Naruto: Journal of Hope
After the second half of the Chunin Exams Naruto is passed over by Kakashi to train Sasuke. Angry, he storms out and runs far away to an almost forgotten place. There he stumbles across a journal, written by his mother and holding the secrets of his lineage. Inspired by his parents' love, hope and dreams, he decides to become the Ninja his parents believed he could be.
AN: I know the chapter was supposed to be Legendary Sucker v the Golden Fox of Luck, but I figured the title of 'Golden Fox of Luck' should come up later. It will also feature minor spoilers from the newest Naruto One Shot Manga that came out that focused on Minato, Kushina and the Rasengan called 'The Whorl within the Spiral'. So go check it out, it's a really good read.
Chapter XVII: Inheritance of the Spiral
It had been roughly a day since Naruto's encounter with the Akatsuki, and Sasuke's brother - Itachi Uchiha. The short battle had left Sasuke comatose, mildly injured and utterly humiliated. Gai had taken Sasuke back to the village to get him medical treatment, while Jiraiya and Naruto continued on their mission to find Tsunade. Hopefully, once they found Tsunade she would be able to treat Lee, Sasuke and Kakashi. But Naruto was still worried. Sasuke had been pretty banged up in his fight with Itachi and he worried if he was going to ever recover from such a beating. He also worried about how Sakura was going to react to seeing him in the hospital again. But he knew he couldn't worry about that right now. He had to find this 'Tsunade' person and bring her back to the village.
If she was as profound a medical ninja as Jiraiya had claimed, then she would be able to heal Sasuke. Currently, they were headed to the next town where Tsunade was last spotted, but before he left, Gai gifted Naruto one of his Green Jumpsuits.
"Still can't believe you kept that," Jiraiya said as he and Naruto walked towards the next town.
"I think it looks cool, plus it could be useful later as training gear," Naruto argued as Jiraiya sighed.
"I really shouldn't argue fashion with a kid that wore Orange for the majority of his life," Jiraiya muttered to himself.
"Says the man dressed like a kabuki dancer?" Naruto retorted as Jiraiya chuckled a little. "...Hey, Pervy Sage," Naruto said as Jiraiya looked at him. "This group that's after me, the Akatsuki, do you have any idea why they want the Nine-Tails inside me? I doubt it's so they can have a tea party. Do they plan to use its power against Konoha?" he asked as Jiraiya shrugged.
"I'm not sure, but they will be after you. The Nine Tails are the strongest of all the other Tailed Beasts and villages have always sorted after them since the First Hokage's time. But it's not impossible to say they won't go after the others, but I don't have much information on them yet." Jiraiya said as Naruto nodded, but a dark thought came to him.
"...And my friends…are they going to get caught in the crossfire too?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"If I have to be honest, yes. To get to you they may go through your friends. From what I know, their members consist of High-Level Shinobi, more powerful than you or myself. But the life of a Shinobi is not one without risks, and they know what they signed up for. But don't worry, so long as I'm here, I will protect - "
"If that's the case, then I just have to become stronger. I won't let my friends get caught up in this, I will protect them with my life!" Naruto interrupted him as he glared with determination in his eyes, so intense that Jiraiya saw Minato and Kushina's will inside him as he smiled.
"Well said kid," Jiraiy said as Naruto nodded. "Now let's get a move on, the sooner we find Tsunade, the sooner she can fix up that Sasuke kid and your friend Lee,"
"Hey, this woman we're looking for, Tsunade. Aside from being a Medical Ninja and the granddaughter of the First Hokage, what is she like?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya hummed to himself.
"Well, like I said she was my teammate back during my Genin Days. She was annoying and is a compulsive gambler, being well known in a lot of countries because of both her medical ninjutsu and her gambling addiction," Jiraiya listed off as Naruto shrugged.
"Well, that will make it a bit easier, if she's a famous gambler it shouldn't be that hard to track her down, right?" Naruto said as Jiraiya chuckled.
"Oh yeah, she's famous alright. She's known far and wide…as the Legendary Sucker…" he said as Naruto stared at the man.
"...you pervert…"
"Not like that! I mean she's terrible at gambling! She has such bad luck, if she ever wins something it means something really bad is about to happen!" Jiraiya said as he sighed. "Which was odd, because her grandfather the First was notorious for being extremely lucky at gambling. Some say she picked up his habits from him," he said as Naruto raised a brow at that.
"Well, if she sucks at gambling, I doubt she stays in a place for too long," Naruto guessed as Jiraiya nodded.
"You would be correct, she has a habit of changing her appearance to hide from her debt collector. She may be my age, but she uses a Jutsu that makes her look like she's in her 20s, 30s or even 40s just to escape her debt collectors." Jiraiya noted as he recalled her developing the Jutsu years ago.
"So, what? We got to look in every pachinko bar, casino and gamblers den we can find?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"Unfortunately. But, I know a place that can help us narrow it down. Come on," he said as Naruto followed after him.
Shortly they arrived at a large town that was a popular tourist spot and was currently hosting a festival of some sort. It was filled with stalls, casino bars and other festive activities. Naruto was looking around in awe, as he had never been to such an event. Back in his youth, he was barred from attending the festivals, mostly because he was hated by everyone and wouldn't even bother severing him or letting him play games.
"Whoa! This is awesome! I have never been to a festival before!" Naruto said as he looked around.
"Well take it easy, we're here to find Tsunade, remember?" Jiraiya said as Naruto nodded.
"Do you want me to send some clones to look for her?" he asked as he crossed his fingers ready for the Jutsu.
"No, my latest intel said she wasn't here. This stop is more of a gathering mission. I'm going to hit up some contacts I know and find out if they heard anything. In the meantime, you should just enjoy the festival after what happened."
"Are you sure? I mean shouldn't I be helping you find her, or at the very least start learning this Jutsu you want to teach me?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya shook his head.
"Kid, everyone needs a break every once in a while. Despite being a Shinobi you're still a kid as well, you need a break otherwise you'll burn yourself out. Trust me, we'll find Tsunade, just be a kid for a bit, okay?" he asked as Naruto sighed.
"...Okay, I'll see you in a bit," Naruto said as he walked away. Jiraiya smiled as he watched his godson walk away.
After the incident with Itachi, he knew the boy needed to get his head cleared. With the Akatsuki after him, his teammate and sensei in the hospital, he knew the boy was going to start worrying and overthinking things that would distract him. He needed this small break to just stop worrying about the big things and just enjoy being young.
"Trust me…" Jiraiya said to himself as he walked towards one of the bars. "This is for the best," he said as went off to gather 'intel'.
