Gamasuko hopped up onto a tree branch so he was almost eye level with Naruto. He adjusted his yellow robes. "Scroll?" He rubbed his slimy chin. "Hmm… yeah, you know I think I do know something about a scroll."

"Really?!" said Naruto. "That's great! Where is it?"

"You gotta understand, the scroll is very sacred," said Gamasuko. "It's a big risk for me just chatting about it with you. If I had a neck, I'd be sticking it out for you right now."

"C'mon, you have to help me out," said Naruto. "I just saved your life! Those spiders were going to eat you!"

"Well, I suppose that's true," said Gamasuko begrudgingly. "Still, what am I getting out of it, you know?"

"You owe me!" said Naruto.

"You got any more of that flash powder?" said Gamasuko.

Naruto dug through his side pouch for a few seconds before pulling out his last vial of flash powder. "Sure, I have it, but you're telling me where the Scroll of Myoboku is first. In fact, bring me there in person, and once I see the scroll I'll give you the powder."

Gamasuko hopped down from the branch. "This way, Naruto-kid."

They traveled through the swamp for thirty minutes, Naruto and Gamasuko both swiftly hopping between branches. Naruto ducked under hanging vines, almost slipping as he landed in the fog. I swear, this toad is picking the narrowest routes possible. They came out at a clearing with a small pond in the center. At the edge of the pond, Naruto saw a large robed toad—it was a darker shade of green than Gamasuko, and nearly as tall as Naruto in its crouched position—with a one-meter long scroll on its back.

"Yo, Gamafutoi!" said Gamasuko. The giant toad turned to Naruto and Gamasuko. "This Naruto-kid wants to know about the scroll. He seems like a good kid."

Naruto handed Gamasuko the vial of flash powder. He turned to Gamafutoi. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Is that the Scroll of Myoboku you have there?"

Gamafutoi nodded. "Yup." He popped a fat beetle into his mouth and swallowed it.

"Can I have it?" said Naruto.

"No."

"Just for a minute. It's for a mission I'm on, I'm trying to learn a new technique."

"No."

"Please, I would be forever grateful."

"No."

"Maybe we could trade for it! I just gave my last bit of flash powder to Gamasuko, but I probably have something here that you want. How about a shuriken?"

Gamafutoi shook his head.

"How about I do something for you. Let me earn the scroll from you!"

Gamafutoi contemplated for a few minutes. "I like these beetles." He shot his tongue out over two meters and latched onto a hand-sized red beetle. He retracted his tongue and swallowed the beetle. "Bring me one hundred of them."

Naruto paused. "Uh, ok. Yeah, deal, if I bring you one hundred beetles then you have to let me use the scroll."

Gamafutoi nodded.

"Where's the best place to find them?" said Naruto.

"Around the edge of the pond," said Gamafutoi.

Naruto walked along the edge of the pond for several minutes before finding his first red beetle. The beetle was quicker than he expected as well, and he lost it in the water. After twenty minutes of searching he had only caught one beetle. This is insane. One beetle every twenty minutes? This is going to take all day! He brought the beetle back to Gamafutoi, who happily ate it.

"Only ninety-nine to go," said Gamasuko.

"What are you still doing here?!" said Naruto. "The least you could do is help me out!"

"They like tall grass," said Gamasuko. "You owe me for that tip."

Naruto made the hand seal of Kage Bunshin, and in a flash of smoke in fog he conjured five shadow clones. They spread out and searched patches of tall grass along the pond. After five minutes, one of Naruto's clones triumphantly hoisted a red beetle out of the grass. In fifteen minutes each of them had caught one. After an hour Gamafutoi had enjoyed two dozen red beetles.

Naruto was growing fatigued by the extended use of Kage Bunshin. Long uses like this gave him headaches. He released the technique and reabsorbed his clones, gaining sudden insight into the identification of red beetle nests, their patterns of movement, and the best patches of tall grass to search. He sat and rested for a few minutes before summoning five more clones. Naruto and his clones were more efficient now, spotting beetles and their nests more quickly. Twice more Naruto released his technique to absorb a bounty of wisdom from the combined beetle-hunting experiences of his clones. Three hours after he began Gamafutoi's task, he handed the toad his one-hundredth beetle. Naruto was on the verge of collapse from a combination of hunger, physical fatigue, chakra overuse, and mental burnout.

"I didn't think you'd really do it," said Gamafutoi as he ate the last beetle. "You really are a good kid."

"Pass me that scroll," said Naruto. The thought of completing his mission began to rejuvenate him.

"No, can't do it,"

"Wait, what!? We had a deal!"

"Get me a hundred more of those beetles, and then we'll talk."

"Hell no!" Naruto's hand tightened into a fist. "If you don't give me the scroll, I'm going to take it from you." He blitzed toward Gamafutoi, but Gamafutoi hopped out of the way. Fast for a big guy.

"You'll give me a stomach ache, making me hop around right after eating," said Gamafutoi.

Naruto chased Gamafutoi around the pond, kicking up water as he dashed across the surface. Gamafutoi was faster over water, the terrain playing to his advantage. Up ahead the torn stump of a tree was sticking about one meter out of the pond. I hope that's rooted in something below, and not just floating near the surface… I need better traction! Naruto focused chakra into his feet, and used the tree stump as a spring to launch forward, closing the distance between him and Gamafutoi with a burst of acceleration. Gamafutoi glanced back in surprise when he realized that Naruto was almost on top of him—the hulking toad landed a spinning kick on Naruto as he reached for the scroll on Gamafutoi's back. Naruto crashed into the pond, sending a frothy spray of water into the air.

"That was a close one," said Gamafutoi.

Naruto's head came up out of the water. He slowly emerged, stopping in a crouching position on the surface. "You damn toads are really a pain in my ass. I'm going to get that scroll from you!"

Gamafutoi let out a long burp. "Oh, that feels much better. I was starting to cramp up back there."

A shadow grew under the surface behind Gamafutoi, hidden by a cluster of lily pads. Naruto's shadow clone lunged up at the scroll with a splash—his fingers grazed the exterior, but Gamafutoi was quick to leap away. Both Naruto and his clone ran up beside him.

"Don't make me kick you again," said Gamafutoi.

They passed under a low hanging cypress tree, and with a poof of smoke one of the branches transformed back into a second Naruto doppelganger, one that had hidden while Gamafutoi was distracted, and had been waiting patiently for his chance to act. The clone jumped down from the tree and grabbed the scroll, tearing it off of Gamafutoi's back and throwing it to Naruto. Gamafutoi turned and shot his tongue out, latching onto the scroll, but Naruto managed to grab hold of it by the other end before Gamafutoi could yank it away. After a momentary bout of tug-of-war, Naruto broke free as both his clones dropped leg chops on Gamafutoi's tongue.

Naruto tore the scroll open, pricked his right thumb with the tip of a kunai, and pressed his bloody thumb to the yellowed page. There was a rush of wind and dizzying colors, then darkness. Naruto found he was sitting on wet grass in the midst of a quiet swamp glade. The air here felt different, still humid, but with less fog and marsh stink. There were others around him.

"There you are, Naruto," said Jiraiya. "It's about time."