I am Naruto but where is Kurama!?

After my revelations about my situation, I doubled my training to almost passing out from exhaustion as I now had a very real threat to life that no longer seemed as distant as before. Especially since I now had fewer guarantees about getting some power-ups in the future any power-ups, I get I needed to get through my own means and more advanced training. I already had an idea of what to do: a Summoning Contract.

By getting into a Summoning Contract with a Summoning Beast Clan, I can get, at the very least, some proper teachers, even if they're not human. However, I did not want to get involved with the three Sacred Lands for different reasons. The Toads could make my situation more complicated since I am not the Shinobi Savior like the Original Naruto, and I would not put it past them to know my secret as a Transmigrator, which cannot get out as I would rather not take my chances with how dark this world could be.

The Snakes are mostly callous and uncaring, so trusting them is foolish. While with the Slugs, I probably can't master their Sage Mode because Tsunade would've definitely been a Sage if its difficulty was the same as the Toads and Snakes. She has the reserves of Chakra and Chakra Control to pull it off. Plus, she is Hashirama's granddaughter. Then there is the fact I am curious about which Summoning Beast Clan I am most compatible with, as I rather go with compatibility over pure power that I might not be able to gain.

But there is one problem: I don't remember the hand signs needed to perform the Summoning Jutsu. I might be able to get the Third Hokage to show me when I meet him again, but who knows when that will be? I sighed as I waited for class to start. I still felt drained from my morning training, which I increased in intensity and amount. I even got up earlier than usual to work it in while ensuring I got plenty of sleep.

However, I had to give up social interaction in return as I can't afford to try and make friends with others as I can't explain why there is a need to train harder to them, even if I give a believable excuse that there will be another Shinobi World War in our lifetime that we will have to fight. My belief is that you have to count on yourself first before counting on others to help you. Otherwise, you're dead weight.

Thankfully, the Transformation Jutsu is already proving to be useful as I can increase my nutrition. I am buying up cheaper cuts of meat and getting plenty of fruits and vegetables at the price everyone else is paying, which is a major improvement, but it only made me resent the villagers more. Vengeance can wait; survival comes first, but after Kaguya is dealt with well, I don't need to wait anymore.

I also can't leave the village just yet as it can give me better resources compared to working on my own. Tanaka-Sensei came in at last and announced.

" Okay, class, it's now Jutsu for this year, the Substitution Jutsu, which can work in conjunction with the Transformation and Clone Jutsu. It requires speed, dexterity, and planning to successfully pull off. The hand signs are Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, and Snake. Practice the hand signs for the next hour."

The Substitution Jutsu turned out to be uncomplicated despite it having more hand signs as it is basically an optical illusion or Transformation applied with high-speed movement to switch places with an object, usually a wooden log, because of its material provides enough resistance to attack to trick someone that their attack worked. Of course, the Jutsu will not work on someone faster and more skilled than you.

The exercise to practice it was pairing off with someone and taking turns attacking each other while using the Substitution Jutsu to counter with some logs provided by the Academy. At least that was what everyone else was doing as Tanaka-Sensei left me to my devices since I am the odd one out. That was fine with me as the standard Substitution Jutsu had limited use like the standard Clone Jutsu. I am glad regardless to the last of the Three Academy Jutsu.

________________________________________

Lecherous giggles came from a middle-aged man with long, spiky white hair.

" Oh, yeah, that's some prime material there."

The man was peeking at some women in the hot spring he was resting at, and the man's name was Jiraiya of the Sannin, the Hermit Sage of Mount Myōboku, the Writer of the Make-Out series, and the biggest pervert Konoha has ever had. Currently, he is in the middle of his research for his next book. Jiraiya's wide, perverted smile only grew as one woman with ample assets got out of the water with no steam disrupting his view.

" Now that's a nice set of melons and such a large perky peach."

The Sage summoned a notebook to write some descriptive imagery for his novel.

" Master Jiraiya."

