Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys I'm back yet again with another chapter. We got a lot to unpack in this chapter with a lot of comical moments and more antics of Jiraiya's perversion. As the name of the chapter implies Naruto meets Gamabunta the Chief Toad but what will their relationship be like? Read on and find out.
Without further delay... sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Chapter 54
The Chief Toad
"Naru… we need to talk." Eva's nervous filled voice spoke out the next morning. True enough to her words Naruto was sleeping on the couch with a simple blanket covering his form for the night. He was released from the hospital with only a diagnosis of Severe Chakra Exhaustion. Normally a person would need to be held in the hospital for a week at the very least under heavy supervision due to the inherent dangers of chakra exhaustion, but due to Naruto's status of being the Nine Tails Jinchūriki host his chakra was already starting to recover to the point it left the red zone. He could legally check himself out at this point since he was within healthy limits.
The hospital itself had a policy that prevented a patient or a relative of a patient to check themselves or them out of the hospital if their health was in the red zone. It was a healthcare act that was made into law to prevent the unnecessary death or further injury of a sick patient if they were to leave the hospital without being properly healed. This law was village wide and applied to both the specialized Shinobi Hospital and the general Civilian Hospital. This law has actually brought down the total number of deaths and injuries within the village since its inception by a staggering 38%. Even government officials and the Hokage himself have to abide by this law when it concerns the very lives of patients under the care of the hospital.
Hearing the tone of nervousness and uncertainty within his other half's voice Naruto immediately sat up in the couch as all traces of his tiredness washed away. "Eva what's wrong? Did something happen?" Naruto questioned as he was sensing a lot of turmoil within his partner at the moment. In fact, he was sensing it from yesterday when she came back to his hospital room but he had just chalked it up to her still being mad at him but now he was certain it was something else entirely.
"Naru look…" Eva said nervously as she reached into the massive curtain she calls her hair and pulled out a certain lock of hair. "Oh my god… Eva your hair is white?! What happened?" Naruto's mind was immediately going a million miles an hour as he tried in vain to understand what was going on. Eva has never expressed any desire to dye her hair a different color or stylized it in such a fashion so Naruto instantly crossed that possibility out. Looking at it he could tell right away that it was all natural due to the hair being white all the way down to its roots and the way the color is shaded in on each individual hair follicle.
"Naru… remember the vision we shared back in the Forest of Death… the one that showed us the memory of the night I lost my family…" Eva slowly iterated as she herself was trying to wrap her brain around the only plausible explanation to their current worry. It took Naruto a second but he did recall that memory in vivid detail as it finally dawned on him. "Your mother… we saw your mother Eva and when she gave you that strange stone to save your life she mentioned the fact you'll gain white streaks in your hair just like her if you used to much of that power." Naruto recalled as it all made sense now. Eva confirmed this with a shake of her head as she bunched up the white hair within her small fist.
"Exactly… I can feel it Naru. I feel different now. Yesterday Neji showed up in Hinata's room and was in the middle of attacking Henrietta. I stepped in and stopped him but while doing so I felt so much rage and anger. I referred to him as a human and threatened to kill him. Not to mention I sounded so possessive of Hinata when I mentioned her. I've never referred to anyone as 'human' in such a feral way before." Eva explained in a mixture of panic and uncertainty. She's used the word 'human' before a few times over the years but never was she in such a feral state before to use it in a demeaning way. This was totally out of character for her whose much more domesticated and civilized. Almost more humanized in a sense.
"Wait… hold on a minute… Neji attacked Henrietta and Hinata in the hospital yesterday?!" Naruto exclaimed as his eyes glowed in ethereal white. His power was starting to ripple out a bit from his anger and soon enough they were even starting to turn scarlet red from the Nine Tails influence but Eva quickly managed to bring the overprotective and enraged Uzumaki back under control.
"I know it's bad Naru, but I managed to scare him off. He won't try a stunt like that again I promise. I already took care of it and added Rico to the little assignment you gave Henrietta. Triela is with Victor out of the village right now and everyone else is busy. I asked Jose to take some time off to spend it at the hospital with Henrietta. He agreed so no one is getting near Hinata again." Eva quickly explained in a way to pacify her paranoid soul mate. She knew telling him about Neji's actions would upset him greatly but it needed to be done. Especially since they were talking about such an important personal topic.
"I'm going to kill him…" Naruto growled out between his teeth. This was crossing the line; a line Naruto would defend even to his death. No one messes with those closest to him. When he sees Neji the next time there will be hell to pay. "We will beat him when the finals come Eva. He's not walking away from this." Naruto declared in resolution as he clenched his fist with his blood boiling within his veins.
"We'll beat him Naru… but what are we going to do about this?" Eva insisted as she pulled on her white locks of hair. Seeing the distress his partner was under Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself down. He'd brood over what he'd do to Neji later but right now he had to be there for Eva. She was more important to him at the moment. "I don't know Eva, this worries me too. That strange power is starting to affect you now of all times. After all these years it's finally starting to manifest itself." This was a problem. A big problem.
"Naru… I'm scared. I don't know what this means for me." Eva cried in distress as tears were starting to pool within her eyes. She didn't understand what this all meant. "I wish I had more memories of her... I want to know what this all means." Eva sniffled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I would have loved to meet her Eva. That battle she had with that other fairy was unlike anything we've ever seen before. She was incredible." Naruto exclaimed which brought a small smile to Eva's face. "Yeah, she was. We don't know what happened to that other fairy though. Do you think we'll ever run into her?" Eva questioned with caution and weariness in her voice. She had every right to be concerned. "I hope not. She was able to stand up to your mother and fight on par with her. We don't know exactly how powerful your mother was Eva, but it's safe to say she was stronger than anything or anyone in our world. Her power was immense. So, if that other fairy could even fight her at all without dying then that means she was incredibly powerful." Naruto explained as he thought carefully on the memory they viewed. The fight between those two was incredible.
"I had a brother and a father…" Eva whispered as tears started to fall again. "Hey… hey… It's ok Eva… I don't think they'd want to see you in this state. They would have wanted you to move forward. That's what your mother sacrificed her life for." Naruto said in a sympathetic tone of voice as he could feel the waves of anguish rolling off of his other half. It broke his heart to see her like this. "We'll get through this I promise. We'll just have to be careful from now on in using our powers." Naruto comforted as he held the little fairy close. He would be there for her just like he always has.
