Hello, hello, I'm back again with a brand-new chapter for you lovely people. No, I didn't magically get the rights to Naruto. Kishimoto-Sensei is protecting it better than Mr. Krabs and the Krabby patty formula.

We left our favorite ninja thinking about his closest friend, we left our favorite Hyuga thinking about our favorite ninja. We learned that Naruto doesn't know the difference between romantic and platonic love, no surprise, and we also watched him crash and burn with Hinata as the poor Hyuga was unable to form a coherent sentence to answer him. Kakashi is getting ready to train a certain Uchiha while also trying to pawn Naruto off on another instructor, an offer Naruto was quick to decline. What will the blond do in order to prepare for his fight against Neji Hyuga? Will he be able to keep his promises? More importantly, will he want to…or will he be consumed by the animal inside of him?

Now on to:

Chapter 14: I want...I need you

The days had grown longer for one Naruto Uzumaki. A week had already passed since he visited Hinata in the hospital, and while he had visited her one more time since then, it was only to bring her cinnamon rolls, which he left with the nurse instead of actually going in to see the Hyuga. He couldn't quite bring himself to face her just yet as the last time he saw her, he felt that he might have unknowingly ended their friendship by thinking that Hinata might like him as something more. At any rate, he had spent the last week writing new seals out and practicing those new techniques. He was finding it increasingly difficult to do so for some reason, as he wasn't able to fully use his chakra the way that he was used to. Something that he couldn't come up with an answer for. He thought that maybe he just needed some fresh air and as such, found himself wandering around the village trying to come up with a solution to why he was struggling.

Naruto had been walking past the local woman's bath house when he noticed a mass of white crouched over the roof of a nearby building. Noticing that the man seemed to be conducting some sort of surveillance, the blond jumped up to the roof, landing next to the man.

"What did she do?" Naruto asked the stranger, taking him by surprise as he jumped from his cover.

"What the hell, kid? Have you no common sense?" the stranger demanded. He quickly peeked back towards the bathhouse to see if they had been found out, sighing in relief when he noticed they weren't. "Go away, I'm busy" he ordered, lifting his binoculars back up to his face.

"Which one is she?" the stranger sighed in frustration as he lowered his binoculars, annoyed that this kid wasn't letting up. He was, instead, surprised when he turned to see the kid staring intently towards the bathhouse, scanning the area for something.

"Which one is who?" the stranger questioned, taking in the boy's appearance for the first time.

"The target. You're here doing reconnaissance on you target, aren't you? Kakashi-Sensei always says it's important to know who your target is before launching your attack" Naruto explained, the memory of chasing down that stupid cat and how Kakashi made it a point to instill in his team that doing the research beforehand was just as important as the actual mission.

"Uh…sure…something like that. But uh…what's it to you?" the stranger put his binoculars away and jumped from the roof—gesturing for Naruto to follow.

"I was training and needed a break. If you're doing recon stuff, I can help. It'll be a good way to train in other areas while I take a break from my other stuff" Naruto offered, but the stranger shook his head.

"No thanks, kid. I don't need some wet behind the ears Genin messing up my research."

"Wet behind the ears? You're the moron hiding on a roof with the sun in your face. If you were smart you would have taken your position with the sun to your back, using the glare to your advantage so that if you're target looked in your direction, they wouldn't be able to see you clearly" the stranger was about to argue, but following the line of sight that Naruto pointed in, he was surprised that he hadn't thought of that himself.

"Hm, not bad kid, but I still don't need your help" he commented, brushing the blond aside. "Now if you don't mind, I'm busy and don't have time to play with you."

"Whatever. If you can't even do proper research then I doubt there's anything I could learn from you anyway" Naruto replied, before pushing past the white-haired man, and though the boy didn't know it, he pushed buttons that he wasn't intending to.

"Now wait just a minute there, kid. Don't you know who I am?" the stranger demanded. He grew even more frustrated when the kid shrugged. "I'll have you know that I am none other than one of the legendary Sannin, all mighty, loved by women, lover of women, great and powerful toad sage Jiraiya" Jiraiya announced. He performed his well-practiced routine and was utterly hurt when the boy's blank expression didn't change.

"If you're legendary, great and powerful…how come I've never heard of you?"

"This damn kid" Jiraiya thought, "How disrespectful of this generation." His eye twitched as he forced a smile; "Maybe you should have paid more attention in school" Jiraiya critiqued as he tried his best to not let it show that not being known annoyed him.

