Back again! Whew. Quite frankly, it's impressive just how much consideration has to go into some of the changes I'll be making here. There are a few things I'm not completely sure of yet, to be sure. I'd like to do a lot of the reveals via exposition, but also... it's hard. Even in-universe, a lot of these things, such as the Mangekyo sharingan, are so sparse that it's tough to find moments to shove in a few paragraphs about whatever changes I've made.
Perhaps, in that instance, it's best if I'm more upfront about some of them? I'll do so below, but please feel free to skip some of these 'reveals'!
One guest in particular mentioned the potential that Minato was related to the Senju to explain how Naruto might be able to use the Hiraishin. I'd really like to do a Hiraishin!Naruto story, but also... I don't think this is the story to include it. Quite frankly, any story where Naruto is capable of utilizing the Hiraishin warps it so heavily around the technique that it'd be impossible to showcase his fighting style here with access to Mokuton and Senjutsu.
Additionally, I do have plans to expand upon the evolution of both the sharingan and the byakugan. I believe that Kishimoto had plans to expand upon the byakugan before it devolved into such a sharingan/rinnegan-centric plot, but I don't know how the byakugan will develop yet. To be clear, I don't intend for Hinata to have some Hyuga-specific Susanoo, but I think there will be plenty of cool ways that the development of her eyes could happen! For instance, things as simple as 'lie detection'(via fluctations in chakra, or simple muscle movements?) would be a very underrated skill, or the ability for her eyes to detect how far/well an enemy could see. But these are very basic for sure, compared to things such as Tsukoyomi or Amaterasu.
So please, do give me ideas!
One more change that you'll find will impact the story quite heavily here, by the way, is that the sharingan no longer has the capacity to control a tailed beast. That will be limited to both Mokuton and Chakra chains. How this will impact the story may be obvious, but you'll see - or perhaps won't see what happens soon enough!
Speaking of chakra chains... In my initial draft of the story, Naruto did have them. Actually, they were similar to Gaara's chains, in that they were controlled initially by Kushina's spirit. I still like the idea, but I'm not sure. I definitely want Naruto to be very strong here, but I'm on the fence about whether or not they make an introduction early, or even late, or even via the method I just mentioned. I guess we'll see, but as always, feel free to leave reviews to let me know what you guys think! Ultimately, while I do enjoy this process, I'm doing it so you guys can enjoy this story as well. If enough people want something, and it doesn't conflict with the main items drawing people here, I see no reason your reviews/PMs can't influence the way things develop! :)
Winded, dazed, and staring at the sky, it was sometimes difficult to recall why Naruto was so eager to spar with Izumi Uchiha. "Well done," the older girl praised, a dark curtain of hair framing her features as she smiled and offered a hand to help him up. "You're getting better." He smiled a little ruefully at that. If he looked at the situation pragmatically, he supposed he was lasting longer and longer in their bouts, although it remained very clear that the Uchiha wasn't fighting anywhere near her fullest.
The more frustrated side of him knew that their 'spars' were little more than a mad dash to survive, without abandoning the kata Izumi was showing him in an effort to scramble away from the next punch sent the five-year-old's way.
"Now," Izumi said, once Naruto was no longer fighting for air on his back. "I want you to tell me the weaknesses of this style in particular." It took him a while before he could even formulate a response. "Well, the academy style is mostly for most part, meant to be okay at alotta different stuff…" The eldest Uchiha nodded at that. Still, in an effort to take advantage of Naruto's natural speed, Izumi was trying to optimize the all-arounder in hopes of taking advantage of his natural speed advantage over his peers.
Izumi had no such disadvantage.
"It's too broad?" He ventured, soft and uncertain-afraid to disappoint. Izumi mulled over the response for a few moments. "You're not far off," she granted. "The style you're learning does become less effective-or even devolves into straight evasion-the better at taijutsu your opponent is relative to you. You have very few options to create opportunities to strike decisively unless you can take advantage of a slower opponent, and…"
She chuckled a bit awkwardly. "You're five. These issues are made worse by the fact that you need to get close to me to even attempt a strike, and unless I want you there, you won't be getting close to me."
