Chapter One : The Lotus Of Rebirth.

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A/N : Hey Guys, Rishabh here! I decided to completely rewrite the entire thing, with better writing and better presentation. I made a lot of mistakes before, but now I got a beta with me, so you can expect a better experience overall. Also there are many changes in the overall plot, so I would suggest you reread it from the beginning.

First few chapters may feel slow, but I promise it will be worthwhile and I will pick up the pace…

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Summary : Tired of the endless genin missions and Kakashi's infuriatingly cryptic teaching style, Naruto Uzumaki makes a bold decision. Seeking a more fulfilling path, he approaches the Hokage, a figure he's always looked up to. This daring move leads him to the eccentric yet powerful Jiraiya, the legendary Toad Sage.

Under Jiraiya's tutelage, Naruto's journey takes an unexpected turn. Just as he begins to grasp the complexities of ninjutsu, he encounters a mysterious individual who will change his life forever. A being of immense power and knowledge, this enigmatic figure offers a glimpse into a world beyond the ninja realm.

As Naruto delves deeper into his training, he discovers that his destiny is intertwined with forces greater than he could have imagined. With Jiraiya's guidance and the mentorship of Satoru Gojo, Naruto embarks on a quest to not only become the strongest shinobi but also to unlock the secrets of the universe and fulfill his true potential as he walks the perilous path towards becoming the Honored One.

Mega crossover. Not in the same way you think…

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Disclaimer : I. Do. Not. Own. Anything. Other than my devices and idea that is…

But I wish I did. would have been filthy rich. Maybe in another universe?

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Another A/N: at the end

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A gentle breeze ruffled the leaves of all the trees in the leaf village. The scent of sweet soil permeating nearly everything, sun casting long and skeletal shadows of late afternoon. The atmosphere spoke of peace and tranquility, a stark contrast to a certain sunny blond's mood.

Naruto Uzumaki, with all of his majestic orange glory, walked towards the leaf administration building, specifically the office of the hokage. His face twisted into a scowl which will make an Uchiha proud…

Why you may ask? It due to his sensei, one Kakashi Hatake

It has been long, 10 whole days and they accomplished shit, well... except 2 daily d rank missions. Nothing more…

They barely survived their first c-rank-turned-a-rank mission, and it was all kakashi's fault!

"Stupid, stupid kakashi sensei!" Naruto grumbled to himself. Don't get him wrong, he respected kakashi. The guy was one of the best ninja around, and even a better instructor. If he taught you something, he made you the best at it. He is very efficient and fast and even if he hasn't taught him any cool jutsu, his lessons in taijutsu and ninja tactics are simply brilliant. But therein lies the problem, he was a shitty teacher in a sense of responsibility.

The guy has no motivation to teach other than occasional lessons, Naruto couldn't remember even one time where his sensei wanted to teach them anything. Everything seemed too forced on his part and his behavior is not something you expect from a jonin sensei.

He scoffed mentally. 'And now the duck butt-bastard gets special training for his shitty sharingan.'

Yeah, that was another issue. His male teammate, the eternal brooding Uchiha.

"And Villagers Call him Lord Sasuke!" he scoffed, "Like hell! I would rather die than call him Lord."

Since the moment Sasuke awakened his shit eating orbs of dirty flesh, he became number one person on naruto's shit-list.

The guy broods even more, and his attitude – which was tolerable crappy before – became absolute ass in a span of 10 seconds! Can you believe it!? You could see his aura of murder from a kilometre away!

And then there comes his other teammate… okay, the love of his life, Sakura. 'Just fuck! Because of that bastard, Sakura is wasting her potential! I mean, she nailed the tree walking in one go, it has to mean something…' he mused to himself, thoughts going to a certain violent, pinked haired banshee of a girl.

He sighed but got a determined glint in his eyes. "I will make Sakura see my way and rescue her from that bastard Uchiha. Then she will realize how much I loved her." He exclaimed with a giggle and smiled fondly.