"I got top marks in my classes. Maybe you're just not as important as you think you are great and powerful Jiraiya" Naruto's snarky come back was enough to get Jiraiya's attention fully now.

"Listen here brat, just who do you think you are?" he demanded, glaring down at the blond.

"Oh, haven't you heard? I'm the leaf village's next Hokage. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and you better remember it, got that?" Jiraiya seemed intrigued by the boy for just a brief moment before he let out a laugh from deep within his belly.

"You got some nerve kid, I like that. I'll tell you what, I'll help out with whatever it was you were taking a break from. How about it?" the Sannin offered, a smile on his face that suggested this was the opportunity of anyone's lifetime.

"I don't know. I was working on my Fuinjutsu and I doubt there's anything you could help with" Naruto shrugged, brushing off the offer.

"Oh ho, well I'll have you know I'm quite the seal master myself" Jiraiya boasted, a big smirk on his face. Naruto didn't look entirely convinced but after a moment of silence he pulled a scroll from his pouch and handed it to the Sannin. Jiraiya looked over the scroll, expecting very little from the Genin. He was thoroughly impressed though as he examined the seal closer.

"The markings seem to be correct, so, what seems to be the problem?" Jiraiya asked, handing the scroll back to Naruto.

"The seal won't activate no matter how much I try. I tried rewriting it a few times but even then, it wouldn't work" the blond explained. Naruto was busy looking at the scroll, as if trying to find something he missed the first time.

"Show me" Jiraiya ordered. He motioned for Naruto to begin the demonstration. He hesitated for a moment, but nodded nonetheless.

"I need a clone first" Naruto said, and Jiraiya was about to make a shadow clone for the boy when the blond made one himself. "Very impressive. The boy can use shadow clones already. Though something seems off about it" Jiraiya was busy examining the clone that he hadn't noticed Naruto gesturing for him to take a step back.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that" the Sannin followed instructions and took a step back before Naruto placed the scroll on the ground. The clone stood in front of the original and sighed.

"Get it over with already, would you?" the clone demanded, annoyed that it was the latest in the line of test subjects. "Yeah, yeah" the original rolled his eyes before performing a series of hand seals.

"Sealing Technique: Spellbinding chains" Naruto called out. After a moment, the clone dissipated in a puff of smoke and the original groaned in defeat. "That's not what's supposed to happen" he said in embarrassment. Jiraiya, however, seemed to be more interested in Naruto himself. He was busy eyeing the boy as if looking for something specific before he nodded as if he finally figured something out.

"Tell me Naruto, have you had much issue with any other jutsu besides the seal you're working on now?" the Sannin asked, confusing the boy.

"Well, it's a little more difficult making shadow clones now. I used to be able to make a lot more but now it really takes its toll on me" Naruto admitted. The contemplation on his face was transparent enough that Jiraiya could tell the boy was thinking about whether it was something he was doing or something else entirely.

"Having trouble channeling chakra?" Jiraiya questioned, pressing the boy for answers.

"Not really" the boy paused. "Well, maybe a little" he confessed after a moment.

"I see" the Sannin walked over to the river flowing under the bridge next to them. "Naruto, come stand over here for moment. On the water."

"What? Why?" Naruto wondered aloud, but Jiraiya didn't answer, instead he motioned for Naruto to humor him. "Fine. Whatever." He walked over to the river; "Now what?" the boy demanded turning to look at the Sannin.

"What do you mean 'now what?' stand on the water" Jiraiya instructed, but for all that did for Naruto, Jiraiya might as well have grown another head. "Have you not learned the water walking exercise?" he asked, sighing as Naruto shook his head.

"Well, it's the same thing as the tree climbing exercise. Though it's a little more difficult since the water is constantly in motion. Once you take a step onto the water, you'll understand what I mean" Jiraiya nudged Naruto towards the river and pulled out his binoculars. "Let me know when you're at least able to stand on the water" Jiraiya went to walk away but stopped when he noticed that Naruto was already partly standing on the water; slowly sinking as he tried to gain some type of balance.

"I think I get what you mean about it being the same but more difficult" Naruto chuckled. He was having fun with the exercise, something that he hadn't been doing for a while.

"I didn't expect you to get it so quickly" Jiraiya admitted, watching as Naruto took a few steps. It lasted for a few seconds before Naruto suddenly fell like a rock into the river. "Maybe I was wrong" Jiraiya laughed. After a moment, Naruto's head broke the surface and he spat out water in frustration.

"I did have it" he snapped. He climbed out of the river, sitting at Jiraiya's feet.

