It Should Be Its Credit

"Alright! I'm stuffed."

Lin Mu sat in his seat for a while until Naruto Uzumaki finally finished eating.

"Good, let's head back to the inn to get a good night's sleep, then continue our training tomorrow!"

Lin Mu stood up, stretched his arms wide, and led Naruto Uzumaki back to the inn.

Click...

Lin Mu pulled the key from his pocket, opened the door, and walked inside.

"Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow!"

Just then, a cat crawled out, its two paws batting at the water balloon Naruto Uzumaki had been using for his training.

"That thing isn't your toy."

Naruto took a few steps forward, intending to retrieve his water balloon.

But after two steps, he suddenly stopped.

The look of satisfaction from having just eaten was replaced by a thoughtful expression.

He watched as the cat's two paws batted the water balloon back and forth.

Pop—splash!

Before long, the water balloon on the floor burst into shreds, and the water inside spilled all over the ground.

As he watched the cat's movements, the expression on Naruto Uzumaki's face began to shift.

It started as confusion, slowly transformed into solemnity, and finally, that solemnity was tinged with a flash of realization.

The moment the water balloon ruptured, a sharp glint erupted in his eyes.

"That's it... I get it now, I finally get it!"

The next morning, Naruto Uzumaki pushed open the door and walked into Jiraiya's room.

At this moment, Jiraiya was still fast asleep and hadn't gotten up yet.

"Hey, Pervy Sage!"

Naruto stood over Pervy Sage's head and called out to him.

"Hmm... hmm? Oh, it's you, Naruto. Go pour me a glass of water."

Jiraiya was still groggy and not fully awake, but feeling thirsty, he asked for some water.

"You want water?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Naruto's mouth.

He took out a water balloon, held it in his hand, and suspended it over Jiraiya's head.

Then, he gently circulated his chakra, focusing it upon the water balloon.

A crisp sound rang out; the balloon in Naruto's hand burst instantly, and all the water inside splashed onto Jiraiya's face.

"Ah!"

Jiraiya jolted, fully awake now.

"I've completed the first stage!"

"You completed the first stage?!"

Jiraiya was surprised, though he didn't show it on his face.

"Go ahead and demonstrate it for me."

Naruto Uzumaki didn't waste any words; he immediately took out another water balloon and placed it in his left hand.

"Your left hand?"

Jiraiya frowned, feeling a bit puzzled.

Naruto ignored him, focusing his chakra into his left hand and continuously exerting force on the water inside the balloon.

At the same time, he gathered chakra in his right hand, applying it to the top of the balloon in a unique way.

Both hands were filled with chakra, acting upon the water balloon simultaneously.

Soon, the water balloon in Naruto's hand began to stretch and compress in every direction.

The water balloon burst.

"Hahahahahaha! How about that? Isn't my training speed fast? I really am a genius!"

Naruto Uzumaki felt like he was really showing off.

He stood with his hands on his hips, eyes closed, his face full of smug satisfaction.

But after a long while, no sound came back.

He couldn't help but open his eyes, only to find Jiraiya sitting there, already fast asleep.

"..."

A series of black lines floated over Naruto Uzumaki's head.

Ten-plus minutes later, Jiraiya had finished washing up, and Lin Mu and the others arrived at the inn's small dining room for a meal.

"Sorry, sorry about that!"

Jiraiya wore a cheeky, grinning face.

"Because I've been gathering intelligence day and night recently, I was truly exhausted, so I couldn't help but fall asleep."

Lin Mu, Naruto: "..."

Given the smell of alcohol all over you, who would believe you were gathering intelligence?!

However, neither Lin Mu nor Naruto voiced these words.

Sometimes, one still needs to give some face to Jiraiya, their training mentor.

Jiraiya's expression remained grinning, his gaze landing on Naruto, feeling a sense of approval in his heart.

"To think he actually used his right hand to repeatedly touch the water balloon in his left hand, making the water inside rotate. Although the idea is a bit strange, he really is an interesting guy!"

Though inwardly surprised by Naruto's ingenuity, Jiraiya already possessed plenty of experience as a teacher.

He knew that at times like this, praise was extremely important.

Thus, he laughed:

"Not bad, not bad. You understood the trick very well, though it's all thanks to me."

Lin Mu, Naruto: "..."

If you don't know how to praise someone, then don't praise them at all!!!

"Meow, meow, meow, meow!"

A series of cat calls drifted over, and the small cat that had appeared in Naruto's room last night walked over with elegant steps.

Naruto's eyes lit up the moment he saw it.

He reached out to scoop up the kitten, holding it in his arms, and said with a grin:

"It should be this guy's credit! I only realized this method after seeing it play with the water balloon.

It kept batting at the water balloon with its front paws, making the water inside rotate in different directions. Then, I got the inspiration!"

"Hm?"

Jiraiya became interested at this moment and asked:

"What kind of inspiration did you get?"

"When Pervy Sage first burst one for me to see, I remembered that the water balloon became uneven, yet I had been trying to make the water rotate in the same direction the whole time.

The reason Pervy Sage's water balloon became uneven was because the water inside was rotating in various directions.

Then I tried it in my own way, and it burst!"

A smile appeared on Jiraiya's face.

"This method you came up with yourself is indeed quite good. Now, the first stage is complete!"

"Great! I truly am the man who will become Hokage in the future!"

Naruto was very happy now, his body bouncing and jumping around once again.

Watching Naruto's energetic state, a hint of doubt appeared on Jiraiya's face.

"The difficulty of the Rasengan is very high; it's easy to put a burden on the meridian system due to excessive chakra usage.

Naruto has been training day and night recently, yet he's still this energetic?"

Jiraiya's gaze subconsciously shifted, landing on Lin Mu.

"Hm?"

Lin Mu sensed Jiraiya's gaze and also grinned.

"That's right, it must be Lin Mu using his own Wood Release chakra to heal Naruto..."

These two are both very good children!

Jiraiya felt very gratified in his heart; both Lin Mu and Naruto possessed top-tier talent, and they trained diligently.

More importantly, their character was excellent.

Cheerful and optimistic, they cherished their companions, valued friendship, and respected their elders.

According to Jiraiya's educational philosophy developed over many years, only such people could become true powerhouses and eventually stand at the pinnacle of this Naruto World.

They had talent, faith, perseverance, and bonds.

One must ask, with such outstanding geniuses, plus the guidance of a good mentor like him, how could they not become strong?