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 the love, hope and dreams of his parents, he decides to become the Ninja his parents believed he could be.

Chapter VII: Countdown to the Finals!

Sasuke Uchiha stood in the middle of the rocky training ground, as large craters surrounded him. He held his left arm as small burn marks could be seen on his palm. He had been training nonstop since he 'released himself' from the hospital a week ago, and knew he had a small amount of time left to prepare for the finals. Not that it would be a challenge for a prodigy like him. His Sharingan had already copied the Taijutsu style that Kakashi showed him, and his Chakra Control had significantly improved since then.

Now he was focused on learning the technique that would assist him in beating the Ninja from the Sand Village, Gaara. A technique called the 'Chidori', utilizing his Lightning Chakra to pierce through Gaara's Sand Defence. Although the technique was proving a challenge to master, even with his Sharingan. He had to maintain the Chakra flow, shape his Chakra into Lightning and focus it into a single point to pierce his target. Sasuke grunted as he held the lightning in his palm, rushed towards a column of stone, and thrust it at his target.

"CHIDORI!" he yelled as he slammed the Jutsu into the earth column.

The lightning-sparked around his palm as the stone began to crumble, his arm pierced the stone before he pulled it out and left a large crater in the column. He breathed out heavy breaths as he gripped his wrist.

Kakashi stood off to the side as he carefully observed Sasuke's progress, as well as making sure the Curse Mark on his neck didn't flare up. The seal he placed on Sasuke should contain it and the influence of Orochimaru, but there was so much about the Curse Mark that neither Anko nor the Third Hokage truly knew about. From what they could tell it only seemed to give the user an increase in power. But so far in Anko, it only caused the subject an increasing amount of pain. All they knew was that it was vital to Orochimaru's research, but what exactly it could do was unknown.

'Still, the fact that he's targeting Sasuke is not good. Orochimaru is one of the Three Legendary Sannin, I doubt I could ever beat one of them. The Curse Mark may be his way of tempting Sasuke with power. Sasuke only seems to care about two things, Power and Vengeance against his older brother Itachi. I hope I can at least guide him in a way that won't cause him to abandon his comrades, and follow the Will of Fire to become a Shinobi that will protect the hidden leaf…but…' he paused as he looked at the boy that had a deep fire in his eyes. But not like the one he saw in Naruto's eyes. 'Unlike Naruto, his fire is filled with hatred. Hatred for his brother and hatred for himself, being the only survivor…I need to contain this…' he thought to himself as he looked up to the sky.

"Sensei…what would you do here?" he asked himself before he noticed Sasuke power up another Chidori and slam it into the stones. The boy panted heavily as he fell to one knee. "Hey, take it easy Sasuke! I told you that two uses were your limit!" Kakashi warned as Sasuke glared at his sensei. "The Chidori is not a child's toy, the amount of Chakra and concentration it takes is much more than what you're used to. At this stage, two uses are your limit," Kakashi infirmed as Sasuke grunted.

"And what happens if I use it more than twice?" he asked as he felt his arm go slightly numb.

"There is no third, if you try to force the Jutsu it won't work and your Chakra will be reduced to 0. And remember, I'm only teaching you this technique so that you can use it against Gaara's Sand, he's much more powerful than anyone you've faced so far. And it's only to be used to protect your comrades," Kakashi said as Sasuke scoffed.

"An A-Rank Assassination Jutsu is used to protect?" He asked as Kakashi's visible eye drifted back to his youth.

To Obito and…Rin…

"...Sometimes the best way to protect them…is to make sure they never get hurt again…" Kakashi spoke ominously as Sasuke raised a brow.

"Doesn't matter, all I need to do is beat Gaara, then I'm one step closer…to Him…" Sasuke said with a glare as he returned to his training, while Kakashi sighed.

"He's just as Stubborn as Naruto…" he said as his mind briefly wandered to his other student. "Speaking of, I wonder how Naruto's doing? I can't imagine how Ebisu is dealing with his…personality, I just hope they got along by now,"

Meanwhile - The Waterfall Area

It had been roughly two days since Naruto's visit to Hinata and he was now entirely focused on learning the new Jutsus that Jiraiya had planned to teach him. Since then Naruto had also managed to complete the first stage of the Water Chakra change and was now focused on learning the new Jutsus.

