Jiraiya was filled with anger as he made his way toward the border. His anger was directed at the current Hokage and the Uchiha clan.
Due to his close relationship with the Third Hokage, Jiraiya had never harbored any fondness for the Uchiha. But when he learned that seven-year-old Naruto Uzumaki had been sent to the battlefield, his anger intensified.
Sending a seven-year-old child to the battlefield? That's practically sending him to die! Even during the First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars, it was extremely rare for children of that age to be sent to the front lines, let alone in a situation where the war hadn't fully broken out yet.
With this rage simmering within him, Jiraiya sped toward the border. As a Kage-level shinobi, he moved incredibly fast. He first reached the border of the Land of Wind, where he noticed Uchiha Akira's signal, indicating they had already encountered Sunagakure's forces and were now heading toward the Land of Earth.
After adjusting his direction, Jiraiya began heading toward the Land of Earth, silently praying that Naruto, the son of Minato Namikaze, would be safe. If he found Naruto, Jiraiya planned to take him away and personally train him for a few years.
Though Jiraiya had often been criticized by the Third Hokage, Tsunade, and even Orochimaru for being a fool, he was confident in his teaching abilities. After all, hadn't Minato Namikaze, his student, become the legendary Yellow Flash of the ninja world? He also wondered how Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko were doing, but he believed they must have found their own place in the ninja world by now.
Shaking off these thoughts, Jiraiya soon came to a halt as he spotted a figure in the distance—a child around seven or eight years old, with striking blonde hair and clothing adorned with a spiral pattern.
It wasn't just the blonde hair that caught Jiraiya's attention; it was the ten or so shadow clones surrounding the child. Shadow Clone Jutsu was a signature technique of the Leaf Village, created by the Second Hokage.
A child using Shadow Clone Jutsu with blonde hair… Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat. Could this be Naruto Uzumaki? Was Naruto really this talented? At just seven years old, he could create over ten shadow clones?
Jiraiya had originally thought that with his guidance, Naruto could someday hold his own in the ninja world. But now, Jiraiya realized he had underestimated Naruto's potential. This child's talent seemed on par with Minato's.
If he could train another student as powerful as Minato, it would indeed be a remarkable achievement. A father and son, both trained by him, becoming legends in the ninja world—what a story that would be!
But the surprises didn't end there. Just as Jiraiya was about to approach Naruto, he noticed that the shadow clones had started training. The technique they were practicing was none other than the Rasengan.
"No way… Not only can he create ten shadow clones, but he's also learned the Rasengan?" Jiraiya was left dumbfounded.
A seven-year-old child with the ability to create multiple shadow clones, all of whom could use the Rasengan? That meant Naruto's chakra reserves were already at the level of a jōnin.
A seven-year-old with jōnin-level chakra?
"So, he's not just Minato's son but also Kushina's, inheriting both his father's ninjutsu talent and his mother's Uzumaki vitality?" Jiraiya thought, his shock slowly giving way to joy.
The Rasengan was an A-rank jutsu that consumed a lot of chakra. Yet Naruto could create multiple clones, each capable of using the Rasengan. This confirmed that his chakra was indeed at a jōnin level.
And what was Naruto doing now? It seemed he wasn't just practicing the Rasengan; he was trying to improve it. As someone who had mastered the Rasengan himself, Jiraiya could tell that Naruto was working on enhancing the jutsu.
A seven-year-old child trying to improve an A-rank jutsu? It was as if a child who had just learned to ride a bicycle decided to modify the bike itself. This was on a whole different level.
Jiraiya continued to observe for another half-hour, deeply impressed by Naruto's talent. Finally, he stepped out from the shadows, clearing his throat to get Naruto's attention.
"Who are you?" Naruto stopped his training, dispelled his shadow clones, and turned to Jiraiya with a questioning look.
"Me? I'm the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya!" Jiraiya struck a pose, hoping to make a good first impression.
"Sage?" Naruto tilted his head, giving Jiraiya a puzzled look. Jiraiya's self-perception might have been positive, but to Naruto, he just looked a bit silly.
"You were practicing the Rasengan, right?" Jiraiya asked, seeing that Naruto was still looking at him strangely.
"What? You know the Rasengan?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course, not only do I know it, but I can also use it," Jiraiya replied, holding out his hand and forming a Rasengan in his palm.
Jiraiya believed that demonstrating the Rasengan would be a good way to establish his identity. However, instead of being impressed, Naruto quickly formed a hand seal, and in an instant, a hundred shadow clones appeared, surrounding Jiraiya.
"Wow, that's a lot of shadow clones…" Jiraiya muttered, stunned by the sheer number. He had thought he had a good understanding of Naruto's capabilities, but it seemed he had underestimated him. Naruto's chakra reserves were terrifyingly vast.
"You're a bad guy, stealing my Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, his voice echoed by the hundred shadow clones around him.
From Naruto's perspective, this strange man had been spying on him for who knows how long, watching him practice the Rasengan, and now suddenly revealed that he could use the jutsu too. It only made sense to Naruto that Jiraiya had stolen his technique.
"Wait a minute! I didn't steal your Rasengan. I already knew how to use it!" Jiraiya protested, finding Naruto's thought process both amusing and exasperating. As one of the Legendary Sannin and the Toad Sage, did he really need to steal techniques?
But Naruto was not easily convinced. Seeing that Jiraiya didn't seem to be taking him seriously, Naruto grew angry. With a shout, all one hundred shadow clones lunged at Jiraiya with overwhelming force.
In no time, Jiraiya had dispelled all the clones.
"Kid, don't be so rash. Let's talk…" Jiraiya began, trying to calm the situation. While Naruto's chakra reserves were impressive, the shadow clones themselves posed little threat.
However, before Jiraiya could finish his sentence, Naruto formed another hand seal, summoning hundreds more shadow clones. This time, there were two or three hundred of them.
"You've got to be kidding me… Does he still have this much chakra?" Jiraiya's expression froze in disbelief.
After a moment, Jiraiya managed to dispel the new wave of shadow clones as well, but he couldn't help but look at Naruto with a mix of curiosity and awe. Was Naruto really going to keep going?
Sure enough, Naruto formed the hand seal again. This time, five or six hundred shadow clones appeared.
"This kid… not only isn't he getting tired, but he's also summoning more and more clones?" Even Jiraiya couldn't help but silently complain about the situation.
The commotion caught the attention of Uchiha Akira and the others. Feeling the intense activity, Akira used the Body Flicker Technique to cover the distance of a thousand meters in an instant.
"That figure… Is that Jiraiya? Why is Naruto fighting Jiraiya? And they're going all out?" Akira thought, puzzled by the scene before him.
As he watched Naruto summon yet another wave of shadow clones, Akira decided it was time to step in. With a swift movement, he appeared beside Naruto, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
********
Support me on Patreon at patreon.com/Emik01 to read up to chapter 156.