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 VIII: The Beast Inside
There was only one week left until the Finals, and Naruto had made serious progress since then. Thanks to the Shadow Clone Technique, his Chakra Control had become much more stable, he could summon small to medium size Toads at will. He could change his Chakra Nature into Wind, Water or Earth and learned a few Jutsus that would give him an edge during the Finals. And it was all thanks to the Shadow Clones Accelerated Training Method. However, just because the Memory Transfer increased his mental and Chakra capabilities, it didn't mean his body was strengthened. That part he had to do on his own, which he did with multiple strength-enhancing exercises and personal taijutsu lessons with Jiraiya. But now in the final stretches of the Month break, Naruto had to focus all of his attention on the most challenging portion of his training…
The Nine-Tails Chakra
Summoning the Nine-Tails Chakra was something Naruto wasn't particularly keen on trying, as he had mixed emotions about the beast that was sealed inside of him. The Nine-Tails was partially responsible for most of his suffering during his childhood. The Villagers isolated him, stores barely served him, and if it wasn't for old Man Iciraku and the Old Man, he probably would've starved to death. Not to mention it was the one that killed his parents before he even got to know them. So yeah, he had really mixed feelings about it. Some would even say anger…
But his father had placed the Nine-Tails within him for a reason, he trusted him when he was only just a baby. After finding out that, he knew he had to learn to control the Nine Tails Power, even if he didn't want to.
"Focus…Focus…" Naruto muttered to himself as he continued to try and draw out the power of the Nine Tails. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the darn thing out. "Come on.." he grunted before he sighed. "It's no use, I can't seem to get it out. I don't understand, I got my Chakra under control, how come I'm not getting access to the Nine-Tails?"
"Well that's just it Naruto, you've got your Chakra under control but it's different with the Nine-Tails," Jiraiya informed as Naruto raised a brow. "Remember, the Nine-Tails isn't just a massive source of Chakra, it's also a living and thinking creature. It has a will of its own, and I doubt you'll be able to just take its chakra. The first step will be trying to contact the Creature, then figuring out how to draw out its Chakra,"
"Man, I wish Dad would have left some kind of instructions on how to do that. I went over Mum's Journal a thousand times, and it doesn't say anything about how to control the Nine-Tails," Naruto complained as Jiraiya shrugged.
"If life were that simple…Minato was a genius, but even I doubt he knew what it would take to draw out the Nine-tails, plus your mother acted more as a Warden than a Weapon. And I didn't find out she was a Jinchuriki till after her death. I'm not even sure if she used its power, so you're going to have to figure this out on your own," Jiraiya said as Naruto sighed.
"Yeah, that figures…I still don't like this idea of using the Nine-tails power…I mean, how could I possibly use the power of the same creature, knowing that it ruined my life and killed my parents?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"I understand your conflicting emotions, and I get where you're coming from. Don't forget Minato was my pupil and the closest thing I ever had to a son," he admitted as Naruto felt sorry for him. "But a Ninja must never forsake a tool over personal feelings. The Nine-Tails may be the cause of your suffering, but you can use that power now to protect the ones you care about. Turn it from a Force of Evil to a Force for Good. Your Father believed you could wield the power, now you just need to believe in yourself," he said as Naruto stared at the man before nodding.
"...You know…you'd be a real motivation…if you weren't a massive pervert," Naruto said as Jiraiya chuckled.
"The Old Man used to say that to me all the time," Jiraiya said as Naruto chuckled as well.
"All right, but how are you going to do it? I mean if there's no record of how Mum or Mito used the Nine-Tails, then how am I supposed to start?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya pondered.
"Well…you should know, I noticed that you did manage to tap into the Nine-Tails Chakra before, after the Genjutsu Trick," he said as Naruto's mind flashed back to the moment and he shivered at the memory.
"I-I did? I don't remember…" he said as he rubbed a hand against his head. "How did I do it? All I can remember of that was being really angry,"
"And that I believe that was the key. According to Legend, the Nine-Tails is composed of Powerful Chakra, fueled by Anger and Hatred. It stands to reason that to draw it was drawn to your negative emotions. At that moment you felt angry at me, and the Nine-Tails Chakra responded to that. Tell me, was there any other time the Chakra reacted to anger?" he asked as Naruto blinked as he put his mind into overdrive.
