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In the Hokage's office, the guards did not impede Natsuro's entry this time, as they had been notified in advance.
As soon as he stepped into the office, a voice reached his ears.
"What the hell, old man, you called me back with dozens of messages just for this kid? He doesn't look like much." said a voice filled with a sense of middle-aged grumpiness.
He turned toward the source of the voice, and although he had a suspicion from the sound, seeing the person for real still made him widen his eyes in surprise.
The speaker was a tall man with a headband bearing the character 油 (oil) and messy white hair that reached down to his waist. He had red marks below his eyes and was dressed in a red cloak.
He hadn't expected to see Jiraiya here thought it was easy to guess why. While excited he could help but to laugh at himself.
The Flying Thunder God technique from the Third Hokage wasn't something so easy to obtain. Even if his background was spotless and he had shown enough bonds with family and friends, it seemed like it still wasn't enough in the Third Hokage's eyes.
Nevertheless, he wasn't going to give up on the possibility of being Jiraiya's disciple, one of the Legendary Sannin and teacher of both Minato and Naruto.
"Third Hokage." Natsuro said, trying to keep his composure while greeting him.
"Hmm, Natsuro, I see you've met the person next to me." the Third Hokage said warmly.
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya, the legendary Sannin. I didn't expect to see him here. I heard he's been away from the village for a long time." Natsuro responded honestly.
"Hahaha, it seems my reputation is still quite prominent in Konoha." Jiraiya said with a wide grin, laughing heartily. His lack of restraint made the Third Hokage a bit exasperated.
Natsuro could see that, despite his frustration, the Third Hokage was likely feeling more relaxed with Jiraiya around.
"Alright, Natsuro, you're prepared, right?" The Third Hokage interrupted Jiraiya's laughter, asking.
"Yes, I'm ready." He said, handing over the Flying Thunder God kunai to the Third Hokage.
Upon seeing the kunai, Jiraiya's laughter faded, and he looked at the kunai with a nostalgic expression. He thought of the golden-haired figure and then glanced at Natsuro.
From a looks perspective, he was quite similar, but of course, Minato was still a bit more radiant.
While Jiraiya was reminiscing, the Third Hokage took the kunai and said with a smile, "Natsuro, you've always been mature. You probably can guess why Jiraiya is here, right?"
"Yes, of course. I'm willing to become Jiraiya's disciple." he said, his eyes lighting up with sheer joy.
Seeing Natsuro's reaction, the Third Hokage nodded with satisfaction.
"Kid, becoming my disciple isn't that simple. The reason I came back after receiving so many messages from the Third Hokage is that he mentioned your talent is exceptional. I'm here to see it for myself. If you don't pass this test, it means your talent isn't as great as claimed, and I won't accept you as a disciple." Jiraiya said seriously.
He wasn't planning to take on a disciple, as he was focused on his travels and searching for the Child of Prophecy. However, the persistent messages from the Third Hokage and concern about Konoha's situation made him come back out of curiosity about Natsuro's talent.
"I will pass the test." Natsuro said confidently, his tone full of conviction.
This confidence made Jiraiya pause for a moment, and then he couldn't help but smile.
"Well, I'll look forward to adding another disciple!"
"Um, Third Hokage, Lord Jiraiya, could you please tell me what the test involves?" He asked after waiting for a while and noticing that neither the Third Hokage nor Jiraiya had explained the details of the test.
"Well, the test is quite simple. You just need to use the summoning technique to summon the Flying Thunder God kunai that I gave you." the Third Hokage said with a smile.
Jiraiya rolled his eyes upon hearing this. It seemed his teacher was making things sound easier than they were. In reality, the actual requirements were much lower.
However, he was taken aback. Summoning a kunai... is that really challenging?
He didn't understand but thought that if it was really this simple, then the Flying Thunder God technique would be his...
The next moment, Natsuro stopped, as he suddenly realized that he could no longer sense the Flying Thunder God kunai he had established a connection with for a long time.
His face showed a look of astonishment.
The Third Hokage nodded at this scene. Natsuro had detected it so quickly—indeed impressive. He then said, "You have until tomorrow to complete this. Jiraiya, you will watch."
With that, the Third Hokage picked up some documents and started reading. He thought that Natsuro would find it difficult to achieve this goal.
"Of course, I'm the one watching." Jiraiya yawned, glancing at the Third Hokage before casually telling Natsuro, "Kid, if you can't manage it, just give up quickly. This old sage still needs to enjoy some leisure. It's been years since I last visited Konoha. I need to make the most of it!"
He didn't respond. He was already deep in concentration, focusing all his attention on his sensing ability.
After a while, Natsuro still sensed a faint connection, but it was almost imperceptible. What had the Third Hokage and Jiraiya done? Why did they manage to make the kunai, which he had a deep connection with, seem like it had no link at all?
Though he was puzzled, the faint connection might not be enough to summon it. Should he use the technique he had established earlier?
But if the connection was almost severed, would the technique even work?
Filled with doubt but without hesitation, he decided to give it a try, as there was still time before tomorrow.
The next moment, he bit his finger and began forming the hand signs for the summoning technique.
Jiraiya, though appearing indifferent, had his attention fixed on Natsuro. He was surprised by the speed of his hand signs. Such speed indicated significant practice. This sight made Jiraiya gradually believe in the effort the Third Hokage had described in his letter.
However, Jiraiya shook his head as he watched Natsuro's summoning technique. This approach wouldn't work.
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