Naruto: Journal of Hope
After the second half of the Chunin Exams Naruto is passed over by Kakashi to train Sasuke. Angry, he storms out and runs far away to an almost forgotten place. There he stumbles across a journal, written by his mother and holding the secrets of his lineage. Inspired by his parents' love, hope and dreams, he decides to become the Ninja his parents believed he could be.
Chapter IV: Uzumaki Inheritance & Harsh Lesson
One Week had passed since Naruto and Jiraiya had discovered that the Shadow Clones could potentially increase the amount of Skills Naruto could learn. Thanks to the Clone Trick, his Chakra control was steadily but quickly growing daily. Thanks to it, he now could control his Chakra Flow much more smoothly than he could before and didn't waste unnecessary Chakra. He was still a long way from becoming a Master of Chakra Control, but it was a leap from where he was previously.
While one set of Clones worked on his Chakra control, another group was busy reading and writing, to catch up on all the missed out lessons Naruto skipped out on when he was young. It was difficult at first, seeing as Naruto's attention span and lack of enthusiasm made it difficult for the clones to concentrate. But eventually when the trick kicked in, and the clones continued to read and write over and over again, it slowly started to have its effect. Although applying that knowledge was another thing.
Meanwhile, the real Naruto and Jiraiya were focused on teaching the boy a semblance of Taijutsu. The boy tended to just charge in and throw his fist at anyone that stood in his path, which was ineffective most of the time when his opponents were vastly superior to him in Taijutsu. He made up for it by using Clones as a small army to overwhelm his opponent, but the problem still lay in when he ran out of clones and would have to face his opponent head-on. Not to mention the Clones were just as uncoordinated as their original. So, Jiraiya decided to teach the boy how to use his Clones properly, by having him coordinate with them in fights, while also taking him through a few basics that he learned over his many years as a Toad Sage.
Naruto charged at the Sage as he swung his fists left and right, hoping to catch the old man off guard. But Jiraiya wasn't one of the Three Legendary Sannin for nothing, as he easily avoided the boy's attacks as if they were nothing.
"You're doing it again, I told you to go through the basic steps. You just look like a street thug with the way you fight," Jiraiya said as he ducked and dodged the boy's fist.
"Yeah! Well, I'm still getting the hang of it! Besides, you ain't seen nothing yet Pervy Sage! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he summoned two Shadow Clones and they all charged at the man.
Jiraiya ducked and weaved his way past the clones, and the original, as he threw them away like rag dolls. Naruto grew ever more furious as he charged and lunged at the man, who merely grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him into the river. Naruto barely managed to push Chakra into his feet as he landed on the water's surface.
"Impressive, at least your Chakra Control is getting better," Jiraiya commented as Naruto grinned.
"This Clone Trick has helped me a lot!" Naruto stood up. "With this trick, I feel like I can do just about anything!" he said as Jiraiya narrowed his gaze in slight worry.
'He's getting a little cocky…' he thought to himself as Naruto charged at the man again, this time trying to use the Taijutsu lesson against the Sage.
He swept his legs at the man who jumped over the attack, before dodging the two clones that had yet to be dispersed. He landed back on the ground, as he blocked Naruto's overhead kick, and then shoved him into one of his clones and dispelled it. The other clone lunged from behind as he tried to grab the man in a headlock, only for the man to grab the clone and throw him into the original.
"AHH!" the clone yelled as he collided with the original and popped into a puff of smoke. "Ow…" Naruto groaned as he lay on the ground.
"Okay, that's enough for now. Time for a break," Jiraiya called out as he walked over and helped Naruto up. "You're getting better Naruto, but you've still got to work on that habit of rushing in. I've told you over and over again to think before you act," he said as Naruto pouted.
"Easy for you to say, you know it's not as easy as you and Kakashi Sensei tell me, I'm just not a thinking ahead kind of guy" Naruto complained.
"Of that, I have no doubt," he said before he handed a blue popsicle towards him. Naruto took the icey treat and then signalled his clones to disperse group by group. The information rushed to Naruto's head and he grunted slightly.
"Still got to get used to that, can't believe I never knew about this," Naruto lamented as he and Jiraiya sat under the shade of the tree.
"It's part of the reason you need to learn to pay attention to things. If you had read the Scroll property you would've known about the Clones Memory transfer," Jiraiya said as he and Naruto sat under the shade.