Naruto grunted, a little disgruntled. Izumi made it somewhat clear early on that if Naruto didn't dedicate himself to the art, he'd never be the taijutsu powerhouse that Hinata would become, or that even Sasuki had the potential for once she unlocked her sharingan and began to practice with it. That was mostly okay with him – he couldn't really see himself as a taijutsu specialist. Over the past few months practicing with his friends, he's had at least a brief foray into most branches of the ninja arts.
He was so bad at genjutsu that Izumi seemed a little offended.
His taijutsu was passable – no, it was good for a five-year-old boy(however little he felt that meant, personally), but he couldn't claim he was as good as the Hyuga Jyuken or the Uchiha Interceptor Fist.
Ninjutsu was, by far, where he shone the most. Izumi told the trio that Naruto's reserves were beyond either of them combined, and then some. When Izumi showed them a basic water nature transformation technique-purifying still water until it was potable-Naruto could do it again and again and again and again, long past when either of his friends would drop.
It made him feel good, guiltily, but his intentions remained true. If he was going to excel, it would be for them.
Except not much of their training revolved around ninjutsu. Mostly, they were really only focused on the so-called 'academy three.' Henge, kawarimi, and the basic illusionary clone jutsu. Of the three, Naruto was a natural with the henge. His kawarimi was good, and could even be done with a single seal now, but his was apparently still worse than either Hinata's or Sasuki's. In Izumi's words, the amount of chakra he poured into the jutsu made his body-swap technique 'about as subtle as one of her great fireballs' which was really saying something. It was the clone jutsu he had the most trouble with. No matter how hard he tried to squeeze his damn chakra like it was being forced through the head of a pin, he was always using too much for the illusion to come out as anything more than sickly.
It wasn't that bad, though. As an emergency measure to fix his clone deficiency, they were taught a different clone technique that was a little more useful.
Shadow clones were Naruto's bread and butter. As explained by Izumi, the shadow clones are an exceptionally powerful reconnaissance jutsu, naturally linked to their owner and capable of transmitting both chakra and knowledge gained. They were also a chakra sink, taxing enough that a higher level of the jutsu – the mass shadow clone jutsu – was labeled forbidden. It wasn't all bad, really. Even after expending chakra for the clones, a vast majority of the chakra pumped into each clone would be returned via the same link that transmitted the clone's memories.
Not that it mattered for Naruto. He could create dozens of them without being winded, while Sasuki and Hinata would each call it quits after replicated themselves about ten times.
Izumi had, of course, limited him to having a mere two shadow clones active whenever they were included in his taijutsu spars. The way she described it, having too many would hamper him just as soon as helping him fight, liable of getting in the way of one another. With two teammates in Sasuki and Hinata, learning to fight capably with two shadow clones seemed like the best way to start, and the number could always be upped as he gained proficiency using the numbers to his advantage, rather than risking detriment.
His thoughts were broken when Izumi giggled.
"I think your friends are looking for their guinea pig." He made a face at her insinuation, even though it was a little bit accurate. His capability with the shadow clone jutsu meant that he could assist his friends quite handily. In Sasuki's case, he was the 'perfect test subject' for her genjutsu. The density of his chakra made it a little more difficult for her to weave her illusions, which was apparently good practice. It was doubly helpful in that Naruto learned to sense foreign chakra invading his senses a little more easily – a double edged sword, in that Sasuki also got more skillful in hiding it.
In Hinata's case, his naturally oversized tenketsu were an excellent stepping stone for her to refine her visual prowess. Improving one's byakugan meant both extending it's range, and it's perception. Hinata couldn't, for instance, see Sasuki's tenketsu. She was just barely capable of spotting Naruto's, and so sitting with a clone while she meditated and strained her eyes was a massive boon.
