"Don't worry, Naruto. I can't speak for anyone else, but I believe you can definitely do it," Keiichi said with a smile.
"Big Brother Keiichi, could you stop saying useless things..." Naruto said glumly.
"Don't forget the Shadow Clone Training Method I taught you, or your knack for breaking things down and analyzing them. Make Jiraiya eat his words!"
"Hahaha, how could I forget? That's right! Maybe other people can't do it, but I definitely can!" Naruto was full of energy again.
Sure enough, the next day, Jiraiya took Naruto to practice his new technique. Keiichi obviously couldn't watch from the sidelines; he had enough sense not to try.
He hadn't expected Jiraiya to come back so soon and seek him out.
"Keiichi, how about we get straight to the point?" Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest and fixed his gaze on him.
"Please, go ahead."
"Can you be honest with me? Who sent you?"
"Sir, I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean."
"I had someone thoroughly investigate your past recently. I got the report today, and I found a lot of things that don't add up, despite all your efforts to cover them up." Jiraiya pulled out a thick stack of papers and tapped them with his fingers.
"..."
"First, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. It may not be a particularly high-level Fire Release Ninjutsu, but it's unique to the Sarutobi Clan. Even I, as one of Hiruzen's students, need permission to teach it. So how did your teacher, Tatsuya, learn it?"
"Sorry, I don't know," Keiichi said with a bitter smile.
"Fine. Nobody can force you to tell me if you don't know. You explained your Sealing Jutsu by claiming it came from an awakening of your bloodline, and nobody can verify that either. What about