"Anger…come to think of it…I remember during the Wave Mission, I got angry thinking Sasuke had died…and then in the Forest, I recall getting real angry at this weird Ninja that used a Snake Summon…" Jiraiya clenched his fist at the mention of the snake, knowing that it was Orochimaru. "But that's when my Memory gets hazy…do I really have to use anger to access it?"
"Well, it seems like the easiest option. But there are many ways that it could go wrong. The Nine-Tails may even use your anger to weaken the Seal and break free. I would like to attempt other methods first before we consider them. One idea I have is for you to use up all your natural Chakra, thereby leaving only the Nine-Tails Left," Jiraiya explained as he stood up and walked over to him. "Which is why today we'll have you go all out, every skill I taught you, every Shadow Clone you can muster and the biggest Summon you can make. After that, your Chakra levels should be low enough that it will force your body to make contact with the Nine-Tails," Jiraiya said as Naruto nodded.
"But…what if I lose control? You said the Nine-Tails might use my own anger to weaken the seal. What happens if he manages to control me?" he asked as Jiraiya held up some small square paper seals.
"These are Suppression Seals, based on notes I found in one of your father's scrolls. Before I started training you, my initial plan was to focus on having you access the Nine-Tails, so I had these prepared just in case. But then you found out about your parents, and the Memory Trick helped change your training plan. But these Seals have the power to suppress the Nine-Tails Chakra, but I don't know if they will work if you access more of its Chakra, even these things have a limit," Jiraiya explained. "If it looks like you're losing control, I will place one of them on you," he said as Naruto nodded.
"Okay…if you say so…" Naruto said as he stood up and brushed the grass off his pants. "All right, time to waste up all my Chakra…how long can that take?"
Three Hours Later
Naruto was left panting heavily as sweat rolled down his brow. Around him were upturned trees, craters and a few stones that jutted randomly from the ground. His hands shook and his knees buckled slightly as he tried to keep himself up.
"...I..I think…I used up all my Chakra…" he said as he weakly held up his hands into the Shadow Clone Seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu…" a single puff appeared as only one clone manifested before him. Looking just as tired and dishevelled as the original. "...Nope…still have a little left in the tank…" he said as he and the clone went through the seals.
Jiraiya watched from the sidelines as he was both impressed by his student/godson and concerned. He knew the Uzumaki's were renowned for their stamina and large Chakra reserves, but this was ridiculous. The boy had lasted for longer than he initially expected and still had the drive to keep going.
"Geez, if I knew it was going to take this long I would've bought a pack of cards…" Jiraiya muttered to himself as he watched the boy attempt to drain his vast reserves of Chakra.
It was no secret that Naruto possessed a vast amount of Chakra, being an Uzumaki decendant was a contributing factor, but even this was too much. It possibly was due to having the Nine-Tails sealed within since he was born. Minato must've planned something if he had purposefully designed the Seal to leak small amounts of Chakra into his son's system.
'Whatever you were preparing your son for, Minato. I hope you knew what you were doing,' Jiraiya thought as Naruto continued to waste his Chakra so that he could begin the next phase of the training.
Naruto panted heavily as he felt the last of his Chakra had faded away and he was basically empty. It had taken another hour but he managed it.
"Okay!...huff…huff…I think that's all of it!" he yelled out to Jiraiya as he nodded.
"Okay, now for the tricky part. I figure the best way to get the Nine-Tails out would be to try and use a Jutsu powerful enough to warrant its Chakra. So, try and summon the largest Toad you can, and pour as much Chakra as you can. But seeing as you are empty, maybe the Nine Tails might accommodate?" Jiraiya theories as Naruto nodded. He then bit his thumb and flashed through the hand signs necessary for the Jutsu, but he felt his eyes blur and he felt weak.
"S-Summoning Juts…u…" Naruto managed to call out as he slammed his hand onto the ground. Only nothing happened, as no seal or smoke appeared.
"...Anything?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto shook his head and suddenly felt weak.
"N-Nope…I've got…n…nothing…" he said and then passed out, only to be caught by Jiraiya at the last minute.
