Tsunade's Whereabouts

Ever since Jiraiya told him that this was an A-rank jutsu left behind by the Fourth Hokage,

Naruto's fighting spirit had been ignited.

But three days had already passed, and no matter how hard Naruto tried, he still couldn't use Chakra to make the water inside the balloon swirl and burst it.

"Naruto, training takes time... Haste makes waste..."

Seeing Naruto's frustration, Jimo tried to comfort him. He knew exactly how Naruto could burst the balloon, but he still hoped Naruto would figure it out on his own.

Naruto sighed and headed to the bathroom. In the hallway, he saw the shopkeeper's cat playing with a water balloon.

The cat batted it around, and suddenly, with a pop, the balloon burst.

"So that's how it works... I get it!"

Naruto excitedly grabbed a balloon, filled it with water, and went to Jiraiya's room.

"Pervy Sage! I figured it out!"

Before Jiraiya had even opened his eyes, cold water splashed across his face.

"Don't be in such a hurry..." Jiraiya wiped his face and sat up.

"Now, let's see what you've come up with to burst it!"

Naruto fed Chakra into the balloon with his right hand, making the water inside swirl steadily in one direction.

Then he released the same kind of Chakra with his left hand, but made it spin in the opposite direction.

Naruto kept bringing his left hand into contact with the balloon in his right, until the balloon gradually became uneven.

"Pop!"

The balloon burst.

"I see... You're using your left hand to disrupt the direction of the Chakra inside the balloon..." Jiraiya praised him. "You've completed the first stage of training..."

He still can't make the Chakra spin unpredictably with just one hand, but coming up with this method is pretty impressive... Jiraiya thought.

But then he noticed Naruto's hands trembling...

Looks like it's already putting a strain on his chakra pathways...

At dinner, Naruto couldn't even pick up the chopsticks on the table...

"Damn it!"

Angrily, Naruto grabbed the rice with his bare hand and shoved it into his mouth.

So Jiraiya decided to let him rest for a day before teaching him the second stage of the jutsu...

But he'd forgotten about the Nine-Tails' powerful healing ability. In just one night, the injuries on Naruto's hands had nearly healed.

"For the second stage, this is what you need to burst!"

Jiraiya took a white ball from his backpack and burst it a few seconds later.

"Give it a try!"

Jiraiya tossed the white ball to Naruto and Jimo.

"A Rubber Ball..."

Naruto tried the same trick as before, but no matter what he did, he couldn't burst it this time.

"Pop!"

Just as expected, Jimo burst the more elastic Rubber Ball again.

"Jimo, stay with Naruto today. I'm going to gather information!" Jiraiya instructed.

"Huh? Aren't you going to train with me today?" Naruto asked.

"Don't be clingy, Naruto. I promised to teach you ninjutsu, but that doesn't mean I have to stay by your side, does it? Don't forget the purpose of this trip..." Jiraiya said sternly.

"Besides, your friend may be almost as good as I am at understanding the Rasengan..."

With that, Jiraiya leaped down the mountain.

Naruto looked at Jimo and made his decision...

"Jimo, save me!"

So much for pride...

Over the next few days, with Jimo's guidance, Naruto quickly learned to make a hole in the Rubber Ring...

He still couldn't make it burst instantly, but he was showing signs of progress.

"Oh, not bad!"

Jiraiya emerged from the forest, holding two popsicles.

"Here, have a snack and take a break!"

The sudden show of concern warmed Naruto's heart.

"Nice work. Honestly, making it this far in such a short time is already impressive."

"But I still couldn't burst the whole thing..."

Jimo pointed out where he was going wrong...

"I see..."

Jiraiya took out a brush and drew a spiral symbol in the center of Naruto's palm.

"What you need to do is concentrate the Chakra..." Jiraiya explained. "Imagine gathering it over the symbol in the center of your palm."

While Naruto trained hard, Jiraiya finally learned Tsunade's whereabouts at a tavern.

A gambler told him that Tsunade had settled in Short Book Street, where a new batch of slot machines and pinball machines had recently arrived.

Outside an arcade, a curvaceous blonde woman walked ahead, lost in thought.

Behind her, a black-haired woman happily carried a huge bundle of prizes.

"Lady Tsunade, it's a miracle you won so many prizes..."

But the beautiful woman named Tsunade showed no sign of happiness.

"What is this feeling...? Why do I have a bad feeling...?"

In the forest, Naruto stared at the deflated Rubber Balls scattered across the ground and closed his eyes in despair...

He thought back to Iruka-sensei's teachings, to the Will of Fire the Third Hokage had told him about, and to his teammates on Team 7...

"No... I can't give up like this!"

Naruto stood up again, and an unusual Chakra surged out, gathering around the symbol on his hand.

"Boom!"

The explosion startled birds in the forest. A powerful shock wave sent Naruto flying, and even Jimo was caught off guard and blown back by the force.

A promising young man indeed... Chakra this dense... It was powerful enough to burn his palm... Incredible...

"Can we start the Third Stage of training now?"

Naruto opened his eyes and asked weakly.

"Not yet. Let's bandage your hand first... We'll talk on the way."

Jiraiya carried Naruto on his back, while Jimo carried everyone's luggage.

Naruto fell fast asleep on Jiraiya's back.

In Short Book City, Tsunade and Shizune were touring the ancient city.

"No wonder it's such a famous attraction!" Shizune looked around at the distinctive city gates and exclaimed.

"I don't get you... What's so interesting about it...?" Tsunade said dismissively, arms crossed.

"You might as well look while we're here. Since we've come all this way, we should enjoy ourselves." Shizune rarely talked back to her.

"We've been running from debt collectors everywhere because of you, Lady Tsunade... Now that we've finally made it to Short Book City, we should take the chance to relax..."

Shizune tilted her head back, gazing at Short Book City's landmark building.

"Looking up from here, it's so magnificent! No wonder it's a cultural heritage site!"

"You've had your look, haven't you? We should get moving..."

Tsunade urged her on, feeling increasingly uneasy.

With a deafening rumble, Short Book City's main building suddenly collapsed. A giant snake slowly poked its head through the smoke.

"Long time no see, Tsunade..."

"Orochimaru!!!"