"Yeah, Yeah…hey uh...Did you uh…" Jiraiya looked at Naruto. "Did you ever do this kind of thing…with my dad?" he asked with curiosity as the old sage smiled fondly.
"I did…your father was one of my best students. He had a talent for Ninjutsu that was unrivalled by his classmates. I was assigned to him by the Old man, but over time I began to see him like a son, heck he even taught me a few things…" Jiraiya thought back fondly on his old student.
"If you were assigned to him, did that mean you had a team like me? Did my dad have teammates?" Naruto asked as he nodded.
"He did but…" he sighed sadly. "Over time they fell one by one until only your father remained. I think that was part of the reason your father worked so hard, he wanted to bring an end to the senseless conflict that had plagued our world…" he said as Naruto looked down.
"Do you remember their names?" he asked as the old man nodded.
"I do, but…It's been so long now, I find it best to leave them in peace," he said as Naruto nodded.
"What about my mother? Who was her Sensei?" he asked as Jiraiya placed a hand on his chin.
"Huh…you know, I don't know. I was busy at the time training your father or doing important research," he said as Naruto narrowed his gaze.
"You mean peeping?"
"IMPORTANT RESEARCH!" he stressed as he sighed. "Other than that, I think your mother was mostly taught by what remained of her old clan before they were wiped out in the Third Great Shinobi War," Jiraiya told him as Naurot became curious.
"That's another thing I wanted to ask you, what were my mother's clan like? I've never heard of them before," Naruto asked, curious about his supposed lost clan.
"Well I'm not surprised the younger generation doesn't know about them, they died off years ago. But back then the Uzumaki were once a great and powerful Clan. They lived in Uzushiogakure, which roughly translated to 'the Land Hidden by Whirling Tidepools'. That symbol you have on your back there," he pointed to the red swirl on Naruto's Back. "Was the symbol of the Uzumaki Clan. They were distant relatives of the Senju Clan, the ones that founded the village. They even assisted in founding Konohagakure, which is why you see all those Chunin and Jonin wear them on their flak jackets, to honour the Clan that helped them prosper." he lectured Naruto as he took off his Jacket to stare at the red swirl.
"Wow…I'm related to such an important Clan…HA! EAT THAT SASUKE, I'M PART OF AN IMPORTANT CLAN LIKE YOU! HA!" he yelled with a grin.
"Don't get cocky kid, the Uchiha were also part of the Founding Members of Konoha," he said as Naruto slumped his head.
"Ah, figures…" he said before he blinked. "Hey, if my clan was so important, why does no one remember them?" he asked as Jiraiya sighed.
"That has mostly to do with what happened during the Third Great War. See, Uzushiogakure was feared by the other great Nations due to their affinity for sealing Jutsu," he said as Naruto raised a brow.
"I don't get it, what's so great about Sealing Jutsu? I mean, isn't that used mostly for sealing weapons into scrolls, right?" he asked as Jiraiya shook his head.
"Not to the Uzumaki, to an Uzumaki, their prowess with Sealing Jutsu was pretty much unrivalled. They could create complex seals that would baffle the minds of anyone attempting to decipher it. Some Seals could create powerful Barriers, others could contain powerful attacks. They could seal giant monsters into the smallest of containers…like the Nine tails for example…" he said as Naruto looked down at his stomach where the seal was.
"But that wasn't the only reason," he said as Naruto raised a brow. "The Uzumakis were also known for their Longevity. Members of the Uzumaki Clan had been known to live longer than average life spans, which was why it was also considered 'The Land of Longevity', due to the tremendous life force they possessed. Mito Uzumaki, the First Hkaoge's Wife and First Container of the Nine-Tails lived well into your mother's age," he explained as Naruto listened in awe.
"Whoa…so…what happened to the rest of them, I mean…they couldn't have all died, right. Do you think it's possible I might find them someday?" he asked with a small amount of hope as Jiraiya shrugged.
"Who knows, after Uzushiogakure was destroyed, the Clan spread out amongst the Five nations, they were effectively scattered to the wind. There's no telling where they are now, or how many are still alive at this point," he said as Naruto looked down sadly.
"Oh…" he said, bummed that he might not be able to find more of his relatives. "Is there…is there anything left of them?"
"Well…I know that there's an old Clan House located somewhere in the village, and a storage area for some Masks they had. Not sure why, though?" he said, as he tried to remember what he could about the Uzumaki clan. "Other than that I don't know, it's been years since I've thought about it. And I've got a pretty good memory,"
"I see…" he said as he pondered that knowledge for a moment. "Hey, Pervy Sage, is it possible to go to this old Clan House? I want to see if there's anything there that can help me learn more about my Mothers' Clan," he asked as Jiraiya pondered.