"Geez, finally conked out. I wondered what would take so long," he said as he laid the boy down. "I figured this method wouldn't work. But it was a decent try nonetheless," he said as allowed the boy to rest.
'Still, I need him to access the Nine-Tails Chakra, but I can't risk him going out of control. I could weaken the Seal, Minato left me the key after all…but, this close to the finals, probably not a good idea…' he thought to himself.
'Anger is a potential key to this, but risky as well. If he gets too angry, the Nine-Tails might use it to weaken the Seal and break out…so what else could work?' he thought to himself as he pondered. 'Well, it would be risky, but maybe fear of death might coax the Nine-Tails to react. Minato designed the seal so that if Naruto died, the Nine-Tails would go with it. Although in the past, it's reported that Tailed Beasts return after their containers have perished. I'm just hoping that assisting Naruto would convince it to prevent its own early demise…which means I have to try…that…' He pondered to himself.
Meanwhile - Hokage's Manor
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat on one of the couches in Hokage Manor as he stared up at the images of the previous Hokage. His gaze particularly on the picture of his late Successor, Minato Namikaze - The 4th Hokage. A gifted Shinobi and one of the reasons the Third Shinobi War came to an end. He often wondered what Minato would've done in his situation, and chuckled at the irony of that.
"It should've been the other way around…I'm getting far too old for this job…" he muttered to himself before he sighed as he sensed a familiar presence. "Anko…"
"Lord Hokage," she answered. "I wanted to apologize once more, for…"
"For coming back from the Forest alive?" he asked as Anko nodded. "There is nothing to be sorry about. I'm not angry at all, actually, I am more relieved than anything. There is nothing between you and Orochimaru anymore, that much is clear. And if I am honest, I doubt anyone could go up against him…I doubt even I can stop him…" he admitted.
"If only the Fourth was still alive…" Anko said as she looked at the Fourth's image.
"Don't say that, he already gave his life for the village. He sacrificed everything he had to save us, even when he had so much more to live for. It's been Thirteen Years since then, let him rest in peace. We have to rely on our own power…" he said as he got up and grabbed his Hokage Hat.
"I'm going to get some air…and Anko," he said as she looked at him. "Orochimaru always set himself on a path of his own choosing. The fact you are alive now, means you still have more to grow, and far surpass him as a Leaf Shinobi…don't blame yourself for his own downfall.." he said as she stared at the aging Hokage before bowing to him.
The Third Hokage strolled along the stairway to the Manor's roof, the village in plain sight as he looked out to the many lives he was charged with. Memories of his youth came back to him as he remembered training under his sensei's Hashirama and Tobirama. The two of them had founded the village and instilled the 'Will of Fire' into him and many of the Shinobi that lived within Konoha. He hoped to continue living up to the example and expectations the two had left behind.
"Okay class, today we'll be having our history lesson outside. As most of you already know, this is the Hokage's Stone Faces, from the First Hokage to the Fourth," Sarutobi suddenly heard as he looked to see Iruka and his class sitting on the roof of the Hokage manor.
'Ah yes, that's right. I gave Iruka permission to have his class here today,' he recalled as he spied his grandson amongst the class. Konohamaru himself looked up to the Thirds Stone Face and suddenly chuckled. 'I get the feeling he just compared me to my youth…' he thought as he looked up at his stone monument. '...I did have more hair back then…' he deadpanned to himself.
"Iruka Sensei! Who is the Fifth Hokage!?" one of the younger girls asked as Iruka shook his head.
"Well, the Fifth Hokage has still yet to be appointed. Lord Third is still in charge, but who knows? Maybe it can be me!?" he said with a boisterous laugh.
"Weaving an occasional joke to make for a relaxing lesson, you have a fine class here Iruka," Hiruzen said as he walked towards the class.
"L-Lord Third!" Iruka said as he bowed to the Third Hokage.
"What are you doing here Grandpa!?" Konohamaru shouted as the old man laughed.
"Well, I decided to come to see the Hokage Faces myself, I find the air up here to be quite relaxing…" Sarutobi grinned as Konohamaru smiled at his grandfather.
