Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter 17 – Wise Sage, Wise Cracks (Part 1)
"Four in the morning. Damn… There's nothing to do at four in the morning."
Naruto's eyes were glued to the clock. Resting in his hospital bed, he woke up and felt well-rested. Naruto's hands were by his side doing nothing. The boy was bored stiff.
Naruto felt his mouth and throat dry up. His few minutes of consciousness made his body realise that he was dehydrated.
Naruto scanned the room slowly, his eyes stopped once the sink was in his visage. Naruto moved his legs and tried to sit up. He gnashed his teeth as he felt the rising pain. His abdomen was very tender.
Naruto investigated his injuries by pulling on his hospital gown. If he remembered correctly, there should be bruising around his belly button from Orochimaru's interference and many cuts from his shins to his lower throat from Kiba's Passing Fang.
Naruto sighed and lets go of his gown. "Surprise, surprise. There's nothing there. I should thank the fox for that."
A dark but warm sensation radiated from his belly. The source was Naruto's seal. Naruto grunted. It was not the most pleasurable feeling to have.
Before trying to get off the bed for the second time, Naruto took off the heart monitor tag on his finger and pulled out the needle from the IV Drip. Steam raised from the small hole. The Kyūbi's chakra was back to normal. Healing his minor injuries in an instant.
Naruto got off his bed slowly. Putting his two feet to the freezing ground, with a bit of effort, Naruto stood up. Naruto walked to the sink counter while using the bed rails as a support. His mind may be alert, but his body was sluggish. It wouldn't have surprised him if his body was filled with medicinal drugs to aid his recovery.
A glass was filled with fresh cold water. Naruto moved to the window. His eyes watched the village below him. There was nothing going on. A ghost town.
Naruto saw colour appear in the horizon. His eyes looked up. It was the sunrise. Rising up from its own slumber.
Naruto relaxed and watched the magical show of nature that was happening in front of him. The sky turned to red and orange. A new day has come.
Naruto smiled. Leaving his glass in the basin, Naruto went back to bed and closed his eyes. Rest was needed for his weary soul.
Hours Later
"Yes… That will do hehe. Should I add a mistress? I don't know but every sentence is getting dirtier than the last."
'Whose voice is that?' Naruto thought.
Naruto's eyes stayed shut however he was awake. The voice nearby disturbed him. Naruto knew the voice belonged to a man. It was deep and mature. Naruto could also hear the scribbling of a pen on paper. The man was writing quickly, jotting down his ideas as fast as he could so he doesn't lose them later.
The man hummed. He then wrote more. "And she should wear a-"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked.
The man flinched and hid his book away. He looked left and right, wondering where the voice came. He finally looked at Naruto. His face turned sour. "Oh… You're finally awake. Good."
Naruto's eyes focused the man in front of him. Long white hair, red facial markings and a horned forehead protector with the Kanji of 'oil' written with a deep black colour.
Naruto had no idea of the man in front of him, but he sure as hell was going to find out. "Alright… Who are you?"
The man smiled and stood up. He moved his arms in an eccentric dance. "Thank you for asking. I am the one and only, Sage of Mount Myōboku of the Toad spirits. Also known as a Toad Hermit. I am a wise man who will lead anyone down the path of peace," The man said. He finished his piece with a striking pose.
Naruto sat up and growled at the man. "I asked nicely, who the hell are you?" Naruto asked.
The man slumped out of his pose and sat up straight. There was a sour puss on his face. "Kids these days don't appreciate anything. Bunch of spoilt brats," the man said.
Naruto watched as the man stretched his arms and crack his back. The man's eyes finally focused on Naruto. His soured face turned into a smile. "The name is Jiraiya. Many call me Jiraiya-sama. Nice to meet you, kid," Jiraiya said. He had a thumbs-up with his glistening smile.
Naruto looked upwards and mouthed off random words. "Jiraiya… I'm sure I've heard of that name before…" Naruto's words were mumbled. All over the place.
Jiraiya was spying and grieving the death of his student.
How observant of you? I thought you would be like an idiot like Jiraiya, but you are much more… skilled than he was. It's not much though I suppose.
The words of his brother and Orochimaru made everything click. He gasped and pointed his finger at Jiraiya. "AHHHH! Why the hell are you here!?" Naruto shouted at him.
Jiraiya eyes looked strangely at Naruto. He then bursted out laughing. Smacking his knee with his outburst, Jiraiya eventually calmed down.
"I was warned that you were quite loud. You see here kid, I'm going to be your new Sensei," Jiraiya said with a happy smile. He crossed his arms and nodded his head. Everything was going according to his plan. "With myself by your side, you'll be a great ninja in no time."
Naruto groans and rubs his head. He seemed to be in pain.
Jiraiya stood up and walked over. "Are you alright brat?"
Naruto sighed. "Yeah, just getting a headache from you."
Jiraiya laughed awkwardly and wnet back to his spot.
The conversation was now dead. Silence was between the two. It seemed neither wanted to talk.
Naruto relaxed and ran through his thoughts before he collapsed after his win against Kiba. Multiple questions came in firing after he remembered the last few events.
Naruto sat up straight again and looked at Jiraiya. "How's Sasuke? Is he moving again?" Naruto asked. He was concerned for his friend.
Jiraiya shook his head. He donned a sad expression. "Uchiha Sasuke? No, he's still resting in his room. He's most likely will be discharged by tomorrow morning," he told Naruto.
Naruto smiled. "Good. He will be itching to train."
Jiraiya was happy to hear those words leave Naruto's mouth. A question popped into his head. "What do you think of Sasuke? I heard that he was a bit of an… Introvert."
Naruto sighed and nodded. "He sorta is. Like, in the Academy, Sasuke always kept to himself. I knew for a fact that he didn't like me, and I didn't like him. We didn't hate each other, but we made sure to stay away from each other. It changed when we were put on a team together," Naruto said.
Jiraiya nodded. "What changed about it?" he asked.
Naruto narrowed his eyes on Jiraiya. "You're really nosy," Naruto said.
Jiraiya stared at Naruto with a smile. "I try to get to know my pupils well before we start training. It's important. So important in fact that it is a Sensei's duty," Jiraiya said with a sparkle in his eyes.
Naruto hummed. He had no idea what Jiraiya meant but he knew he wouldn't be able to escape the Twenty Questions.
"Alright. When we were put on a team, we still didn't get along at first. D-ranked missions are boring as hell ttebayo. I actually thought that we would try to kill each other from the boredom," Naruto complained.
Jiraiya chuckled from Naruto's rant. He continued to listen to Naruto as the boy had much, much more to say.
"He would constantly say this and that. God damn, it really pissed me off. Then, for better or worse, we got our first C-ranked mission," Naruto said.
Jiraiya nodded. "The mission in the Land of Waves, with the bridge designer, right?" he asked.
Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "Yup. But you have to say 'Bridge Designer and Builder' now or else Tazuna-ossan would bite your head off. The old fart had a nasty mouth when you got him mad… or drunk. So, where was I? Oh yeah, Tazuna-ossan, me and the rest of Team Seven went to The Land of Waves. We got attacked by theses guys called the 'Demon Brothers'. Sasuke and I handled the punks," Naruto boasted.
Jiraiya grinned. "Impressive stuff kid. What happened after that made you guys all buddy-buddy?"
Naruto scowled at Jiraiya. "We didn't go from nothing to buddy-buddy like with the snap of the fingers. We trained together, worked hard together. Fought for each other and saved each other's lives. That's how we became friends," Naruto told him.
Jiraiya wiped fake tears from his eyes. "That will make any man tear up. What a wonderful story," he said. His voice was laced with fake emotion.
Naruto growled at the sarcastic act and threw his pillow at Jiraiya. Jiraiya let the pillow hit his face and drop to the ground.
Jiraiya's face was blank. He was not happy with what Naruto did. "I can't believe you did that," he said. Every word held disappointment.
Naruto sighed and got off his bed and went to the sink. Getting a glass of water, he gulped down the cool liquid. Feeling better, Naruto moved to a chair that was beside the window. Late morning has already arrived.
"I take it Kakashi-sensei is taking care of Sasuke's training, right?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya nodded. "Yep. And I'll handle yours. This Chūnin Exam final is already set up to be the most competitive yet. All the different Daimyō and their councillors will be coming and betting lots of their money. This means that we have to get you into tip-top shape before it starts," Jiraiya said.
Naruto smiled. "Good. That's what I want to hear," he said.
Both Naruto and Jiraiya heard loud muffling, and then a laugh that sounded like a long series of barks.
Naruto was wondering what was up. "What's going on out there?" he asked.
