I'm really, REALLY, REALLY sorry that it's taken me so long to update! I rented a new game, Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, and it was just so fun I had to play it until I beat it! I'm going to try to update at least once a week from now on.

"Then are you the one who's been teaching Naruto demonic jutsu?" Himaru's lips crinkled into a slight frown, but Sarutobi looked completely flabbergasted.

"You've been doing WHAT!?" The old Hokage's anger was almost tangible, and Himaru raised up his hands in a submissive gesture.

"Hey, I told you I knew how to teach Naruto how to use the Kyuubi's chakra."

"Use his chakra? This is a different thing entirely! Doing such a thing could risk-"

"Kyuubi wouldn't take over Naruto even if he could." This time Jiraiya spoke.

"And what makes you so sure?" Himaru very calmly turned around and stared the older ninja straight in the eyes.

"Would you steal your child's body?" Now both legendary shinobi were flabbergasted.

"His child! What on Earth are you-" Himaru cut the Hokage off.

"Let me tell you a little something about demons: they aren't cold-blooded killers anymore than humans are, in fact, if anything they're more emotional! You see demons are emotion, and only the higher level ones have anything more than the most basic control of themselves. Thus, most demons are actually very parental." Himaru paused briefly, but the older warriors were still too shocked to speak properly. "Now think: Naruto is very much like a demon himself, and the Kyuubi has been within him and by him throughout every moment of his entire life. Do you not think a bond formed, even if on a subconscious level on Naruto's part?" Himaru felt a grin spread across his lips when the old men started to settle down.

"Sensei, whoever this guy is, Naruto respects him enough to nearly turn down training from me. I think we can trust him." Sarutobi took a long drag on his pipe.

Very well then. Himaru, in light of what you recently accomplished, I will let this slide."

"Thank-you, Hokage-sama." After Himaru finished bowing, he turned to face Jiraiya. "Don't you think you should tell Jiraiya about his teammate?" Jiraiya felt a sudden pang of dread hit him.

"What's Orochimaru done now?"

"He's…" Sarutobi paused, and let a heavy frown crease his lips. Jiraiya's sense of dread doubled. "…Been freed from the demon controlling him." Jiraiya barely registered the giant grins on the other two mans' faces in the room as the information sank in.

"Still a little slow, even after all these years, Jiraiya?"

"O-O-Orochimaru…" Jiraiya could hardly believe it. Before him stood his old teammate, once believed to be a traitor. Orochimaru smiled slightly at his old teammate's gawking face.

"What? Expected me to look young?" Orochimaru indeed looked his actual age. His hair had thing gray wisps in parts. His face had become less serpentine, thought it was still very angular and his eyes were still an amber color, but they were no longer slit. Jiraiya reached out a shaky hand and lightly touched his teammate on the shoulder, as if he was afraid that it was all a dream. In that same instant the touch turned to a man-hug, one that Orochimaru somewhat awkwardly returned. "Shape up, Jiraiya. We've got reputations to think about."

"It's really you!"

"Himaru-sensei!" Naruto's shout echoed across the whole village, and nearly deafened his nearby teammates.

"Baka! You trying to blow our ears off!?" Sakura firmly planted Naruto's face into the ground.

"Brim brorry Brakura-bran!"

"I think he's trying to apologize," Sasuke said as Sakura continued to grind Naruto's face into the ground.

"Oh. Okay then." Sakura released her vice-grip on Naruto's skull, and the previously flailing blond boy gasped for breath. For a moment the only sound at their meeting place was Naruto's frantic breathing.

"So where'd you guys get your summons?" Sasuke tapped his sword, and Sakura held up her gauntlets. Naruto pouted and scowled.

"That's no fair! I had to get one from a perverted old sage! I wish I had a stupid legendary weapon…"

"You do, Naruto, you just can't use it." The blond growled at Sasuke, but otherwise remained silent.

"Boo!" The trio whirled on their heels, fists at the ready, but it wasn't an enemy that faced them.

"Zabuza-sensei!" Naruto said and grinned at the large swordsman. You couldn't see it, but Zabuza smirked. All three of them looked pleased at the missing-nin's arrival, but Sakura kept sweeping the area with her eyes.

"Where's Haku-kun?" A chuckle escaped Zabuza's lips.

"Well, let's just say a couple young girls realized he was a boy." Naruto broke out in laughter, and Sakura giggled. Only Sasuke didn't seem to find it funny.

"Fan girls are scary."

"Indeed they are."

"Haku!" Naruto shouted and ran up to their friend who was just showing himself from behind a tree. Haku was garbed as a ninja, minus a hitai-ate or his mask.

"It's is good to see you too, Naruto-kun. I look forward to seeing you fight in the exam matches." Instead of the expected grin, Naruto's mouth set in a line of determination.

"I'm going to crush Neji." Haku raised an eyebrow at the others, but refrained from asking Naruto directly. He knew how…volatile the blond could be.

"So the gang's all here." Himaru teleported in the middle of the little gathering. He nodded at Zabuza and Haku in way of greeting before turning to his team. "I presume you all have contracts?" The three nodded. "Good. We need to discuss training, but first…" Himaru turned to focus on Naruto. "What'd I tell you about using demon jutsu in public?"

"Um…" Himaru sighed, the signal for Sakura to bash Naruto over the head.

"You're lucky I have a silver tongue, or else our plans would be severely hampered right now. Naruto, you've the makings of a legendary leader, but you need to be able to remember these kinds of things!" Naruto stared at his feet, but Himaru patted him on the head. "Well, all's well that ends well, I suppose. I presume you have the toad contract?" Naruto nodded without much surprise. He wasn't a complete idiot anymore. Himaru clapped and backed up a little.

"Excellent! Now, just so I have everybody, list off your contracts."

"Dragons."

"Toads."

"Cats." Himaru nodded.

"Okay. You're each going to train with your summons for the rest of the month."

"What! But what about you, Himaru-sensei?" Naruto asked as he readied the puppy-dog eyes.

"We want to make a village, remember, I'm going to use the time to finish research on a good location, okay?" Naruto reluctantly withdrew the puppy eyes.

"Fine…"

"Good. Now, train hard, and I look forward to watching you kick some ass!" With a poof, Himaru was gone.

"I can help you train, Sakura-san. I like cats," Haku said.

"Thank-you Haku-kun."

"Always wanted to see a dragon," Zabuza said. "Besides, you still need a little work on your kenjutsu."

"What about me?" Naruto asked forlornly.

"You've got the toad sage. He can work with your summons the best," Zabuza said, and he patted Naruto on the head for condolence. "How about I teach you some water jutsu after you've trained with the frogs?" Naruto grinned and barely even nodded before he was off to find his perverted sensei.

"Didn't I tell you to keep water-walking?" Jiraiya said when the bouncy blond approached him.

"I want to practice summoning. It builds more chakra anyway, and Himaru-sensei said something about needing to train with the toads. So train me, Ero-sennin!"

"What a fitting nick name, Jiraiya." Naruto turned to the new voice.

"Eh? Who're you?"

I'm sorry this is so short, but I'm just not feeling the creative juices right now. I'll update this weekend, I promise! Please read and review! P.S. My dragons won't eat flamers so long as they only flame me about taking so long to make this update.