Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or anything related to the series

Chapter Thirty-five

"This is a sign of improvement."

"...I'll take it, I guess."

"Didn't I tell you? Beggars can't—"

"Shut the hell up."

Naruto's refusal to speak to Karibi hadn't wavered. However, the coldness around him when her presence was known had begun to dissolve. And so, she remained at his side while he trained, the genin concentrating on popping the ball and ignoring his guardian. The redhead didn't complain. She merely smiled and sat idly, monitoring the boy's progress and taking note of the way he tried to complete his task; she had to bite her tongue to keep from giving away any hints.

Watching from under the shade of a tree, the jonin raised a brow, looking to her left just when Jiraiya peeked out from around the trunk. Her unenthused expression went ignored by the sanin, whose intent gaze was on the Jinchuriki. "Why do you insist on acting so aloof whenever he wants you around?" The older ninja looked back to his companion, the woman's puzzled expression making him sigh.

"I already told you—"

"I know you did, but I think it's a stupid reason," she retorted back bluntly. "I'm sitting here watching him, but I'm not babying him or giving away any tricks to use. I'm letting him do this on his own just like you wanted," was the kunoichi's sly reply; Jiraiya merely shook his head.

"You wouldn't get it." Karibi scoffed again.

"Any progress with finding Tsunade?" That made the sanin brighten.

"Actually, I stopped by a sake bar and they had mentioned they overheard her name in conversation." Karibi's eyes widened from a jolt of relief that shot through her veins.

"That's great!"

"The owner mentioned it was a regular who stops by during the late afternoon until the late night. I plan on checking it out." That seemed to lift the woman's spirits.

"The quicker we find her, the quicker we'll be able to help everyone back home." Jiraiya nodded.

"Let's hope everything goes the way it should."

§

He couldn't keep doing this. Every finger burned—like matches were being lit right beneath them. His arms could barely hold themselves up, and although he had enough chakra to last him until the night, jolts of pain shot through his arms every time he tried to concentrate his chakra to the ball in his hand; he was losing his drive.

Huffing, the genin looked over to the woman sitting under the shade, a small map strewn out in front of her. The crease of her brows was an indication of her focus as she tapped her chin with her index finger and let out a sigh; he wondered how much longer it would take to find the woman Jiraiya had spoken of.

"...Why don't you take a break, Naruto." She didn't look up from her work, but her attention was completely on the boy. "You've been at it for a while, and you even skipped lunch." His food was still sitting on the ground at her side.

He was hesitant. The look in his eyes was filled with apprehension and suspicion, but Karibi refrained from commenting on it. She merely waited, forcing her eyes on to the map, and after a few seconds of silence, her shoulders relaxed; the crunching of leaves underneath Naruto's feet was sure enough sign that he was relenting to her request.

With a generous amount of space between them, Naruto plopped down on the grass. He winced, but didn't let out a peep, taking a deep breath before he gingerly reached his arm out to grab his food. Karibi eyed him warily but said nothing, letting the stubborn 12-year-old do as he pleased; she was just glad he was finally eating something.

It was almost embarrassing—the way he struggled to open the lid to the container. He grumbled with a scowl upon his features, Karibi feigning innocence to his struggle. Her eyes skimmed over the map, a circle drawn around the bar that Jiraiya was currently soliciting. In the back of Naruto's mind, he knew his guardian could see him trembling and wincing, however, he played dumb, concentrating on opening the top and eating the dumplings that had been brought to him; once he popped one in his mouth, he was content.

"...Have you ever heard of the saying, 'pain is just a state of mind'?" Naruto blinked, looking over at Karibi with a perplexed expression.

"Huh?" The jonin laughed.

"It's an old saying."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Naruto grumbled, trying not to sound half as curious as he truly was. The older ninja merely shrugged.

"To put it in a way that would make more sense, pain is just in your head." Karibi smiled, leaning into Naruto, the boy gazing up at her with both brows raised. "When everything hurts, you want to lay down and never move again. But, if you decide to look at pain as nothing more than just a thought—an idea in your head that you created, it becomes nonexistent." The blond mulled the thought over, slowly chewing, but said nothing.

Silence fell over the two after that.

§

She had fallen asleep while he continued trying to make the ball burst. Naruto had almost chucked the object at her head; how dare Karibi rest so easily while he agonized over something he had the worst time trying to do? The genin grunted, shaking his head in order to redirect his attention back to the task he was trying to accomplish. With furrowed brows, the boy narrowed his eyes at the ball, screaming for it to pop as Jiraiya's had when he had initially shown Naruto how to do.

"...Gah!" Letting out a feral cry, Naruto's knees locked, and he tumbled to the ground. Pants fell from his lips as the ball in his grasp slipped out and rolled on to the ground.

"How much longer can I keep doing this for?" he mumbled to himself, bolts of pain shooting up his arms. "All I'm doing is wasting time, not to mention how bad this hurts." He could hardly control his chakra without crying out in pain.

It was difficult not to concentrate on the throbbing of his arms every time chakra circulated through his body. The blood in his veins boiled with every attempt he made to pop the ball, but he couldn't give up—no matter how badly he wanted to. There was so much he needed to still accomplish, and such little time, but the longer his training took, the weaker his disposition became.

