"Blah": Talking
"Blah": Demon speaking/Inner Sakura
'Blah': Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts
'Blah': Harry talking to Naruto
And we're back and this time, Azeroth44 finally crawled back! And in addition to Azeroth44's return, I also have a little announcement with the chapters: this chapter will actually be a lot shorter than I planned. I decided to end the chapter on a certain part of the plot where I felt was a good scene best left for the end of a chapter, rather than in the middle. The next chapter should be out in maybe a week, two weeks, or three weeks if I'm really busy, but until then I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I really look forward to reading your reviews soon! The plot is starting to thicken a bit here!
Azeroth44: F%$# YOU, DUDE!
Naruto: Whoa! Little hostile, aren't we?!
Kvsyaoran: Yeah, man! Relax! I thought you'd be psyched, after all I am giving you that copy of the Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds!
AZ44: … Oh, yeah! F%$# YOU SIDEWAYS, DUDE!
K: That's… better?
N: He was smiling when he said that, right?
K: I'm not sure smiling makes it any better...
AZ44: It does for me *smiles* Didn't you know I'm related to Film Brain?!
K: That would make a lot of sense.
N: That doesn't make any sense at all.
K: Shush! He's crazy! Let him say what he wants!
AZ44: You both realize neither of you were whispering, right?
K: DAMN!
AZ44: It's CHAINSAW-TIME! I'M BONKERS NOW!
N: But you don't even have a-
K: WHEN WILL YOU EVER LEARN?! *grabs Naruto and runs* AHHHHHHHH!
AZ44: *Pretends to chase but then sits down* HA! Works every time! Now let's check out what's on tumblr *checks trending topics and frowns* Why are there so many ponies on here?!
Reviews are welcome and wanted!
Disclaimer: Naruto is the Property of Masashi Kishimoto
Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling
Chapter 5: Toad Sage Invitation
After the incident with Danzo, the blonde rookie stashed his sword at the bottom his beaded rucksack so that no one would be able to find it. He soon realized he could never use the weapon out in public or even on a mission after what happened between him and the elder. But that didn't stop him from taking it out at home once in a while and taunted the elder in secret to make Iruka crack up. Naruto didn't hear from the Konoha Council or Danzo after the incident as Anko predicted and the blonde teen could sit back and relax as he returned to his usual duties.
One morning, Iruka was back at the school to continue the reconstruction and introduce the new curriculum to the other instructors. He wanted the teachers to work closer to the students and make their lectures easier for the students to follow and promote stronger camaraderie amongst them. Meanwhile, Naruto had to return to his team but he and Harry debated whether or not he should even go. The blonde teen was still upset over how his sensei failed to remember his birthday and Harry suggested that he skip out this time to spite him. But as upset and hurt as he was at his sensei's ignorance, he was tempted to go back and give him another chance to redeem himself. If Kakashi had enough time to realize what he forgot, the look of shock and devastation on his silver-haired teacher's masked face might give Naruto the heart to forgive his teacher.
'I'm going give Kakashi-sensei one more chance to apologize this afternoon.'
'Forget about him, Naruto. He's had his chance and he blew it,' then the older wizard shook his head as he seemed to look at Naruto from across the room in the real world, in a ghostly vision, 'I think it's about time we ditch him for once and show him what it's like. That ought to wake him up.'
Naruto looked down at his feet as his fingers graced his rucksack, as he felt compelled to toss it aside. After a few minutes for his brother's words to sink in, he made up his mind and stomped out his thoughts about his team and Kakashi.
'I don't know if I should ditch this time… But if I didn't go, what do you suggest we do instead?'
'We could train in the fields and work on some shadow clone possession. Just us two, like we did back in the old days. I could check the Scroll of Sealing for once. I don't think I ever read it once after we copied it here in the mindscape.'
'Okay, but what would we do after that? Iruka-aniki will be busy all day.'
