"Beyond that, you have to sharpen your Fire Style shape control even further. The next step is using Wind Style to boost the flame's speed and impact.
Without a rock-solid grasp of shape transformation, you won't be able to keep the direction, trajectory, or power of your Fire Style intact in the middle of a gale. After that, we'll touch on Nature Transformation Jonin-level territory.
We'll talk once you've mastered at least one nature shift tied to Wind or Fire."
Jiraiya tucked away his little orange book, glanced at Uchiha Gen, and launched into the finer points of theory.
Gen wiped the sweat from his brow, listened in silence, and threw in a question now and then. For every question, Jiraiya gave the most detailed answer he could. Wind and Fire Ninjutsu were both squarely in Jiraiya's wheelhouse; in fact, apart from Lightning Style, he could mix and match every basic element like a master he was clearly the true legacy of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
When the lecture ended, Gen threw himself back into training. However thorough the explanation, only real practice yielded real gains.
Jiraiya, satisfied he'd been thorough enough, dumped Gen and the others and sauntered off to who-knew-where. Probably back to the bathhouse for an encore. He didn't resurface until several hours later.
"That's it for today."
Surveying the scorched and pitted training ground, Jiraiya nodded to himself and pointed behind Gen.
Uzuki Ruri, white as a sheet, was half-carrying Sarutobi Enjun, who looked ready to vomit with every step. Gen figured Jiraiya had called a halt because any longer and Ruri and Enjun would be in real trouble.
Was Gama-riki's Genjutsu really that terrifying?
"Little Jiraiya, I'll be off, then. Come visit Mount Myoboku when you're free I'll whip up the grandest feast."
Gama-riki cooed in his deliberately coquettish voice.
"Ahem… sure, Gama-riki. Next time, promise."
The memory of the toads' idea of a "feast" made Jiraiya's face twitch as he answered.
"Then I'm off, 'kay?"
With a wink at Jiraiya, Gama-riki released the summoning and vanished in a puff of white smoke.
"Jiraiya-senpai, can we switch methods next time? After one round of Genjutsu resistance training, I feel like I've lost ten years of my life."
Sarutobi Enjun grimaced and poured out his woes. Uzuki Ruri pressed her lips tight and nodded hard. Training with Orochimaru left you exhausted; training with Jiraiya left you traumatized.
"Well, Orochimaru told me to drill your Genjutsu resistance. At your current level, I don't have any gentler options."
Jiraiya scratched his head. He could hardly do it himself. He was great at breaking illusions, not casting them; that gap was usually filled by the summons of Mount Myoboku. His own Genjutsu would be even weaker than Gama-riki's.
"Is it really that bad, Enjun?"
Gen poked Sarutobi Enjun's shoulder and whispered.
"Ten thousand times worse than the sickest thing you can picture. Trust me, bro don't even peek into that world or you'll snap. Lucky for me Ruri's illusion was different; otherwise, I'd already be insane."
Konoha's top second-generation scion, the Third Hokage's eldest son, was practically bawling. In the whole village, only Jiraiya would put him through such torment.
"Ahem, brutal as it was, the results are solid, right? Once you can break that illusion fast, you'll shrug off most standard Genjutsu. Bump the difficulty again train up to my level and who knows, you might even match me!"
Jiraiya clapped Enjun's shoulder cheerfully. To Enjun, it sounded like a fresh nightmare.
"You can still make it harder? Jiraiya-senpai, how on earth did you survive this?"
The young Sarutobi heir's face was pure shock.
"Now I get why Jiraiya-senpai is like this peeping in the women's bath, reading smut he must've been so wrecked by this training that he needs those habits to patch up his psyche."
Uzuki Ruri declared with utter conviction. Jiraiya opened his mouth to argue, then realized he had nothing. What could he say? That he wasn't warped by training but was simply born a shameless pervert?
"All right, enough chatter. I'll take you to Tsunade for recovery and let the kid pick up some medical ninjutsu."
Jiraiya waved them forward impatiently. The three members of the Orochimaru Squad exchanged gleeful glances and hurried after him. With Uncle Snake you toiled; with Jiraiya you suffered; with Lady Tsunade you were pampered.
"Sss… ahh… it feels so good…"
Sarutobi Enjun lay by the bed like a drooling simpleton, eyes vacant as the healing took effect.
"Thank you very much, Lady Tsunade!"
Uzuki Ruri, her face flushed, whispered her thanks from the bed.
"No need. I'm free during this hour every day. If training wears you out, drop by for a break Lord knows Jiraiya is… ugh."
Tsunade shook her head. If anyone knew what Jiraiya was really like, it was her. He was rock-solid when it counted and hopeless everywhere else.
"Lady Tsunade, the test is finished. Please grade it."
At a wooden desk nearby, Uchiha Gen set down his pencil and handed the densely filled paper to Tsunade. She took it, her pretty eyes lifting to meet his as she said briskly,
"You're not going to double-check? In medicine, a sixty passes an exam, but a patient won't forgive even the smallest slip."
"And surgery has no redos once you close, a mistake may be the last chance you get."