Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 3: Treading on a New Path.
He was contemplating just who he would've turned out to be if he'd stayed like who he was. What would amount to him if he had looked and not found the truth?
The question hung over his head like a bad omen.
On a more… pleasant note, Choji's funeral was nice.
Everyone attended. Choji's team, Team Eight, Team Guy—Neji even managed to crawl out of the hospital in a wheelchair to attend. The Hyuga was so doped on painkillers he was practically drooling. Naruto remembered the funeral perfectly. Every little detail. It was exactly how he expected it to be. Dozens of people took part, including the heads of various clans. Shikamaru's father was the first one to speak, while most listened out of respect and some out of friendship.
He only wished his funeral would be quite so extravagant. Naruto doubted it.
Shikamaru and Choji were, perhaps, his two best friends. So after Sasuke left, he thought, "At least I have Shikamaru and Choji."
Now, all he had was Shikamaru.
Sakura was hard to talk to. She could hardly look at him the same. Naruto couldn't blame her. She was dealing with Sasuke's betrayal, same as him. Sakura may have said a few… choice words Naruto wished he could forget, but that was before she got the news. Afterward, Sakura looked every bit as self-loathing as he did. Sakura may have had a crush on Sasuke, but Naruto loved him like a brother.
Jiraiya said he wouldn't be able to hate Sasuke. Naruto was willing to agree with him. For the tiniest of moments. Then the news broke, and Naruto hadn't felt right since.
He couldn't ignore what Sasuke had caused. Naruto was furious when he abandoned Konoha for Orochimaru, yes, but that paled in comparison to the hate that burned in his heart now.
Choji was dead.
He died a hero, sacrificing himself to defeat the enemy. Choji died a death many shinobi could only hope for. Shikamaru's dad, Shikaku said so. Naruto found himself agreeing with the middle-aged jonin. He never gave much thought to his death. In those simpler times, he never, not once, considered that he might die before becoming Hokage. He thought that, even as he lay back in a hospital bed. Hearing that his friend died in battle popped that bubble of naivety.
He and Jiraiya left Konoha soon after Choji's funeral.
Naruto requested that they leave as soon as possible. Call him weak, but he couldn't stand to be within those gates anymore. When he walked on the path to his apartment, he passed Akimichi Chow, the restaurant that the Akimichi's owned, and nearly broke down crying. Sometimes after the Academy, he, Shikamaru, and Choji would pig out at the all-you-can-eat barbecue grill. Then, Naruto would scatter, leaving Choji with the bill.
He had been through a lot in his life. Experiencing anguish, resentment, and loneliness, all of which may very well have broken any man. Yet, his mental fortitude was evident in his perseverance and loving heart.
But everyone has a breaking point.
This was his.
Up until now, Naruto didn't understand Sasuke's infernal hunger for revenge. Not entirely, that is. He sympathized with Sasuke. That much was true, but he never understood it. Not personally. At least, not until he watched Choji's mother bawl into her husband's chest. Shikamaru hadn't slept in days. Neither had Ino. Their jonin sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, the Sandaime's son, maintained a strong façade. Naruto saw through it. He was just miserable as his student.
Sasuke caused this anguish. This was his fault, and everyone knew it.
Naruto gazed at Sasuke's picture in the Bingo Book, detestably eying the Uchiha he considered a brother. Tsunade uploaded his profile into the books, labeling him as a C-rank missing-nin. Now, he was a B-rank, and his charges had been updated. He officially committed treason. Furthermore, he was indirectly responsible for the death of a clan heir. Treason itself was a crime punishable by death.
Tsunade deemed it was only necessary to put a medium-sized bounty on Sasuke and retrieve him, preferably alive. Now, his bounty had doubled. The Akimichi demanded that his bounty be increased. The Clan Head, the father, offered to pay for it in whole.
Jiraiya said Tsunade had no choice. Sasuke was not worth fighting the Akimichi over. Even if the council did not agree with it, Tsunade accommodated Akimichi's demands. The Elders preferred that only Sasuke's rank be altered, not the bounty or the preferential recovery parameters. Simply put, Sasuke was not worth losing faith with the Akimichi.
