I no not own Naruto
The following morning, team 7 training ground
"Welcome back, you morons. I hope you're ready for a month of super intense, personalized training." said Risu with a cheerful tone.
His students sat on the ground, like they had done so for the past months.
"Sensei, you mentioned personalized training. Who's going to teach us?" asked Naruto.
"We'll get to that in a moment. First, let's talk about Sakura."
He turned to the pinkette.
"I've seen you grow from a fangirl into a proficient kunoichi. You have excellent chakra control and I can already see you have both a great talent and passion for iryo ninjutsu. Like I already mentioned in the past, I refuse to teach you any poison jutsu until you learn how to cure poison, so I suggest you focus on that for the time being. I'd suggest you also start working with the hospital on participating in a couple of surgeries. Once you have done both, I can start teaching you combat applications for iryo ninjutsu. Your other talent lies in genjutsu, to which I suggest working with Kurenai-san. When it comes to weaknesses, your kenjutsu and taijutsu are passable, but will most likely benefit from some extra training. Izumo-san and Kotetsu-san have agreed to assist you on that. Now, since you are not participating in the third exam, I'm leaving you to proceed at whatever pace you wish. We'll meet every morning like usual and work on either theory or information gathering to help Naruto and Sasuke during the finals, while you'll be on your own during the afternoon."
Sakura nodded.
Now, Sasuke. Your first match is Gaara, which is going to be a real problem. I have done some research on his sand ability and from what I've gathered, it seems to be connected to his tailed beast, which means the sand will most almost certainly be active regardless of Gaara's condition, so long as he is alive. What's worse, genjutsu will be practically pointless."
Sasuke frowned. Gaara seemed like an insurmountable adversary. Just the kind of stepping stone he needed to overcome if he wanted to be able to face Itachi. This fight would be a true test of all his skills.
"Could water be used to slow down the sand?" he asked.
"Possible. I was honestly thinking of a Raiton jutsu, since the sand seems to be using Doton chakra, because they have the greatest chance to pierce through the sand shield. If you add a few simple Suiton jutsus as well, the water might allow the Raiton to simply bypass the shield. Excellent suggestion, Sasuke."
Sasuke smirked.
"Now, I asked Jiraiya-sama if he knew of any seal capable of suppressing the chakra of the Biju, but it seems like learning how to properly use them will take much longer than a month, so that idea is scrapped. He will still analyze your cursed seal later today, and will figure if there's anything he can teach you in the evenings. For your morning and afternoon, I have enlisted the help of Kakashi-san. Since he's going to be late, I suggest you spend some time stockpiling Kibaku Fuda and ask for some exercise you can do while waiting for him."
Sasuke nodded.
"And finally, Naruto. You will be fighting against a Hyuuga with extreme mastery over the Juken, meaning whether you like it or not, you will end up fighting him in close quarters. Luckily for you, Jiraiya-sama has accepted to take you on as an apprentice for this month. Considering who his previous student was, I'm sure you can guess as to why."
Naruto nodded in agreement. It was a well-known fact that Jiraiya was his father's sensei.
"He has accepted to take over your taijutsu training, then he will attempt to teach you how to draw on your secondary chakra, which has the potential to completely negate Neji's Juken, and, should Jiraiya-sama deem you worthy, he may even allow you to sign the toad contract. He has high expectations of you, perhaps a bit too high, so make sure you impress him. This might as well be your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Naruto nodded. Sensei had spoken about Jyraiya-sama multiple times with great reverence, it must not have been easy to convince him to take him on as an apprentice. This really was his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Thank you, sensei. I won't disappoint you."
Sasuke looked at his teammate with a touch of jealousy. But Risu-sensei had mentioned how Jiraiya-sama would teach him during the evening if the man found something worth teaching him. He decided to make it his mission to impress the toad sage and become his apprentice in the same way as Naruto was.
Risu clapped his hands, snapping Sasuke out of his plans. "Every saturday morning we'll meet at my house and have a discussion regarding the finals. We'll talk about the information Sakura and I gathered about the other finalists, we'll discuss possible strategies, we'll prepare special tools and whatever else might help you not only win, but impress the Daimyos in the process. Yes, Naruto?"
Naruto had an ear-splitting grin "When me and Sasuke face off in the finals, can we enter the arena disguised as each other?"
A laughing bellow interrupted their talk.
"That's great, gaki! I'd love to see Daimyo's face when the winner takes off his mask!"
The trio turned in the direction of the laughter, where they spotted an old man with long spiky white hairs in a ponytail, wearing a red haori and sporting a hitai-ate with the kanji for oil leisurely sitting on a tree branch. The man jumped down, landing in a puff of smoke that disappeared to reveal the man standing on a large orange toad.
