After the commotion ended, Naruto and Jiraiya finally cleared up their misunderstanding.
—Though perhaps it wasn't really a misunderstanding.
"Ah, I haven't asked for your esteemed name yet."
Naruto still held great respect for people who could create outstanding artistic works, whether they were chefs or writers.
This could be seen from his attitude toward Boss Zeff at the Baratie.
Hearing Naruto's inquiry, Jiraiya composed himself, then suddenly leaped back and struck an exaggerated pose.
"Hmph, since you've asked so sincerely, I'll graciously tell you!"
It seemed many people had asked Jiraiya this question before, as he responded like it was a programmed reaction.
He formed hand seals and summoned a toad larger than a person beneath him, then swayed his hair like a kabuki performer, raising one hand in a dramatic gesture.
"I am the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, the hermit of the toad spirits! Also known as the Toad Sage! Here I am!"
The pose was impressive. Though Naruto didn't quite understand what a "Toad Sage" meant, he still applauded enthusiastically.
"Wow! Amazing, amazing."
Then Naruto's gaze suddenly focused on the large toad that Jiraiya had summoned out of thin air.
This jutsu was called... Summoning Jutsu, right? He remembered Kakashi-sensei using a similar technique to summon ninja dogs.
So, could this Summoning Jutsu bring people from another world?
Seeing Naruto staring intently at his summoned toad, Jiraiya felt like he was being ignored.
"I'm one of the legendary Sannin! And the man who trained the Fourth Hokage!"
Hearing this, Naruto's eyelids twitched slightly, and his smile became even more gentle.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Are you my father's teacher?"
Now it was Jiraiya's turn to be stunned.
He never expected Naruto to say such a thing so directly.
"Naruto, who told you about this?"
It had to be said that Jiraiya, being the Third's disciple, had almost the same first reaction as his teacher when hearing Naruto reveal the truth.
As Jiraiya looked at Naruto with nervous concern, Naruto was also studying the man before him.
More importantly, he was using his Observation Haki, which was practically a cheat ability.
Sensing the genuine emotions the other person unconsciously revealed, Naruto's impression of Jiraiya shifted from "respectable literary master" to "trustworthy elder."
"Don't worry, the Third Hokage told me."
Naruto didn't even blink as he threw Hiruzen Sarutobi under the bus.
After all, according to what Kakashi-sensei had told him, Kakashi was his father's student, his father was Jiraiya's student, and Jiraiya was the Third's student.
Rather than let Jiraiya trouble his "grand-student," it was better to blame his own teacher.
He probably wouldn't mind.
Jiraiya, meanwhile, was muttering to himself—would that old man really have such courage?
He seriously doubted it.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi was really that decisive, that old bastard Danzo wouldn't have been able to cause trouble in Konoha for so many years.
Not wanting to let Jiraiya's thoughts wander further, Naruto spoke up first to interrupt his musings.
"Um, Jiraiya-ojisan..."
"Eh—Naruto, don't call me that. It makes me sound like I'm already a decrepit old man like the Third."
Watching through his crystal ball, Hiruzen's face darkened as he heard his student's words, and he immediately canceled the Telescope Technique.
"Just call me Jiraiya-sensei."
To Naruto, addressing a respectable literary master as "sensei" was perfectly acceptable.
So he readily agreed and changed his address.
"Alright, Jiraiya-sensei..."
"Actually, I'd like to ask you to teach me some ninjutsu."
Hearing this, Jiraiya's eyes lit up like fireworks.
Unlike in the original timeline where Jiraiya was modest for a while, now that Naruto had directly revealed his identity, Jiraiya no longer maintained the image of a worldly hermit.
Now he was Naruto's elder—no, he was Naruto's grandfather!
As everyone knows, older generations often show special affection for their grandchildren.
Plus, Jiraiya felt guilty for not taking care of his student's orphaned child all these years.
So when he heard Naruto had a request, he immediately became eager to prove his worth.
The first thing he thought of was the Rasengan.
After all, this was a seal-less jutsu that he and Naruto's father had developed together.
Not only was it suitable for people like Naruto who naturally had massive chakra reserves, but it also had extremely high growth potential.
Jiraiya had originally planned to find an opportunity to teach this technique to Naruto after this meeting, but unexpectedly, Naruto had brought it up first.
"Naruto, what ninjutsu do you want to learn? Do you want to learn some finishing moves that can decide a battle in one strike?"
Jiraiya's face was beaming with joy, barely stopping himself from directly mentioning teaching Naruto the Rasengan.
But Naruto's answer wasn't what Jiraiya expected.
He pointed at the large toad and asked Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei, what you used just now was the Summoning Jutsu, right?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya nodded.
"Yes, it's the Summoning Jutsu. This technique is quite powerful too, but don't you want some other ninjutsu? Like this..."
As he spoke, he extended his palm.
Chakra immediately gathered in his palm, forming a continuously spinning sphere, then he pressed his hand against a nearby tree.
The tree was "erased" in the middle by the chakra ball as they watched.
"How about it? Pretty impressive, right?"
Jiraiya believed that after seeing the power of the Rasengan, the kid in front of him would definitely...
"Ah? But I still want to learn the Summoning Jutsu more."
"You little... don't you know..."
His words got stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
At that moment, Naruto had a sphere identical to the Rasengan he had just released gathering in his hand.
Although the cohesion was still lacking, it was basically eight or nine parts correct.
He learned it just by watching once!?
Jiraiya's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Naruto felt the destructive power of the Rasengan in his hand. It was indeed stronger than the C-rank jutsu he had mastered, and it seemed he could freely control its power based on the amount of chakra invested.
Thinking this, the Rasengan in Naruto's hand instantly grew larger, becoming a giant chakra ball half the height of a person in the blink of an eye.
"...So it really can do that."
He muttered to himself.
Unfortunately, Naruto hadn't yet mastered Yin-Yang Release chakra, otherwise he could hand-craft a Tailed Beast Ball without relying on a tailed beast.
Of course, he wasn't aware of this himself.
"Quick! Throw it in the river!"
Although this place was remote, it was still within Konoha Village.
Even if it didn't hit anyone, if it touched any buildings, it would cause considerable damage.
Afraid that Naruto couldn't control such massive chakra, Jiraiya urgently shouted at him.
"No need to be so nervous."
With those words, Naruto somehow made the Rasengan's diameter rapidly shrink.
However, the amount of non-elemental chakra contained within didn't decrease along with it.
After the Rasengan was compressed to marble size, Naruto threw it forcefully into the sky.
The Rasengan moved so fast its trajectory was invisible. When it appeared again, it was already high in the air.
The massive amount of chakra, losing its constraints, exploded outward in all directions in an instant, forming a huge energy sphere in mid-air.
"Wow, Jiraiya-sensei, I take back my assessment."
"This jutsu is pretty good too."
Looking at his palm, Naruto smiled and gave Jiraiya a thumbs up.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, smiled somewhat stiffly.
"Ha, haha, right, I told you..."
He was already thinking of excuses to make for Naruto when they were brought before the Third Hokage later.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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