So far he was learning Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, Earth Style: Mud Wall, Water Style: Water Bullet and two other Jutsu that Jiraiya had planned for Naruto to learn.

The first Jutsu called 'Wind Style: Great Breakthrough' was a Jutsu that allows the user to blow anything away. Given Naruto's Wind Based Chakra, the Jutsu would prove to be useful against projectile attacks.

The Second Jutsu, 'Earth Style: Mud Wall' Jutsu, allowed the user to create a wall of Earth to act as a defensive wall against attacks. But a more creative mind could also use it to box in enemy shinobi.

The Last elemental Jutsu was Water Style: Water Bullet. It was a ranged Jutsu that converted the user's Chakra in their stomach into either a concentrated blast of pressurized water or a stream of water. Depending on the user, it could have multiple varieties. He was learning from Gamariki. Which wasn't going as smoothly, due to how often Naruto and Gamariki butted heads together. But thanks to the Shadow Clones it was cutting the learning time in half.

But it wasn't just knowing how to do the hand signs and memorizing them. He also had to learn to regulate the amount of Chakra needed for any Jutsu. This Naruto had discovered when he initially attempted to use the Great Breakthrough Jutsu and only managed a slight breeze because he didn't put in enough Chakra. The same could be said when he attempted the Mud Wall and put too much Chakra into the Jutsu and knocked himself off his feet. However, thanks to the memory trick, his clones were able to gauge the proper Chakra control needed for the Wind and Earth Jutsu in a matter of days.

The Water Gun technique was a bit more challenging for Naruto as he had to both convert his Chakra to water Chakra, gauge the correct pressure of the water and accurately hit his target. Initially, he missed the wooden targets, but around the second day, he got the hang of it. The Moving Target portion proved to be tricker, as his clones were instructed to make themselves as hard to hit as possible. But that's not to say he wasn't improving, as the more clones he used, the more knowledge he gained.

Another set of clones was working on the other Jutsu that Jiraiya recommended he learn, they weren't elemental based, which made them a bit easier to use and they utilized his favourite cloning Jutsu. With these other two Jutsu, Naruto felt he had a better arsenal to go up against Neji in the finals. Then there was also channelling his primary nature Chakra into his weapons to increase their sharpness.

"Okay, let's try this again…" a Naruto Clone said as he held his Kunai knife and began channelling his Wind Chakra into the blade, just like Asuma had shown him. The chakra came out wobbly like the first time but soon began to sharpen, albeit mildly. Taking Asuma's advice and Imagining splitting his Chakra in two and rubbing them together. "Damn, this is harder than I thought. It was a lot easier when I used Asuma-Sensei blades," Naruto said as he struggled to make the Chakra shape sharp and thin

"His blades are made of a special metal, remember? That's why it was easier the first time," another Naruto clone said as he too was practising the technique. "And I don't know if you looked at poor Gama-chan, but I doubt we can afford blades made of the same metal,"

"Yeah, especially if we plan to just throw them! They ain't cheap!" Another shouted while he was practising the Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu. "Would be cool to have one though, right?" he shouted before his Earth Jutsu toppled a clone.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Sorry!"

"Yeah, think we might find one at the old Uzumaki estate?"

"I don't know, we lucked out with the scroll, doubt we'd get lucky a second time," another Clone said as he was with another group practising the Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu.

"Stay focused!" Gamariki shouted as he sat on top of the water with the clones. "All this talking amongst yourself is getting on my nerves! Now you clones, get back to moulding your chakra to water! You only completed the first stage of Water Transformation, so you have to concentrate extra hard on this Jutsu!" Gamariki shouted as he instructed the clones. "And you clones! Finish up the second Stage of Water Transformation already! It will make learning this Jutsu easier!" He yelled to the clones attempting to make use of their Chakra to hold a bowling ball the size of Water in place.

"Man, why did we have to get this guy as our teacher?" one of the Clones muttered as they glared at him.

