A Hero's Journey

by mugiwara-no-lucy

Boruto has always wanted to know more about his father, especially his past when he was younger. Thanks to a forbidden jutsu in a scroll found in the Hokage's office, Boruto and his teammates find themselves traveling through Naruto's memories. However, not all things are meant to be seen. How will Boruto react to seeing his father's various triumphs, pains, successes and failures?

16. Enter the Toad Sage Jiraiya

Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing well!

I am SO SORRY for this scene being a week late! I suck I know and no excuse can excuse me so here's the chapter now without me running my big fat mouth!

I'm VERY excited since this chapter has the introduction of everyone's favorite Toad Sage and so I hope you're as excited to see him as I am to introduce and write him!

With all that being said and done, let the Pervy Sage filled chapter begin already! ^_^

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Team Konohamaru stood in the void as they processed everything they had seen.

"That was all…." Sarada started, unable to come up with words with all the events they had seen in that last memory.

"Interesting?" Mitsuki tried helping his friend.

"Uh….for a lack of better words." Sarada muttered.

"I can't believe everything that happened…..Neji tried killing mom and Uncle Lee was nearly crippled…." Boruto shook his head.

"I know…..what the heck happened to get Master Neji like that?" Sarada asked.

"Well like he said there was like an internal civil war in the Hyuga Clan…." Boruto said, remembering what he learned during his trip to the past.

"And there's definitely more to the story. We'll definitely find out the farther we go through these memories…" Mitsuki said.

"Yeah….speaking of, I wonder what's next in these memories? Like how's dad gonna get strong enough to even face Neji?" Boruto asked.

And as if to answer his question, the bluish-purple mist enveloped the three before they suddenly found themselves in the Leaf Village Hospital.

"Wait, what're we doing in the hospital?" Sarada asked before they heard a familiar voice.

"Hey where's Sasuke's room?" Naruto asked a nurse at the front desk.

"Sorry, no visitors allowed." The nurse answered Naruto as Naruto could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"What!? Are you kidding me?" Naruto argued, rather loudly as Kakashi took that time to make his appearance known.

"Naruto, this is a hospital. Keep it down." Kakashi said as Naruto was elated to see his scarecrow lookalike sensei.

"Where'd he come from?" Boruto asked.

"And why does he look a bit shaken?" Sarada asked.

"Boy, am I glad to see you! I got a favor to ask you!" Naruto beamed, eager to ask Kakashi to train him for his upcoming fight against Neji.

"Stop right there, I already know what you're gonna ask so I've been looking for someone that can oversee your training for the final rounds." Kakashi said.

"Wait, is this when he meets Grandpa Jiraiya?" Boruto asked.

"Maybe?" Sarada cocked an eyebrow though Boruto couldn't see who else could be worthy enough to train Naruto.

Though Naruto was not excited at the thought of Kakashi seemingly pawning him off.

"Hold on, why can't you train me sensei?" Naruto glared at Kakashi.

"I have other matters so attend to so I don't have time to deal with you, Naruto." Kakashi said, rather bluntly.

"That's a rather blunt way to tell someone you're not gonna train them." Sarada blinked as Naruto had an inkling of what Kakashi was going to do.

"Aha! You're gonna train Sasuke, aren't you, Kakashi-Sensei!?" Naruto pointed an accusing figure at Kakashi who raised a hand in defense.

"Now, now don't complain. Listen, I found you an even better teacher than me." Kakashi said as Naruto looked rather unconvinced.

"Well who is it?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah this should be good." Boruto snorted as Kakashi's selection made his presence known.

"It is I." The selected man said as Naruto and Team Konohamaru's eyes widened at the voice.

"You!? You closet pervert!" Naruto tactlessly spat and pointed at none other than Ebisu.

"Wait him? I forgot all about him!" Boruto blinked, remembering how easily Naruto defeated him with his Sexy Jutsu.

"Well…..he did look after Konohamaru-Sensei?" Sarada tried reasoning with her teammate.

"Such insolence." Ebisu turned up his glasses as Kakashi was just lost at Naruto's words about him.

"He's a….what? What did you call him?" As question marks pretty much racked up around Kakashi's head.

"You're kidding me!? Of all the guys you could've picked, you pick this guy!? What a joke, he's weaker than I am!" Naruto spat.

"What makes you say that?" Kakashi asked as Naruto turned to Kakashi.

"I'm serious! You should have seen him! He saw my Harem Jutsu once and fell to pieces!" Naruto spat as the memory of Naruto using his Sexy Jutsu flashed through the memory.

"Good times." Boruto snickered as Ebisu clearly wasn't remembering the memory with fond humor but horrified cringe which he proved by shoving his arm over Naruto's arm as he had the orange clad Genin in a headlock.

"Harem Jutsu, it's nothing but a little joke we shared!" Ebisu tried saving his dignity before whispering in Naruto's ears, "Keep quiet about that and I'll buy you anything you want to eat; barbecue, ramen, you name it!" Ebisu promised as Naruto actually looked interested at that.

"Well…I had no idea you two were acquainted." Kakashi blinked as Ebisu let Naruto out of his headlock.

"Hehe, yes we go way back." Ebisu forcibly laughed as Naruto just glared daggers at Ebisu.

"I still don't get why it has to be him….I mean anybody else." Naruto muttered as Ebisu seemed to have enough of Naruto's attitude.

"Look you, if it hadn't been for Kakashi who asked me this favor, I never would've considered training you!" Ebisu reminded Naruto who crossed his arms with a scowl.

"Yeah? Well then don't!" Naruto spat back as Kakashi decided to break up the argument.

"Hey, hey, you two, calm down." Kakashi said before kneeling to Naruto's height.

"Listen Naruto, you're wrong about Ebisu. He's a special Jonin. A private tutor who only trains the elite. Frankly, he's a better than I am." Kakashi tried reassuring Naruto who looked nothing but unconvinced.

"Yeah so far I don't see it." Boruto agreed with his father's skepticism.

"Anyway Naruto, I've got to say that of the three Genin in Squad Seven, you're the one whose basic skills need the most work. That's what I want you to focus on this time around." Kakashi said.

"Well…he is more headstrong and reckless than the other two." Sarada noted as this seemed to set Naruto off.

"Wait, hold on a second! Are you honestly saying I'm not as good as Sasuke or Sakura?" Naruto asked as Kakashi looked like he needed a way to say what he needed to say without offending the hyperactive ninja.

"Naruto, no matter how many skills you master the fundamentals are well….fundamental and yours could be improved. So if you really want to become strong then just be quiet and pay attention." Kakashi said while making sure to watch his words.

"Well that's one way to put it." Mitsuki said as Kakashi turned to Kakashi.

"Alright, Ebisu-Sensei, I leave him in your capable hands." Kakashi said before taking his leave.

"I'll do what I can." Ebisu reassured Kakashi as Naruto looked down, obviously not appreciating Kakashi leaving him with Ebisu.

"Well, come on. Let's get started." Ebisu said as Naruto growled.

"Okay but I don't buy it….." Naruto muttered getting Ebisu's attention before looking him dead in the eyes, "This whole thing is totally nuts! Even if I do need to work on my fundamentals, how the heck are they supposed to get better when I've got a teacher who's weaker at this stuff than I am!?" Naruto spat as Ebisu was nothing short of offended.

"I beg your pardon? Just who do you think you're calling weak?" Ebisu challenged Naruto's assertion as this seemed to set off Naruto even more.

"Who do you think!? Who else is standing here!?" Naruto yelled as Ebisu tried saving face.

"If this is all because of that ridiculous and inappropriate jutsu of yours, it took me by surprise, that's all. I wouldn't be too hasty to judge my abilities based on one incident that happened all that time ago." Ebisu smirked.

"Just cause you ended up flat on your back and out cold." Naruto deadpanned.

"Well said." Boruto snickered as this seemed to make Ebisu's resolve waver before he got it back.

"Alright then, let's put it to the test, shall we?" Ebisu started.

"A test?" Sarada asked.

"What does he have in mind?" Boruto asked as Ebisu kneeled to Naruto's height.

"Naruto, try and run away." Ebisu said with a smile as Team Konohamaru looked just as puzzled as Naruto did.

"Wait what's the purpose of that?" Boruto asked.

"Don't look at me." Sarada reminded her teammate with a shrug.

"I mean it. I want you to try running away as fast as you can. If you can get away from me, I'll resign as your trainer." Ebisu said as Naruto seemed to perk up at this.

"Is that a promise?" Naruto asked.

"Certainly and what's more, since I know how much you prefer Kakashi, I think I can arrange for him to take over enough of his other duties that he can train you!" Ebisu promised Naruto as this seemed to get Naruto animated.

"Wait seriously!?" Naruto grinned.

"Of course. An elite Jonin never goes back on his word! But it's all contingent on you being able to outrun me." Ebisu vowed as this was the happiest Naruto looked since he was dumped with Ebisu.

"Man this is the easiest deal I've made!" Naruto pumped his arm before making his leave.

"So long sucker!" Naruto quickly ran out of the hospital, hauling ass.

"Oh why do I feel this is gonna fail?" Boruto smirked.

"Because it's Lord Seventh." Mitsuki smiled as Team Konohamaru followed Naruto as he ran through the Leaf Village.

"Hahaha! Piece of cake! Eat my dust you closet perv! I'll send ya a post card!" Naruto laughed before running and touching down on a building.

"Heh, lost him! I guess that old sour puss will have to admit he's dealing with an exceptional ninja!" Naruto bragged with emphasis on the "exceptional" part.

"Am I really? Who?" The voice of Ebisu nearly laughed as Naruto cringed as he noticed Ebisu casually standing on the top of a nearby house.

"Welp Bolt you were right." Sarada chuckled.

"If that's the best you can do, we might as well stop right now and save us both some time." Ebisu confidently bragged as Naruto refused to give up.

"Oh yeah? Well not so fast! You haven't seen anything yet!" Naruto said, as he got away with a smoke bomb as he ran some yards away from Ebisu before noticing the billboard of Kakashi's books.

"Oh no, don't tell me." Sarada groaned as she saw the gleam in Naruto's eyes.

"Hehe, this will definitely fool that perv!" Naruto winked before transforming into the girl on the billboard and moving close to it.

"He can't honestly think that'll work?" Sarada asked.

"Guess we'll see now." Mitsuki pointed as Ebisu touched down.

Ebisu stared at the girl before giggling as drool left his mouth.

"Oh god." Sarada groaned with a facepalm.

"Older guys really are pervs." Boruto didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.

And it was then that Ebisu saw through Naruto's BS.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Naruto?" Ebisu asked as Naruto cringed before dropping his jutsu.

"It was a good idea. Just not good enough." Ebisu turned his glasses up.

"Okay I don't know if he's praising him or just patronizing him." Boruto muttered as Naruto growled in frustration. Why was this guy so annoyingly persistent?

"Alright then, try this! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as Naruto scattered with him and his clones.

Rather than being intimidated with the challenge, he welcomed it.

It was a long, arduous game of cat and mouse with Ebisu clearly having the upper hand.

Naruto seemed to finally get away from Ebisu as he took a breather at the bridge ironically where he would meet Team 7.

"Well? Had enough?" Ebisu's voice practically knocked Naruto into the water below.

"Man, you're a real pain, you know that!? Why can't you just go away and leave me alone!?" Naruto glared at Ebisu who smirked.

