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 IX: Children of Sacrifice

Naruto groaned as his eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light above him. He was initially confused until he realized that he was in the hospital. He recognized the ceiling from his many visits to Hinata.

'I see…I'm in the hospital, so pervy-sage must've brought me here…how long was I out?' he mentally asked himself before he noticed someone was in the room with him.

"Hey, so you woke up, the Doctors said you've been out for nearly three days. Was worried you were going to miss the Finals" Shikamaru said as he was reading a book.

"Hey, Shikamaru…what are you doing here?" Naruto asked as Shikamaru shrugged.

"Well, I came to see Chouji, then I heard you were here so I thought I'd come to visit you," he said as Naruto nodded.

"Okay, that's cool…hey, wait a minute. I thought Chouji's injuries were fully healed, why is he in the hospital?" he asked as Shikamaru sighed.

"Oh that. Yeah. They were healed, but we went out for some BBQ last night and he ended up getting a stomach ache," he said as Naruto chuckled.

"Yeah, that does sound like Chouji,"

"Yeah, well turned out I wasn't the only one to visit you, apparently you've had a frequent visitor ever since you were found passed out the front," Shikamaru said as Naruto blinked and smiled brightly.

"Sakura-chan?" he asked as Shikamaru shook his head.

"Nah, it was Hinata apparently, which was surprising. I thought she was too shy to visit someone like you," he said as Naruto blinked but then seemed to smile more warmly.

"Really, Hinata came to visit me? That's awesome, I guess she wanted to return the favour," he said as Shikamaru blinked at this information.

"Huh, you've been visiting Hinata?" he asked as Naruto nodded.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Naruto asked accusingly as Shikamaru raised his hands in defence.

"Nothing, it's just I'm surprised. Honestly, I thought you barely knew she existed," he said as Naruto cringed a little at the comment.

"Geez, when you say it like that you make it sound like I'm a jerk or something. But yeah I see your point. Well after I started my training with Pervy-Sage, he suggested I come visit Hinata to get some insight on Neji. It wasn't a lot, but I think I understand Neji more and I found out Hinata is kind of awesome to hang around with," he said as he seemed to smile more sincerely. "She's got these really cool hobbies, she wants to be an awesome Shinobi like me, and she pointed out that Sasuke's hair looks like a duck's butt!" he laughed the last part out as he slapped his own forehead. "Oh, man! I never knew she could be so funny!" he laughed as Shikamaru stared in somewhat disbelief.

'Okay, this is…unexpected. I know that Hinata has a crush on him, but I never expected him to notice her. He mostly spent his time chasing after Sakura. Not to mention he's acting differently than normal, not as loud as he usually is,' Shikamaru thought to himself as he narrowed his gaze. 'What the heck have you been putting yourself through, argh what a drag…' he thought.

"So hey, Shikamaru, how long until the Finals?" Naruto asked as Shikamaru snapped out of his thoughts.

"Uh, it's tomorrow, at midday, you've been out for three days," he said as Naruto nodded.

"I see, three days huh? I guess I really did push it too hard…I'm a little annoyed I slept for three days, but what can you do?" Naruto said as he crossed his legs. "I've done all I can, so I guess there's nothing to do but rest up for the day," Naruto said as Shikamaru blinked.

"Huh?"

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing, it's just, I half expected you to start panicking about having only one day left till the Finals. But you're taking this surprisingly calm…for someone like you," he pointed out as Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah well, during my training I realized I have a tendency to rush ahead, overreact and not think things beforehand. I had to change that about me, not to say I still won't do it on occasion. Besides, there's only one day left, what else could I possibly be able to do then?" Naruto asked as Shikamaru stared at him.

"...Who are you, and what have you done with the real Naruto,"

"I am the real Naruto, you pineapple-headed jerk!" Naruto shouted as Shikamaru sighed in relief.

"Ah, it is the real you," he said as Naruto pouted a little. "Anyway, I wanted to bring Choji some fruit, but the Doctors said he couldn't have any," he said as he showed a basket of fruit. "Want some?" he asked as Naruto nodded.

"Sure! I'm starving!" he shouted as Shikamru threw him an apple. Naruto was about to take a bite when suddenly he grinned. "Oi, I have a great idea," he said as Shikamaru raised a brow. "Let's go and eat these in front of Chouji, he'll be so jealous!" he laughed as Shikamaru sighed.

"You are definitely the real Naruto…" he sighed.