Meanwhile, Naruto was walking around the festival as he took in the sights and sounds of the bustling place. As stated before, Naruto wasn't allowed to be anywhere near the festivals back in Konoha. Mostly because all the adults would deny him service, and when he was younger, the villagers could get especially drunk. Not the best place to be when you're considered the pariah of the village.
"I know Pervy-Sage said I should just enjoy myself…but I feel like I should be focused on looking for this Tsunade lady, especially after what happened to Sasuke and Kakashi-Sensei…" Naruto said to himself as he looked at the stalls and then to the casinos. "I could start looking into stuff myself. But I'm underage, so I doubt they'll even let me through the doors." Naruto reluctantly relented as he decided to just enjoy the festival while he could.
"Oh well, there's not much I can do right now…hey, maybe I can find a gift for Sakura-Chan and Hinata," he said he thought of Sakura made his heart flutter…and strangely so did Hinata as her smiling face passed through his mind. "...That has been happening a lot recently, what is happening to me?" he asked as he went around the festival.
After playing a few games of luck, which he surprisingly excelled at, he found himself a decent present for Sakura. But he made sure it wouldn't be misinterpreted as a romantic gift. If he did, no doubt she'd give him a good whack on the head. A small Sakura flower pennant and a white lily-shaped pendant. He figured Hinata wouldn't mind something simple, and white Lilies represent purity. Something he could easily describe Hinata.
He soon found himself wandering past one of the bars, chewing on a grilled squid, when he heard a loud boisterous laughter that he instantly recognised. Walking in he found Jiraiya as he was sitting on the couch with gorgeous-looking women hanging off each arm.
"Hey, Naruto~! *Hic* Did you enjoy the festival?" Jiraiya asked with a slur as Naruto nodded.
"It was…fun," Naruto said as he honestly smiled. "...I can see you've been busy, is this really how you gather intel?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"The key to gathering intel my young apprentice *Hic* is to look like you're not *Hic* gathering any at all…" Jiraiya slurred slightly as Naruto raised a brow.
"...that doesn't make any sense…" He said as Jiraiya waved his hand.
"You'll get it when you're older…" Jiraiya said as Naruto sighed.
"Whatever, so did you find anything or are we-" Suddenly he was bumped into by two guys, one of which was wearing a white coat, as the food in Naruto's hand landed on the man's coat.
"Hey, you urchin!" one of the men with a bald head yelled. "You just got grilled squid on the boss's designer suit! That costs 100,000 Ryo! You better payback for it!" the bald man yelled as Naruto raised a brow.
"That costs 100,000 Ryo?" Naruto commented as the guy grew angry.
"Did you hear me!? I said fork over the cash, brat!?" the thug said as Jiraiya shook off his drunk stupor and stood up.
"If you paid 100,000 ryo for that piece of clothing, I think you got ripped off. It's tacky," Jiraiya remarked as the bald man growled.
"Shut it, old man! Do you have any idea who this is!? This is Akoki, a former Chunin from the Land of Stone! He's a legend!" the bald man claimed as Naruto raised a brow.
'This guy was a chunin?...he doesn't look it,' Naruto thought as Jiraiya chuckled.
"Legend? …never heard of ya," he remarked as Akoki growled.
"You want to get hurt, old man!? Fine! I'll make you and the brat pay!" Akoki yelled as Jiraiya stood up and held up his right arm.
"Naruto, pay close attention. This is the Jutsu you'll be learning next…" he told Naruto, as he watched Chakra begin to manifest in his palm. He watched as the chakra took the shape of an orb as it raged inside like a handheld tornado.
'W-What is that Jutsu? …the chakra…it's like a hurricane in the palm of his hand!' Naruto thought as the thug lunged at Jiraiya who thrust the Rasengan into his chest, grinding his suit, and then launched him and his buddy clear out of the bar and into a poor vendor's stand.
"Whoa…" Naruto could only say as he saw the Rasengan in action.
"That is what you'll be learning next," Jiraiya commented as he caught one of the water balloons. "Huh, perfect, just what I need," he said as he walked up to the downed thugs.
"W-What did you do?" the former Chunin asked weakly, as Jiraiya smirked.
"I just saved your life, you're lucky I was holding back. You guys are weak, don't go making false claims about being Shinobi, that's a quick way to get yourself killed" he said as he reached in and took his wallet. "I'll be taking this as a victory fee," he said before handing some of the notes to the Vendor. "Here sorry for the mess, and can I buy all your water balloons?" Jiraiya asked as the vendor nodded, while Naruto looked at the spiral marking in the man's shirt.
'That's the Jutsu…My Dad made?' he asked himself as he stared at the mark.
"C'mon Naruto, let's get going, we've caused too much commotion for one day. It's time to get started on your next training," he said as Naruto nodded and followed after him. Later the pair were at the top of the cliff surrounding the town, as Jiraiya placed down the back full of water balloons.
"Okay, this should do it. Alright, now, are you ready to learn a new Jutsu?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, but that Jutsu you used on that guy before, that was one of my dads?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"Yep, but before I start teaching you, I want to know what the Jutsu looks like to you. Describe it for me," Jiraiya asked as Naruto tried to focus on what he saw.
"It looked like you gathered your chakra in your palm…made the chakra spin around violently, yet it was contained in the sphere. But when you hit it against that guy, the Chakra ground against that guy and then was unleashed in a powerful burst and sent that guy flying…At Least that's what I gleaned from watching it. By the way, what is it called anyway?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"Basic, but that's a good start. This jutsu was created by your father, and it took him three years to create it. It's called the 'Rasengan', it is an A-ranked Jutsu that is considered the highest form of Chakra Shape Transformation. With it, your father was able to defeat many strong opponents. It's even stronger than the Chidori your friend Sasuke knows," Jiraiya told him as Naruto stared in awe.
"Whoa, that sounds cool…so, um…what's with the water balloons?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya smirked as he picked up one from the bag.
"Glad you asked. You know with the Tree climbing you learned to gather and maintain a certain amount of Chakra in certain areas, and with the Water Walking, you learned how to release a certain amount. Well, your father took both of those concepts and combined them. With this part what you need to learn is to rotate the Chakra in your hand, by creating a steady stream of Chakra like so…" he said as he used his Chakra to start churning the water rapidly inside the balloon, the edges of the balloon beginning to spring out randomly before it popped. "Once you've mastered this step, we move on to the next stage. I can't tell you how to break the balloon, you need to figure that part out on your own," he said as Naruto nodded.