Jiraiya frowned as he turned to see an ANBU pop out of nowhere, and he shooed the ANBU away.

" Beat it, I am busy."

" I have a missive from Lord Third."

The ANBU pulled out a scroll and presented it to the Sage. Jiraiya grabbed the Scroll with exasperation and opened it to read. His eyes narrowed as he continued to read the contents of the Scroll and asked the ANBU.

" Are you aware of what is written in this scroll?"

" My mission is only to deliver it and escort you to the village."

The ANBU replied with a neutral tone, and Jiraiya had a forlorn expression as he glanced back at his peephole before getting up.

" I guess it's time to head back to the village."

________________________________________

Three rough-looking men entered an inn and walked to the receptionist to ask.

" Have you seen this woman?"

They held up a picture to the receptionist, and the receptionist answered.

" Oh, she just checked out in a hurry an hour ago."

One of the men clicked his tongue in frustration, and the leader of them ordered.

" Come on, men, we still might be able to catch her!"

The three rushed out to try and catch their quarry. No sooner did they leave and run off the woman, a woman with long blonde hair and honey-brown eyes with ample assets, along with her companion and pet pig they were chasing, entered the inn and asked the receptionist.

" Would my previous room still be available?"

The woman added some extra money to the receptionist for the room. The receptionist politely coughed and slyly pocketed the extra money before handing the key to the room with a smile while replying.

" Of course, valued customer."

The woman's companion, another woman with dark hair and eyes, sighed as she complained.

" Lady Tsunade..."

" Come on, Shizune, let's head to our room."

The pig, Ton Ton, oinked in agreement, and Tsunade's apprentice, Shizune, just looked tired and defeated. As they sat down in their room, Shizune asked once more for the thousandth time.

" My Lady, why do you gamble to the point of building up debt?"

" Oh, come on, Shizune, money's money. You can't take it with you as you go on, and it will eventually change hands anyway, so what's a little debt here and there."

Tsunade's apprentice wisely stopped voicing her thoughts.

" Lady Tsunade, you have a debt easily in the ten figures. That's not a little debt here and there. Most people can't hope ever to have that much money, let alone go that deep into debt!"

Shizune sighed as she just accepted that her mentor is irredeemable when it comes to gambling. The apprentice was immediately on guard as she heard the window to their room open, and she was getting ready to fire off her poison senbon needles, only to stop at the sight of a Konoha ANBU. Tsunade frowned as she demanded.

" What is it?"

The ANBU silently presented a Scroll, and the Slug Princess grabbed it in a foul mood, as being tracked down by an ANBU is never a good thing. Tsunade read the scroll and then cursed her sensei.

" Damn that old monkey!"

She then ordered her apprentice.

" Shizune, pack our things back up. We're heading back to the village."

" Really!?"

Shizune said as she almost sounded gleeful at the thought of returning to Konoha. She could maybe finally relax a little bit as her mentor is banned from all the gambling establishments in Konoha by order of the Hokage to prevent Senju land from being bought and sold within the village. She also wanted to visit her uncle's grave as it has been years since she had a chance to tend to it.

________________________________________

My body was dripping with swear, and all my muscles ached from exertion from my morning exercises and heavy-duty stamina training while working on my Taijutsu Style that mixes in some bits from Muay Thai with Konoha's Basic Taijutsu along with a few extra things to give me a wider range of attacks. I was shaky on my legs as I went to the bathhouse this morning to get cleaned before taking a break since I did not have to go to the Academy today.

I reached the bathhouse and paid for my entry. After getting cleaned up, I got in the bathtub to soak in hot water, and I sighed in relief at the hot water, easing my sore body. I relaxed for a minute before taking up meditation to focus my mind on my next step for the day, studying, not the academy courses since I read ahead, but rather my research on Chakra Theory and Engineering to make Scientific Ninja Tools earlier than what was expected.

