News of Tsunade

Ever since Jiraiya told him this was an A-rank jutsu left behind by the Fourth Hokage, Naruto's fighting spirit had been set ablaze.

But three days had passed, and no matter how hard Naruto tried, he just couldn't use his chakra to stir the water inside the Water Ball and make it burst.

"Naruto, training requires patience... haste makes waste..." Jimo watched Naruto's frustration and offered comfort. He naturally knew how to make Naruto burst the Water Ball, but he still hoped Naruto would figure it out on his own.

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

The cat batted it left and right, and suddenly—pop—the balloon burst.

"Is that it... I get it!" Naruto excitedly pulled out a balloon, filled it with water, and rushed to Jiraiya's room.

"Pervert Sage! I understand!"

Before Jiraiya could even open his eyes, cold water splashed across his face.

"Don't be so impatient..." Jiraiya wiped his face and sat up.

"Now let me see what you've come up with to break it!"

Naruto injected chakra into the Water Ball with his right hand, making the water inside rotate in a steady, directed spin.

Then, his left hand released the same chakra rotation, but in the opposite direction.

Naruto's left hand kept touching the Water Ball in his right, and gradually, the ball's surface became uneven.

"Pop."

The Water Ball burst.

"I see... using your left hand to release chakra and disrupt the chakra direction inside the Water Ball..." Jiraiya praised. "You've completed the first stage of training."

"Even though he still can't do the non-directional rotation with one hand, coming up with this method is impressive in its own way," Jiraiya thought to himself.

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

"It looks like it's already putting a strain on his meridians."

At dinner, Naruto couldn't even pick up his chopsticks...

"Dammit!" Naruto angrily grabbed rice with his bare hands and shoved it into his mouth.

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

But he forgot that Naruto had the Nine-Tails' powerful regenerative ability inside him. In just one night, the injuries on Naruto's hands were almost completely healed.

"For the second stage, you're going to break this!" Jiraiya pulled a white ball from his backpack, and a few seconds later, he burst it again.

"Your turn to try!" Jiraiya tossed the white ball to Naruto and Jimo.

"A Rubber Ball..." Naruto tried the same trick, but found he couldn't burst it no matter what.

"Pop!" Jimo, as expected, burst the more elastic Rubber Ball again.

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

"Huh? You're not training with me today?" Naruto asked.

"Don't be clingy, Naruto. I agreed to teach you the jutsu, but I'm not obligated to stay by your side, am I? Don't forget the purpose of this trip..." Jiraiya said sternly.

"Besides, that partner of yours—his understanding of the Rasengan might not be much worse than mine." With that, Jiraiya leaped down the mountain.

Naruto looked at Jimo and made a decision...

"Jimo, save me!"

Dignity... worthless...

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

Even though he still couldn't make it burst instantly, there were signs of progress.

"Oh, not bad!" Jiraiya walked out of the forest, holding two popsicles.

"Here, have something to eat and take a break!"

This sudden show of concern warmed Naruto's heart.

"Not bad, honestly. To reach this level in such a short time is already quite impressive."

"But I still couldn't blow him up entirely..."

Jimo pointed out the problem...

"I see..."

Jiraiya pulled out a brush and drew a spiral symbol on the palm of Naruto's hand.

"What you need to do is concentrate your chakra..." Jiraiya explained. "Imagine gathering your chakra onto that symbol in your palm."

While Naruto trained hard, Jiraiya finally tracked down Tsunade's whereabouts in a tavern.

A gambler told him that Tsunade was staying in Short Book City, where a new batch of slot machines and pachinko machines had just arrived.

Outside a game arcade, a golden-haired woman with a curvaceous figure walked ahead, lost in thought.

The black-haired woman behind her carried a large bundle of prizes and said cheerfully.

"For Lady Tsunade to win so many prizes... it's truly a miracle..."

But the beauty named Tsunade showed no hint of joy on her face.

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

In the forest, Naruto looked at the failed, deflated rubber balls littering the ground and closed his eyes in deep disappointment...

In his mind, he recalled Iruka-sensei's teachings, remembered the Will of Fire the Third Hokage had told him about, and thought back to his Team 7 classmates...

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

Naruto stood up again, and a strange surge of chakra erupted, continuously gathering toward the symbol on his hand.

"Boom!"

The explosion startled the birds in the forest. A massive shockwave blew Naruto away, and even Jimo was caught off guard and sent flying by the wind pressure.

Fortunately, Jiraiya appeared just in time at the cliff's edge, stopping Naruto before he could fly off.

Impressive for a youngster... Such chakra density... To the point of burning his own palm... Unbelievable...

"Can I start the third stage of training now?"

Naruto opened his eyes and said weakly.

"Not so fast. 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 into a deep sleep on Jiraiya's back.

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

"What a famous landmark!" Shizune looked around, marveling at the unique city towers.

"I really don't get you... What's so interesting about it..." Tsunade crossed her arms and said disdainfully.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Since we're here, of course we should enjoy ourselves." Shizune rarely talked back.

"Before this, because of you, Lady Tsunade, we were always dodging debts... Now that we've finally made it to Short Book City, we should relax a bit..."

Shizune looked up at the iconic architecture of Short Book City.

"Looking up from below, it's so magnificent! Truly a cultural heritage!"

"You've seen enough, haven't you? We'd better hurry on our way..."

Tsunade urged, the uneasy feeling growing stronger.

With a thunderous crash, the main building of Short Book City collapsed, and a giant serpent slowly emerged from the smoke.

"Long time no see, Tsunade..."

"Orochimaru!!!"