Suddenly they heard the door open as Hinata walked into the room, "Oh N-Naruto-kun, you're up!" she managed to say as Naruto smiled.

"Hey Hinata, how are you feeling?" he asked as she nodded.

"I'm doing better, the doctors said I should be out of here by tomorrow, how are you? They said you passed out for three days, when I heard that I got worried, are you sure you're okay?" she said with barely a stutter as Naruto grinned.

"Eh, I'm fine. I just overdid it a little with my training. But I'm right as rain now, and hey, you'll be able to see me kick Neji's butt tomorrow!" he said as Hinata nodded.

"Y-Yes, but please be careful," she said as Naruto grinned.

"I will, with my new skills Neji won't even know what hit him!" he said as Shikamaru looked between the two.

'Well, this is certainly a development. Not to say it's a bad thing, but unexpected…' Shikamaru thought to himself as he stared at the two. 'Naruto has been acting differently from before, and Hinata seems more confident, well confident enough to talk to Naruto of all people without passing out. This might turn out to be a good thing for them…although if Ino finds out about this, she'll be gossiping about them for weeks and then yell at me for not telling her. Damn it, what a drag…' he sighed to himself as Naruto hopped out of bed.

"Come on, let's go see Chouji, man I can't wait to see the look on his face when we eat these in front of him," Naruto chuckled as Hinata gave a soft glare.

"N-Naruto-kun, that's mean!" Hinata objected as the three wandered out of the room.

"Aw come on, it'll be fun. Trust me, you'll get a - huh?" he stopped as he noticed a familiar redhead walk into a room.

"Hey, isn't that the guy from the Sand Village, the one with the Gourd?" Naruto asked as Hinata stiffened at the memory of Gaara and what he had done to both Lee and Rain Ninja. She instinctively reached out and grabbed Naruto's arm without noticing but Naruto was too focused on Gaara. "Hey, whose room is that anyway?"

"Lee's room, but why would he?" Shikamaru said before all three of them went wide-eyed with realization and they rushed towards the room.

Lee's Room

Meanwhile, Sakura had just finished visiting Lee, as she left the hospital. But unbeknownst to her, Gaara had been spying on them until she had finally left the injured Genin alone. He stood over the unconscious Lee as his mind kept going back to their fight how the injured Lee's Sensei jumped in at the last minute and saved him.

Why? He kept asking, why did he jump in and save him? He had failed, he should've just been disposed of.

So why did his head hurt so much, why did his heart suddenly ache? Why?!

His gaze was then focused on the boy as he outstretched his hand and sand swirled around him. Ready to finish what he started and stop the pain rattling inside him. When suddenly he found his body unable to move.

"I-I can't move…" he struggled before he felt a Kunai Knife at his neck and Naruto standing behind him with a glare.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Naruto asked with a growl as Shikamaru subdued Gaara with his shadows, while Hinata stayed behind him. "Shikamaru, you got him secure?" He asked his friend as he nodded.

"I've got him contained, just don't do anything reckless!" Shikamaru said as he maintained his Jutsu.

"I won't, I know how your Jutsu works," he said with a serious tone as once again Shikamaru was taken back by the level of restraint Naruto was showing. What the heck had he been through?

"Now, let's just take a step back and I won't have to use this, deal?" he asked as Gaara glared but ultimately relented as Naruto lowered his knife and stepped back towards Shikamaru and Hinata. "Now, what the heck were you planning to do with bushy brows?"

"...I wanted to kill him…" he simply said as they stared wide-eyed at him.

'T-This guy is nuts, how can he say that so calmly while I've got him in my jutsu? This is bad…' Shikamaru analyzed as Naruto thought similarly. While Hinata hid behind Naruto.

"You already beat him in the preliminaries, wasn't that enough? What kind of grudge do you have against him now, when he's been crippled by you," Shikamaru asked as Gaara merely stared.

"I've got nothing against him…I was going to kill him because I wanted to," he said as Naruto, Shikamaru and Hinata gasped at his lack of empathy.

"What the heck are you talking about!? You're sick in the head, you know that!?" Naruto shouted as Shikamaru nodded.

"You must've had one messed up childhood if you can be so self-centered like that," Shikamaru said as he tried to analyze his opponent. 'Something is seriously wrong with this guy, if he starts something up we might not be able to stop him, and with Hinata here she might get caught up in the crossfire. Our best bet is to bluff our way out of this…' Shikamaru thought as he stared at the insane Sand Shinobi.

