Author's Note: I am so happy with the amount of reviews that this fic has gotten since uploading the last chapter. It was by far the most I have gotten, so, as I promised, I'm back again with chapter 10 within 2 weeks. The second and final part of the Omake will be next, so maybe some more reviews and I'll upload within 10 days of this? Wink Wink. (The conclusion of the Omake is rather short which makes 10 days seem fair.)

Chapter 9 was by far my most divisive chapter I've released so far, some people loved it and others had their issues that they made known. And that is okay because I love reading both positive and negative feedback.

Story Stats as of 8/9/19:

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Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave your thoughts in the reviews!

Chapter 11: Onward

Naruto knelt in front of the graves, reciting a prayer that wishes good fortune to his friends now in the afterlife. Though there was only one body, he thought of all three of them. Opening his eyes, looking next to the freshly dug up dirt, there were two others he knew all too well.

He had buried Tazuna next to Zabuza and Haku.

'How ironic.' He thought to himself humorlessly. 'How the contracted killer and the man he was hired to kill would share the same eternal resting place.' Despite that thought, the blond knew that in the end, Zabuza was a good person. That's why he felt that it was appropriate that all three of them should be next to one another.

They were all good people who died because they got caught up in a bad situation.

'Rest peacefully. I'm sorry for my weakness…'

"How are you feeling, Naruto?" The sage asked him from behind.

Naruto stood up slowly, lightly dusting the dirt off of the front of his pants. "I think I feel a little better." He answered with an even tone. "They deserved better, though."

"I know." Jiraiya agreed somberly.

Silence reigned over them for a few moments. The blond had been wanting to ask his Godfather a question since he had found out about it, but he never figured out a good way to bring it up. Finally, he decided he would just go ahead and ask.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were my Godfather when we first met? Or, even, before that?" His tone wasn't accusing, he was just curious about the whole situation. Never once did he stop and think why an insanely powerful ninja like Jiraiya was interested in being around him as much as he was. The boy was just happy there was someone strong around that was willing to teach him cool Jutsu. Looking back on it, the only reason that it would make sense is if the Sage and he had some sort of bond he wasn't aware of.

Jiraiya let out a long sign, signaling his discomfort with the topic. "It's complicated." He began with an unusually serious tone. "I never had what it takes to be a father. If you had someone like me as a father figure, who knows how you would've turned out." The Sannin was being uncharacteristically hard on himself. "If you had turned out a failure like me, because of me, I would never be able to face your father."

Naruto frowned at his Mentor's self-deprecating words. "Well, I don't care what you think, you're not a failure and I wouldn't trade you for anyone."

Jiraiya smiled, touched by his student's unexpectedly kind words. "You aren't mad at me?"

"I... don't think so." The boy said slowly as he tried to sort through the things he was feeling. "I may not have known you for very long, but I know that you usually have a good reason for the things that you do."

"I do feel guilty about not being there for you. If you want to hate me, I wouldn't blame you." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

"It was tough. Living in a village by myself where everyone hated me and wanted me gone."

"I know, Naruto. I'm sorry. I've made a lot of mistakes, and those mistakes have made things much more difficult on you." Speaking from the heart wasn't something the Toad Sage did often. "From now on, I'll be better. I promise."

Instead of anger or sadness, the boy smiled slightly. "I forgive you. I'm just happy that I actually have a real family!" He thought for a moment. "Well, kind of. It's just you and me, but still!"

"Thanks, kid..."

"No problem, ya big perv!"

Jiraiya sweatdropped. 'Guess that'll never change.' He thought to himself with a laugh.

There was something else Naruto desperately wanted to know. Since Jiraiya was his Godfather, that meant that he knew his parents. But, while he wanted to hear every little detail about his parents, he was hesitant to ask about them. They had had a close relationship, meaning there was a good chance that asking about them would reopen a wound that his teacher wasn't ready for. So, out of respect, he would wait for Jiraiya to bring it up. When he was ready to do so.

Naruto looked at the two Jonin that were accompanying him. "What do we do now?" He asked.

As if by fate, a team of Leaf ANBU converged on the scene.

"Master Jiraiya." Boar began in a deep voice. "We need to debrief all three of you on what transpired."

Jiraiya waved him off. "Sorry, but we can't. You can debrief Tenzo, but Naruto and I aren't staying long." He countered casually.

