Teaching (Seeking Monthly Votes, Follow-up Reads, and Recommendation Votes)

The next day, after finishing his morning internship, Taiichi was unable to find Tsunade. With no other choice, he headed to Training Ground 3, where he had agreed to meet Jiraiya yesterday.

As soon as he approached the training ground, he saw that Jiraiya had already been waiting there. Taiichi hurried over. "Jiraiya-sensei, sorry I'm late."

"Haha, it's fine. I knew you wouldn't be able to come until noon because of your internship. Besides, there are still fifteen minutes until our agreed time, so you're not late at all!" Jiraiya said indifferently.

"Also, don't call me sir. I'll be teaching you for a while, so just call me sensei."

"Okay, Jiraiya-sensei." Taiichi readily agreed. After all, he was the one benefiting from this.

"Before we train, let me ask you something. Do you know your own chakra affinities?"

"Uh..." Jiraiya's question truly stumped Taiichi. He had never had the money to buy chakra test paper before, though he had always assumed he possessed Fire and Wind affinities. Later, when he had money, he simply forgot to buy any test paper.

"I've never actually tested them. I should have Fire and Wind affinities, I think. Learning ninjutsu of those two types has been pretty easy for me," Taiichi answered uncertainly.

"So that's how it is!" It was impossible to tell what Jiraiya meant by that—whether he was saying Tsunade had forgotten to test Taiichi, or that Taiichi himself had been too careless.

"Here, this is chakra test paper. Do you know how to use it?" Jiraiya asked.

"I do." Taiichi took the chakra test paper and poured chakra into it. The paper split into three portions: one side burned into ash, one side seemed to be sliced into tiny pieces, and one side gradually became damp and soft.

Seeing the test paper's reaction, Jiraiya said in surprise, "Fire, Wind, and Water affinities? That's quite a rare combination."

"Is there a problem, Jiraiya-sensei?" Taiichi asked in confusion as he looked at the scraps in his hand.

"Nothing. It's just that this combination is rather uncommon. Fire, Wind, and Lightning is a much more common mix, while Fire, Wind, and Water is rare."

Jiraiya sat cross-legged on a bluestone in Training Ground 3, patches of sunlight filtering through the leaves and dancing in his white hair. Taiichi sat across from him with his Ninja Tool Pouch in his arms, listening closely to Jiraiya's lesson.

"Chakra nature transformation is like shaping a rice ball." Jiraiya suddenly picked up a stone, and the clay in his palm crumbled into fine sand. "Nature transformation means kneading chakra into different forms." The crushed stone sifted through his fingers, tracing the shape of flames across the grass. "But before that, you need to understand the characteristics of each nature."

"Now, let's discuss the nature transformation of your three affinities." Jiraiya raised his right hand, and the chakra in it transformed into Fire nature. The originally pale blue chakra gradually turned red, then suddenly ignited like a flame. "Looking at this, what do you think are the characteristics of Fire-nature chakra?"

"Combustion, high temperature... and maybe explosiveness," Taiichi answered uncertainly.

"That's all correct. Those are generally the traits of Fire nature, but that isn't the whole picture. Chakra natures follow people's perceptions. Whatever you believe Fire nature should be, it can manifest that way. Of course, anything that defies common sense is impossible. And what people generally associate with Fire nature is extreme heat." Jiraiya explained.

Taiichi nodded thoughtfully. Chakra was formed from the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy, so chakra natures not only reflected the physical laws of the real world, but also the idealistic laws of the spiritual world. That was Taiichi's understanding of chakra natures after hearing Jiraiya's explanation.

"Next, Wind nature." Jiraiya swept out one hand, releasing a surging blast of chakra mixed with countless tiny Wind Blades. "Wind nature must not only possess the explosive force and omnipresence of wind, but also its cutting power. The Wind Release: Great Breakthrough you used yesterday only had fierce winds. That isn't enough. You need to comprehend wind's cutting nature as well. Only then can its power become greater."

"Finally, let's talk about Water nature. Without a favorable environment, you need an enormous amount of chakra to bring out the power of Water Style." Jiraiya looked Taiichi over. "That's where you're at a disadvantage. Your current Chakra Quantity is too low—not even at the level of a Chunin. But you're still young. Once you pass ten, your body will enter a period of rapid growth, and your Chakra Quantity will increase quickly then."

After hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Taiichi finally understood why his affinities were no weaker than a Chunin's, yet his Chakra Quantity was lower. It really was an issue of age. He had not even begun developing yet.

"Water Style emphasizes overwhelming force—using brute force to crush everything. Of course, it also has the flowing, unceasing nature of water." Jiraiya continued explaining Water Style.

"Now I'll teach you a B-rank ninjutsu: Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. Remember, the hand seal sequence is Sheep, Horse, Snake, Dragon, Rat, Ox, Tiger." Jiraiya formed the seals slowly so Taiichi could see them clearly. "The key to this technique lies in maintaining the chakra's form."

As the seals were completed, Jiraiya took a deep breath and exhaled a condensed stream of fire from his mouth. After shooting out for a meter, it suddenly expanded, charging forward like a fire dragon. The ground in its path turned crystalline orange-red after the dragon passed.

"Did you see it clearly? Give it a try."

Taiichi inhaled the sulfurous scent in the air and calmed his excitement. He slowly formed the seals one by one, carefully sensing the chakra flow corresponding to each seal. When he finished the final seal, Taiichi took a deep breath and exhaled a five-meter-long fire dragon on his first attempt.

"That's incredible. You succeeded on your first try. I thought you'd need at least half a day of practice," Jiraiya said with undisguised praise.

Taiichi smiled and began forming the seals a second time. This casting was faster than the previous one, and more powerful as well. The fire dragon swept across ten meters of space ahead, leaving Jiraiya staring in astonishment. That improvement was far too great.

"You can consider yourself proficient in this ninjutsu now. All that remains is continuous practice." Jiraiya checked the time. "It's getting late. I also have a C-rank Wind Style: Air Palm and a B-rank Water Style: Water Formation Wall here. Take them back and study them first. We'll learn these techniques next. That's enough for today."

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei." Taiichi said gratefully, "Jiraiya-sensei, how about coming to my house today? I'll treat you to a meal. You can try my cooking while you're at it."

"Oh, sure. Tsunade is always praising your cooking, so today I can finally see it for myself."

As he spoke, Jiraiya draped an arm over Taiichi's shoulder, and the two slowly disappeared into the distance.

At home, Taiichi had just seen Jiraiya off. Looking at the mess of dishes and cups on the table, he could not help but smile bitterly. "Jiraiya-sensei really didn't hold back. Even if it was delicious, he didn't need to eat that much!" Thinking of Jiraiya staggering away while clutching his stomach, Taiichi could only shake his head.

After cleaning up everything in the house, Taiichi went to the study and took out the two scrolls Jiraiya had given him: Wind Style: Air Palm and Water Style: Water Formation Wall. When he opened one scroll and saw the handwriting inside, Taiichi knew Jiraiya had probably written it overnight. It described the casting process and hand seal sequence of Air Palm in great detail, even recording the purpose of every individual seal. It was clear how much care had gone into it.

When he opened the Water Formation Wall scroll, it was the same. Its simple, clear explanations were enough for even a beginner to learn from. This level of thoughtfulness went far beyond merely fulfilling Tsunade's request.

Taiichi was moved, but he had no way to repay Jiraiya for now. All he could do was remember this kindness in his heart.