"If you get in my way, I'll kill you…" he said as Naruto glared at him and was ready to summon some clones.

"Listen, we know you're strong, but we're not bad ourselves. You haven't seen our special moves yet," Shikamaru said as Naruto blinked at the Nara but understood his plan.

'I see, we have to bluff our way out…that could work, sorry old man, but I might have to use my secret to get out of this,' Naruto thought as he nodded.

"Yeah you already know what Lee did to you, and he nearly beat you. We, on the other hand, have had a month to prepare. You might not be able to defeat us, plus 3 on 1 is better odds," Naruto said as he looked behind to Hinata, who looked afraid but nodded.

"So, how about you just walk away, and forget all about this, okay?" Shikamaru bluffed as he really hoped his plan worked.

"...I'll say it again…get in my way, and I'll kill you…" he said with the utmost seriousness.

'T-This guy is insane!' Shikamaru thought as Hinata felt her heart race in fear.

"Listen asshole, you really don't want to mess with us," Naruto said as Shikamaru snapped at him.

"What the heck are you doing!? Are you trying to get us killed, he's totally out of his mind! Like he's a monster or something!" Shikamaru tried to reason with Naruto but Naruto only grinned.

"Well, he can act like a monster…but I've got a real monster inside of me…" he said as Gaara stared at him, while Hinata looked on with concern.

'Naruto-kun's voice…there's no hint of bluffing…' she thought as Gaara lowered his eyes a little.

"...A monster…then you and I are the same…" he said as Naruto, Shikamaru and Hinata looked confused by the statement. "Because I too have a monster…inside of me…" he said as Naruto's eyes widened. "My birth was not what you would call a happy one…I was born into this world, taking the life of the woman I would've called mother…to become the ultimate weapon, the ultimate Shinobi, my father sealed the spirit of the sand inside of me…I was born as a monster…" he said as Naruto felt his heart race faster.

'A sand spirit?' Shikamaru thought as Gaara continued.

"Its name was Shukaku, believed to be the spirit of an ancient monk that became a demon…" Gaara explained as Shikamaru scoffed slightly.

"A demonic possession Jutsu, and to be used on a baby, that's insane don't ya think?" Shikamaru asked as Naruto merely stared numbly.

'He has something sealed inside him too? But he called it the spirit of the sand…unless…does that mean…it's a tailed beast, like the Nine Tails? Pervy Sage said there were Nine of them…so, which one does he have?' Naruto questioned as he gripped his fist.

"Heh…that's a swell dad you have, sealing something so horrible inside of you. The guy must've really loved ya, huh?" Shikamaru asked as Gaara stared blankly.

"...Love?" Gaara spoke as if it was a foreign concept. "Don't measure me by your standard, your concept of love differs from mine. Do you want to know what kind of connection family means to me?" he asked as he stared blankly at them with little emotion. "They are simply pieces of meat connected by hatred and murderous intent. By sacrificing my mother's life, I was created to be the village's perfect weapon. My father taught me the art of Shinobi, I was spoiled and allowed to do whatever I wanted…I thought that was love…until…"

"Until what?" Naruto asked, having a dark feeling in his chest.

"Until the day I turned six years old, my father then ordered my own assassination for six long years…" he said with a crazed look in his eyes, as Naruto, Hinata and Shikamaru gasped wide-eyed.

"What!? But you just said your father spoiled you rotten!? Why would he order our own assassination and his own son!?" Shikamaru asked as Gaara merely smirked.

"...Once a being becomes too strong they become an existence of fear…My father and the village realized that I was 'unstable' and a problem for the village. I was to be their trump card, but the Kazekage, my own father, saw me as a dangerous threat. By the time I was 6, my father considered me a threat and tried to have me eliminated. To them, I was a relic of the past that they'd rather have gone…but I kept surviving, I kept on living. And I asked myself, why was I alive? Why did I keep on living? The answer eluded me for years. As a person, as a being, you need a reason to live. Without a reason to live…you're no better than being dead…" he said as Shikamaru was confused.

'What the heck is he talking about?' he asked himself, while Naruto understood.

'I...I understand him…he's the same as me…' he thought as he compared himself to the boy in front of him.

"Until finally, I came to the conclusion, 'I exist to kill everyone besides myself'. I found relief within the fear of death, by killing others I found my reason to live. To fight for me, to love only me and to kill only for me. As long as there are people in this world for me to kill, I shall never cease to exist…" he said as Shikamaru, Hinata and Naruto stared in horror at the sand ninja.