The ANBU team, Tenzo included, seemed slightly taken aback by his response. "Sir, we're under strict orders to not only debrief you three but to ensure Naruto returns safely to the village immediately."

Jiraiya's and Naruto's ears perked at that last part. "Are those Tsunade's orders?" He asked, despite having a hunch he already knew the answer.

The masked ninja shifted uncomfortably. "No, not exactly, sir." The reluctant answer caught both of their attention.

Though he didn't seem like it, Naruto was listening intently to this conversation. 'If she didn't give that order, then who did?'

'Danzo.' Jiraiya inwardly sneered. He was hoping that rat wouldn't have gotten word of what happened. Danzo was one of the people who opposed him taking his Godson out of the village for an extended period. He had even gone so far as to convince the other higher-ups that their precious military weapon was safer inside the village, where they could watch him vigilantly. They would have to kill the Sannin if they planned on keeping his student locked up like one of Orochimaru's test subjects.

Luckily for him, Tsunade had his back throughout the whole ordeal. Though, her power only extends so far. Once the Elders had found out that Naruto was almost stolen away by the Akatsuki a second time, she probably lost all of her authority on the matter.

"I'll send a report to Tsunade, don't worry." He stated calmly. "However, Naruto and I won't be returning to the village yet."

Boar cleared his throat. "With all due respect, due to what happened the boy can no longer be allowed to freely walk outside the walls of the village."

Naruto's eyes narrowed menacingly. "So I'm just a weapon to all of you?" He nearly spat at the Black Ops. "They don't care about my life at all, they just don't want to lose the Nine-Tails." He was boiling over in rage. Now that he experienced it firsthand, he could see more and more clearly what human nature was truly like.

Jiraiya, too, was beginning to lose his temper. "You can tell the Elder's that he's not some dog that needs to be locked in a cage. The kid is safe with me, I'm not going to leave his side again." The Sage stated with finality. He was fully aware that they weren't going to try and take his student by force. They hadn't brought nearly enough ANBU for that.

"…I'll let them know, sir." Reluctance evidence in his tone. Despite their disagreement, the ANBU bowed professionally, and with the company of Tenzo, turned around to go back to the village.

"Thank you." Naruto said with some of the first emotion his mentor had heard from him all day.

"I already told you, we're family. As long as I'm alive they aren't going to treat you like some weapon." He gave his pupil a reassuring thumbs-up.

Naruto gave him a weak smile in return. At least somehow treated him like he was a human being.

"Where are we headed too now?" The Genin asked, trying his best to move past what had just happened.

"Funny you should ask that." The older man responded while biting his thumb. "I think instead of just telling you, I'll show you."

Naruto's eyebrow rose in intrigue, but he said nothing.

"Summoning Jutsu!" The Toad Master exclaimed, after running through a series of hand signs.

'Poof.'

"Yo, what's up." The tiny red toad Gamakichi greeted with a half-lazy wave as the smoke began to clear.

"Hey, can you let them know that Naruto and I are coming in for a visit?" Jiraiya asked the Toad Chief's son.

Gamakichi's eyes lit up at the thought of his blond friend coming to visit his home. "Really?! Sure thing!" He looked over at Naruto. "I'll see you soon, Naruto!" That was followed by a soft 'poof!'

The blond boy just looked confused. "What was that all about?" He wasn't sure what was going on. "He said he'd see me soon, even though he was already here?"

"Just wait, you'll see."

There a brief bit of silence, which annoyed Naruto. He disliked being out of the loop.

"What are we waiting f-"

'Poof!'

The two leaf ninja disappeared in a plume of smoke.

'Poof!'

"Woah." The blond groaned, bringing a hand up to clutch his now pounding head. "What just happened?" He asked, doing his best to regain his bearings.

"What just happened was a reverse summon." Came an old-sounding voice.

Naruto blinked. Wherever he was, it was not the land of waves. This new place had beautiful, colorful, and lush plant-life, enormous mushrooms as tall as trees, large stone frogs with water spewing from their agape mouths. It was awe-inspiring. "Where am I?"

"This is Mount Myoboku, Naruto-boy." The polite voiced chimed in again.

There was that voice again. He swirled around in the direction it had come from. Only no one was there?

"Down here!"

Looking down, the Genin saw a tiny, green toad, no taller than a couple of feet high. The toad had a tuft of white hair styled in what appeared to be a mohawk, very thick eyebrows, and a small goatee of the same color.

"Uhhhh…" The boy was at a loss.