That, and sparring with his clones, to practice hitting the correct spots with razor-like, invisible lances of chakra that would pop his clone just as soon as cut off their chakra flow. Her next 'test subject' (read: victim) would be perfectly capable of pointing out where her chakra struck, which was good enough to determine whether or not she did it correctly.
It was all fine with him, though. For the most part, he could have one clone go through his kata forwards, backwards, as fast or as slow as possible to commit the movements to his muscle memory. Another would be dedicated to his shurikenjutsu, while his main body either exercised, read(because ugh, history had to be a part of the academy's curriculum), or meditated.
Yes, meditation. It wasn't an easy ask, but it was a necessary one. Izumi had been the first to notice that his strength and speed improved remarkably whenever he was at his calmest. Just after his early morning stretches, he was at top form, but there was one issue:
Naruto wasn't exactly known to be the most patient person in the world, and so his peace quickly evaporated by the time he was first laid flat on his back.
Izumi theorized that meditation would help him immensely, because this boost to his skill was significant enough to be 'confounding,' and he was inclined to agree, recalling the day he first met Hinata. Unfortunately, calm couldn't be forced, and so near torturous seiza positioned stillness was now a major part of his curriculum.
But that was also typical Uzumaki exaggeration. Honestly, it was surprisingly… pleasant. Sitting there, feeling the world move and act around and despite him. Sometimes, although he could hear them, it felt like he could even tell where they were through the world around them. Every crunched blade of grass, every sweep and flutter of wind that followed their strikes.
Also, there was definitely something to be said for the first time Izumi struck him after one of these sessions, and recoiled from the punch when his skin was like stone.
No, Naruto thought, as he ran off to join up with Hinata and Sasuki. Meditation is definitely not all bad.
"Hey, brat."
Naruto couldn't help but be just a little startled, when the massive, white-haired man stepped from his apartment's kitchen, and into the entryway where Naruto was in the process of removing his shoes. Breathing deep to still his racing heart before a heart attack could take root, he fixed the older man with a glare. "I don't remember giving you a key old man," which received a chuckle in turn.
"I don't require needing one, not when your windows are never locked."
They both shared a small laugh then, but the humor was nothing but a distraction. Naruto's hand came to rest on his stomach. "Is it time to check… that, again?" Jiraiya looked a little uncomfortable, before moving aside so that Naruto could follow him into the kitchen. The Sannin's visits were relatively infrequent, happening every other week since his fifth birthday – just two months ago, now that December had crept up on them.
He did like the older man, but these visits were scary, and hard to get through. This… revelation, that a massive fox was sealed in his belly, the reason his presence was so unwelcome. The idea that the fox could influence him somehow, or break free, or…
"I'm afraid so. Go ahead and get rid of the jacket and shirt." Removing his upper clothes, Naruto took Jiraiya's offered hand, allowing himself to be hauled up into a seated position on the table. In the already cramped apartment space, it was almost comical how large the man looked when he took a seat between Naruto's dangling legs, a press of his finger just below Naruto's navel revealing the intricate seal in full.
Even after all of these years, Minato – your work is still truly astounding.
Although the Reaper Death Seal was not Minato's original creation, the modifications done on the fly were all his. Minato was always as quick mentally as he was on his feet, and a split-second decision that night after the harrowing realization that he'd need to seal the beast into his son led to their predicament now. Minato saw it fit for his son to be the first to access the chakra of the nine-tailed beast, but he'd made a miscalculation. Truthfully, nobody understood fully the implications of the Shinigami attempting to take the tailed beast. While Jiraiya didn't have complete insight into his student's thoughts that night, the intent seemed clear enough.
Tailed beasts are masses of pure natural energy, given body through Yang chakra, and given mind through Yin chakra. It seemed to be Minato's intent that night to seal away the beast's Yin half within the shinigami's stomach with him. It seemed, on it's surface, like the perfect solution. Naruto would then be capable of accessing the beast's chakra without the chakra having a mind, and Minato's eternal battle within the Death god's stomach would be made easier, if the beast had no physical form.
