Three Years Interlude:

Training Regimen

1. Shadow Clones

Naruto wasn't simply wasting his chakra to form shadow clones as decoys. He learnt the true art of why the Second Hokage created the jutsu. Shadow clones weren't supposed to be used in active combat. It was to be used in stealth; gathering information from enemies. They required too much chakra to be used in combat, but that wasn't an issue with Naruto thanks to his Uzumaki genes.

Each clone discovered new information as it sparred Jiraiya, and when the he puffed them out of existence, their information was relayed to Naruto, learning new patterns and weaknesses. That was the very first time Naruto managed to land a hit on his teacher.

The sheer surprise froze the blond as the sanin stood back up, grinning proudly.

"Not bad, kid. This time I won't go easy."

Naruto grinned with pride, teal eyes narrowing with concentration.

He liked a challenge.

2. One-Hand Rasengan

Jiraiya, unlike Naruto, didn't show a speck of joy. Not one bit.

"Oh, come'on Pervy-Sage, wasn't that the coolest move ever?" Naruto cried, still reeling after the moment passed.

When the Sannin intended to teach Naruto to improve his Rasengan, he did not expect a giant blue ball of energy blocking out the sunlight. Too many disadvantages, he muttered inwardly. Naruto's from grew more rigid as Jiraiya listed the set-backs; huge waste of chakra, unsuitable for close range battle and therefore contradicting his usual style, still unable to single-handedly form a basic rasengan- overly reliant on his clones, thus further wastage of chakra to simply do one jutsu. And on top of all that, it takes speed to easily outmanoeuvre the attack, and unless Naruto has the accuracy of a Byakugan, an enemy with the skillset of a jonin could easily dodge.

An attack the Akatsuki would have no problem evading.

"What I meant was that you will learn to make a Rasengan with one hand."

Naruto gulped, fear palpable in his voice. "O-one hand? Gee... I don't know..."

The boy lacked self-confidence.

What a surprise.

"By the end of our training, you'll be able to do it with ease."

3. The Nine-Tales Chakra

Naruto fiddled with the grey cloak around him. He sighed, annoyed and tired.

"When are we going to get there?"

"In a few minutes," Jiraiya said, mirroring the same impatience. They were on the move again, travelling through a thick forest.

"I'm getting better at controlling two-tails, right?"

"Naruto, you nearly killed me," Jiraiya stated, his eyes serious.

He gave an apologetic smile. "I'm trying my best, you know?"

"You have to promise that you won't burn your new clothes like your orange tracksuit."

"I promise," Naruto said. Under the cloak was his burnt clothes, the charred material irritating his skin. "It was getting to small for me anyways."

"By the way, I have a letter for you from your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," he deadpanned, ignoring the wink his teacher gave him.

Dear Naruto,

It's been a while since I last saw you. I hope your training with Jiraiya-Sensei is going well. I know it can get quite lonely without your friends close by, so I hope this letter gives you strength. I hoped to send you a letter before, but Lady Tsunade said it was too dangerous. I'm glad you'll read this one.

Everyone here can't wait to see you again and are training really hard. Lady Tsunade had decided to teach Sakura, Ino and I medical ninjutsu. It's exciting to know that we're all students of a Sannin too. It's harder than I thought, but I can tell Sakura and Ino are enjoying it more than I am. I also want to learn the techniques of my clan and become stronger just like you.

Cousin Neji is training me well. No one is holding back. Kiba and Shino are going on more high-ranked missions since becoming Chunin and Akamaru's become much bigger too! Tenten's shown me some of her weapons and how to use them. As for Lee, he trains the hardest! He and Sakura are getting along really well. Gaara asks about you too, and though there's not much we can say, I know your probably learning a A-ranked jutsu right now!

I have more to tell you, but I'll see you all that in person. I know you won't be able to write back, but I look forward to seeing you again.

Yours truly, Hinata.

Naruto grinned widely. To think his friends are training just as hard as he is forged a steel of motivation.

"Pervy-Sage, why can't I write back?"

"No. Too dangerous."

Naruto frowned at the curt answer.

"Look, what are you going to tell her? How your training is going? New things you've learned? If the Akatsuki got their hands on that kind of letter, they will have crucial information that will be used against you. As I've said before, it too big of a risk."