"It wouldn't be much of a chase if I did that. I'm supposed to be chasing you remember?" Ebisu reminded Naruto in amusement as he cringed as he realized Ebisu was right.

"So Naruto, I hope you have a much better opinion of my abilities now. If you've had enough, let's begin your training." Ebisu said as Naruto grit his teeth.

"Stick it in your ear….I'm still gonna get rid of you somehow. Kakashi is the only one who I'll let train me….Either he trains me or no one does!" Naruto declared as Team Konohamaru couldn't help but be impressed with Naruto's resolve.

"That's Lord Seventh for you." Sarada smiled.

"Yes, he goes after what he wants regardless of everyone's opinions." Mitsuki smiled as even Ebisu looked impressed.

"Well then, I see the river hasn't cooled off your spirit." Ebisu smirked as Naruto growled as he tried outright punching Naruto by jumping out of the water only for Ebisu to easily evade Naruto's incoming attack as Naruto landed in the water behind where Ebisu once was.

"Sorry, Naruto. This game is over." Ebisu smirked.

"Yep, he's definitely patronizing him." Sarada answered Boruto's earlier question as the scene shifted to Ichiraku.

"Of course." Boruto sighed wih Naruto digging into a bowl of ramen.

"He's in his natural habitat." Mitsuki joked as Ebisu took this time to give his assessment of Naruto's abilities.

"Now Naruto, having had a chance to observe your techniques firsthand and going off what Kakashi told me, it's clear to me that one of your weakest points is chakra control." Ebisu began as Naruto looked at Ebisu in surprise.

'Chakra control?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Exactly. When we compare your abilities in this department with those of your teammates, Sasuke and Sakura, your deficiency becomes obvious. As you may know, in order to successfully perform Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and the like, a ninja must first build up his chakra." Ebisu explained as Naruto was even more puzzled.

"Well yeah, I already know that!" Naruto tried arguing.

"I hope you do….well then, let's compare you to your teammates in this department and perhaps you'll begin to see how inferior your abilities really are." Ebisu put his chop sticks down as he finished his bowl with Naruto sending Ebisu a dirty look.

"You've got a really annoying way of putting things…" Naruto muttered.

"As agreed, I'm buying you lunch so just quiet and listen." Ebisu snapped as Naruto was handed another bowl with Naruto eagerly chowing down as Ebisu began his assessment.

"First, let's examine how Sakura prepares for a Clone Jutsu. She's perfect at building up her chakra to its fullest extent and because she's so efficient, she can make clones without wasting any excess energy. And for Sasuke, it must be said that he's not nearly as efficient when it comes up to building up a full supply of chakra. But you see, his control over the chakra itself is so flawless that he has no problem producing five clones as easily as Sakura can. So the result is the same, even if Sasuke does waste more Chakra in getting there." Ebisu explained as Naruto grinned.

"What do you know? And here I thought Sasuke was all perfect?" Naruto snickered nothing short of bemused.

"Wipe that smile off your face. You are in no position to make fun of anyone else." Ebisu reprimanded Naruto who actually did lose his smile as he looked at his instructor in surprise at how sharp he was being.

"You are no good at building up your Chakra or controlling it. The result being that you require much more Chakra to produce any clones. You have to exert much more effort and even then, after all the effort and wasting much more Chakra than either Sakura or Sasuke. You can barely produce two clones at best. In fact, using the same amount of Chakra you use, Sakura and Sasuke could come up with ten clones…." Ebisu finished his explanation as Naruto actually took time to process Ebisu's words as he stopped eating.

"You see, how the three of you have very different levels of abilities of just this one jutsu?" Ebisu muttered before turning to Naruto, "Oh well, I may have been exaggerating a bit in my comparison but the bottom line is that you waste too much of your strength and you use too much strength, Naruto." Ebisu tried reassuring Naruto who wasn't happy with Ebisu's assessment of him.

"Oh yeah? If I'm such a lame-o, how come there have been times where I've done better than either of them?" Naruto growled.

"That's only because you have reserves of energy and stamina than either of them!" Ebisu reminded Naruto who looked down in sadness.

"Yeah…if I remember right, Dad struggled way more harder during that tree climbing training." Boruto noted.

"And not to mention, after that Orochimaru guy put that seal on Lord Seventh's stomach, what's happening with his Chakra Control now?" Sarada asked.

"The point is, we both know you're strong Naruto but you can be so much stronger if you let me show you how." Ebisu reassured Naruto who seemed to perk up at this news.

At this, the scene changed to the Hot Springs district of the Leaf Village.

"Why are we at the hot springs?" Sarada asked.

"I guess they're gonna relax?" Boruto blinked as Naruto was just as lost as he was walking off, not really paying much attention, much to Ebisu's ire.

"Naruto! Where do you think you're going!? That's the women's bath! I will not allow any disreputable behavior, young man!" Ebisu yelled at Naruto who gave him an irritated deadpan expression.

"Right…this coming from the guy who drooled over a clone of the women in Make Out Tactics alongside getting blown away with a nosebleed after getting groped by naked women." Sarada muttered.

"The men here really have no self-awareness, do they?" Boruto sighed as Mitsuki chuckled.

"What's with that look?" Ebisu caught onto Naruto's look of BS.

"Oh nothing. But anyway, what in the world are we doing here? Are you gonna train me to wash behind my ears?" Naruto asked as Ebisu turned up his glasses with his index finger in amusement.

"Not quite but you are right, it is a part of your training." Ebisu said before gesturing Naruto to follow him to an open part of the hot springs, much to Naruto's disbelief.

"A bath? Okay, what's going on?" Naruto wondered if Ebisu was insane as Ebisu immediately caught onto Naruto's attitude.

"Don't take that tone with me. Like I told you before, this is all part of your training." Ebisu snapped at Naruto whose look of disbelief only deepened.

"Okay, maybe you ought to try taking it from the top. What am I training for again?" Naruto wondered.

"I'm going to teach you how to walk on water." Ebisu practically bragged as Naruto's BS look deepened even harder.

"But how are they gonna do that? Especially with that seal dad has." Boruto pondered.

"Well he is said to be an elite?" Sarada tried offering.

"What is it now?" Ebisu asked as Naruto shook his head.

"You….expect me to believe you really know how to walk on water?" Naruto muttered, setting off Ebisu.

"Of course I do!" Ebisu yelled, taking offense with Naruto's disbelief in his abilities before regaining his composure.

"According to what Kakashi told me, you've already been trained in how to climb a tree without using your hands, right? This is a variation of that. Well in tree climbing, the key is to build up chakra in the points of contact and then to maintain at a steady rate of discharge. Of course, trees are stationary objects so the discharge rate remains constant. All the same, it's an excellent exercise for developing basic chakra control. Now to walk on water, you not only have to build up Chakra at the points of contact, you must also constantly adjust the rate of discharge in order to maintain your balance on the water's shifting surface. This is obviously more difficult that a fixed flow of Chakra but that's what Chakra control is all about, being able to discharge it at a steady aura to varying rate. Understand?" Ebisu asked as Naruto's expression showed that he was utterly lost.

"I wish I did…" Naruto muttered.

"Well…perhaps it'll be easier if I show you." Ebisu suggested before making a hand-sign, "First build up Chakra in the soles of your feet and then carefully calibrate the amount of Chakra that you discharge from each foot in order to maintain your balance." Ebisu said before walking on the water very easily.

"Like that, you see?" Ebisu asked as Naruto was nothing short of amazed.

"Wow! Okay, I'm gonna try!" Naruto grinned as he tried, but to no on's surprise, he fell head first in the hot water.

"Oh that's gonna leave it mark." Boruto cringed.

"C'mon, Lord Seventh, you got this!" Sarada tried cheering on Naruto who obviously couldn't hear her.

But during Naruto's failed attempts, the group noticed the look in Ebisu's eyes change.

"Hey….that look in his eyes….what is it?" Sarada asked as the group noticed he looked at Naruto with a look in his eyes akin to….respect?

"He's seeing dad in a whole new light….." Boruto smiled.

"Well remember, he is Konohamaru-Sensei's teacher and with him improving, it's all thanks to Lord Seventh." Mitsuki explained with a smile.

"Dad's influence really is something." Boruto grinned before a loud yell from Ebisu cut them off.

"I will not allow any disreputable behavior!" Ebisu roared as he charged a certain man who was drooling over the women's bath in the Hot Springs.

"Wait a second that's-!" Boruto pointed in disbelief.

"Oh please." The man summoned a toad who wrapped it's long tongue around Ebisu's waist before slamming Ebisu down into the ground, hard.

"Keep it down. Are you trying to get us busted you idiot?" The man grumbled as Boruto's eyes widened.

"It's Old Man Jiraiya!" Boruto pointed out.

"That's him!? I didn't expect him to be so….pervy…" Sarada blinked as Naruto was in disbelief at who this man was as he chuckled at him.

Wasting no time, Naruto immediately got out of the water and strolled over to where Ebisu was, in disbelief that Ebisu was so weak compared to this perv.

"Hey….Perv, you awake?" Naruto asked, rather bluntly before crouching down and making a particular hand sign.

"Hidden Finger Jutsu…A Thousand Years of Death!" Naruto shoved his fingers up Ebisu's ass but it didn't even faze the poor fool.

"Uh….just what was the point of doing that?" Sarada deadpanned as Boruto and MItsuki laughed.

"Remember, dad was kind of an asshole here." Boruto snickered with Mitsuki chuckling.

"Man, he's totally out of it. Some trainer, he's pathetic." Naruto shook his head in disappointment before glaring at Jiraiya, "Okay Frogman, what was all that about!? Who do you think you are, anyways!?" Naruto demanded with Jiraiya smirking.

"Heh, I'm glad you asked! I'm the hermit of Mount Myoboku; the wise and immortal spirit! That's right, it is I, the Toad Sage!" Jiraiya proclaimed, all the while donning a Kabuki-like stance much to Naruto bizarre reaction.

"…..What….is….he doing…?" Sarada sweat dropped with Boruto sighing.

"Yeah….he….did that a lot with me…." Boruto was no doubt feeling second hand embarrassment with Mitsuki being the only one to find any sort of amusement in Jiraiya's spectacle.

"Who knew he was so….fantastical?" Mitsuki chuckled as Naruto just blinked.

"…W-what? Toad Sage?" Naruto was nothing short of weirded out.

"Exactly." Jiraiya released his summoning.

"…Well…listen you….Pervy Sage….what are you gonna do about that!? This guy was supposed to be training me and you laid him out flatter than a bathmat!" Naruto scowled as Jiraiya scoffed off Naruto's anger.

"Well he shouldn't have interfered in my research." Jiraiya bluntly replied.

"Your research?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah basically his research involved spying on naked girls." Boruto clued in his teammates, much to Sarada's disgust.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sarada face-palmed.

"You see, I'm a novelist. I am a writer of great books, like this." Jiraiya pulled out the familiar orange book that Kakashi was almost always seen with as Naruto remarked in remembrance.

"Wait, you wrote that?" Naruto asked.

"Yes! I see you know it?" Jiraiya grinned as he mistakenly assumed Naruto was a diehard fan of his book.

"You call that pervy trash a novel!? Research? Yeah right, more like just an excuse for you to peek at girls in the bath house!" Naruto yelled with his loud voice being so loud that the girls inside heard every single word, causing them to all scatter with Jiraiya crying and Team Konohamaru laughing at Jiraiya's plight.