It seemed, briefly, that it worked… to some degree. The probing of Inoichi Yamanaka into the baby's psyche revealed that Minato's assumptions had been false. Confusingly, although their best sensors confirmed that there was no well of Yin chakra within the seal, the beast still seemed to be conscious, and the Yamanaka was rejected – violently.
Lastly… it seemed that either the Shinigami was incapable of holding the tailed beast's Yin chakra, or that it had simply regenerated. It was only five years after the beast's sealing that they realized the Kyuubi had regenerated it's Yin chakra in full, meaning the boy now housed the nine-tails in it's entirety. It was a fearful realization, because none of them understood fully the implications, and most importantly…
Whether or not the modified Reaper Death Seal was even capable of holding the nine-tailed beast's full might.
So it made sense that twice a month, Jiraiya was recruited to check up on the strength of the seal. His original intent was to introduce himself to the boy when he became a genin, but now, he thought as he brushed Naruto's stomach to elicit a sharp jerk and giggle, I can't say I mind having met him early.
"You did that on purpose, old man!" Naruto accused after his laughter died out, none too happy about the smirk on the old shinobi's face.
"The good news is that your seal seems as strong as ever." But that doesn't necessarily mean the fox has no potential to influence his host."You told me last time that you've made some new friends, how has that been?" While his interest in the child's life was genuine, he'd also been told by Sarutobi that this little gorup of friends had begun training in the ninja arts. It was heartening, for sure, but some insight into the boy's development might help him work out whether or not the tailed beast was influencing him.
He listened intently as Naruto blabbered on about his friends, Hinata, Sasuki, and the latter's older sister, Izumi. It brought a grin to the old man's features. You sly dog, Naruto. I know you'll do me proud already! His grin faded some as Naruto recounted his efforts training, his successes, and his failures.
It's no wonder that the boy loses in their taijutsu bouts. The academy's kata isn't meant for serious field work, and it doesn't help that he's up against the Uchiha's Interceptor Fist, let alone the renowned Hyuga Jyuken. He was doomed from the start. Still though, if his stories are true in regards to his ninjutsu and shurikenjutsu, he sounds like a true genius – all three of them do, really. Like father, like son.
"-and Izumi said I got really weird chakra, but I've been doin' just fine-"
Jerked from his thoughts, Jiraiya's heart leapt into his throat at this particular revelation. Trying not to betray his concern, an eyebrow climbed until Naruto noticed it. "This… weird chakra, what does Izumi mean by that? Has she told you?" Although his line of questioning was about as subtle as a brick wall, Naruto was also five.
"Oh! Well… there's a few things, I guess. She has me meditate a lot 'cause she says I get a lot stronger and faster when I'm calm and stuff, and one time she hit me and hurt herself!" He said, proudly, before he brought a little finger up to tap his chin thoughtfully. "That's not really the weird part, though. She says whenever I do that stuff, my ninjutsu takes doesn't drain any chakra and they're a lot stronger." Naruto shrugged noncommittally. While he, too was curious about the nature of this mystery, he was also an eager child that wasn't going to investigate too much if he was being made stronger for the oddity.
But Jiraiya was completely shocked.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say that sounds like…
He appraised Naruto, again. Yes, natural chakra sounded like the most likely culprit given the information he had now. It would explain the Uchiha's confusion. Between the renowned Sharingan, and Byakugan, neither could sense natural energy. Even with Izumi's visual prowess, to her it'd seem like Naruto wasn't expending chakra at all, if he was using natural energy in place of his own. It'd also be the explanation for his increased strength and speed, and the strength of his skin.
But it didn't make sense. The only person he's ever heard of utilizing Sage mode without a summon was Hashirama Senju. Even then, Hashirama was an 'imperfect sage' as evidenced by the markings that would take residence on his skin whilst calling upon natural chakra.
