After being dismissed Naruto figured he should get a hold of Kakashi sensei to train him as he was trying to avoid Hayate for now. He also figured might as well check on Sasuke, since he was going to be at the hospital anyway.

He finally got to the hospital only to be denied visitation of Sasuke. Damn, jerks, why couldn't they just let him see Sasuke. They were on the same team anyway. It wasn't long though before Kakashi sensei got down to the main lobby.

Kakashi sensei said, "Keep it down Naruto, this is a hospital".

Naruto replied, "Kakashi sensei, I need…"

Kakashi sensei cut him off and said, "I already know what you are going to ask. So I have already been looking into someone to train you for the finals".

Naruto asked, "But why can't you train me sensei"?!

Kakashi sensei replied, "I don't have time to train you Naruto. I have another matter I have to attend to".

Naruto read between the lines and said, "I knew it, you're going to train Sasuke aren't you"!

Kakashi sensei answered, "Now now, don't complain. I found you an even better teacher than me".

Naruto asked, "Well, who is it"?

A familiar voice cut in, "It is I"

Naruto knew the voice instantly even if he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings.

Naruto turned around to the familiar voice and yelled, "You! You damn closet pervert"!

Ebisu replied, "Such insolence".

Kakashi sensei asked, "What did you call him"?

Naruto turned back to Kakashi sensei, "Are you kidding me? Of all the guys you could've picked, you picked the guy weaker than me"?

Kakashi sensei asked, "Why do you say that"?

Naruto replied, "He saw my harem jutsu once"...

He got cut off by Ebisu putting him in a choke hold. Naruto tried to yell out, but his yells were replaced by gasps for air".

Kakashi sensei asked, "Harem Jutsu"?

Ebisu answered, "Oh it's nothing, just a little joke we shared".

Ebisu gave an unconvincing laugh, before he answered, "Shut up about that and I will buy you anything you want to eat for lunch. Barbeque, sushi, ramen, or anything; you name it".

Kakashi sensei said, "I never knew you two were so well acquainted. But Naruto, if you want someone else, I can ask your cousin Hayate to train you. I am sure Honoka can take over training for Karin. Honoka afterall has the better skill with her chains".

Ebisu released his hold on Naruto so Naruto could answer, "NO NO NO! Ebisu sensei is perfect! No need to tell Hayate where I am".

Ebisu patted Naruto's head while giving his own answer, "Yes, why me and Naruto go way back. He is like a little brother".

Naruto knew Kakashi sensei didn't buy it, but Kakashi sensei decided to play along.

Kakashi sensei said, "Alright then, I leave Naruto in your capable hands, Ebisu".

Kakashi sensei then turned around and walked away.

At least Naruto would be able to fleece Ebisu out of a big lunch at Ichiraku.

After an impromptu training session of evasion, stealth, and misdirection via shadow clones, which Naruto was ashamed to say he lost, they got Ichiraku and Ebisu laid out his assessment of Naruto's abilities. While he was happy that Sasuke wasn't perfect at something, it was a bit of a gut punch to be reminded of where he was deadlast and of his status as Jinchurki. Even if Ebisu never actually said that Naruto's stamina came from the Nine Tails. At least Ebisu finally told them what they would be working on, chakra control through the walking on water technique.

Ebisu took him to the village's hot springs and gave him an explanation which Naruto had to admit went over his head. Though he understood it once Ebisu demonstrated it.

So Naruto tried it, and he fell into the scalding waters of the hot spring. It took Naruto the better part of an hour before he finally started to not immediately fall into the hot spring. Though he was still submerged to his ankles, at this point the heat didn't bother him as much.

Naruto was too busy trying to get the hang of the walking on water technique, to focus on the annoying laughter that was cutting through the air. Ebisu's sudden yelling broke his concentration and Naruto fell into the hot spring.

Ebisu started going on some rant about not peeping at some old geezer who was peeping at the girl's bath. Which earned him a knockout in less than five seconds.

Naruto got out of the water and went over to check on his closet perv of a trainer.

Naruto said, "Hey perv, are you awake".

He gave him a small kick before deciding to really see if he was out cold. The old, Thousand years of Death!

Turns out the closet perv was completely out cold.

So Naruto left the unconscious perv behind and he ran towards the old geezer.

Naruto yelled, "Hey Frogman! What was that about?! Who do you think you are anyway"?!

The old Geezer replied with a big show, "I'm glad you asked, I am the hermit of Mount Myoboku. The wise and immortal spirit. That is right. It is I, the Toad Mountain Sage, Jiraiya"!