"Do you think the shack that we first met in will have any more clues to all this? We did go back and visited it, but we didn't collect everything in there. Maybe we missed something." Eva suggested after a few moments of silence. "Hey, at this point anything's worth a shot. Just as long as you start smiling again. You may have lost your old family Eva but they are still with you deep down in your heart, they gave you a power to move on… and now you've gained a new family and I won't let anything happen to you. Whatever this weird thing is we'll figure it out together just like we always have." Naruto said in the softest voice he could muster as he poured his heart out for Eva to let her know that she wasn't alone in this.
Eva gained a small blush on her cheeks as she gazed into the warm eyes of her other half who was intent on letting her know he had her back. It was a comforting thought and one that filled Eva's heart with the comfort she needed. "Thank you Naru." Eva said as she kissed the blonde Uzumaki on the cheek. It was one of those moments were the two partners grew closer together. Eva was confident they would be alright just as long as they did this together.
"How about we get to training. The Summoning Jutsu isn't going to master itself you know." Naruto suggested as he got up from the couch. The winter fairy let out a giggle as she agreed wholeheartedly with this fact. "Right, let's go get the girls up so that we can start our day." Eva insisted as she headed off in the direction of the rooms.
"Hey, Eva… uh… do I still have to sleep on the couch by any chance?" Naruto asked with a nervous chuckle while eyeing the uncomfortable furniture. Eva paused as she gave Naruto a long stare that lasted nearly a minute. Her face was blank so he couldn't get a good read on her intentions. He was actually dreading her response.
"Yep!" Naruto's heart broke as Eva simply flew away without looking back. "Damn it." Naruto cried as he slammed his head into the refrigerator.
3 Days Later: 20 miles Northwest of The Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves/ Town of Midway
"So… are you finally going to tell me why we came all the way out here Jiraiya?" Naruto questioned as he walked beside the mountain of a man who was jotting down notes within his notepad. They were miles away from home and while Naruto was initially reluctant to leave the village for such a distance Shoko eventually convinced him that this was a good decision.
"Today we are going to have you master the Summoning Jutsu weather you like it or not. This technique will be very important for your development. If you can't control your energy and syphon out only your chakra then you'll be in trouble for the future." Jiraiya explained as he briefly looked up from his notepad to address his student. Naruto frowned at this as it was frustrating for him. Not being able to master this technique was killing him.
"I've been trying to master this technique for the last two weeks. The amount of progress I've been making is pathetic." Naruto grumbled in an annoyed fashion as he kicked a stone down the dirt road. He never had this much trouble mastering a technique before. When he was younger he didn't have this much trouble learning a new Jutsu. Naruto sadly realized that the reason why this was the case was because Naruto's chakra circulatory system wasn't completely mixed with Eva's Yōki or the twins energy yet. As of now their energies are much more intertwined.
"Daddy, I'm pretty sure you'll master this technique today. I just know it." Iris said in encouragement with a small smile adoring her face which Naruto returned while holding the little girls hand. Chaos was having a piggy back ride from Jiraiya who didn't seem to mind the tiny terror getting a free ride. The unhinged little girl was giggling in her usual manner while spying the content the old man was busy writing down in his notebook. It wasn't safe for children to read that was for sure. "There is a place I want to take you that will be our training spot. Its right outside of a small town so we'll have a place to rest while we're here." Jiraiya explained as they made it to the top of a large hill. Down below them as a small village not even 1/6th the size of the Hidden Leaf. It was actually more of a go between rest stop between the major villages and the Hidden Leaf to the south east and the few major cities and villages that lead up to the boarder in the northwest.
The town was called Midway because of its geographical location of being the exact midway point distance wise between the Hidden Leaf Village and the Land of Fire's Northwest boarder. In terms of distance it was the exact middle point between the village and the border with many cities and small villages forming a line between the two locations. A main highway dirt road heavily traveled by thousands of people a year ran right by the town connecting it and many of the small and large villages with the Hidden Leaf many miles to the southeast and the border towns further up north.
The small group rented out a hotel room for 2 days while they stayed in the small town. They didn't plan to stay in the small town for very long. 'I also have a few contacts that I've got to meet up with in this town.' Jiraiya privately thought to himself in a more serious light as he still had a very important job to do. One that he always takes seriously.
"Hey, look she's so cute."
"Is she a princess?"
"Is that her big brother?"
"Are they a family?"
It would seem that Naruto couldn't even walk down the street with Iris next to him without getting this response. Everyone that they were passing by were sending inquisitive looks their way as they all took notice of Iris's unnatural beauty and grace. Even when she walks Iris unintentionally walks with a certain amount of poise and elegance that only a noble would have. It was hard to miss and considering the striking resemblance she has to Naruto it would only make sense that they would easily be mistaken for brother and sister. Considering the age gap that would be the most appropriate assumption but Naruto wasn't about to open his mouth and reveal that he's actually her father to a bunch of strangers. That's opening up a can of worms he doesn't need right now.
'Jeez, I get it's a small town and all but you'd think they would have seen a noble or two in their life time before.' Naruto thought to himself in annoyance as all eyes were on him and Iris right now. Where's Chaos and Jiraiya you might ask? Well Naruto currently doesn't know since after the old sage booked the hotel rooms for the group he quickly made up the excuse that he had some informants to meet and that they would start his training in the earlier afternoon as soon as he got back. Chaos tagged along before Naruto could exclude her from his excursion and now Naruto's been left alone with Iris for the last hour trying to not only find their missing travel companions but also find something productive to do.
"Daddy, everyone's staring at me right now. It's embarrassing." Iris whispered out cutely to Naruto who under normal circumstances would have gushed at how cute Iris was being but as of now he was just annoyed with the amount of unwanted attention he and his daughter were receiving. The little princess had a cute embarrassed blush on her face right now and she as usual had her arm intertwined with Naruto's. She was clinging to his arm as a life support right now since so many people were looking her way and passing comments off about her. She wasn't used to this much public attention. The most people she would have to deal with on any given day would be when she and her sister are at the casino during their shifts serving the customers.