'T-this guy is insane!' Shikamaru concluded as he felt fear in his heart.

'H-How horrible! To live your life thinking about killing others! I-If Naruto was the same…and if he had found that same answer…oh Naruto…' Hinata thought as remembered the isolation in his life as tears formed in her eyes as she looked concerned for Naruto and the life he lived.

'I…I understand…for a long time I never knew why I was here either. Why I was alive when everyone around me hated me? But then Iruka-Sensei found me, saw what was inside me and acknowledged my existence…I found my reason to live. But this guy…he was alone for all of his life and found his answer in killing…if…if I hadn't found my reason…would I…would I have turned out like him?' Naruto dreaded the thought as he felt how similar and how different his and Gaara's life were in comparison.

But then he remembered Iruka, the Third Hokage, his team and his parents that loved him before he was even born…and he realized he could never have turned out like him…

'But This guy…I…don't know if I can beat him?' he feared as he felt himself take a step back. Something Shikamru and Hianta noticed.

"Hey! What's wrong, Naruto!?" He shouted as he had never seen Naruto show fear before.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as Naruto felt fear grip his heart and stay on his feet. But as he did, Hinata placed a hand on his arm as he snapped back to her, and noticed not only fear in her eyes but concern and worry. Concern for him, and worry for his safety and he realized he couldn't be afraid. Not when she was in danger. He looked back to Gaara and glared as he gripped his fists.

"Y-You may be messed up in the head! But I still won't let you hurt them!" Naruto shouted as he placed his fingers together to summon a shadow clone. Gaara seemed to smirk as Sand erupted around him ready to kill the lot of them.

"Then show me! Let me feel alive!" he shouted as he prepared to attack.

"That's enough!" they suddenly heard as the door opened and Gai-Sensei stood in the doorway.

"Gai-Sensei!" The three shouted as they felt relief at seeing the bowl-haired Jonin, while Gaara flinched at the sensei.

"The Finals are tomorrow, so don't go acting up now, especially in a hospital. Or do you want to spend the rest of the Finals here?" he asked/threatened Gaara as the redhead grunted as his brain hurt.

Ultimately he relented as he walked out of the room. But not before he looked back at Naruto and glared into his soul.

"Just you wait…I will kill you all…" he said as he walked away. Gai Sensei kept his eyes on the door before he knew that Gaara was gone, before looking to the three genin.

"You three alright?" he asked as Shikamaru breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Man Gai Sensei, I never thought I'd be so happy to see you. That guy is insane! I seriously think he wants to kill us," he said before he turned to Naruto. "Naruto what the hell was that guy going on about? What did he mean that he had a monster inside him too? Do you know something about him?" he asked as the Blond looked away. "Hey, I'm asking you a question!" he demanded before Gai put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure it was nothing, just an attempt to psych you out," Gai said as he looked over to Lee. "But I do thank you three for protecting my precious student," he said before he looked over to Naruto and Hinata. "You two should probably return to your rooms, I will make sure he doesn't return," he said as the other two genin nodded. But Naruto shook his head.

"I-I'm fine, Bushy-Brow Sensei. I just…I need to see someone," he said as Gai raised a brow before nodding.

"...I understand, I look forward to your match tomorrow. I personally would not root for my eternal rival's student over my own. But I do hope you give Neji a good fight, and show your eternal youth!" he said with a grin and a twinkle in his eye.

"I-I'm sure I will," Naruto said as he, Shikamaru and Hinata exited the room. But as soon as they exited, Shikamaru turned to Naruto.

"Seriously Naruto, what was that all about? I've never seen you freeze up like that. And what the heck was he talking about?" he asked as Hinata looked concerned for Naruto.

"It's…its nothing…I was just trying to bluff our way out like you were. I guess he took it too seriously." he said as Shikamaru shook his head.

"But the way he talked, and the way you reacted, it was like you knew what he was going on about…what the hell is going on?" he asked as Naruto cursed himself. While Hinata walked up and unknowingly placed her hand on his arm.

"Naruto-kun…" she said as he looked at her. "I-I know that it might not be easy to talk about, but…please, you can talk to us about it, we'll understand," she said as Naruto stared into Hinata's eyes as he felt vulnerable in front of her. He wanted to talk about it, but he feared what she might think of him if she knew.