Jiraiya turned his head to the door and then back to Naruto. "It sounds like Tsume-san. She was here before you woke up checking up on her son. He was in a pretty bad state," Jiraiya said.
Naruto chuckled nervously and sunk into his seat. "Woops. I sort of… got lost in the moment," Naruto said. He sat up straight and scratched the back of his head.
Jiraiya lightly laughed. "Your older brother said that the only problem that the Kiba kid had was a really bad concussion. He's in a coma right now. However, the good news is that his body is in good shape, bar his head," he said.
Naruto wiped his forehead. "Good. For a second, I thought you were going to say that I killed him or something," he admitted. "That would have been bad."
Jiraiya agreed. "I'm sure Tsume-san would have killed you for killing her son. Even though it is allowed, killing in the exams is very frowned upon. It would be less so if we and the other villages didn't share exams."
Naruto focused on Jiraiya's words. "You really think so. I thought it was the Nidaime who thought bringing the villages together was a good idea, right?"
"It was and still is. It's just that if someone important in Suna was killed in the Forest. Let's say Sabaku no Gaara, then Suna would hate us, maybe even declare war on us," Jiraiya stated.
Naruto was confused. "Why would they do that? Just because of his special sand jutsu?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "No… Because he is the Yondaime Kazekage's youngest son."
Naruto was moved back from the piece of news. It was a heavy piece of information. "I had no idea who he was. I just thought he was special in ability, not blood."
Jiraiya grunted and crossed his arms. "He is special. That's why we must get you into fighting shape. He has a good chance of defeating you without moving from his spot. We need to change that."
Naruto exhaled. "Seems like we have a lot of training in our hands."
The two stopped speaking. Silence came. The conversation vanished, and the atmosphere was now awkward.
Naruto rubbed his face. "I've been thinking like… Why are you training me and not Nii-chan?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya tapped on his lip. 'How should I say this?' he thought.
Jiraiya looked at Naruto and licked his lips before speaking. "Well, we agreed that you would benefit the most if I took you out of the village and trained you. Your brother has to admit that having a member of the Sannin as a Sensei is an opportunity just too good to throw away."
Naruto laughed. "Nii-chan is strong. He still has loads to teach me."
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "I've fought in two wars and had many, many pupils. I am much more suited to teaching." Jiraiya's words were confident and strong. They just rolled off his tongue.
Naruto bobbed his head. "Well… If Nii-chan thinks it's a good idea, then I shouldn't complain," he said.
"Oh, he thought it was a fantastic idea. He was ecstatic about it," Jiraiya said with a wry smile.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Yeah right… That sounds nothing like him. There must be another reason. Does Jiji want him to go on a mission?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya grinned. "Oh? You're not as stupid as your face suggests. You're half right. But, it was agreed with him, Sensei and myself that I would train you for the next month… well just less of a month."
Naruto turned to the window. The sun was sky high, and the weather was sparkling. The nearby river was a crystal blue.
"I feel good now. When do we go?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know exactly. Just wait kid."
The two stayed in the room. They once again heard loud muffling, and then a laugh that sounded like a long series of barks. It suddenly died down. Naruto's hospital room door opened and someone familiar came in. The door closed.
"You just can't get away from that woman," Kotaro said as he leaned against the wall and sunk to the floor. "She won't shut up haha."
"What's up Kotaro-nii?" Naruto asked from his chair.
Kotaro nodded and sighed. "I've been better. I wanted to get here earlier but Tsume kept hounding me about Kiba. She was very worried on the condition of her son after you defeated him."
Naruto nervously chuckled. "She doesn't hate me, does she?" he asked.
This time, both Jiraiya and Kotaro laughed in unison from Naruto's words. Kotaro shook his head as he stood up and walked closer, standing close by to Jiraiya.
"No. She's just glad that Kiba will be able to leave soon and go back to work after the Chūnin exams. You really did a number on him Naruto. I'm pretty sure you can be proud of that," Kotaro said.
Jiraiya nodded. "He should. Advancing to the finals on your first attempt is impressive enough. With what happened to you before that fight, makes it even better," Jiraiya added.
Naruto blushed from the comments. He loved getting praise from his peers.
Naruto stood up and walked over closer to the two men, he rested on his bed. "What's the deal for now? When am I going to train?" Naruto asked.
Kotaro looked between Naruto and Jiraiya. "You two will leave the village. Go somewhere nice. Jiraiya will teach and help train you. And about a week before the final rounds start, you'll come back to Konoha and then we can get a good plan sorted out for all your potential fights in the competition," Kotaro answered.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes on Kotaro. "I thought you said I was getting Naruto for the whole month," he said.
Kotaro furrowed his eyebrows. "I never said that. You need hearing aids or something Jiraiya?" Kotaro asked with a condescending tone. "There's no way in hell you're getting Naruto for the whole month."
Naruto could see from his spot that the two men in front of him don't get along well. It wasn't a pleasant thing to watch after you just recovered.
As he heard Jiraiya and his brother bicker among themselves, he relaxed and went through his thoughts.
"WAIT!" Naruto shouted.
The two men stopped their verbal fight and looked at Naruto.
"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto ran his hands through his hair. "I was sleeping when the rest of the preliminaries went on… Who the hell am I up against in the finals?" he asked in a shout.
Kotaro was about to open his mouth however there was a pecking noise. The three looked at the window and saw a messenger hawk banging its beak against the glass.
Kotaro moved and opened the window. He took out the letters found in the messenger hawk pouch. He then petted the hawk's head, indicating it can go. The hawk flew away. Kotaro opened the letters and started to read them.
In the distance, Jiraiya could see that the redhead was going more and more pale as he read more and more of the letter. From the looks of it, it looks like Kotaro was in for something very difficult or very embarrassing.
Jiraiya turned his head to Naruto. "I might as well tell you as he can't. After you went out like a light, the rest of the six matches went on ahead. I have to say some of the results were interesting."
"How so?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya grinned. "I mean that the finals are going to be packed with excitement. You're in the first round, the show opener," Jiraiya said.
Naruto growled. "Stop teasing me and tell me who I'm up against," Naruto demanded.
Jiraiya smiled. "A fellow Konoha Genin. Maito Gai's student, Rock Lee." Jiraiya stretched out his arms. "A supposed Taijutsu expert and genius according to Gai himself."
Naruto's hot blood calmed down. He took a moment to think about it. "Rock Lee… This would be much harder than I thought it would be… I was hoping it was Shino," Naruto said.
Jiraiya hummed. "The second round is between Aburame Shino and Hyūga Neji. It's a strange match-up. Neji is the favourite already to win that match. Being a year older and having a years' experience under his belt really tilted the favour to him," Jiraiya said. "Therefore Naruto, he's most likely going to be your opponent in the semi-finals if you get through at all."
"Makes sense. It most likely be the same for my match," Naruto said.
Jiraiya shook his head. "No. In fact, your odds are even. I've heard that Rock Lee can't use any ninjutsu or genjutsu whatsoever. Just taijutsu. You can use ninjutsu, taijutsu, and I've heard that you're decent at breaking out of those pesky genjutsu attacks. Plus, with your trapmaking and fūinjutsu skills, people see that you have a big arsenal to pick from."
Naruto scratched his chin. "Then why are our odds even? Because of his experience?"
"Yeah, that his taijutsu skill is one of the best in all of the crop of Genin in the finals. He'll be a tough opponent," Jiraiya said.
Naruto crossed his arms and huffed out. "What's the third round? Is it Sasuke's?"
"No. Nara Shikamaru versus Sabaku no Temari. One of your pals against the Kazekage's daughter. The lazy brat is against a vicious and ruthless kunoichi," he said. Jiraiya shivered on the spot. "That brings back some fond memories."
Naruto laughed. "Sounds like a match made in heaven for Shika. Was she the one with the battle fan?" he asked.
Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. I only know the names. If you think she is the one with the battle fan, then she is the one with the battle fan."
"And? What about the last match-up?" Naruto asked.
"Uchiha Sasuke versus Sabaku no Gaara. This match already is the most participated out of the first four. Sorry kid seems like you're not popular enough," Jiraiya said with a laugh.
Naruto sighed. "Who cares. I'll just be the superstar when I win the whole thing. Then I'll become a Chūnin. Climb the ladder then become a Jōnin. Then finally, I'll become the next Hokage," he said with confidence.
"I love the enthusiasm kid. Just hope you keep it once we get on the road," Jiraiya said.
A question popped into Naruto's head. "How come there are only four rounds? There should be like ten people fighting in the finals."
Jiraiya bit his lip. "Yeah… We had two double knockouts in the rounds. Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino just knocked each other out. Hyūga Hinata and Akimichi Chōji fought each other but the girl got crushed and the boy couldn't move because of the 'Gentle Fist'.
