Bab 16: Naruto Meets Master Jiraiya
With age, Sakura became more patient and methodological in her actions.
The girl sometimes took great risks. However, she never did anything without proper forethought.
At least, when she wasn't being dragged around by her emotions and killing intent, she was like this.
It was a mindset that was better for her situation.
One would find it hard to change the past if they kept trying to keep track of variables for the future.
Life wasn't that easy...
And yet, just knowing that the future couldn't be controlled with her limited amount of situational information from her memory (and the fact that she wasn't the most cunning) weighed her down.
Not too long ago, she made a big decision. She gave Zabuza and Haku the order to spread the information on the tests she remembered from her past, causing the Chunin Exams to be postponed.
Her plan was simple: She'd alert the Hidden Leaf and make them more suspicious in order to take away Orochimaru's chance of getting in touch with Sasuke. This was plan that seemed to achieve great success. The newspapers acting as proof.
What she intended to do with secretly take care of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki by herself in the future… after stalling them for long enough. It was a good plan, but she forgot one big variable.
And that was Kurama's intentions:
"...What the hell are you doing?"
"Making a plan on how to get together with Sakura in the future, ya know!" Naruto laughed.
He scribbled some more details onto his extended plan on how their relationship will progress.
Eating ramen together, check! Sakura actually accepting one of his heartfelt confessions, check!
"...Yeah, you might want to hang in there for... Let's say it'll take forever for your relationship with her to progress." Kurama smiled with bad intentions. He thought of the guy who was friend zoned for years.
Using the secret communication method Sakura had left with him, he had heard all about her plans and was even requested for assistance in keeping the fact that she left the village a secret.
"Get those hearts out of your eyes and listen to me for a second." In the Inner World, he shook Naruto.
The knucklehead ninja found himself dragged out from reality and into their personal mental space.
"What...?! I'm busy." He really wasn't bothered about anything Kurama had to say right now.
"This will let you become Hokage faster." The sly fox commented.
These words instantly made Naruto turn in full attention.
The extreme shift in attitude would've made Kurama speechless… if he wasn't used to this already.
"...Anyway, you need a Master now, or else you'll waste your newly acquired potential as a Ninja."
"Don't I have you?" Naruto widened his eyes.
He didn't seem to mind. The kid WAS some kind of Human Beast now. Wasn't the technique Kurama taught him cool? But if he was referring to Sakura's Master, then he was all into accepting one.
"I have no experience in 'Jutsus'. You idiot, it's time for you to learn the Rasengan from that Jiraiya boy. The one who likes those disgusting toads. It's better than relying too hard on sheer chakra reserves."
Kurama was very careful with his words. He didn't want Naruto to learn of the fact his parents had died at his hands yet. With this knucklehead's maturity, there was no doubt he might take drastic actions if there was someone to vent his loneliness.
It definitely wasn't because he didn't even want to imagine Naruto wanting to kill him... He had been betrayed by Jinchuriki before him. Of course, he was used to being hated by humans by now...
"What's a 'Rasengan' anyway?" Naruto asked.
This question allowed Kurama to wake up from his daydream and think of Naruto's future self.
Having his true power, the benefits of being the reincarnation of Asura, and that ball of doom...
He never saw it as much at first, but time made him more aware of the versatility of this one Jutsu.
"A Jutsu to create an spinning orb of chakra."
However, even if he thought of it as good. That didn't mean he understood it's mechanics.
"Don't I already have that?"
Kurama looked at Naruto as the idiot he was:
"Even your miniaturised version of the Tailed Beast Bomb is still just that: A 'Bomb'. You're not planning on protecting others with a technique we Tailed Beasts created to exterminate Humans, right?"
"...You used this on others." Naruto murmured.
Kurama realised his tongue slipped and he let out some important information, but after a second of contemplation, he didn't deny it. This technique made it a lot easier to protect himself.
After all, randomly flailing about normally lead to being captured by Humans.
In fact, Tailed Beasts didn't even try bothering humans on normal occasions.
They had better things to do. Like literally anything else than kicking this beehive of a species.
Kurama himself enjoyed resting more than anything else. Of course, in an place better than a seal...
"They never left me alone no matter where I went in this vast world. Of course, we Tailed Beasts would create a 'pest repellent' over time. What else would we create such a destructive technique for?"
It was about now that Naruto was starting to feel his Mini Tailed Beast Bomb wasn't that 'cool' anymore.
Little did he know that Kurama's words rang more truer than he thought. The source of his boundless hatred was Humanity, after all.
Even though Tailed Beasts were gigantic beings with great strength, they naturally didn't have much animosity for humans when the Sage of the Six Paths were alive.
It was only when the Sage died did they become 'Beasts to be hunted' no matter how much they desired peace. Even the One Tail was more likeable before he started hating 'pests'.
After talking to Kurama for a bit, he followed the giant fox's direction to find this new Master of his.
His parkour was great, and the teachings Sakura left behind about 'focusing chakra to the legs' were shown off brilliantly by Naruto. No one could catch his speed without focusing their eyes.
"Ummm, I don't think we're going the right way." Naruto looked around suspiciously.
"Trust me, this is definitely the place."
Kurama patted his chest as Naruto started pacing the area outside the public baths for women.
There in the distance, by a certain little window, was a white-haired geezer making a very 'serious face'.
In his hand was a book called 'Make Out Tactic .Vol 0'. Though he couldn't see what was sneakily being written within it thanks to the old geezer's long and spiky hair getting, he could guess due to his 'Aura'.
