Rasengan

Jiraiya and Lin Mu chattered away, discussing the practical utility of Wood Release.

After a long while, they finally reached a conclusion.

A Wood Release practitioner is simply the essential teammate to have when traveling or carrying out missions!

It is a real pity, however, that there are so few Wood Release practitioners in this world.

Just as Lin Mu and Jiraiya were laughing and joking around, Naruto Uzumaki suddenly spoke up:

"Hey! Pervy Sage..."

Ever since the incident with Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki had remained silent and withdrawn, a stark contrast to his usual self.

He gathered his thoughts, his eyes downcast as he said:

"Why are those guys targeting me? Pervy Sage, you must know the reason, right?"

Jiraiya's expression turned serious upon hearing this question, but a few seconds later, a smile appeared on his face.

It might not be a bad thing for Naruto Uzumaki to know certain truths.

He began to explain:

"Rather than saying they are targeting you, it would be more accurate to say they are after what is inside you!"

"What exactly is this thing? It's the monster that attacked Konoha, right? That's why everyone fears it, so why would those guys want to get their hands on it?"

Naruto Uzumaki reached out and touched his lower abdomen, his heart filled with confusion.

Jiraiya's gaze turned solemn once more; he knew that Naruto Uzumaki was currently troubled by this question.

This would be very detrimental to his future training!

"Indeed... since ancient times, the Nine-Tails has appeared at the crossroads of eras, a powerful demon capable of destroying everything!"

Jiraiya spoke slowly, explaining the truth about the Nine-Tails to Naruto Uzumaki.

"That is why people in the past feared the Nine-Tails as a natural disaster... As for why those guys want such a thing? Honestly, I don't know their objective."

"It's just that since the Nine-Tails is sealed within you, those guys might be trying to seize that power for themselves!"

As he spoke, a hint of subtle sympathy appeared on Jiraiya's face.

He is still just a child.

"Being constantly coveted by such people is truly cruel, but this is also fate. However, I will protect you!"

Halfway through his sentence, a smile returned to his face.

With him by Naruto Uzumaki's side, there would naturally be no issues regarding Naruto Uzumaki's safety!

"Then I have to get stronger as fast as I can. Alright! Let's hurry up and find that person named Tsunade, and start training as soon as possible!"

Naruto Uzumaki was an optimist by nature, and though he had been silent about this matter for a long time, the fog in his heart gradually dissipated after Jiraiya's explanation.

Now, he was full of drive once again!

"Hahaha..."

Lin Mu, following behind the two, saw Naruto Uzumaki recover and began to laugh along with Jiraiya.

This is the real Naruto Uzumaki!

Tap, tap, tap...

The sound of the trio's footsteps gradually led them into a town, and the surroundings began to grow bustling and prosperous.

"The super beauty you want to go interview... is that Tsunade?"

Naruto Uzumaki looked up, his small face furrowed in a frown.

Jiraiya looked down, seemingly surprised by Naruto Uzumaki's question, and smiled:

"For you, that's a quick reaction. So what about it?"

"That person is one of the Sannin, just like Pervy Sage, right... How old is she?"

"This... well, she's the same age as me, of course."

This is probably an old hag, isn't it?!

Imagining what Tsunade might look like, Naruto Uzumaki shuddered, his features scrunching up in disgust.

After walking a few more steps, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't help but ask again.

"Then, then... what kind of person is this Tsunade?"

"Hmm? Are you interested in her?"

Jiraiya stroked his chin with his finger, a thoughtful look on his face, as if he didn't know how to describe Tsunade.

"In a word, she's an annoying person, and she's also super addicted to gambling. People in almost every country know her!"

"Since she's so famous, we should be able to find her quickly, right?"

Naruto Uzumaki hopped up and down, his face full of anticipation.

Jiraiya pondered for a moment and said:

"I'm afraid we won't be able to find her immediately... because she hates getting old, and she's likely using a special ninjutsu to change her appearance now."

As he spoke, Jiraiya glanced at Lin Mu out of the corner of his eye.

This kid also carries the bloodline of the Senju Clan; hopefully, we can find some answers from Tsunade this time...

"Even if she's actually fifty, she probably looks only about twenty years old!"

Lin Mu listened to Jiraiya from behind, the image of Tsunade appearing in his mind.

Of the current Legendary Sannin, she is the only one he hasn't had direct contact with yet.

"..."

Listening to Jiraiya's ambiguous words, Naruto Uzumaki felt a massive headache coming on.

He had no idea how much time this would take!

"I won't waste any time. Because all the time on the road will be spent on you! The time to make you stronger... is training!"

Seeming to guess what was on Naruto Uzumaki's mind, Jiraiya wore an encouraging smile.

"Training?"

Naruto Uzumaki's eyes widened slowly, flickering with longing.

"What kind of powerful ninjutsu is Pervy Sage going to teach me?"

Ninjutsu?

Jiraiya rubbed his chin again.

Perhaps he should pass that technique on to Naruto Uzumaki; after all, Naruto Uzumaki shares a unique connection with the creator of that technique.

He was a man of action.

Jiraiya extended his right hand directly and said:

"Naruto Uzumaki, watch this ninjutsu carefully!"

Then, chakra began to condense on his right hand, the way it gathered appearing chaotic yet following a strange, mysterious pattern.

"This is..."

Lin Mu widened his eyes as well.

Hum, hum, hum—

Strange fluctuations emanated from Jiraiya's right hand, and soon the chakra condensed into a spherical orb, glowing with a blue light.

Looking around, Jiraiya locked his gaze onto a large boulder.

Moving a few steps closer, Jiraiya didn't waste any words.

He shouted:

"Rasengan!!!"

Then, he slammed the blue orb in his hand directly into the giant rock.

Hum, hum, hum—

Instead of the expected flying debris, a perfectly circular hole appeared neatly in the boulder.

This was the effect achieved only by highly compressing the power of chakra.

It was even more astonishing than simply smashing the rock to pieces!

"Truly worthy of being the Fourth Hokage's technique!"

Lin Mu's eyes were shining with brilliance; he naturally knew the fame of the Rasengan.

This was the ninjutsu created by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who had spent three years developing it after drawing inspiration from the Tailed Beast Bomb.

By concentrating chakra in the hand, causing it to flow in irregular directions, and compressing it, it forms a palm-sized, non-elemental chakra sphere.

Its power is immense, not inferior to the Chidori!