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Chapter Seven

Nice to Meetcha Ero-Sennin!

I rub my shoulder in irritation on my way to the hospital, wanting to see how my friends were doing. Last night's sealing of Orochimaru's cursed seal hurt like a bitch! Now it just feels a bit sore and itchy. Kakashi told me what he got from his clone after it dispelled. I was mainly headed for the hospital to see Lee. I knew I couldn't use my natural Uzumaki-healing-touch, because with the damage Lee got, it would heal things wrong. So I couldn't do that, but there was something I could do...

And I fight Neji in the finals of the exam.

Good.

Though imagine my surprise when Kakashi offered to train me...

[FLASHBACK]

I stare at Kakashi and blinked blankly a couple of times. My fishnet shirt and red hoodie had my arms through them just when I was about to pull them over my head.

"You wanna run that by me again?" I ask.

The pain of the sealing of my curse mark had my ears ringing, so I must be hearing things.

"Tomorrow, I can start training you bright and early. This time I won't be late." Kakashi promised.

I blink once, twice, then smile shaking my head as I slip it through the collars of my shirt and hoodie. Okay, I wasn't hearing things.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei, but you can't." I said.

"Yes I can, and I heard from both Sakura and Sasuke what happened in the Forest of Death. The way you removed Sasuke's cursed seal, your eyes activating, the dragons... It may not be sharingan, but from what they told me, it's pretty similar. I can train you with them."

"I appreciate it Kakashi-sensei, but you need to focus on training Sasuke. I can handle the Hyuuga prodigy just as I am now. Or did you forget? Besides... Sasuke's up against a Jinchuuriki... A very unstable Jinchuuriki."

"What? Really?" Kakashi questioned. "How do you know?"

"... I could feel it." I said. "I don't know how, but I knew the moment I met him."

Kakashi-sensei nodded in understanding. "So, I can get you a trainer at least..."

"No thanks." I assure him. "I can ask around and find out what type of dragon has my eyes. And I can train a bit with Nii-sensei if he's not too busy."

Kakashi-sensei's shoulders seem to slouch slightly. "Jeez. You're a prodigy yourself."

"I'd rather not be called a prodigy." I said quickly.

Kakashi-sensei raised an eyebrow in question. "Why not?"

"Because every other prodigy I've met, aside from you, seems to have a windmill shurikan or a ten foot pole up their ass. I'm not sure who has which though." I deadpanned.

Kakashi-sensei can't help but laugh at that.

[END FLASHBACK]

After that I'd gone home to get a good nights sleep. Before I'd gone to bed, I'd added 50 pounds to each weight seal on my limbs and 100 to my torso.

6000 LBS total.

I'm done with weight seals for the next few years if not completely forever.

I walked into the hospital and went straight for the front desk.

"I'm here to see Rock Lee." I tell the nurse at the front desk.

"Room 306." The nurse tells me.

"Thank you and... can you send a doctor to the same room please?" I asked.

The nurse gives me this funny look, I honestly can't blame her for it with how I worded that last suggestion, before nodding hesitantly.

I thank her again and head for Lee's room, bumping into Shikamaru on the way. He was visiting Choji. We got to talking as he walks with me to Lee's room. I start telling him about my bloodline when he asked, just before I feel a familiar bloodthirst. I book it to Lee's room, Shikamaru right behind me shouting to tell him what's going on. I slow to a stop and silently tell Shikamaru to stay quiet as we stand outside Lee's room. Using basic signs, I tell Shikamaru to use shadow possession and to let go as soon as I have a hold on Gaara. As soon as the shadow possession jutsu was complete, I wrap a chakra chain around Gaara's torso, and as soon as Shikamaru let the jutsu go, I yank Gaara away from Lee's bed and into the hall with us. We get to talking with Gaara. He told us how he was spoiled... and that he'd had assassination attempts on him since the day he was born and how his purpose is to kill everyone and love only himself.

"You're not the only one with a monster inside you Gaara." I say, letting a little of the Kyuubi's chakra loose and into my eyes, so Gaara and Shukaku could feel the Kyuubi's aura and see his eyes as mine.

But only for a moment.

Gaara grabs hold of his head with a yelp of pain, saying next time he'll kill us before hurrying away.

"You're going to do to Lee what you did for Hinata right?" Shikamaru asked a couple minutes later as we entered Lee's room and the tension calmed.

I only nod before placing my hands over Lee's left elbow and knee. Lee stirs but he didn't wake. Soon the doctor I asked for arrives and just when he looks like he's about to stop me, I take my hands from Lee's arm and leg and put my palm together. Not even a second later I fall, only for Gai-sensei to come out of nowhere and catch me, with my left leg and arm in the same condition as Lee's had been before.

The doctor sent me a glare before checking on Lee.

No doubt this doctor was one of the ones that as me at the Kyuubi incarnate.