"I…I can't…I'm sorry…" he said as he gently moved her hand from his arm. "It's not that I don't want to talk about it…it's just that…I can't…I'm sorry…" he said as Shikamaru and Hinata stared at him Hinata nodded.

"Okay…I understand…but know that whatever it is, it will never change the way I see you," she said before she blushed red realizing what she just said. "I-I mean! I-I always see you as someone I admire! No, wait! I mean! Um!" she shouted as she tried to hide her blushing face.

"I think she means, it won't change how we see you. But if you can't talk about it, it's fine, man. Just know we're here if you need us," he said as Hinata sighed in relief, and Naruto stared at the two before smiling softly and nodding.

"Thanks…I'm glad you understand…And as for freezing up…that guy…that look in his eyes…I don't think I can beat him," he admitted as Hinata and Shikamaru's eyes widened. "I don't think anyone can beat him. That guy is totally unhinged, I don't think Sasuke truly knows what he's up against…I don't know what we're up against…" he said before a thought crossed his mind. "But I think I know someone that can help," he said as Shikamaru raised a brow.

"Are you going to tell us?" he asked as Naruto nonchalantly waved his hand.

"Uh, just…someone I know. He's good with seals and stuff, and I think he might have a solution for Gaara. But I need to go find him," he said as he rushed away. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" He yelled as he ran down the hall.

"Wait, Naruto! Argh, what a drag…" Shikamaru grumbled as he scratched at his own head, before turning to Hinata. "So…you and Naruto have been chatty lately?"

"Eep!" Hinata yelped as she blushed red and started playing with the tips of her fingers. Shikamaru sighed as he shook his head.

"Yeah…Ino is going to chew my ear off if she finds out about this…"

Waterfalls - One Hour Later

Meanwhile, Naruto had gotten his clothes back as he noticed they were severely damaged from his 'I'm staying on your head challenge', with Gamabunta and they were almost completely unusable. But they were the last pair of clothes he had left and had little choice. The bigger problem now was finding the perverted sage. He tried the initial spot he had found him, but surprisingly he wasn't there. He tried the waterfall area, where the girls would take their swim, but he found nothing.

"Come on, how hard is it to find a perverted old man?" Naruto complained as he searched all around. "Where the heck could he be?" he asked himself as he sat down. "Okay think, Pervy-Sage isn't anywhere near his usual spots, he didn't leave a note and he's not anywhere I'd think of…so, how else do I contact him?" he pondered as he tried to come up with an answer before he crossed his fingers in a familiar hand sign.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu," he said as he summoned a few clones. "Guys, I need some ideas,"

"And you summoned us because?"

"They say two heads are better than one? So I figure the three of us can figure this out,"

"Still doesn't help to figure out where Pervy-Sage is. He's not at his usual spots, the bathhouse, the tea house, the perverted book store in the red light district."

"You'd think he'd stick out like a sore thumb with the way he dressed,"

"Yeah but remember, he's supposed to be a spymaster. Hard to believe given his attitude, but he wouldn't be found so easily. Especially by a genin like us,"

"We've always found him before,"

"Maybe because he wanted us to find him, I mean we're not as stupid as we were a month ago. It's high time we realized the difference in strength between us and those older than ourselves,"

"Yet he keeps falling for the perverted Jutsu?"

"...I didn't say he was perfect,"

"Guys, focus! We need to contact him and tell him about Gaara. If our hunch is right, and Gaara is a Jinchuriki like us, then Sasuke is in a lot of trouble,"

"How bad could it be? I mean, we're a Jinchuriki, and we're not so strong?"

"Difference between us and Gaara is he was trained since birth to be a cold emotionless killer. We on the other hand were treated relatively normal, he may have had more time to harness his tailed beast's power,"

"That's if he has a tailed beast. He said that the 'spirit of the sand' was supposed to be that of an old monk named Shukaku. Maybe he doesn't have a tailed beast, but a really old and cranky monk?"

"And what if it's not the spirit of a Monk and really is a Tailed Beast? We can't go up against something like that unprepared. I doubt even Sasuke will be able to beat him. Pervy-Sage planned to train us, me, you know what I mean! To use the Nine-Tails Chakra. So… he had to have a way…contain us…" he said as they nodded.

"Hey, shot in the dark but…why don't we summon a Toad?" one of the clones asked Naruto and the others looked at him. "I mean, we both hold the same contract. Maybe they can get a message to him?"