He certainly could not continue on the path that he recklessly treaded. Sasuke was in Orochimaru's grasp. Let some other foreign shinobi risk their lives to get him back. If he gets killed in the line of fire, so be it. If Orochimaru steals his body a couple of years down the line, it wouldn't be any skin off his teeth. Sasuke made his choice.
Just as he had.
Only time will tell what will happen. Only some of the consequences of Sasuke's revolt have been felt. So let the chips fall where they may.
Naruto gazed around the small village he and Ero-sennin had just entered; the buildings, like most of the towns he had visited in Hi No Kuni, were made of a composite of pine and brick and were designed in a westernized tone featuring flat rooftops and square architecture.
Most of the structures were stores trading various items and goods, as Naruto could see by the large number of people milling around and peeking inside windows. Naruto had only been on this stint of training with Ero-sennin for almost a month, and the two had already visited two other cities in Hi No Kuni.
"What's the reason for this stop, Ero-sennin?" By his tone, it was clear he was far from amused by their frequent trips into town.
Jiraiya scowled down at his apprentice. "What have I told you about respecting your elders, brat?" This was far from the first time they've had this conversation.
"I respect you as a shinobi, but so far in the past four weeks, you haven't taught me jack." Scoffing, Naruto shook his head. "I don't even know why I asked. We both know why we're here. I saw the ad thirty miles back. "Best brothel house in Hi No Kuni five years running." You couldn't take your eyes off it."
"It ain't for that. For your information, anyone that needs to pay for sex shouldn't have any. I'm more than capable of wooing any fine lady I want. I was staring at the nude girl on the board, ya brat. Not the message." Jiraiya tugged on the boy's orange jumpsuit. "You need some new clothes. These don't fit anymore, and I can't have you doing missions wearing such bright colors."
"Missions?"
"You're a chunin, Naruto. I'm sure you haven't forgotten. You take your sweet time putting on that vest every morning. Being an active shinobi means you have to take missions. You haven't taken a mission in almost two months. In a couple more weeks, if you don't record a mission, you'll be placed in the reserves. Trust me, brat, it's a pain in the ass to get back on the active roster. Lots of paperwork. Which would all fall to me, seeing as how I am your sensei and my responsibility."
"Sensei," Naruto muttered, and Jiraiya sighed at his student's rather unconcerned tone. "You haven't taught me anything in weeks."
"Stop thinking with this—" the toad sage thumped his chest. "And start thinking with this." Jiraiya smacked him upside his head. "I've taught you plenty."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, really, brat. Basics, you skipped over the basics."
"How are basics supposed to help me beat S-rank missing-nin!"
Jiraiya sighed frustratedly. "Naruto, you skipped steps one-through-three. You may have power, but that's not what will save you in the future. Kid, you're a shinobi, but ya don't act like it. You don't know the first thing about being a ninja."
"Bullcrap. Half the stuff I've been doing is supposed to be helping with my chakra control, but it barely feels like I'm getting anywhere!"
Hearing the anger and exasperation in his voice, Jiraiya spoke. "Naruto, learning proper chakra control is a lengthy process. The amount of chakra you have only makes it even harder. The basics you never bothered to learn are biting you in your ass."
"I get why chakra control is important, but how is this supposed to help?!" Naruto angrily dangled a dirtied notebook in front of his face.
"Being a shinobi isn't about tossing around high-level jutsu. It's so much more. You think one-on-one fights are the end-all-be-all, but they're not," Jiraiya said dismissively. "Your brain is just like any other muscle in the body. The more you hone it, the sharper it'll get. Do you remember what I said back at the hospital? Why they almost refused to make you a chunin?"
Naruto went to level a furious reply until the steam of his anger was exhausted. Shoulders slumping, he dejectedly bobbed his head.