'I don't know,' the wizard admitted as he pondered their choices, 'But we could go to the movies downtown. We haven't done that in ages and it could be fun. Iruka could come too if he's not too tired or on another date with Anko… but on the other hand, if he's on a date with her, it would probably be wise to avoid the cinema. We don't want to stumble upon them by accident and catch them snogging.'
'EWWWW,' the blonde rookie thought as he shook his head, 'I still don't know. But… I think it would be best if I grab some ramen at Ichiraku first. I still need some time to think about this over a hot bowl of ramen. But we'll work on the shadow clones later this afternoon, team mission or no team mission.'
'Very well then,' the wizard exclaimed as he marched towards the front door, 'Allons-y!'
Naruto cracked a smile as he rolled his eyes and hulled his rucksack over his shoulder. He marched towards the door and almost flicked his wrist to take out his wand to lock the door as he left. But when he opened the door, he was surprised when he found his path was blocked by a daunting figure. He was blanketed in shadow when he looked up and saw the wide smile of a familiar white-haired, tattooed, middle-aged man.
"Hello there, kid!" shouted Jiraiya of the Sannin.
Naruto's face almost turned white as he backed off and stammered in fear, "What are you doing here?"
The Sannin hopped like a frog and stood outside the door to summon a massive toad, like the one he summoned at their first encounter at the bathhouses. The landing of the apartment building shook and moaned beneath the weight of the immense creature while Jiraiya performed a kabuki dance, waving his arms as the toad beneath him drummed the gigantic beads of his necklace to provide some special music as Jiraiya finished his outlandish introduction.
"It's me! JIRAIYA! The Toad Sage! One of the Sannin and I've returned to Konoha once more! There's no woman I can't charm! No creature is too monstrous for me to tame! I am the wild and legendary sex god and world famous novelist!"
The toad vanished with a blast of white smoke and Jiraiya landed on his wooden sandaled feet and approached a terrified and very hostile Naruto. The blonde rookie reached for the closest weapon he could find at arms reach; an umbrella next to the coat rack.
"STAY BACK!" he shouted as he held the umbrella like a sword, "I'M ARMED, OLD MAN! AND I AM VERY CROSS!"
"WHOA! Kid! Relax! I-" the rookie took a swing and almost knocked out the Sannin's teeth but he missed as the older shinobi took a step back before he held his arms up in surrender, "WHOA! I HEARD IT WAS YOUR BIRTHDAY, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD PAY YOU A VISIT! I MEAN NO HARM! I COME IN PEACE!"
Naruto seemed to relax as he stood outside the door but didn't lower his weapon while he stated, "You're a bit late for that. It was last week."
"I know," the old man answered as he started reaching into his vest, "I was out of town for a while. I had to find this at a store that wasn't in Konoha. Here. I think it's a nice token for a fresh start for the two of us."
Jiraiya withdrew a small wine-colored cardboard box that was decorated with an emerald bow. The box must have been made in a store, as it was too neat, balanced, and even to have been crafted with someone with hands as massive and scarred as the Sannin's. The tall and broad shoulder man leaned down and handed the box to a cautious Naruto, who slowly took it as he lowered his weapon. He seemed surprised that a man that once tried to kill him in one of the most terrifying ways possible would ever be thoughtful enough to give him a belated birthday present.
"You didn't have to," he answered in a softer voice and said with a nod, "But thanks… I suppose."
The toad Sannin smiled and urged the teen to walk with him as he rubbed his stomach, "Come with me for a little while. I want to know if there's anything good to eat around here other than fried chicken. My physician told me I have to hold back on fried foods for a while. You know any good restaurants, kid?"
"Alright, then," the rookie said after he collected his rucksack and forgot about his team for once, but he never lowered his guard around the Sannin, "You better like ramen."
Jiraiya then told him with a wide smile, "As a matter of fact, I love ramen!"