"Naruto." Jiraiya began, gesturing to the tiny animal who had just been talking. "This is Lord Fukasaku. He's one of my masters."

"Uhhhh…"

Jiraiya leaned down to whisper in the green toad's ear. "Give him a minute, he's a bit slow."

Fukasaku chuckled warmly at his young guest. "It's true. I taught Jiraiya-boy almost everything he knows." The aforementioned student coughed loudly in protest, but it was ignored. "And we did a lot of that teaching here." Gesturing to their current surroundings. "This is my home, the home of all summoning toads. Mount Myoboku." The old toad explained slowly.

As Naruto was trying to process all of this brand new information, he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Naruto!" Gamakichi yelled as he hopped over. "I told you I would see you again! So what do you think of my home? Pretty great, right?"

"Yeah." The blond nodded his agreement. "This place is beautiful."

"Kichi-boy, why don't you show Naruto-boy around. I have some catching up to do with my old student."

The young toad nodded in understanding. "You heard em'. Lemme show you around, Naruto."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Jiraiya added in. "We'll be right here waiting for you, kid."

Naruto nodded and followed Gamakichi. Lord Fukasaku's eyes were trained on the Sannin's student.

"So…" The old toad began. "Is that the one? The child of prophecy?"

Jiraiya leaned up against a tall tree-like mushroom and let out a loud, tired-sounding sigh.

"I think it's very possible, but every time I thought that, well, you know what's happened." His voice was laced with a touch of sadness. The powerful Leaf ninja had trained many impressive ninjas.

All of which are now dead.

Fukasaku nodded knowingly. "There is more than just that, isn't there? You wouldn't bring him here just for a visit. Did something happen recently?"

"There were some… things that happened." He said vaguely. "The kid has a lot on his plate right now. I just want to make sure that, if he is the child of prophecy, when the time comes to make the 'critical selection', I make the right choice."

"Ah, so you're here to see him for guidance?" To which his pupil nodded. "But why bring Naruto-boy here?"

"With the Akatsuki out there, I can't leave his side." He grimaced, thinking of back in the village. "And I don't trust the village Elders if I were to leave him back in the Leaf."

"I see."

"We'll probably be here for a while, Boss. If that's okay?"

That question elicited a smile from his Master. "Of course, you're always welcome. I'm sure Ma will love to see ya again. And meet Naruto-boy, as well."

A wave of relief washed over the Leaf's Toad Sage. While he knew he was always welcome with open arms in Mount Myoboku, being there and away from everything else that was happening was going to be good for both Naruto, and him.

"Thanks, Boss."

"Eat up, Pa, Jiraiya-boy, Naruto-boy!"

Naruto gulped audibly; his face practically blue with discomfort. A loud, but very nice toad that Jiraiya called 'Ma'am' just placed several plates of bugs down on the dinner table that they were all sitting around. Fukasaku immediately began to dig in, making sounds of enjoyment with every bite. The blond almost threw up when the green toad swallowed a beetle whole that was the size of Gamakichi's head.

The Genin's eyes began to comically bulge out of his head when even Jiraiya began to start eating.

"Thanks for the food!" He thanked as he sunk his teeth into a dish of colorful looking bugs.

Upon seeing the shocked look of his student, Jiraiya leaned closer to him to whisper. "You'll get a bit used to it eventually, trust me." He began. "Besides, if you don't eat it, Ma will get mad." The warning fell partially on deaf ears

"You want me to eat bugs?!" The student whispered back harshly. "What happened to you wanting me to eat healthily?! I'm a boy, not a frog!"

"Is everything okay, dearies?" Ma asked affectionately.

"Uh, y-yeah." Fukasaku's student replied. "Naruto has just never had any of this food before."

"Oh, you'll love it." Pa chimed in. "Ma here is an amazing cook." His wife blushed at the compliment.

Naruto's stomach rumbled. He let out a deep sigh.

'I'm so hungry…'

He looked at the 'food', then at Jiraiya. A look the Sage immediately understood.

'I never want to hear you complain when I eat ramen ever again.'

When he was sure neither of the toads was looking, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb and began scarfing down everything on his plate.

'Crunch!'

He almost gagged. Not because of the taste, no. Even though the hold on his nose had dulled the senses of taste, some of the flavors still made their way through. The flavor was surprisingly not terrible; it was the texture of the food that made him want to vomit. It was crunchy on the outside and mushy in the middle, almost like he was eating, well, bugs. That's because he was eating bugs!