"Look at what you've done to my peeping-I mean my research!" Jiraiya was practically in tears with Naruto glaring at Jiraiya with slits in his eyes.

"Dirty old man." Naruto spat.

"You little….there's nothing dirty about it! I happen to be a serious artist who's inspired by youth and beauty!" Jiraiya spat back at Naruto.

"More like someone who gets a hard-on at the sight of every girl who looks worth a damn." Boruto eye-rolled.

"For once I agree with you." Sarada sighed with Naruto shaking his head at the perverted hermit.

"Yeah like anyone believes you. But who cares about that!? What are you gonna do about my training?" Naruto glared at Jiraiya, returning back to the topic at hand with Jiraiya remembering what Naruto was doing earlier.

"Your training? Oh? You mean that 'walking on water' technique you were having so much trouble with?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto lost his own anger.

"You can do it?" Naruto asked before an idea came to his mind, "Okay then, it's up to you to teach me!" Naruto tried bargaining with Jiraiya who would have none of it.

"Hmph, stop bothering me kid, I'm busy." Jiraiya was about to stroll off with Naruto tensing, not wanting to lose a chance at getting a trainer that wasn't a joke.

"Hey, come back here, you Pervy Sage! Where's your sense of responsibility? You gotta train me!" Naruto tried appealing to Jiraiya which didn't seem to work at all, as evident by the angry glare Jiraiya had given him.

"Not on your life, kid! I can't work with someone who has no respect for a true artist! And besides….I don't like kids." Jiraiya pointedly said.

"Funny how that works." Boruto snorted as Naruto tried to find some way to save face.

"Uh…actually I thought your book 'Make Out Paradise was uh…really well-written, interesting and informative…" Naruto tried complimenting Jiraiya who saw right through Naruto's BS.

"Liar. The purchase and reading of that book is prohibited for anyone under the age of eighteen." Jiraiya spat as sweat dripped down Naruto's head.

"Got him there." Mitsuki laughed as Naruto tried coming up with something else.

"Oh well the reviews I read were…" Naruto was about to say another lie before Jiraiya had enough.

"You really think that's going to work on me? I'm a goddamn sage, save your breath kid, you can't butter me up!" Jiraiya said before jumping atop the top of a nearby fence.

"Coulda fooled me." Sarada deadpanned before Jiraiya was gone in a flicker of leaves.

Naturally, Naruto was impressed by Jiraiya despite him being an even bigger perv than Ebisu.

"That was so cool! I don't even care if he is a dirty old man! That guy's the real deal!" Naruto grinned hard, running off to try to find him.

"And he's just gonna leave him there?" Sarada pointed at Ebisu, not believing that Naruto could do something like that.

"Meh, he'll be okay." Mitsuki said bluntly.

"Whatever happened to tact?" Sarada asked.

"Gone and done with dad so let's go after him." Boruto said with Team Konohamaru find Naruto.

"Where'd he disappear to?" Naruto asked.

"What do you think you're doing you dirty old man!?" A woman's voice yelled out from a nearby pub with the sound of a body falling following soon after.

"Well I think that's your answer." Sarada deadpanned with Jiraiya walking after a girl who was nothing short of angry.

"I'm sorry but you have such a strong pair of soft and lovely hands." Jiraiya tried complimenting the woman who was not complimented with Jiraiya's words.

"Filthy Beast!" The woman slapped Jiraiya, leaving a red mark on his cheek.

"Sheesh…the women in the town are as friendly as before…" Jiraiya muttered.

"How is this pervert a great ninja!?" Sarada turned to Boruto who laughed.

"He's a joker on the outside but he's meaningful on the inside." Boruto smiled at Jiraiya.

"Besides Lord Seventh is a pervert but you fawn over him?" Mitsuki pointed out much to Saraa's embarrassment.

"Shut up!" Sarada spat, her face as red as her shirt.

"…Geez what a joke, this guy is even more perverted than my old trainer." Naruto deadpanned, wondering how he got stuck with perverts as sensei.

"So…you've been here before, have you?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya's eyes widening in realization.

"You again?" Jiaiya asked with Naruto fed up with Naruto's BS.

"I'm surprised they don't make you wear a leash! You old pervert!" Naruto yelled, his voice attracting a small crowd.

Jiraiya noticed this and instantly tried to make Naruto calm down, "You know, I really wish you wouldn't use the word 'Pervert'" though this seemed to set Naruto off even harder.

"Oh yeah! Then how do you like the word 'joke'!? Cause that's what you are, Mister, a joke! First I get stuck with a closet perv and then-"Naruto was cut off from his rant before Jiraiya shoved him in a pot.

"There you go kid, you can train in there for a while." Jiraiya literally shut Naruto up before strolling off laughing.

"Is anyone gonna get him out!?" Sarada asked.

"Though that was funny, him getting Master Jiraiya a leash." Mitsuki chuckled as Naruto was able to escape from the pot he was in before spotting a familiar mane of white hair.

"Aha!" Naruto yelled, throwing a handful of Kunai at Jiraya. However, when he got to where Jiraiya was, a bear manikin was there.

"Oh, guess I missed him." Naruto said before jumping off with the manikin revealed to be none other than Jiraiya.

"Hmph, little squirt! He'll have to be smarter than that to outfox the Toad Mountain Sage!" Jiraiya huffed.

"Oh yeah, how am I doing now?" Naruto muttered with Jiraiya nearly getting a heart attack.

"Outfoxing folks is dad's hallmark quality!" Boruto laughed with Jiraiya regaining his composure as he took a seat by Jiraiya.

"Okay I'll admit you're totally not without talent." Jiraiya admitted as this seemed to perk up Naruto.

"So does that mean you'll help me with my training?" Naruto hopefully asked.

"Not so fast, squirt. It's a question of quid pod pro. I'll give you what you want but in return you have to try and get me what I want." Jiraiya explained.

"So what do you want?" Naruto asked with Jiraiya chuckling, rather perversely.

"You must know by now. I like 'em ripe and luscious with curves and big too. If you can bring me that, I will train you until the cows come home!" Jiraiya reassured Naruto who practically jumped from his seat on the ground.

"He is repulsive." Sarada sighed as Naruto grinned.

"You will!? No lie!?" Naruto could hardly believe his ears.

"The Toad Mountain Sage never lies!" Jiraiya promised Naruto with Naruto running off.

"I won't take long!" Naruto promised.

After some time passed, Naruto definitely did bring back something ripe, plump and juicy.

"Is that…a watermelon?" Sarada could hardly suppress his giggles.

"Well….he did bring what Jiraiya said!" Boruto could only imagine Jiraiya's reaction.

"Master Jiraiya isn't going to be too happy with that." Mitsuki chuckled as Naruto announced his presence.

"Pervy Sage! I'm back!" Naruto announced as women Jiraiya were talking with found it nothing short of funny as they started laughing.

"Did he just called you 'pervy'?" One of the girls giggled as Jiraiya growled.

"Worthless little runt! I told you not to call me that!" Jiraiya growled as Naruto paid him no mind.

"I found you one! A ripe and luscious one with curves!" Naruto grinned with a proud and huge grin as Jiraiya's eyes twitched.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT YOU MORON!" Jiraya yelled before suddenly calming down as he cut the watermelon up.

"Oh yeah! Talk about ripe and juicy!" Naruto looked at the cut fruit in excitement.

"Well dig in, might as well not let all this go to waste." Jiraiya smiled before noticing the girls had skipped town.

With their stomachs full of watermelon, Jiraiya decided to make his way.

"Now I must be off." Jiraiya said as he got up and started to leave Naruto behind.

"Wait! What're you talking about? What about my training?" Naruto asked.

"I don't give a flying fish for your training! I have my research to conduct!" Jiraiya threw his arms like a petulant child with Naruto refusing to budge.

"Hmph! Research my butt! It's not like I don't have better things to do than hang out with a pervy old coot like you but I've got train and pass the Chunin Exams. And then someday, I'm going to be the Hokage!" Naruto pointed at Jiraiya's whose eyes softened somewhat before looking away.

"Heh, tell me, did you fall on your head when you were a baby? Is that what makes you this way but that's not enough for me! I need to get on with my research and for that I need a lady! No fruits, no vegetables but a lady!" Jiraiya grinned like a mad pervert as Naruto suddenly grinned.

"A lady? Why didn't you just say so?" Naruto cracked his knuckles.

"Oh no. I know that look." Sarada muttered as Naruto transformed into his trademarked "Sexy Jutsu".

This seemed to send a certain revived trainer fly away with a nosebleed into a nearby wishing well.

"Hey it's Ebisu!" Boruto laughed.

"And he just woke up." Sarada blinked.

"And he's out again." Mitsuki joined in the laughter as Jiraiya looked as if he was in perfect bliss.

"We got a winner! A perfect ten!" Jiraiya held up two signs with the character for "ten" on it as Naruto was mentally face-palming.

"Pathetic!" Sarada and Naruto groaned.

"I can't….believe it…she's just….my type!" Jiraiya was drooling as blood dripped down his nose as he sized up Naruto who tried his best to suppress his disgust.

"I'll….do anything for you…just name it…" Naruto in his Sexy Jutsu smiled as Jiraiya twiddled his fingers as he came up with his demand for Naruto.

"I'll train you…if you stay like that the whole time!" Jiraiya grinned as that was it for Naruto.

"I was right! You're nothing but a lousy little pervert!" Naruto spat, deactivating his Sexy Jutsu.

"I am not a little pervert!" Jiraiya tried saving whatever dignity he had left.

"Oh yeah than what are you?" Naruto asked with Jiraiya guffawing.

"I'm a big one!" Jiraiya beamed as Naruto had nothing to say as Boruto and Mitsuki lost it with Sarada just staring at Jiraiya blankly.

"Like that makes the difference." Sarada sighed, not at all impressed with Jiraiya.

"This has to be the funniest memory we've seen in a while!" Mitsuki laughed with Boruto holding onto Mitsuki.

"I know, we've needed it." Boruto grinned as Naruto and Jiraiya walked off to a pond in a forest nearby by.

"Okay, we'll just pretend none of that happened." Jiraiya said.

"Yeah, now you say that." Sarada rolled her eyes.

"Now, let's begin your training." Jiraiya said with Naruto sending Jiraiya a skeptical look.

"And you really mean it this time?" Naruto looked at Jiraiya with a hint of wariness in his eyes.

"A sage always means what he says." Jiraiya reassured Naruto who still looked at him funny.

"Well so far you haven't really acted like a 'sage'." Sarada rolled her eyes.

"Just wait. You'll see later." Boruto smiled as Jiraiya decided to move back to the topic at hand.

"Now go ahead and show me the technique you were working on before." Jiraiya said to Naruto who did just that. But just before he could even entertain the thought of staying afloat, Naruto fell right in, making Jiraiya laugh.

"Man, you really need help, don't you?" Jiraiya snorted as Naruto glared at him.

"So why don't you help him already?" Sarada had it up to here with Jiraiya's nonsense.

"Ugh! I guess I should know my now to take my clothes off…" Naruto grunted as he threw off his jacket and pants as Jiraiya decided to address Naruto.

"Go ahead and build up your chakra again." Jiraiya commanded Naruto who looked at him quizzically.