As I meditated, some annoying, downright unpleasant laughter entered my ears. I then heard a man say just loud enough for me to hear.

" Oh, it's good to be back. The village makes such a bounty like no other: massive melons, deletable pineapples, modest apples, and peaches of various sizes."

Hearing that and considering where I was, I got suspicious and stopped meditating to look at the source of the voice. I saw something distorting the air around atop the wall that separated the men's and women's baths. I squinted my eyes to try and look more clearly at what was there. I quickly figured out it was some pervert peeking at women like a horny loser that knew he couldn't get some like a real man.

If you want to look at naked women, you either get a magazine or video of that sort, go to a brothel and pay for their time, or seek out a woman to either date or have a one-night stand, and if you can't even do that to satisfy your last then your pathetic on all counts that matter to a guy. Peeking on some unsuspecting woman just made you a horny creep and the worse kind of pervert. I may not give a f*ck to the vast majority of women in this shitty village, but I still have principles.

I grabbed one of the wooden wash pans and aimed at the twisting air, then threw it with all my might. I had a satisfied smirk when I landed a direct hit as the Hidden pervert yelped and even fell over to the woman's side of the bath with a loud crash. My smirk only grew bigger at what I heard next.

" Hey, what was that?"

" Look, some old man is there!"

" Kya, a pervert!"

" GET HIM!"

I chuckled as I heard the ruckus on the other side of the bathhouse. It serves the pervert right, and I did my good deed for the year as an added bonus. I decided to get out and dry off, then head off to the Shinobi Library first. I hummed a happy tune as I enjoyed messing with the pervert more than I thought. Maybe I should consider taking up pranking the village to destress?

" Oi, you brat!"

I heard someone call out, but I kept on minding my business as I continued walking to the Shinobi Library. I then heard.

" Hey, stop ignoring me!"

I then felt someone lift me off the ground by the back of my shirt. Rather than panic, I was getting ready to stab whoever was picking me up with my Kunai, but I was surprised to see a familiar face, Jiraiya. He looked angry, but he had a comically large bump on his head plus a slap mark on his face as he angrily growled at me.

" Brat, do you have any idea what you have done!?"

I quickly put two and two together and realized he was the pervert peeping on the women from the bathhouse, not that would change my actions anyway if I knew it was him. I respect Jiraiya as a Shinobi but certainly not as a person since it's likely he is my godfather, like in the Canon since Minato is a known student of his; plus, I did manage to peek at the Make-Out series. It was boring overall, with the only noteworthy parts being the smut scenes; even then, they were a tad too vanilla for my tastes.

" Should I?"

I asked as I decided to play dumb. The pervy Sage then bellowed angrily.

" YOU RUINED MY RESEARCH!"

" What were you researching then?"

I asked as I hoped he would walk into the joke I was about to make him.

" THE BATHHOUSE YOU LITTLE TURD!"

I pretended to think before saying.

" But I don't remember seeing you at the bathhouse, though?"

" YOU HIT ME IN THE HEAD WITH A WASH PAN!"

Thank you, Jiraiya, for being such a sucker. Now it's time for your roast. I then shouted at the top of my lungs for good measure.

" WAIT YOUR THAT LIMP DICKED LOSER OF A PERVERT SPYING ON THE WOMEN IN THE BATHHOUSE BECAUSE HE KNOWS HE'S GOT NO GAME OR MONEY!?"

He immediately clamped my mouth shut with his hand, but it was too late. The surrounding women were already looking at Jiraiya with disgust and disdain, while the men either quietly pitied him or looked at him with anger for various reasons. I felt the familiar sensation of being a passenger to the Body Flicker Jutsu, and my stomach lurched. Jiraiya looked at me with renewed anger and demanded.

" Are you trying to ruin my reputation!?"

I found it funny that he thinks he actually thinks he needs help in ruining his reputation when his usual antics speak for themselves. Not that I wasn't going to stop giving him a hard time because he abandoned Naruto, who is now myself, despite being my godfather. He could have checked up on me to see how I was doing or at least introduced himself beforehand, but nope, his information network and so-called research were more important.