The two of them traveled to Ichiraku Ramen and had a few bowls of Teuchi's finest. Naruto started to lower his guard a little more now that one of his old friends was there to look out for him. Jiraiya really seemed to enjoy his meal and so did Naruto, but he came here a lot more often than the Sannin. The blonde-haired teen took a break from his noodles and stared at the older shinobi with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity after he watched the man swallow down the last of his broth and cleaned his teeth with a toothpick.
"You didn't come here to throw me off another cliff, did you? And this visit to Ichiraku Ramen isn't my last meal or something?" the blonde rookie asked and then referred to his wand when he warned him, "You should know that I've had a taser on me since that incident at the ravine."
Jiraiya sighed and then said with an awkward smile while he rubbed the back of his neck, "I would like to apologize for that little incident, Naruto. I thought I could get you to use the chakra of the demon fox if your life was in serious danger. The instinct to survive is strong enough to trigger something like that and I was certain it would work. But I want to make it clear that I never meant any harm…"
But then the Sannin paused and seemed perplexed as he thought back to that memorable afternoon.
"You know," he said, "When I think about it, I really can't remember much after you fell down the ravine."
Naruto saw this coming a mile away and he had a little cover story prepared if the Sannin ever came around with questions about his first Apparation.
"You don't remember?" he asked and then told him in a matter-of-fact tone, "I was swallowed whole."
Jiraiya seemed lost, "What?"
"The toad that I summoned at the last minute, it was so huge that it swallowed me whole and shot me out like a bullet. I landed somewhere back on the surface. But it was so fast that I didn't know where I was until later. You didn't react well to it. You must have thought that I had teleported or something," and then he said as he scratched the end of his nose, "And then you sort of… screamed. And then you fainted."
"Oh," the Sannin blinked and then smiled, "Cool!"
Naruto cracked a sly smile as he lifted his bowl and drank down his broth, "Yeah."
"You also showed some incredible self-control in the finals. I've never seen someone able to show that level of restraint with demon chakra," the Sannin had to admit.
The blonde rookie blinked and stared at the older shinobi in surprise, "You were there at the match?!"
"Yeah, I was there," he smiled, "I watched it from the roof and I almost fell off when the fire broke out. But once it was done and the crowds went wild, I felt no reason to stick around. Besides, the other matches didn't excite me as much as the first one."
Naruto could hide a subtle smile at rose in his face or the small blush in his cheeks as one of his teachers praised him for his accomplishments at an event that meant a lot to him, unlike another teacher he wished could have been there to watch him, or teach him.
"Thanks," he said but then he said in a more embittered voice, "Kakashi-sensei didn't show his dumb face on time to see me fight."
Jiraiya stared at Naruto with a more serious look before he blinked and said with a shrug, "That's a shame. So wanna see what's in that box?"
"Um," the blonde rookie never even bothered to open it until now, he realized, "Sure."
He untied the bow in one smooth movement and then opened the box to find something he never expected to have gifted to him. It was a small handheld device with a screen built into half of it and a circular button beneath it, complete with a set of white headphones. Naruto had seen kids with these in their ears all the time but he could never afford one, let alone think about owning one.
"Is this an MP3 Player?!" he asked.
Jiraiya smiled and nodded, "The latest model."
"Heh!" the blonde rookie broke out into laughter and couldn't believe it was his, "Wow! This is incredible! Oh, but I don't know how to download music onto this."
The Sannin said, "No need. I had music and videos transferred into it last week on the tenth of October. There's about six thousand albums on there and over nineteen different genres with the latest anime and TV shows on there as well, I checked."
"Oh, man…" the rookie blushed as he confirmed what the Sannin had said, as it was filled with the best albums and shows that even he watched.
Jiraiya crossed his arms and motioned for Naruto to offer him a little praise with a smug smile, "C'mon! Let me hear it!"
"I don't believe this," he breathed and actually went ahead and hugged the older shinobi, "Thanks so much, Ero-Sennin!"
Jiraiya patted Naruto on the back and forced the smile on his face now and mumbled, "I hate that nickname… so much."