"I don't know kid, after the Clan was wiped out and your mother died the old home was pretty much abandoned. From what I can recall there wasn't much left in there, either the Old Man had most of it sealed off, or the Clan hid their stuff pretty well," he said as Naruto shook his head.
"That doesn't matter, I just want to know more about them. I've always wanted to know more about where I came from, more about my family. If there's even a remote chance I can learn more about them, then I have to know, Please Pervy Sage?" he asked, near begging the old man as he stared into his eyes.
"...Ah fine, we'll have a look. But don't blame me if we don't find much," he said as Naruto nodded.
"Thanks, Pervy Sage,"
"Will you stop calling me that!? You're worse than your mother!"
"Well maybe if you didn't go peeking all the time Mum and I wouldn't be right!"
"Never! I am Jiraiya the Gallant! The Sage of Mount Myōboku! And the Greatest Pervert that ever lived!"
"Why would you be proud of that!?"
Later - Uzumaki Clan Homestead
Standing there amongst the overgrown trees, and the twisted roots of the forest stood the once proud homestead of the Uzumaki Clan. While they once had a home in Uzushiogakure, there was a home for their diplomats and family members of Mito Uzumaki. It was here that Kushina spent her youth until the rest of her clansmen died out, and she died with Minato. After that, the homestead was left as a ruin of what it once was. The Proud Uzumaki symbol is still engraved atop its archway.
"Whoa…so this…was the Uzumaki Homestead? It looks kind of…" he asked as he looked at the decayed building. "...Rundown…"
"Hey, after 13 years with no one to look after it, I'd like to see how your home would turn out?" Jiraiya said as he looked over the house. "But yeah, after your mothers passing this place pretty much became a desolate waste. The old man wanted to keep up the maintenance. But with the state the Village was in after the Nine-Tails, and the resources it would take, the Shinobi Council decided it wasn't worth it seeing as there were no Uzumaki left," he said as Naruto glared.
"Hey! I'm an Uzumaki! Why couldn't I have inherited it!?" He asked with annoyance in his voice.
"You have the Uzumaki name, but none of their looks. A tell-tale sign of any Uzumaki was that all of them were born with Blood Red Hair, a common trait amongst their clan," Jiraiya explained as Naruto paused and looked up to the strands of hair peeking above his field of vision.
"So then, why's my hair Blond?" he asked, as Jiraiya shrugged.
"Who knows, maybe your father's genes were stronger than your mother's, which is impressive if you ask me," he said as Naruto raised a brow.
"What the heck do Pants have to do with hair colour?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya slapped his forehead.
"GENES not JEANS you idiot! Boy, your education is lacking," Jiraiya said as he sighed. "Anyway, not sure what you're going to find here. Anything of Value the Old Man would've likely locked up in the Vaults," he said as Naruto walked over and ran his hand across the old wood.
"That's fine…" he looked up at the spiral symbol as he felt the true weight of what had been left behind. "I just…I just wanted to see at least…" he said as Jiraiya stared at the boy.
"Fair enough I suppose. But just be careful, this place has become pretty-" Naruto took a step forward and fell through the front steps. "... Decrepit."
"Why do I keep falling through things?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya helped him back up.
The pair eventually started looking around the old homestead, Jiraiya searched the old armoury in the back, while Naruto, on the other hand, was looking through some of the old rooms. Most of it was old, rotten and falling apart. But Naruto somehow had a sense that it was once a well-lived place, with people and family walking around the old homestead. He wondered briefly what his life would've been like if the Uzumaki hadn't been scattered. Would he have lived here? Would the villagers treat him the same as any of the other Clans? Or because of the Nine-Tails inside him, would he still have been seen as the creature that took everything from them?
"Different life I suppose…" Naruto said to himself as he looked around. "Come on, there has to be something here…" he said to himself as he looked around what appeared to be the Clan Head's Office. If the giant tattered Clan Symbol on the wall is any indication.
"Nothing here.." he looked under the old desk, "Nothing here.." he checked behind the bookcase. "Nothing here…" he finally checked floor boards for hidden compartments but. "Still nothing…Aw man!" he groaned in annoyance.