"I am Jiraiya, the great toad sage of Mount Myoboku!" He exclaimed, striking a pose.
Sasuke stared at the man with a raised eyebrow. Was this the famed Jiraiya-sama Risu-sensei had spoken with so much reverence? But then again, Kakashi-sensei was also a world-renown ninja, and he was far from dignified. And Gai-sensei… actually, was being a total weirdo a prerequisite for all strong Konoha ninja?
"Awesome!" Shouted Naruto, before composing himself. "Jiraiya-sama, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm honored to have the opportunity to become your apprentice." he said with a bow.
Jiraiya waved him off "No need to be so formal, gaki."
"Jiraiya-sama." greeted Sasuke and Sakura.
Jiraiya focused his gaze on Sasuke. "So, you're the boy that was marked, uh? Do you mind showing it to me?"
Sasuke removed his shirt, showing the seal to the man.
"Hhhhm, this is definitely different from the last one I saw. More complex. Mind if I activate it?"
With a couple of swift hand signs and a simple poke, the cursed mark began to spread. Sasuke felt a small pain where the patterns covered his skin, growing in intensity by the second. Then, with another touch, the seal receded.
"Sarutobi-sensei suspected sejutsu chakra, right?"
Risu nodded.
"Well, he wasn't too far off the mark. The seal certainly tries to convert the boy's chakra into senjutsu chakra, but it's not particularly good at it. Orochimaru never got the hang of senjutsu, so it's pretty understandable that a seal to force it would do a pretty sloppy job, but still… saying that this thing is unstable would be an understatement. It's mutating the body to better tolerate it, but whether it's trying to copy the body of someone, or rather something, that can tolerate senjutsu chakra or just forcing the body into either figure it out itself or die trying I couldn't tell. I mean… both options are essentially killing the boy, but knowing which one it is might actually help us find a way to remove it."
"Jiraiya-sama, can I ask what is senjutsu chakra?" asked Sakura.
"Senjutsu chakra is a much more potent type of chakra that requires a careful balance between your physical energy, your spiritual energy and natural energy gathered from the environment. It's something I learned by studying under the toads in mount Myoboku and that Orochimaru tried to learn from the snakes in Ryuchi cave."
"That's awesome Jiraiya-sensei! Can you teach me that?" asked Naruto.
Jiraiya laughed "Absolutely not! Once you sign the toad contract and are able to summon both lord Fukasaku and lady Shima, you can ask them. If you're lucky, they'll take a liking to you and summon you to mount Myoboku and, after a few years of hellish training, you might be able to use senjutsu chakra without accidentally killing yourself."
Naruto deflated.
"Jiraiya-san… what would happen to me if I was capable of using senjutsu chakra?" asked Sasuke.
Jiraiya frowned "Hard to say. That cursed seal might help you stay in Sennin mode longer than normal, maybe even modulate the amount of natural energy your body absorbs. Or it may try to force you to use an incorrect natural energy to physical and spiritual energy ratio, which would make learning how to use senjutsu chakra basically impossible. Whether the ratio is balanced is a difficult question to answer… Give me a second."
Jiraiya sat down cross-legged standing perfectly still. After a while, the three started to feel his chakra being gathered, an ocean of raw energy contained in the man sitting in front of them.
Kuchiyose no jutsu
With a puff of smoke, Jiraiya summoned a small toad bearded toad.
"It's nice to see you, elder Fukasaku."
"Jiraiya-boy! It's been quite a while. I can also see you have four new faces here. Finally decided to take another apprentice?" asked the toad.
"I'm going to spend one month training Naruto here for the chunin exam final. With your permission, I was thinking of having him sign the toad contract."
"If you think the boy is a good fit I'll raise no objection! But isn't Bunta the one to usually handle those kinds of things?" asked the toad.
"Indeed. I have summoned you to ask if you could check out the other boy. Orochimaru has marked him with a seal that seems to imitate senjutsu chakra, but the seal is slowly destroying his body. We were wondering if learning fuinjutsu could help."
Fukasaku looked at the Uchiha, staring at him over and over, as if looking for something.
"Boy, are you a summoner? Because I can feel your connection to both Daija and Sansokuu and there is no way these two will ever share a summoner." finally asked the toad.
"I have signed the raptor contract, elder toad" replied Sasuke, unsure what honorifics to use and still trying to figure out who exactly were the two that the toad mentioned.
"Ah! So you're one of Sansokuu's nest! Haven't spoken with any of them in quite some time. I suppose that Daija's scent comes from that seal, then, does it?"
