Hokage Tower (Third Person's P.O.V.)
Naruto ran up the stairs of the Hokage Tower, and busted in the door. He was momentarily unaware of another presence in the room. "Jiji. I need to know everything you know about fuinjutsu. I already sent some of my cones to the library to study some of the more advanced volumes that I have yet to touch in my training." There was a fierce determination in the boy's eyes that The old Kage could see. "I know you have even more knowledge than those books however." Naruto walked even closer to the desk. "I won't let that snake-bastard take any of my friends away from me." He slammed his hands on the desk. "And once I find him, I'll rip him to shreds!"
The bloodlust started pouring out of the blond once more. Huge waves of the emotion started rolling over everyone present. It wasn't enough to knock the air out of any of them. Not even close. But it was definitely enough to impress them. After a minute or two, Naruto was able to calm himself down. That's when he took notice of the other person in the room. He was pissed with himself for not noticing it earlier. He really needed to learn to control his rage, when it came to people he absolutely despised. It could get him in serious trouble. It was harder though without Kurama, he noticed.
The Hokage let out a small chuckle at the timing of the boy. It just so happened that the third was talking to the exact person that Naruto needed. "Naruto, funny you should arrive at this very moment." Sarutobi motioned to the gentleman standing next to him. "This here is Jiraiya, The Toad Sannin. He is the perfect person to help you train in fuinjutsu." He turned to the other man in the room. "Naruto here is a bit of a prodigy when it comes to the ninja arts." A ghost of a proud smile flashed across the man's face. "He's even pretty good when it comes to fuinjutsu." He turned back toward the blonde. "If you don't mind me asking? What level are you at, Naruto?"
The blond stares blankly at the pair for a few moments, before shaking himself out of his stupor. "I am a level 5 Apprentice. Just shy of a Master." The blond turned his head down, ashamed. Maybe if he put more time into his Fuinjutsu, he would already know how to help Sasuke. "I haven't been putting enough effort into my training with it lately."
Jiraiya took a moment to study the blond. He didn't seem to be that old. "How old are you, Kid?"
Naruto turned to the sage, and tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. "I am 12 years old, Why?"
The sage was amazed. "You're only 12 years old, and already you are almost a seal master." It was not a question, merely an acknowledgement of the boy's skill and potential.
Naruto knew this, so he did not bother replying to the statement. An idea popped into his mind. "You're a level 3 seal master aren't you?"
The sage nodded his head, a proud smile on his face. "Why yes I am."
Naruto took off the bandages around his gut, and focused chakra into his stomach, revealing the Kyuubi seal, as well as the seal that the other Sannin put on him. "Then can you get rid of this." Naruto gestured to the tomoe marks around his original seal. "That creep, Orochimaru put this on me during the second stage of the exams. I don't know how to remove it."
Jiraiya went up to the blond to look at the mark more closely. He put his hand to his chin, thinking about what it could be. The familiar image from one of the books he wrote popped into his mind. "Ah the five pronged seal. I had no idea my old teammate paid so much attention to my work." Noticing Naruto's look of confusion, the sage explained. "You see I created this seal as a sort of back up to your original Kyuubi seal." The man pointed toward the mark on the blond. "This seal was designed to allow you to access the Jyuubi's chakra network in times of need. The hope was that you'd eventually be able to merge your two chakra networks and use it as your own. But just in case the power started getting out of control, I designed the five pronged seal so it could lock it up. Until you were strong enough to control it that is."
The blond nodded, showing that he understood. "That was pretty smart." A hopeful smile was displayed on Naruto's face. "So can you remove it."
Jiraiya smikred. "Of course. The first thing to know about creating seals, is to never make one that you can't undo." Small blue flames of chakra started burning on the tips of the man's fingers. "Five pronged seal, release.!" The sage jammed his fingers into the seal on the blond, and twisted his hand just like Orochimaru had done initially. There was a burning feeling. This time however, the tomoe marks disappeared.
Naruto looked on amazed, as the marks vanished from sight. He was hit with a sudden rush of energy. Must be Kurama's chakra returning to him he mused. Putting his theory to the test, he called out to the fox in his mind. "Hey Kurama, are you there?"
The Beast's reply was instantaneous. "I am here Kit? How have you been?"