"He's... Impossible. He's completely healed!" The doctor exclaimed.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered before saying, "That's because Naruto transferred Lee's injuries to himself."

The doctor looked like he was ready to argue before he saw my bleeding left limbs.

"Just as he did for Hinata." Shikamaru added but decided to keep the fact that I transferred the pain to Neji to himself.

"Thank you Naruto!" Gai says surprisingly quiet. "Your flames of youth burn as bright as ever!"

"That's great and all Gai-sensei, but I need medical attention right now." I remind him.

"I'll get a doctor who can tell the difference between a storage scroll and a kunai." Shikamaru says indignantly while sending a glare to the doctor in the room before leaving.

"He knows?" Gai-sensei asked me.

"Of course he knows. He's one of my best friends. I told him as soon as I found out. Old man Hokage knows I told him. Besides, with his IQ, Shikamaru would've easily found out on his own."

Gai-sensei nodded with a smile, before looking to Lee. "So now, he's only sleeping..."

"Yep. He'll be good as new by tonight. Just in time for your late night exercise."

"Uzumaki Naruto just what am I going to do with you?"

I look over my shoulder to see a brown haired, black eyed, slightly plump woman standing with her hands on her hips in the doorway with Shikamaru. I smile.

"Hiya Akimichi-san." I say with a grin.

This was Choji's mother, one of my regular doctors and one of the only people who work in this hospital that I can trust.

She smiled and shook her head. "Follow me Gai-san. You can leave now Doro-san." She said to the doctor still standing by Lee's bed harshly with narrowed eyes, making said doctor flinch.

While Gai-sensei carried me behind Akimichi-san, Shikamaru went back to Choji's room.

"So Naruto-kun, where are those swords Choji told me about?" Akimichi asked me. "You're wearing the tonfa at least."

"In a storage scroll." I answer. "I feel naked without them but I'm trying to train myself into being more subtle with them. I'm proud to wield them but a ninja is nothing without deceit. Besides, I knew it'd be a bad idea to carry my weight seals and swords with my injuries. Tonfa are lighter."

"You've been planning this haven't you?" She asked with a knowing smile.

"From the moment Kakashi-sensei told me what happened to Lee." I said smiling.

"Honestly, Naruto," she sighs, "if I didn't know better, I'd say you're a pain-seeking idiot."

That got me laughing.

My arm and leg bones were moving back in place on their own and started healing by the time we reached the room. Gai-sensei set me down on a bed for Akimichi-san to look over my injuries, only to sigh, not at all surprised my limbs were already healing. She just shook her head before bandaging up my arm and leg, knowing they'd probably be fully healed in a day or two.

"By the way Naruto, how much weight are you carrying now?" Gai-sensei asked before he could leave the room.

"6000 total and I'm stopping there." I say casually. "If I ever add more weight, it'll be years from now."

Getting wide-eyed looks from both adults, I quickly add, "I don't have them sealed right now though."

Gai left spouting about my flames of youth and Akimichi-san only shook her head muttering how she swears I'm trying to kill myself.

x

After an eight-bowl-of-ramen lunch at Ichiraku's, I head for the hot springs by the bath house. The old man came to my apartment soon after I woke up and said Anko wanted to meet me there around ten.

It was already five after.

When I got there, I hear and see a long white-haired old man, giggling pervertedly while looking through a little peep-hole in the women's side of the bath house.

Knowing Anko, she was in there.

I unsheathe my tonfa and throw chakra chains around this old pervert's shoulders and torso, jump, and push his headband down over his eyes with the heel of my right foot before using my chakra chains to throw him out from under me over the wall of the women's side of the baths, causing some to scream.

"Anko, this guy was peeking through a hole in the wall." I said loud enough for them to hear.

"Thank you Naru-chan!" I hear a chorus in reply, making me blush before I start hearing sharp yelps, shouts, and pain filled screams from the guy I tossed in there after pulling my chakra chains back.

About ten minutes later, I watch as the peeking pervert is thrown over the wall and lands in the hot water spring outside several feet in from of me with a big *SPLASH!*. A minute after that, Anko, followed by Kurenai, Inuzuka Hana, and Uzuki Yugao, come out of the women's side of the bath house all fully dressed.

So that's why there was a chorused reply.

"Did you have to call me Naru-chan?" I ask slightly whining, gaining their giggles. "So, what'd you want to meet me for Anko?"

"I heard what you did about the Uchiha's cursed seal." She answered.

"And you want to see if I can do the same for you." I guess.

She nods.

I think for a moment. "I might... Take off your coat and have your back facing me."

The other three women looked at me funny while Anko did so without question. I put my hands on the back of her shoulders before activating my ryūgan without really meaning to. I could see the same purple-black chakra from Orochi-teme spread throughout her own chakra system. Some was a little light blue and there were a couple blotches of light purple, but most of her system was dark purple-black.

