Jiraiya Appears

Naruto and the six other Genin who had passed the Preliminaries remained in the hall as the Third Hokage began explaining the Third Exam.

(Sasuke was absent, leaving seven of them there.)

"The final matches will put your battles on display for an audience. As representatives of your respective countries, I expect you all to show your full strength!"

(In fact, only Genin from Konoha and Sunagakure were present...)

"The final matches will begin in one month."

"We'll notify the Daimyo and other prominent figures from each country in advance. You should use this month to prepare thoroughly."

Next, Naruto and the other six drew lots to determine their opponents.

The matchups were much the same as in the original story: Naruto would face Neji.

Sasuke would face Gaara, Shikamaru would face Temari, and Shino would face Kankuro.

Naruto turned and shot Neji a challenging look. Neji gave a cold snort but said nothing.

"So does that mean only four of us can become Chunin?" Shikamaru asked, getting to the heart of it.

"Of course not." The Third Hokage shook his head. "We'll judge whether each of you can become a Chunin based on your performance. Losing doesn't necessarily disqualify you, and winning doesn't guarantee promotion!"

"So everyone here has a chance to become a Chunin?" Shikamaru's future wife, Temari, followed up.

"Yes. But it's also possible that none of you will!" the Third Hokage said gravely.

"Well then, everyone, I'll see you in a month."

With that, the Third Hokage glanced at Naruto, said his farewells, and left.

"Senior Might Guy," Naruto called softly, catching up to Might Guy. "I'd really like to learn Taijutsu. Could you train me?"

Might Guy, Rock Lee, and Neji all turned to look at Naruto.

Neji sneered. "You think one month of Taijutsu training will be enough to beat me? How naive!"

Naruto ignored him and kept his eyes on Might Guy.

"Kakashi-sensei is definitely going to train Sasuke one-on-one from now on. He won't have time for me. I think you're the best at Taijutsu in all of Konoha, so I'm asking you again!"

Might Guy rubbed his chin in thought. Remembering that Naruto had just saved Rock Lee's life, he set aside any other concerns and gave Naruto a thumbs-up.

"Good! From now on, you'll experience the power of youth with us!"

"Naruto, you've made the right choice! Guy-sensei will help you become an outstanding Ninja!" Rock Lee gave Naruto a thumbs-up too, flashing his brilliant white teeth.

On the day the Preliminaries ended, Naruto went straight to the Training Ground with Might Guy and Rock Lee instead of going home.

The foundation of all Taijutsu training was physical fitness, so Naruto began by conditioning his body.

Might Guy taught Naruto every part of the training regimen he had developed and gave him a pair of weighted leg wraps.

Of course, the weights were only half as heavy as Rock Lee's.

He also offered Naruto a comfortable Green Bodysuit, but Naruto turned it down in embarrassment.

There was no shortcut to physical conditioning. He simply had to follow the plan and keep training, training, training, pushing past his physical limits again and again.

Thanks to his Uzumaki Clan Sage Body, Naruto recovered at an astonishing rate, which gave him far greater endurance.

An ordinary person might run for only three hours, but Naruto recovered his stamina and eased his muscle fatigue as he ran. He could keep going for six!

It wasn't until ten that night that Naruto finally stopped, panting too hard to continue. Rock Lee, whose physical fitness had already improved tremendously, was in much the same state.

The sight delighted Might Guy. Naruto was a natural for Taijutsu too!

He became even more attentive in training Naruto and, at Naruto's request, finally agreed to teach him several Taijutsu moves ahead of schedule.

That way, Naruto could use Shadow Clones to master the moves in advance. Once his body caught up, his Taijutsu would only grow stronger!

During this time, Kakashi quietly came by the Training Ground for a look.

He had found the Spectacle Teacher, Ebisu, to train Naruto, but after seeing what was happening, he could only sigh and leave.

Early the next morning, Naruto arrived at the Training Ground and spotted a white-haired Ninja fast asleep in a nearby treetop.

It was Jiraiya, of course.

After receiving the Toad Sage's prophecy and the Third Hokage's urgent summons, he had finally returned to Konoha.

But he still wanted to arrange a chance meeting with Naruto, just as he had in the original story. Then he would show off his strength and make Naruto ask to become his disciple.

He hadn't expected Naruto to ignore him!

Naruto followed the training plan Might Guy had laid out the day before, going about his exercises as though he hadn't seen Jiraiya at all.

Might Guy and Rock Lee soon arrived too. Neither was particularly observant, and they paid Jiraiya in the tree no mind. Instead, they exchanged thumbs-ups and toothy grins before proclaiming their devotion to youth.

Jiraiya couldn't keep up the act any longer. Pretending they had woken him, he grumbled in annoyance.

"What's all this nonsense you're training?"

Might Guy turned and gave Jiraiya a thumbs-up. "Hey, old-timer! Are you here bright and early to let your youth shine with us?"

"Your Taijutsu is too poor. I'm not training with you," Jiraiya said, every inch the unruffled master.

"Guy-sensei is the best at Taijutsu in all of Konoha! Even Senior Kakashi can't match him!" Rock Lee protested on his teacher's behalf.

"Kakashi? Even he can't match me!" Jiraiya said, then changed tack.

"Since you insist, I'll show you what I can do. If I beat you, get out of here and let me have a proper nap."

As he spoke, Jiraiya glanced toward Naruto. The commotion didn't seem to have distracted him; he remained focused on his Taijutsu practice and conditioning.

Seeing Naruto train with fifty Shadow Clones astonished Jiraiya and made him even more certain of the Toad Sage's prophecy:

Naruto really is the Child of Prophecy!

I have to make him my disciple!

His resolve set, Jiraiya launched into a Taijutsu bout with Might Guy without another word, trading blow after blow. He would defeat Might Guy, then get Naruto to ask to become his disciple.

Might Guy was unquestionably the best at Taijutsu in Konoha. But Jiraiya had spent decades fighting across the Shinobi World and had so much experience in close combat that he held his own.

The longer Might Guy fought, the more fired up he became. Jiraiya was only the second opponent he had met who could fight him to a standstill in Taijutsu.

Guy roared with excitement and struck harder and harder. Before long, the older Jiraiya was struggling to keep up.

Then Jiraiya remembered hearing about a Konoha eccentric called the "Blue Beast." Was this the guy?

Not wanting to embarrass himself, Jiraiya simply summoned a Great Toad, startling Might Guy.

Even Might Guy realized who he was then. He stared at Jiraiya in surprise. "Are you Lord Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya panted twice, then muttered helplessly, "You finally recognized me!"

"Guy-sensei, who's Lord Jiraiya? Is he as strong as you?" Rock Lee asked curiously from the sidelines.

Jiraiya cast Rock Lee an approving glance. This kid has thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he looks a little dim. Who knew he had a talent for playing along?

"Lord Jiraiya is one of the legendary Sannin, one of the strongest Ninja in Konoha!" Might Guy explained. Then he turned to Rock Lee with an encouraging grin.

"Lee, keep training hard. One day, you'll surpass even the Sannin!"

"I will, Guy-sensei!" Rock Lee promised, clenching his fist. Then he looked at Jiraiya with admiration in his eyes.

Jiraiya nodded in satisfaction and looked toward Naruto. His heart sank. Naruto seemed completely unmoved and was still training on his own.

Jiraiya sighed inwardly. Left with no choice, he called out to Naruto himself. "Hey, you! The blond kid over there!"