"Stop talking so much, and for once, listen. You never learn anything while you are talking. My old sensei taught me that when I was around your age. I had a mouth that wrote off checks I couldn't cash. I was a no-good loser like you."
"Thanks a lot," he muttered sarcastically.
"Moral of the story, Naruto? Slow down, and sometimes, close your mouth and listen. There are so many things you have to learn, and you can't do that while flapping your gums. You've got two eyes, two ears, and one mouth. Keep four open and one closed. You never learn anything if you're the one talking. That pointless crap you're referring to is something Kakashi, and I put together."
Naruto snapped up to him, attentive.
"This is stuff that should help you. Pattern recognition, basic strategy, and creative applications to standard shinobi weapons. We learned all of this when we were young. It's past time you learned it too."
Student and teacher journeyed into town. They entered a relatively humble ninja shop. While not the largest one Jiraiya has encountered, he figured it would do. The merchant greeted them, inquiring what they were looking for.
Jiraiya informed him they were searching for some clothing. Delighted to help, the vendor steered them to the back of his store, where he showcased a surprisingly exceptional sampling. It took a moment, but Naruto chose his clothes. However, Jiraiya could tell the boy was unused to an impartial shopkeeper.
All of Konoha's stores had blacklisted him. The only store that offered its services to him was a crotchety old man. Even the clothes he wore were expensive; the man who sold them to him demanded double what he would have charged any other customer. He decided that if he wanted to be a true shinobi, he needed to dress the part.
Unlike Konoha, this was not a militaristic village. They did not have much in the way of specialty clothing and weapons. But Jiraiya seemed to know him.
Maybe they were old friends.
Naruto listened to his teacher's most recent lecture and observed. The man was older. He walked with a hunch, coupled with a faint limp. A stray glance perceived a cane beside his obscured safe.
Naruto formed a scenario in his mind.
Perhaps he was a shinobi once. He was not old enough to have a natural limp. Naruto hazarded a guess that he was injured in the line of duty. That's what caused him to retire.
Perhaps that's how Jiraiya knew him. They were comrades. It was a far better theory than no theory at all.
Running a store in a reasonably populous village was humble work. However, this man undoubtedly ran a profitable business. Naruto noted the wide selection of civilian garments. Although, he did boast a respectable assortment of shinobi equipment and apparel. Nothing on the level of some shinobi stores back in Konoha, but he was never allowed to shop there.
Naruto figured this store was the best market he'd ever shopped at.
Eventually, they left the store wearing a dark blue, long-sleeve shirt and pants, a pair of gloves, and his chunin vest fitted securely on his midsection. Naruto tied bandages along his right arm. He added a short white sleeve with red edges and a red swirl that mimicked the one stitched into the posterior of his vest.
Jiraiya commented on how he looked much better now that he was out of that orange eyesore. Naruto agreed with his sensei's teasing remark. He went to pay for the clothes, but Jiraiya insisted that he foot the bill. Not a fan of charity, he disagreed. Eventually, he folded, allowing Jiraiya to pay for his clothes. They weren't cheap, but his sensei barely blinked at the price.
Guess selling smut did have perks, after all.
Beneath his frustrated and ungrateful demeanor, he was anything but. He showed his appreciation by not giving Jiraiya so much hell.
Jiraiya excused himself later that day after booking them a hotel for the weekend. Apparently, he had to meet a contact or some such excuse.
Not that Naruto minded. While Jiraiya was a super-pervert, he would tell him if he was off doing his patented research. Meeting a contact was important and not an infrequent occurrence.
It was one of the few reasons they had for going into town most of the time. Refreshing supplies, perving, or meeting contacts. Those were the three most common justifications. He learned to accept his sensei's lecherousness. Nothing he would say would convince him to behave any differently.
Naruto wandered out of town, doing his morning physical exercises. It was a rigorous routine that he struggled dearly to maintain. Complimented by weight seals that Jiraiya conceived, complex exercises strung along over a long duration, and he was left gasping in exhaustion after each session.
