Indeed, a Bit of Skill

Inside the inn, Naruto Uzumaki observed the burning flames before him with a face full of confusion.

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

He reached out a finger, seemingly wanting to get a better feel for these peculiar flames.

Jiraiya's expression shifted; he quickly reached out and pulled Naruto Uzumaki back, snapping irritably:

"Don't just go near things like that!"

Naruto stumbled from the force of the grip and was about to complain.

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

Jiraiya's face was solemn as he carefully examined the black flames, then reached out to pull out a scroll.

"How on earth did that guy manage to escape from here..."

This question left him completely baffled.

"And... what exactly are these black flames? They even managed to burn through the innards of the Rock Toad, which is supposed to be fireproof..."

With all of Jiraiya's vast experience and knowledge, he was unable to identify the nature of these black flames.

He only felt an instinctive sense that these flames were incredibly dangerous!

Snap—rustle!

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

"Done!"

After confirming there were no errors in what he had written, Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, and his hands moved in a rapid sequence of seals.

"Sealing Technique: Fire Sealing Method!"

He then slammed his right hand heavily onto the ground, and waves of strange power emanated from the scroll he had inscribed.

That power acted like an invisible hand, gradually extending toward the raging black flames.

Whoosh—

The power emitted a strange sound, eventually wrapping around the flames entirely and pulling them back into the scroll Jiraiya had prepared.

Finally, the character "Seal" appeared in the blank space at the center of the scroll.

Huff—

"That should finally be the end of it."

Having sealed away all of the eerie black flames, Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief.

He lifted his right foot and stomped heavily on the ground, causing the innards of the Rock Toad to gradually vanish.

"Sasuke!"

Deprived of the support of the toad's innards, Sasuke Uchiha lost his balance and began to collapse.

Naruto cried out in alarm, rushing forward to catch Sasuke and slowly lower him to the ground.

At this moment, Sasuke Uchiha had blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his face looking incredibly haggard.

His eyes were vacant, his pupils even showing signs of dilation.

"This is..."

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

"His hand and ribs are fractured, and he has suffered a mental attack from Tong Shu, causing him to lose consciousness... In any case, get Sasuke to the medical unit immediately!"

Jiraiya stepped forward to perform a brief examination of Sasuke Uchiha's condition, his expression grave as he spoke slowly.

Naruto fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Jiraiya and asked:

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

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

After carefully weighing his words, he replied:

"It seems the mental trauma is quite severe..."

Hearing Jiraiya's ambiguous and vague answer, Naruto Uzumaki bit his lip hard.

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

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

"Change the plan... Even though I was scared just now, this time I'm going to catch up to those two guys in the black cloaks and beat them into the ground. They're looking for me, aren't they!?"

Jiraiya's expression shifted slightly upon hearing Naruto's angry outburst, but he still spoke up:

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

Naruto Uzumaki's blood boiled. With his mind entirely consumed by the thought of Sasuke's injuries, how could he possibly care about anything else?

He shouted in anger, "Then are you telling me to hide from them forever?! To live every single day in fear?!"

"..."

Jiraiya's gaze shifted slightly, his expression turning stern as he barked, "Shut your mouth!!!"

Naruto Uzumaki was stunned by the sudden outburst.

In his heart, Jiraiya had always been the laughing, Pervy Sage and the master who taught him to train; he had never seen him look so severe.

The anger on his face silently faded, and he lowered his head.

Seeing Naruto fall silent, Jiraiya sighed, and after a long while, he continued, "You are too weak right now..."

Although he did not know the true nature of the Akatsuki organization or their purpose in capturing the Tailed Beast, he could not deny that every member of Akatsuki possessed terrifying, formidable strength.

Just like Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki from earlier—even though they had been suppressed by him, their raw power was still horrifying, approaching the level of Kage-level!

The Nine-Tails was one of the most powerful demons in the world; if Naruto Uzumaki could master its power, he would stand at the pinnacle of strength in this world.

But right now, Naruto Uzumaki was being held back by the Nine-Tails!

The Nine-Tails could be considered the strongest of the nine Tailed Beast, yet its Jinchuriki was nothing more than a weak, ignorant child.

This was practically an invitation for those with malicious intent to hunt Naruto down.

This time, it was Jiraiya who had been by Naruto's side to ensure his safety, but what about next time? What about the future?!

For the first time, a sense of urgent pressure rose within Jiraiya's heart.

Teaching Naruto to train, helping him rapidly improve his strength, and giving him the power to protect himself—that was the top priority now!

"Then what should we do now?"

After a long silence, Naruto Uzumaki finally asked.

Jiraiya pondered for a moment before saying, "Sasuke has suffered such severe injuries; I fear there is only one person who can save him now."

"Who?!"

"The other member of the Sannin besides myself and Orochimaru—Tsunade!"

"Then let's go find her quickly!"

Naruto Uzumaki was incredibly anxious; he knew Sasuke's condition was critical.

If he didn't receive timely treatment, his life might be in danger!

"We..."

Just as Jiraiya was about to say a few words to comfort Naruto Uzumaki, a voice suddenly interrupted him.

"I possess the Wood Style Body; perhaps my chakra might have some healing effect on him..."

Lin Mu?!

A look of joy appeared on Jiraiya's face. The situation had been so urgent that he had completely forgotten about this kid, Lin Mu.

He hadn't expected him to escape unscathed from Kisame Hoshigaki's pursuit; he truly had some skill!

Jiraiya's impression of Lin Mu improved even further.