The boy didn't know how yet, but his Godfather was going to suffer for this. Someone had to.

After shoving all of the bugs into his mouth at once, he slammed down a glass of water to wash them, and the taste, down his throat.

The plate of 'frog food' was now finished.

"Oh, he loved it!" Fukasaku's wife said, admiring the swiftness in which the boy ate her cooking.

"I told you." Pa added.

"Yeah." Naruto lied, sweating from the strain the colorful insects had just put himself through. "Great."

"So, Naruto-boy." Pa began. "How do you like our home?"

Naruto didn't answer for a few seconds, still coming to grips that he had just eaten frog food. "It's… really a beautiful place." His face scrunched up in deep thought. "Though, it feels different somehow."

Jiraiya's ears perked up. "Different? How so?" Voice attentive.

"I don't really know how to explain it." The confusion was evident in his tone of voice. "It's just, the air feels different. If that makes any sense?"

Eyebrow now raised, The Sannin glanced over at the old toads at the other side of the table. Both looked mildly surprised that the kid appeared to already be sensing some levels of natural energy.

"It's a special place." Was the simple explanation the blond was given by his teacher.

Naruto nodded. "I can see that." Not picking up the non-verbal communication that was happening between the other three.

"Kid." Jiraiya broke the boy away from his musing. "A lot has happened, and for the time being we're gonna be staying here."

The Genin lowered his gaze. Understanding why Jiraiya was bringing it up was easy, but he was doing his best to try and forget what had happened in Wave. Thinking about it wouldn't do anyone any good.

"If you want, we can take a break from train-"

"No." Naruto raised his gaze, locking eyes with his teacher. "I'm ready." Words strong as steel.

Jiraiya looked at him for what seemed like a long time. Was it a good idea to jump back into training so quickly? Jiraiya didn't know. He couldn't know. Everyone deals with hardship differently. Maybe the best thing would be to jump straight back into training. Besides, the Akatsuki weren't going to give them extra time. The boy needed to get stronger, as soon as possible.

That was it. The decision was made.

"Okay. It's late, so we'll start back up first thing in the morning." Words eliciting a nod from the young student.

Conversation between Ma and Pa resuming, the Sage tried to tune it out and focus on the serenity of Mount Myoboku. The soft chirping of the toad inhabitants could be heard from outside the kitchen window, sounding similar to the noises of the forests they had spent so much time in these past few months. Yet, it was calmer; more peaceful. Suddenly, a chill washed over his body. Eyes snapping open, focusing on the retreating form of his student who was headed off to bed.

Hoping he had made the right choice, not just for his student's sake, but for the world.

…

"You're too weak."

Naruto opened his eyes and sat up. No longer laying on the floor in the room the small toads, Jiraiya, and he was sharing. Strangely enough, the boy was sitting in his bed.

'What the hell is going on.' Whatever it was, it felt off.

Standing up, the blond walked over to his window. Just as he was about to push it open, the floor beneath him began to rumble. "Woah! What the-" Stumbling about, just managing to open them up. His eyes widened in horror.

This really was the Leaf Village. And... the entire village was on fire.

"No, not again…" The sharp, burning pain that had been in his chest earlier was creeping its way back.

Instincts taking over, he leaped out of the window onto the ground outside of his apartment.

Terrible screams could be heard in the distance. Screams that sounded familiar.

Taking off in that direction, hopes growing dim about what he was about to see, the boy had only one thing running through his mind.

'Nothing like that can ever happen again. I won't let it!'

The horrible cries for help were getting closer. Leaping over a wooden fence, he arrived at the scene.

"Naruto, wait! You have to get out of here, now!" It was Jiraiya, but, standing behind him were the two Akatsuki members that had crushed the Land of Waves. They had a kunai to his throat.

Littered around them were bodies. More specifically, the bodies of his friends. Sakura, Kakashi, Iruka, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Lee, Neji, Tenten. They were all dead, throats slashed.

Naruto remained still; heart caught in his throat. Not again… This couldn't be happening again! It didn't make any sense; he shouldn't be here right now. The Akatsuki, they shouldn't be here either!

Tears began to freely run down the now alone boy's cheek, but a sound did not escape his lips. That was it. Despite not having much left to begin with, they had taken everything he had remaining from him.

"Why, why is there happening to me."

Kakuzu smiled sinisterly behind his dark-colored mask. "Because, you're too weak!" The sharp kunai was dragged harshly across the throat of his mentor.