Naruto smiled at the fox. "Better not that our connection is back. I am just glad that I was unconscious for most of it." The blond's tone turned sorrowful. "I don't know what I would have done if I had to be apart from you for that long."
The beast returned the smile with a grin. "We'll, lucky for you, you did not have to find out."
"Now that you are back. Is it possible to get rid of the Mark that Orochimaru put on Sasuke and Anko?" The blond hoped he would receive a positive answer.
The biju assured his container, saying, "In all my years, I have not seen a seal that could not be broken. I don't imagine Orochimaru's seals are an exception."
Naruto's smile grew wider at the revelation. "Good. That means I could save them." The determination returned to the blond ten-fold. "I have to go now, Kurama." He waved at the fox, before bringing his consciousness back to the outside of his mind.
When Naruto was back in the room, both in mind and body, he realized they were staring at him. Was he gone long enough for them to notice. "Sorry about that." The blond reached up to scratch the back of his head, an embarrassed smile on his face. "I tend to zone out every now and then."
Jiraiya seemed to accept that excuse. But Sarutobi knew about the fox's connection with Naruto. He must have just now considered that since he was cut off from Kurama's chakra, he must have been cut off from their telepathic connection as well.
Even after all these years, The third was still unsure of how he felt about the kyuubi training the blond. On the one hand, it was hard for him to believe that the creature he fought all those years ago was going to be tamed so easily. But he trusted Naruto. And the training that the fox gave the blond made him a powerful shinobi. He decided he would still keep an eye out for anything strange, but for now, he will continue to trust The Uzumaki. The old man turned his gaze back on the sage. "So will you train him, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya turned back to smile at his old sensei,and then smiled at Naruto. "Of course I'll train him." He ruffled the blond's hair. "He is my godson after all."
Naruto's expression morphed from happiness that he was going to be trained by one of the three Sannin, to shock when he heard the man say he was his godfather. He knew that the Toad Sage was his father's teacher. But he didn't know they were that close. "You're my godfather?"
"Yup." The man reached his hand out to shake. Naruto shook it. The action was almost robotic. The shock was still too much for him. "Nice to meet you, kid."
Naruto flashed the man a small smile. "Nice to meet you, sir."
The sage laughed at the response from the blond. "I don't know about sir. Just call me Jiraiya, or Sensei if you prefer."
Naruto's smile never faded. "Will do, Jiraiya-Sensei."
Jiraiya laughed once more. This time at the similarities the boy had to his parents. He had Kushina's face and Minato's hair. Personality wise, he was mature and reserved like his father. But there were still moments like when the blond had first barged into the door that reminded the sage of Kushina's loud and hyperactive personality. "Well, let's get going kid. We got a lot of work to do." Jiraiya turned back to the hokage. "Thanks for introducing us. See you later old man." They left the room before the aged Kage could respond.
Time Skip (Training Ground 7)
The sage and the blond were standing by the K.I.A. Monument at the training field. After figuring out what he could about how strong the blond was based on appearances alone, Jiraiya decided to just come out with it and just ask. 'So how strong would you say you are kid?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders. " In terms of Ninjutsu, I would say high Jonin. For Genjutsu, high chunin. And Taijutsu, I would probably say I am on par with most Jonin in this village. I know I can beat Kakashi-Sensei in a Taijutsu fight. I could most likely add all the Jonin senseis to that list, except for Guy-Sensei. And I could probably beat Anko. If I caught her off guard. She was trained by Orochimaru, so I bet she has some tricks up her sleeve."
"Wow that is impressive." Jiraiya nodded in approval of his new apprentice's skill. "What Jutsu do you know?"
Naruto began counting out on his fingers. "Well there are the 3 basic academy jutsu, shadow Clone Jutsu, wind style: great breakthrough, wind style: Wind needles, wind style: Exploding wind clone, fire style: fire plumes of destruction, lightning style: electric stream, my father's hiraishin jutsu, and finally my mother's chakra chains." Usually the blonde would hide some of his abilities. But he felt no need to keep them a secret from this man.
Once again the sage was thrown off by how powerful his godson seemed to be. Granted he was no Itachi, but he also was not too far off either. Something at the back of his mind was bothering him. "How long have you been training, kid?"
Naruto blinked at the man in confusion. "Since I was 6, why?"
