Chapter 7

Konoha (2 years ago)

Beta: Old man of the mountain/Darklord331

Naruto had just gotten accustomed to his new life style. Mostly, not dealing with the shinobi world and just doing his own thing without someone breathing down his neck to not do so.

Well, minus the annoying former teammate that is blinded, a former teacher who is a hypocrite, and finally the Hokage subtlety offering him his position back any time he wanted it.

But if he was being honest after almost a year of nothing but trash talk, sucky training, and just outright annoyance, he was happy to be done with that commitment. He was done putting up with shit from people, and he was done being looked at as if he was the one in the wrong all the time.

The Hokage made it clear to the village that any attack on him would be investigated and the council knew that stepping on her toes was not the same with Hiruzen. He was not one to butt heads with everyone but when it came to Tsunade? Duck for cover.

Naruto had been working on the things he wanted to work on; chakra control, meditation to focus his mind, hand-to-hand, and improving on his arsenal. He knew that the Akautski was still out there regardless of the new world that they discovered wiping them out. But he also knew people would be coming for him and if Sasuke was to return he would make sure he is ready for him too.

"Your too stiff."

Naruto turned his head and narrowed his eyes,

"You are?"

Standing there was a muscular man with long brown hair tied in a ponytail, brown eyes, and wearing a traveler's cloak.

He had bandages on his feet and was wearing a pair of thin sweatpants. He just breathed the aura of confidence and as someone that is so powerful that he didn't need to have his guard up.

It reminded him of Jiraiya and Kakashi and Ebisu, this pissed him off.

"I'm just saying the way your throwing your strikes, it is too stiff. If you want to flow better you need to start swinging from your hips, not your shoulders."

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah thanks for the tip weirdo, did you just come here to gloat about your all-knowing knowledge," Naruto sarcastically replied.

The man laughed,

"Nah, I know you're an idiot but your not the type of idiot that doesn't understand when someone is trying to be helpful." He tilted his head, "But you're the kind that hates people that are kind to him because you wonder, 'what is their motivation for telling me this, are they just here to talk bad about, or they are here to talk shit because they are better in some way or another?' Am I right?"

Naruto growled,

"Yeah what if you are?"

He shrugged with his hands up,

"Nothing really. Personally, I think that your are sloppy and whoever trained you doesn't deserve the title of sensei or master I guess in my terms."

Naruto snorted,

"Well," he turned to the man, "At least we can agree on that much. So, why are you here?"

He looked around and started touching some of the trees noticing dried blood, cracks in the wood, and the signs of things being thrown.

"You out here training on your own?"

"Yeah why do you-,"

"I can see you're a hard worker I mean look at the damage to the trees and look at your handy work related to the power your putting into the strikes. I can tell you train through the day without stopping. The only time seems to be when your hungry or need to get some sleep no?"

Naruto growled,

"Why the fuck-"

"But you lack a real art, a real skill." He smiled, "In short; your not a prodigy born of distinct skill but one that is forged by the fires of combat and through constant tempering." He put his hands on his side, "In short; my kind of pupil."

Naruto raised an eyebrow,

"Yeah so what are you offering to be my teacher or something?"

"Yep, should warn you though I don't pull punches when it comes to training. You're going to train diligently and you're going to hate me by the end of it. But I'm sure you'll do better than most when it comes to your training."

Naruto nodded,

"Yeah but I need proof of this so-called strength, your pretty words won't impress me."

The man stared at him with wide eyes, before a smile broke out on his lips.

"Oh hoh ho! You want a spar then! Alright," He threw his cloak off and stood there with a smile on his face, "Lets see what you got kid and let me show you what I can teach you."

Naruto smirked, pulling out his kunai and hiding a shuriken,

"Lets see."

With swiftness he threw a shuriken at the man, but he found the man had quickly deflected it to the ground.

Naruto felt himself lifted on the ground and into the air.

