I'm back, and quicker than usual! Albeit because I made this chapter ridiculously short…

It didn't take long for Naruto to find his "teacher"; in fact, Naruto was so excited that he sought out his trainer immediately after leaving the tower. When Naruto saw a tall man peeping into the women's bathing area, he wasn't so sure that the man was anything special. Then he realized; 'Tall; long, white hair; carries a scroll… Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin!' "Oi! Jiraiya!" Naruto called, walking over.

"Go away, kid. This is good stuff!" Jiraiya shooed, causing Naruto to scowl.

"Banshou Ten'in!" Naruto called, launching a squealing Jiraiya back into the hot water. As Jiraiya gained his bearings, Naruto laughed. "Yeah, you're a legendary ninja, alright! Kaka-sensei doesn't even fall for that anymore!"

Jiraiya looked at Naruto in shock. "So, it's true…. The Sage's eyes aren't lost…. Well, kid, if you'll accept, I'll officially make you my apprentice."

Naruto smirked. "So, does that mean you'll teach me your jutsu?"

Jiraiya nodded, "Let's start small. Can you water walk?"

Naruto nodded. "I can also kunai balance, and split leaves, set leaves on fire, drench leaves, and make leaves crumple. I can't dissolve them into dust, however."

Jiraiya widened his eyes. "It seems that Kakashi is a better teacher than I expected. Alright, there's no way you have a summoning contract, do you?"

"Well, Kakashi said I could sign the Dog contract if I wanted. Why? Would you let me sign the Toad contract?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya nodded. "I hear from Kakashi that the Yondaime is your hero. He was the last holder of the contract under me."

Naruto's eyes beamed, "No way… you're the best, Jiraiya-sensei! Ooh, is it possible that I can learn the Rasengan and Hiraishin?"

"The Rasengan I can help you with, but I don't know the Hiraishin. Technically, it belongs to the Senju clan. If Tsunade-hime comes back to the village, you can ask her to let you into the Senju compound, and we can attempt to recreate the jutsu." Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded. "I'd prefer to handle this somewhere other than a public hot spring."

Jiraiya hummed. "Should we go to the training grounds around the corner?"

"Alright meet ya there, Jiraiya-sensei!" Naruto ran back into the changing room.

"…Five more minutes won't hurt," Jiraiya said, going back to peeping.

…

Naruto arrived at Training Ground 27 and noted that it was empty. The field was large, and there was a dense forest surrounding it. He made 20 clones and told them to work on the Asura Path. It was, at the moment, his best option for defeating an enemy. As the clones tried to figure out more abilities that the path held, Jiraiya was suddenly next to Naruto. "Alright, Gaki. I see you've got some clones training with your Rinnegan already. Right now, you should know that I've only really seen the gravitational jutsu in action, but I do have some tips on how to unlock more of them. That's going to wait. For now, sign the contract. You need to use your blood."

"Hai, Jiraiya-sensei!" Jiraiya unfurled the contract; Naruto bit his thumb and wrote his name directly under Minato's. "Yatta! The Bastard's one step behind, now!"

"Okay, since I want you to be prepared for the finals, I'm teaching you the Rasengan immediately. You can work out an agreement with the Toads in two weeks; for now, don't summon any of them." Jiraiya said, tossing Naruto a water balloon.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Naruto asked.

"Pop it using your chakra. If you need help, I'll be right-" Jiraiya cut himself off, as the balloon popped.

Jiraiya blinked. "What the Hell? How'd you do that?"

"Well, it was easy. The name of the technique is Rasengan, or 'Spiraling Sphere'. So, I assumed I had to rotate my chakra. Lately, I've kinda been able to 'see' chakra flow with my Rinnegan; maybe it's evolving. Anyway, I noticed that when I only sent the flow of chakra in one direction, then it wouldn't pop. I work on chakra control almost every day; even on missions. So, it wasn't hard to increase the flow of chakra in all directions." Naruto spoke.

Jiraiya was speechless. "Form the chakra in your hand, without using a balloon."