"I know Iris… to be honest it's just one of those rare few times were you're just too beautiful. It's drawing a lot of attention." Naruto said offhandedly which caused the little girl to squeak cutely in embarrassment. Her blush intensified as she would always hear from her father how beautiful she was. Of course, from an objective view point she knew this to be more of a fact rather than an opinion but she always preferred to hear her father say that to her from his heart as a compliment. She's told all the time how mature she looks and how beautiful she looks which while flattering could get annoying and embarrassing after a while. So, she always looked towards her father for a more meaningful compliment that wasn't so repetitive.
On the other hand, Iris would admit that her unnatural and inhuman beauty was a troublesome problem. It didn't matter that she was in a human form and in the form of a small little girl. People of all ages and genders would instantly single her out of a crowd and identify her as someone who stands out and is uncharacteristically beautiful compared to others around her. It was her divinity as a true higher being that was causing this. It didn't matter what form she took it wouldn't mask the feeling you'd get when you look at her. She would stand out in your mind as something very beautiful and gorgeous to look at regardless of whatever form she happened to be in. Sōkyoku isn't meant to simply blend into normal crowds. She just stands out too much.
After learning of this aggravating phenomenon one day it just gave Naruto one more reason not to bring his girls out into the public back home. While Iris would be busy attracting every soul within a ten-block radius, Chaos would be intentionally and unintentionally spreading her bad luck to all of those unfortunately people. Their days would go from good to bad just by being around the tiny terror and this is while Chaos is with Iris and Naruto who dampen the sphere of influence her powers of bad luck give her.
The father daughter duo including Eva of course spent the next hour window shopping and generally having a good time. It was rare for them to spend alone time like this and Naruto could honestly say he enjoyed this time together with Iris more than he could have ever thought possible. Usually they would either be training, working at the casino, or doing missions. Other than that Naruto would usually have to divide his attention between Iris and Chaos. With Chaos, he would have to watch over her to make sure she either didn't do anything wrong and stayed in control of her behavior or if her powers acted up and she hexed someone by accident. While it was a hassle to watch over the tiny terror it would never deter Naruto from actually doing so. After enjoying the novel experience, he could confidently say he was going to have some 1 on 1 time with Chaos next.
He learned a lot about Iris and her personality by spending time with her. He also observed the fact that she was slowing gaining more and more of Sōkyoku's overall personality as time went on. She even started to speak to him in French. It wasn't a language he was completely familiar with but he did know what it was since he asked Sōkyoku about it many months ago back when he first took Kakashi's bell test. She gave him a history lesson on the many languages that she knew including British English and Latin. Of course, he didn't have the time to actually learn the language; but he did pick up on a few words from the long time that he's been exposed to it.
"Daddy, I had a wonderful time this morning. It was so much fun." Iris said cheerfully in her rich accent. It was so full of life and elegance that Naruto could easily get lost in listening to it. He secretly loved to hear Iris talk. Her accent was beautiful and enchanting to his ears. "I had a lot of fun too sweetie. We should definitely do it again some time. But now we need to go find your sister and Jiraiya." Naruto said as he held Iris's small hand within his own protectively. They were headed off to the hot springs since Naruto had a strong hunch he'd find the old sage there. He's been gone for more than long enough for a simple meet up with a contact. It surely didn't take that long.
"You two looked so cute together on your date. You definitely need to do that again." Eva teased with a giggle which got a massive blush to come to Iris's face and a more composed one to come to Naruto's. "Eva! Don't say that. It wasn't a date." Naruto chastised with an embarrassed air around him. Perking up at this Iris added her input. "But daddy, didn't you say one time that a date is between a boy and a girl or two people who really like each other and they go out and do fun stuff together like shopping, and eating at restaurants?" Iris asked in a shy manner while placing a finger to her lips in the cutest gesture imaginable. She was unintentionally laying on the charm really thick.
Naruto started to stutter in embarrassment as he did recall mentioning that to Iris and Chaos a long while back at the insistent teasing of Anko. "We'll yeah, that's true and all but… that's usually for…" Naruto tried to explain as he kept looking into Iris's expressive blue eyes which were watching him closely. He missed the hidden flash of mischievousness within her eyes as his embarrassment was clouding his judgement. "…But what Daddy? I love you. Is that not enough?" The princess asked in the sincerest and most innocent tone of voice imaginable which stopped Naruto in his tracks. His heart melted at the sheer amount of sincerity held within his daughter's voice.
"You know what… yeah. It was fun. It was the best date in the whole wide world. I can't wait to do it again." Naruto said as he just decided to give up on trying and failing to explain the definition of a date to his 6 in a half year old daughter. In the end, it didn't matter just as long as she had fun which she did so everything else was irrelevant. He picked the princess up by her waist as he held her against his side with his arm. He was content to carry her for a little while. She was small enough and most definitely light enough that he didn't mind carrying her around. "I love you too Iris." Naruto replied as he kissed the girl on her chubby cheek which elicited a fit of giggles as well as a pleasant blush from the girl who skipped over cloud nine and went to ten.
The entire scene would have been considered picture perfect in Naruto's mind if not for the peanut gallery in the background consisting of bystanders gossiping about the pair. Naruto could hear the crowd consisting of mostly females oohing and awing. It was incredibly embarrassing.
Soon enough the pair found Jiraiya exactly where Naruto thought he'd be. At the local hot springs. The old sage was conveniently under one of Chaos's illusions with the little terror right beside the old man collecting data on all the females in the pool before them.
Chaos sensed her father's presence long before Jiraiya did as she looked over her shoulder to see Naruto with a stern glare carved into his face. The Angeloid had the decency to have a sheepish look on her face as she disappeared from the top of a tree branch overlooking the hot springs to Naruto's shoulder in the usual unexplainable fashion she uses. Since Chaos was no longer there to maintain the illusion for him, Jiraiya was left vulnerable to the vengeful women in the nude who saw the pervert less than 10 feet away on the lowest branch possible.