"Lord Hokage, I must say this is perfect timing. Could you come over here?" Iruka asked as Sarutobi nodded and stood next to Iruka. "This man is the owner of the Third Face on the mountain, the Third Hokage. He was regarded as the Strongest Shinobi of his day, a Genius amongst the Hokage and even earned the title of 'Professor' for his vast knowledge of Ninjutsu," Iruka explained as Sarutobi sent a small glare.
"Don't talk about me in the past tense, I'm still here you know," Sarutobi lectures as Iruka bowed apologetically.
"S-Sorry Lord Third," Iruka said as he apologized.
"Ha, are you really that strong?" "You don't look like much," some of the kids said as Konohamaru nodded. Seeing first-hand how easily Naruto could defeat him. In fairness, that was due to the Sexy Jutsu. In a real battle, the Third was more powerful than all of them combined.
"Hey! Show some respect! To earn the title of Hokage means you are the Strongest in the Village! It's not something to make light of!" Iruka lectured his class, as Sarutobi chuckled.
"Oh yeah! Well, I'm going to become the Fifth Hokage!" One student yelled out with pride.
"I've seen your grades, you won't become Hokage anytime soon," Iruka pointed out as the student flinched and was slightly laughed at. Sarutobi himself had a chuckle, as he looked amongst the children.
"You've got a lot of confidence, and that's a good thing to have. You all have something else I don't have anymore…youth!" he joked as they laughed as well. "All of you are young and full of potential, maybe one of you will claim the title of Hokage someday?" Sarutobi said as he looked at all the students. "But bear in mind, you only have one life. Don't waste it choosing an impossible path, live your life as you want and die as you want whether that's becoming Hokage or a fine Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. However…" he said as they all paid attention to him.
"No matter what road you take, always remember to protect the precious people in your life," he advised them as they looked somewhat confused.
"Precious people?" a small girl asked as Sarutobi nodded.
"Mhm, they are the people that you acknowledge, cherish and love with all your heart. Do you have people like that?" he asked the girl as she nodded.
"Hmm, my momma and papa, and my brother even though he annoys me sometimes. And my Dog Gonta," she said as others started listing off the people they care about.
"Hokage-Sama, do you have precious people you care about?" one of the students asked as Sarutobi nodded.
"Of course I do, my Grandson Konohamaru over there, my sons and my daughter-in-law and of course…" he said as they all leaned in closer. "Everyone in this village," he said as they stared at him. "To me, everyone in this village is my precious person, people I will protect with my life. And that is part of the reason why I became Hokage…" Sarutobi said as he looked up at the monument of the Fourth Hokage.
'Just like you did long ago, Minato…' Sarutobi said to himself as he looked upon the face of his former successor and the child that he left behind.
Next Day
Naruto yawned as he made his way to the training area. Yesterday he had expended all his chakra in an attempt to call forth the Nine-Tails Chakra. But despite that, he had so far made little progress. It wasn't easy trying to call on the Nine-Tail's power, but Naruto was just as stubborn and determined to master its Chakra. So he would keep trying. Today, however, Jiraiya had told him to meet him further away from the waterfall. To a place, Naruto was told never to venture to when he was still at the academy.
"Hey Pervy-Sage," Naruto yelled as spotted the Toad Sage. "So, why did you want to meet here?" he asked as the Sage stared at the boy. "Uh…Pervy Sage?" he asked with a bit of concern at the stare he was giving him.
"Naruto…for this portion of your training, you must figure out how to draw out the Nine-Tails power. If you don't…you will die," he spoke ominously as Naruto didn't like the tone he used.
'W-What is he talking about? I don't like this, the last time he spoke like that, he used that damn Genjutsu on me. Well, I'm ready for anything-' he never got to finish his thought as Jiraiya flicked his forehead and he was suddenly sent sailing.
'...huh?' Naruto thought before he looked down to see a large chasm that stretched as far as the eye could see, and with a nearly bottomless pit down below.
"AHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed as he began to plummet. "What the hell! Is he insane!?" Naruto yelled as the wind rushed past him and he free fell down into the chasm.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya looked on from above, as he watched his Godson fall down the chasm.
'I hate doing this, but it's the only other option left. You have to turn the key from your end,' Jiraiya thought to himself.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! I need to grab something!" he yelled as Naruto placed his hands together and focused his chakra on his hands and feet. "Okay! Here we go!" Naruto reached out to grab one of the jagged rocks, but as soon as he made contact his hand slipped and he continued to fall.