I sigh, taking my hands away and my dragon eyes deactivate.

"What is it?" Kurenai asked anxiously.

"Orochi-teme's venomous-chakra is spread throughout her chakra system." I say slowly as Anko puts her coat back on. "If I try what I did for Sasuke on her, it will kill her."

"So there's nothing you can do." Anko said slowly, somewhat tense.

"I didn't say that." I said, gaining their attention. "There is something I can do, just not yet."

"Why not?" Anko asked.

"I don't have the power to do it yet. But it will happen. So Anko, that mark will be removed, you just have to wait a bit longer. As soon as I can do it, I'll tell you."

Anko smiled and nodded.

"What is it you'll be able to do?" Yugao asked curiously.

"I don't know and I won't until it happens." I said honestly with a light shrug.

Suddenly, I have arms around me and my face is buried between two fairly large breasts.

"Thank you..." Anko whispered before leaning down and kissing my cheek.

I smile at her as she lets me go and wave goodbye to her and the other three as they leave.

"You... brat..."

I blink before slowly turning around to see the literally steaming and sopping wet peeking perv standing behind me angry.

"What do you want?" I ask blandly.

"You ruined my peek- I mean, my research!" He shouted.

"Research?" I question skeptically with an eyebrow raised.

"Hai! I'm a writer!" He announced with a sudden large and proud grin while taking out a copy of Icha Icha Paradise!. "One of my many masterpieces!"

Icha Icha Paradise!? That junk Kakashi-sensei and Hokage-jiji read? ... Wait a minute.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin?" I question cautiously.

"Ah! You've heard of me!"

"Yeah..." I say, almost afraid to answer.

"Good, then you know to apologize to your superiors."

I feel my eyebrow twitch. Superiors?! As if!

"Forget it Ero-sennin!" I shouted in his face. "I'm not going to apologize because you're stupid enough to peek on women in a ninja village!"

"Ero-sen...!" He repeats with a tick mark on his brow. "You little... You threw me into the bath house!"

(Normal P.O.V)

"You threw me into the bath house!" Jiraiya shouted. 'And I didn't even get to see anything good with the headband over my eyes!... Why does if feel like this has happened to me before?'

"It's not my fault you're pathetic enough to be beat by a genin." Naruto stated flatly.

"You little... Who are you anyways?!"

"None of your business you pervy Toad Sage!" Naruto yelled turning to leave. 'That guy taught Dad? Unbelievable...'

Naruto's pulled back by a hand on his shoulder and is thrown to land in the hot spring like Jiraiya had been. Only for Naruto to show Jiraiya up by having the common sense to land on the water rather than in it, making sure not to land on his still healing leg. Naruto spun, unsheathing his tonfa throwing his chakra chains around Jiraiya once more and continued to spin for momentum.

'Chakra chains!' Jiraiya mentally exclaims as the chains wind around him. 'This kid...'

Pivoting on the heel of his right foot, Naruto tosses the Toad Sage somewhere in a direction near the Forest of Death training grounds before booking it to the river.

x

Naruto reached the river slightly out of breath. "Damn. I should know by now not to push myself too hard while injured."

He sat down to catch his breath before crawling to the river for a drink. A small feather-weight landed on his shoulder and he didn't need to glance to know it was Ibbit. His only greeting to the bird was a smile. Ibbit had decided to train on his own while Naruto was in the Forest of Death when he wasn't with Kakashi to improve in spread and strength.

"Okay Ibbit, show me what you've accomplished." Naruto said sitting back up from the river.

Ibbit skyrockets from Naruto's shoulder to a tree on the other side of the river. Had Naruto not been able to keep up, his eyes would've only seen a brown line zip in a zigzag through the tree branches before zipping back over to Naruto's shoulder. A second later, the all branches on the tree fell to the ground with clean cut stumps on the tree still standing.

Naruto smiled brightly at the sparrow, "Brilliant."

Ibbit puffed up his feathers with pride before hopping up onto Naruto's head.

"Found you!"

Naruto looked over to the side to see Jiraiya with his hands on his knees huffing, out off breath.

"Jeez. What do you want now Ero-sennin?" Naruto all but whined.

"Stop calling me that brat!" The Toad Sage shouted, completely refreshed.

"Why should I?" Naruto asked, shouting back from where he remained sitting. "It fits a little pervert like you perfectly!"

"I am not a little pervert!" Jiraiya argued.

"Really?" Naruto questioned skeptically. "Then what are you?"

"I'm a super perv!" Jiraiya said with a proud pervy grin.

Naruto both sweatdrops and gains a tick mark with an eyebrow twitching, disturbed. "That's not exactly something to be proud of you know." The blonde stated dryly.

"Enough of this! How do you know chakra chains?" The Toad Sage demanded.

