Tadpoles Are Just Toads, Aren't They?

Konoha's back mountain had a small valley of waterfalls and streams, a famous summer retreat where many people came to play in the water during the scorching season.

"Why am I here?"

Naruto was no stranger to this place. He stared at the stream before him, lost in thought. He still remembered meeting Jiraiya, but had no idea how he had ended up here.

"Huh? Pervy Sage, you're here. What happened to you?"

Just as Naruto turned around to go home, he saw Jiraiya standing there with a deathly pale face. His features were gaunt, as if he had aged decades in an instant, and he radiated utter despair.

"Why? Why are you a boy?! Give that twin-tailed ***** Naruko back to me!"

When Jiraiya saw Naruto awake, he grabbed him by the shoulders and roared. He simply could not accept that such a beautiful girl had turned into a boy once the Transformation Jutsu was released. To be safe, he had even checked inside and out, but the result had been utterly devastating.

"Who's Naruko?!"

"Damn it, you brat, why were you using the Transformation Jutsu for no reason? Is it fun?"

"It makes shopping easier. I won't get discriminated against."

"...I forgive you. Come learn from me."

A trace of pity flashed through Jiraiya's eyes. No matter where they were, Jinchuriki had never been treated well. This child had probably suffered a great deal, which was why he used such a method to disguise himself.

"You still haven't given up?"

"I'm sure you know I'm much stronger than you. Running away is useless."

Ignoring Naruto's reluctant expression, Jiraiya pressed one hand to the ground and performed the Summoning Jutsu. Amid a cloud of smoke, an orange-red toad appeared out of thin air, holding a large scroll in its mouth. It set the scroll before Naruto.

"Toads again. Do you really like toads that much?"

"This is the Summoning Jutsu. Simply put, you form a blood contract with creatures and use Chakra to summon them to fight for you. Write your name on it with blood."

"Fine, I'll write it. Minato Namikaze? Who's that? What a strange name."

Following Jiraiya's instructions, Naruto bit his finger and wrote his name in blood. There were five names on the scroll in total. The first two had been obscured by the passage of time. The third was Jiraiya, and the fourth was Minato Namikaze.

"Pfft, hahahaha! Strange? If that guy heard you say that while he was alive, he'd be furious."

Jiraiya could not hold back his laughter. It was one thing for this kid not to know his own father's name, but he did not even know the Fourth Hokage's name and had said something like that. It was pretty amusing.

"Can I summon a powerful toad too?"

"Before we get to the Summoning Jutsu, let me ask you something. Do you know that there are two different kinds of Chakra inside your body?"

"No, I don't... Whew, whew~"

Naruto placed both hands behind his head, pretended to admire the scenery, and even whistled a few times.

"Terrible acting... Idiot, anyone in Konoha who's a little older knows the Nine-Tails is sealed inside you. Who are you trying to fool?!"

Jiraiya's mouth twitched. He smacked Naruto hard on the head and scolded him. If he was going to pretend, he could at least make it convincing!

"That hurt... Why are you asking when you already know?!"

"I want to know whether you can control that power yourself and draw on it whenever you want."

"Hmm... There have been a few times when I borrowed the Nine-Tails' power while I was angry."

"If I told you to use that power now, could you do it?"

"Probably not."

"Why not?"

"Because those times, I borrowed his power unconsciously. I didn't actively ask him for it."

"Why not use it? The Nine-Tails possesses such immense power. You wouldn't even need to work hard yourself to surpass most ninja in this world. What's wrong with that?"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he asked. Jinchuriki might lose some precious things, but what they gained was incomparably immense power. He wanted to see whether Naruto possessed the mindset to match it. Otherwise, all that would be born was a monster of slaughter.

"That's not right. I don't want to borrow his power whenever I please. That's what I think."

"Why? What does the Nine-Tails mean to you?"

"...A friend. Friendship isn't one side constantly borrowing the other's power. I don't want to do that."

Naruto closed his eyes and thought for a while before answering without the slightest hesitation. Ever since meeting the Nine-Tails, he had been cold toward Naruto and always came up with strange tricks to make him embarrass himself, but Naruto had always considered him a friend. He also believed that the Nine-Tails did not hate him as much as he claimed.

"You really are an idiot, but I don't dislike that. Listen carefully. The Hand Seals for the Summoning Jutsu are Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ram. Give it a try."

Jiraiya smiled happily. Like father, like son. Though he was still young, a tiny flame was already burning in his heart. Perhaps this was the will he had inherited from his father.

"Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ram—Summoning Jutsu!"

Naruto nodded, bit his finger, formed the Hand Seals, and pressed both hands to the ground.

What will he summon? Minato's son should have decent talent. Will it be Gama-Tada or Gama-Yoshi? The odds are low, but could he summon Bunta?

Jiraiya watched the smoke Naruto had summoned and began imagining all sorts of possibilities, looking on with eager anticipation.

Plop, plop.

A red tadpole that had yet to evolve into a toad appeared on the ground, constantly twitching its body. Having left the water, it looked as though it might die at any moment.

"...Idiot, what kind of toad is this?!"

Veins bulged on Jiraiya's forehead as he grabbed Naruto and roared. He felt as if his face had been thoroughly slapped swollen. What tiger father, no dog son? This kid was basically a Chihuahua!

"As long as I didn't mess up the hand seals!"

PS: Please bookmark and recommend.

PS: If you think the word count is low, that's definitely just your imagination. I'm totally not going to tell you that I spent my writing time watching Dragon Ball Super. I only meant to watch one episode... but I couldn't control my hands and ended up watching all the way to episode 66. Please forgive me. Ehehe~☆ Let me be shameless just this once.

PS: Thanks to reader silverj for the 100 reward.