Chapter Nine
Sup. Nine is here hope ya like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. If I did, Sakura would actually slowly get better.
Naruto awoke in his bed the next day. It was eight in the morning, and he needed to make the most of this month for training. He figured he'd find Kakashi-sensei, and get the white haired jounin to teach him some new jutsu. Well that was until he stepped out the door, and felt Dragon, one of the Hokage's personal ANBU, was headed straight for him. That said he stood and seconds later Dragon was standing before him. "Uhhhhh...hey, how can I help you Dragon?" The blond asked.
"Lord Third Hokage has requested your presence in the Hokage tower." The stated simply.
"Understood. I'll make my way there, unless you plan to body flicker us there?" The masked operative responded by stepping forward and placing his hand on the boy's shoulder, which led them to the Hokage's office in seconds.
"Lord Third." The boy and the man said simultaneously while bowing.
"Ah young Naruto. How are you today?"
"I'm wonderful sir, but I was hoping to start my training for the finals today so, could we be quick please?" The boy said.
"Ah yes but I think you'll like to hear what I'm about to tell you."
"Sir?"
"I've arranged a sensei for your month of training. Kakashi will be training Sasuke, but you will have an equally adept teacher."
"Well I did teach the Fourth Hokage after all." The window behind Sarutobi opened, revealing a massive man with long white hair. He wore a horned forehead protector with the kanji for oil engraved upon it, along with a red haori.
Naruto's eyes widened. "L-lord Jiraiya!? Um it's and honor sir." The boy said while bowing.
"Hey look at that! Sensei, this kid has good manners!"
"Ah yes, that he does Jiraiya. Now since introductions have been made, why don't you take the boy off for some training." Hiruzen chuckled.
"What!?" Naruto's jaw hit the floor as it finally clicked. "Wait did you really mean I get to train under one of the Sannin!?" The boy laughed aloud in joy. "Thank you Lord Hokage, this means so much to me! I won't let you down."
"I have complete faith that you won't my boy. Now get going." The village leader smiled.
"Alright then, come on kid."
"Right away Lord Jiraiya!"
"Enough with that formal crap, just call me sensei."
"Um yes sir Jiraiya-sensei."
"Sasuke, I'm going to teach you the jutsu I created myself. It's a jutsu to be used to kill your enemies so that you can protect your comrades."
"You created this yourself sensei?" Sasuke was pleasantly surprised that the man who had copied over a thousand ninjutsu, had even created his own.
"I was inspired by a jutsu of the Fourth Hokage's. And I in turn developed this one." Kakashi slid through his hand seals, years of practice and refinement showing itself, his hand bust to life in a blue hue of lightning, while the chirping of a thousand birds filled the air. "This, Sasuke is the Chidori. I'm going to teach you this in faith that you will use it only to protect your village and your comrades."
"I understand Sensei, let's get started?" The boy offered to the masked jounin.
"Shino is currently training with his clan for the exams, so Kakashi called in a favor. And I'm happily going to teach you more about genjutsu and help you refine and strengthen your techniques." Said the red eyed woman, know as Yuhi Kurenai.
"I appreciate your help a lot Kurenai-sensei, thank you for this opportunity!" The pink haired girl said, full of enthusiasm.
"Good. Now let's get started."
"Alright Naruto, do it again." Half of the month was already over, and the technique Jiraiya was currently teaching the prodigal son was almost complete. Naruto disappeared from one side of the clearing and reappeared in another, however he slammed head first into a tree. The old Sannin cackled at the boys expense. "You're doing good Naruto. You've almost got it down if I'm honest. The body flicker takes precise chakra control, and a sharp and clear mind to execute, applications in combat are even more difficult."
The sage had decided with the boy's uncanny love for speed just like his father, the body flicker would be the best weapon he could give the boy. Against byakugan or the Sharingan, it didn't matter if your opponent could see your moves as long as you were to fast for them to react to it.
The Sannin smiled as the boy stood with a groan, recovering from hitting the tree. "Other than the Fourth Hokage's natural speed alone, only he and Uchiha Shisui have ever mastered the body flicker enough to make the speed aspect of it useful on the battlefield. Although Minato would later become known for his use of the Flying Raijin, he still executed a lot of his technique and showcased his speed with this jutsu alone."
