Rasengan

"Then, I beg you, please bring Lady Tsunade back..."

Gai carried Sasuke on his back, bid the two farewell, and headed toward Konoha Hospital.

"Teacher Gai! I'm leaving Sasuke to you!"

Naruto shouted with assurance, "We'll definitely bring Lady Tsunade back!"

On the country path, Naruto was silent for a long time...

"Something on your mind, Naruto?" Jimo said from ahead, not turning to look at him.

"Why... did they come to me?"

Naruto spoke with worry.

"You know the real reason in your heart, don't you! It's not so much for you as it is for what's inside you!" Jiraiya spoke up.

"The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox... or it's more fitting to call him Kurama!"

Jimo said leisurely from the side.

At that moment, inside Naruto's body, the nine tails sleeping soundly suddenly snapped open its eyes.

"Who? Who's calling my name!"

Kurama stared suspiciously at Jimo in front of Naruto.

"No, that's not the old man... he's been dead for years... but where did he hear my name from!"

"But don't worry too much! I brought Jimo along this time for an extra layer of security!" Jiraiya said with a laugh.

"Then I'd better... get stronger fast..."

"What? The Tsunade grandma we're looking for can change her appearance at will!" Naruto couldn't help but get a headache.

"Yeah, Tsunade's loved gambling since she was a kid! But her luck at it is just... hard to praise..." Jiraiya walked ahead, figuring out how to find Tsunade.

"I heard she owes a lot of money this time, and she often changes herself to look twenty, thirty, or forty years old to dodge her creditors..."

"Listen, Naruto, I'm going to spend all my time on you during this trip. You need to get stronger fast!"

Jiraiya said with a serious expression.

"As for you, Jimo, just learn alongside him!"

Though Jiraiya still hadn't uncovered Jimo's past, judging by his willingness to fight Orochimaru and help the Third Hokage, he seemed like a kid who valued bonds.

Soon, the three arrived at a fairly prosperous town.

Just as Naruto was about to pull out his wallet, Jimo quickly snatched it away.

"Lord Jiraiya, you go gather information. I'll take Naruto for a stroll!"

Jimo locked Naruto's neck with his arm.

"Naruto! Don't blame me! I'm doing this for your own good!" Jimo thought to himself.

After they split up, Naruto rubbed his sore neck and complained.

"Jimo, what are you doing!"

"What am I doing? Don't you know not to flash your cash! If you pulled out that Toad Wallet of yours, Lord Jiraiya would empty it in no time..."

Naruto thought back to the places Jiraiya frequented these days—bars, nightclubs, all high-spending spots... yeah, not cheap.

Jimo took Naruto to wander the festival, playing games and eating plenty of snacks and treats.

"So full, so full!"

Naruto patted his belly.

"Let's bring some back for Lord Jiraiya too..."

After buying gifts for their friends back in the village, Jimo found a food stall and bought a grilled squid.

They each took one, saving the biggest for Jiraiya.

After asking around, they finally tracked him down at a nightclub, dreaming amidst a crowd of beauties...

"Ah!" Naruto shouted at Jiraiya, "Didn't you say you were gathering intel! How'd you end up here, and drinking so much!"

"What's the big deal... Didn't you two go play at the festival too!"

"You're the one who taught us the Three Ninja Prohibitions! And now you've broken all three at once!"

Naruto slammed the table, but accidentally sent Jiraiya's side dish flying. Jimo stood by, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Shut up! Who's making all that racket and ruining my good time!"

A man in a suit poked his head out from a booth nearby. The sauce from the flying dish had stained the chest of his suit.

"Hey hey! You guys, do you know how much this outfit of mine costs?"

The suited man brought a bunch of his lackeys over to Naruto.

"What's this, a brat... Well, since you're just a kid, I'll let you off with a compensation of one hundred thousand ryo."

"What kind of crappy clothes are those, asking for one hundred thousand ryo!" Naruto shouted back defiantly.

"Looking for a beating? My boss is a chunin from Iwagakure! Known as the legendary Dark Ninja! Feared by all!"

One of the underlings introduced him.

Aside from a flicker of panic in Naruto's eyes, Jimo and Jiraiya both held back their laughter.

"Still laughing... looks like you really want some trouble!"

The Suit Man charged at Jiraiya.

"Naruto, Jimo, watch my next technique closely!"

A blue chakra ball suddenly coalesced in Jiraiya's hand. He easily dodged the Suit Man's attack and slammed his palm into the man's abdomen.

The Suit Man spun and flew backward, not stopping until he crashed into the Balloon Stall across the way.

At that moment, a wallet appeared in Jiraiya's hand.

"This money should cover your stall and these balloons..."

Jiraiya pulled out a stack of bills, handed them to the shop owner, then tossed the wallet onto the unconscious Suit Man.

"I already tried to reduce the power... but you guys are really weak..."

Jiraiya grabbed Naruto and Jimo and left the scene of trouble.

"Let's go, Naruto. Time for training!"

Naruto looked at the still-twitching Suit Man on the ground and excitedly followed.

On a cliff outside the town, Jiraiya held a water balloon for a demonstration. Many bulges appeared on its surface, and then it burst with a "pop."

"This is the first stage: Water Ball Training."

Jiraiya explained the principle of the Rasengan to Naruto.

"I get it! All I have to do is spin the water inside fast enough to break the balloon, right?"

"You're quite—"

"Pop!"

A sound cut off Jiraiya's praise.

Jimo shook the water off his hand and said awkwardly, "You two go on... go on..."

"Ah! Jimo, you finished that fast!" Naruto said gloomily, then began using his chakra to stir the water inside his own balloon.

"He's a promising one..."

Jiraiya looked at Jimo with a curious gaze.

This technique was created by the Fourth Hokage, and he himself had refined it further over several years... yet this kid had grasped the basics in no time.

"Jimo, how far can you take it?"

Jiraiya looked at Jimo.

"Wind Release: Rasengan!"

An orange chakra ball appeared in Jimo's hand, with wind patterns forming a shuriken-like phantom swirling around it.

"..."

Seeing this technique, Jiraiya fell into deep thought... He had encountered many geniuses before, but this young man in front of him was truly... a bit monstrous.