The Right Way Around: Book One

Chapter Thirty-five

A/N: Ok, first off, sorry this chapter took so long. My depression and anxiety have been abusing me relentlessly this holiday. Secondly, Merry Late Christmas to you all! I hope your holiday was awesome. I don't really celebrate. For a multitude of reasons. Not religious ones though, I'm not religious. Hah Anywho! Thirdly, I have come down with a cold. It's a mild one, I hope, so it should end fairly soon. I'm super congested like it's so bad that if I apply any pressure to my cheekbones/sinuses it feels like snot is gonna ooze out of my eyeballs. LOL Fourth(ly? ahaha), I'm working on an original work I plan to either self publish on Amazon or send into multiple publishing companies. We'll see though. So, that's all why I'm being slower than usual to post chapters. SORRY, EVERYBODY! x-x

(Picture is just there to wish you all a happy new year.)

ON WITH THE SHOW!!!

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Naruto stared across the desk at the Hokage, staring at Hiruzen, watching as the old man's gears turning in his head. The question had been posed. Not straight up, but it had been broached. Naruto had asked Hiruzen if he could leave to train under a master. Thankfully, when Naruto had arrived at the office, the old man had been entirely alone. It was perfect timing. No Danzō. No stupid council. Just Hiruzen. And he seemed to have been in a fairly decent mood. Which was very encouraging.

Except now it seemed like the old man's mood was darkening. "Who do you want to study under?" Hiruzen lifted a bushy grey brow.

"A-ah... about that..." Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked down. "O-Orochimaru-sama." He chewed on his bottom lip, his left hand idly messing with the leather collar around his throat, his right hand picking at his dark grey Anbu pants.

Hiruzen studied the boy and smiled gently. "What if I were to offer, instead, someone who knew your parents and was a Sannin?"

Naruto looked up. He knew precisely who Hiruzen was talking about. Jiraiya, his godfather. The man who had trained him the first time. A man whom he cherished and never recovered from losing. The vital Toad Sage, the only person Naruto had had in his young life. Sure, he was still mildly angry that Jiraiya had primarily been a deadbeat godfather for part of his life and then just busted into it when it was unavoidable due to the Akatsuki. What would be their excuse this time? It was tempting to go off with Jiraiya again. He missed the Pervy Sage a lot. And it was part of what he was looking forward to when returning to the past. But he needed different training this time.

Naruto had surpassed Jiraiya in many ways since his first time around. It would be offensive to the memory of his Jiraiya if he allowed himself to run off with this timeline's Jiraiya and repeat the same course. His Jiraiya would've beaten his little brain in if he knew that Naruto was seriously considering this. And that was part of what fueled Naruto to decide to train and learn under Orochimaru. He could've chosen Tsunade, but Sakura needed her and Naruto was never going to be able to be a lethal medic-nin. It just wasn't in his capabilities. He was a wild, unpredictable maelstrom. Something as delicate and powerful being a medic-nin like her would be an impossibility for such a violent, gory person.

'Who do you mean?" Naruto decided to clarify what he was positive was happening.

"His name is Jiraiya. He is your godfather." Hiruzen smiled, thinking he had the blond hook, line, and sinker.

"Oh him." Naruto nodded thoughtfully, looking out one of the windows. "Uhm...I don't think he's really my style. I'm a bit darker than him, and I have much I need to learn."

Hiruzen blinked in surprise at how adult and determined Naruto was being. He sounded decades older and decades more experienced. "How do you know he isn't exactly what you need right now?"