"Yeah, yeah... I know," Naruto mumbled, dejectedly. He would love to let his friends know how his training went. Travelling was great at first; the sights, the adventures, the food. But after the novelty wore off, it was a lonely life. he hardly had a chance to make new friends, to share experiences and jokes with someone other than decades older than him.

And he missed Hinata's home-made food.

"Now remember, when we get to the village, I need to do some research for my new book."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the word 'research'. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Good kid," Jiraiya grinned wolfishly, "and then after we'll resume training."

At the reminder of his training, Naruto's frustration redirected itself to their earlier session.

"Come' on give me some credit, I can remember what I did when I'm in the one-tail form."

"While I'm grateful that you don't end up as an amnesiac, all it shows that you have begun to rise above your subconsciousness. It's improvement, but being aware of your actions isn't the same as controlling them."

"But it's a step up, right?"

"Yes, it is. Well done, Naruto."

Naruto beamed.

"By the way, you should really stop calling him demon, it pisses him off, y'know?"

"How often to you talk to the demo- er... fox?

Naruto shrugged. "Some times."

"And he talks back?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"Eh, when he's not being a moody bastard."

"I'm not taking his chakra anymore," Naruto declared.

"The whole point of this training is to control the beast!"

"'Cos he's supposed to be a weapon, right? I should use his power even if he doesn't like it, like a chakra battery?"

"It was put inside you for a very important reason, you need to understand that. You were chosen as the Jinkuriki of the strongest tailed beast so you could harness its power to protect the people precious to you. By refusing to do so on vague moral grounds is betraying the very trust the Fourth Hokage had in you as a child."

"I don't care. I'm not going to treat him like that. No one deserves to be trapped somewhere they don't wanna be, but I guess since our lives are connected, the least I can do is not steal his chakra."

"You have a substantial life force that is able to sustain the Tailed Beast without struggle, but that seal weakens as you grow. If you lose control, the beast will consume you completely! That is its goal. Your body will becomes its vessel. It will spare no chance to take over your body and mind. Learn to control its chakra, you will control the beast."

"It's just unfair a-and cruel to treat anyone like that!" Naruto retorted.

Naruto was older, taller, but not wiser. Jiraiya let out an exasperated sigh. His patience wore thin with age.

The beast inside the boy, for the first time in a millennia, relented at the passion of his host. No one had ever considered the him as a conscious entity, but a slave. The beast shook the vestige of gratitude his experienced for a split-second. He was a fool, give him time and he too will be just like the countless humans he'd seen throughout his life. Selfish and power-hungry. Naruto would grow up to enslave him too.

"Why me, huh? Why was I picked? Why not some other shinobi? I was a baby!"

"You're an Uzumaki, Naruto," Jiraiya said, his voice strained from holding back the truth of the night of his birth, "surely you know that your clan is known for their innate enormous chakra reserves which naturally gives a stronger life force."

"No, I didn't 'cause no one ever tells me anything about my family," he retorted gruffly.

"I see."

Naruto unfolded his arms, curiosity piquing at Jiraiya's quiet contemplation.

"...Did you know my parents?"

Jiraiya paused.

"I did."

"What were they like?"

"You have your father's looks and your mother's enthusiasm. They would have been proud of the young man you've become."

"Were both my parents from the Uzamaki clan?!" Naruto's voice grew excited as did the rapacious curiosity after finally being satiated after so long.

Jiraiya paused again before shaking his head.

"No, just your mother."

"Quit with the short answers, Pervy-Sage! Tell me more... my whole life I've wondered what they might be like... how happy I could have been if they were alive! You gotta give me more than that!"

"What else do you want to know?"

Naruto could hardly believe Pervy Sage literally asked him. It would be impossible to see a photo of them, so if Naruto found out what they were called then he'd feel closer to them. He felt his hopes plummet and crash when Jiraiya turned his back to him, a pregnant pause stretching the silence and swallowing his elation. His head jerked up as Jiraiya started to talk.

"What were their names?"

"Kushina Uzumaki was your mother. A scary woman at times, but she was also incredibly strong. And your father's name is..."

"Is what?" Naruto prompted eagerly, worried that he might change his mind.

"Minato Namikaze."

Naruto froze.

