"Yes, Hada Ichiba."
Watching Ebisu stand there dumbfounded, Jiraiya nodded with certainty.
That was right. The person he was asking about was Hada Ichiba.
Although abruptly shifting from Naruto to Hada Ichiba sounded somewhat disjointed, almost like a forced change of subject, Jiraiya was asking in earnest. He was extremely interested in Hada Ichiba.
At the same time, he trusted and acknowledged Ebisu greatly, which was why he had asked him.
Moreover, Ebisu's earlier answer had been quite on point. His observations regarding Naruto's Chakra control had been very accurate.
Indeed, compared to Second Pillar and Haruno Sakura, Naruto's Chakra control—and even his overall fundamentals—were far from solid.
That was also because he had grown up alone. Ninja Academy education alone could not help him grasp the essentials, and he had no one to guide him. As a result, he had missed the foundational training he should have received long ago, leaving his basics weak.
Second Pillar and Haruno Sakura, on the other hand, had both begun foundational training under someone's guidance at a very young age, even before they entered the Ninja Academy. It could be considered a form of family preschool education.
It was also an extremely crucial form of education for ninjas. Naruto had lacked that kind of instruction, which was why his foundation was unstable and why he had awakened to it so late.
Today's training made it clear that Naruto had already figured it out. The initial stage of developing his potential had been completed. After the Five Elements Seal Orochimaru had placed on him was removed, he had easily learned to walk on water. That showed that the boy had found the knack for learning ninja powers.
Perhaps because of his carefree nature, he had not yet realized that his speed in learning ninjutsu