"Huh?"
"Isn't this the summoning technique that Jiraiya uses?"
Gamabunta took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaling a massive ring of smoke.
Jiraiya hooked an arm around Naruto's neck, whispering through gritted teeth.
"Listen up, Naruto…"
"A summoning beast is our partner. Don't you dare pull a stunt like that again, got it?"
"Do you understand?"
"I… got it…"
Naruto, restrained in Jiraiya's hold, glanced at the hulking toad before him with a look of regret.
What a shame…
This toad's even bigger than the last one. If he could train with it… he'd definitely get a lot stronger.
Hearing Naruto's agreement, Jiraiya let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank goodness…
At least Naruto took his words to heart.
"Bunta, it was this kid who summoned you."
"His name is Naruto Uzumaki."
"Uzumaki… Naruto, huh?"
Gamabunta's gaze fell on the spiky-haired blonde, and he couldn't help but recall the image of Minato.
"So… this is Minato's kid?"
A hint of surprise showed in the toad's eyes. Even Minato hadn't been able to summon him at Naruto's age.
After a brief chat with Gamabunta and a few more warnings to Naruto, Jiraiya made sure there wouldn't be any more reckless antics, then slipped away, leaving Naruto with the massive toad.
If he stayed any longer, Jiraiya figured Naruto might be the end of him—or at least add a few more wrinkles to his face.
Besides, he still had to have a serious word with that old man.
It wasn't that Jiraiya was unwilling to take Naruto on as his disciple, but…
That geezer should've been upfront about Naruto's situation!
Damn it!
As soon as he left the training ground, Jiraiya headed straight for the Hokage's office.
But before he even made it through the door, two ANBU ninja blocked his path.
"Lord Jiraiya, please halt."
"Lord Third says he's swamped with work… he won't be seeing visitors for the next couple of days."
The ANBU ninja looked at Jiraiya with a mix of sympathy and caution. They knew that Lord Jiraiya was now responsible for training Konoha's golden-haired future. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the future of Konoha rested on his shoulders.
"Damn it!!"
"That old man!!"
Jiraiya was visibly irritated.
Too busy, huh…?
He was certain the Third Hokage was simply hiding, terrified that Jiraiya might throw in the towel.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen! Get out here!"
"You had the nerve to trick me—now face me!"
Jiraiya called out the Third's full name, a rare sign of just how angry he was.
Behind the office curtains, the Third Hokage peeked through a narrow opening, watching Jiraiya rant from below.
No matter how loud Jiraiya got, he didn't respond. In fact, he looked oddly pleased.
Perfect…
Finally, he didn't have to handle that rascal Naruto.
Jiraiya… as my disciple, it's only fitting that you shoulder a bit of my burden.
He even considered throwing all the medicine in his drawer into the trash. Perhaps…
With Jiraiya around, he wouldn't need it anymore.
"Lord Jiraiya…"
"You should go back… the Third won't see you."
The ANBU ninja, pitying Jiraiya, gave him a soft hint.
"Argh!!"
"I knew coming back to the village would be nothing but trouble!"
Unable to meet the Third, Jiraiya stood below the Hokage's office, venting his frustration.
After a good half hour of shouting, he stomped off in his wooden clogs, his face dark with irritation.
But as he left, he muttered under his breath…
"Old geezer, you're never getting that crystal ball back."
---
Meanwhile, at Naruto's training ground.
Naruto and Gamabunta were hitting it off surprisingly well.
The giant toad mentioned that Minato had been his junior, and as Minato's kid, Naruto was practically family to him. If anyone messed with Minato's kid, they'd have to answer to Gamabunta.
Hearing this, Naruto felt… a bit conflicted.
For some reason…
He felt he could bond easily with animals, yet it was much harder to get along with the villagers.
Take his future brother-in-law, for instance…
He still held a grudge against Naruto.
Even though it was Neji who had beaten him up before, Naruto didn't hold a grudge—he considered it generous of himself to let it go for family's sake.
Besides…
It had been years since that incident. Why was Neji still holding onto it?
Thinking of this, Naruto felt he should get closer to those around him. He glanced at Gamabunta, who was as massive as a mountain, and an idea flashed through his mind.
Got it!
He could help Konohamaru and Sakura with some special training.
