It had been a long time since Naruto and the others went looking for Sasuke. Naturally, they had returned empty-handed. At this point, Naruto's strength was simply nowhere near Sasuke's.
After meeting Sasuke, Sakura seemed like a different person. She tied up her slightly long pink hair, and her view of Sasuke had changed somewhat.
First and foremost, she was a Konoha ninja; only then was she Sasuke's former companion. She had previously struggled to shift between those two identities, but now she had made her own choice.
"Yo, Naruto. Still training?"
Jiraiya held two slightly melted popsicles as Naruto punched a tree stump in the forest outside Konoha.
Both of Naruto's fists were tightly wrapped in bandages, yet blood continued to drip through the gaps.
Sakura held medical supplies. She had stayed with Naruto throughout this time, and she knew she had wronged him by taking advantage of his feelings for her. Now, she was doing her best to make it up to him.
Naruto smiled as he accepted the popsicle Jiraiya offered him, then plopped down onto the grass and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his free hand.
"Pervy Sage, I'm still not strong enough. Please help me train..."
No one knew where Jiraiya had gone to carry out missions during this period, and Naruto had not seen him for quite some time. He had trained under Jiraiya before and thought the Rasengan he had mastered was already powerful enough, but he had never expected that he still would not be able to defeat Sasuke.
His resolve had not changed. Even if he had to fight, he would bring Sasuke back to the village.
"Training, huh, Naruto... You want strength, but what do you intend to do with that strength?"
Jiraiya did not answer Naruto's question