When Naruto originally left to train with Ero-Sennin a year ago he didn't know what to expect. What he thought would at least be a baseline was furthering his ninja techniques. So far all he's done is chakra control, body conditioning, and work with the furry-teme's chakra! Last night, Naruto had found his master blackout drunk for the fourth time in the past week and slowly coaxed out what his training schedule would be for the next two years. Chakra control and taijutsu! Was he supposed to fight akatsuki with only his shadow clones and rasengan? The past few months of the trip with Jiraia teaching nothing new led to Naruto getting increasingly upset over his so-called sensei's training that he looked back at his ninja career. He lived a joke!

He had two offensive jutsu to his name and little to now technical knowledge nor applicational knowledge of what few skills he did have. What has he even been taught since he joined the academy? He had to spy on a group of older students preparing to graduate to learn kawirimi and henge as all his teachers before Iruka-sensei had kicked him out of class before he could gain any knowledge, lest the demon become to smart. He stole the forbidden scroll for his signature kage bunshin, all Kakashi-sensei had ever taught him in all their time as team 7 was tree climbing while he gave the teme a whole bunch of fire jutsu and even the A-Rank assassination jutsu that was shoved twice into his chest. Jiraiya let him sign the toad contract, but didn't give him advice with it, just pushed him off a cliff and insulted him when he didn't do good enough for the perv's standards. With rasengan Naruto realized he was given a balloon and two balls, a handful of hints and he completed the jutsu four times faster than his own master did when presumably the jutsu's creator the Yondaime was by his side the whole time giving advice. Yet even with all the pitfalls his education has had he survived! He beat Haku, beat Neji, beat a fully possessed Gaara! Hell, Sasuke was trying to kill him at the valley of the end and Naruto wasn't going all out and it was still close enough to be almost a tie. While his head was trying to sort out his feelings about his past treatment from people he thought only had the best in store from him Jiraiya stepped into their hotel room

"I've got news gaki, apparently the civil war in the mist is nearing its ending. If I go and help the bloodline rebels then Konoha has a very strong potential ally we need with Suna's weakness after the invasion. You're not ready for all out war so for the foreseeable future so I will leave you here. Summon Gamakichi to send letters between us if you need anything or have any questions. Every week starting tomorrow morning I will send your weekly training schedule. I don't care what you do as long as every week my list is done, understand?"

"Are you sure it's not cause the rebels leader is debatably the hottest woman in the elemental nations?" Naruto scoffed.

"You're getting both too smart and cynical these days brat. Tell you what, take a week off to think and relax then I'll send you your first instructions. Well research awaits, see yah in a while!" Jiraiya yelled into the wind as he jumped out the window and into the cool night.

After the pervert left Naruto decided he'd just get a good sleep and decide his plans in the morning. When after three hours he couldn't sleep he decided physical training may exhaust him enough to force him into sleep. At noon the next day if someone looked into the forest outside the hotel one would find a blonde teen dead on his feet from overworking his body. He just couldn't relax, what's the point of this trip if first the pervert doesn't train him enough then just abandons him to get trained by a scroll once a week. Naruto knew he still loved the old bastard as a precious person in his life, someone who cared about him and he cared about back, but he may not be able to see him as a sensei anymore. Standing up on his shaky legs Naruto walked back into his hotel room. He slowly gathered his meager belongings and walked into the forest, ready to better himself as best as he could, with or without help. He was Naruto Uzumaki, future hokage dattebayo! Hearing a voice Naruto spins around, hand on his lkunai as he hears the flat tone of the last man he thought he'd see.

"I see you've decided Naruto-Kun. I wonder what will come of it." As Naruto gains his footing he looks up and meets the spinning crimson eye of the man with a hit out on his head.