After lunch, Naruto and Jiraiya took a stroll around the village and talked for hours. The blonde rookie was able to let go of his hostilities and mistrust of the Sannin, so long as he wasn't asked to drain his chakra down to zero and summon toads. The two of them talked about the weather, the reconstruction effort, missions, and even shared a few stories with each other. With no deadline or intense training involved between the two of them, Naruto really started to like Jiraiya. He was the biggest pervert in the world, but he wasn't a bad person or someone like Ebisu. The white-haired Sannin was laidback, funny, eccentric, and energetic, which was surprising for a man of his age. Sometimes he had so much energy in his voice and in his movements, you would think he was still a teenager ignoring his tall and somewhat aged appearance.
The two of them had some dango at the Amaguriama and shared a few stories about missions. The Sannin even told Naruto about a few of his own adventures about how he discovered rare ape-like creatures in the mountains and wrestled them. Naruto believed a few stories, but most of them seemed too convenient for the hermit to come out on top. Naruto shared his own fable about the phoenix he met but the older shinobi didn't believe him and laughed when the rookie shouted that it was true. Even Harry started to like him a little bit more, though he wasn't sure he would ever trust him. There was something about the Sannin that made him feel a little uneasy but he couldn't explain why. But he was certain the hermit meant no harm.
The late afternoon sun rolled in after hours of conversation and full tummies when Jiraiya walked Naruto back home. The blonde rookie approached his door and bid the Sannin farewell, feeling he and the older man had gotten over their hurtle.
Naruto nodded and waved, "Again, thanks a million for the belated birthday present! It's fantastic!"
But the Sannin didn't seem to want to leave and called out to the rookie.
"Hold on for one more second there, kiddo," he said.
The blonde wizard turned to him and asked, "What is it?"
"I didn't come to visit so that we could start over and be friends. I also came here to make an offer. I need an assistant to come with me once I need to leave the village in a little while from now. It'll be one hell of an adventure," the Sannin said as he tried to enticed Naruto.
And the rookie asked, "Where are you going?"
"You see there is this beautiful blonde babe I need to search for," the old man blushed and giggled as he scratched his cheek, "And I'll need some assistance in order to find her!"
"I'm sold," the blonde rookie said with a flat and sarcastic voice, "But ask me again when I'm eighteen, when I'm old enough to be interested in that stuff."
Jiraiya's blush vanished in an instant and he frowned when he crossed his arms and said with a loud and clear voice, "Well, she's more than some normal blonde babe with a massive rack. She's a medical-nin, and she's the last chance that the old man has if he wants to live."
"What?" the rookie turned around and blinked.
The white-haired Sannin then said in a much more serious and solemn tone, "The Sandaime is going to die, Naruto. I'm afraid it's been confirmed."
"W-What?" the rookie stammered, "What d'you mean?"
Jiraiya then explained to him, "It was from the fight with Orochimaru during the invasion. That bastard must have used one of his snakes to bite the old man before he fled the scene. It turns out that Sarutobi has been fighting off the venom ever since he was bitten and now he's become too weak to resist the effects and fell into a coma… He doesn't have more than a few months left to live. The Sandaime will die unless I can find this certain medical-nin I mentioned and return her here to Konoha to fix the old man."
Naruto stared at the Sannin before he looked down at his feet and thought back to how the old man looked when he last saw him. He remembered how aged, sick, and miserable he looked, as if he were about to kill over at any minute. Flashes of warm memories of the old man soon bombarded him; countless times he sat with the old man to drink tea or those rare opportunities when Sarutobi played with him in the fields, back when he was a toddler. Naruto then envisioned the funeral of the fallen comrades last month, how the experience made his heart ache and then he started to imagine another funeral. But in his imagination, he saw his grandfather's face on a lone picture frame, seated on a pure white table full of flowers. He could almost hear Konohamaru sobbing in anguish as tears of his own ran down his face in the rain.