"It looked like your chakra suddenly just stopped flowing, if I'm honest" Naruto looked up at Jiraiya with sudden understanding.

"That's what it felt like" he replied, realization all over his face. "I don't know why though" he added. He stood up and stripped off his jacket and undershirt, squeezing water from it. It was then that Jiraiya noticed a black spiral on the boy's stomach.

"What?" Naruto asked, noticing the sad look on the Sannin's face.

"Uh, nothing" Jiraiya lied, turning away from the blond. "Sorry kid, this is probably gonna hurt a bit" he thought, as he activated a technique.

"Hey, what are you—" Naruto was about to jump out of the way of Jiraiya's outstretched hand, but he was just a hair slower than the Sannin. Jiraiya's technique connected, knocking the wind out of Naruto, before the boy passed out in a heap.

"To think you almost managed to dodge me. Forgive me, Naruto. This will make you feel better when you wake up, even if you'll be annoyed with me" The Sannin lifted the boy onto his shoulder before propping him up against a tree.

"But who would have thought…" Jiraiya's words trailed off as he looked down upon the boy in quiet sadness, whatever thoughts were crossing his mind, they were for him alone.

Sakura Haruno found herself spending more and more time with a certain Hyuga. With her teammates off doing whatever they were doing, she hadn't seen or heard from either of them in over a week. Hinata had finally allowed her to come back and visit her, and whilst at first the Hyuga was quiet and distant with her, she returned to being friendly.

This particular day was meant to be a happy one as the Heiress was to be released from the hospital, but when Sakura walked into Hinata's room, she could immediately feel the misery looming in the air.

"Hey, Hinata" Sakura cheerfully greeted. Hinata turned to face the pinkette the moment the door opened and the look of her crestfallen face made Sakura pity her. "He still hasn't come to see you?" she asked, knowing full well that the only reason Hinata would look so disappointed would be because a certain blond knucklehead hadn't returned to see her.

"No. But he did bring me cinnamon rolls…even if he did leave them at the front desk" Hinata answered, sounding happy and hurt at the same time.

"That stupid idiot. Just wait till I find him and get my hands on him" Sakura growled. It was frustrating knowing that she was responsible for this, but even more infuriating that she hadn't been able to track down her teammate since that day in order to at least try and explain.

"I-I hope Naruto-Kun forgives me o-one day" Hinata quietly spoke. Though she was trying her best to hide it, Sakura could hear the struggle the Hyuga was facing trying not to cry.

"Hey, I'm sure Naruto will come around. Remember, you are his best friend" Sakura tried to console her, but Hinata's smile did nothing to hide the sadness in her eyes. Eyes, that were brimming with tears.

"Oy, Hinata we came to bust you out of here and feed you" Kiba's loud declaration reverberated around the room as he busted open the door, Akamaru comfortably sitting atop his head. With them were Shino, who was as quiet as ever, and to Sakura and Hinata's surprise Shikamaru.

"Hey" he lazily yawned, shutting the door behind them. "Do you have to be so energetic Kiba?" he asked, regretting it almost instantly as Kiba laughed boisterously.

"I'm not energetic, you're just lazy" Kiba said, making the Nara shrug. The idea of arguing with the Inuzuka was more troublesome than just agreeing with him.

"Hinata, join us. Why? Because we feel that you've been cooped up here for too long" Shino's stoic demeanor, and quiet buzzing always gave Sakura the creeps. But she couldn't lie and said that she wasn't a little jealous that Hinata's teammates seemed to genuinely want to be around her.

"Sakura, have you seen that Naruto anywhere? I have something for him" Shikamaru yawned again as he spoke to Sakura. When she shook her head, he handed her a pair of worn-out goggles. "Whatever, you give these to him then" he added. Sakura took the goggles, and hurriedly looked at Hinata. She too recognized the goggles as the ones she herself had given the blond years ago.

"No, he didn't throw them away or anything if that's what you're thinking. He dropped them at the chunin exams after he drank your blood and declared war on Neji" Shikamaru explained. The four others didn't know that Shikamaru paid that much attention to anyone, and Hinata suddenly got the feeling that Shikamaru knew more about what was happening between her and Naruto than he was letting on.

"Wait…N-Naruto-K-Kun d-drank m-my b-b-blood?" Hinata asked in horror. "W-When?" she was afraid to hear the answer but was also confused as to how Naruto would have even done something like that.

"It was after your battle with Neji. Why? Naruto stated that he was told once by someone that you can tell a lot about a person by the taste of their blood. Naruto then proceeded to tell Neji he wonders what his blood would taste like" Shino's blunt explanation made Hinata's head spin.