"Hmm…How about…behind here!" He pulled down the Cloth Symbol only to find nothing. "Tch, damn, and here I thought it was going to be like in those movies where they hide stuff behind the curtain or something…hmm?" He stopped when he noticed a faint-looking mark in the centre of the wall.
"What's this…" he fingered the mark as paint chips slowly flaked off. He pulled out a Kunai and continued scratching the paint until he saw more of what looked like black markings spreading out from the centre with a spiral pattern.
"What the…Hey! Pervy Sage! Get in here!" he yelled as the sage walked into the room.
"How many times have I told you not to call me - hmm?" he paused his rant as he looked at the wall that Naruto had found.
"Check this out," Naruto said as he stepped back from the wall. "What is it?" he asked as Jiraiya leaned forward to study the wall.
The wall had large circular markings around the Spiral seal, with the black markings being smaller kanji spreading out from the centre. They were no doubt a formula to maintain the seal. They spread from the centre to the corners of the wall, and around the edges as well.
"It looks like a Seal of some sort. Pretty advanced, no doubt it's an Uzumaki Design. I guess that it has to be some sort of storage seal," he wagered as Naruto raised a brow.
"What makes you say that?" he asks as Jiraiya pointed.
"Because the wall is too thin to be anything else, and Storage Seals can store items within a small pocket dimension. You can even seal a living person inside if you wanted," he said as Naruto raised a brow.
"But I thought Storage Seals were only used on Scrolls, why did they put one on a Wall?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya held up a finger.
"Ah, but my young and foolish apprentice. Storage Seals aren't necessarily bound to scrolls. It's not the item that the seal is placed on that matters, but the seal itself. You can place a seal on a piece of paper and it would still have the desired effect. Scrolls are just more convenient. And you can place more sealing formulas on a scroll than on one piece of paper. Do you understand?" he asked as Naruto looked like he was trying hard to understand.
"Uh…kind of…once again I kind of skipped those classes…" he admitted as Jiraiya sighed.
"Okay, another lesson you need to have your clones study," he said as Naruto groaned. "But anyway, it looks pretty complex. Using a series of Heaven's Gate Seals…Hmm…I think I can unseal it, using its counterpart, the Earth's Reach Seals…it's not too complex to guess the hand signs to unlock it."
"You figured out the hand signs that easily?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"Well, it's easier if you have a good knowledge of Sealing Jutsu, and you're a Seal Master like myself, but this component…Hmm…Naruto cut the tip of your thumb for me," he asked, as the boy blinked in confusion but nodded as he bit his thumb and allowed a small dab of blood to seep out.
"Okay, once I finish the hand signs, I want you to place your thumb on the centre of the seal and pour your chakra into it, okay?" he asked as Naruto nodded and Jiraiya flashed through some seals. "Sealing Art: Heaven and Earth Release!" The Seal glowed red as he turned to Naruto. "NARUTO! NOW!" he called out as Naruto slammed his hand into the seal. The seal then flashes white before the markings begin to recede towards the centre and the spiral seal closed in on itself and out emerged a large scroll and a smaller scroll.
The Scrolls landed in Naruto's hands as he looked at the large scroll, similar to the one he stole from the Hokage's Vault. But this one was red-marked and had the Uzumaki Clan seal on the front. And the smaller scroll had a green lining.
"Hey, this looks like the scroll I stole," he said as Jiraiya took it from Naruto's hands.
"Close, but I don't think it's the same one…" he said as he unfurled it and stared in slight awe. "This is…it can't be…it was thought to be lost. But it's been here this whole time…those crafty Uzumakis…" he said as Naruto raised a brow.
"Ha? What are you going on about Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked as he turned back to Naruto.
"Naruto, do you have any idea what this is?" he asked as Naruto shook his head. "This is the supposed Lost Scroll of Sealing, created by the Uzumaki Clan. It's said to contain nearly every type of Sealing Jutsu they had ever created, and even the ones they were still working on but never completed. Iwa and Kumo searched the whole Village trying to locate this scroll after Uzushiogakure was destroyed, but they could never find it. Only bits and pieces of low-level Sealing Jutsu were left behind. But if the Clan knew Uzushiogakure was going to be attacked or destroyed…they must've sent it with Kushina in case anything happened. Clever," he said as Naruto looked over one of the pages and felt his head about to explode from all the complicated seal formulas.
"That's a lot! I can barely understand any of it!" Naruto said as Jiraiya chuckled.