"No!"

Naruto awoke in a cold sweat, tears streaming down his cheeks. Heart beating furiously in his chest. Looking to the left, Jiraiya was there sleeping peacefully on his side. To the right, Lord Fukasaku and the female toad he later learned was named Lady Shima were still passed out, as well.

Realizing, he was no longer in the Leaf, but back in Mount Myoboku, his lips let out a shaky sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." Tone down to a whisper.

Unlike the last nightmare that occurred, Naruto could remember every detail upon waking up. Though, he desperately wished he couldn't. It was too painful. And those words, they rang painfully in his ears over and over.

'You're too weak.'

Gripping his chest tightly, he couldn't help but agree with those words. They were right after all; many precious people have died because he had been too weak to protect them.

That was why training had to resume as soon as possible. Maybe with that training, no one close to him would have to die? No one at all would have to die. The strength to protect innocent people from harm. That was the goal.

The only current issue? There was no way he would be getting any more sleep tonight.

Naruto let out a long, obnoxious yawn that made his Sensei twitch in annoyance.

They had just made it to where they would be training in what Naruto would affectionately describe as 'Toad Land.' It was an open area away from where the toads lived, though you wouldn't be able to tell by just glancing at it. They were still surrounded by tall mushrooms, and colorful foliage as far as the eye could see. It was nice and spacious, perfect for training.

"Tired, kid?" He asked, confused. "You went to bed even earlier than I did. How are you tired?

"Oh, uh." The blond scratched the back of his head nervously. If Jiraiya knew about what had happened last night, then there was a good chance their training would be postponed. After all, a big emphasis was put on whether or not he could handle intense training after the Land if Waves incident. "Ya see, I woke up super early in the morning to pee, but then I couldn't get myself to go back to sleep. Don't ya hate when that happens?" He lied.

Jiraiya nodded knowingly, accepting the lie. Now that the blond had mentioned it, Naruto had already been awake by the time he had gotten up.

"Just, try not to fall asleep on me. Today is really important for your training." This elicited a swift nod from his pupil. "Good." Jiraiya reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "You probably remember me showing you something like this." He said, flipping the page around so his student could look.

It was similar to what he had shown him a few months ago when they were in the early stages of training. Again, each of the seven days of the week was written out on the paper, Monday through Sunday. Each of those days when then enclosed by a shape, that shape indicated what type of training they would be doing on that specific day of the week. A way to simplify the layout of the training regimen enough where even Naruto could understand it.

This time around, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday were enclosed by a triangle, Wednesday and Sunday were contained by a square, and Monday and Friday were circled.

Already knowing that squares meant Taijutsu and circles were for weighted training, the blond only had one question on his mind. "So, what do the triangles stand for?" Today was Thursday, so whatever the triangle meant is what they were going to do.

"Simple. Ninjutsu." The Sage explained; toothy grin ever-present.

Naruto sat quietly, urging his instructor to continue with a knowing look.

Jiraiya frowned. "Huh, I thought you would be more excited than this, Naruto?"

The boy's face was nearly stoic. "I am, it's just a little difficult for me to show it right now." He forced himself to smile, though to Jiraiya it just looked like he was in pain.

The Sage winced at his words. 'I'm so stupid!' Mentally berating himself. Being more careful with words was a key point Fukasaku and Shima had mentioned to him last night after Naruto had gone off to bed.

"What Ninjutsu are we going to be working on?" The boy asked, trying to change the subject for his, and his Master's, sake.

"Well, if you remember, I had asked you to work on your Rasengan a while back. Being able to perform a Rasengan with just a single hand will make it a much more useful attack when in battle."

The boy nodded his agreeance, there was just one problem. "I have been trying for a while, but it's just too hard. At this rate, I'm going to spend all of the time we have for Ninjutsu just to learn how to do a proper Rasengan!"

Jiraiya smiled. When talking about Jutsu and getting stronger, a tiny bit of that sparkle returned to his pupil's eyes. It wasn't ideal, but it was an improvement, nonetheless.

Jiraiya held up a finger knowingly. "Funny you should mention that." Smirk fit perfectly to his face. "I had a hunch that this could be a problem, and I had been thinking about a way around it."

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about, Sensei?" The Genin retorted; eyes squinted in confusion.

"You know how you used your clones to read all of those books so quickly?" This registered a nod from his Godson. "Well, do you know how you were able to do that?"

