Skyfire Battle Body

Aside from the spiritual energy flooding his body, Jiraiya had not channeled any extra power into that kick; it was, in every sense, a display of pure physical strength.

When Jiraiya tried again, he focused his spiritual energy into his leg. The moment that energy touched the soles of his feet, the ground beneath him shattered, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading out for about five or six meters.

Jiraiya then leaped high into the air and delivered a fierce kick to a nearby withered tree. A sharp Void Piercer sound echoed as he struck the nearest trunk with the momentum of a landslide.

The spot where Jiraiya made contact turned the dead wood into sawdust. He continued through the second, third, and finally stopped at the seventh tree.

After testing his spiritual energy, Jiraiya wanted to try releasing ninjutsu. He formed hand seals, channeling energy toward his mouth, but just as the Rasengan—no, the fireball—began to coalesce, he suddenly tilted his head toward the sky.

A fireball, many times larger than the ones he used before practicing the Great Sun Skyfire Art, erupted from his mouth. The scorching heat caused the surrounding air to ripple visibly.

The moment the fireball condensed, Jiraiya felt the volatile energy within. If he released it as it was, he had no idea how many trees would be destroyed, and a forest fire would be a disaster.

Jiraiya dared not attempt any more fire-style ninjutsu; if a C-rank fireball had this much power, he couldn't imagine the devastation of an A-rank or S-rank technique.

He moved on to other ninjutsu. While the amplification was still significant, it wasn't as exaggerated as the fire-style. Finally, he tested the Rasengan.

The Rasengan he condensed was fire-red, matching the color of his energy vortex, and flickered with the volatile waves of flames.

Looking at the Rasengan in his palm, Jiraiya tried injecting more spiritual energy. As he did, the sphere grew—from the size of a human head to a washbasin, then a water vat. Finally, he stopped with a Rasengan five meters in diameter hovering above his raised hand.

It wasn't that he lacked energy, but the sphere had become incredibly heavy; any larger and he would lose control. By the time it reached the size of a water vat, the energy fluctuations were already distorting the void, and the violent spiritual energy inside was dragging the surrounding air into chaotic turbulence.

When the Rasengan reached five meters, Jiraiya guided a spark from his vortex into it. As the flames infused the sphere, fire began to lick its surface, and the surrounding air turbulence turned into a scorching gale.

Standing in the distance, Naruto Uzumaki felt the heat wave hitting his face. He sensed a profound sense of crisis from the Rasengan, as if his very body were warning him to stay as far away as possible.

Since he had already condensed it, Jiraiya didn't want to dissipate it. He leaped high and threw the Rasengan toward the ground, sensing that it wouldn't vanish even after leaving his palm.

Indeed, the Rasengan didn't dissipate; it slammed into the earth, drilling deep into the ground while spinning. Jiraiya jumped back to Naruto Uzumaki.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion rocked the area. Naruto Uzumaki grabbed Jiraiya and used the Flying Thunder God to vanish instantly, just as a violent shockwave surged toward them.

Naruto Uzumaki teleported to a Flying Thunder God mark he had left while hunting the previous night. Even here, he could still feel the heat-laden shockwave rushing toward them.

Once the explosion subsided and the shockwave faded, Naruto Uzumaki pulled Jiraiya back to the clearing.

The clearing was gone, replaced by a massive crater with charred, blackened surfaces. The surrounding trees had been uprooted by the blast and now lay scattered in disarray around the pit.

Naruto Uzumaki was now certain: Jiraiya's spiritual body was an offensive type, and the boost it provided to his attack power was terrifying.

Swallowing hard, Naruto Uzumaki turned to Jiraiya. "Pervy Sage, if you hadn't left after using that Rasengan, could you have blocked the shockwave?"

"No problem at all. At most, I'd just need a change of clothes," Jiraiya replied confidently after a moment of thought.

Naruto Uzumaki was speechless for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief. Jiraiya could already use Sage Mode, which provided a terrifying boost, but that was only temporary energy he absorbed. This, however, was energy he had cultivated and could fully control.

The Great Sun Skyfire Art Jiraiya practiced was the most powerful fire-attribute cultivation method in Naruto Uzumaki's memories. It had nine levels, and through last night's training, Jiraiya had broken through to the third level. This was the main reason he could manifest a spiritual body and condense flames in his vortex—perhaps a reward for decades of uninterrupted Sage Mode training.