Naruto nodded, and instantly, a blue sphere of chakra formed in his hand. "How has no one learned this already? It's easy!" he said, slamming the ball into a nearby tree. "Ooh, I wonder what would happen if I added fuuton chakra to this? Can I try it?"

"Not yet. I've taken note of another jinchurikki in the exams. Sabaku no Gaara, container of the Ichibi. I'd like you to be able to use the Kyuubi's chakra. Do you think you could manage that before we move on to the Toad contract?" Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded. "I haven't used the Kyuubi's chakra since my encounter with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. It burns; I'm not sure if I want to use it."

Jiraiya put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto. There is a group of S-Ranked missing-nin after the bijuu. They'll probably unseal the Kyuubi from inside of you if they capture you. Do you know what happens to Jinchurikki when they lose their bijuu?"

Naruto said, "I've got some notion. They die, don't they?"

Jiraiya nodded with a grim look. "If they're targeting you for something you can't control, then you might as well use their target against them."

"How do I gain access to the Kyuubi's chakra?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Luckily, I trained the jinchurikki before you. And no, I can't tell you who she was. Not until you make chuunin, at least; so don't fail. Meditate, and you'll come to a 'mindscape' of sorts. The Kyuubi will be there. Convince the Kyuubi to share its chakra with you; I'm sure if it's willing, it'll work better."

Naruto nodded. He got into a meditation position and waited.

…

"Why the Hell's my mind a sewer, dattebayo?" Naruto grumbled, walking along the path. There was no way he was stepping in that water if the smell was any indication of what it held. "And why the Hell is there shit in the pipes? What possessed my mind to be this elaborate on such a disgusting topic?"

"You can't really complain, ningen," came a bored but powerful voice, "After all, I've been in this forsaken place for thirteen years. Let me see your eyes, child; your real eyes."

Naruto came up to a cage, where he could see a pair of menacing red eyes. Naruto didn't really need to activate his Rinnegan. He just allowed the Genjutsu to drop. He wouldn't release the Genjutsu in public unless Samui went against her word, and the secret got out.

"So you really have the Sage's eyes… I haven't been able to trust you ningen for years. But, I've been watching you, Uzumaki Naruto. I don't need to hear your pleas for my help. You'll receive it, but not now. You aren't ready for the kind of power I can bestow. Rest assured, however, that if you're in a bind, you can call out pieces of my chakra at will. If you truly want my full power, then you'll have to defeat me in order to gain it. But as you currently are? That won't happen."

Naruto stared the Kyuubi down. "So… what kind of name is Kyuubi? Who the Hell named you that?"

The Kyuubi growled, "That is obviously not my name. I will not tell you my name until you defeat me in combat or earn my absolute respect; whichever comes first. You may leave now. I have nothing more to say to you."

Naruto nodded. "I'll see you later, then."

As Naruto was about to leave, the Kyuubi said, "Wait, ningen."

Naruto turned back his tenant, "What do you need?"

"Do you not hate me for destroying your village, for killing your parents, for making everyone hate you? There is no way a young ningen like yourself could not hold a grudge over things lesser than the gravity of what I've done to you. So why do you not glare at me?"

Naruto scowled at him, "And what the Hell will that solve, dattebayo? Will hating you bring everyone their loved ones back, or make everyone stop hating me? I'm an adult now. My childhood is over. There's no turning back the clock. I'll see my parents when I die, and when I become Hokage, everyone will love me, anyway. I won't turn to hate, because it won't fix my problems, or yours. It won't fix anyone's. All we can do is move forward, and fix our own problems." Naruto disappeared.

The Kyuubi closed his eyes. "You're a better jailer than any Uzumaki before you, Naruto." His slumber resumed.

…

Naruto opened his eyes to find Jiraiya writing. "Oi, Jiraiya-sensei! I can use the Kyuubi's chakra whenever I want! But he said I must defeat him to use his strongest form. Is that good enough for now?"

Jiraiya put his writing away. "That's fine, Gaki. Your clones have some weird stuff going on over there. Dispel them."

Naruto nodded and dispelled his clones two at a time. He smirked. "Asura Path: Rasengan!" Naruto's hand turned mechanical, and in the center, was a purple Rasengan. "Nice. I can make extra appendages now, too. Should we do anything else today, sensei?" Naruto dismissed his jutsu.