If Naruto's story was to be believed at face value, not only would he be a natural at the regulation of natural energy, but he'd also be a perfect sage, assuming the lack of cluing Jiraiya in on any strange features was indication enough. It simply seemed impossible, but… perhaps an explanation was in front of him. Konoha truly had very little understanding of the effects being the nine-tailed beast's host had. Both Mito and Kushina Uzumaki utilized seals that didn't allow them to tap into the beast's chakra, Naruto was well and truly the first, as evidenced by his whisker-like birthmarks.
Jiraiya's heard rumors about other tailed beasts having similar effects on their hosts. In Taki, stories of the seven-tails container having wings had reached him. Iwa's tailed beasts were also relevant, here.
Could the nine-tails offer some form of natural energy absorption? It wasn't clear, but it was the best explanation he had so far. It almost didn't matter though, not as much as confirming his suspicions. In truth, there were very few sensors capable of sensing natural energy, and the old saying 'it takes one to know one' was extremely relevant here – it takes a sage, to sense sage chakra. "Come here." He directed, standing and helping Naruto down from the table, before guiding the two to the center of the room to take a seat cross-legged. "Why don't you demonstrate your meditation for me?" He suggested, shutting his eyes to do the same. As it turned out, the blonde-haired boy didn't even need to begin for Jiraiya to sense it in droves. His next breath was taken sharply, his mind's eye watching the ambient nature chakra cling to the boy, absorbed and expelled at a constant rate.
"Naruto," he said, his voice suddenly very serious.
"Get up, walk around a bit." He didn't elaborate further. He felt Naruto hesitate, stand, and then move. It was unbelievable, this continuous absorption of natural energy didn't end, even in motion. It was a feat no sage ever had mastered. Not Minato, who had 'perfected' the art – although his usage was sparse, given his 'low' chakra reserves – was capable of this. Not Ma, nor Pa, who had spent lifetimes beyond Jiraiya's utilizing natural energy were capable of doing such a thing while moving.
Suggesting he was shocked would be egregious, it took moments to recollect how to breath, and moments beyond that to realize Naruto was chortling happily. "What happened to your nose?" He giggled, trying in vain to stop his amusement at the older man's expense. "It's all lumpy!"
Ceasing his unintentional, continued gathering of natural chakra, his fingers twitched of their own accord. It took everything – literally everything the old sage had not to reverse summon both of them to Myoboku this very instant. He managed to settle himself though, ignoring the boy's growing worry as he paced. I need to talk to Sarutobi, now. But… He glanced at the blonde, shaking himself from his stupor when the boy's concern finally became evident. "Sorry, Naruto. But this is very impressive, I think I'd have some friends who would be interested in learning a little more about this 'weird chakra' of yours. They might even be willing to show you a new taijutsu style, Frog Kumite."
His concern now, first and foremost, was getting Naruto on board with this. It was difficult though, because even now, as the boy's eyes shone with his interest…
"But it'd take a while. Maybe a month, or even longer." He grimaced when Naruto's face fell. It was to be expected, really. Naruto finally, finally had friends his own age, beyond ramen stand workers and the village's elderly Kage. Asking him to depart from them was always going to be a bitter pill for the child to swallow. Still, Naruto seemed to debate with himself for a few moments.
"I can't yet." He said finally, resolutely. "Hinata-chan's birthday is coming up, and I promised I'd be there."
That, at least, managed a smile out of Jiraiya. "Oh? And have you managed to figure out a present for this girl friend of yours?" Naruto's innocence was a major point of the toad sage's amusement. It was sad that he was inexperienced enough in dealing with other people, but still – Kami above, it was just too cute that the boy had no understanding of the difference between 'girlfriend' and 'girl friend.'
Naruto frowned at that and shook his head. "No, I don' really know what would be a good present…" He admitted finally.
"Oh? Well count your lucky stars. From the east to the west, in charming women, Jiraiya does it best! The irresistible, gallant, great toad sage of Mount Myoboku-" His little charge wasn't impressed in the slightest, and he couldn't even dance around properly in the cramped apartment! Ceasing his theatrics and grumbling, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, what does she like, kid? Any hobbies?"