After taking a break, he moved on to practicing his chakra control. If his strength, speed, and agility training were physically demanding, his chakra control exercises were mentally challenging. He executed taxing maneuvers on water, balancing weapons on his fingers and chakra shaping drills.
Jiraiya stressed the latter, stating several times that was how he would be able to a summon a Rasengan without the need of a clone or his other hand.
Jiraiya stood a stretch away, frowning as he watched his apprentice work. He was proud of the lad for pushing himself hard, but he was also concerned. Naruto had practiced nonstop for the month they'd been paired together.
The lad would only stop to eat and sleep, despite Jiraiya's worries that he was only getting half of the sleep he needed. Jiraiya agreed to bring Naruto on this training trip in order to teach him how to use Kyubi's chakra, but the child was adamant about learning to fight without it, so Jiraiya chose to focus on actual shinobi training instead. Not that he wouldn't teach him the latter eventually.
He was planning on teaching him to control the Kyubi's chakra later in the year. Despite Naruto's resolute statement, he wasn't quite ready to disregard the idea of instructing him on how to utilize the beast's chakra.
Of course, he wouldn't have just taught him how to use the Kyubi's chakra, and he had stressed the basics more than anything. Naruto wanted to learn stronger jutsu, much to his teacher's ire. Jiraiya stressed patience, which was trying to say the least. Especially when he wasn't exactly known for his patience either.
Moving on from the quaint town, Jiraiya began teaching him how to utilize shuriken, kunai, and other small, hand-held shinobi weapons. Of course, like everything else, he was adamant about starting from the beginning.
But that did not seem to be a problem. Now that he had a teacher that could work at his own pace, basics having been instilled, he learned far quicker than either of them were expecting.
"You see that target over there?" Jiraiya questioned. They were camped out in an exceptionally spacious clearing in a luxuriant forest. At Naruto's nod, he said, "All right. It's about seventy yards out. You have a clear shot. Your target is unmoving, which never happens. To add some much-needed difficulty to this drill, the target's much smaller than a human body. You'll have to be accurate."
Naruto squinted, rearing his hand, but he didn't allow him to chuck it.
"Hold on there. Run through a taijutsu kata on me."
"How am I supposed to hit that dinky little target if I have to fight you?"
"It's called battling two opponents at once. More often than not, you're gonna find yourself on the back foot. That can manifest a dozen different ways. High ground, disadvantageous weather conditions, multiple shinobi… see where I'm getting at?"
Naruto nodded.
"Good."
Naruto engaged in hand-to-hand while eying up the target. One of his hands was occupied by a kunai. When he was about to throw the knife, Jiraiya knocked him down. Naruto gasped, feeling the wind get thrust from his lungs.
"The hell was that for?" he went to shout but could only manage a scraggling wheeze.
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"You still have no grasp of subtly." Hand out, he hauled his student back up. The blond cleaned his pants off.
"When you attack, don't telegraph your intentions." Jiraiya went to punch him, and Naruto crossed his arms over his face to shield himself, only to turn abruptly and fling a pair of shuriken into the target. "See?"
Naruto did indeed. He thought Jiraiya would attack him then and there, but he turned on a dime and did the opposite. Shaking his head, he eyed those sunken projectiles with envy.
"You make it look so easy."
"Give it some time," he lectured softly. "You'll learn it soon enough. Now, c'mon."
Naruto assaulted Jiraiya with a few punches and kicks, all of which Jiraiya deflected with one hand. He tried to keep his gaze forward. When he didn't, he received another strike—this time, to his vulnerable side. Naruto withheld a whimper as he stumbled, clutching his hip.
"That hurt!"
The silver-haired Sannin chuckled. "Believe it or not, this is the best part of being a teacher. Inflicting a small percentage of the misery you had done to you as a kid makes this worthwhile."
"Sadistic bastard," he hissed, still cradling his side.
Jiraiya laughed. "Oh no, brat, sensei was the real sadistic one."
"Old Man Hiruzen?"