"We could get something to eat. Honestly, I thought it would take more than a day to cover all of this. What kind of monster will you be in the future?" Jiraiya said, walking to a restaurant he liked. Naruto followed.

"The good kind, I hope."

…

Sasuke held the new chokuto he'd ordered before the exams began. He was getting taller, and would probably need new clothes soon. He watched Sakura and Kakashi engage in a spar. 'Never thought that she'd make it to this point. I'm definitely excited to see her fight this Samui girl.'

Sasuke had just signed the Dog contract a few hours ago. He'd thought of looking through his family archives for any summoning contracts, but in the end just went with something he knew he could manage. He knew he wouldn't need a combat summon, so the Dogs were perfect. They could attack a weakened opponent.

Sasuke had also decided on incorporating his Raiton affinity into swordsmanship, as he'd seen the Kumo team do. He couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on his face; that was the one advantage that Kumo held over their heads, and he'd taken it away. He wondered how Naruto was faring. Kakashi had told them that he was getting training from a Sannin, and while Sasuke was far from jealous, he was curious about what one of the Legendary Three Ninja of Konoha could teach. He had no idea when he'd see Naruto again; after all, the Sannin could very well take Naruto out of the village until the day of the finals.

Sasuke knew his team was the strongest of the Rookies; maybe even the strongest of all of Konoha's Genin. But he had to be stronger if he was to kill Itachi. After all, Naruto not only had the Rinnegan; he had that vile chakra. Sasuke had seen it with his Sharingan; a separate chakra source was inside of Naruto, and that could send Sasuke far behind his rival.

If Sasuke couldn't beat Naruto, there was no way he'd beat Itachi.

"I'm joining in! Chidori!" Sasuke shouted, rushing at Kakashi. Yeah, he couldn't let Naruto leave him in the dust. Naruto had big dreams, too, and he knew that Naruto wouldn't let them go.

…

"Mui-chan!" Naruto called as he jogged up to Samui, Omoi, and Karui. They all turned to see Naruto, Genjutsu active, grinning at Samui.

"Oh, Ruto-kun. Why do you look so happy?" Samui asked.

"There's no way I'm losing to you guys in the finals. You know that, right? I'm gonna be champion. Although, I'm sure you'll be a close second, Mui-chan." Naruto said.

"Oi, what about us, fishcake?!" Karui shouted with a scowl. Naruto scowled right back.

"What did you call me, tomato head?" They bumped their heads together, growling and throwing insults.

"Enough, you two. So uncool," Samui said.

"You can't fight here! It might spark a war between our villages!" Omoi shouted.

Jiraiya caught up. "Naruto." There was a serious edge in his voice.

Naruto and Karui stopped their bickering.

"A pair of them is here," Jiraiya said. Naruto, who Jiraiya had explained the fact that the Akatsuki worked in pairs to, knew what he meant.

"Do you want to apprehend them?" Naruto asked, all traces of playfulness gone from his voice.

"I'll actually need your help if I want to do this. No one else has a doujutsu that can resist the effects of the Sharingan," Jiraiya said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "So, it's Sasuke's brother, then? Who's his partner?"

"Hoshigaki Kisame, the Tailed Beast Without a Tail. I can take Kisame, but you'll have to handle Itachi."

Team Samui was shocked. Samui spoke up, "Jiraiya-sama, we can help if you need it."

Jiraiya shook his head, "This has to be done as quietly as possible. Besides, we can handle these two. C'mon, Naruto." Jiraiya faded using the Meisaigakure no Jutsu.

Naruto turned to Samui. "I'll be fine, Mui-chan, don't you worry," he said with a smile.

Samui cocked an eyebrow. "Who said I was worried?"

Naruto pouted and followed his sensei.

Samui bit her lip. 'Be safe, Ruto-kun.'

…

Jiraiya appeared in front of Itachi and Kisame, who still had their hats on. "Uchiha Itachi; Hoshigaki Kisame; you are both hereby under arrest. Stand down."