Negatives aside, though, the mission did teach Naruto two very important life lessons. One is that a shinobi's life is akin to a ticking paper bomb (paper bombs don't tink, do they?) on timer. No matter how strong you are, you may die the very next day, or even the very next moment. That was a hard realization from the life he imagined as a shinobi where he saves princesses and damsels in distress! Sigh. But it is nothing more than his fantasy…

The second one and most important one was his true ninja way; to protect what is important to him (I am damn tired of reading 'precious' this and 'precious' that. No more such fuck. Read along, i will change even that perception). Along with enjoying your life while it lasts.

So he did. Enjoy… Making every shopkeeper stuck in a clown getup for at least a day, and giving every chunin a–ahem, makeover does count as something, doesn't it? And Burning the old man hokage out of his money too…

Naruto snickered, recalling what happened afterwards. People passing near him looked his way quizzically but shrugged, used to the demon boy's unusual antics.

Now, he will go to the perverted old man, and put his foot down the old pervert's throat. "There will be reckoning if I do not get training, and not rock hauling, proper training. Heads will roll!" He ended with a dark chuckle, not unlike a certain duck-butt he knows.

He arrived at the hokage office, the guards all too familiar with him marching in without invitation, did nothing. But the sight which greeted the orange wearing blonde was not what he expected the Esteemed Fire Shadow, even if he was a total closer pervert…

— — —

Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Second God Of Shinobi, Third Hokage Of The Hidden Leaf Village, was fighting a losing battle, a battle so great that no man has ever been able to conquer it — Paperwork.

Jokes aside, paperwork really was the bane of his and every kage's existence. The hell hole never ends. And what's more, it just keeps on reading and increasing.

Nah, he ain't stupid. He can use shadow clones to do it, but they sometimes go out of hand, not unlike a certain whiskered blonde he knows. "Sigh. I think Naruto is rubbing me way too much."

Suddenly, a very peculiar chill went down his spine when he thought of the boy. He looked outside from the window located behind his seat. "Whatever storm is coming, I want no part of it. Oh god, please, please spare this old bag of bones!" He pleaded to the higher power, but to no avail.

'Naruto'. A voice echoed in his chamber of a mind. He had his fare share of regrets regarding the resident jinchuriki of leaf. All tied to his inability, or more precisely his failure. 'Was believing in the will of fire and good of people the right choice?' If he hadn't, Naruto could have gotten a much better life. A life full of the same vibrant energy he radiates.

But before he could continue the depressing line of thought a voice boomed from his right. "Hey Sensei, what are you ranting about?" Ah, jiraiya.

Hiruzen smiled. "Jiraiya, my boy! It is so good to see you!"

Jiraiya grinned cheekily, "Same Here sensei! It has been almost 16 years, hasn't it? The last time I came was when Minato got named Fourth Hokage."

"It sure has." was Hiruzen's simple reply.

Hiruzen was still smiling, but his brows furrowed together, only a little bit. "Is there something wrong? I don't take you as the type to abandon your spying – Be it on women of enemies – just meet your old sensei? More importantly, you said – in your last letter – that you will only return during chunin exams, and it's still 7 months away?"

Jiraiya chuckled sheepishly. "Umm… something like that?" He sighed, no meaning in beating around the bush. "Pa Temporarily, terminated my rights to summon any toad other than battle type."

Hiruzen's eyebrows shot up like a rocket. He almost had a whiplash when he turned to jiraiya from his paperwork "Say WHAT!? Temporary selective suspension? Is that even possible?" He took deep breaths to calm himself down, nothing is impossible it seems, "Just what the hell did you do to piss Lord Fukasaku to this point? He is a pretty wise and patient man, er, Toad. And being scolded by him and lady shima is nothing new. So, what changed?

