A/N: Alrighty, next chapter time. Just a short one to get back in to things. More coming soon.

Inevitably, Naruto found himself unable to perform the water-swirling in a week, and, much to his chagrin, didn't get to learn how to breathe fire. He tried harder and harder to spin the water, but found, each time, that throwing all of his chakra at a water balloon did not cause its contents to spin. More water balloons were broken in fits and temper tantrums than were stirred even a little by the young ninja-to-be.

"Oi, sensei, show me how to do it again," he barked at the older man, who was humming absentmindedly with a scroll in his lap.

"Last time, kid," he warned, though the words were empty. He would likely show him the same thing over and over for weeks to come. He just hoped the invested time would lead to dividends later on, and leaps and bounds of progress.

He rose to his feet and took the object of hatred from his pupil, and effortlessly swirled the water around before handing it back. Naruto, as though he understood something that Jiraiya knew he likely didn't, stared intently at the sphere. His eyes lit up, and he looked back up at Jiraiya.

"One more time, please," he looked resolute instead of downtrodden, and Jiraiya took the balloon back with wide eyes. Performing the exact same chakra technique, he handed the balloon back. Naruto grabbed it from his hand, and set into a wide stance. Looking down at the balloon with narrowed eyes, he set to work.

Jiraiya was more surprised than he had been in ages. The edges of the balloon quivered and shook, if only slightly. The water inside was clearly shaking and churning in multiple directions, as Jiraiya himself had done. It was marginal, but it was progress.

"Great job, kid, but what changed in thirty seconds?" He inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

"You set the water in all different directions," he got out, though panting and worn. "I forced myself to put my chakra in other directions instead of taking it all and pushing it in one place." He looked overjoyed that his nemesis had quavered under his efforts, and the sage couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah, you did good Naruto. Can you decide exactly where to push your chakra yet?" He tried not to look optimistic, but he definitely wanted to get a 'yes'.

"Sort of," Naruto responded, bashful under his master's gaze. "I can make it go other directions, but I can't really choose where exactly."

"Make a clone," Jiraiya ordered, stripping his pupil of the balloon. Naruto was quick to make the hand sign, but before he actually performed the jutsu, Jiraiya separated Naruto's small hands with his much larger ones.

"This time, pick one of those 'directions' you found before, and only use that one. Don't focus on any of the others."

He was trying to simplify the process for the young boy, but his furrowed brow clearly meant he was confused. Exhaling through his nose, Jiraiya was about to tell him to forget it, but was rewarded with a response.

"Won't that mean I'm using a lot less chakra? Won't that make the clone even worse?"

Jiraiya looked gleeful that he'd finally get a chance to explain what was in order.

"Not a chance, kid. You're using so much chakra I wouldn't be surprised if this was your best clone yet."

Naruto, encouraged, shouted the jutsu out and two perfect clones flanked him. They fizzled only a short moment after, when his concentration broke, but he looked as happy as Jiraiya had ever seen.

"I did it! I did it! I'm the strongest ninja around!" He hollered, water balloon long forgotten.

"Eh, it was okay, I guess," Jiraiya grumbled, mockingly. Naruto looked up, hurt, but Jiraiya winked at him to calm his fears.

"Not a bad day at all, kid. I have some research to do, though, so you should practice making clones until I get back."

"You got it, sensei!" He chirped, already at work. Jiraiya grinned lecherously as he hopped off into the tree line, already picking out an area that was always occupied this time of year.

Writing down as much 'research' as he could get, given his distance, Jiraiya hadn't a care in the world. Until, of course, a loud crash came down next to him. It brought with it a storm of errant branches and a certain blond idiot, neither of which were lost on the buxom lasses he happened to be observing. They bolted in an instant, screeching 'Pervert!' at the top of their lungs, and Naruto popped his head up from under the branches, grinning at his sensei.

"I made three, sensei!" He shouted at the sage, whose mouth was wide open with disbelief at the unfortunate turn of events.
"You're shocked into silence, huh? Yeah, I'm just that good!" His pupil continued, oblivious to the twitch that had forced itself on Jiraiya's eye.

"You little…" He growled, his student oblivious to the pain he'd inflicted on his master, "You ruined my research!" He howled, sounding like a madman and looking the part.

"Research? You were just looking at girls in bikinis!" He laughed, as if it were all a joke. Straightening up, his face grew serious.

"By the way sensei, what's a 'pervert'?" He asked, scratching his chin.

"Whatever it is, those girls thought you were one. You're a pervert!" He giggled, jumping around the defeated man.

"Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!" He chanted, until Jiraiya grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket.

"Idiot! Watch what you say!" He snarled, but Jiraiya couldn't reign in his student's shouting.

"You're a pervert! Pervert sensei!" He resumed his chanting, with renewed vigor.

"You're my pervert sensei! My ero-sensei!" He laughed, wriggling out of Jiraiya's clutches. Inevitably, it was the one nickname that stuck to the man like glue.