"It just hurts so bad..." Squeezing his eyes shut, the boy leaned over. His arms quaked, exhausted and feeling powerless. And in that moment, he thought he had truly failed.

And then, a thought came to mind.

Pain is a state of mind.

"Wait..." Narrowing his eyes, the boy looked over to his slumbering guardian.

The very thing standing in his way would be how he succeeded.

Reaching out, the genin snatched the rubber ball into his left hand, squeezing tightly while his right had hovered over the ball. Instantly, his body began to burn as chakra coursed through his veins. He fought against the piercing sensation, gritting his teeth against the grind of his chakra. And as the agony continued, so did the build-up of his chakra.

It wasn't until Naruto could endure no more that he released the chakra in his body.

"NOW!"

Karibi shot up to her feet. She was disoriented and shaken, but her reaction was instant and rapid. With blurry eyes, the jonin glanced around the clearing before she focused on Naruto. Her eyes widened at the sudden surge of power wafting from his body, the ball in his grasp bubbling from the inside. "He..." The woman gawked from awe, Naruto releasing a low growl.

Seconds later, a popping sound and then a wheezing filled the air.

"...I did it..." In his hand, hung the limp rubber.

"You did it!" Naruto began to grin, Karibi's expression glowing with pride.

For a brief second, previous feelings of betrayal and hurt were forgotten.

"Well, well, well. Looks like there's been some progress." The Uzumaki's looked towards the thick of the forest, Jiraiya standing before them with an expectant smirk upon his lips. Karibi merely scoffed at his purposeful appearance while Naruto cleared his throat, straightening his back and feigning aloofness.

"It's not like I made it burst like you did."

"Now, now. No need to act so tough." Karibi blinked, her amethyst eyes sparkling when Jiraiya held out a blue popsicle to the boy. The surprised genin said nothing, watching his mentor pull the double popsicle apart and holding one half out to him.

He couldn't ignore the way his heart fluttered.

"Take it." Naruto did as told.

Jiraiya smiled fondly at the boy, the way the blond seemed to appreciate the treat making a low chuckle erupt from deep within him. His eyes flickered over to Karibi, who gazed at the blond with a warmness in her eyes that had been missing for a few days. Not wanting to interrupt the moment, the sanin simply observed without a sound, Naruto's blue eyes gleaming. The 12-year-old hesitated before he quickly took a bite out of the cold treat, keeping his eyes on the ground and holding the other half of the popsicle out to his guardian; the redhead was caught off guard.

"Don't let it melt," was all the genin said; Karibi held back her relieved sigh.

With gentle hands, the kunoichi took the end of the stick and nodded to the boy; Naruto tried not to seem so bashful as he nodded back.

Yes, progress had been made.

§

"You're telling me that she's possibly gone?"

"According to the man I talked to at the bar." Karibi pouted, crossing her arms over her chest before she glanced back to Naruto; he was fast asleep.

After his success, Jiraiya had given the boy another clue to the second step. Where the boy lacked in concentration, the man tried to give him assistance; concentration was a necessary need for the jutsu he was learning. By the time dinner had rolled around, Naruto was still trying to figure out how to completely focus his chakra to the swirl on his palm to make the ball truly burst open and move on to the last step of the jutsu. And when the stars and moon lit the night, he was completely spent; Karibi had carried him back to the hotel room on her back.

"The next village is far. Who knows how long it's going to take me to get there and possibly find Tsunade before she disappears all over again." That made the sanin blink.

"You?" His confusion was almost entertaining to the woman, who rolled her eyes and nodded.

"You're in the middle of training Naruto the Rasengan. I can't train him properly for that. Which means I have to be the one who goes ahead," the jonin stated simply. "He still needs to at least finish this second step. Then he'll need to recover. There's no way Tsunade will still be around by the time he's ready to go." Jiraiya had known this all along, however, he had assumed he would be the one to go after his former teammate.

"I guess you're right."

"You don't need to look completely shocked." Karibi narrowed her eyes at the man; he waved off her irritation.

"You think it's a good idea to separate from the kid right now?" The guardian to the Jinchuriki glanced over at him, watching as he slept peacefully; she smiled at the way his jaw hung ajar.

"...He needs to concentrate on training. We need to find Tsunade and bring her back to the village. This will be the best way." Although she was sure of herself, there was hesitation in her eyes.

"...He'll forgive you." Jiraiya's comment made Karibi stiffen.

"I wouldn't if I were him."

"Then I guess it's a good thing you're not him." The sanin's playful demeanor faded at the way his companion idly sat before him, her downcast expression almost contagious.

"I was just...I was selfish without even realizing it. I have been for a while, I think," she whispered. Her shoulders began to rise, her back hunched over as she tried to curl into herself and hide away from the truth. "And eventually, he will forgive me. It's not like him to be angry forever. But he shouldn't..." Her purple eyes met Jiraiya's onyx pair, shame oozing out of them like lava from a volcano.

"I once said that you didn't deserve a pass for being absent. Well neither do I." Karibi sighed.

