Hello once again! I just wanna say thanks for showing some interest in reading the next chapter of this story. I will make any edits to errors whenever I happen to spot any issues. But please feel free to point out anything I may have missed in a PM or review I am sure this chapter has plenty of mistakes. Let's get it on!
Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto. I have written this story for entertainment purposes and nothing else.
Naruto groaned as the warm beams of sunlight filtered through his eyelids. He opened his eyes and, with a big yawn, sat up slowly in his bed. He looked at the corner of his room to see faint rays of sunshine piercing through the curtains onto the shiny wooden floor. That is the best sleep I've had in a long time. After rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he dragged himself out of the unkempt bed.
He walked over to the kitchen table situated in the middle of his apartment. The table top was littered with used glass bowls, plates, and silverware. There were dirty clothes in the corner, unrolled scrolls that went from wall to wall, and ninja tools spread all across the floor. Naruto was never fazed by the current state of his room. As much as Iruka suggested cleaning the apartment, he never bothered to make it neat and organized. In his mind, the neat apartment gave him an empty and cold feeling that always reminded him that he was all alone.
He opened his refrigerator to see that it was completely empty from top to bottom. A low growl came from his stomach. I really should go shopping at some point. He closed the refrigerator doors and began rummaging through his empty cabinets. I guess this will have to do. He picked up the last container of instant ramen that was stowed away in his emergency food crate. Maybe we will get a chance to spar today. He stretched his arms and legs as he waited impatiently for his noodles to finish cooking in the microwave. I gotta be ready to show everyone my skill. He pushed a few bowls aside on the table to give himself some space to eat.
Before he took his first bite of the savory noodles, he heard a soft ringing noise coming from underneath his bed. What is that? In between the small rolled up futon underneath his bed was an alarm clock that constantly clanged on its tiny bell. As he hit the snooze button, he noticed that it read nine o'clock. I'm already an hour late! I keep forgetting to adjust the alarm on this stupid thing! He dashed for his closet with pajamas flying all over the room as he rushed to get dressed. Sensei is gonna kill me if I don't show up. With backpack in tow, he quickly ran out of the apartment, leaving his hot breakfast on the kitchen table.
On his way to the Academy, Naruto stumbled upon a huge crowd gathering in the middle of the street. What's going on? Curious, he headed towards the crowd to see what the commotion was about. He looked around to see people poking their heads out of windows, doors, and even around street corners. It's gotta be something major to get a crowd this big. In an instant, the empty road behind him was blocked off by another horde of people standing behind him. Where did all these people come from? He saw no reason to go back the same way he came, so he decided to head towards the source of everyone's attention.
"Is this guy for real?"
"This is going to be epic!"
"To witness a legend in a spar is a one of a kind opportunity."
"They say that whoever manages to hit him can become his pupil."
"Really? I bet it would be awesome to have him as a teacher."
"I bet this chump won't even last a second."
"They say he hasn't been to Konoha in almost a decade."
"I wonder what brings him back here?"
Once Naruto made it to the front, he raised an eyebrow at the scene before him. Who are these weirdos?
The man on the right was tall with a wart on the left side of his nose and waist-length, spiky white hair tied in a ponytail. He wore a green shirt kimono with matching pants held tight to his waist by a black belt. He also wore hand guards, wooden sandals, and a red haori that had two yellow circles on each side. A group of women in ornate lavender kimonos stood behind him.
"Please show us something cool, Jiraiya-kun," giggled one of the girls. "There is a very nice reward from us if you do."
The Sannin grew a smile wider than the two red lines under his eyes. "I'll show you girls anything you want!" His eyes were full of determination as he held an open palm to his opponent. He held his other hand open to the group of girls as he bounced on one foot. He hopped to the left three times. "Prepare yourself for..." Suddenly, he planted both feet on the ground while exaggeratedly rolling his head. "Jiraiya, The Legendary Toad Sage!"
The crowd erupted into cheer and praise at the Sannin's extravagant introduction.
Jiraiya? Naruto thought, gazing at the colorful man before him. Where have I heard that name before? Maybe Iruka-sensei mentioned something about this guy, but I don't remember why this guy is so famous.
The man on the left was muscular with short brown hair and thick dark glasses. He wore an opened black vest with a red shirt underneath, tight black pants, and a dark brown belt which kept a silver katana strapped to his side. A small group of Konoha jōnin stood behind him.
"Is this necessary Roka," asked one of the jōnin.
"He said if I can strike him once, then I can become his student. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity I'm not going to waste."
"He is way out of your league. He'll beat before you know it."