Jiraiya waved the question off. "I was just curious. Now it makes sense that you would be so powerful." He took all this new information into consideration. He could teach him how to do the rasengan. He could also have the blond sign the toad contract, the man realized. But first he should give him the books the kid needed for his fuinjutsu studies. He unsealed the hard backs from one of his many sealing scrolls, and handed them to Naruto. "Now before you start using these for your studies, there is something you must know. The book teaches it, but it is not as clear in writing."
Naruto's gaze was focused. He didn't want to miss anything he may need to know.
After the man saw the focus in the blond's eyes, he continued. "Most complex seals are made using elemental chakra." Jiraiya looked to see if the blond was still paying attention. "What I mean by this is within the seal, there will be a specific element in play. For instance, the five pronged seal." He opened the book and pointed to a picture of the mark on the page. "The tomoe act as pillars. And when they surround something, a wall of fast moving wind is created. Naturally a wall of wind is an almost impenetrable barricade. The only way to escape it unscathed is to be faster than the wind itself."
During the explanation, Naruto was growing more and more excited. This was by far the most comprehensive explanation of sealing he had ever had access to. Most books would stress how precise your writing had to be for the seal to work. And then there would be chapters about basic sealing formulae and a brief explanation of how to create your own. "So the reverse would be the weakness of wind. Which is fire."
The Sannin smiled at how easily Naruto understood. "Exactly. The release is like covering the wall of wind with fire. As the fire engulfs the wind, it not only expands itself, but it also saps all the energy and the wind disappears.
Naruto rubbed his hands across his stomach. "That explains the ripping sensation I felt on my skin when the bastard put it on me. And the burning sensation when it was released."
"Yes, that was your body responding to the elements that were being infused with you while you received and later lost the seal." The man smiled at the blond once more. He had a feeling this kid was going to catch on to everything he taught fairly easily. And the things that he didn't could easily be learned with his shadow clones. "Now for seals like the reaper death seal." Naruto's gaze remained attentive. "Those are a little more complicated. As you probably know, one of the clans you hail from, The Uzumaki's were true fuinjutsu experts. They are the ones who invented the reaper death seal that keeps the Kyuubi inside you." Jiraiya's voice dropped to a whisper, as if he was about to reveal a huge secret. Even with his enhanced senses,Naruto had to strain himself to hear it. "I am going to let you in on something." The sage cupped his hands around his mouth and leaned down closer to the boy. "It's not actually a seal."
Naruto's eyes widened immensely. "It's not? What is it?"
Jiraiya's face portrayed complete seriousness. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else."
Naruto nodded emphatically. "I promise I won't tell a soul."
Jiraiya stared down at the boy, trying to see if the boy was honest. He was telling the truth, so he figured it would be okay. "It's quite literally a one time contract with the god of death himself. You sign away your soul to him,and in return he will allow you to seal whatever one thing you want. It does not matter if it is a person or a beast. If it's a being that can be killed they will simply die. But if it is a creature that can't be truly destroyed, it will seal it in whatever the client wants.
"That's why my Father died sealing the kyuubi inside me." Naruto looked pensive. Something occurred to him though. "If my Father made the contract then how did my mother die as well?"
"Well she was already dying at the time, due to kyuubi being forcefully extracted from her." Jiraiya reached out and ruffled the hair on the boy's head,in a comforting gesture. "It's why our Father was hesitant to do it. He didn't want you to grow up,missing both of your parents." The man shrugged his shoulders, and let out a sigh of frustration. "In the end,he was not given much choice. He couldn't risk the fox destroying the whole village."
Naruto nodded in understanding. He realized most people would be mad at their parents for subjecting them to this kind of life. And a part of him was upset at his parents decision. But the more rational part of his mind knew that they never would have done it if they thought there was another way. "I get it. It had to be done." He knew Kurama would not have tried to destroy the village if he was in control. But his parents. It was sad to think about how no matter what, as soon as Kurama was ripped from her, his mother was going to die. Knowing that even choosing not to seal the kyuubi wouldn't have saved her was devastating. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his brain. Now was not the time to mourn. He had to learn all he could,if he was ever to save his friend.
