Rasengan

"Then please, you must bring Lady Tsunade back..."

Might Guy carried Sasuke on his back, said goodbye to the two of them, and headed toward Konoha Hospital.

"Teacher Gai! I'm counting on you to take care of Sasuke!"

Naruto called out confidently. "We'll definitely bring Lady Tsunade back!"

On the country path, Naruto fell silent for a long while...

"Something on your mind, Naruto?" Jimo asked as he walked ahead, without turning to look at him.

"They... why did they come after me?"

Naruto asked anxiously.

"I think you already know why. It's not really you they're after, but what's inside you!" Jiraiya spoke up.

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

Jimo said leisurely from the side.

At that moment, deep inside Naruto, the sleeping Nine-Tails suddenly opened his eyes.

"Who is it? Who's calling my name?"

The Nine-Tails stared at Jimo in confusion.

"No, it's not the old man... He's been dead for years... But how did that boy hear my name?"

"But you don't need to worry too much! I brought Jimo along this time to give us an extra layer of protection!" Jiraiya said with a smile.

"Then I'd better... get stronger as soon as possible..."

"What? The Tsunade Granny we're looking for can change her appearance whenever she wants?" Naruto couldn't help feeling a headache coming on.

"That's right. Tsunade's loved gambling since she was little! It's just that her luck is truly terrible..." Jiraiya walked ahead, pondering how to find her.

"I heard she's in debt for quite a lot this time. She often turns herself into someone in her twenties, thirties, or forties to dodge her creditors..."

"Listen, Naruto. I'm going to spend all my time on you along the way. You need to hurry up and get stronger!"

Jiraiya said seriously.

"As for you, Jimo, you can learn alongside him."

Jiraiya still hadn't uncovered anything about Jimo's past, but judging by how he'd dared to fight Orochimaru and helped the Third Hokage, he seemed like a loyal kid.

The three of them soon arrived in a rather prosperous town.

Just as Naruto was about to pull out his wallet, Jimo hurriedly snatched him away.

"Lord Jiraiya, you go gather information. I'll take Naruto around!"

Jimo hooked an arm around Naruto's neck.

"Don't blame me, Naruto! I'm only 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? Ever heard of not flaunting your wealth? If you take out that Toad Wallet of yours, Lord Jiraiya will drain it in no time..."

Naruto thought about the places Jiraiya had often gone these past few days. They were all bars, nightclubs, and other places where people spent money... They really were expensive.

Jimo took Naruto to look around the festival. The two of them tried all sorts of activities together and ate plenty of snacks and delicious food.

"I'm stuffed!"

Naruto said, patting his stomach.

"Let's bring Lord Jiraiya something to eat, too..."

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

They each took one, saving the biggest piece for Jiraiya.

After asking around, they finally found Jiraiya at a nightclub, dreaming away amid a crowd of beauties...

"Hey!" Naruto shouted at Jiraiya. "Didn't you say you were going to gather information? Why are you here, and why have you had so much to drink?"

"What does it matter? You two went to the festival, too!"

"You're the one who told us about the Three Ninja Prohibitions! And you've just broken all three yourself!"

Naruto slapped the table, accidentally sending the side dish Jiraiya had ordered flying. Jimo stood to the side, feeling awkward as well.

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

A man in a suit leaned out from a booth nearby. The sauce from the dish had stained the front of his suit.

"Hey, you lot! Do you know how much this suit costs?"

The Suit Man led a group of underlings over to Naruto.

"So you're just a brat... Well, since you're a kid, I'll let you off with a hundred thousand ryo in compensation."

"What kind of lousy suit costs a hundred thousand ryo?" Naruto shouted indignantly.

"You looking for trouble? My boss is a Chunin from Iwagakure! He's known as the legendary Dark Ninja! Everyone fears him!"

Only Naruto showed a hint of panic in his eyes. Jimo and Jiraiya both tried to keep from laughing aloud.

"You're still laughing... Looks like you really want a taste of pain!"

The Suit Man charged at Jiraiya.

"Naruto, Jimo, watch this technique closely!"

A blue ball of Chakra suddenly formed in Jiraiya's hand. He easily dodged the Suit Man's attack, then slammed his palm into the man's stomach.

The Suit Man spun through the air and flew backward, stopping only when he crashed into the Balloon Stall across the street.

A wallet appeared in Jiraiya's hand.

"Take this money as compensation for your stall and the balloons..."

Jiraiya pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to the shopkeeper, then tossed the wallet onto the unconscious Suit Man.

"I did my best to hold back... But you're really weak..."

Jiraiya led Naruto and Jimo away from the trouble.

"Come on, Naruto. Time to train!"

Naruto glanced at the Suit Man, still twitching on the ground, then excitedly followed.

On a cliff outside the town, Jiraiya held up a water balloon to demonstrate. Numerous bulges appeared across its surface, then it burst with a pop.

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

Jiraiya explained the principles of the Rasengan to Naruto.

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

"You're pretty—"

"Pop!"

A sound interrupted Jiraiya's praise.

Jimo shook the water from his hand and said awkwardly, "Please, carry on..."

"Whoa! You've already got it, Jimo?" Naruto said gloomily, then began using Chakra to churn the water inside his balloon.

"You've got potential..."

Jiraiya looked at Jimo with curiosity.

The Fourth Hokage had created this technique, and Jiraiya had refined it considerably. The whole process had taken years... Yet this kid had grasped the basics in such a short time.

"Jimo, how far can you take it?"

Jiraiya looked at Jimo.

"Wind Style: Rasengan!"

An orange Chakra sphere appeared in Jimo's hand, with a shuriken-shaped outline formed from swirling wind patterns circling around it.

"..."

Jiraiya stared at the technique, sinking into deep thought... He'd met plenty of geniuses, but this boy in front of him was... a little too monstrous.