"Can't I dry off a little first?" Naruto asked.

"Just do it!" Jiraiya said as Naruto grunted again as he attempted the hand sign Ebisu had shown him. However as he did that, Jiraiya noticed something.

"Wait!" Jiraiya began getting Naruto's attention, "You know you have quite the tight, sexy, little body." Jiraiya said much to Naruto, Sarada and Boruto's weirdness.

"The hell is this guy on!?" Sarada asked, nothing short of creeped out at Jiraiya's words.

"Why would you look at his body anyways!? He definitely doesn't swing that way!" Boruto exclaimed just as weirded out as Sarada was as Mitsuki found it amusing.

"Well he's not wrong." Mitsuki said off his friend's expressions.

"Do you mind, old man!? I'm trying to concentrate here!" Naruto spat as Jiraiya waved off Naruto's feelings as Naruto concentrated his chakra control again as the team then saw what Jiraiya was looking at.

"Hey that's the seal grandma and grandpa left!" Pointed Boruto as he and his team noticed the tetragram seal appear on Naruto's stomach.

"Wow….feels like it's been a while we've seen that…So that's what keeps the Nine Tails at bay." Sarada noted before something else appeared over it.

"Wait, what's that?" Boruto noted as another seal appeared over Naruto's tetragram seal.

"Is that what that Orochimaru guy left?" Sarada asked as she remembered Orochimaru's five prong seal.

"It mostly likely is." Mitsuki confirmed before noticing Jiraiya appear deep in thought before reeling his hands back.

"Wait, what's he doing?" Boruto asked.

"Could he have a way to remove that seal?" Sarada pondered.

"Well if he's another Sannin, it wouldn't be too unbelievable for him to find a loophole in my dad's jutsu." Mitsuki said before getting Naruto's attention.

"Hey, lift your arms up." Jiraiya commanded Naruto.

"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Just do it, okay?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto reluctantly obliged. However as soon as Naruto held his arms up, Jiraiya slammed his fingers into Naruto's abdomen, knocking him off his feet.

"Geesh! He coulda gave him a fair warning!" Sarada's sweat dropped in alarm.

"To be fair, he did." Mitsuki pointed out as Naruto clutched his stomach as he tried catching his breath.

"Ugh…what the heck was that for?" Naruto muttered with Jiraiya waved his hand.

"Oh just pushing a pressure point to loosen you up. Now go ahead and try it again." Jiraiya said as Naruto did so, albeit slightly weakly as Naruto walked to the water before not falling and sinking like an anchor much to his surprise and happiness.

"Whoa! I'm doing it! Yahoo!" Naruto jumped up and down like a cheerleader as Jiraiya and Team Konohamaru smiled at Naruto's happiness.

"There he goes!" Boruto grinned.

"Huh, guess he's not a complete pervert after all." Sarada mused as she looked at Jiraiya with a soft smile.

"Told ya!" Boruto grinned as Sarada growled at Boruto.

"Okay, outta the pool. I'm gonna teach you a killer technique." Jiraiya said as Naruto looked at Jiraiya with some interest.

"You are? You mean like something really powerful and destructive?" Naruto beamed with Jiraiya grinning at Naruto.

"You bet!" Jiraiya gave Naruto a thumbs up as Naruto cheered as he finally got out of the water.

"Ooh~! Is it gonna be the Rasengan?" Sarada asked.

"I wonder…" Mitsuki said as the sun was finally starting to set as the evening sky was orange thanks to the tint of the sun with the trees fluttering nearby.

"Wow….looking at this beautiful weather…makes me sort of disbelieve that all that drama in the Forest of the Death is over…" Boruto smiled as he always loved beautiful weather.

"I know….I wonder….how dad is…." Sarada frowned slightly as she wondered what her dad was currently doing during this point in these memories.

"Now then, there's something you need to understand, kid. I don't think you're aware of it but you have two chakras inside of you." Jiraiya began his explanation as the two sat down.

"Huh? Two chakras?" Naruto's eyes widened in confusion.

"Haven't you ever felt the presence of a different chakra?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto had to rack his brain.

"Well…I'm not sure….hmm…." Naruto racked his brain before the memory flashed to Naruto first accessing the Nine Tails' chakra during the fight against Haku.

"Oh wait! I do kinda remember there was this one time…..it was like all of a sudden, I had this weird upsurge of chakra and I didn't know where it came from…I almost thought it was a dream…" Naruto explained.

"That's an adequate way of explaining it." Mitsuki said.

"So I see…" Jiraiya nodded.

"But I do remember that this was something different than my usual chakra. My normal chakra…if it were a color…it'd be blue but this one was red!" Naruto said as Jiraiya looked at the evening sky and smiled.

"And the red chakra is the Nine Tails' chakra, right?" Sarada asked her friends.

"Yeah…..he is shrouded in red chakra, after all." Boruto answered.

"I see…" Jiraiya smiled before slapping his knee, "Okay, that's enough training for today!" Jiraiya announced as Naruto slipped back on his outfit as he looked at his new mentor in disbelief.

"What!? What about that killer technique? C'mon, let's go!" Naruto complained as Jiraiya chuckled.

"In training as well as cooking, a watched pot never boils now let's go back to town and have a real bath." Jiraiya said as the scene shifted to night time as Naruto and Jiraiya relaxed in a nearby hot spring.

"This is better than falling in…." Naruto grinned, enjoying the heat of the hot spring with Jiraiya just as in much bliss.

"Nothing beats relaxing after a long day of training." Jiraiya gave a soft smile as Naruto turned to his new sensei with a smile.

"Hey, hey, Pervy Sage! So tell me about this killer technique." Naruto tried pressuring Jiraiya who decided not to relent.

"Tomorrow is soon enough…" Jiraiya replied as one of Jiraiya's toads spit out a mouthful of the hot spring water, causing Naruto and Jiraiya to laugh.

"So that's how they met…" Boruto smiled.

"I'm excited to see more about those two and their bond!" Sarada nodded in agreement.

"It looks like you'll get your wish." Mitsuki commented with a smile as the scene shifted to midday with Jiraiya oogling beautiful girls in bikinis.

"And why am I not surprised?" Sarada deadpanned as Naruto wasn't too amused with Jiraiya's shenanigans as he crossed his arms with a look of utter consternation on his face.

"Knock it off!" Naruto spat in impatience as he was ready to get his training started already with Jiraiya too busy drooling over the girls to notice Naruto.

"Hehe…we're truly in paradise now, Naruto." Jiraiya drooled as Naruto sighed.

"You are so creepy." Naruto muttered before covering Jiraiya's eyes as he was transformed into his Sexy Jutsu.

"Hi, Master Jiraiya. Shouldn't you pay attention to me, now? I'm just desperate for someone to train me and you're the only one who can do it, super hunky sensei…Pretty, please? Master Jiraya?" Naruto in his Sexy Jutsu purred as this was enough to send Jiraiya's libido into overdrive.

"So you finally came outta hiding, huh?" Jiraiya grinned as he turned around, expecting to see a beautiful young woman, but he found himself face to face with Naruto, making Team Konohamaru snicker at his expression.

"Are you just making fun of me, Naruto?" Jiraiya deadpanned.

"You do a good job of that on your own!" Boruto laughed.

"There's nothing fun about this." Naruto deadpanned as Jiraiya sighed as the girls were leaving.

"Alright Naruto, I guess I'll teach you a technique now." Jiraiya half-heartedly commented as Naruto tilted his head.

"You better not be kidding around this time." Naruto said as Jiraiya and Naruto walked off to another part of the forest before finally deciding on the right place to train.

"Okay, do you remember what we talked about yesterday? You know, that stuff about the two chakras?" Jiraiya crouched down to Naruto's height.

"Huh? We talked yesterday?" Naruto sarcastically asked much to Team Konohamaru's amusement.

"Always with the wise cracks." Sarada giggled with Jiraiya not too amused.

"Very funny. But remember, you said something about having different chakras? One blue and one red?" Jiraiya tried reminding Naruto.

"Oh yeah….what about it?" Naruto asked.

"You said that when you exerted enormous strength, you said you felt red chakra?" Jiraiya asked.

"Oh well yeah…I don't know how else to describe it." Naruto said as Jiraiya had an assignment for Naruto.

"Alright, try building up that red chakra right now." Jiraiya said as Naruto attempted to do so but to no avail.

"No good, it didn't work." Naruto sighed with Jiraiya sighing himself.

"Oh man, you really have absolute zero talent, don't you kid?" Jiraiya sighed as this was enough to set off Naruto.

"Hey, don't go acting like you're so great and besides I don't even understand those two types of Chakra…" Naruto groaned as Jiraiya gave Naruto a stern glare.

"Try it again." Jiraiya commanded Naruto.

"Alright, fine…" Naruto muttered as he tried summoning the red chakra again but with no luck.

"No use….I'm only getting the usual every day chakra here….but maybe I don't need to summon the red chakra? I mean, what in the world does it have to do with the technique you're gonna show me, anyways?" Naruto asked before Jiraiya tapped Naruto's headband with his finger.

"Listen boy, for the technique I'm going to teach you, the chakra you've used until now is nowhere near powerful enough. If you want to use this technique, you'll have to be able to pull out all of the stops and tap into the other chakra that's been dormant inside of you." Jiraiya explained as he nearly poked and prodded Naruto off his feet.

"Yeah, that sounds cool and exciting but how do you even know that I really have that chakra inside of me?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya grinned.

"Actually because that's because I am a sage." Jiraiya answered with Naruto nearly fell off his feet with the absurdity from Jiraiya's answer.

"Talk about giving an answer without giving an answer." Naruto sighed.

"What kind of answer is that?" Sarada asked.

"Yeah….he sort of did the same with me." Boruto laughed sheepishly.

"Anyway, that extra chakra you have will become your greatest weapon. And not using that is like wasting treasure. Look, there's no need to blindly follow the same training regimen as someone else, right? Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses and you have your own style while your training has released its own chakra. In other words, it was training you to control the flow of chakra so that you wouldn't use it all one and get exhausted. Basically, you should use your own chakra instead of doing cheap tricks. You have two chakras and once you learn to use them, you'll use any jutsu you want." Jiraiya finished his explanation with a smirk.

"Well that was a better explanation." Mitsuki smiled.

"Seriously? Like what?" Naruto blinked.

"Well….for example, the summoning jutsu I'm going to teach you." Jiraiya answered much to Naruto's surprise.

"So that's what he's gonna teach him." Sarada said.

"Summoning?" Naruto asked.

"That's right. It's a teleport technique in which you sign a contract in blood with all kinds of animals and summon them whenever using your ninjutsu." Jiraiya finished his explanation with Naruto beaming in excitement.

"Really!? That sounds awesome! Teach me now, c'mon!" Naruto nearly jumped up and down, making Jiraiya calm down.

"Okay, calm down. Before that, you're going to need to use all your usual chakra until your red chakra remains." Jiraiya explained with Naruto jumping up.

"Alright! Leave it to me!" Naruto grinned before making a handsign, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" with Jiraiya smirking.

"Well I'll be, he already knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu." Jiraiya said nothing short of impressed.

"Yeah and I know a way to use my chakra really quickly so just watch!" Naruto practically bragged as he summoned nearly a hundred clones.

