"There are hardly any decent people in Konoha. Even the Tailed Beasts are tsundere."
Naruto practiced combining Lightning Release Chakra Mode with various ninjutsu and Taijutsu.
The moon crossed the sky.
Only then did Naruto finally begin to rest.
The next day, Jiraiya would test the results of Naruto's training.
He might even teach him something new, if things went well.
Forest Training Ground.
Jiraiya had been waiting for a long time on a tree branch.
He was hiding behind a tree, with a clone standing in the training ground waiting for Naruto.
Fifteen days had passed since their first training session.
There was only half the time left before the final battle of the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Jiraiya wanted to see whether Naruto had slacked off during the time he'd been training on his own.
Just how strong would the child of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki, be?
The training ground.
As soon as Naruto appeared, he used the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique to bury Jiraiya's clone underground.
Just as the clone was about to break free,
the ground instantly turned into the "Swamp of the Underworld"!
It trapped Jiraiya's clone once more.
Whoosh!
"Flame Bullet!"
Jiraiya spat out a Flame Bullet, scorching the swamp as he seized the chance to escape.
"Great Flame Bullet!"
Naruto pursued him with an even more powerful fireball.
Boom!
As the flames clashed,
Jiraiya used his long, flowing hair to block part of the fire.
Then he turned and threw a Shuriken!
It was just a bluff.
He planned to use the opportunity to take down Naruto's real body.
Whoosh!
Naruto threw a Shuriken back at him.
But as it flew through the air, it transformed into thousands upon thousands of Shuriken!
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Jiraiya's real body, hidden behind the tree, was startled.
How is that possible?
He knew Naruto could use the Shadow Clone Technique, and even the more difficult Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
But the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique had been created by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Very few people knew how to use it!
A rain of Shuriken fell from the sky.
Taking advantage of the moment, Naruto formed a Rasengan in his hand.
Whoosh!
He attacked Jiraiya's clone with a fierce barrage.
"Nicely done."
Jiraiya's clone also launched a Rasengan.
The force and destruction unleashed by their clash would be terrifying!
If Jiraiya's Shadow Clone attacked Naruto the same way, it could cause his student serious, unpredictable injuries.
Should I do it?
Jiraiya considered it, but still didn't dispel the Shadow Clone Technique.
If he wanted to test Naruto's current strength, he had to go all out.
Perhaps it would bring out Naruto's potential!
After all, one of the reasons Jiraiya had helped Naruto train in the first place was to help him harness the Nine-Tails' power.
Boom!
The two Rasengan collided.
The ground was blasted into a huge crater.
Jiraiya's Shadow Clone looked at Naruto, wanting to check on his condition.
But when the smoke cleared,
Naruto was uninjured—and had vanished.
"Leaf Body Flicker Style!"
"Konoha Dragon God!"
Leaves fluttered past Jiraiya's eyes.
A whirlwind rose from the ground.
Another Naruto attacked from the side.
The tornado swept Jiraiya's clone into the air, and Naruto launched a second Rasengan!
"You used the Shadow Clone Technique ahead of time. That's a passing grade."
Jiraiya's clone turned in midair and formed Hand Seals with his feet.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Boom!
Three tongues of flame attacked Naruto from different directions.
At the same time, Jiraiya's clone dropped toward the ground in the opposite direction.
As one of the Sannin, Jiraiya had far too much experience. He'd actually found an opening in the middle of that combo.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
On the ground,
in the spot where Jiraiya's clone had landed,
Naruto formed Hand Seals and used the same Fire Release technique!
Another Shadow Clone!
Jiraiya was delighted not only by Naruto's chakra reserves and rapid progress, but also by his combat instincts.
A relentless series of attacks, one wave after another.
It was somewhat like the Yellow Flash's rapid-kill style on the battlefield.
"Nine points!"
Jiraiya gave him a satisfactory score.
The Shadow Clone vanished in midair.
Only then did Jiraiya's real body finally emerge from the forest.
"Naruto, it looks like you've trained well on your own. You've basically learned more than half of what I taught you before."
As soon as Jiraiya approached,
the two Narutos looked at him and immediately exploded in disgust.
In the forest across from them,
Naruto, who'd been hanging upside down behind a tree with the Frilled Lizard Technique, spun in midair and landed.
"Long time no see, Jiraiya-sensei."
Naruto twirled a Kunai in his hand.
He made his entrance with a smile.
Under the blazing sun at the training ground,
Jiraiya couldn't help laughing out loud.
What an exceptional talent!
Just what kind of rising star in the Ninja World would he become?
"Ten points."
Jiraiya murmured in a voice only he could hear.
At noon in Konoha,
the sunlight that had failed to arrive on the Night of the Demon Fox thirteen years ago now shone fully upon Naruto.