And then Sabaku no Gaara killed an Oto Genin, I believe his name was Dosu, in their preliminary match. I heard there was a lot of to clean up after they took out the body from the sand," he said grimly.
Naruto shivered. "That's nasty. I thought you said killing was frowned upon!"
"I did. But he still did it. Just shows you that these exams are serious business, not kiddie games," Jiraiya lamented.
Naruto nodded. He knew that from the start. "I'm surprised that Chōji drew with someone. I'm not going to lie, I thought he was going to lose."
Kotaro laughed from the corner. "He was going to forfeit but Asuma said if he won, then he would buy him an 'All you can eat' buffet. I'd say Asuma was glad that he didn't win at all."
Naruto laughed as well. He then looked at his brother. He was dressed in all black. "What's with the clothes Nii-chan?" he asked.
Kotaro came over and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Unfortunately, I have to go and attend a funeral. And it's in like… fifteen minutes. Then from this not so 'Secret Message', I have to meet up with Jiji and help organise the finals with the Civilian Council."
Jiraiya's face went sour. "I feel bad that you have to deal with those four," he said. "They'll work you to the ground."
Kotaro grunted. "At least one of them is fine. Yuriko Koike-san is alright to deal with. The other three… I rather not say," he said. "Naruto, I have to leave now."
The two brothers hugged each other. Their brotherly affection was showing.
"You better pack for a few weeks, I don't know if you're staying in a hotel or not," Kotaro said.
Naruto got out of the hug and nodded. "Gotcha. I'll see you in a few weeks then Nii-chan!" Naruto said. He had his fist closed and out.
Kotaro bumped the fist with his own, there was a happy smile on his face. He then turned to Jiraiya. "Just take care of him."
Jiraiya smiled with a nod. "I will." His words were serious.
Kotaro left for the door. "Right, I'm off. I'll see you in about three weeks."
The door closed. Naruto and Jiraiya were now alone in the room.
Jiraiya clapped his hands and stood up. "Get yourself ready and meet me in the Main gate at Noon. We leave then," Jiraiya said as he made his way to the window.
"How am I supposed to get home!? I have no clothes!" Naruto complained.
Jiraiya jumped out of the window and laughed. "I don't know. Think! You're a ninja for goodness sake!"
Naruto groaned. "How am I supposed to get out of here with only a hospital gown?"
Main Gate, 12:00 PM
The weather was like the past few days in the Konoha summer. Uncomfortably hot. Naruto was leaning on the main gates, waiting for his new sensei, Jiraiya of the Sannin, to come. Although it only just hit Noon, Naruto was getting rather impatient. He wanted to leave now and train.
Naruto stood around and waited for five minutes. In that time, he kicked around a small, light-coloured pebble.
Naruto grunted with a hint of frustration. "Where is he?" he wondered.
"I'm right here."
Naruto spun around to see Jiraiya with his arms crossed. There was a large bag on his back. The man was prepared to travel far.
Naruto was the same. He had a bag that was nearly the size of himself on his back. Filled with food, equipment and scrolls. He was prepared for anything that will come his way.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya. "You're late Ero-sennin," he said.
Jiraiya gasped from the name and covered his mouth from his disgust. "How could you call your new Sensei that!?"
Naruto laughed as he walked out of the main gates. "I heard what you were writing this morning. A mistress who should wear something-"
Jiraiya ran over to Naruto and covered his mouth. "Shut your mouth brat. The ladies over there don't need to hear your loud words."
Jiraiya lets go of Naruto and clapped his hands. "We have a long way to travel. Let's get a move on," he said.
Naruto scoffed as the two walked out of Konoha. "We could have left earlier if you came on time."
Jiraiya laughed. "Seeing you get mad was worth it kid," he said.
The pair travelled through the forested lands. It didn't take long for Jiraiya to pick up the pace. The two went North. Naruto didn't question it yet, but his curiosity was growing with every second that passed.
There was no conversation. It made Naruto feel slightly uncomfortable, in all his past missions, he would talk to his team about everyday life. With Jiraiya, there was nothing to say.
The time changed from afternoon to evening to night. The pair slowed down close to an estuary. Jiraiya stopped completely beside the water and dumped his bag. There were already a few logs to sit on. It must be a popular camping spot.
"This place seems like a trap," Naruto said. "I don't like the feeling of this."
Jiraiya laughed and smiled at Naruto. "Don't worry, I was here just before I got to Konoha to pick you up. I'm the one who put these logs here. Now, we're going to camp here and have dinner. Tomorrow, we'll begin your training."
Naruto nodded as he sat on the log. He watched Jiraiya take out pan and ingredients. He was preparing a simple meal.
Naruto had to ask. "What are we having for dinner?"
Jiraiya stared at the white meat he had in his hand. "I think it's Pike fish. We'll find out when we eat it," he said with a wry smile. He dropped two fillets of the meat on the hot pan. The oil made a loud, sizzling noise when the meat was on.
Naruto's face soured. "I think I'm going to die if I hang around you." Naruto made himself comfortable on the log and looked up to the stars. "Why did we go here anyway?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya watched as the meat cooked. "There's no one to disturb us around here. The closet place to us now is the Capital of The Land of Fire. And to add, between us and the Capital is the Jagged Wild Forest. Fun fact, the Capital has another name though, The Hanging Gardens," Jiraiya told Naruto.
"The Hanging Gardens? Why is it called that?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya sighed. "It seems that you didn't listen during your geography lessons. It's called the Hanging Gardens because there was a food shortage a very long time ago. The land here is fertile but thieves, wild animals and bandits would ruin crops in the fields. So, the city decided to build gardens on the roof tops to grow fruit and vegetables. This solved their problem and the city grew and grew. A massive difference all because of those gardens.
With the bigger population, the Daimyō could hire more Royal Guards to do perimeter patrols to protect the massive fields of crop and livestock. Those gardens become redundant for growing food, so the citizens changed them to grow only fruit trees and flowers. These flowers would hang off the houses. The city itself became a garden," Jiraiya explained.
"Wow," Naruto said. He was amazed.
Jiraiya nodded with agreement. "You will only see this in the Northern and Western Districts of the city of today. And the Core, which is in the centre of the Western District as well. The Core holds the largest private garden as well as the Daimyō's Palace," Jiraiya said.
Naruto took in and loved the information. Despite his ninja profession, he liked to garden in his personal garden and watch things grow. Learning about the Capital was wonderful to him.
"What about the Southern and Eastern Districts?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya scratched his cheek. "If I remember correctly, the Southern District is the most densely populated District, so I don't think anybody owns the rooftop gardens.
And the Eastern District is a different story. That District is the port District. The Great Hawk River that flows through the Capital separates the city in two. The Western and Northern Districts are on the upper side while the Southern and Eastern Districts are on the lower side.
The Eastern District is filled with warehouses. It is also the most neglected District in the city and the people who live there are the poorest. The Daimyō, and therefore the city, only care about the Royal East Shipping Company. The buildings and workers under that name deal with most of the imports and exports of the Capital which come through the water," Jiraiya said.
Naruto frowned. "That's sad. Those poor people," he said.
Jiraiya smiled at him. "What can you do? There's always going to be poor and rich people. The Capital is one of the largest and richest cities on the Mainland. Once you become Hokage, you'll make a few visits to the city to talk to the Daimyō."
Naruto's interest was peeked even further. "Would I? I don't see Jiji going often."
Jiraiya nodded. "He wouldn't mention it to a Genin. It's classified information. The Hokage and the Daimyō are two of the most important people in the Land of Fire. Ever since Konoha was built, one leader relied on the other. It goes even further than that, the Daimyō had set up the Twelve Ninja Guardians in the past to protect that huge city and himself. Naruto, you may not know this, but a ninja is quite the useful resource in this world," Jiraiya told him.
The words ringed bells into Naruto's ears.
"I'm sorry, Zabuza-san, I couldn't be the tool you wished for me to be."
Naruto groaned and rubbed his face. Jiraiya looked at him with worry. "Does everyone just see us as tools?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya took a moment to think of his answer. "No, only those won't truly understand each other will think of others as a means to an end. We're all human, that's a fact. Being a ninja shouldn't change that."
Naruto exhaled heavily. "It shouldn't, but people are assholes about it anyway."
Jiraiya sighed. The conversation brought up bad memories for Naruto. He knew it was time to stop talking. He took the pan off the fire and placed it between Naruto and himself. He then took out two forks and gave one to Naruto.
Naruto looked at the fork strangely and then to the pan. "You expect me to eat straight from the pan?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya scooped some of the food into his mouth. "Yes. Now shut up and eat."