"I think I can get it this time." Once again Naruto disappeared from one place and reappeared in another, kunai drawn, and combat ready. "I did it! I really did it y'know!" The boy smiled at his sensei. "So what now?"
"Well now, we spar so you can figure out how to use the body flicker in combat, because I believe you are one of the only shinobi capable of adding yourself to the list that only Minato, and Shisui of the body flicker have their names on." They would battle in the field until dark.
"That's gonna do it for tonight Naruto, go get some rest, and tomorrow we'll continue to refine your body flicker, along with another technique I have planned for you." The toad sage finished with a smirk. He and the boy parted ways, the sage heading to the bar to spend time with the ladies, and the boy dragged himself into bed.
The next morning, Naruto met the older shinobi at the training ground. "Heya Jiraiya-sensei!" The young man called out.
"Ohohoh! Naruto, how's it going? Ready for a big day kid?"
"Of course I am sensei!"
"Alright let's get started then! We're going to spar for most of today and then we will begin work on the other jutsu I plan to teach you." The sage grinned at the boy. "During this spar I want you to go out of your way to try to incorporate the body flicker as much as possible into the hummingbird fist. With your high chakra levels it shouldn't be hard to keep snapping around and stuff, however you have to remember the body flicker dulls your senses while in use. It causes tunnel vision, and if you can't immediately regain the tactical knowledge of the battlefield and just as quickly react to new threats, then it's useless. Got it?"
"Yes sir!" The boy waited for the sage to signal a start. The older man waved his hand and waited for the boy to come at him. Jiraiya was gonna go easy on the boy, but he wasn't going to let him hit him, he couldn't let that kind of blow to his pride happen. The boy zipped across the field at the experienced shinobi and launched into a spin kick, which the man caught throwing the boy away from him. The boy was at his side again, via body flicker. However as the large man had told him, his senses were dulled. He barely managed to get enough grip on the battlefield to avoid the head crushing punch the Sannin threw at him. Naruto flickered away appearing by a tree and throwing a handful of shuriken at the elder shinobi. The shinobi simply dodged the spinning blades, only for his eyes to widen as the boy disappeared a kunai appearing where he had been standing. "That bright little brat hid a kunai in that group of shuriken, he knew I wouldn't block them." Jiraiya thought. Spinning around to catch Naruto's hard kick aimed at his head.
The boy, however disappeared via flicker and popped up right behind the Sannin, swiping at him with a brandished kunai. The man caught his wrist and tossed him over his head. The boy tumbled a second then righted himself, burning through hand seals, "Wind Style: Gale Palm!" A powerful gust of wind barreled toward the sage, and pushed him back a few feet.
The man smiled at the boy. "You're gonna have to do better than that Naruto!"
"Oh come on I'm already outclassed! You're a damn Sannin!"
"Don't start whining! Now come at me boy!"
"Yes sensei!" The boy replied launching at the older male once again. Jiraiya proceeded to beat the boy up, and point out his flaws as well as help him correct them for the rest of the day. As it hit dusk, the sage stopped the fighting. He threw the boy into a tree fairly hard. "Good I think I've drained a good chunk of his chakra, that should make this easier." He thought to himself. "Naruto! Come here a minute!"
"Oww...yes sensei. Coming!" The boy ran over and the man smiled, he really was so much like his late student and his wife.
"Now Naruto, you know what a summon is correct?"
"Yessir. Tsunade, Orochimaru, and you, all hold well know summon contracts. You possess the toad summoning contract, which you allowed your student the Fourth Hokage to sign." The boy rattled off the facts like he learned them yesterday.
"Good, you do know. Now I think I've taken a liking to you boy, how would you like to be the next toad summoner?"
"Wait what!? Jiraiya-sensei, you don't mean? You really want me to sign it? Are you sure?" Naruto sputtered our words in pure shock.
"Of course I'm sure you idiot. Especially because if you make chunin, I'll take you as my apprentice." The Sannin said smiling.
"W-What!? Are you sure? Why...why would you take me..I'm not special...I-I don't know what to say. There's no reason to take me as an appr-" The boy was in pure shock at this point, barely getting his words out when the sage interrupted him.
"I have my reasons, Naruto. But let's just say you remind me of my last apprentice quite a bit." The older man smiled fondly at the boy. "Minato and Kushina, I'm sorry I wasn't there for him for so long, but I won't let you down anymore. He's just so much like the both of you. You'd be so proud." The man thought of his last student, and how he had no doubt this boy would surpass him. "So what do you say, Naruto?"