"...That…could work? He did say that they could summon us to Mount Myoboku, wherever that is?" Naruto said as the clones nodded. "Okay, let's give it a try, thanks guys," he said as he dispelled the Jutsu and the clones left. "...I wonder if I should ever address the fact I'm talking to myself…nah," he said as he bit his thumb and flashed through the hand signs.

"Summoning Jutsu!" he yelled as he summoned a medium-sized toad wearing body armour and had the Summoning Contract on his back. This Toad's name was Gama, the Contract Holder and BattleToad for the Toad Summoners

"Oh, hello Naruto. How are you? I heard about your challenge to Gamabunta, that was mighty reckless of you. But he speaks pretty highly of you," Gama said as Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, well, I had to earn his respect somehow. Anyway, I need your help getting a Message to Pervy-Sage, uh I mean Jiraiya," he said as the Toad laughed.

"It's okay to call him that, we are well aware of his perverted antics…we've had many toads complain about him using us to infiltrate women's bathhouses…you won't follow in his footsteps will you?" Gama asked as Naruto shook his head.

"No, after reading mum's journal, I need to be better. So, anyway, tell him it's important. Because I think there's another Jinchuriki inside the Leaf Village," he said as Gama nodded.

"I see…don't worry, I'll make sure he gets the message, shall I tell him to meet you here?" he asked as Naruto nodded.

"That would be great, thanks, Gama!" Naruto said as the medium-sized toad nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"And now…we wait…" Naruto said as he sat down. "...I should've bought a pack of cards…"

Meanwhile - Hokage's Manor

In a secure section of the Hokage's Manor, Jiraiya, Gerotora and Sarutobi were looking over the Uzumaki Sealing Scroll as they were deciphering the ancient Scroll. The Sealing methods used to encrypt the Scroll were complex and highly advanced. Even with both of their combined knowledge, they had only managed to unlock a fraction of its potential. They don't know if Kushina knew about it, or if she did have the same amount of trouble herself. But whatever the case, they now had access to the lost Sealing Arts of the Uzumaki Clan.

However…

"The Uzumakis went through a lot of trouble to encrypt this," Jiraiya said as he scratched his head. "I thought with the both of us, we could at least decipher half of these encryptions. But we've only managed to cover the first part, the rest is…insane," he said as Sarutobi nodded while jotting down notes.

"Regardless, the first of the Sealing Jutsu has been unlocked. It looks like this one was designed to add a modification to the Dead Demon Consuming Jutsu, a way to counteract the seal's mortality rate…if only for a while…" Sarutobi noted as he looked over the diagram of the Reaper Death Seal, part of the same sealing method used to contain the Nine-Tailed Fox years ago.

"Someone found a way to counteract the death portion?" Jiraiya asked.

"Temporarily, according to this it was created after the Dead Demon Seal, the user wanted to be able to say goodbye to his loved ones, and created a bypass so the Reaper would not consume the user's soul immediately, but it doesn't last forever," Sarutobi said as he took notes. "After all, death comes for us all in the end,"

"And how will this help us?" Jiraiya asked, "Wait…you're not thinking of,"

"I might have to. Orochimaru has become too big of a threat to ignore. I made the mistake long ago of hesitating and letting him live. If it takes my life to set it right, I'm willing to do so…at least with this." he gestured to the Counter Seal, "I can live a little longer to make sure the Village will be in good hands." he said as Jiraiya looked away.

"...You know it's not your fault, right? Orochimaru was my friend too, at least I thought we were. Maybe if I had been a better friend or tried to talk him out of his insanity, none of this would've happened. But I failed, he was my teammate, and I should've been the one to stop him," Jiraiya lamented as Sarutobi shook his head.

"We were both guilty and blameless for Orochimaru. He was always set on his own path, I doubt either of us could've stopped him. If I had given him the title of 4th Hokage, he would've done terrible things. Somethings were just meant to happen," he said as he went back to the scroll.

"Still, don't go dying on me yet old man. You still have those that love you and need you," Jiraiya said as Sarutobi nodded.

"I will try…" he said as Jiraiya was about to get back to work when suddenly a puff of smoke and a small messenger toad appeared.

"Kosuke, what are you doing here?" Jiraiya as he recognised the small red toad, "Did Ma or Pa want something?" he asked as Kosuke shook his head.

"No, I've got a message for you from Naruto. He says he needs to see you urgently," Kosuke said as Jiraiya sighed.