The Next Day
"Ah… Wonderful. Perfect weather to see some sexy babes around."
"Shut up Ero-sennin. There's nobody in those bushes. Come on, teach me something!" Naruto complained. He pulled on Jiraiya's clothing and dragged him out of the foliage.
Jiraiya picked himself up and dusted himself off. "Alright kid. Why don't we start with some chakra control exercises? Go on and climb that tree over there," Jiraiya ordered.
Naruto scowled slightly at Jiraiya before moving and climbing up the tree. Only with the use of his feet. "There. What's next?" he asked.
Jiraiya whistled. "Nice work there, kid. Now, go to the water and try walking on top of the surface. This is harder stuff than the bog-standard 'Tree-walking'," Jiraiya said.
Naruto dropped from the tree. Landing gracefully, he then lightly jogged to the meandering river. He didn't waster time as he walked on the water with no problem.
Naruto was getting annoyed with the exercises. He wanted to do some harder training. To show this, he began doing cart-wheels and somersaults on the water. Performing a water act for Jiraiya with the splashes.
Jiraiya exhaled through his nose. He could read Naruto's body language. The boy was not amused with the training regime so far.
"Alright, enough is enough. You made your point," Jiraiya said loudly.
Naruto stopped his circus act and looked towards Jiraiya. "Then, what are you going to teach me," Naruto asked.
Jiraiya scratched his chin and his eyes looked away from Naruto. "I was hoping that you weren't good at the Water walking. I wanted time to think of something for you to do," he admitted.
Naruto took a second to digest the information. His face turned to rage, and he pointed his finger at Jiraiya. "You are a useless Sensei!" he shouted.
Jiraiya gasped. "How could you say that to me!? I will have you know that I taught the Yondaime Hokage. He was my student," Jiraiya said.
Naruto's rage stopped. "Wait… He was your pupil?"
Jiraiya nodded with a smile. "He was. And my best. Nothing could touch him. He had limitless potential."
Naruto smiled himself. "If you were his Sensei, that means you must have a lot of jutsu, right?"
Jiraiya looked at Naruto strangely. "So… I do know a lot of jutsu, what does it matter to you?" he asked.
Naruto smile turned into a grin. "Ero-sennin. Me and you. A spar. If I impress you enough. You will teach me a jutsu for the Chūnin Exam finals," Naruto said.
Jiraiya chuckled. "You know, those deals usually are made when there is a true victor, right?"
Naruto sighed and looked at his hands. "I'm not strong enough to defeat someone like you. You may not seem like it, but I know you're strong. I can feel it," Naruto said.
"Hm. This doesn't seem like a fair deal," Jiraiya said. "Make me something better."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I'll stop calling you Ero-sennin for a week," he offered.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Deal." The words left Jiraiya's mouth straight away. 'Damn! I should have haggled the kid for goodness sake!'
'That was easier than I thought,' Naruto thought.
Jiraiya looked around the area. "We will move from our camp. I've been warned that you can be destructive from Kakashi. I'm the same. I rather not damage our stuff," he said as he walked towards the forest.
Naruto followed Jiraiya to the forest. The two delved deep inside. The trees began to thin out. It didn't take long for the forest to disappear.
Naruto and Jiraiya were now standing before a large open plain of grass. The summer weather made the grass tall, it reached above their ankles.
Jiraiya jumped into the distance. He loosened himself up before crossing his arms. Jiraiya cracked his neck and stared down at Naruto. "Come on, give me your best shot," he ordered.
Naruto licked his lips from the challenge. This was the training he was waiting for. 'A test against a member of the Sannin!'
Naruto stuck his hand into his pouch and took out three shuriken. Running towards where Jiraiya was standing. He threw the shuriken all at the same time.
As the shuriken were released, they moved in different paths. However, they all had the same target, Jiraiya.
The shuriken flew through the air. Jiraiya watched them all carefully. To one of the Sannin, these shuriken were nothing more of a distraction. Jiraiya knew that. 'What is Naruto thinking of doing? He should be smarter than this,' he thought.
Jiraiya moved his body accordingly to dodge the shuriken. Only needing to move his upper body, Jiraiya stayed in his spot. He was waiting for the next attack.
In a flash, Jiraiya saw blonde hair in the corner of his left eye. Naruto came in fast and was preparing his attack.
Naruto steadied himself on shifted his weight to his right foot. He then raised his left leg and aimed a kick at Jiraiya's left waist.
Jiraiya saw this from a mile away and simply moved his left hand. His left hand's grip was open. Ready to catch the senseless prey.
SNATCH!
Naruto saw that his left ankle was now being gripped by Jiraiya's hand. He could feel the pressure being put on his bones by Jiraiya's squeezing action. It was excruciating pain for Naruto.
Keeping his will strong and grunting in pain, Naruto lifted his body up, using his gripped left ankle as an anchor. Naruto twisted his body and swung his right leg to hit Jiraiya's back. There was a considerable amount of power behind the attack.
Jiraiya spun on his left foot. His body was now face-to-face with Naruto's.
Naruto saw Jiraiya with a smile as Jiraiya raised his right arm to block his right leg. Naruto's first attempt of attack has failed.
Jiraiya's smile stayed on his face. "Not bad for a kid. Pretty flexible in a fight," he said. "Now, let's see what the real one can do."
Naruto's eyes widened. He didn't have time to react to Jiraiya's moves, the man's arms moved too fast for him to react properly.
The next thing Naruto knew was that a large and heavy fist colliding into his face. Naruto's body went to straight to the ground. Smacking hard against the dried-out dirt.
Jiraiya was standing over Naruto, watching him carefully. His right fist was still closed.
PUFF!
The body dispersed and become smoke. Jiraiya laughed lightly from the turn of events. "A shadow clone... I knew it was a clone after all," he said.
Jiraiya turned around and began to scan his whereabouts. "I don't know where the real one is. Is there another clone? It feels like there are more than one around," Jiraiya mumbled under his breath.
Jiraiya walked around slowly. He was observing every detail. Jiraiya felt a tingle on his neck. He stopped moving. He retracted his foot and looked to the ground closely.
There was a very slight shine coming between the blades of grass. "Ninja wire. And high-quality stuff as well. Let's see what the brat has cooked up for me," he said as he broke the wire on purpose.
There were multiple whisper noises coming from multiple directions. Jiraiya looked around and saw singular kunai fire at him from three different directions. They shot one after the other.
Jiraiya sighed as he shook his head. "This is too simple." He put up his hands and caught the first two. The third was coming straight for his face. Jiraiya simply moved his head out of the way. "You're going have to do much better than that Naruto."
PUFF!
As the third kunai was close to Jiraiya's face, the kunai puffed into smoke and Naruto appeared. It was a transformation. His fist was already closed and pulled back, ready to strike Jiraiya straight in the face.
Jiraiya freaked from the surprise. He dropped the kunai. The sharp heads dug their way through the ground.
Jiraiya raised his arms to block Naruto's attack. Next thing he knew, Jiraiya smelled the very faint scent of burning ink and paper.
While keeping his arms up, his eyes looked down. The kunai he dropped were going on fire. There were explosive tags wrapped tightly around the kunai handle. A hidden trap within a trap.
"That little piece of sh-"
BOOM!
A loud and destructive explosion took place where Jiraiya was standing. A small dusty smoke cloud formed where Jiraiya was standing.
The wind passed, and the cloud disappeared. The only remains on the site were shredded up bark and wood. The smell of burnt pine was now in the air.
Jiraiya came out of the woods. His appearance remains untouched. He was clapping loudly. "Okay, I have to admit that was impressive Naruto. Now, come out and fight. I don't want to fight another clone," Jiraiya said.
'He has got good skills at the basics. I'd give him that. Let's see what he will do now,' Jiraiya thought.
Jiraiya looked around his surroundings once more. His search for Naruto has been more difficult than he thought it would be.
The noise of blustery and powerful winds came from his back. Jiraiya stopped and turned around. In the distance, Jiraiya could make out Naruto using a wind jutsu on him. A focused stream of wind chakra was coming his way.
"This reminds me of Orochimaru's Wind Release: Great Breakthrough… I better shield myself," Jiraiya said.
Jiraiya ran through six hand seals ending in Snake. "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo," he said. Jiraiya's hair grew as his chakra flowed into it. Encasing his body, Jiraiya's hair has become has tough as steel.
Inside his hair shield, Jiraiya could feel the force of Naruto's jutsu. It was powerful at the start, but it slowly died down to the end. Once it stopped, Jiraiya disengaged his hair and let it return to normal.
Jiraiya looked around for Naruto once again. The boy kept running off out of his sights. It annoyed Jiraiya greatly. 'I suppose it's a good thing for a ninja though…' he thought afterwards.