'What the fuck-,'

Naruto soon felt his leg grabbed and he was thrown across the ground skidding against the dirt.

Jumping to his feet he was met with a brutal blow to his face.

The man had timed his get up and managed to strike him with a brutal kick across the face.

'Shit this guy-'

"Don't get lost kid, you lose that way."

Naruto soon jumped to his feet and quickly held his hand out and formed a Rasengan. Thanks to his training with chakra control and his diligent practices he managed to master creating a Rasengan without needing a clone or help.

"Oh," the man smiled, "Interesting move you got there, I'm interested lets see what it can do." He held his hands out, "Come on show me what you got."

Naruto roared and rushed him a blur of speed, thanks to his own training in improving his body, and appeared in front of the man.

Naruto saw the cocky smirk on his face and he could only growl and thrust the sphere into his chest.

'That look I fucking hate it! Everyone in my life has it; Sakura, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Iruka, everyone! I'm tired of people looking at me as if they are better than me! I'm tired of being seen as less than a person! I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I want to be seen and respected!'

Naruto's orb almost hit the man but he quickly slammed his elbow down on Naruto's wrist, sending the orb downward into the ground.

His eyes widened.

"No way."

"Yes way."

Naruto was sent flying with a brutal knee strike, one that sent him into the air and crashing onto the ground with blood leaking out of his jaw from the impact.

'It hurts, I can't win. This guy, he's fighting me as if he is aiming to kill.' Naruto smiled slightly, 'This is what training should be like; nothing held back and reality shoved in your face so that one day I can knock that smug smile off his face.'

Naruto tried to sit up but he couldn't, but he heard the man laugh,

"Got to say that move of yours was impressive but the problem was you were too straight forward. If you always travel in the same direction, your opponent is going to predict your movement without fail." He walked over to him and crouched next to his face, "So kid, thinking I live up to my hype?"

Naruto coughed a bit but he smiled,

"Yeah, your not full of shit I'll give you that much but your still a prick."

He laughed,

"Yep, I am." Holding his hand out, "So what do you say, want to learn?"

Huh?

"Huh?"

Naruto was not creative in this department.

"I'm asking do you want to learn the style I was using?"

"Why though? Shouldn't you go and find one of those great prodigies?"

He shook his head,

"Tried that once, didn't work out like I hoped. Kid got all pissy when I told him I lost a fight and then stated I was unworthy of being his master and he ran off. Kinda hurt but it was true, losing sucks but it is not the end of the world you know? You win and you lose that is how it all boils down in the end." He sighed, "But he didn't understand that and that is what made him a prodigy; not understanding there are limits to what can be learned and sometimes defeat is better than victory. Those that are prodigies fail to learn this lesson and this leads to their downfall. How bad it is, that is completely up to them."

Naruto nodded, Sasuke hated losing. That is the one thing he noticed since his departure, he hated losing to anyone in anything.

It was one of the reasons he fled; he was tired of someone catching up to him when he is supposed to be this invincible prodigy and someone to stand over his peers but the reality is, he was about the same level of skill of himself. He just got lucky with having extra training and alike from his family and having the sharingan at his side as well.

Naruto looked at the man and frowned,

"If I learn I don't want you pulling punches, train me or I'll walk off."

The man smiled,

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

6 months later

"Flow control is important because it can allow you to control your opponent passively without them having a chance to get into the battle. Those that are stronger than you physically won't see this coming."

"You mean like how Adamantine Form should be reserved for more of a solid base and counter move for those that are weaker but are moving too fast or just need to back off?"

"Yep." Naruto motioned him, Naruto threw his right hand to his face but Niko quickly rolled the wrist in his hand and sent him flying over him and forcing him to land on his back.

Naruto grunted but looked up at his master who was smiling at him from above.

"See? Even though you threw a punch I was still able to win from a defense point."

Naruto nodded his head and jumped to his feet.

"Okay so how do you want me to do this then?"