Naruto remembered how they both told him they wanted to get stronger.
With that, he said a few words to Gamabunta, released the summoning, and created a shadow clone. One clone went to find Sakura, while he himself went to look for Konohamaru.
By noon, both Konohamaru and Sakura arrived at the training ground.
They looked confused.
Naruto had dragged them over, saying he had a way to help them get stronger.
Of course, they were curious.
Especially Sakura.
With her medical training, she was more aware than ever of the growing gap between herself, Sasuke, and Naruto.
After all, Naruto could whip out all sorts of things for healing injuries…
Which only made her feel even less useful as a medical ninja.
And Konohamaru had been training with the basic forms of Naruto's "Gate Technique."
Recently, he'd managed to swap his hollow wooden doors with solid ones, though they were still a bit heavy to lift. But from the look of fear his grandfather gave him recently, Konohamaru knew he was getting stronger!
"Big Brother! Let's get started!"
"Are we training with the Gate Technique today?"
Konohamaru's face was filled with excitement; he looked ready to start immediately.
Sakura, on the other hand, looked weary just hearing about the "Gate Technique."
Oh no…
There's no way…
I have zero interest in learning Naruto's techniques!
"Naruto… maybe I should skip it?"
"I just don't think I'm suited for your training style."
Sakura hesitated, feeling she'd be better off sticking to medical ninjutsu.
And mainly… she felt uneasy seeing Naruto's usual mischievous smile.
She remembered that smile—it was the same one he had before nearly convincing Sasuke to cross-dress and almost becoming a rogue ninja!
"Haha, don't worry, Sakura."
"This training isn't about that."
Naruto gave her a confident smile, which only made her more nervous.
The last time he looked this confident, it had led to nothing but trouble.
"Watch closely!"
Naruto, oblivious to Sakura's growing anxiety, bit his thumb and started weaving hand seals.
The two stared in shock.
Especially Sakura, who knew that Naruto's only "serious" jutsu was the Shadow Clone Technique, and even then, it was only a single hand seal.
But now, so many seals…
Could he actually be teaching them ninjutsu?!
For once, it seemed like Naruto was… dependable?
"Summoning Technique!!"
With his hand pressed to the ground, Gamabunta's enormous figure materialized before them.
Sakura and Konohamaru craned their necks, staring in awe at the massive toad. Alongside their shock, a spark of excitement rose within them.
"Big Brother Naruto! I want to learn this!"
Konohamaru looked down and shouted excitedly, only to find that Naruto had disappeared from his side.
"Huh? Where did Big Brother Naruto go?"
"Naruto… why are you up there?"
Sakura looked up and saw Naruto standing proudly atop Gamabunta's head, which only intensified her unease.
Wait, weren't they supposed to learn the summoning technique…?
Why was Naruto up there?
Standing atop Gamabunta, arms crossed, Naruto felt almost invincible—if he just had a scroll on his back and some orange eyeshadow, he'd be set.
After a brief daydream, he looked down at the two below, calling out to Gamabunta with a serious expression.
"Bunta, old… big bro."
"Attack them!"
Gamabunta: "??"
Gamabunta blinked, stunned for a full minute.
Has it been that long since the last generation? These young ninja sure are… creative.
Without further thought, he raised his massive foot and stomped towards the two below.
Boom—
The giant toad's foot came crashing down, kicking up a cloud of dust as it bore down on Sakura and Konohamaru.
Just as they were about to be squashed, Sakura grabbed Konohamaru and dashed out of the way.
But then…
She realized…
The massive toad was still chasing them!!
"Naruto!!!"
"What do you think you're doing!?"
"Ahhh!!!"
"Big Brother, what are you doing!?"
Sakura's spirit nearly left her body as she felt the impact from behind. Beside her, Konohamaru was crying and shouting.
They had no doubt Naruto was trying to kill them.
Just then, they heard Naruto's voice echo across the training field...
"Sakura! Konohamaru!"
"Why are you running?!"
"Come at my summoning beast head-on!"
Naruto's tone was deadly serious, though the way his lips kept twitching hinted at how hard he was struggling to keep a straight face.
"Big Bro Naruto! I don't get it! This is way too dangerous!"
"Exactly!"
"Naruto! Are you trying to kill us?!"