The rookie shook couldn't bare the thought for one more moment and his head as he asked, "What can I do?!"
"You could come with me. The Konoha Council came to me earlier and wanted me to become the new Hokage, but I turned down the offer," he admitted and earned a shaken look from the blonde-haired shinobi before he said, "So I had to think of a compromise and convinced them to let me search for this woman. She was chosen because she has the skills to restore the old man back to health with no drawbacks whatsoever. She's the one healer in the entire world that can restore him."
The blonde rookie thought back to his surrogate grandfather and almost thought about the funeral before he opened the door and looked to the Sannin, telling him, "Come inside."
Naruto boiled some tea and offered some to Jiraiya. The two of them sat across each other but neither one of them drank during their discussion. The blonde rookie listened well as Jiraiya rambled on about the woman he was to seek out and return to the village. Naruto held onto his cup almost too tight as the warmth from the hot water almost burned his hands.
After a moment's silence he asked him, "You want me to come along then?"
"Yes," nodded the Sannin.
Naruto asked him, "What would we do while we're on the road? What could I do to contribute?"
"Well, we would set out and we'll have to travel to every town in the Land of Fire until we track down and find this woman. I could use someone to talk to while I'm on the road," the older shinobi took a sip of his tea and smiled at the unique and somewhat familiar taste, "Besides it beats having a bunch of ANBU stalking me, as the Konoha Council wanted. It's better that I have someone with me that I can trust."
The blonde rookie blinked at that statement, "You trust me over the ANBU? I don't want to sound like I'm not interested, but we don't know each other that well, Ero-Sennin."
"You aren't the best student I've ever had in the slightest. But at least it'll be a little bit of fun to have someone around to talk to and teach," the white-haired Sannin added as he seemed confident he would lure Naruto in.
And it almost worked when the teen smiled, with more excitement, "You would teach me?"
"You bet!" the older man almost cheered.
But then Naruto looked more serious and suspicious when he asked, "No ravines this time?"
"Heh," the Sannin laughed at that and assured him, "No ravines, kiddo. After what I saw in the arena, I don't think we'll have to take extreme of measures like that."
Though the blonde teen still wasn't sure about it, "I dunno…"
"C'mon," he heard Jiraiya almost whine at first as he tried to convince him, "This is a chance of a lifetime, kiddo! You can learn more ninjutsu while on the road! You'd set out on an adventure, save the Sandaime Hokage, return home stronger than ever before, and welcomed back as a hero, too!"
Naruto seemed a little more interested when Jiraiya mentioned a hero's welcome and even cracked a smile, "Now that's one hell of an offer… But…"
"What is it?" the older shinobi asked, as he seemed more irritated at Naruto's hesitance.
The blonde-haired rookie looked out the window and could see the outer wall as the reconstruction on it continued, "I know it's dangerous outside those walls… I understand what could be out there… Bandits, robbers, and now Orochimaru and his soldiers, too," he looked back at the Sannin and admitted, "It makes me a bit worried to leave if I know those freaks are somewhere out there… You promise to return me back home in one piece?"
"I'll do the best I can, kid," the Sannin smiled and nodded with a voice that screamed with overconfidence, "Orochimaru has never beaten me; otherwise I wouldn't still be alive."
Naruto seemed convinced that he would be safe out there with the old hermit, "When would we leave?"
"We'll head out west at the end of the week," he answered, "I still have some stuff here in town to I need to settle with before our departure."
The blonde rookie nodded but then he thought back to who and what he would have to leave behind if he were to set out with the biggest pervert he ever knew, "Well… I want to save the Sandaime… But… But I…"
"What is it now?" the Sannin moaned.
Naruto was quick to answer him, "I live here with Iruka-aniki… I mean, I'll have to leave him behind, Anko-nee, and all the others."
