Dosu's Request

So. So strong.

Sasuke stared at the enormous toad, his heart shaken to the core.

Was this Jiraiya Sensei's strength?

Compared to that, the Chakra control techniques he was still practicing were pathetically weak.

"Jiraiya! Where is Jiraiya?! Why did you summon me?!"

Hearing the toad roar from the bottom of the ravine, Jiraiya looked uneasy and quietly said to Sasuke:

"This is bad. The Nine-Tails' Chakra really is powerful—it actually summoned this guy."

Before Sasuke could react, Jiraiya hurriedly pulled him into hiding.

Before long, a massive toad shot out of the ravine and slammed heavily onto the ground, shaking the surrounding flowers, grass, and trees until they scattered and collapsed.

"If you tell me where Jiraiya is, I wouldn't mind taking you on as my underling."

Gamabunta spoke boldly to Naruto.

"Yes, Toad Boss!" Naruto promptly saluted. "The Perverted Sage is right... huh? He was just here."

"Come to think of it, Toad Boss, what do you want Jiraiya for?"

Naruto asked ingratiatingly.

"Of course I want to ask him why he summoned me!"

"But I was the one who summoned you, sir!"

"Huh? Hahahaha!" Gamabunta seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world. "Kid, how could you possibly summon me?! Hahahaha!"

"I did summon you! Since I summoned you, you have to acknowledge me as your master!"

Naruto was humiliated by the laughter and became stubborn as well.

"Fine, fine, kid." Gamabunta wiped away tears of laughter.

"It has been a long time since I came out. Breathing fresh air really puts me in a good mood.

"Even if you did summon me, you can't even stand steadily on my head. How could you possibly make me work for you?"

"Go home already. Stop getting in the way. I'm going to have a look around. Hahaha." Gamabunta headed into the distance.

"Damn it!" Naruto's competitive spirit was stirred up once more.

He took a running start, leaped back onto Gamabunta's back, and shouted, "As long as I don't fall off your back, you have to acknowledge me! You won't be getting rid of me for the entire day!"

"You brat, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Get down!"

Gamabunta flew into a rage and violently swung his body around. The nearby trees and hills immediately suffered, with sand and rocks flying everywhere in an incredibly fierce scene.

"This is getting more and more interesting."

From a treetop in the distance, Jiraiya watched the scene with undisguised delight at Naruto's misfortune.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was deeply shocked by Naruto's strength, while also unable to stop himself from feeling anxious about his own rate of progress.

"What is it?" Jiraiya, sensing his student's mood, hurriedly said.

"It isn't that I don't want to teach you! We just don't have the right conditions! How many people do you think have that thing inside them?

"Why are you touching your neck? The Cursed Seal won't do either! That's nowhere close—he's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!

"No, what does that look in your eyes mean?"

Jiraiya felt his hair stand on end under Sasuke's stare, thinking to himself.

Being the parent—no, the teacher—of two children really was not easy.

After causing a huge commotion, Naruto finally earned Gamabunta's acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, whose body had nearly recovered, began Training in Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.

"As expected of a genius everyone talks about! Once your Solid Foundation was in place, you completely mastered it after practicing only twice!"

Jiraiya praised him.

Sasuke, panting on the other side, also revealed a satisfied smile.

Just now, he had tried combining it with the Sharingan, improving his control over Fire Dragon Flame Bullet by another level.

Taking that into account, the effect Sasuke's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet could achieve in battle was likely no less than Jiraiya's own.

"Alright! That's enough practice for today! Let's get something to eat first, then we'll go check on that kid Naruto."

Naruto, who had been tortured to exhaustion by Bunta earlier, was still sleeping soundly.

After eating, Jiraiya and Sasuke packed a meal for Naruto.

As they discussed their understanding of Fire Dragon Flame Bullet along the way, they unknowingly arrived near Naruto's home.

"Lord Sasuke, I finally found you."

A strange figure swayed out from beneath the shadows of the trees.

The man's entire head was wrapped in bandages, leaving only his left eye exposed.

His hunched back and bowlegs made him look like some bizarre baboon.

"Sound Ninja Dosu?"

Sasuke recognized him.

This man was also one of the nine contestants who had advanced to the third stage of the Chunin Exams.

"Who are you?"

Jiraiya asked warily.

"My lord, I am Sasuke's friend. I came to ask him for help with a private matter."

Dosu replied politely.

Jiraiya looked at Sasuke in confusion, and Sasuke nodded.

"I see. Then you two talk. I'll head inside first, or the food will get cold."

Jiraiya did not suspect anything and continued onward.

After watching Jiraiya walk away, Sasuke asked:

"What is it?"

"The three of us Sound Shinobi were ordered by Lord Orochimaru to test your strength during the exams."

Dosu got straight to the point.

The moment he heard Orochimaru's name, Sasuke immediately became alert.

"However, after the Forest of Death, Lord Orochimaru suddenly changed his mind and forbade us from causing you trouble again. So we never had the chance to test ourselves against you."

Hearing that, Sasuke assumed a combat stance. "So, you came here to fight for his favor?"

Sasuke mocked him.

"No, no, no." Dosu hurriedly waved his hands. "I only want to provide you with as much information as possible."

"Not long ago, I discovered Lord Orochimaru's—no, Orochimaru's—secret," Dosu continued. "He seems to be researching an extremely evil ninjutsu that requires living people as sacrifices."

"That day, I saw with my own eyes as several former comrades were transformed by him, then turned into something else. It seemed to be a ninjutsu that revived the dead."

Sasuke's mouth fell open in shock.

"So."

Sasuke guessed that this might be related to Dosu seeking him out.

"That's right. So I began thinking of running away. If I stay here, I'm afraid I'll become material for that ninjutsu as well!" Dosu said.

"Besides, what truly made up my mind was that Yakushi Kabuto told me yesterday that Orochimaru wanted me to kill the Sand Ninja Monster, so that I could fight you as soon as possible in the Chunin Exams. What a joke."

"You mean Yakushi Kabuto?!"

Sasuke asked urgently.

"But before the Chunin Exams, hadn't you two fought each other? Was it all an act for us to see?" Sasuke asked doubtfully.

"At the time, we truly did not know that we were both working for Orochimaru."

"However, after the preliminary matches, Kabuto has been personally arranging everything concerning Konoha these past few days. It seems he's Orochimaru's current favorite."