"Orochimaru has signed a contract with the snakes." pointed out Jiraiya.
"And Manda isn't too happy about their contract holder, from what I've heard." he chuckled, before turning his attention back to Sasuke, carefully observing the seal for a few minutes.
"Sansokuu's teachings will almost certainly help you out countering the negative effects of that seal. I don't think you have enough chakra to summon him, but perhaps you can ask for an audience? If you were a toad summoner you'd be about a year too young to start senjutsu training, but maybe Sansokuu will make an exception."
"It's definitely something to consider after the finals. Unfortunately, he only has a month." interjected Risu.
"Oh, isn't that some unusual smell! Are you perhaps carrying the youngs of old Omu?" asked the toad.
Risu nodded. "I have signed the centipede contract, yes."
"You're either exceedingly brave or exceedingly foolish to have summoned a contract with a clan notorious for incubating their young within human hosts. I hope you know what you're doing." commented Fukasaku with a pinch of disdain.
Sakura gasped, while the other genins eyes shot wide at that revelation.
"I knew the risks and the price that was asked of me. I can assure you, elder Omu and I have a great business relationship."
"Good for you, Hyuuga boy. Good for you." he turned to Jiraiya "That has been a very interesting conversation, Jiraiya-boy. Please come visit Ma soon, she misses you."
"Will do." nodded Jiraiya.
With a puff of smoke, the elder toad disappeared.
"Time to get back to business. Jiraiya-sama, you are somewhat of an expert in fire combination jutsus with your summons, perhaps you could give Sasuke-kun a few tips in the evenings once you're done training Naruto?"
"If the boy doesn't mind accompanying me for my research I'll be glad to give him a tip or two."
"I'd be happy to accompany you. Jiraiya-sensei" replied Sasuke before Risu could say anything about the sage's research.
Risu sighed. It seemed like Sasuke would learn about Jiraiya's research the hard way. He decided to follow the duo, just to see Sasuke's face the moment realization dawned upon him.
"Yo! Sorry I'm late, you wouldn't believe the traffic." said a familiar voice entering the training ground.
"I am sure we would, Kakashi-san." said Risu.
"Jiraiya-sama! It's a pleasure meeting you again." said Kakashi, bowing to the man.
"If you don't mind, may I ask for an autograph?" he asked, handing the sage a familiar orange book.
Jiraiya chucked, swiftly signing the book and handing it back to the one-eyed ninja.
"Say, Jiraiya-sama, may I ask how you come up with such great stories?"
Jiraiya grinned perversely, whispering something into Kakashi's ear as the two started to giggle.
"Sensei, is being a pervert a prerequisite for being a strong ninja?" asked Naruto, pointing at the two.
Risu shrugged "I truly have no clue."
Later, Konoha's hot springs
"Ero-sennin, are you sure this is the best place for me to train?" asked Naruto, skeptically.
"Where does that nickname come from? And of course this is the best spot! The best view of all of Konoha."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man, staring at his perverse grin. After learning about the man's perverse nature, all the mystique that Risu-sensei had built around the man had disappeared completely "Stupid ero-sennin peeping on women…" he muttered.
"Please don't use that nickname." frowned the man "So, Risu-kun told me you've used the Kyuubi's chakra before. Do you remember what it felt like?"
"It felt different, but it's hard to explain…The best way to put it is that it felt… red, if that makes any sense."
"Alright. Try to release that red chakra then."
Naruto started gathering chakra, his power swirling around him "Nope. It's just regular chakra."
"Jeez, you really have no talent"
"Stop acting all high and mighty! I don't really understand how I used that red chakra, you're supposed to be the expert here!"
"Ok gaki. I'm going to try something: since you have two reserves of chakra, I'll have you perform a super chakra intensive jutsu once your reserves are low. Once your reserves are nearly empty, you will subconsciously tap into the fox's chakra and get a feel for it. After getting a feel for it, you should have an easier time using it. Now, I want you to spend all of your chakra. You know the water walking exercise?"
Naruto frowned. "I can walk on water for hours. Can't I just use the Dama no jutsu?"
Jiraiya looked at Naruto quizzically. After a quick explanation on what the jutsu was, Jiraiya agreed, leaving Naruto to it while he turned around and hid in a bush next to the woman's side of the hot spring.
Dama no jutsu
Dama no jutsu
Dama no jutsu
…
Dama no jutsu
Naruto slumped onto the floor.
"Looks like you're finally out of chakra." commented Jiraiya, unrolling a massive scroll in front of him.