"You have folks here at home?" the white-haired hermit was silent for a little while, a bit frustrated it seemed, before he opened his eyes and said, "Well then how about this? You'll have until tomorrow to decide you want to leave or not. I'll be at the motel down on Main Street. Meet me here before noon tomorrow with an answer. Once all the affairs have been settled, we'll leave."
The rookie looked down at his untouched tea while the Sannin snuck some sake into his own glass from a bottle he had stashed in his vest. While Naruto thought back to his older brother, his surrogate big sister, and even his teammates and sensei while Jiraiya swallowed almost half of what remained of his tea and blushed. Naruto then thought about Sarutobi and worried about him, if he left him behind and feared the possibility of him dying even if he and the Sannin were successful and found this super medic-nin. After a few moments of silence and after Jiraiya finished his tea, he nodded to the Sannin and noticed he seemed drunk.
"Ok…" he answered.
With that said, the Sannin staggered out the door and reminded Naruto of the deadline.
Over the next several hours, Naruto remained in his bedroom, laid on his bed as he pondered over the events of the afternoon. He told Iruka about the offer and he seemed to support him if it meant it would help the Sandaime. But the chunin had his doubts when it meant Naruto would be alone with Jiraiya. As a surrogate parent, Iruka didn't want Naruto anywhere near the Sannin after what he did at the ravine. But he was confident that Naruto could escape him if he ever tried anything again, and Harry's presence was always a comforting reassurance to him.
Without Anko around to talk to about his situation, the blonde rookie went to bed early but couldn't stop thinking about Sarutobi. As mentioned before, he was worried the old man could die before he even returned to the village and tried to think of a way of how to ensure that wouldn't happen. As Naruto's shadow clone continued to work on the cloak at his desk, Naruto stared at the ceiling as he continued to worry about the Hokage.
'Even if I leave, there's no guarantee I can make it back in time to save him.'
'There isn't a lot we can do, Naruto.'
'I could leave behind a shadow clone to watch over him...'
'Searching for Jiraiya's medic-nin isn't going to take a few hours, mate. Your shadow clones will never last that long.'
'But isn't there something we can do, then? We can't just leave him there at the hospital! He could die before we even come back!'
'Well… We could make something for him.'
'Like what?'
'A potion. Or an elixir that could fight the poison.'
'Do you think we could cure him ourselves?'
'I have no idea what kind of poison Sarutobi was infected with, and I doubt the doctors know either. Besides, our resources for antidotes are quite limited and we can't make a powerful enough brew to ensure it will cure him completely. But we could brew up a quick remedy that can fight off whatever poison is inside him, at least one powerful enough to buy us time.'
'Let's try it, then! But how would we get it to him without getting caught?'
'You really can't think of anyway to sneak in unnoticed, Naruto? Not even when the answer is practically under your nose?'
Naruto look over at his shadow clone with the cloak and said, "Oh."
'Christ, you're thick...'
The blonde-haired wizard rolled off his bed and searched through the contents of his rucksack. He found a number of small bottles and a small spare cauldron. He went to the kitchen and heated his cauldron while Harry guided him through the detailed instructions.
The streets of Konoha bustled around with workers and worried civilians as new rumors echoed through the streets. As Naruto walked down the street to the reservoir, exhausted from the potion he brewed for hours last night, couldn't care less as the people around him spoke out loud and didn't take in anything they said. But as he remained ignorant to their ramblings, he missed some valuable, worrisome information.
One woman asked her friend, "Did you hear about Danzo-sama?"
"Yeah, I heard he disappeared," the friend replied.
Another man shook his head and corrected, "He didn't disappear. Danzo-sama left the village. I heard he took a few ANBU escorts with him."
The first woman nodded, "I heard he left to see the Fire Daimyo to discuss the Sandaime's condition. The Fire Daimyo refused to come to Konoha because he didn't think it was safe for him, what with the village still under repair."
"What a coward. Then shouldn't the other elders and the Jounin Commander have left with Danzo-sama?" one person questioned.