Jiraiya smiled lamely and Hiruzen groaned, already arriving at an answer. "You see, Sensei, there was a new scout toad recruit, Gamazoru. He was pretty devoted to his work it seems, as when I told him to help me in my 'research', he just stomped off and talked pa's year off to 'Punish' me, as I was corrupting the sacred toad values by my 'research' until pa gave in. Can you even believe the guy? Many toads – who are my normal companions – will give their limbs to just be a part of one of the greatest endeavors in all existence." He ranted like a child.

"Wait," jiraiya paused, to let Hiruzen continue his question, "When you say, Corrupt, do you mean perversion? As in Perverted Toads?" Jiraiya nodded. "How will seeing human females make them pervert and breach their sacred toad values?"

Jiraiya looked uneasy for a few moments, "um, it…might have something to do with the fact that we share our senses, to let me get a clear picture. Hey, there's nothing wrong! The little guys like it, no, they absolutely Love my research." He roared as Hiruzen got a look of realisation. And soon a sound permeated the hokage office, the sound of laughter.

As for the aged hokage, he couldn't help himself. It started as a chuckle, then more, then laughter and then he sprawled onto the ground, trying to breath between his laughing fit. "Hahahahah… Toads Sharing their senses with you? To think that Toads will develop appreciation for the human female form! Priceless! It is creepy, gross and hilarious at the same time, hahahaha…." He continued his fit while jiraiya scowled, his eyebrows furrowing in mock displeasure.

"Laugh it all you want sensei. I know for a fact that other than Kakashi, you are my biggest fan, and a massive closet pervert!" He exclaimed and smirked wider when Hiruzen gave him a mock death glare.

Jiraiya became serious the next second, "Sigh. As much as I want to continue our playful conversation, I have a lot more to talk about." He gestured vaguely. Hiruzen nodded, and went through some hand seals.

The room's air became so still that only the occupants' heartbeat and breathing was audible. "Hm, so what is so important that you are here instead of land of water, jiraiya?"

"Do you want a full report or a short one?"

Hiruzen snorted. 'lazy bastard' "A summary now and detailed in written format would be nice…"

The super pervert nodded. "Orochimaru is planning something big. Very big. The land of waters, as things are going, will be free from yagura's control in 2 years' worth of time. I pulled a lot of strings to make that happen, to stop such needless bloodshed." He paused, taking out a scroll and tossing it to Hiruzen who caught it.

"Most of all, The Akatsuki are moving alot. I have my concerns towards that group of mercenaries, as it has been a long time since Itachi contacted me." He finished grimly, thoughts going towards a certain blonde genin he only saw in photos and heard in conversations.

Hiruzen pocketed the scroll, and turned to jiraiya. "This is concerning, as how much we are doing things from the background, the mist civil war should have been stopped long ago, but it hasn't. As for my wayward student… I will be on guard, you don't have to concern yourself with him Jiraiya!"

"No sensei, I do have to concern myself! He is my former teammate and a friend, who became a threat to my home. He is my concern! You are old sensei, very old, and you cannot bear the burden of it all alone!"

Hiruzen smiled fondly at his only remaining, loyal student.

"Here, take this!" He threw something with vibrant colors and questionable artwork towards hiruzen.

The old hokage's eyes lit up like a firework in the dark, as it was wide like a puppy given a new bone to chew. "Make Out : Anant Vasna? I thought it won't come out, like, in 2 years?" He quickly flipped through the book, skipping the unnecessary waste of papers, and onto the first chapter, which was titled; Seed Of Vasna.

Jiraiya grinned and gave a wink. "Just for you sensei, an early birthday present if you will…" then he looked outside the window behind his own back, where he was standing.

"How Is Naruto?" and hiruzen's happiness died an early and ugly death.

His expression morphed into sorrow, guilt, shame and self loathing. "Not good at all, Jiraiya! Minato would have been ashamed of our people. I no longer believe that this is the same leaf village hashirama-sensei and tobirama-sensei founded."