"I'm not surprised, a Knucklehead like you would be incapable of understanding Sealing of this magnitude. Even if you are descended from the Uzumaki clan," he said as Naruto pouted at him. "But I admit even I'm a bit stumped myself, most of it is encrypted…but that's standard for Sealing Masters, wouldn't want their formulas being copied by other ninjas after all," he said as he rolled up the scroll.
"I best keep this hidden, don't want anyone else to know this exists," he then bit his thumb and flashed through some Jutsu. "Summoning Jutsu!" he yelled and summoned a black and orange toad with dark markings around his eyes, mouth and a circular one just below his mouth.
"Oi, Jiraiya, what's the deal?" he asked as Naruto stared at the toad.
"Wow! What kind of Toad is this one?" he asked as Gerotora turned to the boy and eyed him.
"Hmmn, what, ain't you ever seen a Scroll Toad before?" he asked as Naruto blinked.
"Scroll Toad?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"That's right, this is Gerotora, a Scroll Toad from Mount Myoboku. His task is guarding the secrets of any Toad Summoner. I've used him and your father used him when he sealed the Nine Tails inside you," he said as Gerotora looked at the boy.
"Father?... I see…so he's Minato's kid, the same one he used to seal the Nine-Tails in," he said as Naruto nodded. "So anyway, what do you want with me, Jiraiya?" he asked as he showed the Uzumaki Sealing Scroll.
"I want you to keep this with you, I can't trust it to anyone else," he said as the toad nodded and extended the rest of his body.
"WHOA! HE STRETCHED!?" Naruto yelled as Jiraiya bonked him on the head.
"Zip it, kid! Sorry Gerotora, kids kind of an Idiot," he explained as the toad nodded.
"It's fine, not the first time this has happened," he said as he unfurled his body, and showed a blank space. "Seal it here, and I'll take good care of it," he said as Jiraiya nodded and sealed the Scroll of Sealing into Gerotora. "There, you can get it back when you want it, anything else?" he asked as Jiraiya shook his head.
"That will be all," he said as Gerotora nodded and reversed-summoned himself back to Mount Myoboku.
"Okay, so that's done…what about this one?" he asked as he held up the smaller scroll. Jiraiya took it in hand as he unfurled it and read the contents.
"Hmm…well, it's not a secret earth-shattering scroll, but it looks like a History Scroll of sorts for future Uzumaki," he said as Naruto raised a brow. "It's like one of your History Scrolls, but this one details the History of the Uzumaki Clan, their suspected Origins to that of the Sage of Six Paths, their rise to power, their partnership with Konoha and the abilities they contained in their bodies," he said as Naruto grew curious about this and snatched the scroll from him.
"Whoa…Sage of the Six Paths? Who's that?" he asked, unknowingly causing a subtle stir within the Nine Tails cell.
"Seriously, did you pay any attention in the Academy?" he asked as Naruto shrugged.
"Only on the cool stuff, like the Hokage, Ninjutsu and all that…" he admitted as Jiraiya sighed.
"Okay, there's not much about him but the legend goes that the first user of Chakra was a man known as The Sage of Six Paths. A Powerful figure that possessed powerful Chakra and a Unique Doujutsu - The Rinnegan."
"The Rinnegan? Like the Sharingan Sasuke and Kakashi Sensei have?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"Correct, it was said he was the Creator of Ninjutsu and passed on his teachings of Chakra." Jiraiya began to explain as Naruto listened. "The story goes that the Sage was so powerful he could create practically anything, and was heralded as a Saviour of Mankind. Eventually, it was said that he had two sons, an older son that inherited his powerful eyes and Immense Chakra, while the younger son inherited his father's Physical Prowess and Immense Life Force Energy. On the eve of his death, the Sage chose the younger son as his Successor and a bitter rivalry was formed…" Jiraiya explained much of what he knew from the Toads as he looked over the scroll in his hand.
"It says here though that eventually, the descendants of the brothers became that of the Uchiha's, the Senju and the Uzumaki Clans," he explained as Naruto listened intently.
"Whoa…so you're saying, I'm descended from this Sage of Six guys?" Naruto asked as the old man stared before he scoffed.
"Yeah right, there's no actual evidence of the Sage ever existing in the first place. It's more than likely just a story created by the two clans to make themselves sound more important," he said as Naruto felt a blood vessel forming on his head.
'That being said…I have met one who possessed the same eyes as the legend. Nagato…so there must be some evidence to the contrary…' he thought to himself as he handed the scroll back to Naruto.
