Tsunade shot Jiraiya a disapproving look.
If Naruto ever lost control—if something turned him dark in the future—passing on Sage Mode to him might be a disaster for the entire ninja world.
But even so, everyone knew the kind of person Naruto was. Especially Jiraiya.
So if not now, when would be the right time to teach him Sage Mode?
The Akatsuki were closing in on the Nine-Tails. They wouldn't wait long.
Sending Naruto to Mount Myōboku would be a good way to keep him safe… and buy time.
But even then, Jiraiya hesitated.
He shook his head.
"Sure, Naruto has the Nine-Tails' power, that's what makes him special," Jiraiya said. "So I think it's more important for him to focus on learning how to control the Nine-Tails."
Sage Mode was powerful—no doubt about that.
But the success rate of mastering it was incredibly low.
Even Jiraiya himself couldn't activate it alone. He needed to summon Shima and Fukasaku, the two elder toads, to balance the natural energy and help him maintain the form.
And it wasn't exactly quick to activate, either.
What if the toads were busy when Jiraiya needed them?
What if he summoned them mid-battle?
Would they just appear with a mouthful of bugs, yelling at him for interrupting their dinner?
No—Sage Mode had its flaws.
That's why, in Jiraiya's view, it was better to help Naruto develop a style that fit him.
As the saying goes:
"A mediocre teacher makes students like him. A great teacher helps students become themselves."
That philosophy guided everything Jiraiya did.
That's why during the three years he trained Naruto, he didn't teach him complex ninjutsu or fancy tricks.
He had Naruto grind the basics:
Rasengan. Shadow Clones.
Clone jutsu? Fragile? Then make more of them.
If a hundred wasn't enough—make a thousand.
As long as the tactics were right, even "fragile" clones could become overwhelming.
Same with the Rasengan.
Naruto had a massive chakra pool. The Rasengan was all about focused chakra.
Too small? Hard to hit the target?
Make it bigger.
Use the Big Ball Rasengan.
And if that still wasn't enough?
Add Shadow Clones to it.
A dozen Narutos, all charging with spiraling chakra bombs?
You were bound to hit someone.
It was crude. It was messy.
But it worked—because it was Naruto's style.
And that was Jiraiya's real strength:
He taught Naruto to be Naruto.
To be fair, his logic made sense.
Most people thought Naruto could never master a refined technique like Sage Mode anyway.
Even Tsunade's suggestion to send him to Mount Myōboku was more about hiding him safely than expecting real progress.
But Yoruha knew better.
He remembered the original story.
Naruto hadn't just learned Sage Mode—he had mastered it, faster and more perfectly than anyone before him.
Even the elder toads had said so: among all the humans they'd seen, Naruto was the only one who could use Sage Mode so flawlessly.
So what—waste that potential?
And let's not forget the real issue.
If Naruto wanted to talk no jutsu Nagato into surrendering, he'd need to beat the guy first.
That's why, just to be safe, Yoruha hoped Naruto could get strong enough in Sage Mode to smack Nagato first and hug him later.
Let him know:
The ninja world is not just a sack of rice, it's a warm place—with friends who care.
"I support Lady Tsunade's proposal," Yoruha said seriously.
"Akatsuki's goal is the Tailed Beasts. Keeping Naruto in Konoha isn't safe."
"And knowing Naruto… if we don't give him a good reason, he'll never stay in Mount Myōboku peacefully."
"So Jiraiya—come on. I did save your life. Do it for me and Naruto, yeah?"
His tone was casual, but the look in his eyes was sincere.
Just a friend trying to help another friend succeed.
"Hmm…"
Jiraiya scratched his chin.
He still wasn't entirely convinced. But with Tsunade and Yoruha both pushing for it…
He couldn't really keep saying no.
"Fine. I'll do it."
With that, Jiraiya contacted Mount Myōboku and arranged for Naruto's next phase of training.
As for himself?
He checked into the Konoha Central Hospital.
They even gave him the bed Kakashi normally used—though it felt… off.
"Man," Jiraiya sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. "Never thought I'd end up in a hospital bed, totally drained like this."
He chuckled softly.
But in that quiet moment, he realized something:
It's good to be alive.
He'd always assumed he'd go out in a blaze of glory, like the heroes of old.
But in the end, death was death. When it came, the lights went out. That was it.
Now that he'd escaped death, he saw things differently.
There were still stories to write.
Girls to chat with.
Books to revise with a critical eye.
Yes—living was better.
Knock knock knock knock!
The hospital room door flew open.
Kakashi, Might Guy, and Asuma walked in together.
"Jiraiya-sama!" Guy flashed a radiant grin. "We heard all about your battle in the Rain Village! It's proof—youth burns bright regardless of age!"
He gave a thumbs-up so intense, Jiraiya could feel the spirit energy from the bed.
Kakashi, of course, looked as lazy as ever.
"Glad you're resting, Lord Jiraiya. So… any new Make-Out Paradise chapters coming soon? The three of us are kind of starving for material."
As his self-proclaimed #1 fan, Kakashi sounded way too eager.
"Yeah," Guy chimed in. "Without your new releases, I've had to rely on 50,000 squats a day just to suppress my restless youth!"
"And I've relapsed into smoking again," Asuma added with a sigh. "Can't take it without my bedtime literature."
Yoruha blinked.
These guys are unreal.
Seriously, they were all full-grown men—still obsessed with Make-Out Paradise?
And Asuma too?
Was it because Kurenai was pregnant and he had too much energy lately?
"…Unbelievable," Yoruha muttered.
Jiraiya laughed but shook his head.
"Ah, you're all too kind. But I can't go out and collect material right now. Gotta rest and recover."
He looked genuinely regretful.
"But hey, Yoruha—how about this? I bet you're not taking any missions soon, right?"
He grinned.
"How about you help me write a few chapters? We can split the royalties fifty-fifty."