"Okay, let's do this!" Naruto said as he crossed his fingers. "Hmm…there's about 25 balloons in there…Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he summoned roughly twenty versions of himself as each grabbed a balloon.
"Hmm, interesting. Do you think you can figure it out with the Shadow Clone trick?" Jiraiya asked. "I have to warn you, this is not an easy Jutsu to master even with the Clones. It took your father three years to develop it and it took me months to master it as well. Think you can do better?" he asked with a slight smirk as Naruto nodded.
"I have to try, if my old man created this then I have to master it too!" Naruto said as he focused his Chakra on the balloon and tried to get the chakra to burst the balloon.
"Okay, well while you do that," Jiraiya said as he brought out a sake gord from his shirt and sat down. "I might as well have a drink," he said as he sat down.
"Okay guys, let's do this!" he yelled as the clones nodded and started to try and burst the balloon.
A few Hours Later
However, it seemed much harder than they originally thought. He was able to get his chakra to spin around inside the balloon. But despite the fact they learned to gain better control of their chakra, the balloon didn't pop and the Chakra would only swirl around in the balloon. Not as strongly as when Jiraiya showed him.
"How's it going over there?" Jiraiya asked as all the Naruto clones and Naruto himself looked annoyed.
"I can't seem to make the balloon pop! No matter how hard I try it just keeps swirling around…" Naruto said as he watched the balloon swirl gently inside before he took a deep breath. "Okay, think…the Rasengan wasn't just swirling in one direction, it was going all over the place…there's got to be a way…" he said out loud as he and his clones continued to try.
"Tell you what, I can give you a little hint…Now, when you've been spinning the Chakra, which way is it heading?" he asked as Naruto raised a brow.
"Um…to the left, I think…" Naruto said as Jiraiya nodded and inspected the top of Naruto's head before nodding.
"Well, see, here's your problem. Your chakra rotation is a right not left," he said as Naruto raised a brow.
"Rotation?"
"Right, see as you recall from the Chakra exercises, Chakra is formed when a Shinobi blends Physical Energy with their Spiritual Energy. But what you don't know is that everyone subconsciously builds up Chakra by rotating it either left or right. If you're a Right Rotation and you're spinning the Chakra to the left, you're just counteracting yourself," Jiraiya explained as Naruto raised a brow.
"How did you figure that out?" he asked as Jiraiya pointed to the top of his head.
"It's your hair, if it grows to the right, right rotation. To the left, left rotation. Pretty simple, but hopefully this should give you a better idea of how to rotate your chakra in the right direction," he said as Naruto nodded.
"Cool, so what rotation was my dad's?" He asked as Jiraiya chuckled.
"Your dad was interesting, he had two of them in opposite directions," Jiraiya recounted, as he remembered long ago when he helped Minato create the Jutsu.
"Really!?" Naruto shouted slightly flabbergasted.
"Yep, it meant that he could rotate his Chakra in either direction. It was one of the signs that he was a genius in the making. But don't let that discourage you, you'll become even stronger than him one day. I know it," he said as Naruto nodded with a smile.
"That helps, okay guys, turns out we need to spin it to the right!" he yelled out to the clones.
"Ha! I told ya!" one of the clones shouted as Naruto shook his head.
"Yeah, yeah, let's just get back to this," he said as Jiraiya had a small chuckle at this. The clones continued to rotate the water to the right as now they could rotate the chakra more effectively, but at this point, it was just swirling around. Stretching the balloon to a flat discus-like shape, but not popping. This continued for a few more hours as the sun began to set, and he was still unable to make the balloon pop. He had a better idea of rotating his chakra, but no matter how much he made the water in the balloon spin, it wouldn't pop.
"I think that's enough for today, Naruto. You can try again in the morning," Jiraiya told him as the boy was panting heavily as he nodded and dispelled the clones.
"Fine…I swear I almost had it…" He complained as Jiraiya rolled his eyes.
"Sure you did, now come on," he told his young ward as they went back to their hotel room.
Later in the early morning, Naruto rose from his mat as he stumbled his way to the bathroom. He yawned as he passed by the landlord's cat, and he gave a passive way on his way.
"Hey kitty…" he mumbled as he went to the toilet and went about his business. But as he left the bathroom, he noticed one of the water balloons had rolled out into the hall, and now the cat was batting it around between its front [aws. "Hey, that's not a toy!" he said as he was about to stop the cat when suddenly the balloon burst and the cat scurried off. But Naruto just stared as looked at the ruined balloon and the water now spread along the ground as a grin suddenly spread along his lips.
"Hey…that gives me an idea…" he said as he ran back into the room and grabbed one of the water balloons. He held the balloon in his left hand and focused his chakra on his right. He imagined spinning the water one with chakra in his left hand, while also spinning it the other way with his right hand. The balloon suddenly began to grow bumpy like when Jiraiya performed it and then.
Pop!
The balloon popped as he grinned. "Okay, that method works…" Naruto said as he grinned. "Thanks, kitty," he said as scratched under the cat's chin, who purred in delight, before he went to show Jiraiya. "It's not the same as how Pervy Sage did it, but it's progress." he then looked down at the sleeping sage as he grinned. He then repeated the process as he dumped the water on Jiraiya's face.
"Gah!" Jiraiya screamed out as he shot up from the futon to see Naruto standing over him.
"Stage One Complete," he smirked as Jiraiya blinked with a sleep-deprived look on his face, and got up wiping the water off his face.
"Well, good morning to you too…Okay, let's see what you've got," he said as Naruto repeated his earlier process and popped the balloon.
"What do you think?" he asked Jiraiya, who fell back to sleep. "WAKE UP ALREADY!"
"Sorry about that, I was up all night doing important information," Jiraiya said as Naruto was somewhat sceptical.
"Right, that's what you call it…" Naruto said, while internally Jiraiya was going over what he saw.
'Interesting. By steadying the balloon with his left hand and applying the chakra in his right hand he's found an alternate method to rotate his chakra. Honestly, I doubt even Minato would've considered such a method. He's a weird kid, but weird isn't bad. I'm sure Kushina would've agreed,' he thought as he smirked. "So, I'm curious as to how you came up with this method?"
"It was thanks to Shu here," Naruto said as he picked up the cat that walked by.
"...A cat?"
"Yeah, when I noticed how he batted the balloon around with his paws it made me realize that the chakra in your balloon wasn't swirling in one direction but in multiple random directions. This is a temporary solution for me, and I need to refine my chakra control more to spin the Chakra in one hand like you do. But this way I can get past the first stage and work on the next one. I know my father took three years to make this Jutsu. But if I want to be able to protect my friends, I need to master it as soon as possible…" Naruto said with determination as he recalled Sasuke getting brutally beaten by his brother. Jiraiya stared as he could see the growth that Naruto was making, he knew his weaknesses and was determined to get better. It made him proud.
