Naruto had been training with Jiraiya for several weeks, and the Toad Sage was very pleased with his progress. He had long since mastered tree climbing and was close to mastering water walking. His taijutsu had improved considerably, too-he could now beat ten shadow clones at once.
Naruto had also become fascinated with sealing jutsu. He could not understand why Konoha had so few sealing masters; Jiraiya seemed to be the only one who knew the craft. Jiraiya was very proud of that, since sealing jutsu was one of the most difficult arts in the shinobi world.
"All right, kid, you've trained enough. Come ashore and dismiss your clones. I've got a gift for you," the white-haired Toad Sage said. Naruto immediately jumped for joy.
"What kind of gift, sensei?" Naruto asked eagerly.
"This... the Summoning Technique." As soon as the old Toad Sage finished speaking, a scroll appeared out of thin air, with a small toad crouching beside it.
"Naruto, come here and sign your name beside Minato Namikaze's," Jiraiya said, pointing to a blank space on the scroll.
"Okay... done! What's next?" the blond boy asked.
"Make these hand seals, then slap your hand against the ground. Remember, no shadow clones. You have to do it yourself. If you use clones, you might end up summoning half the toads on Mount Myōboku," Jiraiya explained.
Training progressed slowly. At first, Naruto could only summon two mild-mannered little toads: the older brother, Gamakichi, and the younger brother, Gamatatsu. He could not summon anything bigger.
"What am I doing wrong, Jiraiya-sensei... Jiraiya-sensei? Are you peeping on women by the waterfall again? So this is what you're like! I thought you were just a little pervert," Naruto said angrily.
"Hey, I'm no little pervert," Jiraiya retorted. "I'm a super pervert."
"What's the difference...?" Naruto was speechless, a bead of cold sweat forming at his temple.
"Back to business. I know how to help you master this technique. You need to face a life-or-death situation. That should let you connect with the Nine-Tails and learn to control its chakra while you're at it," the Toad Sage said.
A valley outside Konoha
"Kid, whether you live or die comes down to this. Good luck." With that, Jiraiya shoved Naruto off the cliff. Silently, he thought, Minato, forgive me.
A moment later, Naruto appeared on the head of an enraged giant toad. After a brief conversation with his new summoner, Gamabunta decided to test him by making him stay on his head for an entire day. Naruto held on until sunset, then passed out the moment he made it to the end.
Over the next few weeks, Naruto continued training hard until he could finally summon toads as large as Gamabunta without relying on the Nine-Tails' chakra. He also went on several C-rank missions with Team 8, Team 10, or just Jiraiya. Most were basic assignments, such as delivering packages to small villages in the Land of Fire.
"What are we training today, Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked.
A vein bulged at Jiraiya's temple. "Kid, how many times have I told you not to call me that?"
"I'll stop when you stop peeping on women everywhere you go," Naruto shot back.
"All right, today I'm teaching you a new ninjutsu. It's just what you've been hoping for. My finest student, the Fourth Hokage, created it. It needs no hand seals, just chakra. Training has three steps: first, rotation; second, concentrating power; and finally, combining the two to perform this... Rasengan."
As Jiraiya finished speaking, a blue ball of chakra formed in his palm.
"That's so cool! How do I learn it?" Naruto could barely sit still after learning that his idol had created the Ninjutsu.
"Take these water balloons and do what I do." Jiraiya spun the water inside a balloon until it burst.
Naruto brought over a bucket of water balloons and immediately created a hundred shadow clones to practice. After several hours, he finally realized that he had to make the water spin in every direction.
Jiraiya then had Naruto begin the second stage of training, giving him a week to complete it. He left to manage his intelligence network, entrusting Naruto to Team 9. The following week was sheer hell for Naruto, especially since he also joined Guy and Lee for extra physical training.
By the end of the week, Naruto had successfully completed the Rasengan's second stage. After learning that Lee used weights to improve his speed, he started wearing weights himself. Now he was working on the third stage and felt close to success-he could keep a rapidly spinning ball of chakra stable for ten seconds without it exploding. He knew he could master it faster using a shadow clone, but he did not want to rely on a clone to perform the technique.
"You're nearly there, kid. You should have it down next week. I'll be away for a few weeks again, so find a squad to go on missions with. Preferably C-rank," Jiraiya said.
"Great! I've wanted to do C-rank missions for ages! D-rank missions are like kids playing house. They say they're supposed to teach teamwork, but we could do all that stuff at school," Naruto complained.
"I know, but those are the rules. Maybe you can change them when you become Hokage. Anyway, how's your sealing jutsu coming along? Ready for the intermediate books?" the white-haired man asked.
"Of course! I finished the beginner books last week. I've also had my shadow clones practice the Strong Fist taijutsu Guy-sensei taught me. Toad Style Taijutsu focuses on defense, while Strong Fist focuses on offense. Being able to switch between them in battle is really useful," Naruto said.
"Well done, kid. You're becoming more and more of a proper ninja. I'm proud of you. Keep it up, and remember to take your water balloons along next week, wherever you go. Show me what you've achieved when I get back," Jiraiya instructed.
The two trained until evening. Naruto went home, while Jiraiya headed to the Hokage Tower.
The next day, Hokage Tower
"Old man, I need a squad to do missions with for a few weeks! Pervy Sage has run off to peep on women again, and who knows what else he's up to," Naruto called out boisterously.
"Oh, Naruto. Jiraiya told me. Don't worry, there happens to be a C-rank mission available. I'll assign it to the next squad that comes in," the elderly Hokage said kindly.
He had barely finished speaking when Team 7 entered, all of them looking disheveled. Kakashi wore a helpless expression, while Sasuke held the struggling Tiger Cat in his arms.
"Team 7, good work catching Tiger Cat. Next, we have a few missions: walking dogs for the Inuzuka Clan, cleaning their kennels, painting fences..."
"No! Tiger Cat, don't run away!"
"And catching Tiger Cat again." The Hokage pressed a hand to his forehead, looking helpless.
"No!" Everyone in Team 7 except Kakashi protested.
"Well, there's also a C-rank mission. You're the last squad that hasn't done one yet. Kakashi, can they handle it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a sigh.
"Their teamwork could use some improvement, but they can handle a C-rank mission," the Copy Ninja replied.
"Good. Naruto will assist you on this mission. His teacher is away and instructed him to work with other squads until he returns," the Hokage said.
"Why Naruto? That idiot will only hold us back! He can't do anything right!" Sakura shrieked.
Naruto, who had just walked into the office, lowered his head. Why did I even like her? She's loud and mean, and she's never taken me seriously. I just wanted someone popular and smart to like me. Forget it. I'm completely done with her.
"Whatever you may think, Naruto is an excellent ninja, and he'll certainly be helpful. Now, please send Mr. Tazuna in," the Hokage said, raising his voice.
An old man in a straw hat entered, reeking of alcohol. His clothes were tattered, and he looked utterly worn out.
"These brats are supposed to protect me? They look no different from schoolchildren," the old man said disdainfully as he sized up the Genin.
Before you continue