After hearing what Naruto wanted to learn, Jiraiya roughly guessed that he wanted to master the nature transformation of different attributes to prepare for dealing with opponents of various attributes in the future and to lay a comprehensive foundation.
However, even though he guessed it, he still had to ask.
"Why do you want to learn Chakra nature transformation and practice other attributes?"
Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest. "At your stage, you should prioritize learning a Ninjutsu that suits you and continuously practicing it to the extreme, rather than splitting your attention to learn a bunch of Ninjutsu. You should understand this principle."
Naruto shook his head. "I don't have any powerful Ninjutsu to learn at my current stage. Vacuum Blade and Shadow Clone Shuriken are just transitional means. So I want to make myself more comprehensive to deal with different combat situations."
"How about this..."
Jiraiya thought for a moment and raised his right hand, holding up a finge. "How about I teach you Summoning Technique?"
"Use Summoning Technique to summon powerful Summoning Beasts to fight with you. A powerful Summoning Beast is no less capable in combat than a Jonin."
"Moreover, I have a deep friendship with the toads of Mount Myōboku. As long as you sign the contract, you can summon toads of Mount Myōboku to fight for you."
Naruto shook his head. "I can learn Summoning Technique, but it's not what I want to learn the most."
"First of all, Summoning Technique requires Chakra to summon. With that Chakra, I could just as well create several more Shadow Clones."
"Secondly, the combat effectiveness of a Summoning Beast depends on the amount of Chakra provided by the summoner and the characteristics of the Summoning Beast itself. I don't know the characteristics of the Summoning Beast you mentioned, nor do I know if the combat return is worth the Chakra I consume."
"So, all things considered, I would still like to learn Chakra nature transformation and other Chakra attributes first."
Jiraiya watched as Naruto seriously analyzed the cost-effectiveness and benefits of Summoning Technique with him, and for a moment, he felt it was a bit absurd.
A twelve-year-old kid was discussing the comprehensive combat return value of Ninjutsu with him, one of the Legendary Sannin.
Jiraiya spoke again, his voice holding a bit more seriousness. "Naruto, you have to understand, my Summoning Beast is not an ordinary one."
"Mount Myōboku is one of the three Sage Regions, alongside Ryūchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest. The combat power of the toads of Mount Myōboku stands at the pinnacle of the entire Ninja World's summoning system."
"This is not an external force, it is a partner from a summoning contract. After signing the contract, your bond with the toad will accompany you for life."
Naruto still shook his head. "Summoning Technique is an external force and is not in my priority consideration for now."
Jiraiya looked at Naruto's serious expression and knew that he was determined to learn Chakra nature transformation first.
He thought for a moment, and then made a decision.
Jiraiya opened his right hand, and Chakra surged from his palm, followed immediately by a blue Chakra sphere appearing in his hand, spinning at high speed.
"How is this move?"
"The Rasengan. An A-rank, seal-less Ninjutsu, pushing the shape transformation of Chakra to the absolute limit."
"It is a condensation of pure Chakra, not relying on any attribute. After hitting an enemy, the rapidly spinning Chakra inside can inflict tearing damage upon them."
As Jiraiya spoke, he pressed the Rasengan against the nearby rock wall. The moment the rock came into contact with the Rasengan, a hemispherical crater appeared.
Naruto's eyes lit up the moment he saw the Rasengan. Jiraiya, noticing this, felt proud in his heart. He had finally gotten this kid interested.
Jiraiya closed his hand, and the Rasengan vanished from his palm. "Do you want to learn it?"
Naruto nodded.
Jiraiya paused. He wasn't very satisfied with Naruto's reaction. Normally, after seeing the power of the Rasengan, a Genin should have had shining eyes and rushed forward to grab his leg, shouting, "Sensei me, teach me!"
But Naruto's reaction was more like meeting an old friend in a distant land rather than coveting a technique.
"Naruto, aren't you interested at all? This is an A-rank, seal-less Ninjutsu."
"Your old... cough, cough. Back then, the Fourth Hokage relied on this move to fight across the entire Ninja World without a single rival."
"Why aren't you excited at all?"
Naruto nodded, and then asked, "I am a bit interested. But by comparison, I want to know what your relationship with the Fourth Hokage is even more."
"Grandpa Hokage told me that the person who taught me in my dreams and the Fourth Hokage are the same person, which is the final legacy he left for me. I want to know about the person in my dreams."
Hearing this, the proud expression on Jiraiya's face faded.
'Has Naruto already started to guess?' Jiraiya thought to himself.
His voice softened a bit. "The Fourth Hokage was my student. When he was still alive, I taught him everything."
Naruto took a step forward, his eyes full of anticipation. "The blonde man who taught me in my dreams, is he really the Fourth Hokage? If you and he were master and student, what kind of person was he before?"