"I bet he's woken up and panicking that there's only one day left for the finals. Look, just go back and tell him that he's more than ready for the Exams, and that-" Jiraiya tried to say as Kosuke shook his head.

"Nah, you don't understand, Jiraiya. He said it was serious, he says he thinks there's another Jinchuriki inside the leaf village," he said as both Sarutobi's and Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"Another Jinchuriki, I see…it must be the Sands," Sarutobi said as he cursed. "So that's what they're planning, a Jinchuriki would be difficult to defeat. Bringing one into the village would bring an untold amount of destruction. Jiraiya, go to Naruto and find out what he knows," he ordered as Jiraiya nodded.

"Kosuke, where is Naruto now?" he asked as the toad gestured.

"He said he was waiting at the waterfalls where you and he trained for a month, he should still be there according to Gama," Kosuke informed as Jiraiya nodded.

"I'll be right back old man, in the meantime, I should take the Sealing Scroll with me. I doubt we'll learn much more for today," he said as Sarutobi nodded, and handed the scroll back to Gerotora who sealed it inside his own body and then returned to Mount Myoboku.

"I'll go see what Naruto knows, he may have just given us an edge over what Orochimaru has planned," Jiraiya said as he teleported away and left the old man by himself. He looked over the modification to the Dead Demons Seal and nodded.

"Yes…I believe he has…"

Waterfalls

Naruto, having waited for Jiraiya to finally show up, decided to get some light training in before the finals. He knew he couldn't use any Jutsu or he'd drain his Chakra levels again, and the last time he did that he ended up in the Hospital for three days. This time, he had his clones practising the taijutsu stances while he studied the sealing books under the trees.

He had gone over everything he had learned over the past month, and while he was no seal master and couldn't create effective seals on his own, he was at least able to recognise certain seals.

He had begun to think about Gaara, and the Demon he had sealed inside of him. He strangely felt sympathy for the Sand Ninja. He was like him, the son of a Kage, a monster sealed inside of them before they even had a choice and both isolated from everyone around them. But where he strived for acknowledgement and acceptance, Gaara was focused on surviving and preserving his own existence. It made him wonder that if things had been different and he had given in to the anger and resentment…would he have turned out like him?

Would he have become a killing machine to justify his own existence?

He thought about it, and how close he came to falling as he did. But then he remembered Iruka-Sensei, the first person that acknowledged him as a person and he knew that he could never have turned out like Gaara.

'Still…I know the pain he's been through…and for some reason…I…' he was cut off as Jiraiya appeared before him in a puff of smoke. "Oi, about time Pervy sage! I've been waiting here for over an hour!"

"Sorry, I was busy doing important research," he said as Naruto glared.

"Yeah right, 'Important research' you were probably just perving again!" Naruto accused the sage who just laughed.

"Hahaha! Ya got me!" he joked, deciding it was best he didn't tell him that the Third Hokage and himself were working on deciphering the ancient Uzumaki Scroll. "Anyway, you said you found another Jinchuriki in the village?" he asked, changing his tone from jovial to serious.

"Yeah, it's Sasuke's opponent Gaara, he said he had a monster sealed inside him, and well. You told me that other villages have tailed beasts as well," Naruto said as Jiraiya nodded.

"I see, the Fourth Kazekage's son, this is troubling. But, as far as I know, the Sand should only have the One-Tailed Tanuki. But how did you find out he was a Jinchuriki, and what makes you sure he wasn't lying?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto lowered his head a little.

"He…he was sneaking into Lee's room, trying to kill him. Shikamaru, Hinata and I managed to stop him, but he was so serious, so scary that I…I did something stupid. I was trying to scare him, told him I had a monster inside me, hoping he would back off…but when he told me he had the same…when i looked into his eyes and he told me of how his life was so cold and alone…I knew he wasn't lying…he…he was like me…" Naruto explained as he remembered the same eyes he had growing up. The eyes of loneliness.

"I see…and what happened then?" he asked as Naruto sighed.

"Bushier Brow Sensei came in, managed to scare off Gaara and then I sent Gama to find you. But…what is another Jinchuriki in this village? I thought Jinchuriki's are supposed to be secret weapons, so why is he here?" Naruto asked as Jraiya pondered the idea of telling Naruto about Orochimaru and his plans to destroy the village. But given he was focused also on his match with Neji and potentially Gaara, he didn't want to burden him.