"That bad huh?" Hiruzen just nodded, not being able to look the boy's godfather in the eye.

"Well, we cannot undo what is done, but now I am in leaf village for the time being, so I may have some basis to establish a relationship with him."

"Yes, you should do that. Naruto is a lonely child, with no one to call his own. But he is a ball of sunshine, not something you would expect from a shinobi. He reminds me of you when you were a child and when Hashirama-sensei caused trouble for the rest of us." He explained fondly.

"Hmm… how about I train hi–" but before Jiraiya could finish, the door slammed open, and an orange-yellow blur shot past him.

— — —

Naruto slammed the door open and rushed towards the old man to surprise him, like he always does but then paused, and groaned. "Dammit old man, get a grip on your dick!" He blushed when he realized what he said, and quickly corrected himself, "I mean, get a grip you old excuse of a pervert! Reading such questionable material in your office ain't good! Does your Tool even function? seeing how old you are, for such things?" he ignored someone snickering behind him.

Hiruzen was just baffled… and dumbfounded, Naruto broke through a s-rank privacy/Silencing barrier without any indication to him. He mentally shook his head. 'Well I shouldn't be surprised anymore. Naruto is in no way normal, and logic is in the bin where he is concerned. It will be good for my senile sanity.' he quickly hid his book, which seemed more like teleportation, not even touching on the topic where the blonde questioned his manliness.

"Ah, Naruto boy, how have you been?" the old hokage greeted jovially, trying to soothe the storm within the Maelstrom known as Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto paused, considering his tone of reply, "I am kinda good, old man, but I could have been better, much better!" He said in a tone bordering on pleasant and annoyed.

Hiruzen winced, a headache already forming. 'I just know I will regret this, but whatever…' "What's the problem, my boy, tell me and I will see to it that it is solved." Hiruzen said resolutely, having no desire to piss off an angry teenager who has mega dirt on you.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"…What?" Was Hiruzen's intelligent reply.

"Kakashi-sensei is the problem old man! More specifically, his attitude in regards to teaching us! I want a good teacher, not a laid back, public smut reading cyclops of a pervert!" He again ignored someone chuckling behind him, not having any patience to care.

'Perfect' jiraiya thought with a grin.

'oh boy' thought Hiruzen with a grimace when he saw Jiraiya's grin. Kakashi is not going to like this and is going to be even more depressed. Of Course jiraiya had nothing against the perverted cyclops personally, he was one of the biggest fans of the Make Out series, so he has to be an angel in Jiraiya's eyes.

"I think I can help with that!" Jiraiya chimed in their convo.

Naruto blinked. Twice. Trice. Then he berated himself for not noticing the other occupant of this room till now. He looked Jiraiya's way and raised his blonde eyebrows, "Who the heck are you?"

"Oh?" The self proclaimed super pervert raised his brows, "Do you seriously not know me?"

Naruto scoffed. "Am I supposed to?"

Jiraiya ignored the disrespect and did his iconic introduction pose then said, "I am The Gallant Jiraiya, Toad Sage Of Mount Myoboku, The most desirable man in the entirety of elemental nations, and the famous writer of Make Out Tactics."

Naruto just stared at him, dumbfounded. Then it clicked. "YOU!?" He pointed a heated finger at Jiraiya, "YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WRITES THAT GARBAGE OF A BOOK OLD MAN AND KAKASHI-SENSEI ALWAYS READ, YOU DIRTY OLD LEECHER!" Absolutely roared, losing any semblance of control he might have…

Jiraiya took a step back. 'k-kushina?' "calm down, you moron!" He chastised him in an attempt to hide his own surprise. "I am offering valuable training here! And you are screaming like a schoolgirl to me." He finished with a scoff of his own. But internally, he was all giddy.