"Okay, then let's consider the first stage complete," he said as Naruto grinned. "Now, let's get to work on the next stage," Jiraiya informed as Naruto nodded, but clenched his hand. 'The strain is starting to get to his circulatory system…but that's nothing compared to the second stage,'
Later, Naruto and Jiraiya stood in a small clearing just near the town. Beside him were a few dozen sets of bags. Some were full of water balloons, while the others had rubber balls, and Jiraiya held up one of them.
"Now, while your clones work on refining the first stage again. You, my young student, will be working on the second. Are you ready for this?" he asked as Naruto nodded. "Good, now for this lesson you're going to pop this Rubber Ball," Jiraiya said as he held up the ball. "The First stage was about learning to rotate your chakra randomly in your palm. The next step is to add 'power' to your Chakra, like this…" he said as the rubber ball began to vibrate, bulge randomly and then pop with a loud bang. Naruto swallowed slightly at that.
"That looks a lot harder than the first stage…and hurts?" Naruto commented as Jiraiya chuckled.
"You have no idea. Your father injured himself a fair bit when he created this stage. But it's necessary if you want to have power behind the Rasengan, otherwise, the Jutsu isn't effective. Think you can handle it?" he asked as Naruto grinned.
"Just you wait, I'm going to get this down just like I did the first stage!" Naruto proclaimed as he grabbed one of the balls and created around seventeen shadow clones. One group went to work on the first stage again, while the other seven worked on the second.
"Not having a hundred work on this?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto shook his head.
"It's different from the first stage like you said, and the Shadow Clone Jutsu splits my Chakra amongst the clones. So I figure I'm going to need fewer clones to have more Chakra. Here we go!" Naruto shouted as he used both his hands to generate enough chakra to spin rapidly inside the rubber ball to blow it up…only it wiggled a little and then nothing. "Damn, I was right…it's way harder than the first stage," Naruto said as Jiraiya nodded.
"Hehehe, you can say that again. Without any water it's harder to gauge your chakra's rotation, that's part of the lesson here. Learning to gauge how much Chakra you put into the Rasengan," Jiraiya commented as Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, but I ain't going to let that stop me! Let's go, guys!"
"Yeah!" / "Alright!" / "Let's do this!" His clones shouted as they began working on mastering the second stage of the Rasengan while the others tried to refine their first steps.
"Well, while you're doing that I'm going to do more research. See ya later kid," Jiraiya said as he began to walk away.
"Hey, aren't you going to stay and help me?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya shook his head.
"Nope. If I gave you all the answers you'd never really learn. To be a Shinobi is to learn to master some things on your own. If you can't, then you won't be able to protect the ones you care about." he told Naruto the boy's eyes widened briefly as memories of Sasuke being beaten by his brother swarmed his mind as he glared and became focused and fierce.
"I won't let that happen," he told him as Naruto went back to his training, Forcing his Chakra into the rubber ball with more determination than before as the rubber ball continued to fight against him. But nothing would stop Naruto Uzumaki from mastering this technique.
Nothing.
Konoha - One Week Later
Meanwhile, back at the village, Sakura looked over the comatose form of her teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, as she stared at his face. Her eyes drifted to the curse mark on his neck as she became more concerned than before. When she found out both her sensei and Sasuke were admitted to the hospital she was constantly worried. The last she had seen Sasuke he was rushing out of the village looking for Naruto. The fact he was carried back on Gai-Sensei's back made her heart drop into her stomach, both for Sasuke and Naruto who hadn't returned with him. She was relieved slightly when she learned from Gai that Naruto was fine, and he was continuing on a mission with Jiraiya. At Least Naruto was safe, she was reassured. But Sasuke on the other hand, was a different matter. According to the doctor, Sasuke had been beaten thoroughly by a strong opponent. He suffered internal bruising and a broken wrist and according to Gai, was placed under a powerful Genjutsu that rendered him comatose. And since then he had not woken up. It caused her heart to ache, and her soul to worry about her teammate and crush.
It also made her worry about Naruto, since he was also out there somewhere on some unknown and classified mission. If Sasuke had been beaten so effortlessly, then what were the chances that he could end up like Sasuke? Yet, she also remembered how much stronger Naruto had become, and how he always seemed to push himself on when anyone else would fall.
"...Sasuke-Kun…Naruto…" She gripped her dress as her brow furrowed. "Why am I always the one left behind?" Suddenly the door opened and she turned to see Ino walk in, a large bouquet in her hands.
"Hey, how's Sasuke-Kun doing?" she asked as Sakura shook her head.
"Still out, the doctors said they healed his wounds, but whatever happened to him has left him comatose, like Kakashi Sensei…" Sakura said as she brushed some hair off his face. "All we can do is wait until he wakes up," she said as her eyes were filled with melancholy and sorrow. Ino stared at her as she sighed and walked over as she grabbed Sakura by the arm. "Ino, what are you!?"
"Come on, you've been sitting here for the past week staring at his face. You need to get out before you start growing roots into the chair," she said as she dragged the pink-haired girl out of the room.
"B-But Sasuke-"
"Will be right here when you get back. Like you said, he's in a coma and it's not like we can do anything to speed it up. So come on, we're having a 'girls' day out'. Get our minds off all this drama we've been dealing with," Ino said as she dragged an unsure Sakura behind.
"I-I guess so…" Sakura said as Ino rolled her eyes before she spotted Hinata as she was walking past.
"Hey, Hinata!" Ino shouted as the Hyuga girl jumped slightly as she saw Ino and Sakura.
"I-Ino-San? Sakura-San, hello. How is Sasuke-San?" Hinata asked as Ino shrugged and gestured to Sakura.
"Still unconscious, Sakura here has been sitting by his bed for the past week. I want to get her out of her funk and take her to a tea house, want to come along?" Ino asked as Hinata twiddled her fingers together.
"I-I don't know, we haven't hung out before. I fear that I may be bothersome?" Hinata said as Ino shook her head.
"It's fine, we all need a break from this whole dreary period we're going through. We made it through the Chunin Exams and the Sand/Sound Invasion, we should vent and relax. Plus it would be nice of us to get together and chat about the good old days at the academy, the only time we've met up was during the exams," Ino said as Hinata was conflicted.