"Yeah, the guy has a total stick up his butt,"

"I heard that!" Gamariki yelled as Jiraiya watched from the side with the real Naruto, as he was surrounded by several other clones going over what appeared to be battle plans.

"Looks like Gamariki is nearly at his limit, I've never seen that before," Jiraiya commented before he turned his attention back to Naruto. "Makes me wonder if you two can ever really get along?" he asked as Naruto shrugged.

"Maybe, he's uptight but I've dealt with worse from Sasuke," Naruto said as he turned to his clones. "Okay, so what if we try using smoke?" he asked the clones with him.

"Maybe, but the problem is his Byakugan can see right through it. If we know the 'Hiding in Mist Technique, we could use that. Kakashi-Sensei couldn't see through the Mist that Zabuza used back in waves, but there's no guarantee and Kakashi Sensei is busy training Sasuke," the Clone said as the others nodded.

"Well, we know Neji will use the gentle fist, like what he did on Hinata. So far we haven't seen him use any other Jutsu. So our best bet would be to trip him up with Ninjutsu. Maybe try and trap him with the Mud Walls?"

"That could work, but we also need to make sure he doesn't have any other surprises. It's been a month and he might have learned some new skills that we don't know,"

"Then we should be prepared to counter that possibility…huh, never thought I'd be the one to say 'prepare' and 'counter', must be all the books we've been reading,"

"Yeah, we're getting super smart!" the Naruto's laughed amongst themselves as Jiraiya sighed and shook his head.

"A Genius like his father…he is not…" Jiraiya said but smirked at the boy. "But he has both his parents' determination. And in my opinion, that beats smarts any day…" he said as he got up. "Okay, Naruto," he said as he got Naruto's attention. "Let's get some Taijutsu practice in for today. You remember the Kata's I taught you?" he asked as Naruto nodded.

"As much as I could, you were right about the Clones helping to learn the form. But I still need to build up my physical strength if I want to utilize the Kata's properly," Naruto said as he removed his orange jacket and placed it down next to his mother's journal. His hands were wrapped in training bandages, as he showed evidence of a slight muscular growth over the past 3 weeks of continuous training.

"Well having the basics is better than nothing at all, I don't expect you to use them against the Hyuga, but at least you won't look like a street thug to the judges," Jiraiya said as Naruto took his beginners stance and faced his opponent.

"Ready…Begin!"

Naruto dashed forward and threw a quick fist jab to Jiraiya's head, only for the man to dodge and block Naruto's leg which came in for a swift kick. But he flipped the boy, who just managed to catch himself in a handstand and tried to kick Jiraiya's face again. But the Sage wasn't a rookie, and easily deflected Naruto's attack and moved out of the way of him throwing another fist at his old face. Naruto quickly closed in the distance, as he ducked and dodged Jiraiya's moves, going for swift jabs to the man's face and ducking down to sweep at his legs. But Jiraiya ducked, hopped over and dodged Naruto's attacks, as he showed his more experienced fighting style compared to Naruto's. Naruto went in for a few boxer-like jabs and a swift uppercut, which Jiraiya easily managed to dodge. While he knew that Naruto still had a long way to go, he noticed a slight improvement in his fighting style.

Before Naruto's fighting style involved street thug-like tactics, using his Shadow Clones to overwhelm his opponent. Now after three weeks of training with the Shadow Clones and his tutelage, he was putting up a much better display than before. He knew it wouldn't be enough against the Hyuga's more advanced fighting style, but it was better than it was before. Besides, there were more ways to win a battle than just pure force.

"Hiya!" Naruto yelled as he delivered a spinning kick to Jiraiya who blocked the attack with his forearm and delivered a palm strike to Naruto's chest as the boy sailed back and collided with a tree. "...Ow…" Naruto said as he shook his head.

"You're getting better, but your moves are still too easily telegraphed. You never want to let your opponent know what you're planning, and your fighting style can be an easy indicator for someone who has more experience in taijutsu than you. Try and mix in some of your unique 'unpredictability' to throw them off their game," Jiraiya lectured as Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, yeah…" he said as he got up. "But like you said, going up against Neji with taijutsu will be ineffective. So why do I still need to practice?"