Gazing at the young woman for a long moment, the older ninja let silence fester between them. The tension hanging lingering over the woman and clouding her mind was dangerous; the longer she sat in the mist of her mistakes and regrets, the easier it would be for her to lose her way.

"We don't deserve passes—you and I." Karibi lifted her eyes from the map she was aimlessly staring at, Jiraiya's warm gaze inviting and reassuring. "But, in the end, it's not for us to decide. It's Naruto's life. The choices he makes are his alone. And you shouldn't underestimate him so much." The 22-year-old tensed when a large hand draped over the top of her head.

"He's much smarter than we give him credit for. He is wise in the people he chooses to care for and protect." His touch was gentler than Karibi imagined, his hand patting her head twice before he retracted it back to his side. It made her feel weightless—like she was no longer carrying this guilt alone. And she was shocked. Because she never thought a man like Jiraiya could be as supportive as he was. But he had proven her wrong.

She was beginning to understand Minato's respect for the man.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Karibi directed her eyes back down to the map on the tea table. Jiraiya began to grin as he watched the young woman; for a moment, she resembled that of a child. "...Thank you, Jiraiya." He didn't say anything else.

*Three Days Later*

"Wait, wait! We don't have to rush! Can't we just wait a little longer until I finish getting this last step?" Naruto frowned as Jiraiya shook his head.

"We've already wasted enough time waiting for you to recover. Who knows if Karibi was able to find Tsunade and stall her long enough for us to catch up." Naruto frowned at the mention of his guardian.

He had woken up to Karibi gone a few mornings before. Jiraiya's explanation had been good enough; news of Tsunade's whereabouts had been discovered, and she had gone ahead so that Naruto could finish the second step of the Rasengan and recuperate thereafter. Still, even if her reasoning was sound, he was irked; how could she just ditch him like that?

"The quicker we catch up to Karibi, the quicker we'll find Tsunade. And that means training while we walk." The blond didn't argue with that.

With a heavy sigh, Naruto trailed after his mentor, grumbling under his breath. Jiraiya ignored the boy, keeping his gaze on the trail ahead of them. The bubbling in his gut was a sign of discomfort, a strange tingling running up his spine every so often; he had a bad feeling of what was to come.

Hello to whoever is reading this!

I've returned with another update! Not as quickly as I would have liked, but i'm glad it's been only a few weeks LOL I think I'll be more consistent moving for the time being with updates, which is always good! I can't say for sure if there's going to be a consistent day that I update, but you can definitely expect updates every couple of weeks or so at least! Maybe sooner depending on my brain and schedule!

We're in a weird "limbo" phase with Karibi and Naruto's relationship right now. I think, rightfully, he's really upset with Karibi and has a lot to think about and process, and she is well aware that she's treading lightly at this point with him. We're very, VERY close to finally having Tsunade enter the scene, so that will definitely mix things up! And with her entrance comes the entrance of good, old Orochimaru...LOL Which will be fun to see!

Although this story has been such a long time in-the-making, I really am grateful to those who are still reading! I will do my best to not disappear again, I promise XD

Thank you!

Reviews:

Khaz713: Hello! Thank you for reading as much as you have of my story! I know that this has previously come up from others as far as changes to the plot and character of Naruto with Karibi, and I always envisioned the story in this way where major plot points remain as is. It's very much like having a canvas with paint already on it which would be the plot/Naruto and adding strokes of color which would be Karibi! I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea when reading OC stories, which is completely fair and understandable! I appreciate the fact you've read as much as you have! There are just so many things that happen in this show that build Naruto up, and I have always said I want to keep all original characters as close to their true selves that are written by the actual authors as I can, and I do plan to stick to that. There will be slightly more changes when we get into Naruto Shippuden, which I know is quite a bit away, but there are certain things that I think having Karibi a part of will inevitably slightly shift, though not a lot! Thank you for reading at all! If you continue to read, I hope you enjoy! And if not, I completely get it!

Kiki0078: No, I have not given up this story! I've phased out of this story here and there due to writer's block or due to personal reasons, etc. but I genuinely don't think I could ever drop this story completely! It's too close to my heart at this point LOL I'm hoping that I don't have any issues for the time being with writer's block *insert nervous face* but we'll see. As far as what Karibi told Naruto, I know I didn't actually write the scene out, but in my head she truly didn't tell Naruto much about her personal experiences and really kept it more about him. One, I think that's just a part of her life and herself she doesn't want Naruto seeing and two, she wanted to focus on him and make sure she was completely open and honest about his own past and their relationship. There will be a time in this story where Naruto does learn more about Karibi and her past, but not right at this moment! It's going to be a fun time when she reunites with Orochimaru ;D Thank you so much for reading and for reviewing!

ukitakeitalialover041757: Hi there! I'm back! LOL I don't blame you for rereading this since it's been so long that I've actually updated regularly. Apologies for that! Yes, that moment Naruto and Karibi sit down to talk about his past and their life together and why people are the way they are is a heavy moment they both carry. You're definitely right, only time and openness can really lead to them patching things up! Thank you for your kind words :) It has been a while since I've really sat down to write, so to hear that you liked the last chapter makes me feel reassured! I hope you enjoy!