"Well that's a way to use your chakra." Mitsuki chuckled with the real Naruto running to the front of his clones.

"Listen up! All of us are gonna have one big battle royale! The last one standing will be the strongest me! We're going to determine the me among me! Get it!?" The real Naruto asked with the Shadow Clones responding in kind.

"Well that's one way to use up your chakra." Sarada teased with the Naruto clones beating and pummeling each other for the next hour or so before the real Naruto was left standing before collapsing to the ground in fatigue.

"Well…it seems like you've finally used up all your chakra and now I can finally teach you the technique." Jiraiya smirked as he walked to the exhausted Naruto on the ground as that was enough to bring the exhausted Naruto to his feet.

"Yes! Oh man I've been waiting for this all day!" Naruto grinned.

"I couldn't tell now pay attention." Jiraiya said before drawing blood and making hand-signs.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Jiraiya summoned a moderately big toad.

"Whoa…that is totally awesome!" Naruto had sparkly eyes.

"I can't wait to see him in action!" Sarada smiled in excitement.

"Same!" Boruto grinned as Jiraiya smiled at the praise as his toad handed Naruto a scroll through his tongue.

"That's so gross…" Sarada grimaced as Naruto took the scroll from the toad's mouth as Boruto and Mitsuki shrugged.

"Meh, I don't see a problem of it." Boruto shrugged.

"Go ahead and open it. It's a contract with the summoning toads that's been handed down from various generations. Just sign your name in your own blood and stamp the fingerprints in your own blood and then find the place where you want to summon your creature and then build up chakra and press down the hand you want to use. That hand seal is Inu, I, Tori, Tsuru, Hitsugi." Jiraiya explained as Naruto did just that.

However….when Naruto tried summoning a frog, instread of a gigantic frog like Jiraiya, he summoned…..a small tadpole with no body parts.

"….Wow….I guess….he used too much chakra?" Sarada asked.

"Well we all have to start from somewhere, right?" Boruto asked.

"And it doeesn't look like Master Jiraiya isn't too amused either." Mitsuki pointed at Jiraiya who looked ready to have an aneurysm.

And so the Team watched as Naruto spent the next several weeks training with Jiraiya and trying to summon frogs only to have no luck. However….one day, Jiraiya had a surprising….proposition for the young ninja.

"Wait why are they going to the hot springs?" Boruto asked.

"Yeah….how is this gonna help Lord Seventh be able to summon a frog?" Sarada prodded with Naruto just as lost.

"So what the heck are we doing at a place like this anyways? You're not looking for more girls again, are you?" Naruto asked as both student and master entered the hot spring.

"Say, that's not a bad idea at all, Naruto. But no, we must purify our bodies." Jiraiya grinned much to Naruto's confusion.

"Well…it is important not to over train yourself." Mitsuki said.

"But this is nothing too extreme for dad." Boruto pointed out as Jiraiya enjoyed the hot spring while Naruto was just….lost. He couldn't figure out they why they were there in the first place.

Refreshed and recharged, Naruto walked around with Jiraiya feeling nothing short of irritated.

"Hey, Pervy Sage…" Naruto started.

"I'm the Toad Sage." Jiraiya tried to correct Naruto. Key word; try.

"Well whatever you are, what does taking a bath have to do with the Summoning Jutsu, anyways?" Naruto asked before Jiraiya stopped walking before turning to Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto. Tell me, is there something you like to eat?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto was quiet before the scene shifted to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Surprise, surprise." Boruto rolled his eyes.

"But what is the point in doing all of this?" Sarada was just lost.

While Naruto should be lost, he was too easy wolfing down his favorite food to even remotely care that Ramen eating had nothing to do with Summonings.

"This is great! Why can't training be like this every day!?" Naruto eagerly ate bowl after bowl of ramen.

"That's great, eat up, it may be your last meal." Jiraiya said in a non-discreet way that even Naruto noticed.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

"Wait what the hell is he talking about 'his last meal'?" Sarada asked, looking at Jiraiya in disbelief.

"He had….unconventional….ways of training but even I'm lost at what he's thinking…" Boruto muttered as Jiraiya laughed.

"Oh nothing, yeah that's right, just eat like there's no tomorrow!" Jiraiya laughed with Naruto shrugging him off.

Eventually, Naruto had over twenty bowls eaten.

"I….will never be over his ramen appetite." Sarada turned green.

"Oh man, I'm stuffed….thanks a bunch Pervy Sage." Naruto grinned, rubbing his full tummy only to find a frog manikin in place of where Jiraiya was.

"HE LEFT!?" Naruto and Boruto exclaimed in disbelief.

"Is he doing this to just screw with him?" Sarada asked with Naruto being forced to pay for both Jiraiya and Naruto's meals.

As Naruto walks around feeling dejected with his Gama wallet empty, it was then that Jiriaya made his presence known.

"Hey! You full now?" Jiraiya grinned.

"What the hell is he doing anyways?" Boruto asked with Naruto growling in anger.

"You were supposed to treat me to that meal!" Naruto comically cried with Jiraiya snorted.

"You fool, when did I say that?" Jiraiya laughed with Naruto trying to pummel Jiraiya which Jiraiya decided to ask Naruto another question.

"Say Naruto, do you happen to have a girl that you like?" Jiraiya asked much to Naruto's surprise and embarrassment.

"H-huh? I mean, yeah I mean I guess you could say I like her…." Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head much to Team Konohamaru's confusion.

"Whats the point in asking him that?" Mitsuki surprisingly asked the questions for once as Jiraiya grinned.

"That's perfect because you're going to give her a good hug!" Jiraiya assigned his next task for Naruto.

"Wait what the hell!? How is this training?" Boruto asked.

"What is this going to do!?" Sarada added, getting a little fed up with all this padding Jiraiya was doing. Just what is the point in all this nonsense?

"He's going to get pummeled." Mitsuki bluntly said as Team Konohamaru sent him annoyed glares.

After much rambling from Naruto and a kick from Jiraiya, Naruto finally met up with Sakura and convinced her to talk to him alone behind a fence.

"Okay, what do you want?" Sakura crossed her arms, looking relatively bored.

"Well I uh….." Naruto stammered, awkwardly like a dork.

"Look if it's money, you want, you can forget it." Sakura said.

"No it's not that but just…." Naruto blushed.

"He's gonna get punched." Mitsuki said.

"Why doesn't he just ask her for a hug?" Sarada asked with Boruto sending her a pointed look.

"You think that's gonna go all willy-dilly?" Boruto asked as Naruto continued to stammer as Sakura was slowly losing her interest in this "conversation".

"If it's nothing, I'm going home." Sakura was about to leave, completely losing interest.

"No wait!" Naruto got a hold of Sakura, nearly knocking her of her feet.

Taking advantage of this, Naruto was about to hug Sakura. But just as his arms were in inch from her neck, Sakura immediately noticed.

And spoiler alert, she was NOT happy.

"What do you think you're doing!? Back off!" Sakura practically planted her fist in Naruto's face, knocking him off his feet.

"Cha Chump!" Sakura spat before walking off, leaving Naruto with a fist imprint in his cheek with a bloody nose.

"So much for that….." Naruto comically sobbed with Jiraiya giving a look of "glad that wasn't me!"

"Seriously! What is the point in all of this!?" Boruto asked.

"And this is supposed to be the Toad Sage….I know he and Lord Seventh are obviously closer by the time we'll end this particular memory but so far….I haven't seen anything too impressive." Sarada shook her head with Boruto and Mitsuki not really finding much to disagree with Sarada's stance.

After getting up, Naruto walked around with Jiraiya with even more skeptimism in him.

"Will this really make me summon a toad?" Naruto asked.

"Oh yeah, of course." Jiraiya answered in a nonchalant tone.

"How very reassuring." Sarada rolled her eyes before Jiraiya turned to the kid.

"Tell me, is there anything else you want to do?" Jiraiya asked and before Naruto could even question anything, Jiraiya suddenly knocked out the boisterous blonde.

"Wait, what just happened!?" Sarada asked.

"I don't know…but I don't like that look in his eye…" Boruto gulped as he noticed the smirk on Jiraiya's lips as he carried the unconscious Naruto before dropping him unceremoniously on the ground.

"U-uh…where…am I?" Naruto muttered.

"Stand up." Jiraiya sternly said as Naruto did just that before hastily scrambling to his feet, a bit taken aback by the abrupt sharpness in Jiraiya's tone.

"Your training ends here." Jiraiya bluntly stated much to the surprise of everyone watching.

"What!? He can't be serious!" Boruto turned to his friends.

"Yeah, he hasn't summoned a frog worth a damn yet!" Sarada pointed out in annoyance with Naruto just as annoyed.

"Huh!? You haven't taught me anything!" Naruto yelled with Jiraiya cutting him off.

"Naruto! Starting now you must stare death in the face. It is the only way for you to release the red chakra. If you don't wish to die, do something about it." Jiraiya said much to everyone's confusion.

"Wha-"But before Boruto could even say anything, a mere tap from Jiraiya's finger to Naruto's forehead protector sent Naruto flying mad yards to where he ended up falling from a literal cliff.

"WHAT THE HELL DID HE JUST DO!?" Boruto and Sarada yelled.

"Okay he's done some crazy shit before but this is WAY too much!" Boruto yelled, not believing what Jiraiya had actually did.

"And he's just chill and not gonna help him out!" Sarada glared at Jiraiya for not doing anything before team ran over to where Naruto's screams were.

"I…I…don't wanna fall down there too…" Sarada gulped with Mitsuki chuckling.

"It's fine. Since we're not in the memory, it won't affect us, see?" Mitsuki tapped his feet on the air below.

"Wow….it's like stairs?" Boruto asked.

"That's…disturbing…" Sarada muttered.

"Who cares? Let's see how dad gets out of this pickle!" Boruto walked down the cliff with his teammates following close behind him, walking down the cliff like it was a stack of stairs.

However, the team tensed as they noticed Naruto's chakra filled hands weren't enough to let him grip the rock edges on the cliff.

"Damn, they're too slippery!" Boruto scoffed.

"How is he gonna get out of this one?" Sarada bit her nails before the scene started to slowly morph and mutate.

"What's happening? Is the memory ending?" Sarada asked with the memory fuzzing and getting more and more disoriented.

"No…I think it's changing…" Mitsuki's eyes narrowed as the scene shifted from the falling Cliffside Naruto was on only for the scene to form into what appeared to be like a sewer.

"Where the hell are we now?" Boruto asked.

"Did he hit the bottom?" Sarada asked before the sound of growling filled the ears of the three genin.

"…Is that your stomach growling again?" Boruto asked as Sarada blushed, remembering her stomach longing for that Octopus Boruto offered her. How was she to know she was starving?

"No…." Mitsuki said with Naruto's eyes slowly flickering open.

"Ugh…" Naruto muttered before noticing he was in a sewer-like area.

"W-where….am I?" Naruto asked before noticing the sound of growling too. Curious, Naruto walked to where the sound was before coming across a huge cage.

What got his attention was the tag on the cage. It had the Kanji for "Seal"?

"Wait….'Seal'?" Sarada asked with Boruto and Mitsuki starting to put two and two together.

"Wait don't tell me! Is that the…." Boruto tried asking but before he said anything, a huge face radiated from behind the bars of the cage.

"HOLY SHIT!" Boruto and Sarada nearly fell back as even Mitsuki was just as startled by this huge demon.