"That's not going to work, the rocks are too slippery to grab onto with Chakra and at that speed, you won't get a good grip," Jiraiya noted as he watched his student attempt to stop his descent.
"Crap! I need to think of something else!? I know! My tools! I just need-where the hell are my tools!?" Naruto shouted as he reached for his pouch, only to find it missing.
"You can't rely on your tools, you have to call on the Nine-Tails…" Jiraiya said as he held Naruto's Ninja pouch in his hand.
"Damn it! Damn it! I'm going to die!" Naruto shouted as the word 'die' kept echoing in his head. His heartbeat echoed in his ears as he fell further and further down. His mind flashed to all the people in his life.
Irciraku and Ayane, the Old Man, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, Iruka and…Hinata…
'...I-I'm going to die…die…die…die…'
Suddenly he found himself in a strange palace. A large hallway with multiple pipes hanging off the ceiling, and ankles deep worth of water around his feet.
"...Okay…this is new…" Naruto said as he looked around the strange place. "Where the heck am I?" he asked himself as he wondered where the heck he was. "Wasn't I just…falling?" he asked before suddenly he heard a loud growl coming from down the hall. But as he walked down the hall, he felt a familiar feeling. One had experienced it a few times.
'This feeling…it's the Chakra…' he thought to himself as he walked down the hall until he came upon a large room with a giant metal gate. He looked upon the gate as a paper tag reading seal was placed upon it.
"This is…"
In the darkness of the cage, a pair of red eyes and sharp teeth appeared in the darkness as red chakra illuminated the beast's form. This was what had been sealed inside him, what had been sealed inside his mother and Mito Uzumaki…
…The Nine-Tailed Fox…
"...Closer….come closer…" the Nine tails said as Naruto, in a dumb move, actually took a step closer to the beast. No sooner did he do that, a claw clashed against the cage and he jumped back the Nine-Tails scoffing. "Damn, there's nothing more I'd like than to kill you and eat you up. But this damn seal is in the way…" the Nine-Tailed Fox grinned as he looked down upon Naruto. "So my container and I finally meet…after so many years…you know what I am, right?" he asked mockingly as Naruto nodded
"Y-Yeah…I know who you are…you're the Nine-Tailed Fox, the same creature that terrorized Konoha 13 years ago, the one the Fourth Hokage sealed away," he said as the Fox grinned. "The same creature that was sealed inside my mother," he said as the Fox raised a brow before grinning again.
"...I see…so you know about that, do you? I'm surprised, I could've sworn I was sealed inside an idiot. You are Kushina's son after all…" Naruto glared at the comment as the beast grinned. "So…if you know about that, then you know what I did to her?" he asked as Naruto nodded as he glared.
"Y-Yeah, I know…you killed her and my father. They gave their lives to seal you in me," he said as the Fox bellowed a great laugh.
"Correct, but do you know how they died?" the Fox goaded as he raised his claw, "They died skewered on my claw, protecting an insignificant life such as yours…" he mocked as Naruto growled in anger. "I can feel your hatred, you hate me so much right now, don't you?"
"You're damn right I hate you! Because of you, everyone in the village hates me! Because of you, I had to scrounge and scrape just to survive! Because of you, my parents died before I could ever know them! I hate you so much I want to kill you! I hate you!" he shouted with all his rage as the Fox laughed.
"Then show me, brat! Remove this seal, and show me your anger!" he mocked, hoping to goad the boy into removing the seal. And for a moment, a second, he was tempted to do just that. But instead, Naruto shook his head.
"No! You think I'm an idiot! But I know what would happen if I remove that seal! You'd bust out of here and wreak havoc on everyone! Well, fat chance! My mother kept you locked away for a reason, so that's what I'm going to do as well!" Naruto shouted. "But seeing as you are living in my body, you are going to start paying some rent. So you're going to give me access to your Chakra! Cause if not, we're both going to die! So what do you have to say about that!?" he demanded as the Fox starred before grinning and laughing.
