Just then, a clone held up a Kunai covered in a stable, light green Chakra membrane and shouted excitedly, "Main body, it's done! Vacuum Blade achieved!"
Immediately after, cheers came from the right. A clone threw a shuriken at the distant rock wall, completing the replication sequence in mid-air.
The shuriken split into over a dozen physical shuriken, spreading out in a fan shape and embedding themselves into the rock wall simultaneously.
Naruto's eyes lit up, and he said to Kurama, "Kurama, I'll come see you later."
Kurama yawned, its tail lazily sweeping across the grass. "Go ahead, don't let this kind of trashy Ninjutsu hold you back."
Naruto nodded, his consciousness returning to the real world.
He formed hand seals with both hands to dispel all Shadow Clones. The training memories of fifty Shadow Clones surged into his mind in an instant.
Chakra shaping and trial and error, the hand seal rhythm and throwing angles of the shuriken, and information alternating between success and failure were quickly archived under Absolute Control.
Naruto closed his eyes, and after digesting all this information, he opened them again.
He drew a Kunai and condensed Wind Chakra onto the blade following the path summarized by the Shadow Clones. The next moment, a stable layer of light green Chakra membrane flashed onto the blade surface, emitting a faint buzzing sound.
He threw this Kunai toward the distant rock wall, then quickly formed hand seals with both hands.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
The kunai split in mid-air into dozens of identical physical Kunai, pinning themselves onto the rock wall in an overwhelming downpour.
Looking at the dense cluster of Kunai on the rock wall, Naruto's lips curved into a satisfied arc.
"Hm?"
'Someone's here.'
Just then, within his Negative Emotions Sensing, Naruto caught someone approaching in this direction at extreme speed.
His smile faded, and his right hand reached toward his ninja tool pouch.
A moment later, the person stopped behind a giant rock about fifty meters from the woods.
Naruto frowned slightly.
This person was not from the Anbu. The Anbu wouldn't approach him so blatantly. Instead, they would maintain a surveillance distance of at least one hundred meters. But there was no hostility, so it wasn't an enemy.
However, being observed while hidden in the dark like this made it impossible to train properly.
Naruto pondered for a moment, then pulled three Kunai from his ninja tool pouch and threw them with all his might toward the giant rock where the uninvited guest was hiding.
Immediately following that, he formed hand seals with both hands.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
The three Kunai suddenly split into dozens in mid-air, shooting toward that giant rock in a blanket-coverage attack.
"What?"
Jiraiya, who was hiding behind the giant rock, had originally wanted to observe Naruto for a while, but he didn't expect that Naruto wouldn't give him any chance to keep peeking.
Dozens of Kunai came crashing down on him.
Needle Jizo!
In an instant, Jiraiya's white hair hardened, rapidly spreading from the back of his head and weaving into a hemispherical defensive wall in front of him.
Clang, clang, clang...
Dozens of shurikens smashed into the Needle Jizo. The sounds of metal colliding with hardened hair rose one after another.
The blade tips of the Kunai left faint white scratches on the wall, but none could penetrate the defense.
As soon as the attack stopped, Jiraiya immediately retracted Needle Jizo and jumped out from behind the riddled rock, hands on his hips. His white hair was somewhat messy from the previous defense, with a few stray locks sticking up on his forehead.
"Idiot, are you trying to kill me?"
"Isn't this that peeping uncle from this morning?"
Naruto unhurriedly put the Kunai he hadn't had time to throw back into his ninja tool pouch, his facial expression seamlessly switching from alert to surprised and innocent.
"Idiot, I am the Toad Sage Jiraiya, not some peeping uncle!"
Jiraiya, exasperated, punched the giant rock beside him, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear on its surface.
"Oh, Toad Sage."
Naruto crossed his arms and nodded thoughtfully. "Then that means Peeping Sage."
"Idiot, I was just gathering material! Do you understand what gathering material is? I am the author of Konoha's best-selling 'Icha Icha Paradise' series, and this is necessary observation for literary creation by immersing myself in life!"
Naruto put his hands in his pockets, his expression calm. "I don't understand, but you're hindering my training, peeping uncle. Also, according to Chapter 3, Section 4 of the Konoha Public Safety Regulations, any form of peeping behavior is illegal."
"I haven't reported you, yet you've come here to pick a fight with me? What exactly do you want?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya was taken aback. He immediately narrowed his eyes and re-examined Naruto from head to toe.
From discovering him hiding behind the giant boulder to his current way of responding, Naruto was not only unafraid, but also showed none of the excitement or awe that an ordinary Genin would have upon meeting one of the legendary Sannin. Furthermore, he had a bit of a sharp tongue.
Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. "Nothing much, but I suddenly feel like beating someone up."
Naruto spread his hands, his tone sounding like he was reasoning with an unreasonable child. "Peeping Uncle, that's where you're in the wrong. You broke the law first. I haven't even reported you yet, and you want to beat me up instead?"
Jiraiya wasn't buying it. His only thought right now was to beat this brat up to get revenge for his unfinished draft of Icha Icha Paradise.
"Enough talk, let me see what you're really capable of!"
As soon as Jiraiya finished speaking, he moved. He threw a right punch without any superfluous movements. The pure speed and power were enough to instantly knock down any Genin.
But his fist hit only a puff of white smoke, while Naruto's original body had already retreated ten meters away in an instant.
***
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