Jiraiya gazed at the boy, whose image overlapped with one in his memories.
His tone was earnest, but carried a hint of teasing.
"Maybe you'd be better off learning another Space-Time Ninjutsu now."
"Of course, I don't know how to use it! Hahahaha!"
Jiraiya laughed loudly.
"Of course, there's another technique I'll teach you after the Chunin Ninja Exams, but it requires tremendous perseverance, character, and willpower."
"Now it's time to begin your special training. Starting today, I'll send a Shadow Clone to train with you every day."
"Don't slack off. Sometimes, getting surpassed happens in the blink of an eye!"
"I heard the Uchiha Clan's lone survivor is training with Kakashi! You don't want to lose to him, do you?"
Jiraiya waved his hand and used the Shadow Clone Technique again.
His real body sauntered away.
In just a few steps, he disappeared from the treetops.
He thought, That grandstudent of mine, Kakashi, is pretty good aside from his low chakra reserves. His great-grandstudent should have some ability, too.
"Then let's get started. We'll fight until we're completely exhausted!"
This is great!
Naruto was brimming with fighting spirit.
What he needed most right now was combat experience.
Having one of Jiraiya's Shadow Clones to train against was the best possible thing.
Day after day, he trained through combat.
When Naruto was alone, he practiced Lightning Release Chakra Mode and tried infusing Wind Release chakra into the Rasengan.
He wanted to create a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken that could attack from a distance!
On the other hand,
Naruto also discovered that Lightning Release chakra was extremely volatile, but could still be infused into the Rasengan.
It could produce an incredibly powerful paralyzing, electrifying effect!
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
There were seven days left until the tournament began.
Naruto's physique had grown several times stronger.
It was all the result of his intense training.
Lately, the system had been as quiet as if it were dead.
Most likely, it was because Naruto had been too busy training to curse it out.
Night fell.
To soothe his fatigue, Naruto made a special trip to the Bathhouse and soaked for two hours.
Only then did he walk comfortably over to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Uncle! I'll have the same thing as last time."
Naruto decided to replenish his carbs.
"Nine bowls again? Your appetite's been poor lately, huh? Take good care of yourself, Naruto."
Uncle Ichiraku cheerfully went to cook the noodles.
Inuzuka Kiba, who was eating beside him, was so shocked he nearly dropped his bowl.
"Naruto, you idiot! Even when your appetite's bad, you can still eat nine bowls of ramen!"
Kiba was still upset about losing to Naruto in the preliminaries.
But they got along well, and a fight between ninja wouldn't affect their friendship.
"Naruto, you've been training really hard lately, haven't you?"
Yuhi Kurenai smiled.
She seemed to have brought Team 8 here to eat, but in truth, she just liked ramen.
"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei!"
Naruto saw that Aburame Shino was, as usual, practically invisible, quietly eating his noodles.
Hinata was eating slowly and delicately. It looked like she still hadn't let herself go.
Otherwise, she should've already shown the appetite of the future ramen-eating champion!
Wouldn't Hinata Hyuga starve to death like that?
No wonder she had no superhuman strength despite being born into the Main Family. She'd been starved as a princess of the Hyuga Clan!
Their eyes met.
Hinata immediately blushed as red as a teapot.
"Why should a loser like you care whether I have a good appetite?"
After Naruto had eaten a few bowls of noodles, he started bragging to Inuzuka Kiba.
"Give it a rest! You're up against Neji, the monster hailed as the strongest of the younger generation! Take this seriously!"
Kiba knew Naruto would act like a goof.
"Don't worry. I'll definitely beat him!"
Naruto added one last bowl to the stack.
His utterly confident answer left Kiba at a loss for words.
Meow!
Cats meowed in the street.
"The cats near my place are calling me home. Bye!"
Naruto left, surrounded by a crowd of cats.
"When did that guy get so popular with cats? Damn it! I still like Akamaru best!"
Kiba hugged Akamaru, and the boy and dog bared their teeth in matching grins.
"Maybe he really can do it."
Aburame Shino spoke coolly.
"Yeah."
Hinata had never doubted that Naruto could do it. She had always believed in him!
"A ninja who never loses his way is like the sun. Even a little light is enough to illuminate the darkness. Naruto shines with that kind of blazing light."
Yuhi Kurenai smiled gracefully.
Asuma was already waiting for her at the corner of the alley, a cigarette unlit between his lips.
"I'm home!"
Naruto flopped onto his bed.
The system chimed at once.
[ Ding! ] [ The Host's goodwill is affecting others. Achievement unlocked: Blazing Sunshine ] [ Reward: 10 Goodwill Points. Go help someone out! ]
"You've been dead this long, just to come back and take a shot at me!"
Naruto couldn't understand why Blackening was so difficult.
He'd have to draw again!