"You are brave, I'll give you that. And in any case, if you die, I die. And I'd rather not have that…" the Fox said as Red Chakra began to leak out of the cage, the red energy swirling before it wrapped around naruto.
"Gah!" Naruto shouted as he was wrapped in the twisted energy.
"So here! Consider it a reward for making it this far!" The Fox laughed as Naruto was granted the powers of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Naruto's eyes snapped open as he found himself back to reality, falling down the chasm.
'This feeling!' Naruto felt the Nine-Tails Chakra swirling within him as he knew what to do. He quickly bit his thumb and went through a series of hand signs, hand outstretched as he poured the Nine-Tails Chakra out and shouted.
"SUMMONING JUTSU!" he shouted as his Blue Chakra burst out before bleeding into a massive Red Chakra and a large explosion of smoke clouded his vision. He soon spotted a large shape at the bottom of the Chasam. His eyes widened as he soon saw the largest toad he had ever seen. Jiraiya grinned as he saw the summon down at the bottom of the ravine.
"Heh, not bad kid," Jiraiya said as Naruto smiled in excitement.
"All right! I did it!" he shouted with joy as he soon landed on the toad's back. "Ow, that still hurts!" he shouted as he rubbed his head.
Jiraiya narrowed his gaze as he judged what he saw. 'It looks like he was able to draw out the Nine-Tails Chakra himself this time. But it's not stable yet, he put in too much Chakra and managed to summon him of all summons…this is not going to be good…' Jiraiya thought.
"Huh!? What the hell am I doing down here!?" the Toad shouted as Naruto looked over the toad. He was a massive dull rusty red toad, with bright red markings around his eyes and lips, with a scar going over his left eye. He wore a dark blue happi vest, carried a huge dosu blade on his waist and had a long smoking pipe in his mouth.
"Whoa! Hey sorry about that! I kind of didn't have much of a choice!" Naruto shouted as the Toad looked up to his head, as the boy leaned over his brow to look the toad in the eye.
"Huh? Who the heck are you, brat!?" the toad shouted as Naruto grinned nervously.
"Uh, Sorry, I was kind of thrown down here and I didn't have much of a choice," he said as the toad stared at him before bellowing out with laughter.
"Hahaha! Nice try, brat! No way a tadpole like you could've summoned me! Now, where is Jiraiya!? If this is some joke he's playing, he's got another thing coming to him!" the toad shouted as Naruto glared.
"No, really, I summoned you!" Naruto shouted as the toad stared at him, but then started laughing.
"That's a really funny kid! The amount of Chakra it would've taken to summon me is well beyond you! I am the Chief of the Toads, Gamabunta! The best you could probably summon is a tadpole! Ahahahahaha!" Gamabunta laughed as Naruto got really ticked off.
"Hey! Shut up you damn jerk!" he shouted as Gamabunta stopped. "Listen, I did summon you! I called you out so that basically makes me your master! So shut up and help me out of here!" he shouted to Gamabunta as the toad narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Uh…Please?" he asked as the toad growled.
Jiraiya then decided to turn around. 'And that is my que to leave, sorry kid. But not even I can handle someone like Gamabunta…' he said to himself as he started walking away. Back in the Chasam Gamabunta glared at Naruto before smirking a little.
"...You've got a smart mouth on you, brat. No one talks to the Chief of the Toads like that!" he said as he stretched out his tongue and wrapped it around the boy.
"Oh gross!" Naruto shouted before he was thrown onto the toad's back.
"But if you want out of here, that's fine by me! I need to have a word with Jiraiya!" he shouted as he hunched his legs and sprung out of the chasm in a single bound. The wind pushed hard against Naruto as the centripetal force was rough.
'S-So fast!' Naruto said before he suddenly felt weightless as both he and Gamabunta were above the chasm. "Too high!" he shouted before he felt gravity take over and he just managed to grab onto Gamabunta's coat before free-falling back down. The large toad slammed into the forest, as trees were upturned and dust was kicked up into the air.
The impact caused Naruto to fall off the toad and he landed on his backside. "Ow…" he muttered as he looked up at the massive Gamabunta. "Whoa…you're a lot bigger than I thought…" Naruto said as Gamabunta leaned down to him.