"What the hell? How come no one told me that?" Kiba demanded, upset that he had missed something like that because he was already eliminated from the preliminaries.

"Because it wasn't something I wanted to remember" Shikamaru answered. He sighed; "It's no secret Naruto is a little odd. Honestly, it didn't surprise me as much as I thought it would."

"Why not?" Hinata asked, offended by the Nara's words. Who was he to call her Naruto odd?

"Have you never got the impression that Naruto seems like he's always hiding something? Like he's afraid to actually be himself around us?" the Nara asked, looking at each of his peers. "You can't honestly tell me you never thought that it was strange how he showed up out of nowhere. He's an equal match for Sasuke Uchiha when it comes to Taijutsu, and after watching him use the ninjutsu that he did in the preliminaries, I'd say in Ninjutsu as well. Not to mention that he's proficient in sealing techniques, I mean, how many Genin are good at sealing techniques, let alone on the level that Naruto is? He's definitely not a normal guy" he explained after the blank expressions on their faces told him they wouldn't answer. "And then there's that murderous intent that he has when he's serious. Almost like he knows what it's like to see real combat. It's honestly something I wouldn't expect from a Genin" Shikamaru concluded.

"Yeah, but Naruto's still only a kid. You're making it sound like he's already killed people" Kiba argued, making the Nara shrug in defeat again. "I won't kill him" Naruto's words echoed in Hinata's head. It was then that she remembered all the times Naruto would change the subject when she would ask about his childhood before and after he disappeared. How he would always seem to get really reclusive after having to spar in classes, or even how he would often say that he only fights when he's told to.

"I'm sure that you're just overthinking it" Sakura interjected, cutting Kiba off and ending his one-sided argument against the Nara. While she agreed with a lot of what Shikamaru was saying, she was the only one who seemed to notice the way Hinata reacted to his words. Little did Sakura know that Hinata was finally putting together that Naruto did seem to hate the life of being a ninja. He did seem like he hated fighting. And the Hyuga wasn't wrong in thinking that, but she was wrong in the why. None of them could possibly know the truth, especially when the ninja clad in orange had never so much as told them where he came from, let alone why he was there.

Instead, Hinata allowed Sakura to guide her from the hospital room, following the group in a daze. She barely registered the continuing argument between her teammate and Shikamaru. Or how Sakura continued trying to change the subject. Shino quietly walked alongside them, choosing to remain impartial to the entire ordeal. Hinata turned to look at Ichiraku Ramen, hoping, just hoping, that her favorite person was seated there, and that she would be able to join him.

Sakura noticed the same crestfallen look on the Hyuga's face, nudging her to get her attention. She smiled at the heiress who sadly returned it. Hinata was glad to share something in common with Sakura. Afterall, Sakura as well was someone in love with someone who either didn't know she felt that way, or was unable to understand what that even meant. She followed her teammates as they led her to a barbeque restaurant where Ino and Choji were both waiting for them. Ino complained that they made them wait, but after bickering with Sakura, they finally made their way inside, where Hinata was reminded just how lonely she felt when Naruto wasn't around. And she was determined to find him, to change what happened. All she needed was the chance to.

"What h-happened?" a groggy Naruto slowly sat up, holding his head in a daze. "What did you do to me?" he growled looking up at the white-haired man who attacked him.

"Relax kid, I didn't do anything to you. If anything, I undid what someone else did to you" Jiraiya explained, knowing full well who's handy work he had to unravel.

"What do you mean 'undid something,' no one did anything to me" Naruto challenged, a snarl escaping him.

"Someone put a seal on you kid, hate to break it to you but it was a doozy of a seal. I doubt you even noticed it honestly." Naruto looked skeptically at the Sannin, lowering his guard for a moment.

"What was the seal?" he asked, zipping his jacket back up.

"It doesn't matter. It's gone now and you won't have any more issues" Jiraiya answered, patting the boy on the shoulder.

"What was the seal?" Naruto repeated, this time more demanding. Jiraiya seemed to size the boy up before nodding.

"It was the five elements seal. A very complex and difficult—" "I know how to use that seal too. There's no way someone would have gotten the chance to catch me with it" Naruto interrupted arguing against the answer given him.

"Look kid, I'm not saying I don't believe you, but clearly someone got you with it. Maybe when you weren't aware of what was happening?" Jiraiya suggested, eyeing the boy with curiosity.