He smiled,

"Simple; I'm going to punch you and your going to try and redirect the flow of my punch. Don't worry, I won't go all out right away but your gonna have to learn fast."

Naruto quickly ducked under a swift punch and rushed to him.

Niko countered with a brutal counter to his stomach sending him skidding backwards.

"Defense only."

"R-right."

Naruto spent the next ten minutes just dodging and blocking his strikes but as time passed he was starting to see it.

The movement of his shoulder.

The twitch in his hand.

The timing of his breath.

All of it was adding up, he was starting to see the strike coming faster and faster.

Niko threw a punch at his face, but Naruto batted the strike away with his opposite hand and Niko smiled.

"There you go, you got the first step of the Niko Style: Flow Control down and it only took you ten minutes! Now then lets go a bit faster and with two different strikes."

Naruto nodded but soon looked behind himself,

"Come on out I know your there."

Out of the trees came Jiraiya.

Naruto growled,

"What do you want pervy-sage?"

The man sighed,

"Naruto we need to talk so can you come with me to the Hokage's office?"

"No." Naruto turned fully to him, "I'm not at the beck and call of the Hokage anymore. I don't have to answer the summoning if I don't want to."

Jiraiya sighed and rubbed the back of his head. Naruto was right, as a civilian he didn't have to do jack shit but he really needed to talk to him about this master of his. Ever since the guy showed up, Naruto was seen less and less in the village and seen more with this man and seemed to be training non-stop with him.

It was a concern the man might lead him away from the village or worse, turn him against them and it might lead to them having to fight him to keep him from destroying the village.

"Naruto please I know-"

"Know what? Know that I know you have been spying us training for the last six months? How were you just watching and trying to find out what this man is up to? Why was master bothering to train me in the first place?"

"Naruto this could be-"

"A matter of security or fear of losing your favorite pet?"

Jiraiya frowned,

"That's not what I was about to-"

"Its true though." Naruto sighed, "Why are you really here? You haven't really trained me before and now suddenly someone is actually bothering to try, your wanting to monitor him if not throw him out of here?"

Jiraiya growled in frustration.
He was frustrated as he knew Naruto was right.

No one had properly trained him since his days in the academy and he was sure if he was properly trained or that his sensei was allowed to help him all through his childhood with training then possibly, it could have been a solution to the issue. More so, he could have had greater success and even stopped Sasuke without all the damage done to him.

He was that confident in Naruto's untapped potential and he failed to bring it out, Kakashi failed to even see it, and Iruka saw it too late.

"Jiraiya," Naruto sighed, "Lets be honest, you and I, we have never been sensei and student."

"But we are!"

Jiraiya saw him deadpan,

"Really other than the Rasengan and the summons what have you taught me huh?"

Jiraiya opened his mouth and then closed it.

What did he teach him outside of that?

"I-I taught you have to use the chakra inside of you."

"You mean the Kyuubi?"

He turned to Niko who shrugged,

"He told me about two months ago, didn't care either way it just make training more fruitful if he can heal so efficiently and quickly. Meaning we can accelerate his training program." He smiled and clenched his fists and all Jiraiya could see is an honest teacher wanting the best for his student.

To train him as he requested without holding back in the least.

Jiraiya saw how receptive Naruto was to this and could see the anger in his eyes,

"He knows about it and you know what? It took me being thrown into a canyon to get that done otherwise I would have died. Instead of teaching the handsigns or for fucks sake explaining the process, you just threw me down there without a second thought. Lets be honest, if I hadn't summoned the fox, I would have died. How would you explain that to the village?"

Jiraiya paled.

"Yeah exactly; between the three teachers, you taught me the most moves and the Kyuubi I'll give you that but outside of that? You haven't done shit for me since I quit. Only monitor me and then go off to the hotsprings for your fucking research." Naruto sighed, "Worst of all; you still haven't paid me back after you stole my wallet and blew it on booze and girls."

