I learned it in an instant."
Reko produced a giant Rasengan in his palm before casually dispelling it, showcasing his immense chakra control.
…
"The smaller one? I picked it up while training Konohamuru back then."
He added. He had learned the basic one from Konohamuru back then, or at least that was the convenient excuse he had.
But the giant version of it? He copied it with Steal as his clones fought against Jiraya and instantly learned it.
And he was going to credit it all to his talent. Because it did kind of come because of the talent he possessed.
"From Konohamuru? Did he manage to learn it already?"
Naruto looked at his own Rasengan and the one in hands of a clone made by Reko. There was a stark difference between them.
Had Konohamuru caught up to him? He was confused, even anxious. He needed strength.
"So, that's how it is… right."
Jiraya also nodded as he heard Reko. From what he could remember, he had indeed seen Reko learning a jutsu in an instant.
It would not be that big of a surprise if he managed to perform giant Rasengan after seeing it once while being able to perform normal ones.
He did learn that jutsu instantly too!
"So? What was Tsunade's intention to have sent you here to me?"
What else could he teach? Jiraya was curious why Tsunade had sent him.
This guy already knew medical ninjutsu, could practice giant Rasengan, had a really big chakra reserve, and then his Genjutsu.
It was like he was collecting everything he could and learned it.
"Senjutsu."
Reko looked him into the eyes before revealing. His goal had been to learn the sage Jutsu from Mount Myoboku.
"I see. That seems appropriate for you to learn."
Jiraya paused for a second, realising that it was the only thing that could further boost Reko's combat prowess in a short span of time.
Rest of the methods would take very long and would not offer exponential growth like that of Senjutsu.
"But it is difficult and you might not be able to learn it without my help."
Jiraya thought of the requirements to learn Senjutsu. Even he had trouble controlling nature chakra and required assistance.
And other than him, there was no one else who could pass on this technique to Reko.
It was indeed very difficult without his help.
"Why don't you use sage mode and show me how it differs from normal?"
Reko requested for a spar. Not paying attention to whatever Jiraya was saying.
He wanted to check how difficult it could be. Could he just go ahead and use Steal once more to instantly experience it?
That would be too easy and overpowered!
His eyes had a shine, a desire for battle. He wanted to experience the difference in strength.
He wanted to know how much strength sage mode provided when compared with curse mode he possessed.
"Right now? Alright. I will show you."
Jiraya looked around. They were alone. Since they had just stopped their spar, and it was a draw, it would be nice to step up and show Reko who's the strongest.
He immediately performed the summoning Jutsu as he could not control the nature chakra without his summon's help.
Two small toads appeared out of thin air, looking at the surroundings before asking jiraya.
"Hmm? Why did you summon us?"
The place reeked of battle but there was no bloodshed, no enemy. They did feel that Reko was an unfamiliar face, but his shinobi attire was from Konoha, making them ignore him.
"Hey guys! This is Tsunade's student, Reko."
Jiraya made an effort to introduce him.
"He is very talented and wants to learn Sage mode from you guys."
Without wasting time, he directly asked them about the Senjutsu. It was the first time that Jiraya wanted someone else's student to be taught.
"I see."
Both the summons looked at Reko, scrutinising the young man.
"What do you think?"
Jiraya waited for a while before asking. Their answer would decide whether he was permitted to teach Reko or not.
"It seems possible. He is young, talented, and is an ally."
One of the summons answered, nodding positively. The boy looked promising. And because the other person was Tsunade's student, it was not bad if they assisted him.
"Let's spar first."
Reko smiled as he politely requested for a spar. He did not want to reveal that he already had a summon. If possible, he wished to learn Jiraya's sage mode with Steal and then be done with it.
"Are you sure about this?"
Both of the summons jumped on his shoulders as Jiraya made sure once again.
The sage masters from Mount Myoboku were already very likely to teach Reko. Was there still a need to spar?
"Yes!!"
Reko nodded, not budging. He wanted to have a fight, a good satisfying fight.
With Jiraya's confirmation, both the summons began to assist him with the chakra kneading.
As Reko waited in anticipation, he witnessed the change in Jiraya's appearance.
The chakra from his body had gotten powerful, his aura intense. And the two toads had stuck, nearly fused on his shoulders.
Jiraya looked beastly, like a werewolf but more on a ugly side. No wonder Tsunade didn't agree to date him, Reko murmured.
Perhaps jiraya heard his soft murmur, he jumped to attack him as soon as he opened those toad like eyes.
Fortunately, his reflexes were strong enough to block the attack.
"Damn!! Your punches pack power now. I should go all in too!"
Reko exclaimed, this attack Just now caught him off guard, almost injuring his hands.
A green glow enveloped his hands as he dodged Jiraya, his hands healed in a second.
But that was not the end of it. Reko finally had the opportunity to go all out in battle. He could use the super strength taught by Tsunade.
Strong punches landed on Jiraya, each sending him back a few metres, causing the sage to grunt in pain.