Naruto, now even more confused, asked, "Toad Sage? Jiraiya? Why does does that name sound so familiar"?

Naruto continued, "Well, listen, you pervy sage, what are you going to do about this? This guy is supposed to be training me, but you laid him out flatter than a bath mat"!

Jiraiya said, "Well, he shouldn't have interfered with my research".

Naruto asked, "Research"?

Jiraiya said, "Yes, I am novelist. A writer of great works like this".

He pulled out a copy Icha Icha: Make Out Paradise.

Naruto yelled, "Huh? Are you kidding me? You wrote that"?!

Jiraiya said, "Yes, I see you know it"!

Naruto couldn't believe that old perv was willingly taking credit for writing such trashy perverted novel.

Naruto yelled, "You call that pervy trash a novel?! Research? Yeah, right. Just an excuse for you to peek at girls in the bathhouse"!

Naruto's yelling must have alerted the girls as, as soon as he stopped yelling, he heard a bunch of screams followed by frantic running.

Jiraiya yelled, "Look at what you have done! You ruined my peeking, I mean research"!

Naruto said, "Dirty old man".

Jiraiya, now angry, yelled at him, "You little shit. There's nothing dirty about it! I happen to be a serious artist who's inspired by youth and beauty! That's all"!

Naruto responded, "Yeah, right. Like anyone believes that. But forget that, what about my training"!?

Jiraiya said, "Hmm, your training? You mean the walking on water technique, you were having so much trouble with?

Naruto asked, "You can do it"?

Naruto continued, "Ok, then its up to you to teach it to me. You at least owe me that".

Jiraiya said, "Stop bothering me kid, I'm busy".

Naruto yelled, "Come back here you pervy Sage! Where is your sense of responsibility? You gotta train me"!

Jiraiya yelled back, "Not on your life! I cannot work with someone who has no respect for a true artist! Plus, I don't like kids".

Naruto said trying to butter up the old perv, "Uh, actually I thought your book Make-Out Paradise was really good. Also interesting and informative".

Jiraiya said, "Liar, the purchasing or reading of that book is prohibited for anyone under the age of 18".

Naruto asked, "Like that ever stopped anyone. Besides just look at my last trainer, pretty much everyone who has ever trained me has been a giant perv in one way or another! I read the reviews though, and they were great".

Jiraiya said, "Fair point about that first part, but do you really think that's going to work on me? What do you take me for, an idiot? I'm a Goddamn Sage! Save your breath kid, you can't butter me up".

Naruto tried to stop him but the damn old perv created a massive gust of wind which kept him at bay before taking off and gloating.

Naruto had to admit that was cool and the fact the old geezer was such a perv didn't detract from it. Well at least he was a sensor type, and that perv had a lot of chakra, so it would be easy to find him.

Which it was. It took only about 10 minutes before Naruto managed to track him down again. Naruto found him getting slapped by a lady for getting a bit too handsy.

Naruto said, "Great, this guy is an even pervert than all of my other trainers and sensei combined".

As Naruto approached he heard Jiraiya say, "Ah, the women in this town are no friendlier than before. Oh well, I like them feisty".

Naruto asked, "So you have been here before"?

Jiraiya turned around and said, "You again"?

Naruto yelled, "I'm surprised they don't make you wear a leash. You old pervert"!

Jiraiya tried to shush him, "You know I really wish you wouldn't use the word, pervert".

Naruto yelled, "OH YEAH!? HOW ABOUT A JOKE?! BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE MISTER, A JOKE! FIRST I GET STUCK WITH A CLOSET PERV, NOW I GET STUCK WITH SUPER PERV"!

Jiraiya then grabbed him and stuffed him in a giant barrel.

Naruto yelled, "HEY LET ME OUT OF HERE! YOU OLD PERVERT"!

Once Naruto got out, he had to go hunt that old perv down again. It took him a bit longer as the perv was trying to lay low, but Naruto still found him. Now this time, Naruto was done playing around. So he threw some shuriken at the unsuspecting old perv who dodged and hid behind the root that he was leaning on.

The pervert then tried to use a transformation jutsu to make it look like he used a substitution jutsu, but he couldn't trick his sensory abilities. So Naruto decided to trick him back by pretending to fall for it. Which the old pervert fell for.

Naruto finally got the old pervert to talk to him and cut a deal. So he promised to find what the old pervert was looking for.

When Naruto finally found it and brought it too the old perv, the perv had the gall to get mad at him despite the perv not being clear.

Jiraiya said, "Now I must be off, I wasted enough time as is".

Naruto asked, "Hey what are you talking about? What about my training"?