"I don't." Naruto said with a shrug.

"Don't lie!"

"I'm not!"

"You just used them!"

"That was with my tonfa!"

"Huh?" Jiraiya questioned, taken aback.

"It's a Taisho Weapon." Naruto said unsheathed said tonfa to show the perv. "These tonfa were made with my mom's consciousness."

"Your mother?"

'Damn...'"Uzumaki Kushina..." Naruto answered slowly.

Jiraiya looked the blonde up and down, as if finally taking in what, or rather who, he looked like. "... What's your name?"

Naruto sighed, slightly frustrated with himself, but answered anyway, "Uzumaki Naruto."

'This kid's really...' Jiraiya thought. 'No wonder it felt like that happened before. It did! Kushina did that to me!'"Kid, how'd you like to become my apprentice?"

Naruto blinks in surprised before thinking a moment. "... Will I get to sign the Toad Summoning contract?"

Now it was Jiraiya's turn to blink in surprise. "Uh, yeah."

"Okay." Naruto said with a shrug like it was no big deal, making Jiraiya grow an angry tick.

"Were you coming here for the water walking technique?" Jiraiya asked curiously after stomping down his irritation. "Before, it looked like you already had it down."

"I do. I was actually coming here to combine a couple chakra control techniques." Naruto said.

"Really?" Jiraiya asked in interest. "Which ones?"

"Water walking and balancing on kunai."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Just how much chakra control do you have?"

"Jounin-elite from what Kakashi-sensei last told me." Naruto said with a shrug.

"Huh... Alright, show me."

'He sure likes making demands.' Naruto thought taking off his fishnet shirt and red hoodie.

Jiraiya eyed the sealed curse mark but gritted his teeth and said nothing but raised an eyebrow at the bandaging wrapped around the blonde's left forearm. He watched as the sparrow he hadn't noticed hiding in Naruto's hair flew off and made itself comfortable on Naruto's discarded hoodie as the blonde took out a couple kunai. To start out, Naruto held onto the handles as he did a handstand with the kunai points in the dirt. Naruto concentrated and focused his chakra before using the kunai to walk to the water of the river. Carefully, he took a step on the water with the kunai. The kunai sunk three-fourths up the blade but stopped. Naruto took a second step, getting the same result with the other kunai. Slowly and carefully, as to not put too much strain on the arm still healing, he kunai-hand walked to the center of the river. His left arm began to tremble so he leaned more on his right only for the kunai in his right hand to sink to the handle, sinking further to Naruto's hand. A minute later, Naruto sunk into the water and got out, making a pair of shadow clones and repeating the exercise till sunset.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed." Jiraiya said with a light bout of praise.

"You'd have to be from the beginning to offer me apprenticeship." Naruto pointed out, getting a laugh of agreement from the pervy sage.

"What happened to your arm?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"I transferred the pain of a friend from him to myself." Naruto said putting his shirt and hoodie back on.

"You what?" Jiraiya asked in surprise.

"Yeah. The damage down to his left arm and leg could've cost him his ninja career and with my healing rate, I'd be fine." Naruto said with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm going home. It's getting late and I'm hungry."

Jiraiya was left with his thoughts before heading to the Hokage's office. Who better to get info from on his new apprentice?

x

x

The next day, Naruto woke up and removed the bandages from his left arm and leg to change them, only to find the injuries all healed.

'Huh.' Naruto thought to himself. 'Guess all the chakra exercise yesterday sped up the healing process by half... Good to know for future injuries.'

Lee, most likely, at this time was out training to make up for the lost time spent in the hospital for the last couple of days. Naruto stretched and got dressed, taped up his hands from wrist to knuckle, resealed his weights, and unsealed his swords. He took out his food-summoning scroll and summoned a couple sandwiches from the store's deli along with an apple, two oranges, and a medium sized carton of milk. After eating breakfast, he ate four cups of instant ramen before leaving for the river. He was stopped momentarily when Yugao, in full Anbu uniform, appeared in front of his opened door, carrying a couple brown-paper packages and a small envelope.

Naruto blinked blankly in surprise before smiling. "Good morning Neko-chan."

"Morning Uzumaki-san." She greeted, though you could tell by her tone that she was smiling underneath her mask. "I have here the weapons-care kit you ordered from Taisho-san as well as the blank scrolls, books, ink, brushes, Ancient Seals Vol. 1 & 2, and Sealing History Vol. 6 you ordered. I also have a letter for you from Wave."

"Thanks. But you didn't have to deliver all this. I could've just picked it up from the old man next time I went to the tower." Naruto said taking the packages she handed him before turning to place them on his table and opening them as Yugao entered and closed the door behind her.

"I know but it's been a while since I've seen Naruto-ototou-chan and really got to talking with you." She said teasingly.

