[ ON HOLD ]
What if he chose to walk a different path?
What if he chose to leave everyone and everything behind?
What if he chose to run away from the whispering behind his back and distant shouts?
Maybe it was the right thing to d...
It is him. It really is my little brat. Jiraiya stared a little bit at the man a few feet away from him. Naruto blinked repeatedly before signaling Haru to stop what he was doing. The Sannin slowly walked closer to them until they were face to face.
They looked a few seconds at each other while Shikamaru, Sasuke and Sakura walked over to them, still keeping their distance. Everyone could feel the tension in the air that suddenly thickened. "Long time no see, eh?" Jiraiya scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Yeah. Why have you come here, Lord Jiraiya?" Jiraiya flinched at the appellative Naruto used. I can't believe it.. 'Lord'? Really? He wouldn't have called me that even if he was being tortured! Where's 'Pervy Sage'?! He was deeply touched and equally surprised, but also disappointed.
"Well to see you, of course. Why wouldn't a master want to see his student?" The Sannin moved his gaze on the ground while the others shifted uncomfortably. Naruto sighed. The old man kept trying to catch a glimpse of the blond's face but he failed miserably.
Naruto noticed that and pulled down his hood, revealing his whiskered face. Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly but his gaze soon softened. "You're starting to look a lot like your father.." He smiled inwardly. "I know." The Jinchuriki's left mouth corner rose a very little bit at the thought of his father.
"I heard you've mastered Senjutsu." The Sannin crossed his arms as if he was waiting for an explanation. The other three were wandering what that was. "Yeah. About one year ago." Naruto turned to leave since he wasn't the talking type but Jiraiya grabbed his shoulder. They stood like that for a little while before the old man spoke.
"Wanna have a little spar? Sage Mode?" Jiraiya smirked, trying to catch the other's interest. Naruto narrowed his eyes, looking at him with the corner of his eye. "You never change, do you Master?" Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly. His student's sudden words warmed his heart. "Well, you know me!" He gave him a closed-eye smile while Naruto gently tilted his head to a side. The three chunin were dumbfounded. They had never seen the 'real' Naruto act so warmly towards someone. But he was his Master after all.
"Very well, then." They both laid on the ground only to get hushed whispers, probably from Sakura. They didn't have a clue what Senjutsu is. But Haru did. The two stood in lotus position with their hands huddled on their knees, laying completely still. A few minutes passed and they hadn't moved an inch. Sakura kept fiddling with her fingers until Sasuke hissed at her to stop because she was annoying.
Suddenly, Naruto's eyelids turned a dark orange while Jiraiya's reddened. They opened their frog-like eyes only to make the chunin feel uncomfortable with the power they emitted. This power.. I've never seen anyone who possessed this much power and Nature Energy.. Maybe it has something to do with the Nine Tails..
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. He was eager to test out the blond's polished skills. He could tell that Naruto was holding back, back then in the day, but he never mentioned it to anyone. So now he was really curious to see what he was truly capable of. Only if he wouldn't hold back again.
"Toad Kumite, right?" Jiraiya parted his legs to gain more stability while his hands were protecting his head. Naruto did the same. "What are they doing? Is it taijutsu?" Sakura whispered as she threw curious looks at the two Sages. "They're using Nature Energy to enhance their physical abilities." Haru kept his distance from the ruckus. He knew very well why.
"Oh really? And how come you know?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow cockily. "He used to meditate like that and store some more Energy, when we were in Orochimaru's hideout." Haru moved his gaze on the ground.
"So what was he doing there in the first place? Why was he following that bastard's orders?" Sasuke hissed lowly. He felt a little betrayed. "He was on a mission. He had to infiltrate inside Orochimaru's headquarters and kill him." They gasped silently while the two Sages were still getting ready.
"That included the fact that he had to act like he was actually willing to undergo the snake's cruel experiments." The boy shivered. "What do you mean?" Shikamaru seemed a little bit more interested. "Orochimaru's was so sadistic.. And yet..-!" Haru's eyes widened when Naruto growled lowly.
"Haru." The blonde slightly turned his head around with his eyes still closed. "I know. Sorry." The boy lowered his head apologetically while mumbling. Sasuke grunted with anger. He couldn't understand why he wouldn't tell them about his past, at all. And why he was so secretive.
What was that about? Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder. He hadn't been particularly informed about his ex-protege's past. "Hey, how about we start, eh?" The Sannin spoke up. Naruto sighed tiredly before facing the man again.
"Just don't start pouting when I take you down." He smirked slightly, catching the chunin's attention. Well, if he wants to get his ass kicked that badly.. Jiraiya smirked back. He remembered the time when he used to ruffle Naruto's hair and tease him like it was yesterday.
*********************************
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
*********************************
He sighed inwardly. Only if the blond had never been wearing a mask.. "Here I come-!" The old man flinched when he felt a strong presence, deep within Naruto.