"There is no way for me to know unless I try," exclaimed Roka as he drew his blade from its sheath. "Hien!" As he gripped the hilt with two hands, a blue cloak of chakra covered the blade. Roka rushed towards the Sannin with intent on ending the spar quickly.
What is this old guy doing? Naruto thought as he stared at the motionless Jiraiya. He is gonna get himself killed if he just stands there!
Roka jumped towards Jiraiya, raising his katana high into the air. "I got you!"
Is this all shinobi know how to do nowadays? Jiraiya thought as a small smile formed in the corner of his mouth. He watched as the blade came inches away from his face.
In an instant, the two men were enveloped in a cloud of dust.
"Did anybody see what happened?"
"That was an incredible power!"
"Did he manage to hit Jiraiya-sama?"
"I couldn't tell he swung his blade so fast."
The talking stopped once the dust surrounding the two men was suddenly blown away. Everyone saw that Roka's blade was sunk deep into the ground. Jiraiya was standing atop the blade with his left hand extended out beside him. In a few seconds, the Sannin was holding a tiny blue sphere of wind in his palm.
Woah! Naruto eyes widen with excitement at the incredible sight before him. What is that technique?
How did he dodge my attack? thought Roka, trying to free his katana from the ground. I was for sure I had him.
"Rasengan!" Jiraiya stuck the jōnin in the stomach with the sphere.
Roka tried to tense his muscles to keep himself from being knocked over by the orb. The sphere ripped through his shirt and armor with ease, leaving only his stomach exposed to the attack. He dug his heels deep into the ground, hoping to stop his sliding. Unfortunately, the attack was still able to push him back inch by inch. His grip on the hilt gradually weakened as he began rotating above the ground.
"LOOK OUT!"
Everyone that was standing behind him formed a straight path to allow Roka to go twirling backwards. The spiraling sphere in his stomach eventually burst causing him to go back even farther. Everyone watched as the jōnin went tumbling across the dirt road. Eventually he managed to stop rolling about fifteen feet away from his original position.
"I will admit that you could've easily taken me out if I was just an ordinary ninja." Jiraiya started walking towards Roka with the katana in hand. "Try not to leave yourself open to an attack like that next time." He extended the blade out to the defeated jōnin. "It may end up costing you your life."
"Yes." Roka took the sword and bowed to the Sannin. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sama."
Everyone cheered and clapped at the two men. All of the girls huddled around Jiraiya.
"That was amazing," cheered one of the girls as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "You truly are a legend."
"What was that move you used on him," inquired another girl, squeezing his forearm."I have never seen it before."
"It's just something someone taught me a long time ago." Jiraiya answered as the girls dragged him back into the nearby bar. "Anyways, how about that reward?"
The small group of jōnin surrounded their defeated friend.
"I told you it was pointless to try."
"Yeah, I know." Roka sheathed his katana as he walked away from the crowd. "Besides how many people can say that they got to spar with him."
"I wouldn't be quick to say it was a spar. It was more like a demonstration," joked one of the jōnin.
After Jiraiya and Roka disappeared, everyone that was standing in street resumed their normal activities. Everyone except a certain blue-eyed blonde.
Naruto stood in astonishment at what just occurred in front of him. Woah! How did Jiraiya get out of the way in time? I mean the katana was just inches away from him. He recalled the scratches on Roka's stomach after the match. That attack was so powerful yet so small.
"Hey Naruto."
Naruto snapped out of his trance to see Ayame walking towards him with a basket full of vegetables. "Hey."
"It was really exciting to watch Jiraiya-sama in action. Don't you agree?"
Naruto simply nodded in agreement without uttering a word.
"Anyways, aren't you suppose to be in class right now?"
"Oh no, I forgot all about that!" Naruto dashed towards the Academy. "Bye, Ayame-chan!"
"Good luck, Naruto." Ayame waved as she watched the blonde rush to school.
Once inside the Academy, Naruto tiptoed through the empty hallways to avoid being detected. He would slowly poke his head around every corner before sprinting to the other side of the hall. As he got closer to his classroom, he heard two voices heading in his direction. Without giving it a second thought, Naruto leaped into the nearby trashcan.
"I think we should propose more sparring between students. What do you think?"
"That would definitely give them more opportunities to improve their taijutsu. I think we should definitely bring this up at the next meeting," concurred the other chūnin as he tossed a thick book into the trash can.
"Ouch," groaned Naruto.
As the two men halted their walking, they focused their attention on the trashcan.
"Did you hear that?"
"It came from the trashcan."
Shit! Naruto slapped his hands over his mouth. He placed the book back on his head in hopes of concealing himself with the rest of the garbage.
