Jiraiya, with a face full of shoe prints and slap marks, comically wearing an unidentified bra on his head, yet sporting a "fulfilled" lecherous grin, oblivious to the nosebleed dripping down his face.
"Ow... it hurts... but it's totally worth it! My life is complete! Hehe..."
His perverted delight lasted less than three seconds before his swollen eyes sharply narrowed in alertness.
That blond, blue-eyed brat, quick as a flash?
He looks strangely familiar.
He abruptly sat up straight, his lecherous grin vanishing, and his swollen eyes couldn't hide their sharp gaze.
Spiky blond hair? Clear blue eyes?
Minato Namikaze?
The name almost escaped his lips, but he denied it: "No... impossible..."
Confusion on his swollen face suddenly gave way to a jolt of realization. He slapped his thigh, wincing in pain: That child? Could it be... Naruto?
He's actually... grown so big?
And possesses... such ghostly speed?
"Sss... ouch, ouch, ouch... Damn it, that brat kicks too hard!" The pain receptors finally overcame the hormones and surprise, dragging him back to reality.
Jiraiya winced, rubbing his bruised backside, his eyes complex as he looked back at where Naruto had disappeared.
"Hahahaha!"
A burst of laughter suddenly exploded in his ear!
"Hey, old man, was getting kicked into a 'human football' fun? Did the slap sashimi taste fresh enough?" Naruto had been watching the entire process from the side and was practically dying of laughter.
The old man whipped his head around, allowing Naruto to see his front.
Dozens of clear slap and shoe prints were clearly etched onto the old man's face.
And atop his head, a mysterious, "pure white crown" of unknown origin hung suspended, fluttering in the wind.
Naruto almost split his sides laughing.
But looking closely... Hiss!
This old man was built like a giant bear, yet remained upright despite countless slaps.
Even more outrageous was his expression: a nosebleed painting his face, a slight upturn of his lips, actually conveying a sense of 'bittersweet' ecstasy?
This ecstatic expression made Naruto's lips twitch.
Huh? Can he be that perverted?
"Hey! Brat!"
The old man's face was as black as a pot bottom now.
Stinking brat! Doesn't know how to respect his elders!
He straightened his back, instantly activating his 'showing off' mode, striking an unbelievably awkward toad-like hip-swaying pose:
"Ribbit, ha ha! A good question—I am the Great Sage of Mount Myoboku, Sage of the Toads, commonly known as—Toad Sage! Presenting myself!"
Naruto watched the strange and embarrassing dance, feeling his toes curl so hard they could dig out a three-bedroom apartment. Doesn't he feel any embarrassment himself?
And besides—
"Toad... Toad Sage?"
Anyone can claim to be a Sage, huh.
Even I, Naruto, wouldn't dare call myself a Sage.
Moreover, catching sight of the crisscrossing slap marks and flowing nosebleed on the other man's face,
Naruto's lips twitched wildly: "I think it's—Pervert Sage! Horny Sage! wouldn't you agree?"
"You brat! Don't you know how to respect your elders?!"
Jiraiya was practically fuming. He pulled out a book from his clothes and showed it to Naruto: "See? I told you, I'm a writer, doing fieldwork for my work!"
The red cover of the book looked surprisingly familiar to Naruto.
Make Out Paradise?
Isn't this the book Kakashi-sensei always carries?
"So you're the author. What exactly is written in this book?"
"Heh heh, the brat recognized me, huh?"
Jiraiya's face finally showed a hint of proud satisfaction, which would have been true if you ignored the shoe prints and slap marks on his face.
"However, I won't tell you what the content is."
"And, hmph! You brat, you interrupted my research. I'll let it slide this time, but next time I won't let you off so easily."
"Wait!"
Naruto called out, as if suddenly realizing something.
His gaze, sharp as lightning, locked onto the retreating silver-haired spiky head: "If I'm not mistaken, you are the legendary, famous Jiraiya-sama, aren't you?!"
Jiraiya's steps halted. He turned back, surprised: "Oh? Brat, you know this Sage?"
Of course I know him!
For the sake of his "Hokage dream," he had long since memorized the hierarchy of Konoha's higher-ups.
The cruel truth was: the Hokage seat? Being strong alone was useless!
The core of the Hokage seat was still: the master-student lineage or the sibling relay.
Having a strong background was what truly mattered!
Although he, Uzumaki Naruto, was linked to the "future Sixth" Kakashi-sensei and his own "Seventh position," how long would it be until Kakashi became Hokage?
His goal had already been set: Fifth Hokage!
To become Hokage, two things were indispensable: fame and virtue—no, fame and character.
For this, his virtue (military strength) was already maxed out.
Only "fame" remained elusive!
If he, Naruto, became the Seventh Hokage, he wouldn't lack fame, as his sensei would be the Sixth. But if he wanted to become the Fifth Hokage earlier, he needed to find a new ladder.
Ask the Third Hokage to be his master? The old man was already old and secluded. What about the Sannin? Orochimaru had defected, Tsunade was missing, and Jiraiya was wandering the ninja world.
But who would have thought!
He'd encounter this old man again at a hot spring.
A turning point in life, fleeting!
Shouldn't he seize it immediately and forge it into his destiny?
In a flash of lightning-quick thought, Naruto stepped forward, his voice clear: "Jiraiya-sama!"
His eyes burned, containing nothing else—only the burning desire for Hokage!
"Please accept me as your student!"