"What would you even teach me?" He asked as he calmed down, getting the point that anger will do him no good. "How to peep on women? How to write smut like you? How to giggle like you? Just What?" he asked somewhat jokingly despite himself.

Jiraiya smirked, internally. 'Kid, You Have No Idea…' Externally, he narrowed his eyes in a playful anger, "I'll have you know that I was the one who taught Minato Namikaze, Kid, and am currently one of the strongest shinobi alive.'' Naruto's eyebrows climbed up to his hairline.

As for Hiruzen, he was content to watch the banter play out.

Naruto intruded Jiraiya's private space and gave him the cutest expression with widest puppy dog eyes the blonde kid could muster, and it was damn effective as jiraiya found his heart melt at the sight. "You taught the Fourth hokage?" Jiraiya nodded, Naruto looked at Hiruzen for confirmation, and sure enough, he too nodded. "Wow…Just...wow." he said admirably.

"Heh, if you want it, kid, I could teach you. I have free time. But only if you really want and are ready to be put through a meat grinder on a daily basis. In future you may wish you haven't agreed? So you still wana?" Naruto did not trust his voice at this point so he just nodded eagerly and rapidly.

Naruto looked towards the clock. "When do we begin?"

"Now!" said Jiraiya as he picked Naruto up like a sack of potatoes. Then he frowned. 'he is way too light for a 15 year old. Does he eat his smugness and arrogance instead of food? 'cus they both seem pretty light! Hah!' he was in deep thought so he ignored the cries of protest from his passenger, and body flickered away to a empty, private training ground.

— — —

(Training Ground 24)

Naruto and Jiraiya arrived at Training Ground 24. A vast expanse of emerald green grass stretched out before them, a calm river meandering through the center, its gentle murmur punctuated by the thunderous roar of a nearby waterfall. It was a serene setting.

"So, how are we gonna do this?" The blonde managed to stammer out, still feeling very nauseac due to such high speed movement.

Jiraiya Grinned, and it had way too many teeth to be anything good. "I am one who goes with the flow. Bring me everything you've got, no holding back! Let's see what you've got."

Naruto smirked defiantly. "You sure? I could break some perverted bones in you! Believe it!"

"You are like, 1000 years too early to even land a hit on me kid. Trust me when I say this, I am fast, so very fast." The white haired pervert gloated with no shame.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu" the super pervert heard a shout and the training ground descended into an all out brawl between an orange nuisance and a white haired leecher…

— — — One Eternity Later — — —

Naruto was breathing very heavily and was laying– sprawled on the ground like some torn paper bag. 'the trash writer sure hits hard…' he sulked. Yup, he got the first hand experience why jiraiya was feared in all elemental nations.

Even with two hundred clones, he couldn't even touch jiraiya. He tried everything he has learned up to this point and everything went to–

"Oh, stop sulking around." Aah, he was still there, was he. Might be to take pity on him just like everyon–

"No, kid, I know a hard-worker when I see one. You are not talent and all hard work, so i don't and won't take pity on you." Naruto just groaned. Great just great, now the pervert had mind reading abilities… 'Oh God, why? Why do you hate so much? What did I do to you?'

"Idiot. I can't read your mind, but i have enough experience with people like you to predict what they would think." Now Super Great, his pride and title as unpredictable went out of the window— "I was and am kinda the same." Jiraiya smiled in sympathy.

All Naruto was able to manage was a weak smile. Jiraiya sat beside him in the lotus position and closed his eyes, while he waited for him to recover. hmm, meditation? 'Probably' Naruto gave a mental shrug. It was a foreign concept for his hyperactive body and mind so, why even try?

After almost an hour—which seemed more like eternity for Naruto as it was so quiet. He always feared quite… Some reasons known and some unknown. He got up, and stretched him limbs. 'Sigh. Now I can feel my body again. The pervert gave me one helluva beating, believe it!' "So, what do I have to improve?" His voice was laced with hope to hear a good response, a response he desired…

"Everything." Nope. Looks like the universe won't be having it. That plain reply crushed his hopes. A cruel old man can't even understand his emotions. Naruto just 'Hmph' and sat, glaring daggers at Jiraiya's serene, tranquil looking form.