"Because your next opponent may not be as adept as you, remember?" Jiraiya said as he held up his two fingers. "If you manage to beat Neji your next opponent will either be Sasuke or Gaara. And from what you told me about Gaara, he may not have a lot of taijutsu skills. So that will be an advantage in your arsenal. Sasuke on the other hand will be more of a challenge, so polishing your skills is a good way to throw him off balance. You haven't spoken to your teammates since the exam started, correct?" he asked as Naruto nodded. "Which means you have no idea what Sasuke has learned and vice versa. Remember, plan around the plan they are planning," he instructed as Naruto nodded.

"Fair enough…oh hey, uh it's four o'clock now, right?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya looked up to the sun and calculated.

"It would appear so to me, yeah, but what's so…ah, I see. You're off to see the Hyuga girl again, aren't you?" he asked with a knowing grin, as Naruto dispelled his clones, and then fuddled with his jacket as he picked up a box with a bakery symbol on it.

Ever since his visit with Hinata, he had found he rather enjoyed her company. So, after he was done training, he would head over to Hinata to talk about just about anything. Teams, missions, and pranks Naruto used to pull and Hinata would just sit, listen and laugh. But not in a cruel way. She wasn't violent like Sakura or Ino and didn't talk about how great Sasuke was or belittle him like any other girl that he knew back at the academy. He rather found it…peaceful, and wanted to experience it a little more.

"Yeah, I made a promise I would come to visit her whenever I get the chance. I'm not one to go back on my word, plus Hinata's nice to talk to…you know, once she looks at me. I still don't know why she keeps avoiding eye contact with me." he asked as Jiraiya sighed and shook his head.

"Kami, give me strength…" he muttered and thought of something. "Well, enjoy your little date, I will see you back here tomorrow morning," he said as Naruto nodded and spun around to run before he stumbled at what he just said.

"Hey! It's not a date! I'm just visiting her!" he yelled, as Jiraiya chuckled.

"Right, with a box of Cinnamon rolls?" he asked, pointing to the box of Cinnamon Rolls he purchased at the bakery earlier.

"...What? Kurenai Sensei told me she likes Cinnamon Rolls, and that it's common to bring a gift to a person in the hospital," Naruto said as he walked away. "Stupid old pervert," he muttered as Jiraiya laughed at him.

"Okay! Enjoy your 'Visit' and I hope she enjoys them! HAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed as Naruto hurried away faster.

When Naruto was further away, Jiraiya stopped laughing as he watched the boy walk away. He had mentally gone over the boy's growth over the past three and a half weeks and weighed his progress. His skill had improved, his chakra control was leagues better than before and he had established Chakra Nature Transformation far earlier than most. Thanks to the Shadow Clones' mental trick, the boy was picking up what he had lacked for years. He had no doubt the boy would win against the Hyuga now. But there were still the other contestants.

Gaara put a kid in the hospital with wounds so bad, the kid was expected to never become a Ninja again. Although, he knew of one Medical Ninja that could change that, but that was for a later date. The point is, the kid was willing to kill, much more than those of the current Leaf Genin. Then there was Orochimaru and his current interactions with the Sand, which were not encouraging. Whatever his former friend was planning, he knew that Naruto would need more power if he wanted to have a chance at surviving. He had held it off as much as he could, seeing how anger was an emotional trigger, but given the time left, they had no other choice.

"I need to get the kid to draw out the Nine-Tails power…it's the only option left…" he said to himself as he looked to the sky. "Minato…you put that thing in your son for a reason…I just hope it was a good one…" he said to himself as started to walk towards the Hokage's tower.

"But first, I need to see the old man…see if he can help decipher the lost Scroll…it may be the edge that a snake bastard would never expect…" he said as he teleported away in a swirl of leaves.

Konoha General Hospital - Hinata's Room

"...So then we had to take these dogs on a walk, and I decided to take this biggest dog," Naruto recounted his D-Rank Missions as he sat next to Hinata's bed. The Hyuga girl chuckled at him as he told the tale. "But then he ends up dragging me around, right through the Trap Area, while Sasuke and Sakura are just standing there! Ahahaha!" he laughed as Hinata laughed as well.