Jiraiya groaned, he was right about that and he owed the kid more money thanks to that incident.

Naruto frowned,

"Get lost Jiraiya, I want to train with Sensei a bit more before we eat." Turning from the old man he sensed him standing there for a few more seconds.

Then he vanished in a Shushin with Niko smiling,

"Alright back to training! Since he interrupted we are going to go a bit longer and then we can eat!"

Naruto sighed, him and his big mouth.

Jiraiya had arrived back at the tower and sat against the door of the Hokage's office.

He really, really, REALLY fucked up with Naruto.

The kid was right on all fronts and he hated admitting it. The kid was screwed from day one, he didn't have a proper teacher, and the one that did teach him? Kakashi barely did shit and he taught him two things and that was it. The kid had every right to be pissed at all of them for their failure in his training and his lack of instruction.

How was he supposed to improve if someone didn't at least show him how to do it or give him proper instruction?

Jiraiya always thought that Naruto would be like his father; a natural genius but he gave it too much credit.

Naruto was a genius but he was more like Lee, a genius of hard work and dedication. Give him a task and he would complete it.

Give him nothing and just tell him to do something, he can be lost for quite a bit until he figures it out.

Naruto was a diamond and he failed to see it properly.

Jiraiya could only sigh and wonder what his sensei would do- who was he kidding? The old man would kick his ass.

His eyes hardened and he shushined away from the tower and back to Naruto and his master.

There he saw them finishing up their drill of whatever move he was teaching him.
Naruto saw him and frowned with his arms crossed over his scared chest, reminding him of what happened between him and Sasuke.

"What do you want now?"

"Naruto look, your right. I was a shit teacher, I did teach you some stuff but I didn't help you in a way that benefited your career or made you ready for what is in the field. It is true that I was expecting you to do this on your own but the reality is that was unfair. If you are given the tools I know you can succeed at your goals but you didn't have them."

"No shit."

Niko slapped Naruto on the back of his head,

"Don't be rude."

Naruto groaned.

"Either way," Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head, "Your right. I didn't take your training seriously and no one other than the old man has. Which is why, I'm going to make you this promise right now."

He walked up to Naruto and put his hands on his shoulders and stared him in the face,

"I will take your training seriously. I will teach you everything you need to master your chakra and if you ever decide to return to the field you will be ready for whatever comes your way and if you don't," he waved his hands, "Then at least your ready for any encounter from the outside."

Naruto nodded his head but turned to Niko who just smiled,

"It be good for your studies and plus this means we can double your training schedule so, you know what that means?" He laughed, "More exciting opportunities!"

Naruto sighed.

"Fine. But you better keep your promise pervy-sage, otherwise I'll let the fox have you as a chew toy."

Jiriaya paled,

"Promise I will take this seriously."

Naruto rolled his eyes and soon the three started talking through his training schedule and what he wanted to accomplish.

Not knowing that someone else was watching from the trees and it was Tsunade and Kakashi.

She had her eyes narrowed on the gray hair man who just shook his head,

"It seems he still won't take responsibility for his own inaction."

Tsunade growled,
"Correction he has, he admitted his weakness and he admitted his faults. That is more than you have done. What the hell were you thinking teaching the Uchiha that move?"

"He needed it against Gaara."

She shook her head,

"What was sensei thinking putting you in charge of his training? I don't care what the village wants anymore with Naruto but I don't want you anywhere near him. At this point, he is marked as this guy and Jiraiya's student any harm that comes to them and you'll answer to me." She glared deeply at Kakashi, "Are we clear?"

Kakashi stared at her,

"That's fine with me. I don't want to continue with a student that failed to uphold the values of our team." Kakashi shushined away and this lead to Tsunade just sighing in more rage.

"What the fuck is happening in this village?"

Tsunade shushined away, hoping that this meant that Naruto would finally get the love and care he deserved after all the bullshit.

Sadly, tragedy would soon follow.

Chapter End