"Like I said, there no way…" Naruto's words fell short as he realized that this started after his time in the forest of death. How there was a big blank spot in his memory before he woke up in the tower with Sakura and Sasuke. "Orochimaru" he growled, finally remembering the name of the snake that attacked them in the forest.

"Orochimaru?" Jiraiya's suspicions were confirmed. He knew he recognized the seal work of the snake, but why he would do such a thing, he couldn't be certain of.

"Yeah, that snake bastard attacked me and my team in the forest of death a few weeks back" Naruto explained. Jiraiya wanted to know more, but he wasn't willing to pry nor share anything. Not just yet anyway.

Naruto fell silent for a moment as he thought about something. "You weren't tracking a target earlier, were you? You were looking at those women taking a bath, right?" he asked. It was accusatory, but more curious than anything.

"What? I wasn't doing such a thing" Jiraiya lied, trying his best not to look guilty.

"Why would you need to hide it if you were?" Naruto questioned, not letting up on his quest for answers.

"What's it to you kid? What does it matter if I was peeping or not?" Jiraiya countered, annoyed that the boy wouldn't let up.

"Peeping? Hm, Sakura says that men who peep are perverts. She calls Kakashi-Sensei a pervert too for reading those paradise books. Are you a pervert?" Naruto asked, glaring at the Sannin.

"No. I am a man of many talents. My research requires that I get a closer look at woman in their most natural habitat" Jiraiya explained, but Naruto wasn't listening anymore.

"Whatever you say, you pervert sage" he sighed. "I guess it doesn't really matter if you're a pervert or not" he added, looking up at the sage.

"It doesn't? I mean, I'm not a pervert. I'm a researcher" Jiraiya clarified, fed up with having to make the distinction. "Anyway, what does it matter to you what I do with my free time?" he demanded, noticing how the boy looked at him with a discerning eye.

"I was going to ask if you would train me for my upcoming chunin exam match? I could use the help with my sealing techniques and you seem to know quite a bit about it. Of course, you could say no. I don't expect you to want to" Naruto explained, and though he hid it well, the sage could tell Naruto was hopeful that Jiraiya would say yes.

"Why should I, the great toad sage Jiraiya, train you?"

"Because I want you to train me" Naruto admitted, casting a forlorn look at his own reflection. "I can't explain it, but…for some reason this feels like the right course of action for me. Almost like I'm meant to be trained by you. Do you get what I mean?" he asked, looking back towards Jiraiya.

The Sannin contemplated those words. "Could this boy possibly know? There's no way he could. The old man wouldn't have told him…would he have?" he thought, thinking about the third Hokage made him remember why he came back to the leaf in the first place. It was because of a message he received from the third informing him of Orochimaru's appearance in the village. And of another matter that they needed to discuss at length. Naruto must be the other matter they needed to discuss, and if that was the case, then the third wouldn't have told the boy about the sage. There would be no reason to.

"Alright kid, I'll tell you what. I'll teach you something. But it's not going to be easy" Jiraiya bit his thumb before performing a few hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu" he called out. The sage now stood upon giant toad, bigger than Jiraiya himself but not big enough to be a giant. In its mouth was a giant scroll, one that the toad let fall at Naruto's feet.

"That's a contract with the summoning toads. I've guarded it and passed it down through the generations. If you sign it, you'll be able to summon a toad to help you in battle when you need them. I'll warn you though, because summoning is a type of space-time technique, it's not an easy task and I don't expect for you to actually be able to pull it off. However, it's something I think you should have" Jiraiya explained, knowing full well that someone like Naruto would be able to achieve a summoning. "Man, I need to go see the third already, I need to know what he knows about the kid. Being vague with him sucks" the sage thought.

"Space…time. That sounds…like something that I can use" Naruto smirked. "Say, Pervy sage, what other space-time ninjutsu do you know?" the blond looked eagerly at the Sannin.

"Don't call me that. And don't worry about what I know just yet. You focus on learning this, and if you manage to get this down, maybe I'll teach you more" Jiraiya replied, pointing towards the scroll. Naruto looked it over for a second before he signed his name to the scroll.

"Now what?" he asked, rolling the scroll back up.

"The signs for the summoning are Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Sheep. Get to practicing."

"That's it? That's all you're gonna tell me?"

"Oh yeah, you're gonna need blood as an offering and a massive amount of chakra to pull this off. So, go big each time you do it, otherwise you won't get very far" Jiraiya instructed, much to his surprise, Naruto sighed.

"You mean I'm going to have to borrow chakra from the fox, don't you?"