He slowly opened his eyes, and began elaborating, "Naruto, remove your tracksuit, I want to inspect your seal." Naruto was taken aback by the request, but complied nonetheless.

Jiraiya inspected his figure more than the seal. 'Just as i thought, the kid is malnourished, and what sensei told me, all he eats is ramen. I have to change that…Kushina would have had a fit if she saw her son in such a condition…' he shuddered at the thought. Then, moving onto the seal, as Hiruzen had told him, Naruto drew on fox's power on his first C-rank mission.

He nodded when he found nothing wrong with the seal, and motioned Naruto to get redressed, which the blonde genin eagerly did. A little crept out by the fact that an old man was inspecting his body so deeply. Que shudder.

"First of all, your diet is shit!" He ignored the blond's indignant cry of 'Don't you diss ramen!' he continued, "Kid, you are a 15 year old teenager, and teens need a lot of nutrients to grow properly, with all the hormonal changes in your body. You are way too short, very skinny and your skin clearly shows how much you fulfil your daily nutrition requirement." Naruto shot him a withering glare for the shorty comment.

"No more ramen for you then!" Jiraiya grinned sadistically at his reaction.

Naruto was horror stricken. "Nooooo!" he screamed to high heavens. He knelt down in a pleading posture, like people do in temples…

"Pervy Sage," he had tears in his cerulean blue eyes, and it did not look good on him. "Please!" He supplicated, "please don't do such cruelty to me! I can endure anything but that!"

"Gee, drama queen much?" He said dryly. "...And don't call me that! It's Jiraiya-sensei to you, brat!" jiraiya ignored naruto's chanting 'Pervy Sage' for now…

"Anyways, we are getting distracted here. The second thing we will be working on will be your physical conditioning and martial arts. You suck! I applaud you on your esoteric tactics, but it won't matter when you go on higher levels, as battles aren't won solely on combat ability." jiraiya said wisely and paused to let Naruto digest what he told him.

When he was sure that the blonde absorbed his words, he continued, "Third on our list is your overall intelligence, and I repeat, Overall Intelligence. You will have to read and write a lot, if you want to learn from me." Naruto cried in protest but Jiraiya just gave him a look which promised pain so he shut up.

He shook his head, and said. "You will also be learning other shinobi arts."

"Other shinobi arts?" Naruto inquired, as he was intrigued.

"Yes, like weapons, learning to dispel genjutsu, basic medical ninjutsu, and yes, the most important is Fuinjutsu."

"Why sealing art? Even I can understand the use of others, as I already know them, well, basics at least, but why seals specifically? Aren't they, ya know, supposed to be super difficult?" Naruto asked.

'Because it's your legacy?' was what Jiraiya wanted to say, but opted for a; "I'm best at it. why not?"

Naruto stared at him disbelievingly. "Riiight…" Nope, he did not believe the old pervert. "Anything else?" jiraiya nodded.

"There are, kid, there are a lot. But we will get to them when the time is right." He looked up to the sky and said, "There is still some time left before I will call it a day, so let's do what is number one on our agenda?"

Naruto mentally said 'fuck it' and asked in irritation, "And…That is?" Hunger did not help. God above, he Needed ramen right now!

Jiraiya beamed. "Summoning Jutsu!"

"?"

"Sigh. I'll explain later. For now, you need to learn to better control your chakra. And the next step in chakra control is water walking. Now get to it!" he motioned towards the river and they both sauntered towards it.

Jiraiya demonstrated by walking on water without falling into the river, then did some complex manoeuvres from his personal taijutsu style.

"Um… how long will it take to learn this water walking thingy? Cuz I'm hungry as hell!" Whined Naruto. As to drive his point, his stomach grumbled in protest of hunger.