"Well, yeah. You said that the clone's memories and experiences transferred themselves to me after they are dispelled." This was confusing. What did that have to do with anything?

"Well, if you can take the knowledge and memories of your clones, then there's a chance we could use that to help you learn Jutsu faster."

Naruto's eyes widened at this revelation, but before he could say anything Jiraiya continued to explain.

"If a group of you and 4 clones practice a Jutsu with you, there's a chance that their experience could transfer to you and you'll be able to learn that technique 5 times faster than you normally would be able to. In theory, at least. It most likely won't exactly be 5 times faster, but it would be faster than just you alone."

"That's amazing!" The blond exclaimed, reclaiming a bit of his trademark enthusiasm. "If this is possible, why don't I just make 100 clones?! That way I'll learn Jutsu super-fast!" This was it! He was going to be strong in no time!

The white-haired Sage held up a hand in protest. "Not so fast, kid." Tone firm, but not harsh. "Don't you remember what happened when you used only a handful of clones?"

Naruto winced, remembering the aftermath of an extra-long reading session with only 11 clones. He had passed out, and lying wasn't an option because his mentor had been there to wake him up.

"Your mind isn't developed enough to safely handle that amount of stress." He informed. 'Especially after everything that has happened, I can't risk straining him any more than he already has been.' The Jonin added mentally. "We're going to take this slow." Finishing aloud.

The Jinchuriki huffed but did not resist his Godfather's instructions. "I guess…" Knowing full well his guardian was right.

"Besides, you're not going to be only doing Ninjutsu on Ninjutsu days." He vaguely informed.

"Huh?" Head cocked comically to the side in confusion. "What do you mean? What else am I gonna be doing?"

Jiraiya smirked and grabbed a book from one of his bags. "Everyday, one of your clones is going to be taken aside to read things like this." Jiraiya tossed a book at the blond.

The blond caught it easily, reading the title with a curious look. "Fuinjutsu: The Sealing Arts for Beginners." Eyebrow fully raised. "Fuinjutsu. This sounds familiar." Where had he heard that?

"Your weights." He began, pointing to the weights strapped to the young boy's limbs. "I make them heavier by pumping chakra into the seals that I drew on them. When activated with my chakra, those written seals alter the intensity of the downward force of whatever is written on them."

"I was always meaning to ask you, why doesn't everyone use seals like these to get stronger?"

Jiraiya grinned proudly. "Well, it just so happens that you're looking at one of the few great seal masters left in the world."

The narcissism Naruto saw radiating off of his Godfather was practically palpable. "At least you're good at something besides perving!" Had to knock him back down a peg.

The self-proclaimed Super Pervert shook his head, unfazed by his pupil's words; they were getting off-topic.

"The seal on your stomach, as well." Jiraiya continued, pointing at the boy's midsection. "The Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed away inside you with an advanced form of Fuinjutsu." He watched as the boy gripped his stomach tightly on instinct. "Fuinjutsu has more uses than just sealing things away or into other things. It can be used to create barriers, contract seals, block the flow of chakra, restrict people's movements, and many other thngs. The potential of this art is only limited by the knowledge, creativity, and skill of the user."

"Seems like something that can be very useful." The blond mused as he flipped through the book he was given.

Had this been a few months ago, Naruto wouldn't even attempt to read a book like this. Now, though, he was more open to reading. Reading was something he enjoyed doing, as unbelievable as it sounded.

"Exactly. If you can learn how to utilize it, it will be a valuable tool in your arsenal." Jiraiya concluded. 'After all, with his natural creativity, his parents affinities for sealing, and my guidance... this kid has the potential to become one of the greatest seal Master's we've ever seen.' That would definitely be something that Naruto would not be hearing. The Genin was known for letting praise go to his head sometimes.

"That's another reason I can't have too many clones, right?" Naruto questioned. "If it was just the Ninjutsu, I might be able to get away with using more clones. But because my focus will be divided between Ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu, it could potentially put even more strain on my mind."

"That's… right." Surprised that the blond was able to extrapolate that key fact from their conversation.

"So, how many clones do you want me to make?"

The Sannin thought for a moment, bringing a hand to his chin. After a moment of contemplation, he decided. "I would say, for now, 1 clone for reading and 4 for Ninjutsu. 5 in all.

A sharp nod was followed by hands swinging up to form the unique seal for shadow clones. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Was followed by 5 plumes of smoke.