Was I being petty? Maybe. Did I care? Not in the slightest. Jiraiya removed his hand from my mouth, and I immediately shouted at the top of my lungs before he could finish his sentence.

" Now listen, h-!"

" HELP THIS PEDOPHILE IS KIDNAPPING ME!"

He then hit me on the head and roared in outrage.

" I AM NOT A PEDOPHILE, YOU LITTLE IDIOT! STOP SHOUTING!"

" DON'T HIT ME. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM!?"

I had to use all my willpower not to smile and look as serious as possible to continue messing with the deadbeat godfather. Jiraiya looked dismissive as he said.

" Oh, enlighten me then."

Now for the next part of the show.

" Do not be fooled by my diminutive figure, as I am known as Hermit Sage, Jiraiya of the Sannin!"

Now, is he going to going to bite so I can roast him some more? The Pervy Sage gave me a deadpan look before sighing and then saying.

" If you're going to impersonate someone, do a better job of it and know who you are trying to pretend to be."

I had to stop myself from smiling as I retorted.

" Like a lowly pervert such as yourself would know of my greatness."

Jiraiya smirked as he bit his thumb, and I knew what he was going to do next. I hyperfocus on his following hand signs: Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram, Summoning Jutsu get!

" Summoning Jutsu!"

A puff of smoke appeared and soon disappeared to reveal an armored toad the size of a horse, and Jiraiya made a grand introduction.

" Imitation might be the highest form of flattery, but none can truly grasp my greatness! From the east to the west, from north to the south as well, Men admire me, women desire me for I am the ONE! THE ONLY! JIRAIYA!!!"

As he posed atop his summon, feeling high, I brought him down low. I had to stop myself from laughing at what I was about to do next. I then exclaimed in mock outrage.

" There is no way the Great Jiraiya is an ugly old pervert that needs to peep on women to get some great views!"

His stupefied expression was glorious; shame I can't take a picture. I turned to leave as I had my fun. I then heard him call out.

" OI! BRAT I REALLY AM JIRAIYA!"

I then called back without turning to face him with a smile.

" Your desperation is pathetic, you old pervert!"

He then reappeared in front of me with the Body Flicker Jutsu as he pointed to himself while trying to prove his point.

" Listen closely, brat! I! AM! JIRAIYA!"

I scoffed at him and then walked around him as I ignored his attempts at proving his identity. I had my fun, now I need to study.

________________________________________

Within the Hokage's office were Hiruzen and Tsunade. The Legendary Sucker was not happy as she had to wait for her teammate to show up for the meeting her sensei wanted with them. Tsunade glared at the Third Hokage as she said.

" Threatening to label me a Rogue Shinobi if I don't return Sarutobi-Sensei! While I doubt you would go through with it, that fact, you actually used such a threat what could have made you go to such extremes."

" I can't say until Jiraiya is here, Tsunade; it's too important to risk repeating enough times that someone might overhear what I have to say. It's just that vital."

Hiruzen said with a serious but stressed expression, and the Slug Princess felt a pit form in her stomach as she rarely saw her sensei this serious outside of war. She was placated for now but grumbled inwardly.

" Jiraiya, if you don't get here soon, you will be getting a trip to the hospital for making me wait."

Tsunade really would send her teammate to the hospital to make her wait because she did not ever want to return to the village, ever. There were too many painful memories of what she lost for the sake of the village, and its Will of Fire. She morbidly thought.

" We are all naught but kindling for the flame that is the village. Grandfather, was this what you really wanted?"

Her mood turned gloomy as she felt tired of waiting for death as she truly wasn't living. She took out a storage scroll and brought a jar of wine to keep her company. The Third Hokage warned his former student.

" Tsunade."

" Relax, sensei. I will make myself sober when Jiraiya finally shows up."