"That's the Nine Tailed Fox!?" Boruto exclaimed with Sarada turning to him in disbelief.

"You never saw him!?" Sarada asked.

"No! Just his chakra! But man that is huge!" Boruto couldn't believe his dad had such a thing in him.

"I can literally feel its Chakra…" Mitsuki observed with Naruto looking nervous for one of the few times in his life.

"Come closer….Little Boy…." The voice of the Nine Tailed Fox commanded….It was very deep, making the hairs on Boruto and Sarada's necks stand.

Reluctantly Naruto did just so before one of its claws nearly impaled Naruto.

"Okay that gives me flashbacks…." Boruto gulped nervously remembering how his grandparents got skewered by one of those palms.

"And why would he come closer to him anyways?" Sarada asked as if it were her in that situation she would've said "Hell no!" and tried to escape.

"Y-you're….the Nine Tailed Fox!" Naruto gasped as he practically forced himself to his feet with the Nine Tails looking down on him.

"Why have you come foolish boy? Or have you come to allow me to feast on your bone marrow?" The Nine Tails practically licked its chops with Naruto gasping before smirking, finding sudden confidence in himself.

"Okay look you stupid fox! You're in my body and you know me rent! So as payment, I'll take your chakra! You got that?" Naruto demanded with Boruto and Sarada looking at Naruto in shock.

"….Is….he….CRAZY!?" Sarada was about to stomp over and smack Naruto for talking down to a being like the Nine Tailed Fox.

"I'm all for him being confident but this is too much!" Boruto could hardly believe his ears with Mitsuki being the most desensitized to all of this.

"Are you both really surprised? This is Lord Seventh after all." Mitsuki commented with a chuckle as Boruto shook his head.

"I know he's ballsy but this IS the Nine Tailed Fox after all….." Boruto gulped before he and the others were met with surprise. Instead of the demon being offended or angered, he actually laughed?

"Heh, well I suppose I can't kill you can I? If you die, I die as well…" The Nine Tailed Fox chuckled.

"I can't see a being that powerful dying…." Sarada muttered before the water below Naruto started to swirl as red chakra pooled around him.

"Very well, as a reward for making it this far, I will loan you my chakra!" The Nine Tailed "rewarded" Naruto before the memory flashed back to the falling Cliffside.

With a surge of power, Naruto quickly made the hand signs for the Summoning Jutsu before putting his all into this effort as this was literally a gamble with death.

"SUMMONING JUTSU!" Naruto yelled before a summoning did appear from the smoke below.

Although this wasn't a pebble sized tad-pole but a huge, gigantic frog.

"What the!? Where in the world am I!?" The frog demanded as Naruto practically flopped on his head. Team Konohamaru were nothing short of amazed at the size of the creature.

"Whoa! That's huge!" Boruto exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"Man….looks like that old pervert was good for something after all!" Sarada practically adjusted her glasses with Mitsuki smiling.

"As expected of Lord Seventh." Mitsuki chuckled with Naruto rubbing his sore neck.

"Ugh….glad I got saved…..I wish I could've done that without the falling on my neck part…." Naruto muttered before noticing what he was on.

"Wow! Look at that! Man, this is humongous!" Naruto noted as he walked around before noticing what he had summoned aftr a long while.

"Wait! There's no tail at the end!" Naruto beamed as his accomplishment finally set in for him.

"I did it! I summoned a real-life toad!" Naruto nearly jumped up and down on Gamabunta's head in a happy dance with Team Konohamaru looking very impressed with Naruto's summon.

"Man! He really is huge! I wonder how powerful he is!" Sarada adjusted her glasses before turning to Boruto. Sensing her question, all Boruto could do was shrug.

"Don't look at me! I didn't see Grandpa Jiraiya summon him during my trip to the past…." Boruto muttered with Mitsuki chuckled.

"Seems like your little voyage was wasted." Mitsuki joked with Gamabunta noticing Naruto's dancing and he was not happy, not in the slightest.

"You little snot! Just whose head do you think you're dancing on!? Well let me tell you one thing; I am the wise and powerful Lord Gamabunta, The Chief Toad and you're an idiot! So shut up!" Gamabunta screamed at Naruto who nearly fell off of Gamabunta and was saved from the predicament he was previously in by grabbing ahold of Gamabunta's pipe.

"Well…talk about an attitude change…." Boruto blinked as Naruto huffed, grateful his grip saved his ass.

"Man, what is this thing? He seemed pretty cool but gimme a break…." Naruto grunted before he suddenly found himself raised up, courtesy of Gamabunta's tongue.

"Just when I finally breathe some fresh air again, I find some weird kid tap-dancing on my head!" Gamabunta glared at Naruto before looking ahead.

"Hey Jiraiya! Where are you Jiraiya!? Show yourself you buffoon!" Gamabunta yelled, assuming it was Jiraiya who had summoned him though Jiraiya seemed to have left the scene, only serving to agitate the toad even more.

"Where is he anyways?" Sarada blinked with Gamabunta turning his gaze to Naruto.

"Hey! Little Snot! Where's Jiraiya hiding?" Gamabunta demanded more than asked.

"H-huh? Who's this Jiraiya?" Naruto tried lying as he was a bit unnerved with Gamabunta's demeanor and hoped he wouldn't turn against him too.

"Don't play dumb! I'm talking about that pervert who calls himself the Toad Sage now where is he!?" Gamabunta demanded to know with Naruto a bit shaken on what had happened in the last minute.

"Look, I'm giving you and order and if you can follow it, I'll consider making you my henchman now hurry up and tell me!" Gamabunta yelled as Naruto actually seemed interested at that idea, never mind the fact it was him who summoned Gamabunta.

"Oh if you're talking about the Pervy Sage, he's on the cliff up there?" Naruto pointed up above.

"Up there?" Gamabunta turned his gaze up there.

"Uh…can I ask a question, Sir Toad?" Naruto asked with Gamabunta turning his gaze back to him.

"What is it?" Gamabunta asked with Naruto blinking.

"What business do you have with that Pervy Sage, anyways?" Naruto asked, which set off Gamabunta again.

"That's exactly what I want to ask that pervert! I mean what in the world would that fool want with me anyways!? Summoning me in a place like this!?" Gamabunta definitely had some choice words for the perverted sage with Naruto about to speak up for himself.

"Actually…I'm the one who summoned you…I fell off that cliff and you saved me so…thanks boss!" Naruto smiled, giving Gamabunta a thumbs up and a salute.

However….instead of gaining a newfound respect for Naruto, he found this humorous as he bellowed an enormous guffaw of laughing, echoing through a cliff.

"Give me a break! What does a puny little kid like you know about something like that!? There's no way some squirt like you could summon someone as me!" Gamabunta practically jeered in Naruto's face.

"What's this guy's problem? If he said he did it, he did it!" Boruto glared at Gamabunta.

"Yeah besides, why would Master Jiraiya even summon a big frog like him at the near bottom of a cliff, anyways?" Sarada added with Naruto obviously offended.

"No, it's true! I really did summon you!" Naruto tried defending himself as this seemed to make Gamabunta laugh harder, as Naruto had lost his already short and impatient temper.

"Knock it off, you toad jerk!" Naruto spat as this actually succeeded in stopping Gamabunta's tactless laughing as Gamabunta glared at him with Naruto glaring at the toad dead in the eyes, "You've been talking down to me and saying anything you've wanted since you've got here well I've got some news for you; I'm the one who summoned you and that means I'm your master so there!" Naruto spat with Boruto and Sarada practically applauding him.

"Yeah, that's telling him!" Boruto grinned as Gamabunta's eyes narrowed at the orange clad ninja.

"You've got some nerve! Who do you think you're talking to like that! A meaningless little brat like you-barely old enough to stand but you dare to tell me that you're my master!? That's it!" Gamabunta wrapped his tongue around Naruto before throwing him on his back. Before Naruto could even say anything, Gamabunta literally jumped out of the cliff.

"Whoa! He's fast!" Sarada could hardly believe her eyes at how fast Gamabunta was despite being so big.

"Yeah! Just how strong is this guy?" Boruto wondered as Gamabunta and Naruto landed in a forest not too far from the cliff they were in with Naruto falling off Gamabunta's back.

Before Naruto could get to his feet, it was then he noticed just how humongous Gamabunta was and how agile he could be despite his speed.

"Whoa….that….was awesome…." Naruto marveled at Gamabunta as he sized him up as Gamabunta decided to address Naruto.

"I hate to tell you this, you little snot but even if I were willing to believe that you were actually the one who summoned me and believe me that's a really big IF, if you're the kind of guy who can fall off my back that easily, then there's no way I could ever accept you as my master." Gamabunta shoved his face into Naruto's before turning around.

"Now, since I'm back in the world after a very long time, I'm going for a walk if Jiraiya doesn't need me." Gamabunta was about to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Naruto tried getting Gamabunta to stay whose interest in being alongside Naruto was long since gone.

"Listen, why don't you just get out of here and go home? It's clear you'll never make it as my henchman." Gamabunta scoffed as he began to laugh as he walked off, making Boruto and Sarada bristle.

"That arrogant bastard! C'mon dad, show him who's boss!" Boruto yelled.

"Yeah don't let him talk down to you like that!" Sarada added as Naruto grit his teeth in anger as he was sick and tired of people undermining and underestimating him.

Naruto roared as he ran up the back of Gamabunta before landing right on top of Gamabunta's nose, glaring him dead in the eye.

"Go dad!" Boruto grinned.

"What? What do you think you're dojng now?" Gamabunta asked, starting to get annoyed with Naruto's tenacity.

"Fine! If making you respect me depends on me staying on your back, well then I'll make sure to stay on your back the rest of the day no matter what!" Naruto spat, before planting a defiant step right on the nose of the huge toad, much to Team Konohamaru's impress.

"That's telling him!" Boruto grinned.

"You can do it!" Sarada pumped her fist as Gamabunta raised a nonexistent eyebrow at the orange clad ninja.

"What?" Gamabunta challenged Naruto who glared at him.

"That's right. And when I do, you'll have no choice then to accept me as your master!" Naruto spat as that seemed to ignite Gamabunta's anger as he growled at him.

"You really are a snot! Fine but don't think I'm going easy on you!" Gamabunta roared trying with all his might to knock off Naruto but to no avail as Naruto was on him like cheese on Macaroni.

"Ugh! Must grip with chakra! I don't have enough…chakra…." Naruto grunted as he managed to get ahold of Gamabunta's snout as he decided to give him a lasting message.

"Listen carefully chief toad! My name is Naruto UzumakI! Someday I'm gonna become Hokage! Don't forget that!" Naruto yelled.

"I don't care!" Gamabunta responded as he jumped either around the forest or through the sky alongside the air.

Team Konohamaru watched with emotions mixed of either humor and horror. For Mitsuki it was the former while it was the latter for Sarada and Boruto.

"Can he really do it? Let's see." Mitsuki smiled.

"How can you smile so nonchalantly!? He used up a lot of chakra summoning that thing!" Sarada snapped.

"No, he can do it! It's….dad…." Boruto half-heartedly explained though there was a smile on his lips as he was right. Naruto….could accomplish anything…it seemed.

The trio watched as the day turned into evening time as Gamabunta seemed to not show any signs of relenting anytime soon with Naruto looking as if he was on his last leg.