The sage gave the blond a sad smile, before deciding to continue. "You may be wondering why they would want to keep that information a secret. The answer is very simple. Yo-"
Naruto cut him off,finishing the statement for him. "If it got out that it was a simple summoning jutsu, everybody would use it as a last ditch effort to destroy their enemies." The Uzumaki heir smiled up at the man. "Don't worry I get it."
"Ok then." He flashed the kid another smile. "Most of the time,but not always, you could tell what element is involved with a seal by its physical traits. For example." He turns to another page and points at what looks to be a man with a really dark sunburn. "This is obviously a seal connected to the fire element. And this-," he turns to another page of someone who was bloated. "- is clearly a seal having to do with water. So when you think of how to undo a seal, you first need to know what element is associated with it,and then which element is its superior."
"That makes sense to me."The blond smiled to himself. He was glad he was catching on so well.
"Good,now give those books to your clones and we can start training on something else."
"Will do sensei." Naruto put his hands up in the cross sign, and created 303 clones. 100 of them he sent off to train their Taijutsu, 100 of them to do some more fire element training, 100 of them were to continue his lightning element training, and the last 3 were to read the books Jiraiya handed him. "Before we train, I need to do my workout routine." Jiraiya looked on at the blond, with a look of disbelief. "Don't worry It'll only take an hour at most. Plus I need to visit a friend in the hospital. I will meet you back here in two hours, give or take." Naruto smiled at the sage once more, before vanishing in a burst of orange.
With Sakura (Streets Of Konoha)
Shortly after leaving the hospital with Sasuke, Sakura and him parted ways. He told her that he needed to spend the next month solely focused on his training, and that Kakashi-Sensei was going to help him. It disappointed her to know that she would barely see the Uchiha because of it. But she also understood that it was something that Sasuke needed to do, and she was not going to pester him about it. She was walking down the road, when she noticed a familiar Platinum blonde in the window of her Family's Flower Shop.
Ever since her revelation about Naruto, Sakura had decided that she wanted to be a better person. Not just to Naruto, but to everyone around her as well. And yes that included her ex best friend. She walked into the shop and straight up to the counter, where Ino was standing, staring at her with shock, and mild interest. Sakura realized it had been a few years now since she came into this place.
"Hey, Forehead," Ino teased when Sakura came up to the counter. "What brings you to my family's little corner of Konoha?"
Sakura was hesitant. She didn't know how she was supposed to go about doing this. Does she apologize? Should she just ask if they could be friends again?" Maybe the former is the best option. "Being on Team 7 has made me realize something."
Now Ino was curious. "Oh, and what would that be?"
"It made me realize that our constant fighting over Sasuke was childish, and there are more important things to do with our time."
Ino smirked, as she leaned her head forward on her fist. "So does that mean you don't want Sasuke anymore?"
"No it doesn't. I still want Sasuke. But I am not going to fight you for him. When it comes to it, it's his choice." The pinkette smiled in thought. "I would love it if he chose me. But fighting you about it is just going to end up with one of us hurt." Sakura put her hand out for Ino to shake. "I want us to be friends again. So how about a truce." Sakura smiled up at the blonde.
Ino was not expecting that at all. She was sure the girl was going to boast about how she has gotten to know Sasuke a lot better, and the blonde never stood a chance now. It was a pleasant surprise. Honestly she had grown tired of fighting with the girl as well. But Sakura used to be her friend. So it was better to be fighting than nothing at all. She was looking forward to hanging out with the girl again. So with a smile on her face, Ino stuck out her hand and shook Sakura's, the smile never leaving her face. "Sounds good, Sakura." Now that they were friends again, Ino could finally ask the pinkette what she has wanted to ask ever since their fight.
She hoped Sakura wouldn't be insulted by this. "Hey Sakura. Now that we are friends again, there is something I have been meaning to ask you."
Sakura blinked at her friend. "What is it?"
Ino hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to phrase the question. "Don't take offence to this. But how did you get strong enough to beat me in our fight."
Sakura's initial thought was to lash out at the blonde, and start calling her names. Then she remembered that she was trying to be nice to this girl again. "Naruto helped me expand my chakra reserves and enhance my strength and speed."
Ino smiled at the thought of Naruto helping her friend. "That was nice of him."
Sakura smiled as well. "Yeah it was." Her expression turned from happiness to guilt. "I wish I had been more grateful at the time."
