The month before the Chunin Exam finals was a blur of training, and Naruto was paired with Jiraiya, a towering, white-haired ninja who called himself the Toad Sage. "You're a mess, kid," Jiraiya said, grinning, but his eyes were sharp, like he saw too much. Naruto laughed, scratching his head. "I'm awesome, Pervy Sage!" he shot back, keeping his facade tight. But Jiraiya's presence unnerved him. The man was a Sannin, close to the Hokage, and likely knew about the Nine-Tails. Another liar, maybe, but one who could teach him power.Jiraiya's training was brutal: summoning toads, refining chakra control, and pushing Naruto to tap the Nine-Tails' chakra deliberately. "You've got something special in you," Jiraiya said, his tone cryptic. "Use it wisely." Naruto's grin stayed, but his distrust flared. Jiraiya knew, and he wasn't telling. Still, Naruto soaked up every lesson, summoning his first toad—Gamakichi—and feeling the Nine-Tails' chakra respond to his will, not just his anger. It was raw, overwhelming, but he held it longer each time, his clones stronger for it.At night, he studied the Scroll of Sealing, piecing together its notes on Tailed Beast seals. The Fourth's work was there, inked in complex patterns, but the why—why him—was still missing. Naruto's jaw tightened. Jiraiya's training was making him stronger, but it wasn't enough. Neji was coming, and beyond him, the village's secrets. He needed power to crush both.He trained in secret, pushing his clones to five hundred, a small army that shook the forest. The Nine-Tails' chakra surged, red and wild, healing his bruises and fueling his resolve. "I'm not a monster," he whispered, his grin gone in the dark. Jiraiya's lessons, the scroll, the exams—they were all steps toward forcing the truth from the Hokage, from everyone. He'd keep smiling, keep joking, but he was done being the village's scapegoat.