"Just a little longer….once that sun sets and I haven't fallen off, you'll be calling me master, ha!" Naruto bragged much to Gamabunta's annoyance.

"Never." Gamabunta refused as he jumped sky high, mad yards.

Upon landing, Naruto huffed and puffed as fatigue was seemingly starting to take a hold of the lovable ninja.

"C'mon…Lord Seventh….just a little while longer…" Sarada urged Naruto.

"She's right! You got this!" Boruto added with Mitsuki silently watching with a smile as Gamabunta seemed to finally realize that Naruto was the type to not give up so easily and was quite resilient. He had the option to ignore him but he seemed to have one final trump card.

"Hey snot, what is your name?" Gamabunta stated more than asked as something stirred in Naruto.

"It seems he's finally starting to see him in a new light." Mitsuki commented as a small smile adorned Naruto's lips.

"My name? I told you, it's Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto tiredly pointed out.

"Well then 'Naruto Uzumaki', I hope you won't hold it against me if you die!" Gamabunta said, jumping long and hard through the water again and again before landing in the side of a water where a water fall was.

"No! That's where all the pretty ladies came to hang out!" The voice of Jiraiya rang out from a close distance, much to Team Konohamaru or rather Sarada's annoyance.

"Why doesn't he help him!?" Sarada was getting tired of Jiraiya's laziness as she saw it.

"It's because he feels if he helps him, it's the easy way out I would assume." Mitsuki answered.

"He's crazy as hell but there seemed to be a method to his madness." Boruto said as Sarada shook her head at the two boys but before she could say anything, she noticed Naruto twirling around like a ballerina.

"Oh crap!" Sarada pointed as Naruto seemed to catch himself.

"No! No way I'm falling off! Not when I'm this close to winning!" Naruto roared as he summoned a hoard of Shadow Clones.

"Catch him!" Boruto said as the Shadow Clones did just that, the assortment of the clones resembled a Naruto ladder.

"That's a clever usage of clones." Mitsuki smiled as the clones all pulled up Naruto who got up ahead of Gamabunta as he smiled and laughed.

"Haha I did it! I told you I could stay on!" Naruto celebrated much to Team Konohamaru's happiness.

"I knew!" Boruto grinned before he was suddenly glomped by Sarada.

"That's our Lord Seven-"Sarada was about to cheerfully state before the two shoved each other off.

"What's your problem!?" Boruto and Sarada glared at each other a gasp from Mitsuki got their attention.

"He's falling!" Mitsuki pointed out as exhaustion finally did Naruto in before he started to slowly fall off Gamabunta.

"Oh no! If he falls from that height and hit the ground, he'll die!" Sarada yelled.

But before anyone could panic, Gamabunta slung his tongue out which saved Naruto before bringing him back to the top of his head.

Before anyone could say anything, a scroll landed in front of the ginormous toad.

"Jiraiya's scroll?" Boruto asked before it opened up, revealing all the different blood signatures.

"Naruto Uzumaki, huh? You scroundrel, Jiraiya…I am fully aware this boy summoned me all on his own…" Gamabunta admitted as his eye softened.

"Wait! He knew the whole time!?" Sarada exclaimed as both boys smiled.

"It would seem so…and it looks like he himself was giving Lord Seventh a test….one to see if he could truly 'endure'." Mitsuki chuckled.

"So that's where dad got that mantra from." Boruto snickered as Sarada sighed.

"I can't believe you two…" Sarada shook her head, completely sure she was the only sane one on her team.

"He is courageous….it's the first time since the Fourth Hokage that someone has dared to climb up on my head. Although as may be expected after that battle, he looks completely drained of energy. I don't mind giving him some of my power but I believe taking him to a place of healing would be best…" Gamabunta said and before anyone knew anything, Naruto was practically dropped off at the Leaf Village Hospital.

All the nurses and doctors around all scrambled outside at the sound only to find an unconscious Naruto inside the giant footprint of Gamabunta.

"I bet they're gonna have a field day trying to find out how that one happened." Boruto snorted as he watched the nurses and doctors look around to what could have been so giant until they all decided to bring Naruto in.

Eventually Naruto was stripped of his clothes in headband before he was given a room in the Hospital to recover.

"So…that's how dad met Jiraiya and learned how to summon…" Boruto smiled at his father's sleeping form. He tried to run his hand through his hair only to pass through him.

"It certainly was an interesting tale…." Sarada sighed.

"And amusing. It was definitely the most entertaining memory we've seen in a while." Mitsuki noted.

"True that. It's nice to get some slice of life after all that crap in the forest of death." Sarada sighed, hoping not to see Orochimaru for a long while.

The team then turned to the sound of the door opening, revealing Shikamaru with a fruit basket in hand.

"Is that Master Shikamaru? I wonder what he's doing here?" Sarada asked.

"He's gonna visit dad? Then agan….they were sort close back during those Academy memories." Boruto smiled.

"Indeed….I wonder what broke them up…." Mitsuki wondered as Shikamaru took a seat on the stool by Naruto's bed. It was then that Naruto started to slowly stir and wake up.

"He's waking up…." Boruto smiled as Naruto's eyes slowly opened to see Shikamaru right by his side.

"So you're finally waking up, huh?" Shikamaru teased Naruto who blinked several times to see whether or not it was Shikamaru or not.

"Where am I? What is this?" Naruto muttered, looking his eyes right and left as Shikamaru chuckled.

"The Hospital. They said you've been out cold like this for three days straight." Shikamaru answered as Naruto took time to process the full calamity of Shikamaru's words.

"Oh no." Sarada grimaced.

"How long until he loses it?" Boruto smirked as Mitsuki chuckled.

"Five seconds." Sarada bet ten ryo.

"Five? I give it one and a half." Mitsuki wagered thirty ryo as Naruto finally realized the full impact of Shikamaru's words before he leapt out of bed in exactly a second and a half.

"Three days straight!?" Naruto yelled, before throwing his covers off and looking Shikamaru dead in the eye.

"Your money, please?" Mitsuki laughed as Boruto and Sarada reluctantly forked over thirty ryo each.

"Jackass…." Boruto muttered.

"Uh…yeah….More or less." Shikamaru blinked, surprised at the sudden 180 in Naruto's attitude. Talk about zero to hundred.

"Shikamaru!? When's the final competition begin!?" Naruto demanded more than asked as Shikamaru tried finding a way to break the news to Naruto who he knew would react over the top regardless of how he phrased his answer.

"T-tomorrow…." Shikamaru meekly answered as this seemed to set off Naruto even more.

"Tomorrow!? Man and he still looks kinda out of it…." Boruto took notice of Naruto's slightly haggard appearance.

"Well can you blame him? With all the hell he went through with Gamabunta…." Sarada sighed as Naruto grabbed Shikamaru's collar tightly.

"What!? Why the hell didn't you wake me up sooner!? I can't be lying here at a time like this! I've gotta be getting ready and pervy sage! Where's Pervy Sage!? That old coot's supposed to be supervising my training!" Naruto yelled as Shikamaru felt a migraine coming on.

"Hey calm down kid. I have no idea what you're talking about!" Shikamaru replied in annoyance as Naruto let him go as he hastily looked for his clothes and ninja tools as Shikamaru's incoming migraine only got worse.

"Ugh….I liked him better when he was out…." Shikamaru muttered before reaching his wits end, "Would you knock it off!?" Shikamaru said as Naruto actually stopped.

"He actually stopped?" Boruto asked in a mix of surprise and humor.

"I wonder what's wrong?" Sarada asked.

"Now listen, you don't want to be freaking out the day before a big competition. Resting can be the best thing." Shikamaru scolded Naruto who actually plopped down on his butt, much to the surprise of everyone watching.

"Okay what is going on here?" Sarada asked as even Shikamaru was taken aback by Naruto's sudden change in demeanor.

"Are….are you okay? What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked before the sound of a growling stomach answered his answer.

"I'm….really starving…" Naruto clutched his stomach with comical tears streaming down his eyes as Boruto, Sarada and Shikamaru sighed as Mitsuki chuckled.

"Shouda figured." Boruto sighed though it was good-natured as Shikamaru actually looked somewhat relieved.

"Is that all? Man, stop scaring me like that." Shikamaru shook his head before smiling, "Look at this." Shikamaru smiled as he suddenly pulled out a fruit basket.

"A basket of fruit?" Boruto smiled.

"I went to all the trouble of getting this stuff for Choji but the doctors told me he couldn't have it." Shikamaru mused much to Naruto's surprise.

"Choji? He's here in the hospital too?" Naruto asked Shikamaru who smiled at Naruto reassuringly.

"Don't worry, he just got a stomachache from eating too much." Shikamaru smirked as Naruto guffawed finding this revelation nothing short of humorous.

"Like his daughter." Mitsuki chuckled.

"I wonder how strong Master Choji was?" Boruto surmised as Naruto was about to eat an apple from the fruit basket before stopping short as an idea hatched in his mind.

"Hey! I've got an idea! How about we eat it all in front of Choji?" Naruto snickered.

"That is just mean!" Sarada tried keeping her giggle down.

"I love it!" Boruto and Shikamaru simultaneously agreed as the two childhood friends agreed to pull their prank on Choji.

"Man this is gonna be so epic!" Naruto giggled in glee.

"Yeah, yeah but keep it down, idiot! We don't wanna give ourselves us." Shikamaru chided Naruto who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I got-"Naruto was about to scoff before the two noticed the sound of footsteps going down the hallway.

"Wait, what is that?" Shikamaru asked with Naruto scampering off.

"Hey! Get back here!" Shikamaru said, catching up with Naruto.

However, the two's eyes widened as they realized it was none other than Gaara who was walking down the hallway.

"I-It's Master Gaara!" Sarada gasped out in surprise, not expecting him in the hospital.

"What's he doing here?" Sarada wondered as Boruto gulped.

"I don't know but I don't like that look in his eyes." Boruto gulped as Gaara looked like a snake about to prey on a bird's nest.

Shikamaru and Naruto were just as surprised at the sight of Gaara.

"It's that guy from the Chunin Exams!" Shikamaru pointed out as Naruto gulped. The trio saw flashes of Gaara's fight against Rock Lee before the memory returned to the present.

"He's freaked….not like I can blame him." Boruto said.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know but I doubt it's to see anyone special…." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed before they widened as he noticed the room he was going into.

"Wait, that's Lee's room!" Shikamaru noted in realization.

"Bushy Brows' room? But why would he-?" Naruto asked before he came to the disturbing revelation alongside Team Konohamaru.

"He woudn't actually try to….?" Boruto turned to his teammates.

"Finish the job? With how brutal he was in that last memory? Can we be surprised?" Boruto gulped as that look in Gaara's eyes gave her nightmares.

"He's gonna try and kill him! We gotta do something!" Naruto whispered to Shikamaru.

"I've got it. I'll restrain him with my Shadow Possession Jutsu." Shikamaru said to Naruto who looked skeptical.

"Will it really work? Will it hold?" Naruto asked as Shikamaru gave a small smile.

"Yeah….I've trained with Asuma-Sensei so it'll hold…" Shikamaru tried reassuring Naruto who smiled.

"Okay let's do it." Naruto said before Shikamaru got Naruto's shoulder.

"But we have to be discreet…." Shikamaru said.