"O-Oh no! I hope you are okay!" she laughed, albeit with a shy tone, as she both felt sorry for him and found his tale amusing.

"Yeah, dumb old traps weren't going to keep me down!" he laughed as held the back of his head. "Although I learned my lesson, never pick a big dog when it can take you for a walk!"

"I-I think K-Kiba would've agreed," she said as she smiled. "Still, I think you were very brave to take on such a big challenge," she said as Naruto smirked.

"Yeah, man, I like talking with you. You're not what I imagined," he said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Before I kind of thought you were this shy weirdo that just wanted to avoid eye contact with me," Hinata felt verbal jabs at her character as they punctured her heart. "But the more I've talked to you…the more I realize you're awesome," he said as she perked up at the praise.

"T-thank you, I-I think you're awesome too, you always face any challenge no matter how difficult it is," she said as Naruto blinked then grinned.

"Yeah that's me, if I'm going to become Hokage, I face every challenge head-on!" he smirked as she smiled and blushed.

"W-Well, I'll be rooting for you," she said as Naruto blinked at that.

"Really?" he asked as she nodded. "Huh…"

"What's wrong?" she asked as Naruto shrugged.

"Nothing, it's just…whenever I tell people I'm going to be Hokage they either roll their eyes or tell me to give up…you're one of the only few, other than Iruka, who said they'd be cheering for me…" he said as he smiled softly. "It's…it's nice…thanks Hinata…" he said as she blushed and twiddled her fingers together.

"Y-you're welcome…" she said as Naruto smiled, "Um thanks for the Cinnamon rolls, by the way," she said as she gestured to the half-eaten pastries by her bed. "H-How did you know I liked them?" she asked as Naruto shrugged.

"Kurenai Sensei told me, I was thinking about bringing you some Instant Ramen, but she said that's more my favourite food than yours. So she told me about how you like Cinnamon Rolls, and I figured I'd get them for you," he said as Hinata blushed and debated whether or not she should yell at Kurenai Sensei or thank her.

"U-Um…I do like Ramen…" she said as Naruto turned to her.

"Really?" he asked as she nodded her head. "Well, when the Exam's over and you get out of here, how about I take you to Ichiraku's? They make the best Ramen!" he said, as Hinata's mind instantly connected the offer to a date.

'D-Did Naruto-Kun ask me…on a date!' she mentally screamed as she felt her face blush. "U-Um, I-I would love to…" she said and mentally slapped herself for saying love, but also played a small love fantasy in her head.

"Cool! I always ask Sakura to come, but she always turns me down," he said as Hinata's Love fantasy shattered like glass. "But sometimes I can convince Kakashi Sensei to make it a team lunch, hehe…" he chuckled as Hinata relaxed.

"H-How is your team?" she asked, "You haven't talked about them much…other than Sakura," she muttered the last part low enough so Naruto couldn't hear her. But Naruto nodded as he leaned back into his chair.

"Yeah…my team is awesome…and weird. Kakashi Sensei is wicked strong, but also really lazy. He keeps telling us to arrive at the meeting spot early but doesn't get there till 3 hours later. And he keeps reading that perverted book of his Icha Icha Paradise. Then there's Sasuke, who thinks he is so great. But you ask me, he's an arrogant Jerk and Sakura just keeps saying how amazing he is, and calls me an idiot. Many, I don't see what you girls at the Academy like about him so much?" Naruto pouted as he crossed his arms.

"A-Actually…I don't really like Sasuke like the other girls," Hinata admitted as Naruto blinked.

"Huh? I thought all the girls liked him," he asked as she shook her head.

"N-Not me, h-he was too…edgy and cold. Plus all the other girls just kept chatting about him, it got annoying sometimes…" she admitted as Naruto stared at her with a small amount of awe. "A-Also…his hair…" she said as Naruto raised a brow. "T-The back of it looks like a Ducks Butt…" she said as a mental image of Sasuke's hair and the back of a Duck popped into his head.