Naruto appeared a second later, scowling in their direction. 'So, these are the guys that're after me, dattebayo. That Kisame guy's got monstrous chakra reserves. I shouldn't use the Kyuubi's chakra here. It'll draw too much attention, and then they'll escape. Aah, I've got an idea.' "Sensei, I've got a present for you," Naruto whispered.

"I see you've brought the Nine Tails to us, Jiraiya. How very foolish-" Itachi started, but was cut off by Naruto.

"Banshou Ten'in!" Naruto called, yanked Kisame at Jiraiya; Naruto then pumped chakra into his legs and launched himself at Itachi, "Asura Path: Rasengan!" Itachi jumped out of the way, but Naruto followed him into the air.

'He has the Rinnegan, so my Genjutsu won't work on him. If we can separate Jiraiya from Naruto, he may be easier to capture.' "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu." Itachi launched a large fireball at Naruto, who smirked as it collided with his form.

The explosion seemed to engulf Naruto, so Itachi's form was slightly relaxed, while still alert. Suddenly, Naruto came flying upwards through the explosion as Itachi descended. "Bunshin Daibakuha!" Naruto shouted, exploding.

Itachi substituted with a nearby log and landed safely on the ground. He spotted Naruto a few meters away. "It seems you have the Rinnegan. How is that possible?"

Naruto cursed, 'Shit! If we don't capture him, the whole world will know!' Naruto charged at Itachi again, hearing something that turned the tide of the battle.

"Susanoo!"

…

As Kisame was pulled towards Jiraiya, Jiraiya met him halfway, "Rasengan!" The Yondaime's jutsu impacted against Kisame's chest, halting his unwilling advance. Kisame fell to the ground, but kicked back to his feet with a grin.

"Looks like the kid'll be a doozy. Itachi can handle him, though. Meanwhile, I get the Sage." Kisame pulled his odd sword off of his back and unfurled the bandages. "I'm sure you know of Samehada."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, knowing just how dangerous Kisame was with that sword. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Two small toads appeared on his shoulders. "Ma! Pa! I need you to start gathering natural chakra!"

"Gotcha, Jiraya-chan!"

"Alright, Jiraiya-boy!"

Jiraiya shot forward, delivering a feint kick to Kisame's head. Kisame naturally blocked with Samehada. What Jiraiya really wanted to do was this: "Katon: Karyuuendan no Jutsu!" as Jiraiya jumped off of the sword and Kisame brought it back for a swing, the fire dragon erupted from Jiraiya's lips, right into Kisame's stomach, sending him onto his back. Jiraiya came down upon his form with a Rasengan, but Kisame kicked Jiraiya in the face, sending him into the air.

Kisame got back to his feet, smirking at Jiraiya. "That little trick won't work again." Kisame shot forward, Jiraiya following suit. Both stopped, however, as they saw Itachi's orange Susanoo, followed by a yellow one, struggling with each other.

"That kid has the Mangekyou Sharingan?!" Kisame shouted in shock. Jiraiya grinned.

"Senpo: Rasenrengan!" Jiraiya shouted, shoving two Rasengans into Kisame's chest and stomach. 'The kid can do it. He can really do it.'

Kisame took a beating for a few moments, as Jiraiya's strength, speed, and senses were heightened due to Sage Mode being active. Soon enough, Itachi was thrown out of his Susanoo by Naruto's yellow one, and he crashed into Jiraiya.

As more shinobi appeared on the scene, Itachi and Kisame disappeared into a flock of crows.

Naruto deactivated his Susanoo, huffing. Jiraiya ran up to him, followed by Hiruzen and a few Anbu.

Naruto grinned. "It looks like my eyes have other hidden talents, dattebayo!"

Jiraiya ruffled his hair, "You did great, gaki. Hiruzen, we're ready to give our reports."

Hiruzen nodded with a smile, looking at Naruto. "Naruto-kun, you helped stopped a potential crisis. I'm tempted to field promote you to chuunin, but from what I saw in the Preliminaries, I'm sure you'd like a chance to face the other chuunin hopefuls. Am I right?"

Naruto aid, "Of course! I really want to fight all of them. They're all really strong!"

"Then you'll get the chance. For now, keep training."