"W-well, I don't have any missions today, Neji-San is away on a mission, and Father will be busy with Clan matters…Okay, I guess I can spare some time," she said as Ino grinned and dragged both of them to the tea house.
Later three of them soon found themselves at the local tea house, as they sat on the bench under the shade of a tree. Three cups of green tea and a plate of wagashi between them as they sat in awkward silence. Even though Sakura and Ino had decided to put aside their petty rivalry between them, the pair still had trouble talking to each other. And Hinata was not used to hanging around other girls, seeing as most of them back at the Academy only ever talked about Sasuke, so she had avoided hanging out with them. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves above them, as they watched the villagers pass them by.
"...so this is a little awkward huh?" Ino seared as she decided to break the ice. "I mean me and Sakura haven't hung out since we were kids, and I can't even recall the last time anyone hung out with you Hinata, no offence!" Ino quickly apologized.
"N-No, it's quite alright…I'm…not very good with other people," she said as Ino sighed a breath of relief. "But this is enjoyable…" Hinata said as she enjoyed the peace.
"It is…but a lot has changed now, huh?" Ino said as Sakura and Hinata nodded.
"You can say that again," Sakura said as the three sipped their tea.
"First the Chunin Exams, the Invasion and now the Third Hokage retiring…something I never thought I'd see. It's all a lot to take in, huh?" she asked as they nodded.
"Tell me about it, so much is changing," Sakura said as she watched the leaves in the trees.
"I-I still scarcely believe we made it through the invasion…" Hinata said as she recalled the worry she had for Naruto as he fought against Gaara.
"Tell me about it, when I came to and found out about it, I was so scared. I could've died that day because of a genjutsu…" Ino said as she recalled waking up after the battle and seeing all the destruction that had occurred while she was unconscious from the enemy Genjutsu. "Makes me realize dad and sensei were right, I need to focus more on my training,"
"It was a good thing our sensei were there to protect us," Sakura said as Ino nodded.
"Yeah, thank goodness for them. Our Sensei's are strong I can tell you that…but I tell you what, the most surprising thing out of all of this was Naruto," Ino said as Hinata and Sakura turned to her. "I mean look at him, when we knew him, he was the annoying kid back at the academy screaming that he would become Hokage. But he's different,"
"I know what you mean Ino. At first, I thought he was still going to be the same. But now he's different, not as impulsive as before and can take on a monster as tall as a building…I'd hardly believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," Sakura said as Ino and Hinata nodded, while Hinata blushed recalling how brave Naruto was.
"Y-Yes, Naruto is always full of surprises…but I'm glad he didn't get seriously hurt," she said as Ino and Sakura nodded.
"Although, If anybody was trained by the man who trained the Fourth Hokage himself, I reckon anyone could get that strong. Maybe even Sasuke-Kun? Still, why did he choose to train Naruto of all people? I mean, he was the weakest of all of us back at the academy, he could barely perform the Bunshin Jutsu. Now he uses the Kage Bunshin Jutsu that supposedly Jonin struggles with and can learn more jutsu in half the time thanks to it. When did he get so strong?" Ino asked as Sakura nodded while Hinata narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah…it's strange huh? Can't believe how much stronger he's become," Sakura said while Hinata gripped her tea.
"He was never weak," Hinata said as Ino and Sakura raised a brow.
"Say again Hinata?" Ino asked as Hinata shook her head.
"Naruto-Kun was never weak…" she said as she looked at them. "He has always been strong, it's just that no one ever really noticed him," she said as she recalled watching him. "Everyone who ever saw him always thought so little of him, always saw him as someone to ignore or shrug off…but the truth is, Naruto-Kun is one of the strongest people I know…" Hinata said while Sakura and Ino listened in. "Sure, he isn't as talented as Sasuke, and he struggles with things the rest of us find easy…" Hinata then smiled as she recalled him training hard. "But he always puts a hundred per cent into everything he does, no matter how difficult it is…it inspires me," she said as Sakura also recalled back in the Land of Waves when he wouldn't give up on the chakra control exercise. "Naruto-Kun is someone I believe will become Hokage…because he showed me how to find my strength," she said with a smile on her face and a soft blush on her cheeks.
Ino and Sakura blinked as they stared at the young Hyuga. They understood the girl had a crush on the Uzumaki, being that way since the academy, but in the entire time they knew of her they had never seen her stand up for Naruto like this. It showed how much Naruto affected her. Giving her confidence and determination they had never seen before. They also realized that the girl wasn't just crushing on him like they did with Sasuke.
What this girl had was true genuine feelings for the blonde Uzumaki.
"Wow…I guess Naruto's not the only one that's changed," Ino said as Sakura nodded. "Look who's come out of her shell," Ino said as Hinata blushed and twiddled her thumbs.
"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to go on like that," she said as Ino waved her hand dismissively.
"It's fine, no need to apologize. But it does remind me, how long have you and Naruto been buddy-buddy? Last we checked he barely knew your name," Ino said as Hinata let out a small eep. "Come on girl, spill the beans! We know something happened over the month break to get you two closer together! Spill! Give us the details!?" Ino interrogated the poor Hyuga girl who leaned away with a blush.
"I'm curious about that as well, Hinata. So, you might as well just tell us," Sakura said as she too was just as curious. Hinata blushed as she fidgeted.
"W-Well…during my recovery N-Naruto-Kun came and v-visited me in the hospital. It was initially just a way to learn more about Neji…but then he started visiting more and more and…" she blushed as held her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment. "Next thing I know we're hanging out more… it's been the best time of my life…'' She said Sakura and Ino started before the latter grinned.
"Well good on you girl! It's about time that knucklehead started noticing you!" Ino said Hinata blushed deeper while nodding all the same.
Sakura on the other hand was watching with a strange feeling in her chest. Sure, Naruto annoyed the heck out of her and her love was eternal for Sasuke. But hearing how much Hinata was getting attention from her crush…
Well, it made her a little jealous.
On the one hand, she was happy for Hinata, she was a fellow maiden in love, and her love was starting to be noticed more. On the other hand, she was jealous that she was getting more attention from Naruto when Sasuke rarely said more than a few sentences to her. And that wasn't counting their missions together. She loved Sasuke, she knew she did. But maybe it was time she started to appreciate her other teammate more. Because she had a feeling that once Naruto realized Hinata's feelings for him…
She might not have him around as much.
Back with Naruto
Naruto was panting heavily as he held the rubber ball in his hand. For the last week and a half, he had been trying to make the rubber ball explode as Jiraiya did. But while his Chakra control was better than it used to be, the Rasengan was harder than any Jutsu he had learned before. The first group managed to refine the first stage more, requiring him to not bat the ball around and instead have him place both hands on the ball to rotate the chakra around. But while it helped to improve his chakra control, so far it only resulted in him making small puncture holes in the balls.