Suffice to say Jiraiya didn't escape the facility alive as the victims of his peeping habit made sure to teach him a lesson he would never forget. "Hi Dada." Chaos squeaked as she wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck. She was trying to act as innocent as possible. Naruto had an irritated look on his face as his left eye twitched. "Don't Hi me young lady." Naruto growled as he plucked Chaos off his back and placed her on the ground in front of him. His left foot was tapping against the ground in irritation as the sounds of Jiraiya's torture filled the air in the background. It didn't sound like it was going good for the old Sage. Chaos meekly scrunched her lips up closed as she tried to make herself as small as possible.
"I thought I told you to stay away from any perverted acts or material. Was the punishment you received two weeks ago not enough Chaos?" Naruto reprimanded with a stern voice as Chaos kicked the dirt in front of her. Her head was bowed in shame as she didn't look at her father. "No, it was enough." Chaos mumbled out in a submissive tone. She knew the risk of her actions and now she was paying the price for it. She only hoped she could weasel her way out of another punishment.
"I won't punish you here ok. Just promise me no more bad behavior." Naruto chastised while pinching Chaos's cheek. The girl was quick to comply even though she had her fingers twisted behind her back. Iris rolled her eyes at this as she quickly slid up next to her sister to intertwine her fingers with her own. Now they were holding hand and Iris could keep an eye on the wayward girl who knew how to spread her namesake a little too well.
"Are you done dying now?" Naruto called out heartlessly as Jiraiya came around the corner bloody and beaten senseless. "Uh…huh…" Jiraiya's mouth and face were busted up pretty good so forming proper words were a little beyond his capabilities at the moment. "Good, that should teach you not to influence my daughter so let's go." Naruto called out as he headed off out of town with Jiraiya limping behind.
2 Miles outside of Midway
"So, this is the place?" Naruto questioned when Jiraiya finally came to a stop. They were walking for close to thirty minutes in the dense forest surrounding the town so Naruto was glad to finally reach their destination. "Yep. But what I want to show you is right up ahead over this hill." Jiraiya explained as he pointed to a steep hill in front of them. Nodding in understanding Naruto climbed the hill alongside the sage only to gasp in absolute shock once he reached the top.
"WHAT ON EARTH!?" The sight before Naruto was one he's never seen before. It was beyond describable. It was a massive chasm. At least a hundred feet wide and who knows how deep. What caught Naruto's attention the most was the fact the walls of the deep chasm had shape smooth spikes jutting out of the walls in a somewhat even and organized fashion. There was no way that was naturally occurring. It had to have been man made.
"This place kid is called Calamity Chasm. It was formed here around 15 years ago." Jiraiya explained as he had an unreadable expression on his face. "Calamity Chasm… why would such a place have a name like that?" Naruto mumbled as he took in the scenery before him. Since they were on a very tall hill well above sea level Naruto could see over the forest on the other side of the great chasm. It was another forest just like any other but further north at least by another 5 to 10 miles was an anomaly. An entire region of the forest was dead. Every tree in that section of the forest was rotten and dead. The dirt and soil there was also uninhabitable as well. "I see you spotted that place." Jiraiya noted as he stood next to his student on the hill. His facial expression was still very much unreadable.
"Yeah, what happened to that section of the forest… heck… I can't even call it just a section. It's an entire region. It's a forest all on its own. How come it's all dead and uninhabitable?" Naruto questioned in a soft but still very much shocked tone filled with amazement and bewilderment. "That place is known as The Forest of Dead Trees. No life can grow in that forest anymore. That forest also came into being sometime around 15 years ago." Jiraiya explained solemnly with a small sad shake of his head.
The gears in Naruto's head started to turn as he recalled a certain tidbit of history. "15 years ago. Hey, weren't we in the Third Great Shinobi World War during that time?" Naruto questioned as his popped up in his mind that the Leaf was at war not too long ago before his birth. "Indeed. We were at world war during that time. These two places you see before you were created during that war." Jiraiya explained calmly which shocked Naruto greatly as he didn't remember learning about that in the Academy.
"Who could have done something like this?" Naruto quietly mumbled to himself as he stared down into the bottomless pit of the great chasm before him. "This chasm was created by two exceptionally powerful kunoichi who battled it out on this very land." Jiraiya answered while peering at Naruto out of the corner of his eye intently. "Really? Two Kunoichi did this! Who were they? Are they still alive today?" Naruto couldn't help but ask in a rapid fire like manner as this was truly interesting to him.
Jiraiya looked away briefly so Naruto wasn't able to catch a glimpse of the older man's facial expression but soon the sage turned back to face the young father of two with an answer. "One of them passed away years ago. The other is still very much alive and kicking. She's a dangerous one. No one crosses her." Jiraiya revealed as he ruffled up Naruto's hair before guiding him over to a large flat piece of terrain that led up to the lip of the great man-made chasm. He was signaling for a change in subject. Even Naruto picked up on this fact so he dropped the line of questioning he had at the tip of his tongue. He could worry about that later.
Huddling up the group sat down in the grass to get comfortable. "Ok now. You've been practicing this technique for weeks now and no significant progress has been made. The finals are a week in a half away and this is the deadline to master this Jutsu. If you don't get it right today than you won't get another chance till after the finals. This technique is a teaching tool to help you differentiate between the 4 different energy signatures within your body. You need to be able to call upon each of them individually without the others bleeding through to mix with the others." Jiraiya stated in a serious tone as he was completely in lecture mode now. He wanted Naruto to understand just how important this technique was.
"It's for that reason why I'm going to be taking drastic measures." Jiraiya announced as he pulled out two small slips of paper from one of the many pockets he has on him. Naruto got a good look at them and could see that a complex suppression matrix was designed on the paper. "What are those for?" Naruto inquired as he saw Jiraiya lean over and place the seals on Iris's and Chaos's foreheads. Instead of answering him Jiraiya kept going with his monologue. "It's come to my attention that there's a certain way you learn. Your true potential and power is brought out in you when you are in life or death situations. Particularly when the lives of your kids are in danger." Jiraiya noted as he hoisted the two girls up in his arms. Naruto immediately got an alarmed look on his face as he didn't like where this conversation was going.
