It Must Have Been Thanks to the Cat

"All right! I'm full."

Lin Mu sat there for a while, and Naruto Uzumaki finally finished eating.

"Good. Let's head back to the inn and get a good night's sleep. We'll continue training tomorrow!"

Lin Mu stood up, stretched lazily, and led Naruto Uzumaki back to the inn.

Click...

Lin Mu took the key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and went inside.

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

Just then, a cat crawled out and pawed at the water balloon Naruto Uzumaki used for training.

"That's not a toy."

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

But after two steps, he suddenly stopped.

He had just finished eating, and the satisfied expression on his face gave way to a thoughtful one.

He watched as the cat pawed at the water balloon, back and forth.

Pop—splash!

Before long, the water balloon on the floor burst into pieces, spilling all the water inside.

As the cat played, Naruto's expression began to change.

First he looked puzzled, then gradually grew serious. At last, a hint of realization appeared in his solemn expression.

The moment the water balloon burst, his eyes suddenly lit up.

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

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

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.

"Mm... Hm? Naruto, go get me a glass of water."

Jiraiya was still groggy and hadn't fully woken up. Feeling a little thirsty, he asked Naruto to get him some water.

"Water?"

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Naruto's mouth.

He put a water balloon in some water and held it over Jiraiya's head.

Then he gently circulated the chakra in his body, directing it toward the water balloon.

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

"Ah!"

Jiraiya jolted. This time, he was completely awake.

"I've completed the first stage!"

"You've completed the first stage?!"

Jiraiya was a little surprised, but didn't let it show on his face.

"Show me. Let's see."

Naruto Uzumaki didn't waste any time. He took out another water balloon and placed it on his left hand.

"Your left hand?"

Jiraiya frowned, looking puzzled.

Naruto ignored him. He focused chakra in his left hand and kept directing it into the water inside the balloon.

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

Both hands were filled with chakra, and both worked on the water balloon at once.

Soon, the balloon in Naruto's hand began stretching and contracting in every direction.

The water balloon burst.

"Hahahahahaha! How was that? Wasn't my training progress super fast? I really am a genius!"

Naruto Uzumaki felt like he was stealing the show.

He stood with his hands on his hips and his eyes shut, his face brimming with smug satisfaction.

But no sound came for a long while.

He couldn't help opening his eyes. Jiraiya was sitting there, fast asleep.

"..."

A string of black lines drifted over Naruto Uzumaki's head.

A dozen minutes later, Jiraiya had finished washing up, and the three of them went to the inn's small dining room to eat.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Jiraiya wore an ingratiating grin.

"I've been gathering intel day and night lately, and I was so exhausted that I couldn't help falling asleep."

Lin Mu and Naruto: "..."

With all that booze on your breath, who would believe you were out gathering intel?!

But neither Lin Mu nor Naruto said it aloud.

Sometimes, you had to show the teacher a little respect.

Jiraiya was still grinning as his gaze fell on Naruto. He felt a little admiration for him, too.

He actually figured out how to make the water inside rotate by repeatedly tapping the balloon in his left hand with his right. It's a bit of an unusual idea, but what an interesting kid!

Though he was surprised by Naruto's unconventional thinking, Jiraiya had plenty of teaching experience.

He knew praise was very important at a time like this.

So he smiled and said:

"Not bad, not bad. You've understood the trick very well. But it's all thanks to me, of course."

Lin Mu and Naruto: "..."

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

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

A cat meowed. The little cat that had appeared in Naruto's room last night was now walking over with graceful steps.

Naruto's eyes lit up as soon as he saw it.

He reached out, scooped up the little cat, and cradled it in his arms. With a beaming grin, he said:

"It should be thanks to this little guy! I figured out the method after watching it play with the water balloon.

It kept pawing at the balloon with its front feet, making the water inside spin in different directions. That gave me an idea!"

"Hm?"

Jiraiya perked up and asked:

"What idea?"

"When Pervy Sage burst the balloon to show me the first time, I remembered how the surface had become uneven. But I'd been making the water spin in only one direction.

The balloon Pervy Sage burst became uneven because the water inside was spinning in all sorts of directions.

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

A smile appeared on Jiraiya's face.

"You really did come up with a good method on your own. Now the first stage is over!"

"Awesome! I really am a man who's going to become Hokage someday!"

Naruto was so happy that he started bouncing around again.

Jiraiya watched Naruto's lively antics, a hint of puzzlement appearing on his face.

"The Rasengan is a difficult technique. It's easy to strain the chakra pathways by using too much chakra.

Naruto's been training around the clock lately. How is he still so energetic?"

Jiraiya's gaze shifted unconsciously and fell on Lin Mu.

"Hm?"

Lin Mu noticed Jiraiya looking at him and grinned.

That's it. Lin Mu must have used his Wood Release chakra to heal Naruto...

Those two really were good kids!

Jiraiya felt deeply gratified. Lin Mu and Naruto were both exceptionally talented, and they trained hard.

More importantly, they had good hearts.

They were cheerful and optimistic, treasured their comrades, valued friendship, and respected their teachers.

According to Jiraiya's years of teaching, only people like that could become true powerhouses and eventually stand at the pinnacle of this Naruto World.

They had talent, faith, perseverance, and bonds.

With such outstanding geniuses, and a good teacher like him to guide them, how could they not grow stronger?