"Uh…You've been borrowing chakra from it?" As much as Jiraiya wanted to feign ignorance, the question caught him by surprise.

"The fact that you know about the fox means you know exactly who I am. So, tell me, Toad Sage Jiraiya, who exactly are you?" Naruto's voice was low and demanding. And though it was meant to be threatening, it was no more than an inconvenience to someone like Jiraiya.

"I'm nobody of consequence. Besides, weren't you the one who wanted my help?" the sage countered coolly, making Naruto relax a bit. "If you want the truth, I know who you are, but that's to be expected when…In due time, I'll tell you exactly why and how I know you in due time. Okay?" he hated the idea of having to hide what it was he knew, but he couldn't be sure if it was something he should share or not.

"If you try anything, if you try to take me back to that place…I'll kill you" Naruto warned. While Jiraiya wasn't sure what Naruto was talking about, he knew for a fact that was a threat the boy would die to keep. Naruto wasn't sure why he felt the need to warn the sage, but he was pretty familiar with all the shinobi of the leaf at this point, and this Jiraiya was not someone he'd ever seen or heard of. He wasn't about to be so careless that he would trust him fully. Even if he felt that he could.

"I don't know what place you're talking about, but you have my word as one of the three legendary ninja of the leaf that I, Jiraiya the toad sage, am not your enemy."

"Yeah, I've heard that one before" Naruto mumbled. He turned away from the Sannin, before mimicking the toad sage and biting his thumb. "Summoning Jutsu" he called out, performing the hand seals he was told to.

After a puff of smoke, only a tiny tadpole could be seen, flopping around on the ground. Jiraiya's disappointment was readable on his face and he had to wonder whether he was entirely wrong about the boy.

"What the hell is that?" he demanded, pointing at the tadpole still flailing about.

"I didn't want to ask the stupid fox for his help" Naruto grumbled. He had only spoken with the fox once before, right after Mizuki had told him about it being sealed inside of him. It was unpleasant and vile and Naruto couldn't stand the idea of having something that enjoyed bloodshed and chaos living inside of him.

"You're not gonna have a choice if you want to master this technique" Jiraiya said, wondering just how much about the fox Naruto knew, and how exactly he had interacted with it already.

"I can't. Okay? I can't use the fox's chakra at will. I don't know how. It only happens when…" Naruto couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"When what?"

"It only happens when I want to hurt someone. Or when I feel…helpless" the admission made sense to Jiraiya. It was a reflex, a response that the boy had no control over. It only happened when his emotions got the better of him.

"I see. Say, Naruto, what do you like to eat? I'm hungry and I could use some food" Jiraiya's transition made no sense to Naruto, but after saying Ichiraku was his favorite place to eat, Jiraiya and him were off to share a meal.

The two of them ate and spoke about the leaf and the Chunin exams. Jiraiya felt that the boy was beginning to open up to him and it was only when he asked Naruto about his childhood that the boy completely shut down and avoided saying anything else. They ate in silence for awhile before Teuchi told them it was on the house. The ramen shop owner enjoyed seeing Naruto, his most gluttonous customer come into the shop, but he hated seeing the boy looking miserable and downtrodden. The free food seemed to help him perk up a bit, but it did nothing to rid that look in his eyes.

"He's a handful, Lord Jiraiya" Teuchi commented, watching as Naruto exited the shop first.

"Maybe you'll tell me more about it later?" Jiraiya asked, to which the ramen shop owner nodded.

"I could talk about Naruto all day" Ayame interjected, poking her head out from the back of the shop.

"I'm counting on you both then" Jiraiya laughed, waving goodbye to them both.

"Are we going to finish training now, or what?" Naruto asked, stretching as he waited.

"Almost. How about you tell me something else about you? Is there a girl that you like?" Naruto thought about the question.

"Do you mean if I like someone like a friend, or as more than that?" he asked in return, making Jiraiya laugh.

"Let's go with as more than just a friend, well, do ya?" he insisted, but Naruto just shook his head.

"I don't know" he answered, not sure if how he saw a specific someone would qualify. "How can you tell if you like someone as more than a friend?"

Jiraiya laughed again, though this time it was more out of being uncomfortable than anything else. "How the hell am I supposed to explain this to a kid?"

"Well, Naruto, when you like someone as more than a friend…uh…well, you want to protect them at any cost" Jiraiya smiled as he thought of that person himself. "They make you laugh, and they remind you who you are and treat you well even if sometimes they're rough with you. They're the person that you will go to war for. Even if you know you're going to lose. They're someone precious to you" by the time he finished explaining, he realized he was getting too personal for something that wasn't about him.