The last voice replied, "I heard they had a big meeting recently, discussing who will be in charge of the village now. I don't know what they decided on but I don't think they really made any big decision. It really makes you question what Danzo-sama hopes to achieve in setting out all the way out there."
As Naruto approached the reservoir, he saw Sasuke and Sakura. He waved to them, tired as he was, but then he noticed Sakura didn't seem pleased with him and Sasuke looked meaner than usual. The blonde rookie blinked as he approached his teammates as Sakura walked up to him in a rush. Naruto almost expected her to hit him but was a little shocked to see her look more disappointed in him as she crossed her arms.
"Naruto, where were you yesterday?!" she questioned.
The blonde-haired shinobi stammered before Sasuke told him, "We had to cancel our mission because you didn't show up, dobe."
"Oh," he said, as he remembered he spent the whole time with Jiraiya the other day and he completely forgot about his attendance and confessed, "I completely forgot we had a mission."
Sakura seemed confused and scold her teammate in a much less hostile manner than he was used to, "How could you forget that we had a mission, Naruto-baka?!"
As soon as he tried to explain himself and apologize to his teammate, there was a loud swish behind him. Kakashi had arrived on the arch, earlier than he often did, and waved down to his students.
"Hello there, team!" he announced, "It looks like we're all assembled this time."
The masked shinobi dropped down to the bridge but then he stared down at Naruto, which made the rookie freeze where he stood. Kakashi rested one hand on his hips and almost seemed cross with his blonde student.
"You failed to show up yesterday, Naruto," he said with a firmer tone, "What were you doing?"
Naruto stammered at first, "I, uh, I was… I was hanging out with a friend of mine the other day."
"You were hanging out?" the masked teacher questioned, "You realize we had to cancel our mission yesterday, right?"
The blonde rookie did feel somewhat guilty after he learned that he inconvenienced his team and cost them a mission. But at the same time, he was angry at Kakashi's audacity to scold him about not thinking about the team when he himself was guilty of doing the same, even now. Naruto would have wanted to protest and point out Kakashi's hypocrisy but he had to balance that and try to explain himself for his own mistake.
"I… I, uh, I didn't think-"
"You didn't think," Kakashi repeated in a firm but calm tone, "What if we were assigned an important mission and we needed you to be there? What would we have done then? Reject the mission, disappoint our clients, and embarrass our village? Or would we have gone ahead, short one man and risk our lives with an incomplete team? Of course that didn't happen, but you never stopped to think about that while you were hanging out?"
Naruto then blurted out, "I forgot that we had a mission, sensei! You know we've had so few of them as of late that it slipped my mind completely!"
"You forgot?" the teacher asked back in a less intense tone, more curious voice and nodded, "Hmmm… I suppose it is true that our missions have been a bit scarce lately, so it makes sense for you to forget every once in a while. But we've discussed when we meet up for our missions before in the wake of recent events. And you shouldn't have forgotten about our mission yesterday. We're supposed to be a team, Naruto."
The blonde rookie wanted to punch Kakashi in the face when he said that last bit. But he was too short to get a good hit and he wasn't bold enough to whip out his wand and hex him. Naruto was tempted to shout at his teacher and call him a word that would have made his late mother shriek, but instead he frowned and scowled at his teacher, 'Who the hell does he think he is?!'
Kakashi failed to notice this and then he said in a nonchalant voice, "But it can't be helped now. You're here now so let's go on ahead and visit the elders. We have to see them to receive our assignment."
The blonde rookie remained bitter the entire time during their mission, even while he and Sakura delivered milk from the farms to the markets around the village. Naruto glared at Kakashi and hated him more and more while he dismissed his students after their one mission. There was still time for at least two or three missions, as the sun didn't even start to set. Naruto walked off and pretended to leave, but remained hidden until Sasuke returned and watched him and Kakashi marched to the fields to train. Naruto had had it and Disapparated to the Ninja Academy.
