A Pleased Jiraiya

"Konoha doesn't have many decent people; even the Tailed Beasts are tsundere."

Naruto practiced the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and various ninjutsu, coordinating them with his taijutsu.

The moon climbed across the sky.

Only then did Naruto finally begin to rest.

The next day, Jiraiya would verify Naruto's training results.

He might even have to learn some new things.

Forest Training Ground.

Jiraiya, perched on a tree branch, had been waiting for a long time.

He hid behind a tree, using a clone to wait for Naruto in the training ground.

Fifteen days had passed since the first training session.

Only half the time remained for the final battle of the Chunin Exams.

Jiraiya also wanted to see if Naruto had slacked off during this period of self-training.

How strong would the child of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki, be!

Training ground.

As soon as Naruto appeared, he used the Headhunter Jutsu to bury Jiraiya's clone underground.

Just as the clone struggled 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 to scorch the swamp, seizing the opportunity to escape.

"Great Flame Bullet!"

Naruto pursued with an even fiercer fireball.

Boom!

Amidst the clash of flames.

Jiraiya let his long hair loose to block part of the fire.

He turned and threw a shuriken!

This was actually a feint.

He intended to use this chance to capture Naruto's main body.

Swish!

Naruto threw a shuriken backhand.

But in mid-air, it transformed into thousands upon thousands of shuriken!

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

Jiraiya's main body behind the tree was startled.

How was this possible?

Although he knew Naruto could use Shadow Clone Jutsu, and even the more difficult Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique was created by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and very few people could use it!

A rain of shuriken fell from the sky.

Naruto seized the moment to form a Rasengan in his hand.

Whoosh!

It attacked Jiraiya's clone like a sudden storm.

"Well done."

Jiraiya's clone also launched a Rasengan in return.

The resulting impact and destructive power from their clash would be terrifying!

If Jiraiya's shadow clone had attacked Naruto with the same move, it would have caused incalculable injuries to his disciple.

Should he do this?

Jiraiya's main body pondered and still did not dispel the shadow clone.

Since he wanted to test Naruto's current strength, he should fight with all his might.

Perhaps it could even awaken Naruto's potential!

After all, one of the reasons Jiraiya initially helped Naruto train was to assist him in utilizing the Nine-Tails' power.

BOOM!

Two Rasengans collided.

As the ground was blasted into a massive crater, Jiraiya's shadow clone looked toward the Naruto before him, wanting to confirm the boy's condition.

But when the smoke cleared, not only was Naruto uninjured, he had already vanished.

"Leaf Body Flicker Style!"

"Konoha Dragon God!"

Leaves flew past his eyes as a whirlwind rose from the ground.

Another Naruto attacked from the flank.

The tornado swept Jiraiya's clone into mid-air, followed by a second Rasengan attack!

"You used the Shadow Clone Technique in advance? You pass."

Jiraiya's clone twisted in the air, forming hand seals with his feet.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

BOOM!

As three balls of flame attacked Naruto from different directions, Jiraiya's clone used the momentum to land in the opposite direction.

As one of the Sannin, Jiraiya's combat experience was far too vast; he had actually managed to find an opening amidst such a combo.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

On the ground, at the spot where Jiraiya's clone had just been, Naruto also formed seals to use the same Fire Style!

Another shadow clone!

Jiraiya was not only pleasantly surprised by Naruto's chakra reserves and rapid progress, but he was also delighted by his battle IQ.

Layer upon layer, wave after wave of attacks.

It was somewhat reminiscent of the Yellow Flash's battlefield blitz style.

"Nine points!"

Jiraiya gave a satisfied score.

The Shadow Clone Technique dissipated in mid-air, and the real body finally stepped out from the forest.

"Naruto, it seems you've been training well on your own; you've basically mastered more than half of what I taught you previously."

As soon as Jiraiya approached, the two Narutos locked eyes with him, their expressions immediately turning to disgust.

In the forest opposite, the Naruto who had been hanging upside down behind a tree using the Frilled Lizard Technique turned in mid-air and landed.

"Master Jiraiya, long time no see."

Naruto spun a kunai in his hand, making his entrance with a smile.

On the training ground scorched by the blazing sun, Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh out loud.

What a gifted talent!

What kind of new star in the ninja world would such a person become in the future?

"Ten points."

Jiraiya whispered in a voice only he could hear.

It was noon in Konoha.

The sun that had failed to shine on the Night of the Demon Fox thirteen years ago was now fully returned to Naruto.

Jiraiya gazed at the boy who overlapped with his memories, his tone earnest yet laced with a hint of teasing.

"Perhaps you are better suited to learn a different space-time ninjutsu right now."