"You should probably read this, and learn more about where your clan comes from. You might learn a thing or two from them," he suggested as Naruto nodded.
"What about the big scroll, when do I get to read that?" he asked as Jiraiya smirked.
"Oh, interested in Sealing Jutsu now, are you?" he asked as Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, I'm an Uzumaki, right? Which means I should know Sealing Jutsu at some point right? Besides, learning it might make me feel closer to them, you know?" he asked with a soft expression on his face. Jiraiya stared at him as he softly smiled at the young Uzumaki.
"Well…" Jiraiya said as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's far too late to learn anything practical in time for the Exam. Even with the Shadow Clone trick, it takes years to become a Seal Master of my Calibur…" he explained as Naruto slumped. "But I suppose we can get started on the fundamentals at least," he said as Naruto's eyes sparked in delight. "But it means that you will have a ton more homework to do, on top of what you're learning right now. Sealing Jutsu is not something that you can learn in an afternoon, got it?" he asked as naruto nodded, showing an increased determination.
"Of course! I'm going to become Hokage one day! I won't ever back down!"
Half An Hour Later - Waterfall
A bunch of Shadow Clones had dead-eye expressions and steam rolling off their heads as all of them read copies of Sealing Jutsu Fundamentals. A lot of it went right over their heads as to them the Formulas looked like an entirely different language.
"AHHH! This is so hard!"
"I can't even read this!"
"Who came up with this!? I hate it!" the clones shouted amongst themselves as the real Naruto had smoke coming off his head.
"How the hell did my ancestors understand this nonsense!?" he yelled as Jiraiya laughed at him.
"Through hard work and dedication! I told ya it wouldn't be easy!" he said as Naruto grumbled and continued reading.
"Ah so what, soon as I get this down I'll be so strong no one can stop me! Then I'll be the greatest Hokage there ever was!" he proclaimed as Jiraiya narrowed his gaze.
'I'm glad to see that knowing more about his family has been good for him…but I'm starting to worry about his ego. The kids got a big enough head as it is, and I've seen plenty of Shinobi boasting their skills only to wind up in an early grave. Plus, he still has that problem of charging in without thinking, and if he's not careful, he'll just get himself or others hurt…I need to break that habit of his and teach him some humility…but the kid is stubborn and wouldn't take the lesson to heart unless it's hammered in…' he pondered as he watched the boy continue to read, and train with his clones.
'...I guess…I have to resort to that lesson…'
Next Day - WaterFall
Naruto stretched as he got ready for another day of training. The Night before he read over the History Scroll his Ancestors left behind, finding out all sorts of interesting things he never knew about a Clan he didn't know he had. It gave him an invigorated sense of worth as he was prepared to make them and his parents proud of him. His mind was still partially overloaded by the Seal Formulas he studied well into the night, but he was determined to one day learn Sealing Jutsu. But right now, he had to focus on what he could learn and what he could improve.
"Okay Pervy Sage, I'm ready for today's training!" he said as he got into his basic Taijutsu Stance. But he noticed Jiraiya was acting differently from usual. "Uh…Pervy Sage?" he asked as the man turned to him.
"Naruto…" he said as he looked the boy dead in the eye. "Today I want you to come at me with everything you have," he said as Naruto blinked in surprise.
"What?" He asked, confused by the man's serious behaviour.
"I want you to come at me with everything you have, all the Skills you've learned, all the weapons you have, everything. I want you to come at me with everything you've got," he stated once more as Naruto was more than a little confused.
"Uh…are you okay Pervy Sage, you're kind of acting weird," Naruto said as the man only glared.
"You want to beat Neji, correct?" he asked as Naruto nodded. "Then I need to see how much stronger you've become. If you don't, I'm not going to teach you any further," he stated as Naruto's eyes widened.
"But…but you said you would…"
"And I did, but right now I need to see how committed you are, so face me head-on with everything you have. Don't hold back," he said as Naruto stared before he pulled out his Kunai knives.
"Okay, just don't blame me when I win, Pervy Sage," he said with arrogance as he crossed his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted as several copies of Naruto appeared.
"Let's go!" he shouted as all the clones rushed in. They jumped at the man, Kunai in hand, as they swiped and attempted to stab the man. But Jiraiya instantly proved his superior skills as he instantly evaded their attacks and dispelled them with simple palm thrusts to the chest, the real Naruto tried to jump at him from behind, but Jiraiya grabbed him by the shirt and threw him into his clones.