Ino frowned at the explanation. "That still does not explain how you learned that Earth Jutsu that you used to block my mind transfer."
Sakura's emotion turned thoughtful. "Because of my enhanced Chakra reserves, we tested out my affinity. It was Earth, so Kakashi gave me that Jutsu to practice.
"Oh, cool."
"Yeah, Kakashi-Sensei said that with Naruto's wind Jutsu strengthening Sasuke's fire Jutsu, my dome jutsu would be a great addition for a deadly team attack."
"How so?"
"Sasuke could shoot a fireball at a group of enemies, or even just one. Then Naruto would augment the fireball with his wind, and my dome would trap them, so they couldn't avoid the attack," Sakura finished explaining, with a smile on her face at finally being of use to her teammates. So far all she has done is complain, and hold up a kunai.
"I want to get her stronger too." Ino smiled at the look on her friend's face. He looked like she did not believe her. "What can I say. Naruto has inspired me." She looked down, nervous at the prospect of asking her next question. "Do you think if I asked him to, he would train me, as well?"
Sakura gave the blonde a reassuring smile. "Of course he would." A smirk showed up on her face. "Though if he gives you a time to meet him, don't be late." The pinkette laughed as she headed out of the shop, leaving the blonde confused.
She called out to Sakura. "Hey, What happens if I am late!?" The other girl just continued to laugh and left the building.
That girl is in for a world of pain. Even if they were friends again, the images of how Naruto would prank the blonde brought a smile to Sakura's face. Man,she wished she could be there to see it. But unfortunately she had other things to do right now. She was going to see if Kurenai would train her in genjutsu. She thought that could bring a competitive edge to their team.
With Naruto (Hospital)
Now that Naruto had Kurama back, he could heal Lee. Not completely, but enough so the boy wouldn't have to give up his dreams. Naruto smiled at the image that popped in his head. Tenen would be so happy. He could finally pay her back for all the kindness she has shown him the last two years. Naruto walked into the room, and sure enough all of team 9 was there.
Tenten looked up when he entered the room. A look of confusion was on her face. Same goes for the rest of them, excluding Lee. The boy was still unconscious. Naruto walked up to the brunette. He grabbed her arm and gestured for him to follow her. They left the room so he could tell her what he needed to say without the others hearing him. He smiled at the girl when they were alone. "Look, I can't explain what has suddenly changed. But I can heal Lee, now."
Tenten really wanted to ask what was different about now, but her desire to help her friend was greater. She smiled back at the blond. "Thank you, Naruto." She grabbed the boy into a hug, as tears started falling down her face.
Naruto's shoulders tensed up when she put her arms around him. But eventually he was able to return the hug, albeit hesitantly. He was not a fan of this kind of physical contact. "No problem," he whispered into her ear, softly. The blond pulled back from the hug, another warm smile on his face. "It's the least I could do after all you've done for me."
The girl just nodded in thanks, and wiped away her tears with the back of her arm. They both walked into the room. Tenten sat back in the chair, and
Naruto made his way towards the bed. He spoke to the beast in his head. "Alright, Kurama. Let's do this for Tenten.
"Way ahead of you, Kit," the beast replied, already in the middle of sending his chakra out of the blond.
Naruto extended his arm out towards the unconscious Genin. A dark crimson red chakra with a slight orange tint came out of the blond's arm and flowed into Lee. After the chakra faded, the Uzumaki smiled at the rest of the team. "It's not perfect, and he'll need a lot of rest. But in time, he will heal completely. He won't have to give up on his goal." Relief flooded Naruto when they did not immediately start hurling questions at him. "He should wake up within the hour." The blond waved as he left the room. "I'll see you, Tenten." he called back over his shoulder.
The girl shot up out of her chair and ran out of the room after the boy. He was already in the elevator. "Thanks again, Naruto," she yelled out as the doors to the elevator closed.
Training Ground 7
After Naruto left the hospital he upgraded his weights to 250 lbs on his arms, and 230 lbs on his legs. He had to make up for the lost time. He did his training regiment, and was back with Jiraiya. He even had 15 minutes to spare, so he got some lunch at Ichiraku's.
Jiraiya looked up from his book, and noticed the blond walk into the field. "Ah Naruto, you're back. Were you able to get everything sorted out?"