Jiraiya said, "Who gives a flying fig about your training?! I have my research to conduct"!

Naruto said, "You think I don't have better things to do than hang around a pervy old man like. I gotta train till I am stronger than anyone, cause I'm going to pass the Chunin exams and then become Hokage, you know"!

The old man suddenly had a sad smile on his face for a half second before going back to his usual smug look.

Jiraiya said, "Huh, that's a good one. You wasted enough of my time. I have to get back to my research and for that I need a lovely lady. No fruits or vegetables, but a lady".

Naruto asked, "A lady? Is that it? Why didn't you just say so? Do you want a blonde or redhead"?

The old perv said, "Surprise me, kid".

Naruto performed the ram seal and transformed. The smoke cleared to reveal a gorgeous redhead.

Jiraiya screamed as he flew back like a dozen meters. It took the old perv a few minutes before he got back up and started yelling at him, "GODDAMNIT YOU SICK BASTARD, WHY DID YOU GO AND DO THAT"!

Naruto asked after dispelling the jutsu, "What the hell are you talking about you old pervert".

Jiraiya yelled, "WHY DID YOU GO AND TRANSFORM INTO A NAKED WHISKERED VERSION OF YOUR MOTHER?! SHE IS ALREADY GOING TO KILL ME A DOZEN TIMES OVER AGAIN WHEN I DIE, SO WHY DID YOU HAVE GO AND DO THAT"?!

Naruto asked, "You knew my mom"?

Jiraiya called himself down and said, "Yeah, I did. I know who you were from the beginning too, but I wanted to see how much you have grown and who you took after more. You may have gotten your father's coloring but you got your mother's stubbornness and ability to torment people".

Naruto asked excitedly, "Really"?

Jiraiya smiled, fussed Naruto's hair, and said, "Yeah, you're a chip off the old block. You reminded me of your parents when they were your age. Always going on about how they would become Hokage. Let's go find a quiet place away from prying eyes and ears. We got training to do".

So they left for the forest and set up shop on the banks of one of the tributaries of the rivers that went through the entirety of the village.

Naruto asked, "So how did you know my parents"?

Jiraiya said after taking a drag of his pipe, "They were very special people to me. Your parents were like the kids I never had. I won't lie and say I've never hit on any of her Uzumaki kinswomen, maybe even gotten to know a few before the Hidden Whirlpool was attacked"...

Naruto said, "Gross".

Jiraiya continued, "As I was saying, she was like the daughter I never had so I was shocked and completely taken aback by your transformation jutsu".

Naruto corrected, "Sexy jutsu, it's called the sexy jutsu".

Jiraiya replied, "Not helping yourself kid, but for the future, only blondes. Okay"?

Naruto said, "You got it, Pervy Sage".

Jiraiya said, "I told you not to call me that, but oh well. My only consolation is that you won't escape her wrath either. Especially given that a part of her chakra was incorporated into the seal that holds the Nine Tails, so god only knows how many times she has seen you pull that stunt".

Naruto gulped, he had a feeling that even ignoring the fact that he must have unintentionally based his redhead sexy jutsu on the redheads he knew which included her, she probably wouldn't be happy on how often he used the sexy jutsu at all.

Naruto asked, "So if my mom hated perverts, how did you guys know each other so well"?

Jiraiya grimaced before answering, "Who said she never got on my case about my research? She may have been a kid no older than you when we first met, but she certainly knew how to throw a punch. I wouldn't say she hated romance or even my books, otherwise you would have never been born. But she reserved all her energy for one man".

Naruto said, "Gross, are you trying to get back at me, Pervy Sage? Also who was that man"?

Jiraiya replied, "A little bit, at least until I can get that mental image out of my head. Also, are you really that pigheaded or are you just trying to get me to spill the beans about who your father is"?

Naruto answered, "Can't blame a guy for trying. All I know is that everyone says that they loved each other a lot and loved me even more".

Jiraiya said as he laughed, "True enough", he continued, " I've never seen a woman so happy about having a child. As was your father. I can still remember the day they told me and the day they asked me for their blessing".

The old perv gave the sad smile of someone who was seeing an old sweet but painful memory in his mind.

Naruto asked, "Why would they need your blessing? Are you my grandpa"?

Pervy Sage laughed for a full five minutes before he answered, "No kid, I'm not not your grandpa. I'm your godfather. They asked me for my blessing to name you, Naruto. After the main character of my first novel".

Naruto, shocked, asked, "WHAT?! I NAMED AFTER THE CHARACTER OF A PERVERTED NOVEL"!?

Jiraiya laughed before he answered, "No, but now I wish they did"!