"I see…I guess in that case there is someone like that. Though, I don't think she feels the same way" Naruto replied, and Jiraiya couldn't help but notice the sadness in the boy's voice.

"Well, I think you should go tell her how you feel. Or at the very least, go hug her."

"Why?"

The sage sighed again; "Just do it."

Though Naruto was sure the pervert sage was up to something, he wasn't sure what. On top of that, he hadn't spoken to Hinata in a while and wasn't sure he could face her just yet. Not after what happened at the hospital between them. Reluctantly agreeing to do as he was told, Naruto set out to find the person he needed to. Except, when Naruto did find who he was apparently looking for, Jiraiya had to wonder if that was actually the girl or not, since Naruto hugged her almost instantly, and with no hesitation.

"Sorry about this Sakura" Naruto mumbled next to her ear.

"Naruto, what the hell have you been up to? And why are you hugging me?" she demanded, annoyed that she agreed to this in the first place.

"I honestly can't even begin to explain. I'll try later, but I have no answer now." he stepped away from her and turned to walk away when she grabbed his sleeve.

"Say, Naruto, are you...uh…have you spoken to Hinata recently?" she asked, knowing full well that he hadn't so much as been in the same head space as the Hyuga.

"Yeah, we're okay now" he smiled. He walked away before she could say anything else, but she couldn't help but feel hurt that Naruto flat out lied to her. What was more, she didn't know why he would lie in the first place.

"Okay, done. Now what you want me to do?" Naruto demanded once he returned.

"Oh, now…you die" Jiraiya cheerfully said. In the moment that Naruto was confused about what he heard, Jiraiya pushed the boy sending him flying farther than it would have seemed possible with such little effort.

"What the hell are you doing you bastard pervert?" Naruto yelled. His voice was being drowned out by the rushing wind as he plummeted into a dark and seemingly bottomless ravine.

"Now's the time Naruto. If you don't want to die, you better pull off that summoning" Jiraiya yelled down to him.

"That bastard" Naruto growled. "Even though he says that, how the hell am I supposed to do that?" he thought. He was gaining speed and the realization that Jiraiya wasn't coming to catch him started to sink in. "I'm going to die here…because of some stupid pervert…and I didn't even get to see Hinata again. Okay, I have to focus. Come on. Focus"

In an instant, Naruto found himself in a dimly lit room, the rushing and receding of wind behind him was the only sound he could hear. So, when he turned to find a massive gate behind him, he wasn't at all surprised to figure out that the wind was the nine tailed demon fox breathing over his shoulder.

"You've come back" the deep, booming voice of the fox all but laughed. "I thought you said that you would never stand before this gate again."

"Listen here you damn fox; I didn't come here to be your friend" Naruto angrily stomped his foot down. "Right now, we're falling to our death and I need…I need your help" the words were like acid in his throat. Having to actually say the words made him want to just die instead.

"Why would I help you? You've damned me. You've cursed me. You would rather die than accept my help. So, why would I help you?" the fox demanded. He was enjoying the look of conflicted agony on the boy's face. It must really be driving him mad that he was here asking for help.

"Idntwnadi" Naruto mumbled, not willing to give the fox the satisfaction.

"I can't hear you. What was that?"the fox cackled, relishing this moment.

"I don't wnadi" Naruto repeated, but again the fox laughed.

"One more time. Say it like you mean it" the fox suggested.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Naruto yelled back. "I can't die. Not yet. Not until…no. I won't die yet. So, help me you damn fox!" the authority in Naruto's voice was unshakable. He wasn't leaving until the fox agreed to help. After a moment's silence, the fox laughed again.

"Just this once"

Naruto could feel the wind rushing against his face and when he opened his eyes, he was staring at the bottomless put again. This time however, he felt more powerful. More capable. Much more aware.

"Hm, seems like it's working" Jiraiya spectated from his perch as he heard Naruto roar in anger. The roar was in response to Naruto's anger at himself for biting into his thumb harder than her meant to—taking a chunk of skin from the digit.

"Summoning Jutsu" he bellowed, the animalistic tone in his voice overpowering the rushing wind as a massive puff of smoke ensued below him.

"Jiraiya, how dare you summon me to a place like this?" the booming voice of a giant toad all but made Naruto's ears bleed. He jumped down to the toad's nose.

He turned to look the toad in the eye; "I summoned you here" he corrected, feeling the influence of the nine tails still coursing through him. The toad laughed.