Naruto grinned at the old sage. "Mission accomplished."
Jiraiya returned the grin with a smile. "Great, now we can continue. First off, do you know how to summon?"
Naruto thought about it for a moment. "I know the basics. But I've never done it myself."
The sage nodded at the boy's response. "It's to be expected. Most people don't use it." He kneeled down so he was at eye level with the bond. "If you want, I would love it if you signed the Toad Contract."
" Father did. So why shouldn't I?" Naruto smiled and took the scroll that Jiraiya handed to him.
The sage ruffled the boy's hair once more. "That's the spirit."
Naruto unrolled the scroll, gave the contents a brief glance, bit into his pointer finger, drawing blood, and signed the bottom, right under his Father's signature. The scroll vanished and Naruto was left confused. "Wasn't something supposed to happen?"
"Well you have to try and summon something first," Jiraiya explained, finding the boy's confusion amusing.
Without a word, Naruto bit into his thumb, and slammed his palm into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu."
Once the smoke cleared, a small Toad appeared. He had orange skin, with a purple colored zig zag pattern on his back. The pattern curved into his stomach. His eyes and lips were also lined with purple. And lastly, he was wearing a small blue short sleeve jacket, perfect for his size. "Heya! The names Gamakichi. I hope you got snacks, because if you don't don't expect any help from me."
Man this one is annoying. It reminded Naruto of his false persona. He was loud, and boasted as if he was better than anyone else.
Jiraiya gawked at the creature. This was probably because the kid was not trying too hard. The blond had to be able to summon something greater than this. "Do it again, Naruto. This time, put a little effort into it." He laughed.
Naruto gave the man a sheepish smile. "Sure, no prob." Once again he slammed his hand into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu." This time there was a huge cloud of smoke. Gamakichi jumped out of the way of whatever was coming.
After the smoke cleared, revealing a giant red toad. He had a pipe in his mouth. There was a giant Katana strapped to his back, and he wore a similar jacket to Gamakichi. Though this one had a Kanji for Chief emblazoned on the back. "Who dare summon the chief of Toads!" The Toad looked around until his eyes landed on the sage. "Jiraiya, what is the meaning of this. I see no danger!"
The man in question ran and ducked behind the memorial stone. That's when the Toad heard a voice behind him. He turned around to see who it was, and was shocked at what he saw. Wasn't this man supposed to be dead? "Minato, is that you?"
Naruto blinked at the question. No one had ever commented on his resemblance to his Father before. "Actually, Minato is dead. I'm his son." The Uzumaki gave the toad a fox-like grin. "I am his son, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. And I was the one who summoned you."
A scoff escaped the Toad. Even being Minato's son, there was no way the kid had summoned him.
Naruto let out a groan, at the Toad's response. "Do you want me to prove it to you?"
"Okay. If you can stay on my back until sunset, I will acknowledge your skill, and maybe I will take you on as an apprentice."
Naruto smirked before jumping onto the Toad's head, applying Chakra to his feet, to prevent any chance of slipping. The giant creature began thrashing around, slamming its body into trees, jumping up and down, anything to throw the blond off balance. Several hours passed by, and Naruto had yet to move an inch. Minutes later, the sun had set, and The Toad stopped trying to shake off the blonde.
"I've got to hand it to you, brat. You show great promise." Naruto jumped from his position on the giant amphibian's head and landed on the ground. "I'll gladly take you on as my apprentice. The names Gamabunta. I am the Chief of Toads."
Naruto smirked at the creature. He held his fist out towards him. "Sounds good, chief." The toad smashed fist with the kid and vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto looked around to see that the other toad was gone as well. "Must have vanished sometime while I was being challenged."
"Actually, he ducked out of here as soon as the big one showed up."
"Oh, really. What's the story there?"
"No idea," the beast replied, as he started trying to find an excuse for Gamakichi's sudden exit. "Maybe they're related."
Naruto agreed that was the case. "It's the only thing that makes sense. Their names are similar. Maybe Father and Son." Naruto looked around for his Teacher. He was nowhere in sight. Naruto frowned. If what he knew about the man was true, Jiraiya was probably somewhere perving on women. An evil grin flashed across the boy's face. "Time for some old fashion punishment," the boy announced, rubbing his hands together in excitement.