"Damn…this is a lot harder…then I thought…" Naruto managed to stay in between breaths, as his hands ached from Chakra burns and exhaustion. "My Dad created this Jutsu…but it must've been a lot harder making it…" he said as he slowly got back up and grabbed another ball. He had dispelled his clones, as he was low on Chakra but was too stubborn to quit. In the week since he passed the first stage, he had improved his chakra control more. With the help of the clones reworking the first stage, he had managed to improve, as he no longer needed to bat the ball to spin the chakra. But now he was facing the challenge of making his chakra burst. He wasn't able to generate enough power and it only made small holes in the ball. Leaving behind a swath of deflated rubber balls.
"Come on…" Naruto placed both hands on the ball as he gathered his chakra. "This time…this time for sure…" The rubber ball started wiggling and bumping as the chakra inside began to rage and surge in all directions. But just when it looked like it had reached its peak…
It deflated into an anticlimactic sagging rubber pile.
"Damn…another failure…" Naruto moaned as he threw the ball away, and discarded it amongst the pile of defeated rubbers. He looked at his hands as they shook slightly, and his palms were slightly signed from chakra exertion. "This is a lot harder than I thought, but I know I must be getting close…"
"Well, you're making progress…" Jiraiya said as he walked up behind him. "It took your father over a year to make his rubber ball explode. The fact you reached this stage in only a week and a half is impressive. Albeit with the clone technique. If your father had your stamina, and chakra levels, he would've gotten a lot further. But tell you what, how about I give you a little tip," Jiraiya said as Naruto raised a brow.
"A tip? Sure, why not," he said as Jiraiya gestured the boy over as he took out a brush and painted a small swirl on his palm. "Uh…why did you draw this on my palm?"
"Here, look at this paper," He instructed Naruto as he did.
"Okay?"
"Good," Jiraiya then turned the paper around and showed the other side, but had the same swirl in the centre of the paper. "Now look at it…" he said as Naruto stared at the swirl in the centre. "Have you figured it out?" he asked as Naruto stared before his mind suddenly clicked.
"...Oh! I get it! I was more focused on the swirl this time and not the whole paper! This means I have to concentrate my chakra into a single point, right!?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded with a chuckle.
"You got it, told ya relearning those basic lessons would help ya figure it out. During the month's training you had, we had to refocus on your concentration. It's gotten better, but your mind still tends to go all over the place, just like your Chakra. But if you focus on a singular point you'll be able to bring out the maximum power," Jiraiya advised as Naruto nodded. "But that's enough training for now, let's take a break," he told the boy as he handed Naruto an ice pop who smiled and took the treat.
"Thanks, Pervy Sage," he said as Jiraiya grumbled at the nickname. "So hey, did it take my dad three years to create this Jutsu?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"Yep, he worked day and night to create the Rasengan. Once he had his mind set on something, nothing could stop him," Jiraiya recounted.
"That sounds cool. The Rasengan is really hard, it must've been the greatest Jutsu he ever created huh?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya chuckled.
"Here's the thing. The Rasengan is incomplete," he said as Naruto blinked.
"What!? No way! With how difficult it is! How can it be considered incomplete!?" he shouted as Jiraiya flinched back from the yell, and massaged his ear.
"I'm right next to you, there's no need to shout!" Jiraiya said as wiggled a finger in his ear. "But yes, the Rasengan is one of his incompleted Jutsu he never got to finish. He reached the ultimate level of Chakra shape manipulation and was planning on adding his own Chakra Element into the Jutsu. But he never got around to it. It was too hard, even for him…and of course…" Jiraiya didn't need to finish as Naruto nodded.
"Oh...Right…so…if he never completed it, what was it going to become?" he asked as Jiraiya shrugged.
"Who knows, he might have had an Idea of what it could become, but we'll never know. Maybe you will complete it?" he said as Naruto smiled.
"Really?" Naruto asked with a bit of excitement.
"Don't get ahead of yourself kid," Jiraiya interrupted him. "That kind of Jutsu would be far too advanced for a kid like you, even with the Shadow Clone trick. Not to mention the effects it could have on your body if you're not prepared for it. There is always give and take with Jutsu's. So just focus on mastering this before you even think about progressing any further," Jiraiya warned as Naruto nodded.
"Okay, okay, whatever you say pervy-Sage,' Naruto said as Jiraiya gritted his teeth at the pervy comment. "Man with the way you make out this Jutsu dad must've had some powerful enemies to face," Naruto groaned as Jiraiya.
"Well he did make an enemy of the Entire Land of Earth…but the truth is your father created that Jutsu for your mother," Naruto blinked at this as he looked at the man. "It's true, your father created that Jutsu for your mother. During the Third Great War, other Countries were using Jinchuriki in battles all the time, shifting the tides of War from one way to the next. And in all likeliness, your mother was going to be deployed into battle. But compared to the other Jinchuriki, your mother would be in a tight spot. The Nine Tails is the strongest of the Tailed Beasts and the Hardest of all to control, especially against their Bijuu Bomb attacks,"
"I heard Gamabunta say something about the Bijuu Bomb, it's like a powerful Jutsu they use?" he asked as he recalled Shukaku yelling out something like that during his fight with Gaara.
"Yep, it's an ability only Jinchuiriki and Tailed Beasts can use, and it has incredible destructive power. But Kushina, from what I understand, had difficulty mastering such a technique and she was to be deployed to the front lines. So, to combat it, your father designed the Rasengan for her. He got the idea from the Bijuu Bomb itself, and wanted to give the Jutsu to her," he explained, recounting his own experience against the 5 and 4 tails jinchuriki.
"Did he ever teach her?" Naruto asked out of curiosity as Jiraiya shrugged.
"Hmm…you know, I can't rightfully recall. By then the War was over and the Treaty was in place, so she wasn't needed on the frontlines anymore. He might've taught her afterwards, it was his gift to her, but I guess we'll never know…fun little fact, she came up with the name for the Rasengan," Jiraiya recounted as Naruto raised a brow.
"Mum named it?" he said as Jiraiya nodded. "What was it originally going to be called?" he asked as Jiraiya narrowed his eyes in remembrance his eyebrow twitched.
"… 'The Ice Pop Inspired Nimbus Jiraiya Twin Whorl Sphere' …" he said with an absolute deadpan expression as Naruto stared.