"Hate to tell you this brat, but even if I were to believe that you were the one to summon me. And that is a really big if, there's no way I can consider someone who falls off my back so easily as my summoner, let alone my underling…" Gamabunta said as he glared into Naruto's eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, it's been a really long time since I was summoned to the human world. And if Jiraiya doesn't have a need for me, then I'm going to take a nice long walk to stretch my legs…" he said as he turned around.
"H-Hey! What a minute!" Naruto shouted.
"Listen, kid, just go home. It's clear you're incapable of serving as my henchmen," he said as he started to lumber away. Naruto, on the other hand, felt a blood vessel form on his head as he got angry at the giant toad. And not one to take an insult, he rushed forward and started climbing onto his back until he landed right on the toad's face. "Huh!? What the heck do you think you're doing!?"
"Listen here you big jerk! I am the one that summoned you! I signed the contract! But if getting you to respect me depends on staying on your back, then I'll stay on your back for the rest of the day! If I can do that, then you have to agree to be your master!" Naruto shouted as Gamabunta's eye twitched.
"You really are a snot-nosed brat! Fine, if that's what you want then you got it! But don't think I'll go easy on you!" Gamabunta shouted as he started thrashing around.
"Whoa! Got to focus on my Chakra!" Naruto shouted as he summoned what Chakra he had left into his hands and feet.
"Get off!" Gamabunta shouted as he thrashed around, uprooting trees and kicking up a storm. All the while Jiraiya watched from the sidelines.
"The kid's got guts, I'll give him that much. Gamabunta is one stubborn Toad. This will be interesting…" Jiraiya commented as he watched with his spyglass. Suddenly he heard some giggling as he looked down from his perch and spotted several women bathing in the waterfall.
"Hehehe~ sorry Naruto, but I've got some important research to conduct, hehehehe~" he giggled perversely as he ogled the women as Naruto fought for his life to hold onto the rampaging toad.
Konoha Hospital - Hinata's Room
Hinata was busy practising her knitting, as she found it to be a relaxing hobby of hers. Her father may have disapproved of such an activity, but her mother had been supportive. Part of it was due to her crush on Naruto, as she recalled a red scarf he once owned as a child that was torn up by some bullies a few years back. She wanted to knit him the perfect scarf to give to him one day, but her shyness and lack of confidence made it hard.
However, with his recent visits her confidence slowly began to build up. She was still self-conscious and timid, but she could at least now hold a proper conversation with her crush without passing out…
Okay, she still had some trouble with eye contact when she got flustered, but hey, small steps. She had just a recent visit from her father, informing her that the Elders were disappointed with her loss to Neji. And that they continued to plan for Hanabi to take the role of Heiress when the time came.
It was disheartening to be sure, but it was for the best. She doubted that she could ever be an effective leader of the Hyuga Clan. She didn't have the strength to fight her own family, or the coldness that most of the other Hyuga had. She was different, ever since she was born. Her mother used to say she had the kindest heart of anyone in the Hyuga, and that she should never change who she was.
"I may not be the leader father wanted me to be, but I can still be a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, like Naruto is," she said to herself as she smiled with a blush.
Just the sound of his name brought her warmth. She really wished she could tell him that she liked him. They were still kids after all and love was a huge step. But she knew her feelings for the blond were not fake or based on looks as the other girls were on Sasuke. Hers was based on Naruto's character, his personality and his drive to never give up. That was his Shinobi Way after all…
That was their way.
She blushed and giggled a little at that. "Speaking of, it's 5 o'clock, Naruto-Kun should be here by now. Hmm…" she said as she looked towards the door expecting to see her crush. But alas, he wasn't.
"I guess he's not coming today…" she sighed with a bit of disappointment in her voice before she shook her head. "No, don't be like that, Hinata. Naruto-Kun is training extra hard for the finals. He can't afford to be distracted, the fact he's been visiting you lately is a blessing in itself…" she said before she looked out the window towards the setting sun.
"I do hope he's not overdoing it?"
Several Hours Later
Naruto was panting heavily as he tried to suck in as much air as he could, after having been submerged in the lake for a short period. Gamabunta wasn't kidding when he said he wouldn't go easy on him. If it wasn't for the fact Toads can't breathe underwater, he'd be a goner.