Blushing slightly, though still smiling, Naruto said with a sweatdrop, "I don't think I've ever regretted calling Hayate 'nii-sensei' as much as I do now. Nearly nine years gone by and to this day there are still Anbu operatives that call me 'ototou-chan', professional or otherwise." He said, sorting through his delivered items to seal them into his scrolls

Yugao giggled. "So, what have you been up to? Hayate's told me you've mastered everything he has to teach you."

"I haven't had much time to to myself to make the final moves in surpassing him, but I've been made an apprentice again." Naruto said.

"To who?" Yugao asked curiously.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin." Naruto said smiling at her.

"Seriously?!"

"Yep. But..." Naruto trailed off with a sweatdrop and a nervous, awkward smile.

"But what?"

"You know that dirty old man that was peeking on you and the others at the bathhouse the other day?"

"Yes. By the way, thank you for covering his eyes before throwing him to us."

"No prob. But... that was Jiraiya."

"... I see." She said tonelessly, though obviously angry.

"Yeah... Well, I got to meet Ero-sennin by the river."

"Ero-sennin?"

"It's what I call Jiraiya."

Yugao giggled. "Naruto..." She said shaking her head. "Then I'll see you some other time."

"Yeah."

Yugao left in a swirl of leaves and Naruto finished sealing his things away before heading to the river and Ibbit went to the Hokage for more training with the messenger birds.

On Naruto's way to the river, he opened the envelope from Wave only to find two letters instead of one. He read them as he walked, the first was from Tsunami.

Dear Naruto-kun,

I can't really say I'm happy Inari decided to follow in your footsteps as a ninja, nor can I truly be glad that you encouraged him with those scrolls and books and relatively sharp weapons you'd left under his bed for a surprise. But I can, however, be thankful you sealed the packaging so that it couldn't be opened unless I agree to allow Inari to become a ninja. He's outside throwing shurikan and kunai right now! He's working incredibly hard to become a ninja and he can't wait to see you again! He's even calling himself you'r 'long distance apprentice'.

That line made Naruto laugh aloud, earning strange looks from people walking the streets, ignoring the glares the strange looks turned into upon seeing he was the one laughing.

I was going to make sure he didn't skip ahead in his ninja studies, but I only found you did that yourself with the note you left explaining how the seals on the scrolls and books make the paper appear blank by focus of chakra until he's completed and accomplished the already written task. When Inari accomplished the leaf-balancing technique this morning, he was literally jumping up and down on the kitchen table with joy when he focused his chakra into the books and found ink appearing on the next few pages. His favorite thing to read though, is that book with all known weaponry and the info on them in it. Personally, I think it's his favorite because he only has to read it instead of having to do something to be able to read it.

Dad and the other villagers have been encouraging him as well. And you wouldn't believe how much the village has prospered since you saw it last.

I can't wait for you to see it for yourself.

I also can't wait to see you again.

Come to Wave again, first chance you get!

, Love Tsunami.

Naruto found himself blinking and the top of his cheeks turn pink at that, but couldn't help smiling either. He found himself blinking again, remembering the other letter in the envelope when he saw it as he was putting Tsunami's letter back inside. This one was from Tazuna.

Hey kid,

Do me a favor and don't mention this to Tsunami if you send a reply with the future scrolls and stuff you promised Inari in that note. She doesn't know I sent this with her letter when I mailed it.

Listen kid, Tsunami's only eighteen. She had Inari when she was just a few years younger than you because of an asshole boyfriend she had at the time. Dumped her as soon as he was told she was pregnant. And I saw her blushing when she was finishing up with her letter and smiling like I haven't seen in a long time.

You'd be good for her. Sure, you're young but you'll grow. Think about it at least. I even had a small talk with Inari about having you as a dad and he was ecstatic!

And I saw the way you looked at Tsunami when you were saying goodbye so don't you deny it! You'd be good for her and Inari. Not to mention, I'd be a proud man bragging about who my son-in-law is!

Think about it kid.

, Tazuna.

Naruto's face was on fire by the time he'd finished reading Tazuna's message and put it away when he was nearing the river.

He shook off the flush on his face as best as he could. No way was he going to let Ero-sennin see him like that!

At the river, he found Jiraiya wasn't there yet, so he sat and unsealed his new Sealing History book to read.

-This book is in continuation of volume 5. Vol. 5 of Sealing History covered what it means to be a Jinchuuriki and basic properties in sealing a being such as a bijuu in something like a rock and the difference it makes sealing a bijuu into a living breathing vessel. Vol. 5 also thoroughly explains the situation in sealing a bijuu into a person is like sealing a kunai into a storage scroll. The idea of the sealing is exactly the same while the action of the sealing is completely different.-

Index

Chapter 1: pg. 3-28- Sage of Six Paths

Chapter 2: pg. 29-73- Properties of Bloodline Seals

Chapter 3: pg. 74-118- Properties of Bloodline Sealing

Chapter 4: pg. 119-162- Properties of Sealing Bloodlines

Chapter 5: pg. 163-204- Testing Theories

Chapter 6: pg. 205-279- Thesus on Advanced Seals Yet to be Tested

Chapter 7-

"You know sealing jutsus?"