"As if someone as puny as you could summon me, the chief toad, Gamabunta!"

"Believe it you loud bastard, Naruto Uzumaki summoned you here."

"Oy, how dare you speak to me in such a way? I could kill you in instant for that!" Gamabunta threatened, but it was Naruto's turn to laugh.

"Go ahead and try" he invited the giant toad to do so. Something that the chief wasn't expecting.

"Where's Jiraiya?" he demanded, looking around the canyon that they were currently in.

"He's at the top of this ravine" Naruto answered, and before he knew it, they were soaring upward.

"Jiraiya, how dare you summon me to such a place?!" Gamabunta demanded, but when Jiraiya didn't show himself, he grew more annoyed.

"I told you already, I summoned you" Naruto said for the second time, this time there was no way the chief toad could deny that the boy wasn't lying. The look in his cerulean eyes left little room for argument.

"Okay then…why the hell did you summon me to such a place then?" Gamabunta demanded, turning his fury to the blond.

"I needed your help" the boy answered. He tilted his nose up at the chief toad, as if this answer was obvious.

"Hey, listen here brat, if you summon me, it better be for something important, otherwise you'll be sorry" he warned, but Naruto tilted his nose higher. "You better take this seriously!" Gamabunta emphasized, but Naruto wasn't listening. He had fallen unconscious somewhere between Gamabunta questioning him and threatening him.

The chief toad caught the boy with his tongue. He was certain that the boy possessed the power to summon him, he could sense it. Yet it seemed that the boy himself was incapable of using such a power without it affecting him negatively.

"Thanks for going easy on him" Jiraiya smiled down at the sleeping boy.

"About time you showed up. Why would you summon me here to babysit this brat?" Gamabunta, finally seeing Jiraiya, went back to his original belief that the boy couldn't have possibly summoned him.

"I didn't" Jiraiya coolly replied, turning his smile to the chief toad.

"You don't really expect me to believe that this Naruto Uzumaki managed to summon me?" Gamabunta demanded, annoyed that this farce was continuing.

"Believe it, Chief Gamabunta. The boy, though he's still learning, possesses massive talent unlike anything I've seen before. I don't know what he's been through, but I'm certain that Naruto truly will become even more powerful" Jiraiya explained, much to his own annoyance.

"Very well. Naruto Uzumaki…how very interesting" Gamabunta disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto lying at Jiraiya's feet. He knelt down and hoisted the boy into his arms, leading him away from the ravine.

"How very interesting indeed" Jiraiya smiled down at the sleeping figure in his arms. He would be sure to ask the third exactly what it was that he missed in his time away. Specifically, he wanted to know more about the boy in his arms. A boy he was certain had quite the story to share. If he would ever actually share it with him.

The sun was beginning to set as Jiraiya carried Naruto through the woods. A peaceful walk that the Sannin couldn't help but smile wider at as the sleeping figure broke the silence of the night by mumbling in his sleep. At first it was incoherent, but it became clearer the more the boy spoke in his sleep what he was saying. Jiraiya wanted to laugh, but he also felt like this moment was important.

"Hin…ata" Naruto muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry, kid" Jiraiya whispered to the still mumbling Naruto. "I should have been there for you" he continued, sighing as he reached the tree line's end. "I'm here now, though I'm sure I can't replace the girl" Jiraiya shook his head as Naruto fidgeted. "You be sure to tell the real one exactly what you told me just now" and though the blond couldn't possibly know what Jiraiya was talking about, Jiraiya would never forget the time that he heard Naruto say something no one else had heard him say before.

"Hinata, I need you."

AN: I gotta be completely honest, I'm in a lot of pain right now. Holy crap, my hands hurt like hell and it took me 14 hours to write this. I started at noon. I just finished. It's 2am. I thought, Hey I'll do some writing today. And I was doing pretty good for about 20 minutes and then my hands started to die. I had to take so many breaks, and even then, in the end I had to power through just to finish this.

Anyway, this was a light chapter. Nothing major, nothing minor. I wanted to introduce Jiraiya and make him a little less pervy than he actually is, at least for now since, you know…he's hanging out with a 12-year-old. Never sat right with me that a grown man was so perverted around a kid, and even more so when the kid would turn into a sexy girl. I wanted their relationship to be a little different here in my version, at least for now.

Thank you to one reader who always comments, I can't put a name cause you're a guest account, but I want you to know, and everyone else too, I do see your comments, I read them, and I appreciate them so much. Thank you, a thousand times, over.

Until next time.