"T-thank you..Jiraiya-sensei. I'm honored.. this means the world to me." The blond smiled up at the white haired man.
"Alright let's get to work then." The man said.
By nightfall, Naruto had already summoned Gamakichi, which was a feat in its own all things considered, but Jiraiya knew he had to get this done while the boy's chakra was low. "Alright Naruto. To summon a larger toad, you are going to need more chakra.. it's time for that big furball in your gut to pay some rent."
"Um… yes sir, but how do I do that?" He grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and gave a simple reply.
"Well.. don't die." He said and threw the boy though the air, the smaller shinobi was in so much shock he didn't even think to substitute. And so he found himself falling, falling into and absolutely massive crevasse.
"I'm gonna fuckin die! That old shitty perv! I'm gonna kill him!" Naruto fell and suddenly found himself in a sewer.
"What the fuck? Where am I?"
"Come here boy…." A massive deep and echoing voice ripped through the tunnels. He walked along them until he came to a doorway. What he saw when he stepped through, shocked him. A massive room, with a massive cage to match. "And so.. my jailer finally has the nerve to visit me." The same deep voice rumbled from the cave.
"Show yourself! I know you're in there….Nine Tails."
A massive Fox with nine swinging tails appeared and stepped right up to the gate. "Do not order me like some animal, mortal."
"Well uh… sorry. But um… look we're both stuck with each other y'know! And well I don't want to die and I'm sure you don't either! So well...help me help you not die! If you're willing to lend me chakra, I'll do everything in my power and more to keep us both alive!" Naruto said to the massive demon fox that had destroyed his village.
The Nine Tails was honestly stunned. Never in a million years, would he have guessed this little shit that his previous container and her stupid Hokage husband had created, would come and for the most part ask kindly for his chakra. He only had one thought at that moment. "What the fuck?"
"So um what do you say, wanna be partners?" The Nine Tails growled at this causing Naruto to rephrase his question. "I mean uh, wanna be associates, and we can benefit each other?"
"You're definitely different from the others you stupid brat. I don't trust you, nor do I like you or your despicable village, however. I do not want to die, nor do I wish to have a weak host. Become strong, so I can kill you as a worthy opponent one day." The demon fox growled out at the boy.
"Um, I don't like the idea of dying too much, but yeah sure sounds good to me!"
The fox almost huffed in amusement, but held back. "Good, now get out."
Naruto then found himself falling once again, now however he sensed the powerful chakra of his burden, and flashed through the summoning hand seals. "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!" At this the massive hulking form of Gamabunta, the boss toad appeared within the crevasse and halted their fall.
"What! Who the hell summoned me! Jiraiya! Where the hell are you!"
"Um excuse me, Lord Gamabunta, I summoned you. I am Uzumaki Naruto. I'm a shinobi of Konoha, the jinchuriki of the Nine tailed fox, and soon to be the new apprentice of your summoner Jiraiya." Naruto said to the boss toad as politely as possible.
"Hmm at least your damn brat here has some manners, unlike you Jiraiya!" The toad called out. "Alright fine then boy, I'll accept you as a summoner. We'll have to share a drink sometime, you bring the sake though! Bye kid!" Bunta threw Naruto back unto solid ground, and the boy waved goodbye as the toad disappeared in a huge cloud of smoke.
Clapping was heard coming from behind the blond and he turned to see his new sensei approaching from the trees. "Well well well! Look at you, good job Naruto!"
"What the hell did you throw me off a cliff for you old bastard!"
"Ah shut up brat it worked didn't it?"
Naruto sighed, "Yes sensei it worked." They conversed for a while, before they went back to training and eventually both shinobi went their separate ways. Naruto and the Sannin trained for the rest of the month leading to the chunin exams. Jiraiya would say that the blond almost did have mastery of the body flicker, but the boy still needed time to fully incorporate it into his fighting style.
This was it, the exams were here, and Naruto was ready to rock and roll. He was finally going to be able to put that damn Hyuuga in his place. The boy was very excited for another reason as well. He would get to make a very dramatic entrance alongside Sasuke, Kakashi, and Jiraiya-sensei.
Flashback
"Oi, Naruto come here." The boy quickly trotted up to his sensei.
"What's up?" The jinchuriki asked inquisitively.
