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Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 108: The Incomplete Jutsu
For trained ninjas, traveling for days without sleep was hardly an issue. After escaping the town under the cover of night, the duo continued moving without pause until around midday the next day.
"Why don't we take a break and eat something," Jiraiya finally suggested.
The green grass fields surrounding the road were dotted with groups of large trees offering comfortable shade, making it a good place to stop.
After setting up an improvised cooking fire, they sat down to relax a bit.
"Say, Naruto, what would you want me to teach you?" the Sannin asked.
"I thought we were on a tight schedule to find the woman. Do you have time for that?"
"Of course. I already have a good idea of where she is, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find her. Besides, giving you some training was one of the reasons for bringing you along," Jiraiya said.
"So I don't get captured by this Akatsuki organization," Naruto stated.
Over the course of the night, Jiraiya had shared some of his knowledge about this mercenary group. While he didn't have much, Naruto learned that Akatsuki was composed entirely of S-rank ninjas from across the continent. Though the group was small, each member was immensely strong, and even Orochimaru himself had been one of them until a few years ago.
Their ultimate goal was still a mystery, but it was clear that they were after the Jinchuriki scattered throughout the ninja villages. It was only a matter of time before they attempted to capture him again.
Naruto swore to himself, that next time, he would be the one teaching them a lesson.
Jiraiya nodded. "So you don't get captured… that's the idea. And to prevent that, you'll need to become much stronger than you are now. We don't know most of the members, but we should assume they're at least on the level of those two from last night...if not stronger," he said, adding some rice to the boiling pot.
"Is there something specific you'd like to learn? I originally planned on teaching you the Rasengan. That's an original jutsu created by your father, but… from what I've heard, you already know that one." The Sannin glanced at him inquisitively.
"Yes, I found a few scrolls in their old house. One of them had that jutsu written on it. It took me a few days to get it right though… it was really difficult to find the correct rhythm for the different rotations so the sphere would remain stable," Naruto commented.
"A few days?!" Jiraiya was left speechless. "That jutsu is classified as A-rank, and you say you only needed a few days to learn it by yourself, and from a scroll?" Jiraiya stared at Naruto for a long moment before speaking again. "Do you mind showing me?"
"What, you don't believe I can do it properly?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. Not sure if he should feel offended by being doubted.
"I'd like to evaluate your level of mastery, that's all," Jiraiya insisted. This was something he had to see. If he actually learned the jutsu properly under that condition, this meant that the boy before him was an absolute monster in more than one way.
"Fine…" Naruto lifted his right palm upward. A small current of chakra appeared out of nowhere and began to rotate.
Very quickly, the amount of chakra increased. Several currents rotated in different directions and intersected with each other as their power became more intense.
In three seconds, a perfect blue sphere had formed on top of Naruto's palm. The moving energy made a terrifying noise as it caused friction with the air.
"I can probably form the sphere a bit faster with more practice," Naruto said.
Jiraiya was truly impressed, though he chose not to show it. As far as he was aware, Naruto was just a gifted boy, and it would do him no good to be praised excessively, which might lead to arrogance and complacency.
"Satisfied?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya pointed at a nearby tree. "Hit that tree with the Rasengan. I must see its effect while impacting on something to evaluate it properly."
Naruto shrugged and did as Jiraiya instructed.
The blue sphere obliterated the tree trunk without encountering any resistance and buried itself deep inside.
As Naruto released the energy, it exploded outward, creating a massive hole in the back of the tree and causing it to collapse.
Jiraiya stroked his chin. "Not bad." It was actually a perfectly executed Rasengan, as far as he could observe.
"Not bad?..." Naruto commented.
"Okay, it was good, but you need to keep practicing to perfect it. Your father put a lot of effort into creating that jutsu. I hope you'll treat it with the respect it deserves."
Naruto nodded. "Of course. I'll always be grateful for the knowledge I gain today, as it will become the foundation of my future."
"Good… as long as you understand that." Jiraiya wondered if all kids Naruto's age spoke like that. He had little experience with teenagers, but he had a feeling they didn't.
"As for what I want to learn… I want to learn everything I can. But there is something specific I've been meaning to ask you," Naruto said.
"Something specific? And what's that?" Jiraiya asked.
"I heard you're the most prominent master of fūinjutsu in all of Konoha."
Jiraiya smiled proudly. "You've got that right. Are you interested in seals? That's a very complex discipline."
"There was another jutsu left behind by my father that got me curious. What do you know about the Flying Thunder God?"
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