"Oh! She really likes Zenzai, and cinnamon buns, too! She likes collecting herbs and stuff, and she said she presses flowers with her mom."
Jiraiya couldn't help but grin at that. "Well then, we have a plan, don't we? I'll go and talk to Sarutobi-sensei before I pick up your groceries, and tonight we'll practice making Zenzai until you get it down perfect. Just before her birthday, I'll introduce you to the friends of mine I was telling you about, and we can arrange for a date for you to begin training with them, if they accept you. They happen to have plenty of rare flowers you won't find anywhere in the elemental nations, so it'll be perfect for your little girl friend's flower pressing."
While Naruto celebrated, Jiraiya patted his wallet with the slightest frown. He'd probably need to get the ingredients for Zenzai a dozen times over for them to produce anything worthwhile, let alone to get Naruto prepared to fix the dish to bring along to the party. He was very capable of throwing together a mean stew over a fire, with sealed spices and wild game. This would be a completely different ballpark.
Oh well. Cleanup later would be handled well enough with a shadow clone, while he put the tuckered boy down to rest. The cost of tonight's practice would be covered a few thousand times over with the newest edition of Icha Icha. In fact, he had a stroke of inspiration! The journey of a strapping young lad to faraway lands, to procure a one-of-a-kind gift for his love.
He was sure that one would fly off the shelves, especially with his special brand of deviant charm. For now though, he needed to talk to the elderly Fire Shadow.
Jiraiya sighed quietly as the room filled with smoke. It would be amusing almost any other time, but even now he remained completely shocked. Even the Sarutobi's habit of billowing smoke like a chimney whenever he was concerned didn't alleviate the simple fact that neither man knew what to make of this development.
"The nine-tailed fox," Sarutobi finally spoke. "Perhaps this collection of natural energy is simply the fox regathering it's Yin chakra?"
It didn't take a genius to gather the hopeful tone, and even then, the implication was obvious. The aging kage was banking on this being a temporary development, but Jiraiya's head slowly shook. "I'd considered it." He admitted. "But the fox's chakra hasn't grown since I began watching him. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but it's doubtful – unless any further developments happen, we have to assume that the fox in its entirety now resides within Naruto. I doubt this… ability has anything to do with that."
Rubbing at his forehead idly, the sandaime Hokage sighed. "It's worrying that this has seemed to occur so suddenly, but I can't deny that under normal circumstances, such a powerful ability would be beneficial." Hiruzen Sarutobi was a man known for his mastery over the ninja arts. It didn't matter the area, he was an expert in every branch. From every nature transformation, down to techniques as 'simple' as forging his body into a weapon via taijutsu, he knew it all. There were very few exceptions to this rule, most notably were kekkei genkai, and senjutsu.
Even so, he knew more than most how indescribably powerful the utilization of natural energy could make someone. This was doubly so, for a ninja with chakra reserves bolstered by the greatest of the nine tailed beasts. The techniques only real drawback was the setup, it's impracticality in battle unless one had time beforehand to ready themselves.
So for a loyal ninja of Konoha to wield such a power unrestricted by it's only – if glaring – limitation…
But that was just the issue, wasn't it? His heart felt heavy, and it felt like a betrayal to even so much as question Naruto's unyielding loyalty to his village. But at the same time, Hiruzen had to be completely honest with himself. Naruto's loyalty was completely blind, and utterly undeserved. Almost anyone would crack after having their existence, their opportunity at acknowledgment denied for so long. Naruto didn't love this village for the same reasons most did. He didn't understand the bond that Konoha shinobi formed with one another, unlike any other village-
-or perhaps, Hiruzen mused with a slight flush of hope, that won't be the case anymore.
He wasn't blind to the young boy's development with Sasuki and Hinata. It was heartening to see him finally forging bonds, with people his own age no less. Even so, wasn't the limited scope of his love for the village meant to be frightening? Shinobi's lives burn particularly brightly. Strong, but short in their very nature. If either one, or both of them were to fall in battle…
Naruto's blind loyalty may crumble after having his eyes opened.