…

Several hours had passed. The Genin was panting heavily as he brought his hand up to slightly below shoulder level once again, palm facing upwards. The ridges of the palm were scuffed up from chakra burns. The day had consisted of the clones and him forming their respective Rasengan's, doing their best to tighten the rotation of the Jutsu, and the original having his Jutsu blow up in his face. Jiraiya had made it clear that the clones shouldn't be condensing their Rasengan's too much. That way they didn't get constantly dispelled from explosions all day, thus saving precious chakra while also still getting valuable experience.

Though, it was beginning to get a little frustrating. No progress was being made. Running a hand through singed hair once again, he sighed and began to form chakra in his palm once more.

"Wait, Naruto."

"What?" The boy responded grumpily. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now, not after getting blown up the entire day. It wasn't fun!

"Dispel your clones."

Naruto gave a confused look but obliged anyway. There was usually a method to the pervs madness.

'Poof!'

The Sannin watched his student carefully.

After dispelling the technique, the world began to spin a little. Stumbling a little, the original orange-clad ninja did his best to maintain balance. After a few moments, the sensation went away, and he was able to take in the experiences that all of the clones had gathered. Though, they had left the clone that was reading. Jiraiya had said that it probably wasn't a good idea to simultaneously dispel clones that were doing two different things for a long period of time. Taking in all of that differing information might be too much for him as of right now. Maybe after getting used to the sensation it wouldn't matter as much, but right now it was better to be safe than sorry.

Slowly, the pieces of the training were falling into the appropriate places.

"How do you feel?" Jiraiya asked cautiously. It didn't appear the effects of the training were harmful, but being completely sure was something that had to be done.

"I feel good." Naruto replied honestly. It pained him to admit it, but his Mentor had been right. Though it wasn't severe by any means, 4 clones had more of an effect that he had anticipated. If they had done it the way the blond wanted, let's just say passing out again was extremely likely.

"Good. Now try the Rasengan again."

"Okay…" The boy responded closely, not expecting this result to be any different. Getting into a balanced stance, he brought his palm up and began to gather chakra. Taking it slowly, the chakra began to spin faster and faster. Once it reached a speed that was deemed acceptable, the focus shifted to increasing power by condensing the chakra down into a super-tight ball. Little by little, the ball got smaller, while still maintaining the rotational speed. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Woah, this is the farthest I've ever gotten."

'Boom!'

Being surprised by the rapid improvement, the trainee lost focus and the result was a destabilized Rasengan explosion.

"Oof!" Naruto yelped as he was thrown to the ground by the force.

Jiraiya let out a bark of laughter but was nonetheless very pleased with the fruits of his student's labor. It appeared to have positive effects after all. "How did that feel, Gaki? Do you think training with the clones helped you at all?"

"Definitely." Was the joyful response as the pupil picked himself off of the ground. "It still needs a ton more practice, but that is honestly the only progress I've made on the Rasengan in a long time!"

"That's great!" Jiraiya explained. "You know, now that we're done with training today, we should celebrate a little!"

Naruto was interested. "Really? How?"

Jiraiya just smirked and pulled out a scroll from his sleeve that had a symbol on it that the blond now recognized.

"Hey, I know what that is! That's a storage seal, right?" The boy stopped for a moment. "Wait, how do I know that?" Glancing over at where the scholarly clone had been sitting, they noticed that it was no longer there. During the explosion it must have either gotten caught up in the blast or accidentally dispelled by a distracted Naruto.

After realizing what had happened, the both quickly recovered. "That's right. Good job, kid." His Sensei responded proudly. "Looks like you're retaining what you're reading pretty well, huh?"

"Hehehe." Naruto laughed as he put his arms behind his head in his trademark pose. It made Jiraiya so happy to see him like that again, even just for a split second.

"But what's more important is what's sealed inside."

Naruto watched curiously as his mentor undid the seal to release…

"Instant ramen?!" Tears began to form at the corner of his eyes. This truly was a beautiful moment. After all of the bugs, he had been eating the past two days he needed some ramen in his life. "You're the best…"

"Don't expect this every time, Gaki. You deserve a treat, but it won't be very often."

"Yes, Sir!"

The ANBU, after a long bit of traveling North, finally arrived in the Village Hidden in Hot Water. After being shut down by Jiraiya of the Sannin, they had decided to split into two groups. One group would go back to the village and inform the Hokage and the Elders of Jiraiya's defiance, and the others would retrieve the man who was granted asylum to protect him from the Akatsuki after he assisted Jiraiya.