Hiruzen sighed and put away his smoke pipe as he just took it out and then told Tsunade.

" You might as well share, Tsunade, as I likely can't go over the situation sober."

The Slug Princess was now truly concerned as her sensei almost never drank anymore, as his main way to unwind was smoking. She shrugged and passed her wine jar over to her sensei, and he took a couple of mouthfuls of wine before handing the jar back to his student. Tsunade then downed the rest of the jar in one sitting before Sealing it back in her storage scroll. She then asked the Third Hokage.

" Just how bad is the situation, sensei?"

Hiruzen took a moment to decide just how much to say and then told his former student.

" Konoha is at its all-time weakest."

The Slug Princess read between the lines and figured out one reason she and her teammate were summoned back to the village. She then stated clearly.

" I won't become the next Hokage, sensei, I can't. Not with my condition."

" Then help me convince, Jiraiya."

The Third Hokage did not deny part of the reason why he called his two students back. Tsunade nodded in agreement, as it was better for Jiraiya than for her to be stuck in the village. Speak of the Devil, he shall appear.

" Sensei, tell this brat who I am!"

Jiraiya demanded as he dragged Naruto through the window, and the shorter blonde begged while laughing on the inside.

" Lord Third, help me, save me from this ugly old pervert! He claims he's not a pedophile, but he has been trying to drag me away from prying eyes!"

Hiruzen sighed and ordered his mischievous student.

" Jiraiya put Naruto down; we have a serious discussion ahead of us."

The Pervy Sage grinned as he ignored the order and gleefully told the shorter blonde.

" See, I told you, I'm Jiraiya."

" Just because you share a name with one of the Sannin does not make you him. There is no way THE Jiraiya is some limp dicked wimp that spies on unsuspecting women because he can't seduce them to save his life."

" Why you! I will have you know I do not do the seducing, but I get seduced and hounded by women everywhere I go!"

" Sure, and the sky is pink with cotton candy clouds."

Naruto sarcastically retorted, and Jiraiya gritted his teeth in frustration at being denied his identity. Tsunade froze as she saw a shadow of her little brother Nawaki in her fellow blonde, but she shook herself out of her stupor as she had long accepted her brother was gone. She then demanded.

" Jiraiya, who's the kid?"

The Pervy Sage quickly clammed up as he knew what would happen if his old teammate heard he was up to his usual antics: a one-way trip to the hospital. He quickly told a half-truth.

" I introduced myself to the kid when he was pretending to be me and still doesn't believe that I'm me."

" Of course you are not, Jiraiya of the Sannin. You're too ugly, and he wouldn't need to-."

Jiraiya quickly covered Naruto's mouth to prevent him from finishing his sentence and signing his death warrant. The Pervy Sage hid his nervousness with a laugh while breaking out in cold sweat as he explained.

" See, this kid is practically blind to greatness. Me ugly, how ridiculous."

Tsunade smirked as she found the situation amusing while having a nagging suspicion of what her old teammate had been up to, but she decided to set that aside... for now.

" Send the kid away, Jiraiya; we have something to talk about with sensei."

" You heard the lady, brat, beat it."

Jiraiya was eager to get Naruto away from Tsunade as soon as possible, and Hiruzen also sent Naruto away.

" Naruto, please leave; I have something confidential to discuss with them."

" Okay, Lord Third."

The shorter blonde said with a compliant tone, and just as he touched the doorknob, he said.

" Oh, yeah, I almost forgot I have something to tell you, Lord Third, and it's important!"

" Oh, and what would that be?"

Hiruzen asked, looking curious. Naruto pointed at Jiraiya and said while knowing exactly what he was doing and spoke quickly before dashing out.

" This pervert was peeking on some women at the bathhouse using Lord Jiraiya's good name!"

The Pervy Sage's jaw dropped at how quickly his godson sold him out, and a chill went down his spine as he heard Tsunade say with a calm tone.