One of the men stepped in front of the trashcan causing a low screech to escape from the floor.
"It was just this old, creaky floor."
The two men resumed their conversation as they went down the hall.
That was close! Naruto thought as he poked his head out to be sure the two men left. Once out of the trashcan, he walked up to the door with a small sign labeled one hundred and one nailed above it. He peeked through the cracked door to see Iruka writing on the chalkboard.
"Ninjutsu is one of the three primary jutsu types. It typically involves someone utilizing their chakra in the form of hand seals to perform various techniques."
He's already started on the main lesson. Naruto cracked the door some more in hopes of finding the closest empty seat. Taking a deep breath, the blonde entered the classroom slowly as Iruka turned his back to the class. As he tiptoed across the room, everyone's gaze shifted from the words on the board to him. This is bad.
"I will need a volunteer to help me demonstrate a basic Ninjutsu technique." Iruka turned around to see everyone's eyes focused on the blonde walking up the steps. "Perfect! Naruto, could you come down to the front of the class so we can all see you."
Uh oh! This is really bad. Naruto walked down to the front of the class with his heart pounding at his chest. His palms were sweaty as his breathing went from rapid to shallow. "I can perform whatever jutsu you throw at me, Sensei!"
"Could you demonstrate the Bunshin no Jutsu for the class?"
Great, the one jutsu I am terrible at. Naruto made a few hand signs as smoke began enveloping him. "Bunshin no Jutsu."
"The similarities between the real and the clone depends on how well the user has trained with this technique. If the jutsu is performed correctly, then there will be two identical Naruto's in front of us. If not, then we will be able to easily identify the differences between the two. "
Once the clouds cleared, everyone saw a clone standing next to Naruto. It was a pale, frail version of the blonde that could barely stand on its own two feet. In a few seconds, the clone fell down to the ground, disappearing in a cloud of smoke before everyone's eyes. Naruto simply held his head down with a slight pink tint forming around his cheeks. I knew this was gonna happen.
"Take a seat, Naruto." Iruka said as he shook his head in disappointment. "And try not to be late again, please."
"Better luck next time, dobe!" shouted one student from the back.
The entire class burst into laughter.
Naruto kept his head down in embarrassment as he made his way up the stairs. Everyone's laughter was growing in volume as he walked up the stairs. Once at the back of the room, he sat down with his forehead placed gently on the table. I really messed up this time.
"It's alright Naruto," Shikamaru lifted his head from the table, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You'll probably fail three more times, and then barely pass like you've always done."
"Thanks Shikamaru." Naruto murmured. "What would I do without your encouraging words?"
"Class, let's move on to our next topic!" Iruka quickly wiped the entire chalkboard clean. "Can anyone give me a brief definition on Genjutsu?"
Sakura raised her hand as she released her grip on Sasuke. "Genjutsu is an illusionary technique that is created to control a target's senses. The effects are not real but the target experiences false images of physical pain that almost feel real."
"That was excellent, Sakura," Iruka said as he across the stage. "There are several ways one can counteract Genjutsu. The most common method is pain caused by an outside source. A simple cut on the arm is a good example. This would break the connection between the user and target." Iruka pulled a stack of scrolls out of his desk. "Everyone take a scroll so we can review our basics about casting Genjutsu."
Bored, Naruto decided to look outside the window reflecting on what he saw in the street earlier. He noticed the wind outside was blowing the leaves on the ground in a circle. Rasengan, huh? He opened his palm trying to imagine holding the tiny sphere of wind in his hand. That would a pretty cool technique to know.
As the orange evening sun set across the sky, the streets started to settle as villagers began using the last hours of sunlight to spend time with family and friends. Shinobi were rushing towards restaurants, cafes, diners, and bars in groups to reflect on today's accomplishments. Academy students flew out of the building in groups, racing towards the playground with their friends.
I wonder what Jiji wants at this time of day. Probably another lesson about how attendance is important. Naruto found himself in front of the large red double doors of the Hokage's office. He stepped into the room to be greeted by Sandaime and Jiraiya. As he stepped towards the two men, he glanced around the room. The office was painted beige, and it had five windows in the back, which gave a perfect view of the entire village. On the desk sat a clear glass bottle of ink, a thick brush, and several neat stacks of notebooks, papers, and scrolls. There were two tall bookshelves with more scrolls on either side of the room that were organized on each shelf by S, A,B,C,D, and E ranking.
It's been some time since I have seen him. Jiraiya thought as he stared at the blue-eyed blonde walking towards him. Hopefully I can make up the time I haven't been around for him.