"...Pfft! HAHAHA! Oh my god! I never realized! His hair does look like a duck's butt! Ahahahaha! Oh, man! It was right in front of me and I never saw it! Duck Butt! Ahahahahaha!" he laughed as Hinata blushed in embarrassment, but a small twinge of a smile snuck onto her face. "Oh man, you are awesome Hinata, I never would've thought of that!" he said as he slowly stopped laughing.

"I-I'm sorry, but it does. It was one of the reasons I never found him all that great, if anything I like your hair more-eep!" Hinata managed to catch herself, but Naruto had already heard it.

"Huh? Do you like my hair?" He asked as he rustled the top of his head. "What's so special about my hair?" he asked as Hinata fumbled with her words.

"U-Um w-well…i-its nothing but-um!" she panicked as Naruto looked her dead in the eye and made her blush.

"No seriously, what's so great about my hair?" he asked as she felt red in the face, but found a moment of courage and spoke her mind.

"W-Well…my family mostly has dark hair, it's a-actually kind of dreary, Sasuke reminds me of Neji, and I just don't like him like the other girls do…b-but when I see your hair. I-it reminds me of a sunflower, a-and I feel…happy…" she admitted as Naruto blinked and rubbed his hair.

"Huh…" Naruto said as he rubbed a hand over his head. "A sunflower, that's a first," he said as Hinata felt super embarrassed.

"I feel so embarrassed! I-I'm sorry if I offended you!" she panicked as Naruto shook his head.

"N-No you didn't! I... I liked that…it was nice, thanks. A lot better than having a Duck Butt for a haircut!" he said as Hinata blushed redder than before but nodded.

"Y-You're welcome…b-but you really shouldn't be so mean about Sasuke. He is your teammate after all," she said as Naruto nodded.

"I know, I know. Despite being a Teme, he's someone I trust on a mission. He saved my life twice during the wave mission and I can't imagine my team without him or Sakura. They're…they're precious to me, and I don't want to see them get hurt." Naruto admitted as Hinata nodded.

"I-I understand, I'm the same with my team. Kiba can be a bit arrogant, and Shino is kind of hard to connect with…but honestly, I can't imagine being on any other team as well, they're like the brothers I never had," she said as Naruto nodded feeling the same way.

"Yeah…I get that…still, he can be such a jerk sometimes. Thinking he's better than everyone, well I'll show him when I become Chunin before him!" he said as Hinata smiled.

"I-I believe in you Naruto-Kun, and I know you'll win…" she said as she smiled softly at Naruto and for a moment, Naruto felt his heart thump loudly.

'Huh, what was that? Did Hinata always look so…pretty?' he asked himself. Before he shook his head to clear the strange feeling he felt.

"U-Uh, anyway, I should get going now. I've only got a few days left, but it was nice chatting with you Hinata, same time tomorrow?" he asked as Hinata nodded and he made his way out the door, nodding slightly to the guards at the door, before waving goodbye to Hinata and she waved back.

After he left she felt her heart race even more, and a happy smile spread on her face. It still felt unreal how much time she had been spending with her crush. Before he didn't notice her, not that she made attempts to get him to notice her, and wondered if he would ever see her. But ever since her fight with Neji, when he came in asking her for advice, she had spent more time with him over three days than in her entire time at the Academy. It was possibly one of the happiest days of her life.

"Lady Hinata," her guards spoke as she snapped to the door. "Your team is here to see you," he informed her as she nodded.

"Thank you," she said as Kiba, Shino and Kurenai walked into the room.

"Hey, Hinata! Figured you were getting cooped up in here! So Team 8 has come to visit!" Kiba shouted as Akamaru barked in agreement. "Also, we brought Cinnamon Rolls, you're favourite right?"

"Kiba, I don't think that will be necessary," Shino said as Kiba raised a brow.

"Huh, what makes you say that?" he asks as Shino points to the box of half-eaten Cinnamon Rolls.

"Huh? Somebody already got you some?" Kiba asked as Kurenai sent a knowing glance to Hinata who blushed but still held a smile on her face. "...Hey, why does it smell like Naruto was here?"

Hinata then promptly fainted.