"Pervy Sage, it's clear you've awakened a highly offensive spiritual body. Since you cultivated it yourself, you should name it," Naruto Uzumaki said.

Jiraiya sat cross-legged on the ground, thinking. After a moment, he exhaled and said, "Since it was awakened through the Great Sun Skyfire Art, let's call it the Skyfire Battle Body."

Naruto Uzumaki nodded at the name and asked, "Pervy Sage, do you have a preferred weapon?"

"I've never practiced any weapon-based ninjutsu, so I don't usually use one," Jiraiya replied.

After a moment of contemplation, Naruto Uzumaki said, "Well, you'll definitely need a hammer for the path of artifact refining later. As for martial arts, I'll give you a set of hammer techniques and a set of finger techniques."

When Jiraiya asked what martial arts were, Naruto Uzumaki explained, "As your strength grows, many ninjutsu will become obsolete. Aside from the Rasengan, most current ninjutsu won't be useful later on. But if you master martial arts, their power grows with your strength, meaning they remain effective forever."

He chose the finger technique for Jiraiya because of his fire energy's high explosive power. Once mastered, all that attack power would be condensed into a single point—the resulting damage would be unimaginably terrifying.

After Jiraiya agreed, Naruto Uzumaki placed his hand on Jiraiya's forehead. This time, he imparted all the techniques he could teach at this stage: Great Sumeru Hammer, Seven Tribulations Finger, Soul Gathering Art, and Fierce Demon Body. When Naruto Uzumaki pulled his hand away, Jiraiya's mind was filled with two martial arts and two cultivation methods.

The Great Sun Skyfire Art Jiraiya practiced was for spiritual energy; it didn't improve the physical body like the Supreme Demon Sutra (which cultivated body, energy, and soul simultaneously).

The Fierce Demon Body was for physical cultivation and could be practiced alongside the Great Sun Skyfire Art. This would ensure Jiraiya's physical strength kept pace with his cultivation level, a precaution Naruto Uzumaki took after seeing the Rasengan to prevent Jiraiya from being killed by his own attacks.

Although Jiraiya had awakened primordial spirit perception, the range was too small—only fifty meters—likely due to a lack of talent in that area. The Soul Gathering Art was meant to compensate for this deficiency in his soul.

Naruto Uzumaki gave him these because he wanted Jiraiya to be as strong as possible. First, because his own progress with the Supreme Demon Sutra was slow, and while he was strong, he was still far from the pinnacle of the ninja world. The stronger Jiraiya was, the safer he would be. Even with memories of the next few decades, who knew if things would deviate?

Secondly, only as Jiraiya grew stronger could he refine more and higher-level weapons. A weapon he would need later had high requirements for the crafter's strength, especially regarding the soul.

Seeing that Naruto Uzumaki had given him two martial arts and two cultivation methods—on top of the Great Sun Skyfire Art and the encyclopedia of artifact refining—Jiraiya offered a bitter smile. He was going to be very busy for a while.

However, Jiraiya didn't intend to continue training here. He pulled Naruto Uzumaki toward the nearest town—the same one Naruto Uzumaki had stayed in yesterday.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't ask questions, simply savoring a warmth he had never felt before. Along the way, they chatted about everything—Jiraiya talked about the best food and sights in various nations, while Naruto Uzumaki brought up Hinata, which greatly annoyed the perpetually single Jiraiya, who ruffled Naruto Uzumaki's hair vigorously.

Amidst laughter, they reached the town. Jiraiya dragged Naruto Uzumaki into a clothing store and headed straight for the children's section. To Naruto Uzumaki's stunned silence, he picked out several outfits and told him to try them on.

Naruto Uzumaki had assumed Jiraiya was buying clothes for himself, not for him.

Seeing Naruto Uzumaki standing there blankly, Jiraiya pointed at his feet. Naruto Uzumaki looked down and realized his pant legs were too short, exposing his shins; he checked his sleeves, and they were the same.

Only then did Naruto Uzumaki realize that his rapid growth from cultivation had made his old clothes too small, something he hadn't noticed.

He was still wearing the orange-yellow outfit Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him after he moved out—a whole trunk full of the same style, just in different sizes.

Naruto Uzumaki had thought Hiruzen Sarutobi bought them, but later, Kushina Uzumaki told him she had prepared them while pregnant, enough to last him until he was twelve.

.Ti Ta provided the story "Naruto: Starting with Asura Chakra"