"...that's awful! And way too long!" Naruto suddenly shouted as Jiraiya sighed.
"Tell me about it…your father was a genius when it came to Ninjutsu, Sealing and other fields of the Ninja Arts, but when it came to naming things…he sucked at it," Jiraya said as he looked at the ice pop in reminisce as he smiled. "But there was never any doubt that he wanted to protect the ones he loved. He created that Jutsu, not to defeat his enemies. But to protect the ones he loved, and he did so to his final days…" he looked over to Naruto as he smiled. "This Jutsu is more than a tool for you now, Naruto. It's an Inheritance of your Parent's love for each other and you. And how even now they will always be with you,"
Naruto looked at the man before he turned to look at his hand, and just stared at it for a long time. For a moment he imagined his parents' hands were grasping his own. Each of them gave him gentle encouragement, as they watched over him from beyond the mortal plain.
He never had much from his parents, and never really gave much thought to it. Heck, he didn't even care about his last name Uzumaki, thinking it was just a random name the old man gave him after he was born. But finding out about them, the history of his lost clan, and knowing the reason behind the Rasengan made him want to master it even more. He wanted to make his parents proud of him, and one day even surpass his current form and become the Shinobi his parents believed he could be. Suddenly getting an idea, he altered the swirl on his hand as it now resembled the symbol of the Konoha Symbol.
"All right! I've got it this time!" he shouted as he felt invigorated to try again.
Jiraiya watched as Naruto closed his eyes and began to focus. He imagined a pure white void, devoid of life and matter. Until the Konoha Symbol appeared and he focused his Chakra on that point, his eyes snapped open as he grasped the ball with his hand and the ball bumped and shook violently until finally…
KABOOM!
A large wave of wind and chakra exploded from Naruto's hand, as the rubber ball exploded into shreds and he was thrown back by the force of the blast. He came to a sudden halt, as Jiraiya managed to catch the boy, who looked down with a proud smirk on his face.
"Well what do ya know…you pulled it off, nice going kid," he said as Naruto looked up and grinned, even though his hand was slightly burned from the chakra explosion.
"Told ya…" he said as Jiraiya chuckled.
"Never doubted you, kid…" Jiraiya said as he picked up Naruto and took him back to the hotel. "Come on, you need the rest, for tomorrow, you will begin the final stages of Rasengan training. And if you thought the first two stages were hard…" he grinned slightly.
"This one is on a whole other level."
One week Later - Land of Sand - Orochimaru's Hideout
Orochimaru screamed in agony as his arms continued to rot away. The pain was practically unbearable as he curled himself inward on his bed. "Argh! M-My Arms! My Arms! ARGHHHHH! D-Damn you! Damn you Sarutobi!" Orochimaru screeched in agony as the pain in his arms was unbearable. The attendant beside him reached over towards his master.
"Lord Orochimaru! Please, you must take your medicine! Quickly-" he never got to finish as Orochimaru swiftly killed the man effortlessly and splattered his blood all over the room. Orochimaru glared as his arms ached in pain.
"Please Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto said as he stood by the door. "It would be wise if you just take the medicine, I designed it myself after all," Orochimaru glared at him as sweat rolled off his body.
"I don't need that crappy medicine…" Orochimaru snarled as Kabuto raised a brow. "This pain…is a result of that damn Jutsu…Sarutobi used on me…simple Medicine will not work…at least not by our current standards…"
"Indeed, who would've thought that the old Monkey had one more trick up his sleeve?" Kabuto said as he crossed his arms.
"It must've…been a final resort…one he had kept hidden…clever bastard…" Orochimaru cursed as the pain made it hard for him to speak. "The Symbol I saw on his chest…it's no doubt an Uzumaki Seal…it's the only explanation…"
"I see, I recall you told me about them, they were renowned Seal Masters, and had extensive life spans. It's a shame we don't currently have a living Uzumaki. Should we search the ruins of Uzushiogakure? Although I doubt we will find much seeing as it was picked clean by the warring nations, too bad most of them died off," Kabuto said as Orochimaru grunted in pain.
"The Uzumaki's were crafty bastards…if they had secrets they must've hidden them well…and I have leads to follow…but that can wait till my arms - gah! Till my arms aren't trying to kill me! …have you located Tsunade?" he inquired as Kabuto nodded.
"Almost, we've narrowed down her location to somewhere in Tanzaku Street. But we need a few more days for an accurate confirmation," Kabuto informed as Orochimaru grunted in pain.
"The best medicine…is often the hardest to find…" Orochimaru said as he panted in pain.
"Forgive me Lord Orochimaru, but what makes you think she'll even help us? I know she left the village some time ago, but I doubt she'd help us after we just invaded her old home, wouldn't it be more likely that she'll try and kill us rather than help us?" Kabuto asked as Orochimaru grinned.
"Princess Tsunade…has no love for her former home…she lost both her brother Kawaki and her former Lover Dan during the Wars…any attachment she had died with them…I doubt she even cares anymore," Orochimaru wagered as Kanuto was sceptical.
"And what if she decides not to help us? It's not like we can take her ourselves, considering you no longer have access to the Jutsu you spent years cultivating, and she's just as strong as you and Jiraiya. We'd need an army to even have a chance to subdue her," At this point, Orochimaru grinned as he looked at his apprentice.
"Fear not Kabuto…all we need…is the right…motivation…" he grinned as he had a plan to pull Tsunade over to his side.
Omake: The Golden Fox of Luck
Earlier in the Week, Jiraiya sent Naruto into town to fetch some supplies. He had been progressing with the Second Stage of the Rasengan, and the perverted hermit decided he needed a break. So, he sent Naruto into town, while Jiraiya went off to do more… "Research".
"He should just admit it's peeping, it's not like he's keeping it a secret," Naruto grumbled as he walked around the streets. "Still, if he manages to find her using his 'Research' I will be impressed. But seriously, how hard is it to find this Tsunade person anyhow?" Naruto said as he looked around.
"Hey kid," he suddenly heard as he looked over to see a rather shady-looking man as he stood outside a rather impressive-looking casino. It seemed that he had unknowingly walked into a more 'seedier' section of the town. Where the laws were a little more 'loose' and the gamblers allowed anyone, young or old to gamble their hard-earned Ryo away. Law enforcement didn't do anything, provided they were paid to 'look the other way'.
"Did I hear you right, you're looking for someone named Tsunade. Would this person happen to also be The Legendary Sucker?" he asked as Naruto blinked then nodded.
"Yeah, do you know where she is?" he asked as the man shrugged.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't?" he said as Naruto raised a brow.