"Jiraiya…" Naruto whispered out cautiously as he saw Jiraiya staring intently at the chasm not even a few yards away. "This seal is a simple one. The girls here won't be able to tap into their energies circulating within your body. You on the other hand will still have full access to it. If you don't use the Summoning Jutsu to bring forth a Toad large enough to stop their descent then they'll die. So… get to it." Jiraiya said in a heartless tone as he tossed both Iris and Chaos right over the ledge of the ravine. Time slowed down for Naruto as he watched the facial expressions change on Iris's face from confusion, to shock, then to outright terror. Chaos's facial expressions don't really change that much on a day to day basis but Naruto could tell she was pretty shocked by this new development.
"GIRLS!" Naruto screamed as his body moved without him even being consciously aware of it. In one mighty leap, he jumped right off the edge of the ravine and went straight into a powerful nose dive as he tried to catch up to his freefalling daughters. Iris was screaming in fear since she couldn't manipulate the wind around her to stop her fall and Chaos was screaming in joy as she let out a longwinded yelp of elation. She couldn't deploy her wings to stop her descent either but that didn't seem to deter the unhinged little girl from enjoying the thrill ride.
"DADDY HELP!" Iris screamed as she tried to reach out for Chaos who was just out of her reach. Jiraiya didn't toss them over the edge close to each other. There was a growing gap between the two children. "Hold on I'm coming!" Naruto screamed as he made his body as aerodynamic as possible to catch up with them faster. Chaos was closer to him in terms of distance and knowing he had to dig down deep to save his girls Naruto delved down deep within himself. He could feel everyone's energy within his body. The familiar and comforting feeling of Eva's Yōki that's been with him almost all his life. Iris's soothing and warm holy aura that empowers him to new heights and Chaos's unnatural and untamable energy that is chaotic and corrupting in nature. He could even feel the small dosage of the Nine Tails Chakra that naturally mixes in with his own. He could feel it all as he individually selected Chaos's energy.
"CHAOS!" Naruto screamed as a mental image of the girl appeared within Naruto's subconscious. He latched onto the same possessive feeling of wanting to have his daughter near him that he tapped into back in the Forest of Death. In an instant, a light blue translucent chain made of pure energy materialized around Naruto's wrist that showed itself to be connected to the choker around Chaos neck. The broken chain pieces that were on Chaos's choker were filled in and completed causing Chaos's eyes that were glowing with glee to dull to a shine of obedience and submissiveness. She looked like she was in a trance. Almost like a lifeless doll.
"Grab your sister!" Naruto commanded as he swung the chain around causing Chaos to change course in midair. In one clean swoop Chaos grabbed Iris out the air causing the girl to blink in surprise at this. She could see the chain attached to her sister's neck and the dull look in her eyes so she knew what was going on. With a simple jerking motion Naruto yanked both Chaos and Iris back higher into the air where he caught them both in his arms. "I've got you. Don't worry." Naruto comforted as he squeezed both girls to his side as tight as he could.
'I've got to do this… I've got to save them. The Jutsu will work this time. BELIEVE IT!' Naruto was determined to get this technique right as he concentrated as hard as he could. They were still freefalling in midair and he didn't trust those spikes sticking out the side of the walls to make a safe landing on. He had to use the Summoning Jutsu. There were no other alternatives. He would make it work. He had to.
Naruto pushed everyone else's energies out of his reach as he focused solely on his own natural chakra. Not even Eva's Yōki was attached to him at this moment. 'I can do this.' Naruto thought as his eyes glowed an ethereal white all the while his face carved itself into an expression of pure determination. Biting his thumb to draw blood Naruto went through the necessary hand signs as he placed his hand out in front of him. He could feel his chakra and that of the Nine Tails pushing out to the surface. It was time. Now or Never.
"SUMMONING JUTSU!" Naruto roared as he pushed out a massive surge of chakra into the technique. In seconds Naruto's freefall was stopped cold as he slammed into a hard surface. Groaning in pain Naruto opened his eyes that were blurry due to his disorientation. He looked around him to see that they weren't falling anymore, the surface he landed on was very rugged in nature. Almost like sandpaper. The texture to it was also abrasive. The coloring was a dull rustic red like clay and large warts could be seen all around them.
"What the?" Naruto was bewildered by this new experience until he took notice of something. Ever so slightly they were moving. It was a heartbeat and breathing. They were standing on top of a creature. Looking off to the side Naruto saw massive webbed hands grabbing onto the spiky walls holding them in place. The obvious toad they were standing on top of was incredibly huge.
"What the? What is going on? Who summoned me here?" A deep rumbling voice spoke up with a baritone like quality to it that denoted someone who was older and wiser, yet a bit cynical. The toad was obviously not happy to be summoned in such an inconvenient location which Naruto honestly couldn't fault him for. This was a crappy place to suddenly and without warning find yourself in. He probably startled the poor toad who had to abruptly brace itself against the walls when it found itself in a brief amount of freefall. This was truly an inconvenience.
"Oh wow! Look how big this toad is! It's ginormous!" Chaos cheered in wonder as she patted the red toad on its skin. She had a fascinated look on her face as her eyes where scanning the massive creature for all of its biological data. Childlike wonder. It was an amazing thing.
"My head hurts." Iris groaned as she crawled on her hands and knees over to Naruto. A pained grimace was on her face as a throbbing headache was pounding her head into dizziness. "When we get back to the top of this thing I'm going to kill Jiraiya." Naruto growled out in annoyance as he was not happy with the predicament they were in. Of all of the crazy and irresponsible things the old man could have possibly done… he chose to throw his daughters off a massive cliff. "I second that." Eva groaned as she was feeling dizzy too. She didn't even have time to think or brace herself before Naruto suicide dived off the side of the cliff like a madman. His body truly moved before his brain could catch up with it. Naruto took the brief lull in activity to rip the advanced suppression seals off Iris's and Chaos's forehead's returning their ability to manipulate their energies to them.
Crawling over to what he naturally assumed to be the head of the toad Naruto raised his eyebrow in interest as he noticed a large smoking pipe sticking out of its mouth. "Uh… Mr. Toad um… thanks for catching us." Naruto called out lamely as he didn't know what to say to a giant talking toad. Naruto and the others heard a low rumble as the toad peered up at them with its black horizontal bar like eyes. Its dirty yellow colored sclera contrasted greatly with this color scheme as the toad began to speak.