Now that Naruto has the Strength of a Beast Seal within him, he was no longer an average 'Fighter Type' but also a Sensory Type that could detect even the emotions of an individual.
Using his insightful instincts, he could tell that there was an enormous pink aura around this man right now.
The 'pervert level' this old man achieved was unthinkable.
"..." Naruto didn't say anything, but instead looked at Kurama while pointing at the man with disbelieving eyes. The old fox himself found that look of his to be somewhat comical right now.
Hidden deep within his eyes arose the words: 'You were the one who thought up of that unnaturally disgusting 'Sexy Jutsu' against others. What right do you have to say that this 'serious man' is a perv?'
He also remembered back to the time when Naruto foolishly tried using that Jutsu on him when they got into a heated argument. It didn't work on the Tailed Beast, of course.
Ignoring the fact that he didn't have the 'Primal Instincts' of an animal due to being a entity of pure chakra, he had no feelings for humans other than the urge to murder them.
"You should get to know him. Who knows, you might have something in common?" From what he remembered, these two became quite close after they became 'Master and Disciple' in the future.
Although Kurama didn't have enough empathy to understand humans perfectly, he believed that destiny will bring these two close. Even IF Naruto has changed compared to his 'future self'.
"A Rasengan isn't enough to make me want to go anywhere near 'that creature'." The knucklehead seemed stubborn though. He was being really put off by this ever growing aura of perviness.
"He can help you get closer to Sakur-" Kurama was interrupted immediately.
Naruto released his blue Human Beast Cloak and stretched out. The old man was launched high.
"Good morning, how it flying up there?"
Even before Kurama could even finish off his sentence, Naruto stretched out the chakra in his arm to grab the old geezer's hair and send him flying in his direction. Similar to when he's wearing a Tailed Beast Cloak, but much more versatile.
As the blue chakra arm outside his body vanished after he was done, Naruto talked politely to the air.
The human bullet came flying his way. However, he didn't expect the old geezer would borrow the momentum of the throw to slam the ground where he was originally standing just moments ago.
"Eee! What was that noise?!"
Hearing that the kunoichi at the baths had noticed the sound of his landing, the two of the booted it out of there without a second thought. Though one person was much more guilty than the other...
"What was that for?! I was doing 'research'!"
Though he was speaking and acting like your average pervert, hidden deep within his eyes was shock after seeing such a technique using chakra for the first time. That expressions... Those blonde hair and blue eyes... reminded him of someone.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I've come to become your disciple and understand the ways of getting the girl I like!" The knucklehead said so straightforwardly that even HE was at a loss...
'Naruto Uzumaki... so he's the son of my previous disciple, Minato Namikaze... and Kushina... His hair and eyes are the same colour as his, but the shape of his face resembles his mother a lot more...'
Though he was feeling emotional, his eyes showed no trace of those emotions. Instead, he looked upon this youth carefully. Then realised many things from what had just recently happened.
"Ehehehe, so you are looking for 'love advice'? Have no fear, for 'I', your great Love Guru, have all the tactics needed for making out!" He spoke with true internal belief that he was being truthful.
"I see, I see!" Naruto was instantly filled with excitement after believing this scammer's words.
Seeing this youth's face, Jiraiya thought of how he should approach this subject very carefully.
"Give me a sec." The old perv ignored him and checked seal on Naruto's stomach with a five finger strike to his stomach. The kid wasn't even able to react. His shirt was lifted to show the seal his father had put on him when he was a baby.
'This...! There's a hole in the Nine Tail's Seal. Why would Minato not fully seal this monster?!" This time his eyes visibly hardened. The fluffy pink aura around him became colder and serious.
Naruto's excess level of 'empathy' allowed him to understand that this geezer had no ill-intentions towards him, but the sudden change in aura was a little too much even for him. He could finally see the Great Sannin behind the man's exterior.
"...I know you have many questions, but I can only answer them over time. Tell me, has the Nine Tailed Fox ever tried to lend you power?" Although Jiraiya was sure Naruto wasn't possessed, he was still vigilant of anything the 'old fox' was scheming.
"..." The youth shook his head vigorously.
Kurama didn't intervene yet. He knew anything he said to this man would just sound like a lie...
All humans who had lived in a war torn era had some eccentricity that would follow them around.
Jiraiya, seeing that he scared the youth, calmed down. He apologised for his previous actions.
"Sorry about all that, I was actually an acquaintance with the person who put this seal on your body. I just noticed that there seemed to be a hole in it." The knucklehead sensed his honesty.
"You should have just said so... What was with that sudden hit to my guts? You looking for a fight?!"
Naruto recovered his spunky attitude pretty quickly.
He started to look at the geezer more suspiciously.
"Fine. I'll teach you any Jutsu as an apology. Just name it and I'll find a way to teach it to you." Jiraiya decided to indulge.
"The Rasengan!" Naruto exclaimed.
"...Who told you about that?" A suspicious look appeared in the old man's eyes.
"Kurama did."
"And who is that exactly?"
He didn't seem to remember an acquaintance that went by that name... or was it someone else?
"The old grumpy fox in my stomach!"
As expected, this answer made Jiraiya's whole expression change again. From the depths of the seal on Naruto, the sigh of a certain 'grumpy fox' could be heard as he face-palmed tiredly.
'I never thought there would be a day where I missed the matured Naruto of the future...'
He sighed and was ready to explain himself.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone