Shisui's POV (Uchiha Training Ground - Hidden Leaf Village)
Shisui had never intended to become a Jounin sensei. He had planned to retire after he had aided his village in stopping the Uchiha Coup. The whole affair had soured his motivation to be a shinobi. While he would never regret the choice he made. It still weighed on him heavily for so much of his family to be imprisoned with his aid, no less. But Itachi, before disappearing, had asked him to look after Sasuke.
Itachi had been Shisui's best friend, a brother in all but blood. He would ensure that his wishes of him would be followed. But often, Shisui found himself lamenting his task. Sasuke felt very strongly about his clan and seemed to hate that they were arrested. Insisting that there must be some more profound truth about the event. Saying his father never would've betrayed their home. Shisui had spent much of Sasuke's life assuring him that was the case, but the Uchiha often seemed to doubt him.
Sasuke worried him; he was seemingly focused on rising up in the ranks for his promotion. He had been distant from his teammates before, but they rarely met outside of training and missions after Kabuto's disappearance. He seemed to only get angrier over time as well. Impatient to "redeem" his clan and bring them back to their former "glory."
Shisui personally never put the clan over the village. After all, the Leaf had always been the home of the Uchiha. But over the years, the Uchiha had slowly felt slighted. They had little political powers these days, the Police Force was often undermined by Anbu, who had seniority over them, and they had never had a Uchiha as Hokage. Never mind that most of the clans haven't or that they kept themselves distant from the other non-Uchiha. Instead, they tried to take over, got caught, and paid the price. Fair to Shisui, but he had a feeling Sasuke felt differently.
"Shisui, I'm done." Sasuke panted out, breaking his sensei from his thoughts. Shisui looked up to see the small forest of trees that littered the edge of the grounds, which had all been caught down with only charred stumps. Sasuke stood in the middle in burnt clothes, his Sharingan spinning wildly. He seemed to be a force of nature at times.
"Well done. Are you ready?" As Shisui often did, he avoided addressing the subject. He didn't want to push Sasuke away, nor was he blind to how Sasuke would react. It's better to keep an eye on him for now.
"Of course, I merely hope there is a challenge," Sasuke stated simply as he marched forward. Exhausted but much too proud to collapse.
"You seem challenged enough by gravity."
"Shut it."
Jiraiya's POV (Forest of Death - Hidden Leaf Village)
Jiraiya had never considered himself a great teacher. He had assisted Minato in becoming the man who had become infamous worldwide. But in truth, the man had only needed advice and some slight guidance. Jiraiya would never claim to be responsible for what Minato had done. Minato had been something of an enigma, quick to learn, dedicated to the craft, and with a gutsiness Jiraiya was fond of. Most of what Minato accomplished was by his own merit. Yet now that he had the chance, he seemed to just know Naruto was meant to be taught by him.
There was something about the blonde. He held his mother's will and focused on his father's determination. He was impressive, undoubtedly, yet he was no prodigy. He was no genius but was crafty, often finding alternative solutions to problems. He was certainly interesting, but most would not find him remarkable. Jiraiya supposed Naruto reminded him of himself. He could help his godchild avoid the many mistakes he had made.
Admittedly, the Toad Sage's prophecy influenced it somewhat, but he had never been entirely sold on destiny. However, Jiraiya pondered if the prophecy was one way to achieve peace. But truthfully, as much as he craved peace, he wasn't sure he could reach it in his lifetime. Part of him had been confident Minato would one day achieve it. After all, the man had shared his dream, but his death had convinced Jiraiya that he may never achieve his dream.
His decision to train Naruto had been decided more as a reasonable way for Jiraiya to meet and spend time with Naruto. To honor his position as a godfather. With the needed secrecy, he could not be around. Unlike Kushina, whose relationship with Minato had been a secret, he was well known as Minato's sensei. The original idea was to keep his distance until Naruto did something worthwhile or had garnered a suitable level of experience. To justify one of the Sannins taking a keen interest in him. But Hiruzen had decided that with Naruto now known as a jinchuriki, it would be merely a matter of time before his other secret was discovered. The risk of Jiraiya's presence was worth it to ensure Naruto would have the skills and strength to face the repercussions of such a situation.
While he had been unable to be active in Naruto's life, he occasionally kept an eye on him whenever he arrived home. He had even delivered secretive gifts to Naruto. But despite those efforts, he couldn't say he truly knew his godson. Kushina had told him plenty, so he had an idea of the man Minato's son had become. Meeting him in this circumstance reinforced the image. At first, it had been hard to believe he was Minato's child. Indeed, he looked like Minato; he had his eyes and golden hair. But personality-wise, it had reminded him more of Kushina than anything else. Only once he had returned from his last-minute errand did he see such a prominent trait of Minato. They worked their way back up with laser focus whenever they fell down.
Naruto had come back, obviously somewhat crestfallen. At first, Jiraiya feared he was going through a moody, emotional phase most young adults would've defaulted on. He had prepared a routine that would make Naruto focus on his woes instead of improving himself. Naruto had gone silent. Instead, his eyes held disappointment and frustration. Naruto had asked what his training was and immediately thrown himself into it.
From the endless sprints he made the blonde do, he could never have too much stamina. Or the painful Taijutsu spars; Jiraiya had never been the best at holding back. Luckily, Naruto could take a beating. Even hours of chakra control and mediation training were met with silent indifference.
Jiraiya was surprised by Naruto's efficiency. Upon hearing Jiraiya's plan, he added his ideas and quickly engaged in them. All the while summoning clones throughout the days and ordering them to pursue something new, sometimes seemingly nonsensical. But would invariably manifest itself in odd ways. Jiraiya saw his impressive kenjutsu and worked with him to incorporate it into his taijutsu as opposed to him switching back and forth as he was now. Naruto had taken to this like water, quickly adapting poses and moving into his arsenal with frightening ease with the aid of his clones.
Jiraiya had been disheartened once he learned that Naruto had become another clan's summoner. But knew there must be more to it. Frustratingly, Naruto kept silent about it. Saying the clan had sworn him to secrecy. Jiraiya had let it go; he knew better than most how complex being a summoner could be. Besides, he had some ninjutsu for Naruto to master. With the clones at his use, he learned them shockingly quickly during the three weeks.
Finally, they worked on the technique Naruto insisted on creating. This was when Minato's influence shined the brightest. Naruto had a vision of a method that would be quite the doozy. The mechanics of what he intended to create were quite complex. The chakra control and shape manipulation alone would make most Jounin balk. But Naruto Uzumaki seemed tireless in his pursuit. He tested his idea in unique and often risky ways. He would probe at the problem from various angles when encountering a hitch. Trying out things at a speed others would need help to think at. He was no genius in the usual sense, but he was a natural in jutsu. Soon, Naruto performed the technique just as he first described. Indeed, it would work; even Jiraiya needed to figure out what kind of Genin Naruto had run into to develop something like this. But he feared for them.
Jiraiya had been unsure; he should've pushed Naruto so hard. But Naruto held strong even at a pace he had seen Jounin struggle to maintain. Even more shocking, Jiraiya discovered two weeks later that Naruto had disappeared. He was not just going off alone; his chakra signature would vanish. The first time had terrified him; it had been late into the night, and he had been sure somehow someone had taken him. Before fully panicking, he had heard the telltale poof of a summoning jutsu. Following the sound, he discovered Naruto lying on the floor, talking to a small raccoon. Their whispers had been much too quiet for him to hear, but it was clear from Naruto's exhausted prone form and the creature poofing away shortly after. Jiraiya figured Naruto was sneaking out to his summon's land for extra training. Likely geared towards their collaboration. Jiraiya had debated confronting him about it but knew the blonde wouldn't let anything slip.
At first, Naruto had seemed despondent; he trained hard and seemed determined but was silent. The playfulness he had heard of, the goofiness, and lightheartedness were missing. Instead, it was replaced by a grim focus. Other times, Jiraiya convinced the blonde to talk about things several times. And while Jiraiya doubted his words always reached the blonde, he seemed to slowly perk up. More than likely thinking things other silently and perhaps had found some peace while doing so.
It was undoubtedly a bit forced, but soon the two got along well. Jokes were told, pranks pulled (Naruto more than him, but Jiraiya had always believed in returning the favor), and discussions were held, often about safe topics unrelated to his troubles. Towards the end of the training, Jiraiya felt closer to his godson. It had brought a peace within him he had not felt since Minato's death. However, time marched on regardless; soon, their training was due to end, and Naruto had just discovered a way to perform his jutsu.