"Since both your sensei and your teammate are summoners, I take you already know how this works?"
Naruto nodded, grinning in excitement. He bit his thumbs and swiftly added his name to the contract, just like he saw Sasuke doing.
"Excellent. Now, I want you to visualize elder Fukasaku while you're doing the hand signs. Try to summon him."
Kuchiyose no jutsu
As the smoke disappeared, Naruto looked down at the tadpole he just summoned flapping around before dispelling itself.
Jiraiya scratched his chin. If Kyuubi's chakra did not come out when Naruto's reserves were dangerously low, perhaps he needed an emotional trigger? "Yup. Just like I thought: you have no talent. Watch."
Kuchiyose no jutsu
With a puff of smoke a large green toad appeared, wearing some extremely long, obviously fake eyelashes and… lipstick?
Jiraya approached the toad "Naruto, try again."
As Naruto flashed through hand signs, Jiraiya leaned forward, whispering something to the toad.
Kuchiyose no jutsu
Another puff of smoke and that same tadpole appeared.
"Don't summon tadpoles out of the water!" shouted the toad, repeatedly smacking Naruto over the head.
"Ow! Ow! I'm not doing it on purpose!"
Jiraiya sighed, lifting Naruto by the collar and dragging him toward the edge of a ravine
"Ok Gaki, this is a waste of everyone's time. You either figure it out yourself or you die."
Before Naruto could say anything, Jiraiya tossed him over the edge.
Naruto screamed, wailing his arms in the air. He was too far from the walls to attempt to hold onto them and he needed a solid surface for the Shunshin.
He had to summon something big, but could he? He saw the ground approaching fast and with it the growing certainty that he was about to die.
In a flash, he found himself in a large sewer, the floor covered with a thin layer of water, the ceiling covered with long pipes. How did he get here?
Naruto followed the corridor, a strange sensation guiding him toward a massive gate with a single paper tag with the kanji for seal holding it close.
He cautiously took a step closer, testing out this unfamiliar environment.
From behind the gate, a massive claw lashed out toward him, slamming against the gate and barely missing the boy.
A massive eye shrouded in darkness stared at him.
"I want to eat you. If it wasn't for this damned seal…"
A moment of realization dawned on Naruto. "You… you are Kyuubi."
Now it all made sense. This was his subconscious.
"For you to come here… what do you want?"
Naruto steeled his resolve "Hey, stupid fox! I'm letting you stay in my body, so pay up rent with your chakra!"
Behind the cage, Kyuubi snarled "Rent!? Your pathetic kind made me your prisoner and now you demand rent?! Why don't you come closer and try to evict me?"
With a powerful roar, Naruto was flung backwards, his surroundings distorting and, before he knew it, he was once again falling. He screamed and saw the ground rushing towards him.
He jumped, screaming in terror.
"So, that didn't work either" mused Jiraiya.
"You! You tried to kill me!" shouted Naruto, pointing a finger at the old man.
"Calm down, little tadpole. It was just a genjutsu." said the toad.
Naruto's breathing slowed down. "Genjutsu?"
Jiraiya nodded, scratching his head. "I asked Gamariki to put you in a genjutsu that would simulate mortal danger. I thought it would help you draw out Kyuubi's chakra. Seems like I was wrong."
"No. I… I met the fox" said Naruto, his heart rate slowly returning to normal.
"Oh? That's progress then! How did it go?" asked Jiraiya, curious.
Naruto frowned. "He tried to kill me and got really mad when I asked for his chakra, then kicked me out."
Jiraiya frowned. "It seems like you'll have to force him then. I'll give you some meditation exercises you can try during the evening to reach the fox again."
He stood up, offering Naruto his hand. "Now, since you're going to fight a taijutsu expert… Have you ever heard of the magnificent fighting style of the toads, the Kawazu Kumite?"
That evening, Konoha's hot springs
Sasuke looked at Jiraiya hiding in one of the bushes next to the women's bath. Once again, he asked himself if that man was really as strong as everyone seemed to think he was.
"Jiraiya-san?"
"Quiet boy! Do you want us to get caught?" whispered the sage, pulling out a notebook and a spyglass.
Grinding his teeth, Sasuke hid next to the pervert. "I wanted to ask for some suggestions regarding combination techniques."
Jiraiya nodded, looking the hot springs.
"Well boy, it seems like there's no one here yet. Might as well answer your questions. Shoot."
"First question would be about your own combination techniques."