Harnessing the nine-tailed fox's power, and a capability for senjutsu not seen even in the Shodaime hokage, the idea of Naruto turning his back on Konoha was spine-chilling. He couldn't help it, when his mind turned toward Orochimaru. It would remain tempting in the very worst way to stunt Naruto's development until he could be certain that this wouldn't come back to bite him like his serpent of a formerly prized student.
But Hiruzen was also too soft for that. His hat felt so heavy now, and he'd never felt the entirety of his years like he was in this very moment.
"Taking him to Myoboku would probably be for the best," Hiruzen finally murmured. "It won't be long now, he'll be enrolled in the academy when classes begin anew late next year." He attempted a wry smile. "The boy's ninja career was never meant to be a normal one, perhaps it's only for the best that he gets used to it early."
"What exactly do you mean by that, sensei?" Hiruzen couldn't help but smile a bit more at his student's protectiveness. Jiraiya was a man who had seen too much, lost one too many students. Learning that the nine-tails had somehow regained it's Yin chakra was frightening in the worst way, but it was also ultimately beneficial, in that it forced Jiraiya to give the boy a try long before he could have mustered the confidence to introduce himself otherwise.
"It's a consideration that I hope will be irrelevant, when Naruto finally graduates." Hiruzen finally admitted. "But it seems inevitable that when his career as a genin begins, word of our jinchuriki harboring an uncanny resemblance to Konoha's Yellow Flash will circulate throughout the other villages. If this does happen…"
He stood, moving to face the window that overlooked his beloved village.
"We can rest assured that Iwa, at the very least, will want his head. It's for that reason that I have no intent on allowing him – or his team unfortunately, by extension – to participate in the chunin exams."
"But, sensei-"
Holding up a hand to quell his student's growing shock, and undoubtedly ire, Hiruzen continued. "He'll have to be promoted unconventionally, to be certain. Frankly, we can't afford to ship him off to another village for the exams, and even if he waited until we were hosting them, it'd undoubtedly be a blank check for Iwa to send a team with the primary goal of eliminating him. Even if he can defend himself…"
Hinata. Sasuki. You have no idea how much your lives may mean to Naruto's future – to the safety of this village.
His hands came together behind his back. "At the very least, it still wouldn't be worth worsening tensions with Iwa unnecessarily, or risking the lives of his teammates. There is, of course, something to be said for displaying the prowess of our young shinobi, but it's increasingly becoming unnecessary. We have a near monopoly of missions from Hi no Kuni, and even the Daimyo of Kaze no Kuni has begun offering select, high-ranked missions to Konoha. Right now, we're nearly more prosperous than ever before…"
If not for the countless lives lost in the nine-tailed fox's attack.
"...and so nothing would be gained but pointless posturing if we entered him into the exams." There were a few moments of silence before either man cut through the heavy, pregnant pause. "Let's not be so hasty, sensei." Jiraiya finally spoke. "We have a little over six years before we have to consider how Naruto's career will progress. Plenty can change by then, although it's near useless to bank of Onoki changing his ways. If nothing else, the chunin exams are a right of passage. No henge would work, or last under attack, but it's possible that the experience is important enough to go old school – hair dye and makeup if necessary, to allow him to participate."
"Perhaps you're right." He hoped he could be excused, for not sounding entirely convinced. "I do have a nasty habit for thinking too far ahead. Most pertinent right now is his trip to visit Myoboku. Do you know when you two will be gone for this 'month or so' long departure?"
Jiraiya chuckled, then. "Not until sometime after December twenty-seventh. One of his friends has her birthday, then."
"Oh? Do tell me more."
It was enough to bring a smile to the aged man's face. I do have a penchant for wearing myself down with worst case scenarios. Naruto, cherish those precious to you while you have them. I have no doubt then, that you'll become truly strong with those bonds, or that through them, you too will find the Will of Fire.