Yugito

"Heh, I can find her. I'm pretty good at finding things, after all," the Toad Sage said confidently.

"All right, we agree. We'll assign an Anbu squad to escort you," Mitokado Homura announced.

"No need. I don't want a squad tagging along. They'd only slow me down. I'll just take my new student. I think he's perfectly suited to this sort of thing," Jiraiya said.

"All right. When do you plan to leave?" the two elders asked in unison.

"Today. We have no time to waste. By now, the entire Shinobi World must have heard that our teacher has passed away. We can't give anyone another chance to invade the village." With that, Jiraiya leaped down to find his student in the street.

[With Naruto]

"Hey, kid. Still feeling down?" Jiraiya asked.

"Oh, Pervy Sage, it's you. I just don't know what to do. I've never had a family. I guess this is what it feels like to lose someone you love," Naruto said dejectedly, kicking a pebble toward the fence.

"Yeah, it's a terrible feeling. But our teacher definitely wouldn't want to see you moping like this. It's not like you at all. He'd want you to grow stronger and stop tragedies like this from happening again. So get stronger. Make him proud," Jiraiya said, hoping to lift the boy's spirits and encourage him to keep moving forward.

"You're right, Pervy Sage! I'll get strong enough to protect everything I care about! I keep my word. That's my ninja way!" Naruto declared, his mood noticeably brighter as a determination fiercer than ever reignited in his eyes.

"That's more like it. Now go home and pack. We're heading out on a month-long trip. We've got a mission: finding the next Hokage. You know what Tsunade's like. Finding her won't be easy. Hurry up and get your things, then meet me at the north gate," the Toad Sage instructed.

"Got it, Pervy Sage! See you at the north gate!"

With that, the energetic blond boy turned and ran home to pack for his new mission.

Naruto had been training for several hours without rest, and he had finally made some progress in controlling the Rasengan. He could now keep it stable for about twenty-five seconds before it lost compression and became unstable. Suddenly sensing a presence, he immediately turned and took a defensive stance.

Standing before him was the most strikingly beautiful, exotic-looking girl Naruto had ever seen. She looked about fifteen, with long hair a shade lighter than his own blond locks, tied into a high ponytail behind her head. Her catlike blue eyes had slit pupils and were the perfect shade of sky blue. She had a shapely figure, full in all the right places, and long, straight legs. She wore a blue jacket and trousers, the close-fitting fabric perfectly outlining her curves.

Naruto stared in a daze. It took him a long moment to recover before he stammered, "W-who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Yugito Nii, a Chunin from Kumogakure. What about you, cutie?" Yugito asked with a smile.

Being called "cutie" instantly turned Naruto's face bright red. He barely managed to compose himself before answering earnestly, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a Genin from Konohagakure. It's nice to meet such a pretty older girl."

Now it was Yugito's turn to blush. What the... it was just a compliment, wasn't it? Still, with that sunshine-blond hair and those bright blue eyes, he really is handsome. She desperately tried to suppress the heat in her cheeks, but another voice sounded in her mind.

Oh my, my little kitten. Looks like you've fallen for this little fellow Jinchūriki. He'd certainly make a powerful mate. If you ask me, you should claim him now before someone else beats you to it.

Two-Tails, stop it. I don't even know him, for goodness' sake, Yugito retorted inwardly before explaining aloud, "Sorry. I saw you training and got curious, so I came closer to see what you were practicing."

"Oh, this? It's nothing much. I'm just trying to improve my chakra control so I can fully master a ninjutsu I'm learning, but it's really hard." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "By the way, Yugi-chan, what are you doing in the Land of Fire?"