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

This was a joke. It had to be.

"T-The Fourth Hok...Hokage?" Naruto shook his head in denial, crossing his arms in frustration. "Is this a joke, Pervy Sage? 'Cause it isn't funny, y'know!"

"Namikaze isn't a name of a clan; your paternal grandparents were ordinary civilians. It's because of this Namikaze is a rare name and to give you your father's name would make you an easy target for enemies who hated Minato- and trust me, the Yellow Flash of the Leaf was in no short of enemies. On the other hand, if outsiders knew your mother was Kushina, the would have soon found out you housed the strongest tailed beast. You'd be in even more danger. Kidnapping, torture and death. The life-span of a jinkuriki isn't long. It was the decree of the Third Hokage that your heritage remain a secret to ensure your own safety."

"So why are you telling me this now?!"

"That law was to keep you safe as a child. You're older now and you understand the graveness of the situation you're in and are capable of defending yourself. You deserve to know the truth. There's no point in keeping it a secret anymore. Your secret status as the village's jinkuriki is compromised."

"The Fourth Hokage is my dad," Naruto breathed, still baffled. Relief cascaded over him and Naruto's face split into a grin. "The Fourth Hokage is my dad! And you were his sensei, right Pervy-Sage? Were you close?"

"Close enough to appoint me as your godfather. I'm sorry, Naruto. As much as I wish I was with you from the start, it wasn't possible. Not with the kind of missions I did," Jiraiya admitted, "but the Third Hokage looked after you."

Naruto pursed his lips, disgruntled. He didn't know if giving a monthly allowance to a child living all by himself was "looking after" him. He didn't remember the old man ever telling people off for bullying and abusing him over something he had no control over.

"If the Fourth Hokage put the Nine-Tailed beast inside me, the He believed in me right? He believed I can control it."

"Exactly."

"Okay, I'll give it another shot."

4. Fuuinjutsu

Travelling was fun. Naruto new the ins and outs of the Hidden Leaf, every small alleyway, every main road. He'd sit on the Hokage's stone head and wonder of the land beyond the village, wondered that if he left the village no one would bother go looking for him and bring him back. Sometimes, he believed the people and the fleeting thought of running away and finding someone who cares made him smile.

Now, he was traversing foreign lands with his sensei. As he trudged behind the old man, heaving as they ascended further up a mountain, wiping the trail of sweat down his forehead for the umpteenth time, Naruto realised it wasn't as glamourous as he imagined.

Not when he hadn't bathed in week a week and reeked worse than Akamaru. The journey to the mountain was strenuous, save for the boat ride that lead to to the island surrounded by peaks. He relished the respite as the glanced and awed at the whirlpools spinning like underwater tornadoes. Naruto knew that there was always some pearl of wisdom on his hikes with the Toad Sage, but his patience was wearing thinner with each puff of breath. Naruto couldn't help but feel a strange foreboding sense of nostalgia. It grew stronger as he followed the unbeaten trail behind his teacher.

The descent was easier, but his eye twitched in annoyance when Jiraiya stopped in the middle of nowhere.

"What's the big idea?" Naruto asked, his deepened voice sounding harsher than he intended. "we've been walking for hours to this pile of crap!"

"Naruto," Jiraya admonished, his tone sombre.

Naruto rolled his eyes as he looked at the broken buildings, cracks in what looked like used to be roads, crumbled infrastructure; probably an earthquake or something.

"This was the hidden village of the Uzumaki clan, Uzushiokugare."

Naruto choked on his won breath, his eyes widening as he observed the ancient village in a new light.

"Y-you mean this is were my mom was from? W-what happened here?"

"They were killed a long time ago. They were deemed to dangerous and the the only solution the powerful hidden villages was genocide according to the neighbouring villages. The remaining Uzumaki fled to different villages, some even changing their names to hide their true identity."

Naruto explored the ruins, bright eyes wide with sadness as he took in the former glory of his family's village. Death and destruction was the norm in a world of shinobis. It was cruel and ruthless, but despite Naruto's knowledge, his heart panged with despair. He climbed over the debris, using the chakra in his soles, to explore higher and further. He ventured in an empty building whose only sign that there used to be life was a torn red tunic. Naruto moved on to the next building, hoping to find a glimpse of his heritage he could treaure. He leaped over the gap and landed gracefully on the courtyard of the next ruin. His control of his chakra was infinite times better than when he was younger.