Naruto stood among several boulders he dragged into the clearing they used for training. Each one had been huge, durable, and heavy; it took Naruto hours to move. We're now reduced to a pile of rubble, each with a pile of sand on top. Such was the power of the Uzumaki's newest weapon. Mixed in with debris and dirt were shards of clay cups. Naruto looked exhausted; his left hand was covered in minor cuts. As if he had been crushing glass with his bare hand.
"I've never seen such a wind technique, such concentrated power. It's a shame you haven't managed to do it without the cups. It's a clever workout for the exams, but it'd be better if you don't use it. Between your impressive power with Riptide and the technique I taught you, surely you have more than enough firepower." Jiraiya commented.
"Don't get me wrong, it is certainly badass, but raw power won't be enough for the exams." Naruto countered. "This new jutsu was an idea I had for someone I'm sure I'll run into."
"You designed this for a Genin? Do you realize they don't condone killing? I mean, you won't get in trouble…" Jiraiya rambled.
"I don't intend to kill him," Naruto responded. "Besides the small run-ins I've had with him, he seemed on a different level. He beat a full team of Genin solo and did it with no damage. Worse yet, I landed one of my strongest hits on him before the exam. I've seen it slice through trees, boulders, and people. But it barely breached his sand, and I feel he can do much more with it than he's shown."
"So the rumors regarding him are true…" Jiraiya mused out loud. "From what my informants say, he is powerful for a Genin, easily killing Chunin and being a threat to most Jounin. I assumed it was propaganda, but if you are sure, it must be a genuine article. I stand corrected; then, you can't afford to hold back. If it's not the finishing blow, then what is it?"
"I won't go into full detail, but there's an aspect of this jutsu that should allow me to momentarily breach his defenses; once I do, I'll use our technique to put him down," Naruto explained.
"So you intend to kill him?" Jiraiya asked with an expressionless face. He didn't want to tip Naruto into his thoughts. If he did, Jiraiya wouldn't shame him; such a thing could be unavoidable in this line of work. Significantly when, Naruto clarifies that Gaara intends to kill or capture him. But it would sadden him to see Naruto dabble openly into the murderous side of shinobi.
"No, he won't die so easily for one… besides…" Naruto said with a troubled expression. "After all this with the village, I can see how Gaara became the way he did, especially if he suffered for years. It must be painful. Instead, I'm gonna kick his ass badly and make him see that his view of strength is flawed. Maybe once I humble him, he'll understand; maybe we'll be friends."
"Maybe he'll kill you." Jiraiya reminded him. "Fighting without intent to kill will weaken you slightly. Your thought process is admirable, but he may kill you."
"I won't die, and I won't allow him to suffer alone. He only respects power; I have to beat his ass into the light." Naruto replied evenly. Jiraiya was silent; the way Naruto thought often contained Minato's logic or certainty. Kushina showed in Naruto's emotional decision that it was seemingly justified with odd logic.
"You have guts, kid; I like that," Jiraiya concluded. "Are you ready for the name then?"
Naruto sighed. "It's not going to be something stupid, is it? I still feel like my name was fine."
"One, your name was terrible; it's a curse you inherited from Minato. Two for helping you; I asked for naming privileges." Jiraiya countered, casually prepared for it.
"What's so wrong with the Suction Crushing Cup of Explosion?" Naruto replied with a frown.
"It's wrong that you even attempted to name it that; even worse, you don't understand why it's bad." The Sage replied, thinking back on Minato attempting to name the Rasengan. He supposed some things were bound to repeat themselves. "Anyway, I was thinking something more like Wind Style: Implosive Rejection!"
"I guess…" Naruto trailed off with a frown. "Still feel like mine was pretty awesome…"
"Boys! Time to eat! Don't make me come get you!" Kushina called out.
Immediately forgetting the argument once the food had arrived, Naruto dashed forth. The recent stress he had gone through had undoubtedly changed him, but he still had a bit of that shine.
Jiraiya smiled with bittersweet joy. He was proud of how far the man had come in the short time, overjoyed that they had the time, and regretful that it would end.
It mattered little.
He was sure Naruto Uzumaki would make a splash worthy of his blood.