At the school, while it was closed from the repairmen and volunteers and while Iruka wasn't there, Naruto found an old training room and took out all of his rage on a punching bag. He struck and kicked the punching bag for over an hour until his knuckles turned raw and began to bleed. He shouted and roared louder and louder until one magical strike blasted the punching bag clean off its chains and made it crash into wall. Naruto took a breather and calmed down as sweat rolled down his face. But his anger towards his sensei didn't subside. It was then that Naruto came to his decision and took off as soon as he felt the skin on his knuckles scabbed over and healed.
Naruto reached a particular motel while he listened to his new MP3 Player, and knocked on the door of one particular room. He waited for someone to answer the door and while he did so, continued to think about his sensei's actions over the last few months to continue to fuel his decision. He almost bounced on his feet as he heard the sounds of someone on the other side of the door and stood straight.
'Kakashi-sensei is an ARSEHOLE! He talks about teamwork like he's so infallible! I should have put a spell on him right there!'
'Simmer down, mate.'
The door unlocked and out the door appeared the face of the white-haired Sannin. He had left Naruto his current address on a small card in the birthday present box that he found while he brewed Sarutobi's potion last night.
Jiraiya seemed surprised and excited to see Naruto again, "Naruto! You made a decision then?"
"I'll do it," he nodded, "Count me in, Ero-Sennin."
The Sannin was still not pleased with his nickname but said with excitement, "Excellent! Glad to hear, kid!"
"Promise to train me while we're on the road?" the blonde rookie asked with insistence.
"Yeah," the hermit nodded, "You sure that this is what you want?"
"Positive," answered Naruto, "When do we leave?"
Jiraiya told him, "In a few days. I still have a few things to take care of before we leave. As soon as you're packed and ready come and see me and we can discuss your training. Make sure to tell your… aniki where you're going before you come and see me back here. Understood?"
"Yes," the blonde-haired wizard answered, as he had no intention of telling his teacher that he was leaving the village.
The next morning, Naruto woke up early and checked his rucksack for everything he was bringing with him on his journey. He told Iruka about his trip and the chunin helped him pack up while Anko was busy on her latest mission. Naruto had become overexcited and stuffed his rucksack with almost all the deluxe ramen cups in the house, leaving Iruka with no snacks of his own. After he unpacked the extra food, he and Iruka only packed up everything he needed and no more. The blonde teen had stuffed his new frog wallet with all of the cash he had saved from his missions, loaded Teuchi's pot with fresh batteries, and took his comic book collection for good measure.
After he double-checked his rucksack and polished the kunai Ibiki had given him, he took his supplies and almost danced to the kitchen. But when he walked in, Iruka was wide-awake and he looked worried as he hovered over the radio. But he looked troubled, more worried than Naruto had ever seen him before. When the blonde teen earned his attention, the chunin looked at him and sounded like a disaster had happened.
"Naruto…" he said.
The blonde rookie asked, "What is it?"
"You're not gonna like this," he told him as he turned back to the radio.
There was a little bit of static before Iruka fixed the transmission and turned the volume knob, Naruto then listened in as a familiar newscaster's voice sounded in the same official voice he used for important news announcements.
The newsman said, "Earlier this morning, a message was received from the Fire Daimyo that he has selected a candidate for the Godaime Hokage. Earlier this week, Danzo Shimura and a select few ANBU escorts arrived at the palace to discuss the urgent matter of Hiruzen Sarutobi's condition. And it has been announced that, despite the wishes of the Jounin Commander, Shikaku Nara, it is now official: that Danzo Shimura is the Godaime Hokage Candidate."
To Be Continued…
Thankfully, Naruto should be able to leave the village before Danzo returns. The next chapter will be released soon, but don't expect it to come out too soon. I really want to finish the chapter after the next one as soon as possible as the shit really starts to hit the fan next time. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please feel free to express your feels in the reviews. I look forward to reading what you guys liked or hated!
Until next time! :D