"Yeah, he was a real tormentor back in the day. There was no rest for any of us. Tsunade used to call him a slave driver. His training could be better described as torture. But we learned, each and every one of us."
"The Densetsu no Sannin."
They were the most well-documented team in Konohagakure. Tsunade Senju, the finest medic in the Elemental Nations. Orochimaru, Konoha's number-one enemy. Jiraiya the Toad Sage and, without a doubt, Konohagakure's strongest shinobi. All three were generational talents, yet somehow, they fell under one team and were born in the same year.
Since then, Konohagakure hadn't produced a genin cell filled with so much talent. Naruto wondered how much their teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man that would go on to be deemed the God of Shinobi, had a hand in their significant statuses. Were they all so naturally talented, or was the God of Shinobi that good of a teacher?
Now, that was an exciting subject that he couldn't wait to dissect repeatedly in his mind to procure a suitable answer to this fascinating inquiry.
This time, Naruto flung a kunai at Jiraiya, forcing him to duck. He then swooped in, aiming a kick at his teacher's head. Airborne, Naruto ignored his foot being grabbed and turned. One hand behind his back, he hurled a trio of shuriken at the target. Jiraiya allowed him to fall when he heard a series of faint thumps.
How did he… A smile crawled to his lips. Little brat. He threw the first kunai high so that I'd advert my eyes from his hands and focus on that. Then, he used my lapse to move his weapons pouch to his back, so I wouldn't see him gather the shuriken.
Noting the perfectly accurate shuriken placement, Jiraiya didn't know whether to frown in amazement or laugh in joy.
Crafty bugger. That's a throw I'd struggle to make. He is learning fast. A couple of weeks ago, he couldn't even throw shuriken better than your run-in-the-mill genin.
"Good job," he said eventually. "I think you're ready."
"Ready for what?"
"Your first solo C-rank assignment."
Flashes of his first C-rank, turned A-rank mission flickered before his eyes. Troubled but resolute, he addressed his sensei.
"I'm ready."
Jiraiya ruffled the boy's hair. "I know you are. But first, you need a haircut."
"We're thirty miles from the nearest town."
"I know." Jiraiya pulled a kunai, slowly twirling it around his finger. Naruto gulped, not liking the look in his eyes. Not one bit.
"What's with that look, Ero-sennin?" he asked, chuckling nervously.
"Oh, nothing," he said innocently. The evil grin on his face and the malicious glint in his eyes told a different story.
"You aren't cutting my hair with that thing."
"Oh, c'mon! I used to cut my student's hair like this all the time. You'll be fine. I'll take good care of that mop of yours. Just be still, all right? I don't wanna have to shave it all off 'cause ya moved."
"No! No, no… no! Get away from me, Ero-sennin! I mean it! Jiraiya, please, don't—AAAHHH!"
The screams of horror and evil cackles warned travelers away from the forest for most of the night.
Four months later…
"Hello, Naruto."
He froze instantly under the cold, unfeeling voice. Then, turning robotically, he came face-to-face with Clan Killer Itachi, or Itachi of the Sharingan. Although, Naruto him better as Sasuke's psycho older brother.
Instantly, Naruto leaped back, extremely concerned. The coal eyes stared impassively over at him. A chill passed down his spine.
It feels like I'm in the presence of Death itself…
"Itachi Uchiha," Naruto said, a tremble in his voice. He looked out for the shark-man, Kisame Hoshigaki. They were partners, last time he checked. "Are you here to kill me?"
"My purpose for being here matters little," said the Uchiha, indifferent.
"I'll take that as a yes," he mumbled.
His finger twitched, and Naruto vanished into a swirl of leaves. Itachi disappeared instantly as well.
Naruto appeared underneath a bridge, standing upside down, his feet locked at its keel. On one knee, he glanced up, only to see Itachi Uchiha kneeling mere feet from him. Naruto's breath hitched as he leaped back, flinging a rapid succession of shuriken. Itachi flicked his wrist, deflecting them all with only one kunai. After the last one was dealt with, Itachi jumped at him.
