You are my Star

Chapter 17 - A Journey

Lady Tsunade sipped her tea. "When is Jiraiya going to come back? He needs to take Naruto on a trip. The kid is getting on my nerves."

"I believe I was summoned?" a joking voice said from behind. Tsunade whipped around. 

"Well, speak of the devil. Jiraiya, you're back!"

"So I am. And I heard what you said about Naruto. And in fact, I was planning on taking him on a  journey. However, I'm also bringing Hoshiko with me."

"What? Why do you need to take Hoshiko?"

Jiraiya looked at the sky, lost in his thoughts.  "Well, let's just say a little bird- no, a little toad- told me that I would be the teacher to the world's two heroes, and I can't help but wonder if the two jinchuriki, who were knocked aside and feared as children would one day be loved and protected by all as adults."

Tsunade stared. "Jiraiya, you actually sounded smart for a second."

Jiraiya huffed. "I'm always smart." Then he smiled. "But, I guess, I get it from the people around me."

Tsunade tried to look angry but failed. "Is that an insult?" she grumbled. 

"No, in fact, it was a huge compliment." He grinned wider. "To be able to start to compare to Jiraiya is a feat in itself."

Tsunade swatted at him. "Yes, in more ways than one. Go take Naruto and Hoshiko on that trip of yours. It better pay off, too. This sounds like a long trip."

"Well, it is. We'll be back in a couple of years."

The hokage blanched, choking on her tea. "Two of our best shinobi, gone for a couple of years?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "What can I say? But it will pay off. I can tell you that much. When they come back, they'll be new people."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, considering they'll be with you. One Jiraiya is enough. I don't think I could handle two mini ones, too." Tsunade shuddered, returning to her tea. 

"Hey!"

                                                                                 * * *

"Hey, it's Pervy Sage!" 

"I told you not to call me that, Naruto."

"Hey, it's Pervy Sage!"

"I can't believe I'm taking the only two people who don't respect me on a two-year-long trip," the toad sage groaned.

Hoshiko blinked, genuinely confused.  "Huh?"

Naruto looked perplexed as well.  "What do you mean, two year long trip? And why are we coming with you?"

"To train, of course. You two need to get a whole lot stronger. We might even end up working out a new jutsu in the process," Jiraiya said, dangling the prospect of it in front of them.

The bait worked, obviously.

"You really mean it, Pervy Sage? We'll get our own super-cool jutsus?"

"Well, that depends on how hard you work."

"Alright! Let's do it!"

Master Jiraiya chuckled. "Okay then, pack your bags. We're leaving today."

                                                                             * * *

And so they did. The two of them packed their bags, one with better content than the other, and one more organized than the other, and walked through the streets, the toad sage following close behind. 

As they strolled, they could see their comrades hard at work as well. Hinata and Neji sparring, Shikamaru training with Lee to extend the length and time of his shadow possession jutsu whilst dodging Ino's mind distraction jutsu, Tenten slicing the heads off the training dummies and shooting kunai straight through the targets, Choji as a human boulder, crushing trees in the forest, Kiba and Akamaru leaping through the treetops, the hound howling and the master laughing. They were chased by Shino's bugs, the former practicing their evasion skills and the latter training his chakra control and abilities to pursue the enemy. 

Seeing all this spurred Hoshiko and Naruto forward, both desperate to train just like their friends and twice as hard. 

                                                                            * * *

So for the next two years, the pair worked side by side to get stronger, practicing with Master Jiraiya. Their training was seasoned with trips to hot springs, popsicles on warm summer days, hot soup in cold, winter ones, and picnics amongst bright green grass, colorful flowers, and the smell of the ocean. 

And when they came back, they were two different people, just as Master Jiraiya had promised.