"Well two things actually. After your encounter with Orochimaru we're fairly certain he may try to attack the village during the exams." The blond's eyes widened, he was shocked. "However, the Old Man wants to show me off. He wants my presence in the village to be know, in an attempt to deter an attack in the first place, as well as demoralize any assaulting forces." The boy looked at the man a look of obvious confusion in his eyes.
"How do you plan to do that, Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Well kid, I'm going to show up with you in a sort of flashy entrance at the finals. Kakashi will be doing the same with Sasuke, we want to show off two of the strongest shinobi in the village, as well as the two most promising genin."
"Ah I see sensei, that makes sense."
"Indeed. However on the second notion, you used to play pranks right kid?"
"Yeah! I was super good too!" Naruto responded laughing.
"Wel Naruto you look a lot like my last apprentice, and I was wondering if you wanted to prank the hell out of those villagers who don't like you for your burden?"
Naruto looked excited but confused. "Yeah! But how do you propose we do that sensei?"
The Sannin pulled a large cloak from his scroll, a white cloak with orange and blue flames licking the bottom, just the right size for Naruto. "I want you to show up in this." The sage laughed, "you'll look so much like the Fourth the whole village will shit a brick!"
"Sensei…..you're brilliant! This'll be awesome y'know!" Naruto yelled laughing in excitement.
"Indeed it will boy, now let's work on our entrance, can't let Kakashi and the Uchiha show us up." The two shinobi smiled at each other.
Flashback end
It was time. The finals were here. Naruto was about to rock the fragile minds of the entire village. But something had been on his mind since Jiraiya sensei had gave him his new cloak. He looked in the mirror with it on. He really did look so much like the Fourth Hokage. It was uncanny. The way his bangs framed his face, or the way his spiky blond hair stood upon his head. It made him wonder… could the Fourth, maybe just maybe be his f-...no that couldn't be it, a man like the Fourth Hokage, a hero and shinobi so untouchable by normal people couldn't be his… oh well, no time to dwell. He sat and thought of his late mother, reaching over to his nightstand beside his bed, he retrieved the picture Old Man Sarutobi had given him of her. He smiled, she really was just so beautiful. "Watch me mother, I'm gonna win this whole exam, and I'll become a chunin! Wish me luck mother…" He thought as he set the picture down sensing Jiraiya-sensei was about to reach his door, Naruto ran over and opened it before the man could knock and said "I'm ready sensei."
"Jesus brat! Don't do that shit. Anyway, you remember how we practiced right?"
"Yes sensei. I'm ready."
"Alrighty then boy, let's get going." The two shinobi disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The immediately met with Kakashi and Sasuke. The four of them all prepared to arrive in style. They stood in a hidden spot outside the exam stadium. Kakashi was stunned at how Naruto looked. The cloak sold it, he looked like a mini Fourth Hokage. "It's time." Said the Sannin and the four shinobi prepared to appear in the stadium.
Genma was sad having to proctor in place of his dead friend. Yugao was devastated, and rightfully so. She had lost her lover, after all. Either way it was time. "All contestants please come forward." The chunin hopefuls lined up a distance away from Genma. They were all confused at the absence of Sasuke and Naruto. Well, that was until a cloud of smoke filled the space between them and their proctor.
As the smoke drifted away they were greeted with an unexpected sight. Before then stood Naruto and Sasuke. Side by side with their sensei standing just behind them. Many of the contestants and onlookers were shocked to see Jiraiya of the Sannin towering over the smaller blond. But what threw off almost everyone in the stadium, was the sight of their beloved Fourth Hokage. The bangs that framed his face, fluttered slightly in the wind, he was shorter than they remembered, and since when had he sported whiskers on his cheeks?
Realization began to dawn on many, as they noticed the addition of blue and orange flames in place of the red, and the absence of kanji on the back of the cloak. Realization hit even harder as they saw just who they were looking at. That was the Nine Tails jinchuriki, that was Uzumaki Naruto, and why did he look like a carbon copy of the very Hokage that had saved the village thirteen years ago.
I feel like I gave away to Naruto who his dad is. But I wanted to write that final scene really bad, so I decided not to give a fuck. I want Naruto to have his suspicions about who his father is as well. Also in all reality, Naruto does know, he's just in a state of denial, because to him the Fourth Hokage is an unreachable object. Something so great no one can compare. Darling in the Fox out!