"It doesn't matter, he's still a Shinobi like yourself and he's here to get promoted. You should instead focus on how you're going to deal with him if you end up fighting him." Jiraiya said as Naruot nodded

"I guess…but he's going up against Sasuke first, what if he cripples Sasuke like he did Lee?" he asked as Jiraiya waved his hand.

"I'm sure Kakashi has taught him enough to avoid that outcome, and this time the examiners and jonin will intervene much sooner. However, if you do end up fighting him, take these…" he said as he handed Naruto a pack of small square paper seals.

"These are the Suppression Seals, right? The ones you planned to use on me if I lost control of the Nine-tails," Naruto noted as Jiraiya nodded.

"That's right, they should suppress any Tailed Beast chakra inside Gaara, which should help you to contain him. You do have a plan for facing him?" he asked as naruto nodded.

"I do, but given the new information, it may not work. So, I might have to improvise if he goes insane," Naruto said as he placed the seals in his pouch. "Well, I guess that's all I can do now. I could get a bit more training in today, but I doubt it will change anything," he said as Jraiya nodded.

"Fair enough…by the way, I wanted to give you something," he said as he reached behind him and pulled out a wrapped box. "I was going to leave it at your apartment, but seeing as you summoned me here, I figured I would give it to you now," he said as he handed the package to Naruto who raised a brow and opened it.

Inside was a set of new clothing, one that consisted of a black long-sleeved zip-up hoodie, with two thin Orange Stripes down each arm, an orange interior in the hood and an orange T-Shirt. Black pants with matching sandals and black fingerless gloves with metal plating on the hands. He also noted a new cloth for his headband that was pure black. There was also a pair of light grey shinobi shin pads and forearm guards along with a scroll harness that would be strapped to his left leg. The Scroll Harness holds up to two Sealing Scrolls. There was also a dark red leather shinobi chest armour that had the Uzumaki Clan Symbol stamped into the front. It had a large strap that would go over his left shoulder, and his right shoulder would be allowed more freedom. The armour would only cover his chest and leave his stomach unencumbered.

"I found the chest piece in the Uzumaki Scroll, considering it a very late birthday present," Jiraiya said as Naruto stared at the gift before him before fighting off the tears that were about to appear in his eyes. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…this is one of the few gifts I rarely get. The only people I get a present are from Iruka-Sensei and the old man, so getting one now…sorry, I must look pathetic, right?" he asked as Jiraiya stared at the young man and felt a small amount of guilt.

Another reminder of his failed duty as the boy's godfather by being absent from the boy's life. He wished he could tell him that he had given the boy a present, long ago, the small frog-like wallet he carried around with him. But if he did, he would no doubt bring up endless questions and accusations. Besides, he couldn't focus on the mistakes he made and instead focus on the future of his Godson.

"No…Not at all…" he simply said as Naruto smiled. "Well, before I head off, is there anything else you need before your match?" he asked as Naruto nodded and gestured to the river.

"Yeah, I just had an idea on how I can limit Gaara's Sand, got any spare Sealing Scrolls?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded and grinned.

"Now that is thinking with your head," he said as Naruto grinned back.

And Scene. Well, here is Chapter IX of Journal of Hope, I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for staying with me. Now in this chapter, I wanted to focus on the exchange with Gaara and the fact the two had a similar upbringing and wanted to add more to the scene. Because it always bugged me how in the manga and anime Shikamaru never brought up or questioned what Naruto meant about 'Monster inside him', and Shikamaru is a smart guy. I added Hinata, as I wanted to develop their relationship more, and felt she would visit Naruto if she knew he was there.

Jiraiya and the Sandamine I felt would be smart enough to decipher partially the Uzumaki Scroll of Sealing, and seeing as I want to change canon events, I felt the Uzumaki as seal masters and creators of the Reaper Seal would be the ones to accomplish it.

Now onto his new clothes, yes they are darker, but hopefully not at a cringe level. I'm trying to avoid that. There are still splashes of Orange in it. He's still Naruto after all and Orange is his colour. The chest piece that I gave Naruto is based on the Dragon Chronicles Costume he wore in the game, just not all of it.

/wii/narutodragonbladechronicles/model/5482/?source=genre here is a link if you need a visual guide.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and find it to your liking. Now onto the next fight, the long-awaited battle between a firm believer of Fate and a forger of his own Path. Nex time…

Chapter X: Fate vs Guts