Jiraiya looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "I estimate at least a week? If you use shadow clones, then maybe a few hours at most? It depends. Besides, if you can complete water walking today, I will give you a treat, all you can eat."

Naruto beamed in response. "...wait. Shadow clones? How will they assist me in training?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, "you're telling me that you can spam thousands of shadow clones and still have no idea that they give memory feedback? Seriously?"

Naruto looked at him in confusion. "Mem–what?"

Jiraiya chuckled. "In layman's terms, what your shadow clone learns, you will learn it too, after it gets dispelled." He explained calmly. His voice was laced with humour.

"..." Naruto said nothing, as his eyes and mouth were too wide to form any sentence…

…And an unholy scream of frustration was heard throughout the leaf village…

— — — 2 Hours Later — — —

Naruto backflipped. Trying to master enough control on his chakra to perform martial arts on water. It had taken him 1 hour with 600 clones, stretched throughout the length of the river to get water walking down.

He heard someone clapping. "Very good, Naruto. That sure was fast."

Naruto grinned foxily and rubbed the back of his head. "Aren't I awesome? Believe it!" He was more happy to be called by his name from the super pervert, an accomplishment, recognition of his stren–

Jiraiya chuckled. "Yup. You sure are kid." Naruto gave a bright smile for acknowledgement and then pouted for calling him kid again.

"C'mere." Jiraiya motions him.

Naruto tilted his head in a cute manner and it took a lot of jiraiya's willpower to not crush him in a hug. 'Damn this kid is cute!' then he giggled perversely, thinking of what kind of attention he will get from the female populace once he gets through with him…

'He would be a goldmine of inspiration! I could write whole volumes of Make Out just on him! Like Make Out : Nine Tails (it upto you to assume what you will) Of Ninja. Where a human gets a Demonic contract and ends up with–further classification will not be healthy for readers' sanity.' Que endless perverted giggle…

'I will make him my true apprentice! With his looks, he can swope any girl off her feet!' thought the super pervert, continuing his evil plotting to corrupt his godson…

When Naruto reached him, Jiraiya handed him a towel –which came from where, naruto had no idea– and helped him dry himself. Then he did some hand signs and casted a small fire jutsu to warm him up…

"Aah…" Naruto sighed pleasantly. Heat permitting his entire form.

They both sat on a rock using it as mat. It was almost sundown, and they had to leave pretty soon. Jiraiya had something important on his mind.

"Hey Naruto," the blonde looked up, his gaze questioning, "What is your reason for fighting?"

"What?"

"I am asking why are you fighting? As a shinobi? Why do you want to become strong? What drives you?"

Naruto made an 'O' from his mouth and replied. "Well, first of all, I want to become a hokage, so that everyone in the village will respect me! Then, I want to one day marry sakura," Jiraiya smiled. At least the kid had a clear-cut view on his priorities, "and most of all, I want to become strong so I can protect what is important to me. This village, my friends, the things I will acquire, all of it. Also, when I make a promise, I can fulfil it, because that's my ninja way."

Jiraiya had a satisfied smile in his mind. 'Good Enough for now, but a little push is needed…' but externally he showed indifference, a neutral face. Naruto too noticed it and tilted his head in confusion.

"Is that all…Naruto?"

Naruto frowned. "What do you mean, 'Is that all?' I just told you what drives me to become a better ninja!"

"I don't mean to offend you, Naruto. But is gaining acknowledgement of the village, and a girl is all you want?"

"…No…as I said, I also want to protect what's important to me and keep it safe…"

"I heard that. But what about a more stable drive?"

Naruto was becoming very impatient. Not understanding Jiraiya didn't help. "Do you have a problem with my goals, good sir?" He asked threateningly.