Naruto looked up to see Jiraiya was crouched behind him, reading over his shoulder.

So much for reading while he waited.

"Yeah." Naruto said closing the book.

"You ever try creating any?" Jiraiya asked taking note on the advancement book the blonde held.

"No but I do have an idea for one, but I haven't really been able to really think about it. I only got the idea recently. So it's not even really an idea yet, just one random thought that sort of stuck with me for a day or two." Naruto said sealing away the book into his library scroll. "But I have made adjustments and advancements to a storage scroll or two, as well as my one summoning scroll. But it's nothing really impressive. Just something I did learning from the basics when I was a kid."

"Huh... What was that random thought?" Jiraiya asked curiously, hiding just how impressed he was with the library scroll.

"Well... It's complicated." Naruto said with a sigh.

"C'mon, tell me."

"Well, it's something a medic-nin could use."

"A medic-nin?"

"Yeah. And maybe the guys in the interrogation department. It's something that can be used for both."

"Both?! Okay, quit stalling, just tell me!" Jiraiya said impatiently.

"Okay, jeez... It all has to do with pain."

"Pain?" Jiraiya questioned almost urgently.

"Yeah. It came to me after the prelims when Kakashi-sensei sealed my curse mark. The pain of the sealing when Kakashi-sensei joked how the sealing wouldn't hurt a bit then said it didn't hurt him at all when it was over. I thought back to when I transferred Hinata's pain to her ass-of-a-cousin Neji... Neji had closed off all of her chakra points and was planning to kill her. It pissed me off... Anyway, I ended up thinking about it more when I transferred Lee's injuries to myself yesterday. What if I created a seal or two that could seal the physical pain and/or injuries?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened at the thought.

"I mean, think about it." Naruto continued. "Medics could use the seal on the field for injured ninjas with fatal injuries while healing the ninja. Of course it would be dangerous too because if the injured ninja doesn't feel the pain they're in, they could end up killing themselves if they continue fighting. But think about sealing the actual injury into a scroll like you could with anything else. Interrogation ninja could use the pain of the sealed injury as a new form of torture, same with just the pain.

"Torture with physical pain but no injury at all. And what if there was more than one physical injury or bout of pain sealed into the scroll? And what if you could control how many times they feel the injury/pain or how much it hurts? You could make a person think they're dying like in a strong genjutsu, but there'd be no illusion to it at all and, therefore, no possible way to get yourself out of it... It sounds kind of stupid though, thinking about it aloud. And if not stupid, down right disturbing."

"... True. But that actually sound pretty clever."

Naruto looks up at the Toad Sage in surprise.

"And just think what it could do for other feelings, like arousal or sexual ecstasy!" Jiraiya said with a perverted grin and blood dripping from his nose at the thought, making Naruto face-vault.

'I should've known.' Naruto thought sitting up with a sweatdrop and eyebrow twitching in irritation.

"Still, it's a good idea." Jiraiya said in all seriousness after wiping the blood from his nose. "You never know unless you try and if you try, it could work."

Naruto, once again, found himself looking at the man in surprise.

Jiraiya smiled and bit his thumb, summoning a toad the size of a horse! The toad had it's tongue wrapped around a giant scroll. Jiraiya took the scroll and unrolled it out in front of Naruto, who smiled at the last name written for summoners who'd signed it.

Namikaze Minato.

"Go on, sign your name." Jiraiya encouraged.

Biting his lip in thought before smiling, Naruto bit his thumb til it bled and signed Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. Jiraiya had to smile at that.

"And the seals are boar, dog, bird, monkey, and sheep." Jiraiya told the blonde.

Naruto nodded and did the seals and slapped his bloodied palm to the ground with a shout of, "SUMMONING JUTSU!"

A puff of smoke appeared and cleared away revealing an orange toad the size of a cat wearing a blue vest.

"What the...? It's only a kid!" The toad said.

'I could say the same about you runt.' Naruto thought with a twitching eyebrow.

"Gimme some snacks if you want a favor, otherwise I won't play with you!" The toad demanded.

"I didn't summon you to play, I summoned you for practice!" Naruto said irritated.

"Practice?" The toad questioned while Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.

"I just signed the Toad Summoning Contract. I didn't expect to get the boss summon right off the bat!" Naruto said.

"Wait, I was your first summon?" The toad asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"... Nothing. I'm Gamakichi. Can you give me a snack anyway before I go home?"

Naruto sighed. "I'm Naruto." Naruto crouched down taking out his food-summoning scroll and summoned a large chocolate bar before tossing it to Gamakichi. "Knock yourself out."