He walked inside the cavity, the si, lence unnerving his. He heard whispers that sounded oddly like his name. He shuddered, narrowing his eyes with new resolve. It was all in his head. The endless walls were lined with shelves. It was ransacked. Ashes of books dusted the floor, papers ripped from books, but there was one Naruto found in a readable condition. Naruto had never been so happy in a library.

"I found this book," he told Jiriaya that night, proudly showing his book.

"Ashina Uzumaki was the greatest master of fuinjutsu and the last Hokage of Hidden Village of Whirling Tides," Jiraiya stated, as his index finger ghosted over the authorship of the book. "His seals were ingenious...unbreakable."

"Can you teach me? I mean if it was what the Uzumaki were known for, I want to learn the sealing arts too!"

"I didn't dabble too much in fuuinjutsu. This book in your hand is a whole new level, it makes my knowledge of Fuuinjutsu look like child's play. How about you read on it, and then we can decide where to go after that?"

As the deepest part of the night settled and Jiriaya's snores echoed in the hotel room, Naruto was sat on a desk beside the reading reading lamp that illuminated a remnant of history. It shone on paper that hadn't witnessed any light in nearly a century.

It was full of blank pages.

"Fuck!" Naruto could have sworn he saw writing in the book when he picked it up at the library! Each page was lined with letters and ink! He flicked the pages, dread settling in the pit of his stomach. With a sign of defeat, he slammed his head on the book, feeling like a complete idiot. The second Naruto's forehead touched the paper, a jolt of chakra shot through his, electrifying his senses. He flung up and his spine straightened as ink oozed out of the papers, forming writing.

The first page was the only paper unblemished by the tragedy. It was clean, uncrumpled; not a single speck of dust sitting on it. Magically pristine. The ink was protected by some kind of chakra, Naruto realised. He was too shocked to ponder on how he triggered the seal. One simple line graced with page:

'The true blood of an Uzumaki is the blackness of ink."

The Sealing Arts, Akira Uzumaki.

To seal, to hide: the fundamental purpose of the art is to seal and object or chakra within a medium. This medium may be an inanimate object, human, or universal plane.

To restrain: seals are tools of control. They are used to trap and subsequently control objects, attacks and creatures, thereby allowing the user control over their chakra. All creatures have the potential to be sealed, however the strength and complexity will increase if the intended creature possesses vast chakra.

To store: seals are cloaking devices. They have the ability to store objects and chakra for lengthy periods. These are accessed by the user as he wills.

To redirect: seals are used as a medium. A seal that is performed with the purpose of redirecting requires two related glyphs into separate spaces. The primary glyph absorbs the chakra and is released through the secondary glyph. This pseudo-teleportation technique requires a high level of mastery and is dependant on the user's chakra reserves. The greater the chakra reserve, the more chakra the seal is able to absorb and pass successfully.

Elemental Chakra Sealing Methods:

D-Rank: Absorption

The user perform the following seal upon themselves: 然 The seal absorbs elemental chakra from the enemy therefore reduces the impact of the attack. The seal relies on the continued chakra it absorbs rather than the user.

Disadvantage: seal negates the user's abilities to also use elemental chakra.

Requirement: intermediate level chakra control.

Rank C: Obstruction

The user places the same seal directly upon the enemy. This disrupts their ability to use elemental chakra. Speed and stealth are crucial in order to perform the seal effectively.

Disadvantage: the seal's power is temporary. It should only be used as a delay tactic.

Requirement: requires close proximity with enemy. Advanced taijutsu is mandatory.

B-Rank: Immunity and Deflection

The user places a specific nature seal on the battleground. The seal absorbs chakra to protect the user from all directions; they become immune to the elemental ninjutsu. The chakra is stored until the seal is opened: opponent's chakra is used against themselves.

This protection can be shared with allies within a close parameter, however it requires additional chakra and hand-signs (refer to chapter of Advanced Hand-Signs p. 456).