"What's a tiny little brat doing on top of my head humm? Where is Jiraiya… why would that buffoon summon me to a dinky place like this?" The great toad rumbled out as it waited for a response. It wasn't happy with the circumstances it found itself in right now. When it finds Jiraiya, it's going to kill that shameless pervert.
"Uh… sir you see the thing is Jiraiya didn't summon you… I did." Naruto corrected as he moved down to the toads face so that he could properly talk to him. Iris and Chaos stayed towards the top of the toad's head as they continued to look around in wonder. The toad blinked a few times in silence before he abruptly started to laugh in hysteria. "That's funny kid. You… a tiny little tadpole like you summoned me!? Lord Gamabunta. The Chief Toad! You sure got a few jokes don't ya." Gamabunta laughed as his pipe flailed around in his mouth recklessly.
Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he felt a little offended. He knows it takes a massive amount of chakra (which he does have) to summon a creature the size and power of Gamabunta. But such an unbelievable statement would logically bring out such a casual dismissal from someone like Gamabunta. "Hey… I know it may seem crazy but I did summon you…" Naruto insisted but Gamabunta's laughter cut him off as the toad chuckled in mirth. "I refuse to believe a little snot nose brat like you summoned me. It's ridiculous. Now tell me where Jiraiya is so I can go skin him alive." Gamabunta dismissed causally as he peered up to the top of the chasm. It wasn't too far of a distance for someone like him to jump.
"It's true Mr. Toad. Daddy summoned you to save us." Iris piped up with an insistent tone to her voice. "What? There's more of you little snot nose brats on my back. You're all like little bugs. JIRAIYA! WHERE ARE YOU?! COME ON OUT YOU BASTARD!" Gamabunta roared in anger as he didn't like the fact that there appeared to be more than one unwanted person on his back. Iris covered her ears both from the volume of Gamabunta's voice and the fact she heard him use a curse word. Her innocent ears weren't meant to hear such words.
"HEY! Knock it off! Could you please not use words like that around my kids." Naruto demanded as he stomped down on the surface of Gamabunta's face. He didn't want his six-year old's hearing such words. "Come again? Alright kid I'll make you a little deal. Tell me where Jiraiya is and not only will I take you out of this dinky little place and not let you die here but I'll also make you one of my henchmen… but if you refuse me one more time I'll drop you to the bottom of this place. You got that!?" Gamabunta delegated in a somewhat civilized manner as he tired negotiating for a change. He really had nothing to lose. He planned to jump out of the hole anyways, he just wanted to see what Naruto's response would be.
"If I knew where he lived and where his house was I'd give you the address. I'll serve him up on a golden platter for you. Just get us out of here." Naruto said heartlessly as some of his more mafia like tendencies and persona started to bleed through. If Gamabunta didn't kill the old Toad Sage then Naruto surely would. He'd teach that pervert a lesson he'd never soon forget. "Oh… Hahahahaha! You've got spunk kid I'll give you that. I may just make you my henchmen yet." Gamabunta joked with a more pleasant aura around him. He didn't think Naruto was a pest anymore.
"What's this whole deal about henchmen? Are you Mafia?" Naruto asked in morbid curiosity as Gamabunta's whole demeanor screamed big boss to him. It was a familiar and comforting feeling actually. "Yeah kid. I've got myself a crew of my own. I'd let you join and share some sake if you tell me exactly where that bone head is." Gamabunta answered as he balanced his smoking pipe perfectly on his tongue. Naruto smiled a beaming smile at this revelation as he felt he had something in common with the giant toad. "Well that's really great Mr. Gamabunta. We have more in common than you think. Unfortunately, I'll have to decline your offer to join your gang. I'm already apart of the mafia." Naruto revealed with a smaller and sincerer smile as he rolled up his sleeve to show the great toad his mafia tattoo.
Gamabunta's large eyes widened in recognition as he let out a low rumble. "We'll I'll be… the little tadpole is a part of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia eh? Tell me small fry… what's your name?" Gamabunta asked with his interest now peeked. He no longer thought of Naruto as a nuisance. "The names Naruto Uzumaki at your service Mr. Gamabunta. The future Hokage so don't you forget it." Naruto said in a challenging tone that oozed confidence. Gamabunta's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when he heard the name Uzumaki. He almost lost his grip on the walls.
'Uzumaki… this kid. He's their little tadpole I heard so much about.' The Chief Toad thought to itself in utter shock. His interest was now skyrocketing through the roof as he decided to make up his mind. "Ok then kid, I'll get you out of this crack so hang on." Gamabunta said as he braced himself. Naruto didn't know what to expect but he'd soon find out as Gamabunta in one giant leap jumped straight out of the massive chasm in under 5 seconds flat. Naruto and the girls were slammed flat against the toads back as he sailed through the air at speeds Naruto's never moved at before, not even when using Acceleration.
'Oh crap.' Jiraiya grimaced once he saw Gamabunta drop down half a mile away. A shockwave tore through the entire forest blowing everything away sending dust and debris flying everywhere. Jiraiya was watching a group of young women playing by a nearby river in their bikini's when the shockwave tore through the river blowing them off their feet.
"You've got to be kidding me." Jiraiya groaned in annoyance as the girls decided to leave prematurely. "Okay kid, so tell me where is Jiraiya now?" Gamabunta asked while peering around the vast forest. Nodding his head Naruto turned to Chaos who was poking Gamabunta's skin with fascination pooling in her eyes. "Chaos. Can you find Jiraiya for me please?" Naruto asked in an all to pleasant tone of voice as Chaos's eyes lit up with mischief overtaking all other emotions in her eyes. A dark vindictive smile curled her lips up as she could sense the intentions of her father. This was like ecstasy for her. "Yes Dada." Chaos's eyes quickly switched over to their scanners as she started to pan her eyes across the entire forest with her scanners pinging off of all the major life forms within her range. Eventually she found him half a mile away from them by a river.