"God Damn! Nothing works on this guy… There's only one thing left to do."
Jiraiya looked around, searching for the source of the voice. "Was that Naruto? It must have been him," he said.
The next moment, Jiraiya's jaw dropped to the ground. All around him were waves beyond waves of Naruto shadow clones closing down on his location. There were simply too many to count. There must have been over a thousand.
The attack made Jiraiya sweat a little, he never had to deal with so many foes at the one time. 'Wait… They're all clones… The real one must be far away from the pack,' Jiraiya thought. A smile appeared on his face as he thought of the perfect plan to exterminate his Naruto infestation problem.
Jiraiya weaved through his two hand seals, ending in Tiger. He then slammed his foot to the ground, sending his chakra to the earth. He performed Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld. The ground started to morph into sticky and swampy soil.
The Naruto clones couldn't move as they all become stuck from the heavy gunk. It didn't help that for every moment that passed, they would sink deeper into the fresh swamp.
Jiraiya sensing the opportunity to finish the fight runs through a new series of hand seals, again ending with Tiger.
Jiraiya pulls back his head as he produces a massive amount of oil. Ready to attack, he spewed out the oil all around him, it mixed in with the swampy grounds.
The Naruto started to complain about the disgusting terrain they're fighting on. The once beautiful grassland was now a ghastly oily swamp.
Jiraiya spits out a fireball from his mouth. It was aimed for the oil slicked swamp. The swamp immediately lit on fire.
"AAAAHHHH!"
The screams of Naruto clones being burnt alive then puffing into smoke echoed the plains. Jiraiya watched as the fire grew and grew, destroying Naruto's one army.
The heat was unbearable. Jiraiya was sweating buckets.
The screaming eventually stopped. Jiraiya laid his hands on the ground and sent his chakra into the ground. He began to control the swamp he created. The swampy ground lapped over itself. It killed the fire by depriving it of oxygen, an essential component for any fire. Once that was gone, so was the fire.
Jiraiya worked hard to make sure that he got every last flame. He regretted making such a large swamp and such a large fire, but he needed the fantastic attack to defeat Naruto and his army of clones.
The smoke cleared away. The grey air was disappearing to the atmosphere. Jiraiya walked towards the only chakra signature nearby.
Jiraiya there saw a tuckered-out Naruto. The boy was resting on the grassy ground. Jiraiya knew that he still had a lot in him, but he was getting a bit tired from the constant but changing attacks.
Naruto looked up to Jiraiya and saw that he was barely damaged. His clothes were just a bit dirty. Naruto started to hit the ground. "Damnit! That was so hard!" he shouted.
Jiraiya laughed and sat in front of Naruto. "That was good. I expected less from you," Jiraiya admitted.
"You are very strong Naruto. You have the strength to pass these exams. You are too much to be a Genin. But if you want to pass these exams and become a Chūnin, you will need to perform well. That's all," Jiraiya told him.
Naruto laid on his back and scratched his chin. "Jiji said something like that before… So, I don't have to win the whole thing," he asked.
Jiraiya shook his head. "No. You could lose in the first round and still become a Chūnin. All that matters is that you show that you have the skill to be a leader."
Naruto sat up straight and looked at Jiraiya with a puzzled face. "Like what?"
Jiraiya tapped on his lip, thinking of the best answer to give. "I got promoted when I was six and so did Kakashi… Though, since you are more mature, I suppose you will be tasked with more important missions. Hm… Okay, I say if you show your skills in the fights. Keeping a cool head and have a basic, easy to follow plan that will lead to the best success. That will get you promoted for sure," Jiraiya said.
Naruto sighed and nodded. "I'm sure if Mizuki passed these exams, then so can I."
Jiraiya exhaled at the mention of the traitor. He let it pass. "Naruto. Let me make one thing clear though. The exams this year will be harder than the exams ten years ago. Our ninja numbers in Konoha were lower so promotion was easier since we needed ranks to be filled. Also, there will be a lot of high status people at the exams in a few weeks' time. They all have a minor voice in your promotion."
Naruto bit his lower lip before a thought passed through his mind. "So, if someone didn't like me, they could like… stop my promotion from going through?" he asked.
Jiraiya shook his head. "No, their opinions are only advice for the Hokage. Sensei will get the final say on your promotion. But he won't be biased and let you be promoted even if you perform horribly, so you better bring you're A-game at the finals!" Jiraiya encouraged.
Naruto smacked his fist into his open palm. His eyes had a shine in them. It made Jiraiya smile.
Naruto grinned. "You're right Ero-sennin! Just got to take it one stage at a time!"
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "You made a deal you wouldn't call me that."
Naruto covered his mouth and giggled slightly. Calming down, he smiled at Jiraiya. "Sorry SENSEI, but it was a force of habit," Naruto said.
Jiraiya laughed from Naruto's actions. "It's alright. Now, you did impress me during our little bout. So, I should keep my end of the deal."
Naruto's blood started to pump. He was excited. Ever since he learnt his wind ninjutsu, he just wanted another one. He could only wonder what it could be.
Jiraiya stood up and walked a few paces away from Naruto. He bit his finger and spreads the blood across the palm of his left hand.
He started to weave through five hand seals, ending in Ram. The order of the hand seals was familiar to Naruto. It brought back bad memoires of the cross-dresser, Orochimaru.
Jiraiya slammed his open palm to the ground.
PUFF!
A huge puff of smoke appeared. Naruto squinted his eyes to see what was through the smoke.
A new wind passed. The smoke cleared. It revealed a new creature.
"What the hell!? That's the biggest frog I've ever seen!" Naruto shouted.
Jiraiya turned around. His face was full of an anger. "That is not a frog! That is a toad! I cannot believe you just said that!"
Naruto looked at the huge animal in front of him. He didn't know the difference at all. "I'm sorry eh… Gama-san?" he said with a crooked smile.
Jiraiya clicked his tongue and looked up to the large toad. "Do it."
The toad spat out a large scroll and then went to sleep.
Naruto looked closer to the scroll with curious eyes. "What this thing?" he asked.
Jiraiya took the scroll and unwrapped it in front of Naruto. "This will be the binding between you and the Toad summons. They are a special clan and a respected one. You will need to sign your name in blood and to give your fingerprints in this contract. This is the jutsu I'm teaching you, the Summoning Jutsu."
"Woah," Naruto said. He looked at the name before him. "Look, you have the Yondaime's name there. That's pretty cool."
Jiraiya saw the happy face of Naruto and felt guilt wrap around his heart. Recent memories flashed through his mind.
"Don't tell him. He's too young to know who his father is. As an older brother, you should be looking out what's best for him."
"What's best for him? I don't know what the 'best for him' is anymore in this damn village. Maybe we should just leave Konoha, huh? Jiraiya… I will not make any promises about this."
Jiraiya shook his head to make the recent memory disappear. He then watched Naruto sign his name in blood. Naruto finished it off by putting his finger prints under his name.
Jiraiya wrapped up the contract and threw it towards the sleeping toad. Somehow in its sleep, the toad stuck out its tongue and then ate the contract. It disappeared afterwards in a puff of smoke.
The two stood up. "You watched me do the hand seals, right?" he asked.
Naruto nodded. "I got it. That wasn't the first time I saw it."
Jiraiya's eyebrows went up. "Oh? Did Kakashi show you his dog summons?"
Naruto shook his head. "No. But Orochimaru did." Naruto's words were cold. "I got the whole show with that guy," he said.
Jiraiya sighed. 'Why did I even ask?' he thought. Jiraiya hummed. "Alright, perform it once and try to summon a toad. It can be any toad, just go for it," he said.
Naruto nodded. He bit his right thumb and spreads the blood on his left palm. He weaved through the hand seals and slammed his open palm onto the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A small puff of smoke appeared. The smoke cleared, and an orange toad made himself known. He wore a sleeve-less blue jacket.
"Yo," the toad said with a salute.
Jiraiya bent down and stared at the toad. "Naruto… with the amount of chakra you have… I expected Gamabunta or something, not this little guy," he said with disappointment.
The small toad frowned at Jiraiya. "Oi! Don't ruin my first summon punk. Or I'll tell Oyaji what you said about me," the toad said.
Naruto crouched down and looked at the angry toad. "What's your name? Mine's Naruto."
The toad crossed his arms. "Gamakichi is the name. I like you better than that old fool," he said pointing at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya stood back up. "Just like his father. They both have filthy mouths," he muttered under his breath.
Naruto laughed. "You're funny. Alright Gamakichi, I'm your new summoner. We're going to be the best, alright?" Naruto said. His fist was out, ready to be bumped.