"Ha-had enough?" Naruto asked as he clung onto the Toad's back with what little chakra he had left.
"You are insanely stubborn! You know that brat!" Gamabunta yelled as he ran through the lake, trying to use the waves to knock the boy off. "You're the one that came up with this stupid challenge in the first place! Just give up!" he shouted as Naruto shook his head.
"No way! There's only a little more time left until sunset! After that, you have to agree that I'm your master!" Naruto shouted as he was flung left and right.
"As if it matters to me!" Gamabunta shouted as he jumped high into the air and slammed back down. Jiraiya watched from a distance as he stared with intense silence.
"That kid really doesn't know when to give up, huh? He's exactly like you two…" he said as he thought about Minato and Kushina and their own stubbornness.
"I'm not falling off! You hear me! I'm going to become Hokage someday! Just watch!" he shouted as Gamabunta slammed down hard into the river. But Naruto still hung on.
'This brat is really irritating me. I could simply ignore him, but taking a licking, even if it's a matter of hanging onto my back, is even more irritating. I need to end this once and for all…' Gamabunta thought to himself as he looked to his back where the boy clung desperately to his back.
"Hey kid, what's your name?" he asked as Naruto grinned.
"Uzumaki…Naruto!" he said in between breaths.
"Hmmm…" the toad hummed. "Well Naruto Uzumaki…" he said as he hunched down. "Don't blame me if you die!" he shouted as he jumped high into the air. The force of the jump pushed against Naruto hard as he struggled to stay conscious.
"That Gamabunta, now it's a matter of pride for him…hmm?" Jiraiya suddenly noticed the large toad leaping in his direction. "Oh boy!" he shouted as he moved out of the way, just as it landed in the river where the women had been playing before. "No! Not the river where the pretty ladies swam!" he shouted, while Naruto nearly tumbled off the toads back.
"Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he automatically went to his favourite hand sign as several naruto clones appeared. "Hey, guys! A little help!?" he shouted as the Narutos rushed and grabbed onto the original, forming a chain of Narutos.
"Whoa! Hey, I got you!"
"I got you!"
"I got you!"
"I got you!"
"Hey who's got me!?" the clones shouted as they managed to stop naruto from falling off.
"How about that, he can still draw out some Chakra," Jiraiya noted. "However…'' The clones pulled Naruto up as they dispersed one by one. Leaving the Original on Gamabunta's head, who tried one last shake, but couldn't get him off.
Naruto grinned as he looked into the Toad Boss's eyes. "H-how do you like that!? I'm still on your back! It's my victory! Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha! Hahahaha-uh…." Naruto suddenly felt dizzy as he passed out and fell back off the toad's head.
"Crap! If he falls like that he'll die!" Jiraiya was about to spring into action, when gamabunta's tongue shot out and wrapped around Naruto, stopping his fall and placing him back on his head.
"...heh…you were pretty close there brat," Gamabunta said before suddenly the summoning Scroll was thrown in front of him, and he saw Naruto's name written on it. "Heh, that Jiraiya, meddling in. I'm well aware this kid summoned me all on his own, it's just been a long time since someone climbed on my head. Not since the Fourth Hokage himself. But from the looks of it…" he gazes at the unconscious boy. "He's all tuckered out, I don't mind sharing my power with him, but I think it would be best if he goes to one of your human healers…" Gamabunta said as he suddenly jumped away with Naruto on his head.
A while later the hospital staff was confused as to what that large shake was earlier. All they could find was an unconscious Uzumkai and a large webbed footprint on the ground
Time Until the Finals - Five Days
And Scene. Well here is Chapter VIII of the Journal of Hope. I hope you are all enjoying the multi-chapter release, it took me a while to write them all up. It's my way of saying sorry for not updating as quickly as possible, but as stated before, Uni, Work and family have kept me busy. So I hope this at least starts to make up for it. Anywho, Naruto and the Nine-Tails have finally met, my plan is to build an earlier friendship than in the canon timeline but it will take a while. Naruto won't have that Kurama form until he deals with the Hatred in his heart, and Kurama despite being friends with Naruto would want an honest fight. Can't have a weak host after all. So we'll see how it goes. Stay tuned for…
Chapter IX: Children of Sacrifice