The blond rasped as he was knocked back. That strength… not a taijutsu specialist, my ass! He hits harder than Kakashi-sensei!
I can't fight him head-on. My best bet is the retreat, try to find Jiraiya. I might be able to stall Itachi long enough to summon Gamabunta or even one of the other battle toads. But if his partner shows up, I'm as good as dead.
Naruto flew through hand seals, adrenaline pumping in his veins. Water rippled underneath upside-down bodies. The river churned as he landed on the last seal.
"Suiton: Suijinheki!"
Water rose rapidly, forming a great wall separating them. Immediately, Naruto bound backward, racing upside of the bridge.
An intense heat rushed him before he could reach the top of the bridge. Naruto looked up. Mouth parted as a ball of fire large enough to swallow him whole neared.
Itachi watched in satisfaction as Naruto was engulfed.
No.
A charred log was spat out of the grand fireball.
Itachi scanned the area. In the span of a second, he spotted Naruto darting into a woodland circle. In a dash of speed, he arose out from Naruto's flank.
The blond barely managed to catch his fist. Naruto held it before hastily pulling out a kunai. He aimed to drive into the Uchiha's face.
Blood splattered, and Itachi fell back, dead.
No… that's too easy.
Feeling his hackles rise, Naruto spun around, tossing his knife. The trajectories of two blades overlapped. They collided in midair with a sharp clang, and then bounced off each other to fly off in unexpected directions.
Naruto created two Kage Bunshin. Those two dashed at Itachi, engaging the Clan Killer in taijutsu. Even out-numbered two-to-one, Itachi was bored. Ducking, he pulled one clone over his knee, tripping it. He smacked his fist into the other one before stabbing the fallen clone in the head. Both disappeared in puffs of smoke.
Itachi peeked up and saw Naruto near dangerously close with a swirling ball of cerulean chakra. Naruto grinned, driving the ball into Itachi's chest.
Then, time stopped.
Naruto blinked and the Rasengan distorted out of view. He was standing across from Itachi. Only his eyes were no longer black but red with three black tomoes.
The blond would have gasped, but he found himself unable to move a muscle.
Itachi stared at him, impassive. He never so much as flinched when Naruto glared balefully at him.
"Genjutsu?" he wondered, coming up with the only explanation possible. "But how? Your Sharingan was never activated!" Naruto desperately wove through the events of the fight.
He knew that the Uchiha were most dangerous due to their ocular genjutsu. It could be cast if the Sharingan was activated. But that whole bout, Itachi's eyes were blacker than the night sky! So how could he have ensnared him into a genjutsu! Naruto would have noticed if he had used any non-ocular genjutsu. He was actually anticipating that he would do such a thing.
That's when it dawned on him.
Itachi's eyes were black, yes, but he was a genjutsu master. No, Itachi wasn't just a master—he represented the pinnacle of genjutsu. He must have hidden his Sharingan under a genjutsu of its own prior to their fight! That's how he managed to fool him into looking into his eyes!
"You disguised your eyes with genjutsu," Naruto bit out, ashamed that he fell for such a trick. "Lulled me into a false sense of security. I should have known better."
This man was an S-rank criminal and the one to have massacred the Uchiha clan single-handedly. Many feared him and admired him for his power. He was the strongest Uchiha born in thirty years. A prodigy amongst prodigies. Even when compared to the overall might of the Uchiha Clan. He was beyond dangerous. Any encounter against Itachi would leave him dead. That was without factoring in his partner, Kisame.
Regardless of the overwhelming urge to flee, Naruto knew he could not escape this man. His best opportunity to survive was to use Kuchiyose no Jutsu or stall until Jiraiya could save him. Unfortunately, he was neither fast enough to flee outright nor strong enough to slow Itachi down. Maybe he could have created a mass of clones, but a man of Itachi's caliber could easily vanquish them. If Kimimaro could, it would be child's play for Clan Killer Itachi, an S-rank criminal.