"Damn it!" Naruto growled, losing his patience. He and his clones pulled out Kunai as they charged at the man, each one swinging their blades at the Sannin, who merely avoided their blades and defeated them quickly and without effort.
"Damn it!" Naruto yelled before he was shocked in the face and went tumbling back into the trunk of a tree. Naruto looked up and glared as he got angrier and he abandoned all the training he accumulated for sheer tenacity.
"Okay! Take this!" Naruto yelled as he and his clones pulled out Shurikens and threw them at the Toad Sage, only when they hit did a puff of smoke appeared and all that remained was a log riddled with Shuriken. "Damn it! Substitution!" Naruto cursed before Jiraiyai's foot kicked him in the side of the head and he bounced along the ground and landed on the water's surface. If he hadn't increased his Chakra Control with the Shadow Clone Trick he would've simply sunk into the water.
"Is that all you've got? If that's the extent of your abilities, then you will Never Become Hokage, let alone beat Neji," Jiraiya said as Naruto grew angrier and started throwing his Kunai at the man.
Jiraiya merely evaded with ease before he quickly flashed through some hand signs.
"Oh no, you don't! I'm not letting you use a Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as he threw a fist at Jiraiya, only for his fist to go through a bunch of leaves. "Huh!? What the heck!?" he yelled as noticed the leaves were swirling around him.
"What the heck is this!?" he asked before he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. "AHA! GOT YOU!" he yelled as he threw a Kunai at the bush.
"AH!" he heard as he stopped.
"Huh? That didn't sound like Pervy Sage…" he rushed towards the sound expecting to find a log with a Kunai in it…
Only instead of a log, it was something that made his eyes wide in terror.
There on the ground, holding onto her shoulder was Sakura. Her hand grasped at the Kunai Knife embedded in her shoulder as blood slowly leaked from the wound. A terrified and pained expression on her face as she stared up at him.
"S-Sakura?" he asked with a trembling voice as she stared at him in pain.
"N-Naruto, w-why would you?" she asked in pain as Naruto stood then in shock.
"S-Sakura - I-I didn't mean…Sakura!" he stepped towards her, only for her to back up in fear. "W-Wait p-please! I-I didn't mean to - Sakura I didn't! Oh, God!" he felt his heart hammering in his chest. Tears began to form in her eyes as Sakura backed off from Naruto.
"S-Stay away from me!" she said as Naruto felt his vision blur and tears began to form in his eyes.
"S-Sakura..I…I…" he felt a shadow behind him as he turned to see Jiraiya standing behind him. His arms crossed and a blank look on his face. "P-Pervy Sage..Y-You got to help- S-Sakura…Sakura's been…" he held his hands to his head. "I-I didn't mean to hurt her! I didn't, I couldn't! Why aren't you helping me!?" he screamed as Jiraiya stared and pointed.
"Naruto…Look…" he said as Naruto hesitantly turned back to Sakura, only to find a Log with his Kunai Knife in the wood.
"W-What!? B-But where's Sakura?" he asked as he looked all around.
"She was never here, I used a Genjutsu to simulate one of your worst fears, this was all part of your lesson…" he said as Naruto stared at the log and then grew incredibly angry. So much so that red chakra began to leak into his eyes.
"W-Why would you do that!?" he yelled as he grabbed the man's vest and glared with red slit-like eyes and elongated canines. "Why would you show me something like that!? What the hell is wrong with you!?" he screamed as more of the Nine-Tails Chakra began to leak into Naruto's system before a paper seal was slapped onto his forehead.
The Red Chakra began to recede as Naruto fell to his knees feeling weak. "W-What did you…" he said before he collapsed to the ground unconscious.
"...That was close…so…the Nine Tails power is drawn out by anger…interesting…" he said as he picked up the boy and placed him under the tree.
A bucket of water was dumped onto Naruto as he woke up with a start. "Ah!" Naruto screamed as he felt the cold chill of the water.
"Have you cooled down yet, kid?" he heard as he turned his head towards Jiraiya who was sitting on a rock and writing in a small notebook.
"W-What happened? I - " Suddenly his memory came rushing back and he snapped his head to Jiraiya. "You! You bastard! Why the hell did you make me see that!?" he yelled angrily.
"I needed to teach you a lesson, and knowing your stubbornness, I felt it was the only way it would get through to you," he said as Naruto glared.
"What lesson!? To realise what a sick fuck you are!? Why the hell did you make me think I hurt Sakura!?"