Meanwhile - Hokage Tower

Hizuren Sarutobi, otherwise known as The Sandaime Hokage, was busy mulling over the many dignitaries and officials that were expected to arrive at the Chunin Exams. He was also looking over the reports of those that could be suitable for promotion, based on the examiner's previous reports and what would be displayed during the Finals. One such file was on Shikamaru Nara, a gifted tactician according to his son. He could see the benefit of promoting the young man, skilled tacticians were just as needed as combatants. But his combat skills still needed improvement.

Then there was Sasuke Uchiha. He was certainly gifted, had high intelligence and combat skills, and would no doubt make a fine Chunin. But his obsession with hunting down his brother was apparent, even without Kakashi's assessment. The boy would be too focused on revenge that he could potentially forsake the well-being of the Village just to get even with his brother.

…A revenge based upon a lie…

He often debated about telling Sasuke the truth about Itachi, that he wasn't a traitor but the most loyal Shinobi, and the sacrifice he made to ensure the continued peace of Konohagakure. To murder his own family, to stop them from leading a Coup D'etat against the Hidden Leaf. But he pondered the possibility that Sasuke would turn against the Village if he found out the Elders, Danzo and Himself had ordered his brother to annihilate his clan. But he also made a promise to Itachi that he would take his secret to the grave.

If only the Uchiha had not plotted a Coup…Itachi would've made a fine Hokage…

Then there was Naruto Uzumaki. His first test marks were blank, which did not show confidence in his intel-gathering skills, and his combat results in the preliminaries were debatable. But he had the strongest Will of Fire than anyone in his grade. No doubt something he inherited from both his parents who loved Konoha with all their hearts. But the Council was adamant that the boy not be promoted. Arguing that it was safer for the village that he not be promoted, and instead keep him within Konoha's borders.

More than likely it was just a way to keep their 'Weapon' out of the hands of the other villages. In the eyes of the other villages, a jinchuriki was a powerful weapon and Konoha possessed the most powerful of them. The Nine-Tailed Fox had been in Konoha's possessions since Konoha's founding. Kumokagure tried to steal the Nine Tails Jinchuriki Kushina years ago but had ultimately failed thanks to Minato. It would make sense to keep the Nine tails out of the hands of other villages but to deny Naruto the chance to grow and protect his home was something Hiruzen would not allow. But at the moment he didn't know if Naruto was capable of becoming a Chunin so soon. He would just have to see how much the boy had improved since learning the truth about his parents.

Suddenly, an Anbu wearing a white Cloak and Cat Motif Mask appeared before him. "Lord Hokage…" the man said as Sarutobi nodded.

"Zo, what do you have to report?" he asked as the Anbu bowed.

"We have confirmed strange activities amongst the Suna Ninjas, they appear to be in contact with Sound as suspected. We are tracking them as we speak, however, we still have no sighting of Orochimaru or what his plans might be…" he told the Hokage as he nodded.

"I don't fault you for that, Orochimaru has always been a crafty one. I don't expect anyone to find him until he reveals himself. Keep up appearances, but be prepared to counter anything he throws at us," he commanded as the Anbu nodded.

"Yes Lord Hokage," he said and disappeared, as the old man sighed and leaned back into his seat.

"Keeping busy I see, eh old man?" he heard Jiraiya's voice as he turned to his former pupil.

"Jiraiya, to what do I owe this visit? Is this about Naruto again?" he asked as the hermit nodded.

"Kind of…more like… it's something he found," Jiraiya explained as Sarutobi raised a brow.

"Something he found? What else could he know, he already knows of his parents. What more could he possibly know?" Sarutobi asked as Jiraiya smirked.

"Well it's more what we found…at the old Uzumaki Estate…" he said as he summoned Gerotora. Who unfurled and summoned the Uzumaki Scroll of Sealing. The sight caused the old man to nearly raise his eyebrows to his retreating hairline.

"Is that…"

"Yep, the long-lost Uzumaki Scroll of Sealing. Turns out Kushina wasn't the only thing they sent here in case of an emergency…" Jiraiya said as he unfurled the scroll and showed the complicated and coded seals. "I've confirmed it's the real deal, only an Uzumaki could create sealing measures like this. I've barely been able to decipher a section of it. So I can tell you it's genuine."