Gamakichi made his hand into a closed fist and fist bumped with Naruto. This was the beginning of a wonderful relationship.
"Alright, I'm cool with that. Just don't be a fool. And get me some sweeties while we hang out," Gamakichi said. "Later."
The toad disappeared
Naruto was happy with the outcome. He got a new jutsu, a sweet summoning contract and a cool friend. A triple win for the blond Uzumaki. `
Naruto rubbed his hands together. The day has been fruitful and enjoyable so far. "What's next Ero… Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya smiled at Naruto's correction. He crossed his arms and started to pace up and down. "That's enough training for the day from me. You will go into the forest and get us dinner. Whatever animal you get must be skinned and cut into good portions, so I can cook it. Get some berries or nuts if you see any," Jiraiya ordered.
Naruto groaned. "You want me to get dinner?" he asked. "Come on, training has been so good so far. Let's keep it going."
Jiraiya wagged his finger towards Naruto. "This is still training for you. Survival skills are just as important as any other skill. How do you expect to survive in the field for long periods of time in enemy territory?" Jiraiya said.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I could just buy from their markets under a transformation or disguise."
Jiraiya sighed. "You could, but if there was no markets or people nearby, you would need to keep your hunting skills sharp."
Naruto bobbed his head to the side for a bit before nodding. "Okay, I get ya. I'll try and get something nice for us," he said. Naruto turned around and went towards the dense forest. He took out a kunai for his weapon.
Jiraiya smiled. "Good luck and get something nice. I'll be back at camp."
The Second Day
The day was wonderful. Bright with sunshine. Cool and gentle breezes. The scent of mother nature everywhere around them.
Naruto and Jiraiya were sitting nearby their camp. They were only a few metres away from the estuary river.
"Naruto, what can you tell me about chakra?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto scratched his cheek. "It's made up of physical and spiritual energy. It's super important to us ninja."
Jiraiya nodded. "Correct. But don't forget that the Samurai have their use of chakra as well. What can you tell me about your Chakra?"
Naruto took a moment to think of his answer. "I don't know… What are trying to get at?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya rubbed his face. "Naruto. You have two different chakras."
"Oh yeah. Mine and the Kyūbi's. What about it?"
"Have you ever used the Kyūbi's chakra?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah… but it's not like I wanted to use it."
Jiraiya nodded with the answer. "When was the first time?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I didn't use it the first time but about… over a year ago. My eyes turned red when I looked into a mirror. And I felt this… hatred. The overwhelming hatred. I had no idea it was the Kyūbi.
The second time was when I thought Sasuke died. I just felt this overwhelming power gush out of me. I had no control over it. I don't really remember what happened until I calmed down," Naruto said.
Jiraiya hummed. 'It seems danger and intense emotions are the triggers,' he thought.
"Why haven't you used the Kyūbi's chakra?" Jiraiya asked. "Have you've been told not to?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, nobody told me to do anything with the Kyūbi's chakra. So, I just didn't."
"Okay…" Jiraiya paced around again until he stopped suddenly and stared at Naruto. "I want you to try and mould some of the Kyūbi's chakra for me," Jiraiya ordered.
Naruto squinted his eyes at the man. "Are you insane?" Naruto has been wondering this since the day he has met him. Everything Jiraiya does just screams weird.
Jiraiya shook his head no. His stare did not waver. It made Naruto sweat slightly.
Naruto exhaled heavily. He then ran his hands through his hair. "Just a hint of that chakra made me go A-wall. Why should I even try to use it? I could kill you!"
Jiraiya laughed from the words. "Please Naruto. You can't kill me, even if you use the Kyūbi's chakra."
Naruto scoffed. "I'm glad you're so confident. Here's a question, how am I even supposed to mould it? I know Jack-shit about this stuff."
Jiraiya was surprised to hear those words. But then he remembered how both Naruto's mother and brother talked. 'These Uzumaki are quite the mouthy bunch, aren't they?'
Putting that aside, Jiraiya looked back to Naruto. "Well… what do you know?" he asked.
Naruto scratched his cheek. "That the Kyūbi is huge. It's super powerful and its whole body is made up of chakra. That's it really."
Jiraiya rested his chin on his hand. "Go to the river and meditate. The Kyūbi should be either in your subconscious or in your seal. Have a poke around and find out kid," Jiraiya said.
Naruto stayed where he was. His eyes were glued to Jiraiya. He was not a very happy ninja right now. "I thought this was training. Why aren't you training me?"
"I am training you. You're just not doing the work," Jiraiya said.
Naruto moved from his spot with his arms in the air. "I've had enough. I'm going to do my 'Training' now. See you later," he said.
Jiraiya chuckled. Even though Naruto's words were said in a harsh tone, he was still going to do the work.
Naruto walked a few paces away from Jiraiya before plopping to the ground with a huff. He rattled his body to make everything was loose.
Naruto's hands naturally moved to the Tiger hand seal. His eyes closed, and he steadied his breathing. His inner peace was coming to him.
Naruto was calm and tried his best to search for the bijū. In the history books, it was described to be the size of Hokage Rock. How difficult could it be to find such a large creature? Very difficult, considering the circumstances Naruto was in.
Naruto kept on searching for anything. A pulling sensation was felt all over his body. In a mere instant, everything changed for Naruto.
~ Unknown Location ~
The feeling of water can be amazing or nasty. For Naruto's case for right now, it was very nasty.
Naruto's eyes opened wide. The scenic forest and river vanished. A dark, yellow sewage system was in front of him.
Getting himself together, Naruto got up and stood on top of the strange water.
Naruto felt that his clothes that were submerged in the water. They should have been soaked to the bone. Feeling the material, he gasped. Naruto's clothes were perfectly dry. It made no sense in the real world.
"This isn't the real world," Naruto concluded. "Is this the seal?"
Naruto looked around. Through his senses, he deduced that there was no other people here apart from him.
"Ero-sennin? Where are you?" Naruto shouted. He started to walk through the long corridor.
RUMBLE!
As Naruto traversed through the corridors, a loud noise came from a distance. He couldn't tell what exactly it was, but it certainly belonged to something big. Something fierce.
Naruto felt the tingles go through his body. He was becoming nervous. More and more anxious as he walked more steps.
GROWL!
Naruto's ears picked up the sound of a very deep and low tone growl. It was coming from his left. Looking in that direction, Naruto saw a long and dark corridor. Identical to the ones he's been going through for the last ten minutes. Naruto hoped it was ten minutes, he already lost track of time in this world.
Naruto decided to go down the dangerous and suspicious corridor. He was searching for the Monster Fox that destroyed Konoha on his birthday after all.
Trudging through, it didn't help Naruto that he felt a pressure grow heavier on him as he was reaching the end of the corridor. He didn't know if it was coming from the outside or if his body was acting strangely but it felt like he was under five times gravity. Every step was becoming harder than the last.
Naruto had to cover his eyes slightly as he entered the light. At the end of the corridor was a large square hall. There was no ceiling. Just a never-ending abyss of darkness.
Moving his eyes to look ahead, Naruto saw a large gate. A seal tag binding the two parts to one. The gate was tall and wide. Easily overshadowing the Hokage Tower.
Beyond the gate was darkness. Naruto couldn't see anything past the gate rails. He stepped closer to the gate. It felt right to do so. He imagined it would be a danger to stay in the same place for too long.
"You have kept me waiting. For far too long. Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto flinched and jumped a bit back from the booming voice. His eyes focused on the gate again.
Lights flashed on. The curtain has been revealed. "The day we meet has finally come. Over twelve years of imprisonment. Of solitude. The boredom has been insufferable," The Kyūbi said loudly.
Naruto saw that the humongous creature was sitting up straight with its legs crossed. Each of its nine tails showed off themselves, moving in a waving fashion.
The Kyūbi bared its huge fangs, large enough to pierce through about anything. The large fox looked down at Naruto. The Kyūbi's slit eyes were focusing on Naruto.
The Kyūbi crossed its arms. "What the hell do you want? Come on, I rather be sleeping than dealing with a puny human like you," The Kyūbi said harshly. There was a lot of hate behind the words.
Naruto flinched again. He was not used to talking to such a large and dangerous entity. Naruto swallowed his fear and stepped forward. "I'll tell you what I want. I want to use your chakra!" Naruto said.
The Kyūbi looked at Naruto with interested eyes. It began to laugh. Laugh hard.
"Hey!" Naruto got annoyed. Stomping his foot to the ground and raising his fist, Naruto narrowed his eyes on the monster in front of him. "What's so funny?"
The Kyūbi slammed his fist into the seal gates. Naruto had to cover his ears from the loud ringing noise emitting from the impact. The Kyūbi gripped one of the gate rails and came close to Naruto. The large creature had a menacing face.