"Because you needed to see what would happen if you keep rushing in," Jiraiya said as Naruto stopped. "Think about it, I asked you to come at me with everything you had. You did, without a thought or care, you attacked me with everything you had. And in doing so, you failed to notice the Genjutsu I placed you under. At that moment, you hurt your comrade." he said as Naruto just stood there numb and looked down at his hand as it shook slightly.
"B-But it was just a Genjutsu, right? S-Sakura wasn't hurt was she?" he asked with a scared voice.
"No, luckily she wasn't. But if she had been, and you pulled a move like that. Then she could've been seriously hurt or worse…" he said with the utmost seriousness as Naruto felt a jab in his heart.
"The problem you have is that you keep rushing in without thinking about how your actions will affect others. If you had taken the moment, you would have realised you were caught in a Genjutsu, and that is my weakest ability. The fact you didn't even notice speaks volumes of thickheadedness…I know that sometimes it can't be helped, but a majority of the time, a Ninja must be able to think rationally before they act. If they don't, they don't just endanger the mission or themselves, they endanger the ones they care about…would you want to live with the guilt of being responsible for the death of a friend?" he asked as Naruto gasped slightly and remembered back to the Land of Wave when Sasuke put himself in harm's way to protect him.
He hadn't given it much thought back then, but if had taken the time to plan, and attack Haku from outside the dome, then Sasuke wouldn't have been injured in the first place. They could've attacked both outside and inside the dome, but he rushed in like an idiot…
The memory of holding Sasuke's cold body in his arms, plus the early trap with the Genjutsu making him think he hurt Sakura, made him realise…
…He was an Idiot…
He boasted and claimed he would become Hokage, to make the villagers acknowledge him. But what was the point if he ended up hurting the ones he cared about along the way? Sure, Sasuke was arrogant and thought himself better than Naruto, and Sakura always agreed with whatever Sasuke said, but deep down he cared about them. He didn't want to see them get hurt, especially by his hand.
"...Kami…I'm such an idiot…" he said as Jirayai walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No you're not, you're just impulsive," he said as Naruto looked up at the man that smiled softly. "The fact you're admitting to your fault is already a big step in the right direction. Now you just need to focus on taking steps to temper yourself. Learn to calm yourself and think before you act, and I know you will become a Splendid Shinobi, just like your father. Maybe even greater…" he smiled as Naruto stared up at the man before he nodded.
"Right…thank you…Jiraiya Sensei…" he said as Jiraiya chuckled.
"Finally, a little respect…" he said as Naruto looked up and smirked a little.
"Don't get too used to it, you're still a pervert," he said as Jiraiya laughed.
"Ahahahahaha! Of course, I am! Now let's get back to practice, Genjutsu will be another task we need to assign your clones. But for now, it's summoning time." he said as Naruto nodded and dispelled the Clones practising Chakra Control. He then bit his thumb, flashed through the hand signs and slammed his hand on the ground.
"SUMMONING JUTSU!" he yelled as a puff of smoke appeared and a small orange toad with purple markings around his eyes, mouth and stomach wore a small blue jacket.
"Yo! Names Gamakichi! What's happening!" the small toad said as Naruto stared at the small toad before he started smiling.
"Yes! I did it! I finally summoned a toad!" he laughed with glee, as he did a little dance around the training field. Jiraiya and Gamakichi just stared at the boy, before the small looked back at the sage and pointed his thumb at Naruto.
"Is he right in the head?" he asked as Jiraiya chuckled.
"That remains to be seen,"
And Scene. Here is Chapter IV of the Journal of Hope, a lot had to be done in this chapter. As everyone knows, Naruto is kind of an Idiot. Similar to Goku they both share a single brain cell. But whereas Naruto can eventually grow and get smarter, Goku's brain consists of FIghting, Eating, Sleeping and repeating.
Naruto though has the problem of running his mouth off or jumping into a situation without considering all the options. Admirable and has helped him succeed in some battles, but other times it leaves him at a disadvantage. I've talked about this problem with my advisor and he advised that Naruto needs to have the lesson of thinking first and being patient by having the lesson hammered into him hard. This is why I had Jiraiya use the Genjutsu on him, Naruto's weakest subject and one of the only ways that could show him the error of his actions. Granted he will still tend to jump in and help others, that's just part of who he is, but this story aims to have him more focused and less scatterbrained. But still retaining the core aspects of Naruto.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next one…
Chapter V: Elements of Change