"He's over there Dada. By that river, his heart rate is also high. I think he's nervous." Chaos chimed in as she pointed her finger out in a certain direction. Hearing this Naruto smiled deviously which sent a pleasant tingle up Chaos's spine. Butterflies were in her stomach right now as she absolutely loves this side of her father. The one that revels in being vindictive and giving people justified payback. This was right up her alley.
"You heard him Mr. Gamabunta, he's right over there." Naruto directed with a simple pointing of his finger. "Got it! Oh Jiraiya! I'm coming for you!" Gamabunta called as he in one single leap cleared the distance between them in seconds. Landing before the Toad Sage who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. "Hey, Bunta… long time no see." Jiraiya said with a sheepish grin on his face. He was backing away slowly while looking for an escape route. He didn't want to stick around if he could.
"Hey Jiraiya… I see you're up to your old habits again." Gamabunta inquired with a menacing stare that had Jiraiya sweating. "Oh, you know me… just doing what I do best and all that jazz." Jiraiya bantered as he eyed a promising route to escape by. It would also take him back to Midway which was a plus. Unfortunately for him Naruto was also thinking along the same lines. Great minds think alike as they say. "You've irritated me for the last time Jiraiya. I'm going to squish you like a little bug!" Gamabunta threatened as he held up one of his giant webbed hands in emphasis. He was going to teach his long term and in recent years reluctant partner a lesson.
"I would love to stick around and catch up on old times buddy but I've got this really important thing that just popped up five seconds ago… so bye!" Jiraiya said like a weasel as he looked ready to bolt. He would have gotten away too if it weren't for a certain meddling kid. Naruto saw fit to freeze Jiraiya's legs to the ground by channeling his chakra all the way down Gamabunta's body to the ground. It was a long shot and one he wouldn't have been able to pull off if he acted on impulse. Instead he was slowly stretching out the line of chakra for the last few minutes ever since they got out of the chasm. Naruto was determined to catch Jiraiya if it were the last thing he did.
"Oh, would you look at that. The little perverts been put on ice." The Chief Toad barked in amusement. His fist was clenched and a look of righteous fury was in his eyes. There was so much sweat coming down Jiraiya's face at the moment that he was creating a puddle at his feet. He knew he was screwed. It was inevitable. "Hey… Naruto… Uh, you mind thawing me off. If you do I'll teach you a new Jutsu or something, or I'll take you and the little mini brats out for all you can eat." Jiraiya tried desperately with a pleading look on his face but his hopes were withering away as he saw the uncaring look on Naruto's face.
"You threw my daughters off a giant bottomless pit Jiraiya. You get no favors from me." Naruto heartlessly stated with a blank face as he took some measure of pleasure and contentment of seeing the look of utter despair rip across the old man's face. "Oh, come on! You mastered the Jutsu! My training method was effective! Let bygones be bygones! Come on just have a heart!" Jiraiya wailed to the heavens which weren't on his side as Naruto gave him one last blank and unempathetic look. "No." With one simple word Naruto turned his back on Jiraiya to be left to his fate as Gamabunta looked positively gleeful in his next set of actions. "I've been waiting to do this for a long time Jiraiya. Be a good little pest and don't die on me too quickly." Gamabunta requested with a smile as he wound up his fist with an exaggerated motion.
"Mercy?" Jiraiya pitifully asked as he watched Gamabunta pause in his strike. "No." The Chief toad took a page out of Naruto's book as he mercilessly brought down his fist to strike the earth itself with a thunderous clash that sent shockwaves out so far, they could be felt all the way back in Midway. Jiraiya's girlish pained filled screams for a brief moment could be heard back in the small town as well before they were swallowed up by the following shockwave.
"Ah… I haven't felt this good in ages. I needed that." Gamabunta said as he slowly walked away from a giant crater in the ground nearly the entire circumference of his body itself. "Thanks for that Mr. Gamabunta, the old pervert had it coming." Naruto thanked as he patted the giant toad on its head. "Yeah! He's a Pervy old man!" Chaos chimed with a giggle. "More like a Pervy Sage." Naruto grumbled until what he said caught up with him. "Pervy Sage… yeah, that sounds about right. That old man is nothing but a Pervy Sage." Naruto declared in triumph as he came up with a new nickname for Jiraiya. He thought it was fitting.
He missed the brief look Iris quickly shared with Chaos but that was out of his control. Gamabunta on the other hand was laughing it up as he took a puff of his pipe. "Pervy Sage! Ha! You've got jokes eh. You know you're alright with me kid. I think we'll be really good friends from now on." Gamabunta announced with a pleasant tone of voice. He was really starting to like the young Uzumaki. "Likewise, chief. I look forward to working with you in the future." Naruto said as he patted the toad on the face once again.
"Mr. Gamabunta does that mean you believe Daddy when he said he summoned you?" Iris seemingly asked with an innocent air around her. The Chief Toad took a moment to think it over but with upcurved lips the stubborn toad had a response ready. "Nope." Gamabunta enjoyed the look of anger that crossed Naruto's face while he laughed in his face. Sharing a look with her sister Chaos chimed in yet again with mischief clear in her eyes. "Mr. Toad how about this. Let's play a game." Chaos chirped with a peculiar look in her eyes that set off warning bells within Naruto's head. He knew that look.
"I'm listening…" Gamabunta rumbled with an interested air around him. He was intrigued. "If Dada can stay on your back for the rest of the day until sunset then you have to accept the fact he summoned you and make him your master. You also need to make him an honorary member of your crew." Chaos stipulated with a giddy expression in her lazy slanted eyes. She was going to enjoy this. "And if I win?" Gamabunta inquired. "You'll get a year's supply of sake." Chaos revealed with a smile.
The Chief pondered this reasonable request for a quick moment before coming to a decision. "Ok, I accept. Get ready to lose kid." Gamabunta warned as he tensed his muscles. He wasn't worried about Chaos not being able to get him sake. He could tell the little girl wasn't normal on first glace alone. He knew she'd deliver on her end of the deal and even if she didn't he had many stashes of alcohol at his disposal. "Wait hold on! I never agreed to this! Chaos don't go making deals for me without my permission!" Naruto shouted in panic as he was looking to jump off of Gamabunta's body. He didn't like where this was going.