"What's going on, Jiji?"
"Naruto, I want to introduce you to my former student." Hiruzen set his pipe down on the desk. "This is..."
"Jiraiya." Naruto interrupted. "I saw him fighting in the street this morning."
"Oh, that was against Roka, correct?" Sandaime inquired. "What did you happen to see in the fight?"
"It wasn't much of a fight. It looked like Roka had taken Jiraiya out with one swipe. But somehow Jiraiya got the upper hand and hit him with some kind of ball of wind."
Sandaime sighed as he looked at his former student. "Was the Rasengan really necessary?"
"It's okay. I didn't hit him with a full powered one." Jiraiya quickly answered his former teacher. "Besides, I couldn't leave those girls disappointed with a simple move."
"Good to see your habits haven't changed much over the years," said Sandaime as he shook his head in disappointment. "Anyways, Naruto I called you in here because I wanted Jiraiya to give you a training session before he left."
"Really?!" Naruto was so excited by the proposition." That's awesome Jiji!" Naruto focused his attention on the Sannin. "Can you teach me the Rasengan?"
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before answering. "I don't think you are quite ready for that technique kid. You still need a lot more practice of the basics before we can get to that one." Jiraiya watched as the excitement in Naruto's face quickly disappeared. "However, if you manage to survive my training, then I can give you an up-close demonstration of the Rasengan." The Sannin extended out his hand to shake.
"I accept!" Naruto quickly grabbed his hand, shaking vigorously. "When do we start?"
"I was expecting you two to start now." Sandaime responded. "Jiraiya plans on staying in the village for three days."
"Do you think you can handle it kid? It will be an intense session since this it will be such a short period of time."
"Of course I can! This will be easy."
Good to see your full of energy." Jiraiya starts laughing. "I expect to see that during our training."
"Well then, let's go!" Naruto took Jiraiya's hand and rushed out of the office. "I can't wait to show you all my cool techniques."
A smile crept on Sandiame's face as they left the Hokage Tower in a hurry. I imagine this will be a great learning experience for both of them. He sat down in his chair and opened one of his drawers to pull out a small orange book. Where was I again?
Naruto and Jiraiya arrived at the training ground. It was large glade with a few patches of dirt spread throughout the ground. The place was surrounded by trees, except for the deep river flowing on its border. In the middle there was three heavily beaten stumps placed in the ground. The three thick posts had scratches and cuts on the outside to indicate an additional use of target practice.
"Man, I haven't been to this place in years," Jiraiya said as he leaned the large scroll from his back onto the scroll. It seems like forever ago. He ran his hand across the top of the stump. I remember Orochimaru and Tsunade holding the bells while I was tied to the stump. Jiraiya watched as Naruto spun around in the glade with the biggest smile on his face. That's when everything was so simple.
"Wow! This training ground is huge."
"I want to get an idea of your current fighting level. So I want you to be able to hit me once in the face. You can use whatever tools that is at your disposal."
"I will have this test done in no time, Sensei." Naruto set his backpack down on one of the stumps. He unzipped his bag to take out several weapons. There were a plethora of different types of shurikens and kunai spread all about. No,no,no he might be able to use that against me.
After a couple of minutes, Jiraiya was beginning to grow impatient. "Any day now would be fine."
Hmm, this one might work if I can actually get it close enough. Naruto held the kunai with a flash bomb tag attached to the end. "Okay, I am finally ready!"
"Show me what you got."
Naruto charged across the dirt starting off his attack with a leaping punch. Jiraiya cocked his head to left, allowing the blonde's fist to brush past him as he pushed Naruto back in the stomach with an open palm, sending the boy sliding back. Quickly, the blonde recovered back onto his feet and came at the man with a kick towards the abdomen which collided with Jiraiya's side.
This guy must be made of iron. Naruto thought as he felt his kick come to a complete stop. "I gotcha ya!"
The Sannin had quickly noted that Naruto winced in pain after the impact."I think it's actually the other way around kid."
Jiraiya curled his arm around the boy's leg, locking it to his side as he began spinning rapidly in a circle. Once he realized Naruto became dizzy, the Sannin released his grip, sending the blonde flying back through the dirt once again. The boy managed to roll into a ball and land back into his feet but not without stumbling backward onto the ground.
"Is that all?"
"Not even close!" Naruto pulled out a kunai as he once again dashed towards Jiraiya, who avoided the blonde's sloppy, uncoordinated swipes. The Sannin took advantage of one of Naruto's thrust by side-stepping the attack and then sending an knee to the boy's hand. The kunai flew out of the blonde's hand and high into the sky. The boy leaped towards the Sannin's head sending a kick at the forehead protector. Jiraiya grabbed the blonde by the wrist and chucked him into the air allowing the boy to go flying into the sky.