"You should have," Itachi agreed monotonously. "Never look into an Uchiha's eyes. I thought my foolish little brother would have taught you that. It seems like he has failed even at that."
"You're not one to mince words, Itachi Uchiha. Why am I still alive?" Something wasn't right here. If Itachi wanted him dead, he'd be dead. No, he would have stabbed him in the back. In fact, Itachi was the one who greeted him! None of this made sense.
"That is very simple. To test you."
"Test me?" Naruto asked like it was the most absurd thing ever.
"You have such poor control over your emotions. Do you not know the rules of shinobi life?" Itachi inquired, boredly inquisitive. "Never show your emotions in front of an enemy. They tell more than you can know."
"Save the scolding for someone who gives a crap," Naruto spat. "You're a genocidal maniac! Only freaks wipe out their entire clan. Women, children—non-combatants. You didn't discriminate. Even your mother and father."
Itachi remained quiet, the red Sharingan frigidly glimmering.
"I have a question. Why kill all of them but spare Sasuke? I've been asking myself this since your brother killed my friend and shoved a lightning bolt through my chest."
"The world is not always as it seems."
Naruto's features screwed into a fierce scowl. "Enough with the cryptic bullshit!"
"Look around you." He reluctantly followed his directives. "Metaphorically." Naruto cringed at the drollness in his voice. "This world is run by thieves, murders, spies, and thugs alike."
"And you're all three—whoop dee doo. You're the greatest psycho of them all. I bet you feel real accomplished."
"We are shinobi. Lying, killing, spying, it is in our job descriptions."
"That's an easy way to shrimp out of what you did."
"You blame me for my little brother's actions."
"Is that you think?" Naruto questioned angrily. Itachi's expression never waned at his furious tone. Not even a little bit. "Your brother is cut from the same cloth as you are! But no, I don't blame you. Sasuke is responsible for his own actions, just like the rest of us."
"You are smarter than our previous interaction led me to believe. I underestimated your maturity, Naruto. For that, I apologize."
I'm not dead yet. Kisame Hoshigaki is nowhere to be found. He could have easily knocked me out by now with this genjutsu paralyzing me. But, instead, we're talking.
"You're not one to mince words, Itachi Uchiha. Why am I still alive?"
"That is very simple. To test you."
"You're Jiraiya's contact," Naruto whispered, a thousand things running through his mind.
"You are correct."
That's how Jiraiya knows so much about the Akatsuki! He said he had a man on the inside—but Itachi?! He wiped out his entire clan; he killed his parents! But it all makes sense. This isn't his test. It's Jiraiya-sensei's! If Itachi wanted to kill me, he wouldn't have strung me along, giving me the faintest of hope that I could defeat him. I was done for the second I turned around to meet him.
Abruptly, he was released from the genjutsu. He winced, monitoring Itachi wearily.
"Naruto." Jiraiya's usually boisterous voice was grave and low. The blond watched as Jiraiya slid into view, arms crossed over his burly chest. "Sit down. We have a lot to talk about."
A couple of months have passed. Naruto has learned some new skills, got some new clothes, and is learning from Jiraiya. Basics mostly. A jutsu or two, some bukijutsu training, including shuriken and kunai throwing, close-range combat with kunai, proper decision making as well as generally learning how to use his head. Pretty much all the skills that Naruto neglected to learn until he was in his late twenties. Jiraiya is concerned about teaching Naruto how to think like a shinobi, and fostering some mental maturity.
He's also a chunin. In canon, I don't believe Naruto deserved to be a chunin because he lacked maturity, and the ability to lead a team. Chunin are supposed to be leaders of lesser shinobi. Naruto proved that he has grown up some. Leadership skills can be taught, or developed naturally. Hence why he's a chunin now. Although, as you can see, Naruto is lashing out some. He's angry, distraught. But there's a certain edge to him now, that wasn't there before.
Naruto has a lot to learn, and a lot more maturing to do. As you can tell, I won't be rushing through the time skip. It shouldn't last too long, though.