Jiraiya shook his head. "I have no problems with your goals, Naruto. They are very admirable for someone so young. Most teenagers will say 'glory', 'fame', 'girls' or 'money' or something along those lines. Your goals spoke depth about your character, but I want to know, what would you do when the thing you are protecting is lost? When the village gets destroyed in a war? When the girl you like didn't return your affections of died in the line of shinobi?"

Naruto just stared at him, eyes wide and in deep thought. He opened his mouth to say something but Jiraiya didn't let him, "you are not the only one protecting the village. Every ninja here does so… You know, when I became a ninja, I did so because I wanted to get as many ladies as I could." He said with a chuckle.

Naruto, too, chuckled. Despite the situation and the inner turmoil Jiraiya caused. "But slowly, my goals evolved," jiraiya continued with a sad smile, "became grounded and gave true meaning to my life."

He looked at Naruto with a very serious expression. "What I want to know is, what is your goal if not purely material and fleeting? What would you do when you lose your goals? things you protect? Face the facts Naruto, nothing remains forever, everything has a time to fade away. I know for a fact, because I am a sage, I have a deeper understanding of reality. More so in our line of work. The death rate is nearly 70% for most ninja! Heck, becoming a missing nin or a bandit will be safer than being a village's shinobi…" he paused to let Naruto digest his words.

After a few moments Naruto spoke in a low voice, "...what should I do? Jiraiya-sensei?..." Jiraiya smiled in triumph when he heard sensei with his name.

"You have to find your own answer, Naruto. Do what you view as right, I am not telling you to throw away what you currently strive for, but find a more solid and grounded reason to continue your existence. Because I know what it feels like when you complete your goal; first you will feel satisfaction then empty…Nothing!"

Jiraiya sighed. "Don't think too hard on it now, i only bought this up so you can grow as a person too. A person with strong ideals or reason he strives, he fights…" he trailed off, not liking the expression on blonde jinchuriki.

"Whelp, How about it?" Naruto looked up in even more confusion, "let's go to your favourite place of ramen and I will pay them for this week's worth of money so you can have it as much as you want! We will begin your diet from next Monday, so what do you say?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Naruto gave an uneasy and sad smile. And you couldn't even blame him, as it felt like his very world got destroyed below his feet. The very reason he thought–come to understand–he became a shinobi, was crushed by a wise and experienced man.

And that said man wasn't even wrong, Naruto understood that much. He understood that deep attachment within a shinobi life could only bring pain when lost, but he didn't want to think about it. 'That's why I even wanted to train harder, so i can keep them safe…' his ninja way…'wait... didn't Jiraiya sensei say that I have to arrive at my own answer? And my goals are perfectly fine as they are?' he grinned mentally, understanding Jiraiya's point. 'I need a stronger reason to fight, and make my reasons stronger with them! Yup!' he cheered mentally.

Jiraiya smiled when he spotted the improved mood of his godson, only time will tell what becomes of him…

Tomorrow he will teach him the summoning jutsu, and give him part of his legacy. He was 15 years late in his godson's life due to village security, but no more.

…

But he had no idea what tomorrow entails, as it will change his and Naruto's life, along with the very world, forever. For good or bad is to be found…

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A/N: So, there you have it… I made a lot of changes and it takes a lot of effort, believe me…

Hiruzen will not be having any active role, as when I revised his Character, I didn't like it very much.

Jiraiya will be having a more central role and will help Naruto mature into what he is supposed to be

No, even with wisdom, Naruto's core personality will remain the same; kind, cheerful, compassionate and ready to throw his life for others…

Some people thought that my previous chapters had a good amount of philosophy, whelp, now you will get a real taste of philosophy. I would say, mostly the sanatani philosophies as I am a Hindu and have studied almost every branch of Sanatan dharma and have a decent grasp on its core values. so I will incorporate it into my fanfiction and my own story...

— — —End— — —

Date Of Chapter Upload : 30/07/2024

Next Chapter : I Am The Honored One: Satoru Gojo.