"How long will that last?" Boruto snorted as the two calmly stalked their way to Lee's room only to come across a horrifying sight, Gaara was slowly encasing Lee in his sand.

"He's actually trying to kill him!?" Boruto yelled in surprise, disgust and disbelief.

"Is this guy insane!?" Shikamaru asked before Naruto decided that enough was enough and he clocked Gaara dead in his face as Shikamaru made the jutsu.

"Thank you!" Sarada said.

"For once I've happy about his stead-fastness." Boruto rubbed his forehead as Shikamaru grunted, him also getting hit with the punch thanks to the effects of his Shadow Possesssion Jutsu.

"What the heck do you think you're doing in here you rat!?" Naruto spat in anger and disbelief that someone would try to kill someone in their sleep of all things. Talk about lowdown and dirty.

"Hey man, go easy! I'm using my Shadow Possession Jutsu so when you're whacking him, you're whacking me." Shikamaru reminded his friend who sheepishly laughed.

"Oh right, sorry Shikamaru." Naruto sheepishly apologized before regaining his serious demeanor as he turned to Gaara with a glare.

"Now out with it. What were you trying to pull?" Naruto demanded more than asked as Gaara quickly recovered from the blow Naruto dealt him.

"I was going to kill him." Gaara straight-forwardly answered as Naruto and Shikamaru were taken aback with how coolly Gaara answered Naruto's question alongside Boruto and Sarada. It was almost as if he was talking like he was going to the grocery store rather than committing the murder of another person, in their sleep no less.

"Well he gets an A for honesty but why? What's his deal?" Sarada asked.

"I wish I would have met him back when I went to the past….What caused him to be so jacked up?" Boruto pondered as Shikamaru recovered from his shock, slightly.

"You already beat him once in the competition so what's your problem? Wasn't that enough for you or do you have some kind of personal grudge against him?" Shikamaru asked Gaara who stare blank-faced at the Nara.

"I have nothing against him. I simply want to kill him, that's all." Gaara answered with one hundred percent honesty much to the discomfort of folks watching.

"What's his deal? What could've caused him to be so blood thirsty?" Sarada asked as Boruto actually pondered that idea.

"I wonder if it's because of that Shukaku…." Boruto wondered as that was enough to set Naruto off.

"You're insane! You think we're just gonna stand by and let you do whatever you want!?" Naruto spat with anger as he pointed at Gaara with Shikamaru adding his two cents.

"You sick, selfish psycho." Shikamaru glared at Gaara who looked undeterred with their anger and disgust to him. Almost if he was used to people's looks of disapproval.

"If you two get in my way, I'll kill you too..." Gaara threatened Naruto who was set off even more if that was possible.

"Oh yeah!? Let's see you try it!" Naruto raised a fist much to Shikamaru's exasperation.

"Back off, kid!" Shikamaru tried calming Naruto down so as to not make the situation worse for them.

"With all his Summoning Training, is that all enough?" Sarada asked.

"I wonder….because it wouldn't be wise to bluff if you're not strong enough to tango with someone who has shown to kill you for so much as looking at him the wrong way." Mitsuki pointed out with Shikamaru smirking at Gaara.

"We know you're tough and your tricks but you should know that Naruto and I have a few little tricks up your sleeves that we held back during the competition. There are things you haven't seen yet. On top of that, it's two against one so I say you just take my advice and go quietly, okay?" Shikamaru tried bargaining with Gaara who looked unmoved with Shikamaru's bravado.

"As I said, if you get in my way, I'll kill you." Gaara emotionlessly said.

"And as I said, let's see you try it!" Naruto challenged Gaara's assertion.

"Back off kid! We don't know what this guy's deal is! He fights like he's mad! Like he's a demon or something!" Shikamaru tried reminding Naruto of the potential death flags at play though Naruto looked unfazed with Shikamaru's words but rather welcomed the challenge with a smirk.

"He can act like a demon if he wants but you know what? I got the real thing inside of me!" Naruto grinned as Shikamaru looked at Naruto questionably as the memory flashed to the scene of Naruto meeting Kurama before the scene flashed back to the present.

"Well that's telling him but still….he's so….emotionless….about killing….what caused him to be like that?" Sarada wondered as Gaara actually looked interested at what was coming out of Naruto's mouth for once.

"A demon, huh? My demon is as real as yours is…." Gaara had his eyes closed before opening them.

"From my birth, my upbringing was not what most people would consider a happy one. To ensure that I became the strongest of Shinobi, my father had his Ninjutsu cast upon me inspiring my spirit with the sand spirit inside of me. I destroyed the life of the woman who gave birth to me….I was born a monster…." Gaara began his explanation much to the shock of everyone watching.

"…He…killed….his mother?" Sarada gulped.

"….Maybe it wasn't him but….Shukaku?" Boruto tried offering as both Naruto and Shikamaru were definitely intrigued by what the sand spirit inside of Gaara was. As if reading their minds, Gaara decided to add onto what he meant.

"Its name is Shukaku and it's the living incarnation of an old monk of the Sand Village who'd been sealed in a jar of tea." Gaara explained the origins of Shukaku.

"A jar of tea? And it was created by a Sunagakure old monk?" Sarada turned to Boruto who was lost for words alongside Naruto as Shikamaru tried finding some semblance of logic in Shikamaru's words.

"Some kind of demonic jutsu to use on a baby before it's even born? Man that's creepy." Shikamaru shook his head with Naruto looking at Gaara, in disbelief there was actually someone in the world just like him.

"What a swell guy your dad must've been….he really must've loved you a lot." Shikamaru tried finding sense in what he and Gaara were hearing.

"You speak of love? Don't measure me by your standards….Love? Family? The only emotional ties that I have to my family are the ones I'd like to wrap around their necks! They're ties of hate." Gaara practically spat much to the surprise of everyone listening.

"Wait? What could have happened to Master Gaara to make him near….evil?" Sarada gulped as Gaara began his tale.

"Given life by the death of my mother, I was brought into being and nurtured as the salvation to the village. I was the Kazekage child and my father taught me the innermost secrets of the Shinobi. He pampered, protected and left me to myself. For a time I thought that was love." Gaara simply said as Naruto and Shikamaru were left unnerved in Gaara's tone. There was no bitterness or angst in it but just blissful acceptance.

Team Konohamaru were nothing short of disgusted in what they were hearing.

"What a load of crap! That's no love! He was treated as a tool!" Boruto spat before clenching his fists, "By his own father too…."

"How can anyone be so cruel?" Sarada glared as Mitsuki sighed.

"Like we've seen, Jinchuuriki are seen as nothing but weapons. Powerful weapons but weapons enough to keep at arm's length." Mitsuki explained as that did nothing to quell Boruto and Sarada's anger. But rather it ignited their flames even harder.

"And that's when everything started…." Gaara's bangs covered his eyes.

"When what started?" Naruto demanded more than asked before Gaara suddenly smiled.

However, it wasn't a sweet or arrogant smile….but a demented smile befitting a true psychopath.

"In the six years since I became six years old, my own father tried to destroy me more times than I could count!" Gaara exclaimed with his eyes wide and bloodshot as everyone took a step back at the look in Gaara's eyes.

So much hate….so much bloodlust….

"His own father? How could one father try to kill their own kid?" Sarada looked to her teammates.

"Could his Tailed Beast been that troublesome that his own dad would off him?" Boruto asked.

"Remember, the Tailed Basts are huge amalgamations of Chakra…and if they went off the grid…." Mitsuki's eyes trailed off as Shikamaru tried regaining some semblance of air.

"You just finished saying how your father pampered and protected you? So which is it?" Shikamaru glared at Gaara who clenched his fists.

"Those who get too strong are apt to become feared…The jutsu that gave me birth had unbalanced something in my mind. Even the fools in my village already realized I had emotional problems. My father, the Kazekage, had created me as his individual weapon though in time I became a threat to the village I was meant to save. But by the time I was six I had become a threat to the villagers….to them I was a relic of the past that they wished would disappear. So you see, I had failed at the one purpose for which I was given. But what then was left for me in this existence? Why go on living? To exist for nothing is the same as being dead…." Gaara's eyes narrowed as his eyes were locked dead in Naruto's who was practically frozen in fear at Gaara's words, almost as if he knew Gaara was looking dead at him as to challenge his reason and purpose for living.

"To put it simply….my reason for living is in the killing of others. For years I lived in fear but now I am at peace. I killed many would-be assassins. And it was there the truth was made clear for me…I live solely for myself….I love only myself….As it was the death of my mother who gave me life, I now sustain myself through the killing of others. And as long as there are people to kill in this crowded world, I will never disappear." Gaara finished his statement with everyone shaken and unnerved.

"….Wow….to kill….to get a purpose…..now that he told us why….I can understand…..but…." Sarada was nothing short of shell-shocked at hearing Gaara's story.

"What's with dad? He looks so spooked…." Boruto frowned at Naruto who looked not just fearful but ready to run as far away as he could.

"Yeah…what's wrong?" Sarada frowned in sympathy.

"It's because for the first person, he's met someone in the world who is exactly just like him." Mitsuki explained.

"You mean because of the Tailed Beasts in their bodies?" Boruto asked with Mitsuki nodding.

"That's right….he's seen someone who's experienced the same hell as him….and someone who's chosen a vastly different path in life…." Mitsuki added as Sarada's eyes widened.

"And if it wasn't for the people he met….he could've become someone like Master Gaara…." Sarada's breath was nearly lost at the thought of Naruto becoming a murderous psychopath.

"….That's just….wow….we really owe Old Man Iruka then…." Boruto kept on looking at the petrified look on Naruto's face before the sand suddenly erupted around him, breaking Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu with ease.

"Oh damn!" Boruto cursed.

"He broke through my Shadow Possession Jutsu!?" Shikamaru couldn't believe his jutsu was fodderized with ease.

"'Oh damn' is right! Look!" Sarada pointed in arm before the sand suddenly launched itself at both boys.

"It's launching straight at both of them!" Boruto pointed in alarm as Naruto was really too frozen in place to move.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled before noticing how frozen in place Naruto was and for all of Naruto's bravado couldn't move or try to defend himself.

"Damn it, do something someone!" Boruto yelled as Gaara's blood lusted eyes returned.

"Now….let me feel alive!" Gaara said but before the sand could reach the two, a certain voice cut everyone off.

"Alright, knock it off!" The voice of Guy yelled, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Save it til tomorrow, that's when the fighting is." Guy walked into the room, glaring sharply at Gaara as he knew right off the bat what Gaara was planning.

"Old Man Guy? When did he get here?" Boruto asked.

"Who cares!? At least it looks like it stopped him!" Sarada smiled as all the sand in the room started to recede before sliding back into his gourd.

With Guy's appearance stirring something inside of Gaara, he slowly took his leave…but not without leaving one last warning to everyone in the room.

"Make no mistake, I will kill you. I'll kill you all…."

And with those words, the memory suddenly brightened before the bluish-purplish mist enveloped the memory before it darkened and blackened completely, ending it completely.

---

And with that, the training is over and next chapter starts the Finals of the Chunin Exams!

Who will win and who will lose!? Well, if you watched the series you guys already know the answer to that question! XD

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as it introduced our favorite Pervy Sage as well as having some character development for our favorite sand ninja of the funk!

Next chapter are the final rounds coming Friday April 30th so look forward to it then!

It will NOT be a week later, I promise! ^_^