"You want to know what's funny. That you think you could just come in here and demand the use of my chakra. I am one of the legendary nine bijū, the most famous out of them all. A being with power that a little shit like you would struggle to even comprehend," The Kyūbi said.
Naruto stepped back and straightened up. "Why won't you lend it to me?" he asked.
"Oh? It's lending now, huh? You wonder why, because I don't want to. Do you know what I do want?" The Kyūbi asked.
Naruto shook his head no. He didn't.
The Kyūbi sunk and his face came closer to Naruto. "I want to leave. Leave this damn hellhole and be free again."
Naruto scowled at the Kyūbi. It was a brave move. "You and I know that you can't do that."
"You're right… for now. Let me warn you, I will escape out of this seal. I will promise you that. This world is filled with hate. I can feel it. Terrible events will happen again and again. It is inevitable. What happened twelve years ago, was one of these events. Another will come."
A question popped into Naruto's head as he listened to the Kyūbi's words. "You know what happened on that day?"
The Kyūbi scoffed. His face was filled with disgust. "Like I would tell you brat. You humans know nothing."
Naruto crossed his arms and aimed his frowned face at the Kyūbi. "Shut up you stupid fox. I know lots of things," Naruto stated.
The Kyūbi laughed loudly. "Hm. We'll see. Though you say something but it's not always true. Like that necklace around your neck. You have no idea what that thing is."
Naruto gripped the necklace he received from his brother two years ago. "This necklace. What's so important about it?" Naruto asked.
The Kyūbi pulled back from the gate and sat cross-legged again. "I'm sure you will find out at some point. It's a very old heirloom. Ancient even," the Kyūbi said.
Naruto knew he wasn't going to get an answer today about the necklace. He might some other time but if he pestered the fox, he was sure he was going to get bit.
Naruto still had to try once more for the other request. "Kyūbi… I want to use your chakra. Please lend me some."
The Kyūbi furrowed its eyebrows and narrowed its eyes at Naruto. "Leave me alone. I don't want to deal with you anymore."
The Kyūbi got off it's bum and began to walk away into the distance.
"Wait!" Naruto walked a step forward. "I need to use it to get stronger."
The Kyūbi growled. "Fuck off."
Naruto's vision turned black and everything disappeaered. He felt he was being rag-dolled against his will. He lost all control of his senses.
Training Camp
The eyes of Naruto fluttered open slowly. The light coming from the bright and shining sun was a pain to behold. He moved his hand to provide shade.
Naruto was silent. Breathing in and out with a slow rhythm. He was going over what just happened.
He removed his hand and stood up. Naruto cracked then his back, it was stiff from the meditation position. He then began to look around for Jiraiya. The older man must be around close. Naruto was sure of that.
Naruto headed back towards camp. He couldn't find Jiraiya anywhere nearby. He assumed his new Sensei would by either eating or writing his erotica.
It was something Naruto didn't fully comprehend yet. Jiraiya assured him that once he was a bit older, he will be begging Jiraiya to read his books. Naruto didn't see that happening either.
Naruto waltzed back to the camp. There was nothing there apart from his and Jiraiya's backpacks. The signs of a messy sleep and a haphazard meal was evident.
"How did it go?" the voice of Jiraiya asked.
Naruto turned his head to the nearby river. Jiraiya was sitting on a large boulder that resided close to the flowing water. The man was smoking from a long pipe. His pen and notebook was laid in front of him.
'At least I got one thing right,' Naruto thought.
Naruto walked up to Jiraiya and sighed depressingly. "It was a total bust," he admitted. Naruto was very disappointed. He didn't know what the hell to expect but to come out with nothing was a piss poor showing.
Jiraiya puffed out some of his smoke. The aroma was soothing. He then chuckled lightly. "At least you gave it your best shot. Confronting the Kyūbi himself is worthy of a praise," Jiraiya said.
Naruto nodded with a smile.
Jiraiya inhaled some air through his nose before speaking. "Actually, that makes me wonder… Is it a he or a she?" Jiraiya asked. He was most curious about it.
Naruto sat down on the rocky ground and crossed his arms. "The Kyūbi had a deep, manly voice. But I couldn't tell what it was."
Jiraiya sucked on his pipe. He then blew out the smoke. "It is something to think about…"
The two stayed in silence. It was enjoyable for them to relax in the peace.
"Naruto? Are you still feeling energetic?" Jiraiya asked him. The day was still young. There was plenty to do before the night eventually came.
Naruto jumped to his feet. His fists started to shake. "Yeah! Are you going to teach me something!?" Naruto said with excitement.
Jiraiya turned to Naruto with a smile. "Eh… We'll see. From our fight yesterday, I take it your chakra affinity is 'Wind', correct?"
Naruto nodded. "It is. Are you going to teach me another jutsu?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya bobbed his head side to side before answering. "I don't know, maybe. So, you are familiar to nature transformations and shape manipulation then. I assume the academy and Kotaro has taught you about all that stuff. The basics and whatnot."
Naruto nodded. "Yep. I'm good at it but still have a bit to work on."
Jiraiya smiled. "Why don't we begin on another element then? It'll be good to start young. The first two Hokage and Sensei could use all five nature transformations. I know for a fact that each of them started… relatively young."
Naruto scratched his cheek. "Shouldn't I focus on my affinity?" he asked.
Jiraiya sighed. "See, you're at a stage with 'Wind' chakra where I won't be able to improve on it. Well, at least not here. And we would need much more time. My affinity is 'Earth'. That big swamp I made yesterday is one of my pride and joys. How about we go for that?" Jiraiya offered.
Naruto thought about it. "I don't know like… I already tried to start to do 'Water'. Nii-chan left stuff for me to do when he left for Kirigakure a few months back and that was a list of things to try out. I was struggling with it a lot… I only just got better a bit, but I haven't focused on it too much since then."
Jiraiya grinned. This could certainly be part of their training. "Oh? That sounds good. That could actually help in your fight with Gaara or Shino if it came to that. Even Sasuke's fire ninjutsu. Wind and Water are a great combination. If I remember, your mother was very good at using those elements."
Naruto smiled deeply. "I know. Jiji told me about it. Nii-chan can use the same elements as well. But he's much better at the 'Water' stuff than the 'Wind'."
Jiraiya hummed in agreement. He jumped off the boulder after packing his items. "I know. He has been practising them for years though. What do they call the Uzumaki clan again? The-"
"The Children of the Storm," Naruto answered for him. "A very cool name."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, your clan were respected and feared. On the same status as the Senju and the Uchiha when it was still on its feet," he said.
Naruto exhaled heavily. "At least I can take pride that it took multiple ninja armies to take down the clan on a surprise attack."
Jiraiya could sense the conversation going down a dark path. He decided to change things up. He turned around and started to walk up stream.
"Come on, we better go," Jiraiya said. Jiraiya headed off down the river. Naruto followed his every footstep.
The pair reached a calm spot on the river. Jiraiya took out a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to Naruto. "This will help you with your training."
Naruto looked at the paper. It was a square. "Is that chakra paper?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya shook his head. "No. It isn't chakra paper. This is your training tool."
Naruto focused on the piece of paper. "What am I going to do with it?" he asked. "Soak it with my chakra?"
Jiraiya smiled and nodded. "Correct. You are going to grip in between your hands and try to expel water chakra to soak the piece of paper. If we trying to train for 'Earth', we would have gotten a leaf and try to suck out the moisture. This is the opposite."
Naruto nodded. "I tried this before. It didn't work out too well," Naruto said.
"I got that already. Clearly you need more time to practice. Now, watch me," Jiraiya said. He placed the paper in between his palms. He then closed his eyes.
Opening them a second later with a smile, Jiraiya revealed a soggy piece of paper. It was ripping apart itself because of the water.
"Woah," Naruto said.
"Woah indeed," Jiraiya said. "Now, you have a go. Remember, each chakra element behaves differently. Water is flowing. Heavy but fast. Thinking of the traits of water or even water itself helps with this training."
Jiraiya stuck his hand into his deep pocket and grabbed another square piece of paper. He tossed it to Naruto's feet. Afterwards, he turned around and started to walk away.
"Oi." Naruto was confused. "Why are you leaving?" he asked.
Jiraiya turned his head but his feet kept moving. "I need to do some research. I won't be able to do the baby steps for you. It'll be better to do this by yourself."
"Research? Damnit! You're such a perv!" Naruto shouted at him with the point of his finger.
Jiraiya laughed hard as he walked further and further away. "When you grow up, you'll just be as bad as me!" he said before disappearing.