"Do you think this is how Kushina taught Minato Sealing Art and did he know about it?" Sarutobi asked as he read over the scroll.

"No clue, but it was hidden using a Blood Seal that only someone of Uzumaki descent could access. So whether or not she knew is debatable. But the fact that it wasn't destroyed during Uzushiogakure's Destruction, makes me wonder what else they hid?" Jiraiya said as Sarutobi looked over the scroll.

"This…by all rights is Naruto's birthright, and thus should be given to him when he's ready. However…" Sarutobi said as he looked over the scroll. "Perhaps I should study the scroll for a bit, it may contain something that would give us an advantage over Orochimaru… After all, the Dead Reaper Seal was based on Uzumaki Sealing techniques. Perhaps in here lies the answers to stopping him…" Sarutobi pondered as Jiraiya sighed.

"Whatever you think is the best old man, but the longer this thing is out in the open…the more likely it will be discovered like Orochimaru…or Danzo…" he cautioned as Sarutobi nodded.

"Indeed…" he furled the scroll up and gave it back to Jiraiya who sealed it back into Gerotora. "In the spare time you have, I would like you and me to go over the scroll. Together, we may be able to learn something from the Uzumaki." He asked as the Toad Sage nodded.

"I hope so, because tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can get Naruto to draw out the Nine-Tails Chakra," he informed Sarutobi as the man narrowed his gaze.

"Isn't that risky?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded.

"I know, but with what's happening, we'll need all the strength we can muster. And Minato placed the Nine Tails inside his son for a reason…" he looked down at the Uzumaki Sealing Scroll as he pondered.

"I just hope he knew what he was doing…"

Next Morning - Waterfall Area

Naruto hummed as he made his way to the training grounds. His mood was at an all-time high, as he made his way to the waterfall. His training was going well, he had better control of his chakra, he had some awesome Jutsu up his arsenal and his summoning was getting better. His mood was also high because, for some reason, Hinata's encouragement made him feel like he could accomplish anything…

That and her saying Sasuke had a Duck Butt-head made him even happier.

"Hehehe…Duckbutt…man I can't believe I never thought of that…" he chuckled to himself as he made it to the waterfalls. He soon spotted Jiraiya sitting under the tree, as he jotted down notes in his notebook. "Hey Pervy Sage!" he yelled as Jiraiya sighed.

"One of these days, I'll get him to stop calling me that…" he said to himself as he closed his book. "Welcome back, how was your little date yesterday?" he asked with a smirk as Naruto glared.

"It wasn't a date, I was just visiting Hinata. She's cool once you get to know her," Naruto said as he smiled at the thought of hanging out with her. "But anyway, it's time to get back to training. So, what shall it be? Finish up the Water Bullet Jutsu, the Mud Wall or should I try to summon another Toad?" he asked as Jiraiya shook his head.

"None of that," he said with a severe tone that caught Naruto's attention. "I've been holding off on it because I wanted to get your basics up to speed, and after the Genjutsu I realized that I needed to tread carefully for this next bit. But with how much time is left, we don't have many options," Jiraiya said as Naruto looked concerned.

"What do you mean?" he asked as Jiraiya pointed to his stomach, as Naruto's eyes widened in realization.

"For the remainder of your training…we are going to get you to draw out the Nine-Tails Chakra…"

And Scene. Well here is Chapter VII of Journal of Hope, I hope you all enjoyed it. I know Naruto should've been learning to draw out the Nine-Tails power earlier, but I wanted to improve his basics, his chakra control and learn some Jutsu. And thanks to the Clone Trick, I believe he would be more than a match for Neji without the Nine Tails' power. But with Gaara, he will need that power. Plus Kurama at this point is a lot more stubborn and unwilling to cooperate with Naruto, but I plan to get them to bond earlier, even though at this point Naruto would have mixed emotions about Kurama.

So the Next Chapter will focus on Naruto trying to draw out the Nine-Tails Chakra, may follow a canon event that helps, and introduce Naruto to the Boss of the Toads. So stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in…

Chapter VIII: The Beast Inside