But Reko was not unharmed either, he had also suffered from attacks. Jiraya's punches packed more power.
"This brat is really strong! If he manages to learn Senjutsu then there's no opponent he cannot handle."
One of the summons on Jiraya's shoulder made a comment. He was impressed by Reko.
"In hand to hand combat, his reflexes are already top notch. With the boost in his senses, he would be impossible to fight."
The other summon also agreed. Their Senjutsu was mainly focused on sense and reflexes. Together with his already heightened senses, it would be a nightmare to fight against him.
Jiraya shook for a second, the summons on his shoulder also looked surprised. They had felt a little uncomfortable just now. As if the control of their chakra was….
"Genjutsu? Quite a sneaky move."
The summon chuckled as he eyed Reko looking disgruntled after his Genjutsu was cancelled.
"Unfortunately, he doesn't know that Senjutsu is a weakness of Genjutsu."
The other one also chuckled, enjoying the plight of the young man. Anywhere else, it would have worked. Unfortunately, they were using sage mode.
Nature chakra was hard to control by the sage mode users. Hoping to control it with Genjutsu was impossible.
Backlash was obvious in this scenario. Good for Reko, he was well versed in medical ninjutsu and didn't injure himself.
Reko eyed the summons, already hearing their chuckles. He was aware of the traits of Senjutsu but he still wanted to give it a try.
Worst case scenario? The two summons would assist him in handling the backlash from the nature chakra.
"What about Rasengan then?"
He made a shadow clone beside him as he ran forward with a giant Rasengan in his hands.
Thanks to his chakra control, and Steal, he was already in the same level as Jiraya.
"Your Rasengan is nothing against mine."
Jiraya also formed a giant Rasengan, the aura it gave off was different, intense than that of Reko's.
His words did not carry arrogance but a fact. With sage chakra in play, his technique was already a league above in damage.
Dissolved!
His Rasengan dissolved against the one made by Jiraya.
Literally dissolved! That's how potent the sage chakra was!
"That's sick!!"
Reko chuckled nervously. He could feel that the dense ball of twisted chakra would tear through his body easily.
'That lapse, I was almost out for half a second.'
And at that instance, he had risked using Steal to learn this technique, causing him to lose focus for a second.
That could have been lethal.
'But I feel like I got the gist of it.'
Fortunately, the risk was all worth it. He had used Steal and got the gist of it.
A Rasengan with nature's chakra, he felt like he would be able to perform it.
And he was not the one to wait. He instantly tried what he had felt just now, wanting to replicate the technique quickly.
A different yet familiar chakra mixed together with his chakra, into the dense ball of Rasengan. He could feel it. It was nature's chakra, the one he had been using through curse mode.
But it was not that well synergized. It was in disharmony.
"Wait!!!
Is that??"
The sages from Mount Myoboku were flabbergasted as they witnessed the impossible.
Their toad eyes wide and their mouths wide open.
Jiraya looked confused for a second as to why there was such a reaction from just a Rasengan?
It was very much possible with Reko's level of chakra control. It should not be that surprising for the sages.
Just before he was about to ask, he felt that the Rasengan was unstable. And the sense of disharmony did not come from lack of chakra control.
It was nature's chakra!!
"No way? How could he??!"
Jiraya also stopped in his tracks, witnessing Reko try it out without assistance.
His expressions also changed. The sages on his shoulders and his expressions combined made a comedic view for Naruto who was unaware of what was happening.
Reko was also fully focused on controlling the two different chakras, trying to pull off this technique.
The chakra was hard to control and it kept invading his body. He was able to feel that something was wrong but he kept waiting, kept trying to control it.
Unfortunately, the technique was not possible without Senjutsu. To be more accurate, he did not learn the technique completely.
It was just that he felt close enough to try it. The technique was not imprinted in his skills panel, making it obvious that he was not there yet.
"Uughhh!!"
He grunted as his hand began to turn to stone.
'Damn!! Curse mode.'
He decisively activated the curse mode, hoping that the nature energy intruding in his body would be absorbed by it.
And fortunately it did! But not without harming his hand internally.
He's turning into stone? He can sense nature chakra on his own.
"You good?"
Jiraya asked as he stepped closer, ready to help. He could absorb the nature chakra and save Reko in the worst case scenario.
"Yes, got a little carried away."
Reko nodded, his face full of sweat. He had not expected things to be this difficult. But from now on, he could use curse mode to keep his training of Senjutsu going until he finally becomes a sage.
He did not need anyone's help. It was only a matter of time now.
"You picked another prodigy, Jiraya boy!"
One of the sages looked at Reko as he said. This yet another sage candidate brought in by Jiraya.
"It's already time for us to go but don't worry, we will teach this boy."
Unfortunately, their summoning was time bound. They needed to retire for the day.
However, they decided to teach Reko. As they too understood that it was only a matter of time, Reko could use that technique again to suppress the nature energy.
…
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