" Oh? Impersonating my teammate and peeking at women in the bath those are quite serious accusations."

Jiraiya mechanically turned his head to his crush in a cold sweat and saw a smile on her face that promised pain and broken bones. The Third Hokage bought his troublesome student some time by saying.

" Now that you're both here, we can finally begin our discussion. "

The Pervy Sage silently thanked his sensei from the bottom of his heart and went straight down to business.

" Yes, let's talk about why you called me and Tsunade here, sensei."

Tsunade withheld Jiraiya's beating to hear why they were called here finally.

" Alright, sensei, what's the big secret?"

At the Slug Princess' question, the Third Hokage sighed and looked like he aged another ten years as he answered.

" Naruto Uzumaki is no longer the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, and the Nine-Tails is no longer in the village's possession."

Of all the things the two sannin thought they might hear, this was close to the bottom of the list and then some. Jiraiya immediately demanded in shock and concern.

" How did that happen, sensei!? How is Naruto still alive!?"

Tsunade stayed silent as she waited for Hiruzen to continue his explanation.

" It apparently happened over a year ago as an organization called the Akatsuki had someone capable of bypassing our barrier undetected with a Space-Time Jutsu. I only recently found out due to someone entering the organization in a deep undercover operation. As for how Naruto is alive, I can only assume his Uzumaki Vitality managed to save him, albeit barely since I found him in a near-death state."

The Third Hokage paused to let his two students absorb this information. Tsunade then said after a few moments of thought.

" I will give the kid a thorough examination before I leave to see if there are any future health concerns that the Hospital might have missed."

" Thank you, Tsunade."

The Pervy Sage thanked his old teammate as he felt immense guilt at learning what happened to Naruto without him knowing and thinking.

" How am I supposed to face Minato and Kushina after this?"

The Third Hokage then politely coughed to draw his former students' attention and said.

" That aside, there is a need for a new Hokage since Konoha's situation is drastically different now. I could have kept the office and maintained the status quo until a new candidate appeared, or at least that was my hope, but with Konoha at an all-time low in Kage level combat strength, that is no longer possible. Neither of you is leaving until a new Hokage is selected, which will be one of you, as Konoha needs you now more than ever."

Jiraiya immediately made his case to avoid the office and responsibility.

" Sensei, you know me. I'm not suited to being the Hokage and-."

" Neither was I in the beginning, but I grew to the office."

Hiruzen was not about to let either of his former students slip away from the office until a new Hokage was decided. Tsunade then put pressure on Jiraiya to avoid being the Hokage herself.

" Jiraiya, you know my condition. I still haven't gotten over it, and I'm likely not to for a long while. A Hokage still needs to be able to fight, and I can't do that with my condition. It's a weakness that the other villages will pounce on like rapid dogs on fresh meat. No one else is qualified but you, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya looked constipated as he realized there was no getting out of this since his sensei and old teammate were working together to corner him. So, instead, he sought concessions from them both.

" If I'm doing this, sensei then you need to be my advisor, and that includes you, Tsunade. I have no clue on how to run the village, and I will need all the help I can get."

" I can at least do that much, Jiraiya."

Hiruzen agreed easily enough, but Tsunade was silent. She sighed as she demanded concessions of her own.

" I won't stay in the village indefinitely, and I want to revamp the Medical Ninjutsu department in the meantime."

" Agreed! I won't accept anything less than 5 years Tsunade!"

Jiraiya immediately agreed to Tsunade's concession as it was a win for him regardless. The Third Hokage sighed in relief as he took off his Hokage hat, and just as the Pervy Sage was just about to leave, the Slug Princess grabbed his shoulder and said with no small amount of malice.

" Now, with that out of the way. What's this I hear about you peeking again, Jiraiya?"

The Third Hokage ordered calmly as he started to smoke.

" Take it outside of the office, Tsunade."

" Sensei!"

The Pervy Sage pleaded as he tried to escape, but the Slug Princess was too strong.