Naruto was alone. A common occurance in his life. Again, he was left to his own devices. At least this time, the aspiring ninja had a clear direction. But working alone is a bore, especially to Naruto. Having someone there to encourage you can do wonders to the soul.
Naruto bit his right thumb and spreads his blood across his left palm. Going through the hand seals, ending in Ram, he smacked his hand to the dirt ground and used the Summoning Jutsu.
A puff of smoke appeared in front of him. Orange arms and hands woofed the smoke away. Gamakichi has come out to play.
"Yo Naruto." Gamakichi saluted him with a slight smile. "Long time no see bro," he said.
Naruto laughed lightly. "Yeah, only yesterday really."
Gamakichi crossed his arms. "What's up bro? You need me for something?"
Naruto shook his head. "Nah, just thought we could hang while I train," Naruto said.
Naruto sat on the floor and took up the piece of paper. He was about to start his training.
"You got any sweeties?" Gamakichi asked. "I'm hungry."
Naruto shook his head. "Does it look like there's a sweet shop nearby?" he asked. His words were dripping with sarcasm.
Gamakichi huffed. "Jeez. You don't have to be cheeky bro. I'll just hop to the water," he said. Gamakichi leaped over to the slow flowing river and jumped in. He kept to the edge. "Oh… That's nice."
Naruto smiled as he focused on his hands. "That's good Gamakichi. I'm happy for you," he said.
The boy and his toad stayed silent after that. Naruto focused on the task on hand whilst Gamakichi relaxed under the wonderful sun. Their priorities were the complete opposite of each other, yet they enjoyed each other's company.
After an hour or so, Naruto dropped the piece of paper between his hands. He let out an exasperated sigh. A bead of sweat dribbled down his forehead.
Gamakichi popped his head up and watched Naruto. He was interested in him. After all, Naruto was his first summoner. A connection between them that can never be broken.
"What're you trying to do?" Gamakichi asked.
Naruto wiped the sweat off him. Looking at the little toad, he was surprised that it took this long for Gamakichi to ask him that. He thought it would have happened around the second he started.
"I'm trying to conjure up 'Water' chakra but I'm struggling," Naruto told him.
Gamakichi tilted his head to the side. "Why are you struggling so much? That piece of paper there looks bone dry."
Naruto smiled but behind that smile was frustration. And lot's of it. "I know that Gamakichi." His words told the toad that he was annoyed.
Gamakichi took a moment to think of a solution. Anything to help out his new friend. "Why don't you try doing it in the water?" Gamakichi suggested.
Naruto laughed. "Then the paper would get soggy from the river, not from my chakra," Naruto said.
Gamakichi frowned. "That's not what I meant. I mean like, get your feet in the water and do it. Not do it in the water ya fool!" he said.
"Oh." Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. Yeah, that's not a bad idea. I know that Nii-chan trains on the water. I should have thought of this sooner!"
"Nii-chan?" Gamakichi asked.
Naruto took off all his clothes apart from his shinobi trousers and walked on top of the water. He placed himself in the centre of the river.
"I have an older brother. He's good at this 'Water' stuff," Naruto explained.
Gamakichi nodded. "I get ya. I have a little brother. Gamatatsu is his name. We were born in the same spawn. I think when he was an egg, a rock hit him."
Naruto turned his head to the toad with a questioning look. "Why do you say that?"
Gamakichi sighed heavily. "You'll understand once you meet him."
Naruto looked at his hand. "Should I summon him?" he asked.
Gamakichi waved his arms in the air. "NO! He's not ready yet!" he shouted.
Naruto stepped back. "Jeez, quiet down Gamakichi. I heard you the first time. I won't summon him."
Gamakichi sighed a breath of relief.
Naruto got back to his chakra training as soon as Gamakichi relaxed in the water again.
Naruto kept his focus and tried to form and create the water chakra. All he wanted was the piece of paper to get soaked. Nothing else would satisfy him.
Hours pass. Naruto opened his hands and saw the paper was crumbled and damp from his sweat. No trace of water chakra was to be seen. Naruto groaned in disappointment.
"No luck this time huh," Gamakichi said from a distance away.
Naruto turned his head to see the toad smiling up to him. "I thought you left ages ago."
Gamakichi shook his head. "Nah. Decided to stay and watch. It was funny watching you with that weird struggling face of yours," Gamakichi said.
Naruto grunted. "Oh yeah?" His words were hostile. "Did I really look like that much of a joke to ya?" he asked.
Gamakichi sensed the foreboding terror. "You always looked like a joke to me," he said with a laugh afterwards.
Naruto grunted again. "Stupid toads and their damn mouths," he muttered under his breath.
Naruto walked over to Gamakichi and sat beside him. "So… when do you go home?" Naruto asked.
"If I was fighting with you, I would have left ages ago. But all I did was rest in the water, minding my own business. So, I didn't need to go… But Oyaji is probably worried about me," Gamakichi said.
"What's he like?" Naruto asked afterwards. "He must be a strong toad from what Ero-sennin told me."
Gamakichi nodded. "He's strong alright. And a drunk, which makes him super scary. And a smoker, one puff from Oyaji and people would mistake it for a cloud."
Naruto smiled. "He must be huge then."
"You'll find out soon enough. Oyaji will treat you good unless you act like a fool to him. Or do something stupid. Oyaji is a proud toad, you'll have to get his respect," Gamakichi said.
Naruto grinned at the words. "Respect, eh? That'll be easy." Naruto stood up and cracked his back. "I'm done for the day Gamakichi. Go home and get a good rest," Naruto said.
Gamakichi saluted. "Will do bro," he said. He then vanished in a puff of smoke.
Naruto headed towards the camp. It didn't take him long to arrive. Naruto raised his eyebrows at the camp. There was no sign of Jiraiya. His backpack was still there, so Naruto assumed his "Research" is taking longer than he expected.
'Or maybe they take up the whole day?' Naruto thought afterwards.
Naruto cracked his knuckles and searched through his bag. "Right, I'll make a bit of dinner. Then I'll go to bed. Then tomorrow, Ero-sennin will help train me. Sweet plan!" Naruto said.
Following his words, Naruto did everything he said. After a hearty meal, Naruto went straight to sleep.
The Third Day, Morning
SPLASH!
"AH! What the hell!?" Naruto shouted. He jolted in response to cold water being gushed straight to his face.
Naruto tried to get up, but he couldn't. He was tied up. All his potential movements were nullified. Any attempt now was futile.
"What happened to me?" Naruto wondered as he looked down at himself. He was tied up in rope. His feet were stuck together, and his hands were behind his back. "ERO-SENNIN! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Naruto shouted to the top of his lungs.
Naruto was anxious. Scared. If he was tied up like a pig ready for the spit, what could have happened to Jiraiya. Was he okay? Naruto's worry grew with every passing moment.
RUFFLE!
"What was that?" Naruto said as his eyes focused on the bush ahead of him. "Is someone hiding in there?"
The ruffling stopped, and a large figure jumped out. Some would say a horrifying figure.
"Jira-chan was right! Naruto-chan woke up from my water!"
Naruto began to squirm away. Someone terrifying was in front of him. And there was no easy escape.
There was a toad in front of Naruto. Naruto saw green shiny skin and a face with large red lips. A huge ribbon tied on his back. "Gamariki is here to help Jira-chan by helping Naruto-chan!" Gamariki said.
Naruto frowned. "Eh… You can go back," he said.
Gamariki clasped his hands together and started to tear up. "How can such a cute young man like Naruto-chan not want my help? Jira-chan will scold me if I don't give him the message," the camp toad said.
Naruto stopped wiggling like a worm and focused on Gamariki. "Waaaaait a minute! Ero-sennin left you a message?" Naruto asked.
Gamariki pouted at the words. "Hmph, 'Ero-sennin' is so crude Naruto-chan. To answer your question, he did. It is here on a letter."
Naruto smiled at the answer. "Well? What does it say?" Naruto was desperate for the answer. He needed to pound Jiraiya for tying him up.
Gamariki looked at the piece of paper. He started to mouth the words. "Naruto. It is time to test your skills. This is a trial to see if you have what it takes to be a Chūnin of Konoha. I have taken all of your possessions apart from one kunai. I even have your wallet, Gama-chan, under hostage with me. Meet me at the 'Forgotten Village of Fire and Earth'.
Your deadline is five days. If you make it here before the deadline ends, you will get a reward that will help you with your exams. I will see you soon. From your amazing Sensei, Jiraiya-sama. PS: Reverse summoning is not going to work for this test. The toads won't let you do it… Did you get all that Naruto-chan?" Gamariki asked.
Naruto's jaw was to the floor. "Are you for real? Is he serious with this!? I'm gonna get you for this you perverted bastard!"
~ 0 ~