The Toad Sage watched as the blonde went twirling towards the falling kunai. This isn't gonna end well.
Naruto luckily grabbed the falling kunai and tossed it towards Jiraiya. Instinctively, the Sannin caught the kunai, hearing a fizzing sound coming from the end of the ring. The kunai exploded into a large cloud of smoke that enveloped the surrounding area. Jiraiya stood in the center waiting for Naruto to make his next move. He listened carefully as the boy circled him, tossing an occasional shuriken that would either go flying past or fall short.
I wonder how much has he planned beforehand? Jiraiya heard the rustling go quiet. Or does he make it up as he goes?
He noticed a clearing in the smoke which was Naruto's right hook coming from behind. "That was a good one, but a little too simple for me," Jiraiya said as he caught the blonde's fist with left his hand. The Sannin cocked his head back and delivered a nasty headbutt to the boy's forehead.
"Ow!" shouted Naruto as he rolled around in the dirt.
After a couple of minutes, the Toad Sage noticed Naruto wasn't moving anymore. Maybe I hit him harder than I thought. Concerned, Jiraiya walked over to the motionless blonde.
I might be able to make this work. Naruto quickly threw a kunai at Jiraiya who effortlessly avoided the weapon. The blonde jumped up from the dirt and throwing more and more shuriken as he ran around the Sannin, who dodged all the incoming shurikens that managed to make it close to him. Naruto quickly jumped behind one of the stumps to hide.
The flash of light as the small explosive lit off was terrible in itself, no meager single flash but a series of flashes that crossed the colors of the rainbow twice over at an intensity strong enough to be blinding through eyelids.
That was a smart move. Jiraiya thought as he shielded his face. The light disappeared revealing an aerial Naruto ready to deliver a punch. He tried to quickly respond by sending his fist towards the boy.
Naruto's punch was too fast and connected to Jiraiya's jawbone for just a few seconds. I did it!
Jiraiya noticed the smile growing wider on Naruto's face before he had punched boy in the nose.
The blonde's entire body went crashing down into the dirt.
I can't believe that he really did it. Jiraiya thought as he rubbed the small red mark on his cheek. He smiled realizing that the blonde had actually managed to hit him. The Sannin couldn't quiet process the feelings he was experiencing from the punch. It felt invigorating almost as if it woke him up from a long slumber. He couldn't remember the last time someone managed to hit him in a spar. "You alright, Naruto?"
Damn it. Naruto says rubbing his nose."Why do you keep hitting me so hard?"
"An enemy ninja doesn't care how hard they hit you so get over it." Jiraiya noticed small streams of blood trickling down Naruto's face onto the ground. He took off his forehead protector to see a little blood on the horns. It was probably when I headbutted him. The Sannin gazed at the boy's somewhat happy expression. He still doesn't even notice it. Before he wrap a gauze around the boy's head, Jiraiya noticed that the wound was already healing. It must be the Kyūbi doing this.
"Something wrong, Sensei?" asked Naruto, confused about the man's worried look. "Is it really bad?"
"No, it was just a scratch." Jiraiya wrapped the gauze tight around the boy's head. "Congrats, Naruto." Jiraiya said offering a hand to the boy. " Meet me back here at four o'clock in the morning. You have got a lot to learn."
"Yes! Let's head home!" Naruto stomach began growling fiercely. "Um..."
"Come on, let's get something to eat first. It's on me." Jiraiya chuckled at the blonde. I guess you were right, Sensei. He watched as Naruto confidently led the way to back to the village under the starry night sky. This is the most fun I've had in a long time.
Hien - Flying Swallow
Rasengan - Spiraling Sphere
Bunshin no Jutsu - Clone Jutsu
Author's Note: Chapter two is finally done! I really appreciate the patience for this one. I will continue to write but this story is dependent on your reviews, comments, questions, and feedback. Let me know what you think about the story and characters. I was a little concerned about the end of this chapter because I felt like the fight between Jiraiya and Naruto was too short. It was a little too well planned attacks for someone like Naruto. However, I imagine Naruto fighting style to be somewhat all over the place with him being somewhat self-taught, and relying on creativity and unpredictability. Anyways, shout outs to RedCide47 and xxTerror33xx for the reviews as well as the five favorites from other readers. Thanks again for reading! Stay Tuned! Happy Holidays!
Edit: Fixed the Fūton: Rasengan mistake I made. I didn't even realize I had typed the wrong version of that move.