The group of eight was now four, not including Yamato as he also had returned to the Leaf. This group was now split into two groups of two. While the others were busy retrieving the newest member of the village, the second group were to examine the house of the now-dead informant neighbor, Naki. If Jiraiya wasn't going to relay any information to the Elders, only Tsunade, then it was their job to do that. That is if they could even find anything noteworthy.

'Knock Knock.'

"Please open the door. We are here to take you to the Hidden Leaf Village by way of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade-sama." They waited for a response, but after a couple of moments, there still hadn't been a response.

The attending ANBU sighed but maintained his professional demeanor. "Sir, I know that you are probably scared, but we are allies of the man who had been here a few days ago. The one you helped; we would like to return that kindness."

This time, the ninja could discern some soft sounds coming from behind the door that sounded like walking. Sure enough, a few seconds later the door made a soft 'click' and it opened up to reveal the same man that Jiraiya had met. Bald, middle-aged, and with a thick beard. Though he was hiding partially behind the door so not all of his body could be seen.

"Finally, you came!" He sounded overjoyed by the arrival of the nice shinobi. "I was scared they were going to come back for me!"

"Don't worry." The ANBU reassured. "You'll be safe behind the walls of the Leaf."

The old gentleman nodded vigorously in agreeance. "Thank you very much."

The two that had been searching through Naki's house, now done with their task, regrouped with the others. "There wasn't any information in there that Danzo would find useful." Tone even, but with a hint of disappointment.

The others nodded, looking back to their escort. "We should be leaving now. Are you ready? Do you have everything that you need?"

"Sure do!" Gesturing to the bag that had a strap hanging over his shoulder. "I don't need to bring much, just the necessities. The name is Sozoku, by the way."

"We must inspect your personal items. It is protocol." To which Sozoku agreed willingly and handed over his belongings. One of the ANBU searched it thoroughly. He found it a bit odd that there appeared to be no sentimental items such as pictures or letters, but as long as there was nothing to harm Leaf Villagers it wasn't important. All that was in there was food, water, and a bedroll for sleeping during the long trip. The Jonin nodded and handed back the bag. The four Leaf Elite nodded, happy that they would finally be able to return home after this ordeal. "Then let us go."

The man nodded, and walked out of his house on his crutches to follow them.

The ANBU, with their backs now turned to the man, were unable to see his face contort into a smug smirk...

Author's Note: The plot is moving along once again as Naruto resumes his training. And before anyone asks, no, Naruto is not going to learn Sage Mode while at Mt. Myoboku. It will be addressed in chapter 11 as to why that is, I just wanted to make it clear in case anyone leaves a review warning me to not make him too strong before returning to the village. (Or someone leaving a review telling me to make him overpowered)

As for chapter 11, which will come after the Omake Part 2, we will finally be getting a decent sized time skip. He won't be returning to the village yet, but the advancement of time is going to quicken a tad as we get closer and closer to his return. There's still a few things I want to show and some other surprises, so don't worry.

Again, thank you so much for reading.

ThelittleKing - I'm glad you enjoyed it! As for Naruto's reaction to the revelation, considering what he had just been through, he had been too distraught by what happened in Wave to be mad at Jiraiya. Including that putting that interaction there just didn't seem right. All he was concerned about at that moment was that he actually had a family. However, it was addressed in this chapter after a little time had passed and I hope the interaction was to your liking or was at least acceptable.

Flying Raijin - Minor plot point, but I have seen clones take a good bit of damage before dispelling in the Anime and Manga. Clones are not as fragile as that, so I don't think biting the tip of the thumb should be enough to dispel it.

As for the man's leg, they did not want to draw more attention in The Village Hidden in Hot Water because they knew Jiraiya would be investigating in that area. Had they killed 50 people there, Jiraiya would've known it was Akatsuki, and maybe would have rushed back to Naruto's side. They were trying to minimize their involvement to further stall him, though it didn't end up working how they thought it would. In Wave, they had no need to hold back because they thought their only threat was far enough away that they wouldn't have to worry. You are right that villages may begin to take notice, but that would have happened if they had taken the Nine-Tails early anyway. It was a risk they were willing to take.

Hadrian Eveningshade - What is 3/10? The chapter? The Story? Lemme know what you mean and why you think that way. Thanks!