"To late!" Gamabunta shouted as he shot up into the air at incredible speeds. As a toad, his ability to jump was second to none. Naruto's screams of fear were muted out by the rushing winds and the distance off the ground he was achieving as Gamabunta took him on a ride of his life. The entire forest they were in was quickly become decimated by the giant toad who was landing roughly back on the ground every couple of seconds. The Chief Toad spiced it up a bit by diving into lakes and rivers trying his best to shake the small adolescent preteen off of him.
Iris was screaming her head off alongside her father as she held on for dear life as this was not what the little princess signed up for. Chaos on the other hand was laughing maniacally as she simply used her unique and weird ability to defy logic around her. She was simply sitting down on Gamabunta's back without any signs of struggling no matter what orientation they happened to be in. It was blatant cheating in Naruto's and Iris's minds but they could do nothing about it as they fought just to hang on.
Naruto learned an interesting fact through all this. Gamabunta's blue jacket that he had on was more special than it looked. It had a complex sealing matrix stitched into the very fabric of the cloth that made channeling chakra and other forms of energy on its surface nearly impossible. It also works as an affective shield as when he is attacked by another chakra based attack it will disperse and dissipate across the surface of his jacket. It is extremely hard to overpower and only the power from another summoning boss, Tailed Beast, or S – rank ninja would be able to damage or overpower this function.
It took Naruto nearly half the day, but he was eventually able to build back up his concentration to properly separate his chakra from the other energies that reside within his body. With that done Naruto was able to stand on Gamabunta's back who activated the seal on his jacket to block all foreign energy signatures but pure chakra. It was a very tricky task amidst Naruto's life or death struggle to stay on the wild toads back but he would soon get the hang of it. Eventually the day wound down to an end with the sun setting over a nearby mountain signaling the end of the contest which Gamabunta loss.
"It would seem that I lost this contest. A deal is a deal brat. I've got no choice but to accept the fact you are my new summoner." Gamabunta stated in a nod of respect which Naruto returned albeit weakly as he was completely drained of all his stamina and chakra. He was beyond exhausted. "Glad to hear that. I look forward to working with you Mr. Gamabunta." Naruto slurred as he slumped down on the Chief Toad's face. "Ha! Drop the mister bit kid. Just call me Gamabunta from now on. We're equals." Gamabunta lazily said with an air of newfound respect around him.
"You got it chief…" Naruto drowsily said as he fainted right then and there. He was truly exhausted. Iris wasn't much better off and Chaos still seemed like she had energy to spare but that didn't faze the great Chief Toad as he picked all three blonds up with his long tongue.
Out of the blue a large scroll fell to the ground in front of the great toad that opened up to reveal itself to be the Toad Summoning Contract. 'Huh… you're still alive you old perv. I didn't need you to show me this Jiraiya for me to know the little brat summoned me. He's an Uzumaki after all. He may not have their red hair but I can sense their blood and chakra flowing through his veins. Besides only an Uzumaki could hold back the Nine Tails.' Gamabunta thought pleasantly as he was satisfied with his new summoner. He sensed great potential in the young boy. He'd go far.
'I would share some of my power with him to get him back on his feet but with how chaotic his chakra system is I doubt that would be the best idea. A place of healing and rest should do.' Gamabunta thought to himself as he took off for Midway which wasn't far from him at all, especially with his jumping ability.
Naruto now has properly learned how to separate his multiple energies within his body to use them independently of each other without much difficulty. Now that he's learned this important task and forged an alliance with the great toad clan it would appear that he is well on his way to being prepared for the finals. Now he only needs to master this vital technique of using his energies independently of each other. With the finals only a week and a half away Naruto has his work cut out for him.
Jutsu Library
1.) Summoning Jutsu - The Summoning Technique is a space–time ninjutsu that allows the summoner to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractor's death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mould their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.
Author's Note (A/N): So how was that? This chapter was quite long as is my growing penchant but I hope it was highly entertaining to read. Naruto and Eva finally unwind and talk about the vision they shared back in the Forest of Death and what it now means for Eva who is showing signs of her latent energy manifesting itself within her. As always their heart to heart talks bring the two partners closer together as Naruto finds the right words to ease Eva's troubled spirit. To bad it won't get him off the couch.
Jiraiya takes Naruto on a little trip to a new town called Midway. I know it's not that original but when I was writing the chapter my mind was thinking of the Midway Atoll Islands out in the pacific ocean. It is roughly equidistant between North America and Asia which perfectly fits in with the lore I wrote for it in the chapter with it being the midpoint between the Hidden Leaf and the Land of Fire's Northwest boarder. I was also thinking of the historical battle of Midway back in World War ll.
While there Naruto and Iris get to spend some special one on one father daughter time while also experiencing some unwanted attention. Chaos meanwhile not learning her lesson is yet again caught up in the act of perversion alongside Jiraiya. One of these days it's going to catch up to her.
Jiraiya shows Naruto a place called Calamity Chasm which is the same place that he threw him off of in the Manga/Anime except for the fact I gave that random place an actual name as some lore. As to the two kunoichi mentioned in the lore I won't say who it is. The Forest of Dead Trees is the place in the show where Team Asuma lead by Kakashi confront Hidan and Kakuzu in Shippuden.
Instead of throwing Naruto off the cliff Jiraiya insteads chucks Iris and Chaos overboard to force Naruto to master the technique. I don't know what Jiraiya's contingency plan was if Naruto failed in the Manga/Anime but yeah... that was very irresponsible of him. Naruto conjures Chaos's Angeloid Chain again and successfully summons Gamabunta demonstrating the fact he can separate his energies when push comes to shove.
I kept the interactions between Naruto and Gamabunta mostly the same with only certain tweaks to round off the chapter. Naruto's more heartless and mafia like attitudes displays itself in this chapter as he gets payback on Jiraiya for what he's done. I honestly don't think Jiraiya will learn. Naruto also develops his signature nickname for Jiraiya which I had to throw in their. For me that was super important. Naruto and Gamabunta gain a respect for one another just like in canon which finishes off the chapter.
What's next on the agenda I wonder...?
Next Chapter: Chapter 55 (Attack of the Gemini)
That's the end of Chapter 54 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 8/11/2017
