Who were his parents, really?

After Jiraiya finished speaking, he vanished in a puff of smoke with a pop-he had only been a Shadow Clone.

"Damn it, a Shadow Clone... you took him to Mount Myōboku, didn't you? What exactly are you planning?" Tsunade's voice was so quiet that only she could hear it.

Meanwhile, with Naruto

Warm sunlight fell over Naruto as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he felt was the searing pain in his chest, followed by a headache that felt as though his skull were splitting apart.

"Shit... what happened to me?" Naruto mumbled groggily. At last, he opened his eyes fully and took in his surroundings.

He lay inside a small wooden hut. Outside grew strange plants unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. Giant stone toad statues loomed in the distance, along with a small waterfall flowing with an oil-like liquid.

He sat up and saw two toads staring at him. "Gamakichi? Gamatatsu? What are you doing here? Where am I?" the blond boy asked.

"Bro, this is our home," Gamakichi said. Beside him, Gamatatsu simply watched Naruto with a goofy grin.

"Your home? What do you mean?" Naruto looked around, searching for more answers.

"He means you're in the homeland of the toads, Mount Myōboku," a new voice said from behind him.

"Sage Fukasaku? How did I get here? Up on the mountain? The last thing I remember is that bastard Sasuke punching through my chest... then being thrown into the river." Naruto still looked utterly bewildered.

"Ah, here's what happened, Naruto, lad. Jiraiya originally came here to discuss your training plan with us. He was going to stay for a few days and see the Great Toad Sage. But just before he left, we noticed your name slowly disappearing from the Summoning Contract stone. There are only two things that could cause that: either you were dying, or you'd done something to betray the Toad Clan," Sage Fukasaku explained. Naruto quickly nodded to show that he understood.

"Jiraiya was practically in tears, begging us to save you. So we set up a sealing array and used the Reverse Summoning Technique to bring you here. Honestly, you were in terrible shape," Sage Fukasaku continued.

"Then I owe you my life. How can I repay you?" Naruto asked earnestly.

"If you want to repay us, work hard and get stronger. Make us toad summoners a name that strikes fear into people's hearts." Jiraiya's familiar voice came from outside the window, and a moment later, he leaped into the room.

"Don't worry, Pervy Sage! I'll make the Toad Clan the most revered summoning creatures of all!" Naruto declared firmly, determined not to let them down.

"Good. Because for the next few years, we're doing nothing but training," Jiraiya said.

"No problem! So when are we going back to Konoha? Let's start training as soon as we get back!" the blond boy asked immediately.

"We're not going back to Konoha. We'll train right here, starting once your injuries heal. By the time I'm done teaching you, you'll be one of the strongest people in the world," the Toad Sage said confidently.

"We're not going back? We can't do that! What about Yugi-chan? And old lady Tsunade, and all my other friends? They must all think I'm dead!" Naruto panicked at once, his mind filled with how devastated Yugito must be.

"I've already let Princess Tsunade know. But you'd better write your little kitty a letter. If I tell her in person that I'm taking you away for several years, she'll never let me off the hook." The thought of facing a furious Yugito made Jiraiya shudder-she was a jinchūriki, after all, and he had no desire to invite trouble.

"Fine, I can write a letter. But why do we have to train here? Can't we do it somewhere else?" Naruto truly couldn't understand why he had to spend so long apart from Yugito, without even knowing when he would return.

"Because this is the only place where I can teach you everything you need to learn. First, we'll work on Sealing Jutsu until you're on par with me. Here's your reading material. You're ready for master-level sealing lessons, and these are all the books on Sealing Jutsu I've read in my entire life." As Jiraiya spoke, he took out a scroll, set it on the table, and released its seal.

"Next comes Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. I'm going to have you accomplish something the Fourth Hokage, Kakashi, and even I couldn't manage, no matter how hard we tried-complete the Rasengan," Jiraiya said proudly.

"What do you mean, complete the Rasengan? I've already mastered it." The blond boy looked baffled.

"You can use it, yes, but the Rasengan itself is an unfinished technique. The Fourth Hokage always wanted to incorporate his nature transformation into it, but he never succeeded before he died. I think you can do it," Jiraiya said. "Finally, there's the most important reason we came here-Senjutsu. I'm going to make you a true Toad Sage."

"All right, I'll start now. Since I can't move around much for the next few days, I might as well read these books first." Naruto reached out and unsealed the scroll on the table. The next instant, an avalanche of scrolls, books, and handwritten notes came crashing down, burying him completely. He knew the next few years would be anything but easy.

"Oh, and if you finish all your training, I'll tell you everything about your parents," Jiraiya suddenly added, waiting to see the blond boy's reaction.

"What? You know my parents? ...Why has no one ever told me? Why do I have to finish training before you'll tell me? They're my parents! I have a right to know!" Naruto exploded, excited but also a little angry that Jiraiya had kept this from him all along.

"I understand how you feel, Naruto. But I promised Teacher Sarutobi that I wouldn't tell you until you were strong enough to protect yourself and handle most dangers. Originally, I was supposed to wait until you became a Jonin. Now I'm making an exception: once you've completed all your training on Mount Myōboku, I'll tell you everything. Think of it as extra motivation to train," Jiraiya said gently, soothing the bristling boy.

"Fine, Pervy Sage. I trust you. But if you lie to me, I'll make you regret it." With that, Naruto turned and plunged into the pile of books, determined to learn everything as quickly as possible so he could finally find out who his parents really were.