"Thanks!" Poof!

"Gamakichi on the first try... Not bad kid." Jiraiya said as the toad he summoned with the contract disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto sighed and tried summoning a toad again...

Jiraiya clutched his sides laughing when nothing but a tadpole appeared.

Naruto's eyes went white and a vain throbbed on his forehead over his twitching left eyebrow out of his irritation and anger of being laughed at.

"SHUT UP ERO-SENNIN!" Naruto shouted shaking a fist at Jiraiya.

Naruto gritted his teeth before before taking off his weapon belts and shirts to practice his water walking/kunai balancing, seeing as he still didn't quite get it.

It was near sunset when Naruto found he was finally able to balance himself on kunai on the water's surface.

Sighing tiredly and smiling at his accomplishment, Naruto got down on his feet and walked back to land. Putting the kunai away, Naruto bit his thumb, did the handseals, and tried to summon the boss toad summon.

Seeing the small amount of smoke though, Naruto sighed, "Gamakichi again?"

He was left blinking in confusion however when it wasn't Gamakichi, but an old looking green toad with a small white beard, long fuzzy white eyebrows, and a crop of white hair atop his head.

Jiraiya's eyes looked like they were about to fall out of their sockets. 'Fukusaku?! He summoned Fukusaku on his third try!'

"Huh? You're not Gamakichi." Naruto said still crouched down blinking in confusion. "Who are you?"

"Hmm? Minato? No, he's dead, and you're much too short."

"I'm taller than you." Naruto said with a lip jutted out in a slightly embarrassed pout.

"Hrm. And where is little Jiraiya?" The old toad asked.

"Little Jiraiya? Pfft! He talkin' about you Ero-sennin?" Naruto snickered looking over to Jiraiya who was looking embarrassed.

"Ero-sennin?" The old toad questioned turning to Jiraiya as well. "Ero-sennin... Pwahahaha! That fits you to a T, Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya only frowned sulkily as the laughing old toad and young blonde boy.

"So, Little Jiraiya, why have you summoned me?" The old toad asked.

"He didn't summon you, I did." Naruto told the old toad.

The old toad looked over his should at Naruto before looking to Jiraiya with an eyebrow raised in question.

"It's true." Jiraiya said. "And only on the third try too."

The old toad blinked in surprise. "Hrm... Well then, I am Fukusaku, one of the Two Sage Toads and just a rank under the Great Sage Toad."

"So I have to summon a rank higher than you." Naruto said with a tired sigh.

"No, actually a rank under me is the Boss Summon. My son, Chief Toad Gamabunta." Fukusaku said.

"Oh. Okay, thanks..."

Suddenly, Naruto fell flat on his face unconscious.

"I'm surprised he even stayed upright for that long." Jiraiya said. "He's not even Sage level and he was able to summon you. Unbelievable... This kid just won't stop surprising me."

"Who is this child Jiraiya?" Fukusaku asked.

"My new apprentice. Naruto. He's Minato and Kushina's son." Jiraiya said going over and sealing Naruto's Taisho weapons and shirts into a storage scroll.

"So this is the child carrying the nine-tails." Fukusaku mused with a hum.

"Yeah."

"My... I won't tell Bunta. I want him to see for himself when Naruto-chan summons him tomorrow."

"Alright. Bye."

Fukusaku disappeared in smoke while Jiraiya picked Naruto up and took him to home before going to the Sandaime to inform him what Naruto had accomplished today.

x

Somewhere in the village of Konoha, hidden by the darkness of night, Gekko Hayate was listening in on a conversation. It was a very informative conversation going on between Kabuto, who was suspected of being a traitor, and Sand-jonin Baki before finding he'd been caught listening. He made a kage bunshin and sent it to the Hokage's tower unnoticed. As Hayate fled in the other direction and readied himself to fight, his clone rushed to Hokage Tower and wrote a quick four worded message in case it dispelled before reaching the tower.

The Hokage had just stood and stretched from his seat when Hayate's clone appeared in front of his desk before suddenly dispelling and dropping the little rolled up parchment. The Hokage raised an eyebrow in confusion before going around his desk and retrieving the message. His eyes widened and he sent Anbu to find Hayate and another squad to gather all the jonin, chunin, and spare Anbu. He eyed the four words written in haste with a frown.

SUNA OTO ATTACK KONOHA

x

x

Naruto woke with a start, gasping, as if waking from a nightmare he could no longer remember. The sun was down and full moon light lit up his room through his open window. He had a sense of dread, as if something terrible had happened and he didn't know why. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt his chest and his whole body felt like ice yet he was sweating so much... He lay back down when he caught he breath and turned to the clock.

2:53 AM.

Naruto sighed, getting the feeling he wouldn't be falling back to sleep any time soon.

