamabunta.

"Oi Gaki, good to see you. Tonight is the night to finally take me up on the offer to drink with me to become the summoner of the main line of the toads. We have not had one since Minato Namikaze, and I would like Gamakichi to take up my role of chief toad in the future. Since he is your primary summon you need to drink with both of us, which means double the sake!"

"What about Jiraiya, I'd assume he was the summoner of the main line since he is known as the toad sage?"

"While we the toads both respect and like the pervert, his primary summon is Gamaken and he is not in the main line, he likes to take a role of assisting the main line. When the pervert originally reverse-summoned himself to our lands he came across a young Gamaken so he became Jiraiya's primary summon. I obviously allow both him and you to summon me when the situation calls for more power than the summoners primary summon can supply but the main line of the toads will continue through you."

What followed is something Naruto was not too proud of, while the kyuubi could burn off any toxins in his system, including alcohol, it seems like he wanted a little revenge on our young blonde. When Naruto woke up in the morning he was in a barrel, knee deep in sake. Kichi was lying twenty feet away with what looked to be a female toad in a bit of a compromising position while Tatsu seemingly showed up part way through the night and was sleeping on Bunta's tongue, which was laying outside of his mouth while he himself was passed out underneath a waterfall. Naruto knew when to call it so he got a nearby toad to reverse summon him back to the Uchiha hideout so he could train in wait for Izumi and the news that may come of his parents.