Jiraiya scratched his head "Honestly, gaki, I haven't used combination techniques in a while. I know quite a few, but they have a tendency to be a tad too destructive for my line of work. I think the last time I used them was during the war. Me and Minato got around quite a lot on the Iwa front and were part of a go-to squad tasked to deal with their jinchuriki. Now that I think about it, aren't you going to fight against Suna's jinchuriki in the finals?"
"Gaara. Kakashi-sensei and I started my training today. Suiton jutsu to slow down his sand and Raiton jutsu to pierce through his defenses."
Jiraiya nodded in approval. "Good. Suiton and Raiton make for an excellent combination, almost as good as Futon and Katon."
"You know some Suiton and Raiton combination jutsus?"
Jiraiya shook his head "Unfortunately for you, I never got around to learning how to properly use Raiton jutsu. Toads neither, they mainly use Futon and Suiton jutsu. I do have quite a bit of combination techniques using the toad's Futon or their oil."
"Oil?" asked Sasuke, suddenly interested.
"All toads can produce oil and use it for attacking. It's super slippery and once you're covered with it it's pretty hard to take off. It's also flammable and burns for a long time too, it's a gift from Kami for a fire type like me."
Using oil to increase the duration of Katon jutsu… this certainly had combat applications. Sasuke unsealed a scroll and started to scribble some notes.
"Can the toads control the oil once it's burning?"
"They can, but don't like doing it for some reason. I think it takes too much chakra."
"Have you ever encountered an opponent that can control oil?"
"Never. But I heard that Nidaime Mizukage had a whole series of oil-based and bubble-based ninjutusu. Your sensei probably knows more about it, if you're interested."
Sasuke continued to take down notes. There was a lot of potential in this idea, he just needed more information.
"I'll look into that. Do you know any Raiton and Futon combination jutsus?"
Jiraiya scoffed. "They don't exist, gaki. Different elements interact differently with each other and with Futon dispersing Raiton, I'm pretty sure combination techniques are impossible. Although…I think I read something about a combination jutsu that slows time? Or maybe it made you feel like everything was moving slower? I'm not sure, it was all speculation anyway. It's probably in the library somewhere."
Sasuke nodded, writing down more notes. A long shot, but a possible ace up in his sleeve if this theoretical jutsu actually existed. Unfortunately, nothing he could use against Gaara.
"What about wind and water?" asked Sasuke.
"That would be Hyoton. The Yuki clan were able to use it to control ice in Water country before the bloodline purges. I think the closest thing to Hyoton for non-Yuki clan members are some secret jutsus from Yukigakure that control snow."
Sasuke frowned, scratching that idea from his notes. Interesting, but probably not very useful in the middle of a hot summer. Definitely something to study in the future, however.
"Do you have anything that could suppress Gaara's beast?"
Jiraiya frowned. "I can make a chakra suppression seal, but they need to be placed on the body of the jinchuriki. I'm going to give one to both you and Naruto, but I don't think you'll have the chance to use them."
Sasuke nodded as he put away his notes. Perhaps he had jumped to conclusions too soon with the toad sage. Despite his vices, it seemed like that man knew what he was talking about.
"I thank you for your contribution, Jiraiya-sama. You have given me much to think about."
"Gaki, drop the honorifics and get here, the ladies are getting in."
"With due respect, Jiraiya-sama…"
"C'mon gaki! Don't tell me you don't appreciate a nice set of boobs!" insisted Jiraiya, grabbing the Uchiha and almost forcing the spyglass on Sasuke, who tried to push the tool away.
"Sensei, this is not…"
The two were silenced by a hail of kunais landing on a tree right behind them.
"Who's the peeping tom!?" Shouted a very angry Mitarashi Anko, who just entered the hot springs.
"Shit, she's onto us! Run, gaki! Run for your life!" Shouted Jiraiya, jumping away from his hiding spot in a mad rush.
Sasuke turned around, saw the look on the pissed off kunoichi, and decided to take the pervert's advice.
Notes
And here's the introduction of everyone's favorite pervert, as well a bit of preview of what team 7 will learn in the future and how their skill set will be after the time skip (assuming I decide to continue the serie into Shippuden)
As you might have noticed, Kurama is FAR less agreeable this time around. This will be a pattern.
I changed Jiraiya's cliff toss into a genjutsu because, let's be honestly, it is absolutely insane how that went off in canon. Like...what was Jiraiya's plan if Naruto failed to use Kurama's chakra? So yeah... this time it's a genjutsu. And since he has no proficiency with genjutsu, I had him summon a toad that can use them: Gamariki (anime only), which just so happen to be the only toad on the wiki with experience in genjutsu
Thing will start to accelerate in the next chapters, so hold onto your seats and prepare for some changes. Hope you'll enjoy the twists!