The old perv laughed some more as Naruto scowled at him.

Jiraiya said, "My first novel was an adventure story along with my own philosophical musings. It was a commercial failure, but your parents really liked it. I might have a copy somewhere, maybe at Mount Myoboku. I'll find it and give it to you sometime. Maybe after you become a chunin".

Jiraiya muffled Naruto's hair before he got up and said, "Alright enough reminiscing about the past. I got to train you for the finals. Let's finish up with the walking on water technique so we can get to good stuff".

Naruto said, "Alright!

So he channeled his chakra molding it around his feet, then he walked over to the river bank where it overlooked a deeper section of the river. He barely took a step onto the water when he fell in.

Which caused him to yelp out at how cold the water was. Then as soon as he was out of the water he grumbled to himself about how he should have known to take his clothes off first. As soon as he took off his pants, shirt, and jacket; Pervy Sage told him to try again.

The next thing he knew was Pervy Sage hitting him in the gut with some kind of jutsu that sent him flying. Before Naruto could even complain, Pervy Sage told him to try walking on water again.

This time though when Naruto tried it, it worked perfectly and he began jumping around in excitement at finally being able to master the jutsu.

Pervy Sage called out, "Hey Naruto, now it's time for the real training to begin. So get over here".

Naruto hurried over and Pervy Sage asked, "Alright, so for the next stage of your training, we're going to work on drawing out some of the power of the Nine Tails".

Naruto asked, "First off, what was that jutsu you hit me with? Secondly, you know about the fox"?

Pervy Sage said, "It was the Five Pronged Seal Release. Someone put an odd numbered seal over the even numbered 8 trigram seal that the Fourth Hokage used to seal the Fox within you. Of course I know about the fox, I knew your mother".

Naruto said, "Oh right. I bet it was stupid snake creep in the Forest of Death. That attacked us".

Pervy Sage asked, "I'll explain who that is later, but for now we're going to focus on your training. Now tell me, who is your first opponent in the finals? It's best to focus on the first match so you can plan it out and minimize the amount of chakra you use while also looking the best for the judges. Granted for you the chakra issue is less of a concern".

Naruto said, "Alright! I'm facing Neji Hyuga. That jerk is going to pay for what he did to Hinata".

Pervy Sage rubbed his chin for a moment before saying, "I see. A Hyuga. The thing about the Hyuga is that they have three primary strengths. The first and most obvious is their Byakugan which grants a 360 degree field of vision, x-ray vision, and the ability to see chakra points. The second strength is Gentle Fist Taijutsu style which lets them attack your chakra network and prevent you from molding chakra. In members of the main household it can also be taken to higher levels like being able to emit chakra from all over their bodies and then rapidly spin creating a defensive barrier that is pretty hard to beat. Chakra control is their third strength but we essentially covered it with rotation. Now from what I have heard is that you're mostly a close range fighter and besides shadow clones, transformations, fuinjutsu and kenjutsu; you have a fairly limited arsenal. Which can't be helped that much with only a month, but we can do three things. In order to teach you how to use the power of the fox we got to figure out how to call on it and burn up most of your regular chakra. Do I make myself clear"?

Naruto said, "Yeah! Watch out for attacks to the chakra points, sneak attacks don't work, and I'm going to learn a new jutsu"!

Pervy Sage sighed and said, "That's the part you focused on? You really are like your mother. Naruto, can you recall using a chakra other than your own"?

Naruto thought about it and said, "Yeah, When I was in the Land of Waves I remember using a different chakra than my normal chakra. I didn't know it at the time but old man Katuso said it was the power of the Nine Tails".

Pervy Sage said, "Good, now do you remember what brought it on"?

Naruto said, "I thought Sasuke was dead and it filled me with a rage I've never felt before".

Pervy Sage said, "So rage and being in a life and death situation brought it out. Interesting. Well, nothing we can do but have you rest and meditate on it".

Naruto asked, "Rest?! But we just got started"!

Pervy Sage said, "Your chakra network needs time to rest and recover from removing the seal that was throwing off your ability to mold chakra. Besides, we have a lot of hard work ahead of us. Let's go eat, take a bath, and then we'll get started in the morning".

Naruto said, "Fine, but you're buying".

Author's Note: For anyone wondering, there is nothing weird going on with Naruto. He has the redhead version specifically to mess with people like Iruka who had a bit of a crush on Honoka but he never actually asked her out. So, Naruto didn't intentionally base it off his mother just taking and exaggerating traits he knows like his normal sexy jutsu. But because of his facial structure already resembling Kushina pretty heavily it ended up looking like her.