A larger parameter requires expendable chakra to enlarge the original seal. The elemental chakra is blocked corresponding to the following glyph:

To negate Lightning-Release: 雷

To negate Wind-Release: 気

To negate Water-Release: 海

To negate Earth-Release: 土

To negate Fire-Release: 火

Disadvantage: chakra exhaustion due to the amount chakra used to sustain the seal for prolonged periods.

Requirement: Advanced chakra control.

A-Rank: Escalation

This technique is the gateway to block extraordinary chakra transformations. Upon mastering the basic elemental sealing formula, a basic seal is stacked with its matching dual element seal to form a new nature transformation the user intends to seal. For instance, to block an Ice-Release ninjutsu, a wind seal is stacked upon a water seal.

This method can be expanded to seal nature chakra that require a combination of three elemental types. For example, to seal a Crystal-Release ninjutsu, earth seal is placed first, then stacked with a fire and water seal. When the correct seals are stacked in the correct order, the user is potentially immune to all possible elemental ninjutsu. Many combinations are possible, however the danger of this venture has wrought fear and many avoid exploring this stage of the art. Few combinations have been confirmed:

土 +火 = immunity to Lava-Release

土 +火 + 気 = immunity to Crystal-Release

土 + 気 + 火 = immunity to Dust-Release

海+ 気 = immunity to Boil-Release

土 + 雷 = immunity to Magnet-Release

雷 +海 +気 = immunity to Storm-Release

火 + 気+ 火 = immunity to Scorch-Release

Disadvantage: incorrectly stacked seal cause arbitrary explosions that may cause serious damage to the user and, depending of the amount of chakra released, death.

Requirement: Advanced Fuuinjutsu and mastered chakra control.

S-Rank: Exploitation

A seal is performed on a dying person of possessing a chakra nature in order for the living to usurp its power. The seals must correspond to the chakra nature of the dying body. An additional glyph is performed: 動. This seal redirects the chakra from the body and compels it to latch onto the surviving life-force. The intended life-force is the one who casts the seal, however can be redirected if the process is interrupted.

Naruto shuddered as he read the next lines:

Disadvantage: if the transferred chakra is incompatible with the new life-force, the user will die within in short period. There is no cure.

Requirement: Mastery of Fuuinjutsu, chakra manipulation and taijutsu.

That night Naruto Uzumaki didn't sleep at all, the information relaying endlessly in is mind.

5. Senjutsu

"Happy birthday, Naruto!"

The lanky blond beamed as he opened his present. His eyes were practically shining as he slid on the scarlet jacket and posed in front of the hotel room mirror. The material was soft under his fingertip as he caressed the fabric. The black embroidery were dark flames dancing above the hem of the jacket, and the collars jutted upwards, reminding Naruto of the 4th Hokage's own cloak.

His dad. It was still awkward to think he was the infamous Yellow Flash's son. The decorated hero of the Hidden Leaf. The face of the statue he vandalised as a child. His father was always watching over him.

The red was a reminder of his Uzumaki heritage. The red swirl of the Hidden Village of the Whirling Tides. He'd make both his parents proud of him.

"I love it, Pervy-Sage!"

"It was from Mount Myboku. The home of some old friends who showed me some pretty powerful jutsus."

"Can you take me there some day?"

"Sure, kid. One day."

A/N: It appears I can still write apparently. But it feels like I've lost my touch and passion which is a shame because the plot I have in mind is dramatic, but I don't have the time or energy to complete it.

I imagined this chapter like a training montage hence the abrupt cuts in scenes.

I think this is the bare minimum Naruto should have learnt in the time-skip. Naruto's lack of improvement during the time-skip in the actual series was ridiculous compared to Sasuke and even Sakura. He literally learned the basics of dispelling genjutsu and how to make a bigger Rasengan. He couldn't even make it without a clone.

I suppose you could argue that it was because unlike them, Naruto was slow and a "dunce", basically shown to be an idiot. Yet, he learned a kinjutsu moments after reading it, improvised the Rasengan with a clone. Seems like the author was torn between portraying Naruto as a boy who succeeded through hard work and perseverance despite his unfortunate circumstances... or Jesus-ninja, the reincarnated son of the guy who invented ninshu, and the prophesised child that would save the Earth.

Also, I can't be the only one annoyed by the obsession with the Uchiha clan and ignored all other clans.. like idk... the main character's clan?

Please review!