"Well, which is it? Do you or do you not?" he asked as the man put an arm around the kid's shoulder.
"Relax kid, I'll tell ya, but you have to do something first," he said as gestured inside. "If you can manage to win a few games, I may be willing to share whatever information I have. You lose, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said as Naruto stared at the man.
'Weird guy…but if he knows something about the pervy sage's friend, then I guess it's worth a shot,' Naruto thought, while the man grinned. As he entered the casino, above in the observation box, the owner of the casino grinned as he saw his favourite henchmen bring in another sap to milk dry all his Ryo.
"Ah, so he brought in another sucker, good work Shu..." the owner said before he noticed Naruto's headband. "Hmm, a Leaf Shinobi, that could be trouble… Eh, it doesn't matter. This kid will be too easy, and the amount of debt he'll owe will put him in my favour for a long time. A few little secrets can go a long way, for the right price. It will be like taking candy from a baby," the owner grinned as his man led the boy inside…
5 Minutes Later
"Get out!" the Owner yelled at Naruto as the security guards escorted Naruto out of the building.
"Hey! What's the big idea!? I won, didn't I!? You're supposed to tell me what you know about this Tsunade woman!" Naruto yelled as the owner felt a vein burst on his forehead.
"Yeah! And the only thing I know is that you are her complete fucking opposite! There is no way anyone is that lucky! You cleared out all my tables! All the machines spat out nothing but coins whenever you pulled the lever! And the Pachinko Machines are one of the most difficult machines to beat! YET YOU KEEP WINNING!" he yelled as he clicked his fingers and his men drew their swords. "And now you're going to pay for it!" he said as the men were prepared to attack, while Naruto drew out his Kunai knife in defence. But before they could attack, Jiraiya appeared out of nowhere and knocked the two out.
"Hey, there you are, Naruto. Was wondering what was taking you so long?" he said as Naruto smiled.
"Boy, am I glad to see you pervy sage! This guy said if I won his games he'd tell me about Tsunade! I won and he just kicked me out!" Naruto yelled as Jiraiya turned to the scared man.
"Oh is that so?" he said as the Toad Sage grinned at the man. "You know it's illegal to allow minors into a Casino, right? And I've heard rumours of a place that was swindling anyone young or old out of their money. Well, I think the authorities would like to know why such an establishment exists?"
"Y-You wouldn't dare! I have connections in this town! You and that brat would be dead by dawn if you tried such a thing!" the Owner threatened as Jiraya grinned.
"Really? Well, you're a gambling man…" he stepped forward before staring into the man's eyes as the owner felt fear course through his whole body. "What do you think your chances are against me?"
The owner shook as he could instantly tell this man was no joke. He was the genuine article, and his threat was serious. He cursed as he threw a suitcase at Naruto and the young boy raised a brow.
"J- Just take these winnings and never let him step foot in my casino again! I'll go broke if he ever does!" the owner yelled as he and his men hurried back inside.
"...Well, that was weird?"
"Tell me about it. You have to be more careful Naruto. Why would you go into a Casino of all places?" Jiraiya lectured as Naruto crossed his arms.
"He said he knew something about this Tsunade lady we're looking for, I thought I could help," Naruto said, as he looked away. Jiraiya sighed as he placed a hand on the boy's head.
"I know you're worried about your friends. But you don't have the intelligence-gathering experience that I do. Trust me, we'll find her," he said trying to reassure Naruto who pouted. "Just have some patience, I promise,"
"...Okay…" he relented as Jiraiya smiled and nodded.
"Good boy…So, why did they kick you out? I've never seen a casino actively trying to get rid of someone before, were you cheating or something?" he asked as Naruto raised a brow and looked at the briefcase in his hands.
"No, I have no idea why they kicked me, I didn't even understand half the games I was playing. But they seemed fun so I just played and won," he then held up the suitcase. "Then they threw this at me, don't know why?" he opened the suitcase as Jiraia peered over before his eyes bulged.
"T-There has to be 30,000,000 Ryo!* You won all that in five minutes!?" Jiraiya shouted as he and other onlookers were in awe.
"Really? Wow, that's a lot. All I did was play those games like they told me to, they were real easy, I don't know why everyone else was complaining?" Naruto absentmindedly said, still having no clue.
'Holy shit, this kid is unnatural, he's like Tsunade's exact opposite. If she ever found out about his luck…' Jiraiya thought before he closed the suitcase. "I-I'll just hang onto this for you. As a minor, you can't legally have been inside a Casino. It's time you learned about the three Shinobi taboos anyway, Liquor, Money and Women. So, I'll just hold onto this for you,"
"Hey! I earned that, that can get me years' worth of Ramen from old man Ichiraku!" Naruto complained as they walked away.
"You'd spend 30,000,000 Ryo on Ramen!? Are you nuts!?"
"It's my money! Give it back pervy sage!"
That day a legend was born, rumors would spread about a boy with golden hair, whisker-like marks and a supernatural amount of luck. They would claim that he could clear out an entire Casino in 5 seconds flat. Others would claim he was the living incarnation of luck itself, and some accused that he was a kitsune trickster in disguise. But all agreed he was the complete Opposite of the Legendary Sucker, and thus named him…
The Legendary Golden Fox of Luck
And Scene. Well here is the long-awaited Seventeenth Chapter of Journal of Hope. I wanted to apologize for the lack of updates, I was busy with work. School holidays are up, my workplaces get busier, and I'm trying to save up for a new computer. But I am alive and still writing, it just takes time so please have patience. Now, as stated earlier, I also apologize for not having the title change from Legendary Sucker v the Golden Fox of Luck, but once again I figured the title of 'Golden Fox of Luck' should come up later. It's going to be a trend that Ashura incarnations are extremely lucky.
And any Omakes that I make are canonical to my stories. Also if I recall Ryo, the Naruto Currency, is equal to Yen. So 30,000,000 is equal to around 200,000 dollars.
Also, do have a read of the new Naruto One Shot Manga focused on his dad, all that I write is canon to Naruto and is a really good read. Now, Naruto has completed the Second Stage of the Rasengan, and I've decided he will only need to use two hands to create the Rasengan. Now some would argue that clones would make this go faster, which it has, but it's still an extremely complicated Jutsu to learn and it took Naruto hundreds of Clones to create the Wind Style Rasenshuriken. But it has sped up the process.
The next chapter is the Tsunade Arc, where they need to convince her to join. But can they convince her to come back, and how will Naruto's learning of his Uzumaki heritage affect Tsunade? Find out next time in…
Chapter XVIII: Tsunade of the Senju Clan
(title may change)