But he tried anyway.

Hours later, he was dressed and equipped like always and met Jiraiya at the river like he had been.

Today, he summoned Gamabunta on his first try.

"JIRAIYA! WHERE ARE YOU?! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SUMMON ME FOR!?"

Naruto whistled sharply to get Gamabunta's attention, gaining attention immediately judging by the giant toad's eyes looking up at him where he sat on the Chief Toad's head.

"You Gamabunta?" Naruto asked loudly.

"What of it, Squirt? Where's that perverted old man Jiraiya?! Why'd he summon me here today?! I told him never to summon me unless in battle and in real need of help! And WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ON MY HEAD!?"

"He's hiding around here somewhere but he didn't summon you, I did."

"You?..."

"Yep."

"... GHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA! Punk, if you're gonna lie, say something believable! No way a shrimp like you could summon me! GHAHAHAHA!"

"Well, if you don't believe me, why don't you go back and ask that geezer toad Fukusaku?" Naruto said plainly.

Gamabunta grew silent.

"Ask him after you go back and I'll summon you again in about ten minutes. If you didn't get enough time to ask him, then summoning you a second time should be enough proof in itself right?"

"Hrm..."

Without warning, Gamabunta left, making Naruto yelp and summon Gamabunta again out of panic of going splat.

"THAT WASN'T TEN MINUTES!" Gamabunta shouted as Naruto fell from his head to his nose. "THAT WASN'T EVEN TEN SECONDS!"

"YOU SHOULD'VE PUT ME DOWN ON THE GROUND FIRST YOU GIANT TALKING WART!" Naruto shouted, shaking a fist at the Chief Toad. "THAT FALL COULD'VE KILLED ME! And besides, I just proved I summoned you!" Naruto declared, crossing his arms with a frown.

"Hrmm... Alright Squirt, I believe you. I'll make you my underling, how's that?"

"Okay!" Naruto said with a grin before sitting down Indian-style. "Name's Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto! Pleasure to meetcha Boss!"

"Haha! Well Naruto, usually I celebrate such an occasion by having a drink with my underlings but-"

"Hold on!"

"Hrm?"

Naruto took out his food summoning scroll and summoned the largest bottle of Sake in stalk and held it up for the Chief Toad to see it clearly.

"Like my friends in Anbu always say, 'Old enough to kill, old enough to drink'!" Naruto declared with a large grin.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Kid, I think I'm beginning to like you!" Gamabunta laughed gaining a wider grin from the blonde.

'Now this is a surprise.' Jiraiya thought smiling in his hiding place, watching the Boss Toad and blonde genin converse as they drank. 'Naruto got Gamabunta to accept him rather quickly. Took me years to accomplish acceptance, but he even admitted to liking the brat... Wait'll sensei hears this.'

Three and a half hours later, Naruto was asleep in a drunken haze on Gamabunta's muzzle, some drool trailed down from his widely smiling lips. With a chuckle, Gamabunta jumped and landed in front of Konoha hospital, leaving indents of his feet in the earth as he placed Naruto down in front of him and disappeared just when a group of doctors and nurses came out.

x

x

(Naruto p.o.v.)

I groan tiredly at the light in my eyes.

"Finally awake huh?" Shikamaru said from the chair he sat in beside I was in.

"Don't tell me, I'm in the hospital." I guess with an irritated groan.

"Yeah. You've been out for three days. You were left in front of the hospital, drunk. Who did you drink with this time? When you drink with Hayate-san or Anbu, they sign you in and everything or just take you home depending on how drunk you are and if you went through some harsh training that day."

"I drank with Gamabunta." I said said with a grin.

"Who?" Shikamaru asked confusedly with an eyebrow raised.

"Chief Toad and Boss Summon of the Toad Summon Contract."

Shikamaru blinks at me with wide eyes before sighing. "Honestly, I don't know how you continue to surprise me after all the years I've known you."

I snickered. "Anyway, what're you doing here? I know you're my friend and all, but shouldn't you train?"

"I'm still training but I came to visit Choji too when I heard what happened to you."

"What?!" I exclaimed sitting up with surprise and worry. "Choji's still in the hospital from the prelims? I thought he only got knocked out!"

"Don't be silly. Choji ate so much so quickly after getting out of the hospital the first time, he made himself sick and injured his stomach muscles." Shikamaru said in slight amusement.

I laughed good and hard. "Haha! That's just like him! Hahaha!"

"... Hey, Naruto..." Shikamaru said slowly, silencing my laughs. "That guy, Gaara... When you told him he wasn't the only one... did you mean he's...?"

Shikamaru didn't need to finish.

It was obvious what he was asking.

"Yeah..." I said with a sigh of resignation. "It scares me to think that... if I hadn't had people like you or Iruka-sensei, the old man, and the others... I could've ended up like him."

x

x