"Of course, I don't know how to do that! Hahahaha!"

Jiraiya burst into loud laughter.

"There is certainly another technique I must teach you after the Chunin Exams, but it requires immense resilience, temperament, and willpower."

"Now is the time to begin your special training phase. Starting today, I will have a shadow clone accompany you for training every single day."

"Do not slack off for even a moment; sometimes, being surpassed by others happens in the blink of an eye!"

"I heard that the survivor of the Uchiha clan is currently receiving training from Kakashi! You wouldn't want to lose to him, would you?"

Jiraiya waved his hand and performed the Shadow Clone Technique once again.

The original body departed with a flourish.

He vanished from the treetops in just a few strides.

He thought to himself that Kakashi's grand-student was quite impressive, despite having somewhat low chakra reserves, so the great-grand-student he was teaching should also possess some real strength.

"Then let's begin. We fight until you are completely exhausted!"

Fantastic!

Naruto was brimming with fighting spirit.

What he lacked most right now was practical combat experience.

Having one of Jiraiya's shadow clones as a sparring partner was truly the best thing he could ask for.

Day after day of combat training followed.

Whenever Naruto was alone, he would practice the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and attempt to infuse wind-style chakra into the Rasengan.

He aimed to create a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken capable of long-range attacks!

On the other hand.

Naruto also discovered that while lightning-style chakra was incredibly violent, there was still an opportunity to integrate it into the Rasengan.

It could produce a super-strong paralyzing and electric shock effect!

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

There were seven days left until the start of the tournament.

Naruto's entire physique had been strengthened several times over.

It was all the result of his frantic training.

The system had been as quiet as the dead lately, not making a single sound.

It was likely because Naruto had been too busy training to berate the system.

Late at night.

To better relieve his fatigue.

Naruto specifically went to the Bathhouse to soak for two hours.

Only then did he walk comfortably to the Ichiraku Ramen shop.

"Old man! I'll have the same as last time."

Naruto decided to replenish some carbohydrates.

"Still nine bowls? It seems your appetite hasn't been great lately; you need to take care of yourself, Naruto."

The owner of Ichiraku Ramen went to boil the noodles happily.

Inuzuka Kiba, who was eating noodles nearby, was so shocked he nearly dropped his bowl on the floor.

"Naruto, you idiot, you can still eat nine bowls of ramen even with a poor appetite!"

Kiba was still annoyed about losing to Naruto in the preliminaries.

However, the two had a good relationship; as ninjas, their battles would never affect their camaraderie.

"Naruto, you've been training very diligently lately."

Yuhi Kurenai smiled.

She appeared to have brought Team 8 here to eat, but in reality, she just loved eating ramen herself.

"Thank you, Yuhi Kurenai-sensei!"

Naruto saw Aburame Shino, who was as invisible as ever, eating his noodles in silence.

Hinata Hyuga was eating her noodles slowly and methodically; it seemed she hadn't let herself go yet.

Otherwise, she should have already displayed the spirit of a future ramen-eating champion!

Wouldn't Hinata Hyuga starve to death like this?

No wonder she didn't have super combat power despite being of the main family's bloodline; it turned out she was being starved as the princess of the Hyuga clan!

The two locked eyes.

Hinata immediately blushed like a teapot.

"A defeated opponent worries about my appetite?"

Naruto ate several bowls of noodles before he started boasting to Inuzuka Kiba.

"Cut it out! You're going up against Neji, the monster called the strongest of the younger generation! Be serious!"

Kiba knew Naruto would be flippant.

"Don't worry, I will definitely defeat him!"

Naruto added the last bowl.

His incredibly confident answer left Inuzuka Kiba speechless for a moment.

Meow!

A cat on the street meowed.

"The cats near my place are calling me home, bye!"

Naruto left, surrounded by a crowd of cats.

"When did that guy become so popular with cats! Damn it! I still prefer Akamaru!"

Kiba hugged Akamaru, and the man and dog grinned.

"Maybe he really can."

Aburame Shino said coldly.

"Mm."

Hinata had never doubted Naruto's ability; she always believed in him!

"A ninja who isn't lost is like the sun; even a little light is enough to illuminate the night. Naruto is emitting that kind of blazing sunshine."

Yuhi Kurenai smiled elegantly.

Asuma, with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, waited for her at the corner of the alley.

"Let's go home!"

Naruto flopped onto the bed.

The system immediately made a sound.

[Ding!]

[Host's goodwill is influencing others, unlocking achievement: Blazing Sunshine]

[Received 10 goodwill points, go do good deeds!]

"You've been dead for so long just to snipe me!"

Naruto couldn't understand why it was so hard to become corrupted.

He had to draw the lottery again!