He Really Had Some Skill

At the inn, Naruto Uzumaki stared in confusion at the flames burning before him.

"What kind of fire is this? Why is it black?"

He reached out a finger, as if wanting to get a closer feel for the strange flames.

Jiraiya's expression changed. He quickly reached out and pulled Naruto back, scolding him irritably:

"Don't go near it so casually!"

The strong hand yanked Naruto off balance. He had been about to complain.

But when he looked up and saw Jiraiya's serious expression, he swallowed and held back the words on the tip of his tongue.

With a grave expression, Jiraiya carefully examined the black flames, then reached into his clothes and took out a scroll.

"How on earth did that guy escape from here...?"

He couldn't make sense of it.

"And... what exactly is this black fire? The Rock Toad's insides, which can normally spew fire, have actually been burned through..."

Even with Jiraiya's vast experience and knowledge, he couldn't identify what kind of black flames these were.

He only instinctively sensed that they were incredibly dangerous!

Slap—rustle!

Jiraiya spread the scroll on the ground, then took out a brush and began writing strange characters and patterns across the blank paper.

"Good!"

After confirming that he had written everything correctly, Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, and he quickly formed Hand Seals.

"Sealing Jutsu: Fire Sealing Method, Flame Seal!"

Then he slammed his right hand against the ground. Strange forces began emanating from the scroll he had written on.

The force was like an invisible hand, gradually reaching toward the fiercely burning black flames.

Wooo—

The force made a strange sound, then completely enveloped the flames and drew them back into the scroll Jiraiya had written on.

At last, the blank space in the center of the scroll displayed the character "Seal."

Phew—

"That should take care of it."

After sealing away all the strange black flames, Jiraiya finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He raised his right foot and stamped hard on the ground. The Rock Toad's intestines gradually disappeared.

"Sasuke!"

With the intestines no longer supporting him, Sasuke lost his balance and began to fall.

Naruto cried out and hurried forward, catching Sasuke and slowly lowering him to the ground.

Blood trickled from Sasuke Uchiha's mouth, and his face looked terribly haggard.

His eyes were vacant, and his pupils had even begun to lose focus.

"This is..."

Naruto was so stunned that he didn't know what to do. After all, he was still just a child, and he had no idea how to handle a situation like this.

"His hand and ribs are broken, and Tong Shu attacked him mentally. He's unconscious... In any case, hurry and take Sasuke to the medical team!"

Jiraiya stepped forward and briefly examined Sasuke Uchiha. His expression grave, he explained the situation.

Naruto fell silent. He raised his head to look at Jiraiya and asked:

"Pervy Sage, Sasuke's going to be okay, right?!"

Jiraiya's expression remained serious. He knew how important Sasuke was to Naruto.

He thought it over carefully before answering:

"It looks like the mental trauma is quite severe..."

Hearing Jiraiya's vague and uncertain reply, Naruto clenched his teeth.

He suddenly stood up and shouted, his emotions spiraling out of control:

"Damn it! Why? What did that guy do to Sasuke? Pervy Sage, tell me!"

"I'm changing the plan... I was scared just now, but this time I'll catch up to those two guys in black cloaks and beat them down. They're after me, aren't they?!"

Jiraiya's expression shifted slightly at Naruto's angry words, but he still replied:

"Even if you went after them now, you'd only get yourself killed... The gap in strength is too great! I only just managed to get them away from you."

Naruto's blood surged. His mind was filled with thoughts of Sasuke's injuries. How could he worry about anything else?

He shouted angrily, "So you expect me to keep hiding from them forever?! To live in fear every day?!"

Jiraiya's eyes shifted slightly, and his expression grew stern. He scolded Naruto:

"Shut up!!!"

Jiraiya's sudden rebuke left Naruto stunned.

In Naruto's eyes, Jiraiya had always been the joking, lecherous Pervy Sage and the master who taught him how to train. He had never seen Jiraiya act so sternly.

The anger on Naruto's face slowly faded, and he lowered his head.

Seeing Naruto fall silent, Jiraiya sighed. After a long pause, he continued:

"You're too weak right now..."

Although he didn't know what kind of organization Akatsuki was or why they wanted to capture the Tailed Beasts,

he couldn't deny that every member of Akatsuki possessed terrifying strength.

Like Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki just now. Although he had managed to suppress them,

their own strength was still terrifying—so terrifying that it was even close to Kage Level!

The Nine-Tails was also one of the most powerful demons in the world. If Naruto Uzumaki could control its power, he would stand at the very peak of strength in this world.

But now, Naruto Uzumaki could even be controlled by the Nine-Tails!

The Nine-Tails could be called the strongest of the Nine Tailed Beasts, yet its Jinchuriki was a weak, ignorant child.

That was practically an invitation for people with ulterior motives to hunt Naruto down.

This time, Jiraiya had been by Naruto's side and had protected him. But what about next time? What about in the future?!

For the first time, Jiraiya felt an urgent sense of crisis.

Teaching Naruto to train, helping him quickly grow stronger and gain the ability to protect himself—that was the most pressing matter now!

"Then what should we do now?"

After a long silence, Naruto finally asked.

Jiraiya pondered for a moment, then said:

"Sasuke is so badly injured that there may be only one person who can save him now."

"Who?!"

"Tsunade, the third of the Sannin besides Orochimaru and me!"

"Then let's hurry and find her!"

Naruto was extremely anxious. He knew Sasuke was in grave danger.

If they didn't get him help in time, his life might be at risk!

"We..."

Jiraiya was about to say a few words to comfort Naruto when a voice suddenly interrupted him.

"I have a Wood Style Body. Maybe my chakra can help heal him..."

Lin Mu?!

Jiraiya's face lit up. Things had been so urgent that he had actually forgotten about Lin Mu.

He hadn't expected Lin Mu to make it back unharmed after being hunted by Kisame Hoshigaki. He really did have some skill!

Jiraiya's impression of Lin Mu improved further.