Naruto Uzumaki stared blankly at the translucent blue ice pop in his hand, lost in thought.
He had imagined this scene countless times.
He had wished for someone to share an ice pop with him.
And now that moment had finally come!
He opened his mouth and stuffed the ice pop inside, sweet meltwater immediately washing over his taste buds.
A broad smile spread across Naruto's face as he mumbled around it.
"Delicious!"
This was the feeling he had always longed for most!
Someone to keep him company, someone who cared.
"By the way, want to try this?"
Jiraiya took a bite of his ice pop and spoke with his mouth full.
Puzzled, Naruto Uzumaki looked up at Jiraiya and asked:
"What? Try what?"
"Hold out your right hand."
Jiraiya pulled a brush from his pocket, took Naruto Uzumaki's outstretched right hand, and drew a comma on his palm.
"What's that supposed to do?"
An inscrutable smile appeared on Jiraiya's face, but he did not answer directly.
Instead, he picked up the brush again and drew a similar comma-shaped symbol on his own left hand.
Naruto stared in bewilderment. This was the trick?!
"You're the type who got scolded for not paying attention at the Ninja Academy, aren't you?"
What was this Pervy Sage getting at?!
Growing even more confused, Naruto said:
"What's that got to do with this?"
"..."
Jiraiya gave Naruto a long, searching look.
This kid could be incredibly sharp sometimes, yet hopelessly slow at others.
He really did deserve to be called the number-one unpredictable ninja!
Helpless, Jiraiya rummaged in his pocket, took out a sheet of blank paper, and held it up in front of Naruto Uzumaki.
"What do you see?"
Though confused, Naruto Uzumaki still answered.
"A blank sheet of paper!"
"Good. Now tell