"Perverted Sage… that's a really profound thought…"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, his face filled with confusion. Although he had listened carefully to Jiraiya's long explanation, many of the ideas still felt distant and complicated to him.
Jiraiya burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Of course it's profound," he said proudly. "Even I, after living for more than fifty years, still can't find clear answers to those questions. I don't even know where to begin searching."
Naruto blinked.
Jiraiya didn't actually expect Naruto to fully understand what he had just said.
In fact, he knew Naruto probably understood less than half of it.
But that didn't matter.
Some ideas were like seeds.
Even if they didn't grow immediately, they could remain buried deep within the heart.
Perhaps one day in the future—maybe even after Jiraiya himself was gone—Naruto would suddenly remember that afternoon's conversation on the dusty road.
Maybe at that moment, Naruto would finally understand what Jiraiya meant.
And when that time came, Naruto might make the right decision.
If that happened, Jiraiya would feel that everything he had done today was worthwhile.
Naruto stretched his arms and let out a long breath.
After listening to Jiraiya's speech, he felt strangely refreshed, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest.
"Perverted Sage! I think I understand now."
"Oh?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.
Naruto clenched his fists.
"Even though this ninja world is full of terrible things… Even though Sasuke, Hinata, me, and everyone else have suffered pain and misfortune…"
He raised his head, determination burning in his blue eyes.
"One day, we'll definitely find a way to change this world!"
"We'll change our destiny!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly.
Then he laughed loudly and patted Naruto on the back.
"Good! That's what I like to hear!"
"That's ambition!"
He stretched his arms and looked toward the distant road.
"Come on. Finding Tsunade is only the beginning."
Naruto grinned widely.
"Okay, my love!"
"…What did you just call me?!"
By the time Naruto and Jiraiya returned to the inn, night had already fallen.
The sky above the town was dark, and the streets were illuminated only by scattered lanterns.
Naruto had experienced a brutal battle earlier that day.
Facing Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame had been far more dangerous than he expected.
Even thinking about it now made his body ache.
The battle had left him covered in wounds.
Although Jiraiya quickly treated him and stopped the bleeding, Naruto's body was still extremely exhausted.
Jiraiya was not a medical ninja like Tsunade.
However, his knowledge and experience were vast.
Treating wounds of this level was still well within his capabilities.
After finishing the treatment, Jiraiya stepped back and examined Naruto carefully.
"Your body's recovering quickly," he said.
Naruto grinned weakly.
"Well, I am awesome after all."
In truth, Naruto's recovery speed was not entirely normal.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, he possessed extraordinary vitality and healing abilities.
Combined with the Nine-Tails' chakra, his body recovered far faster than ordinary ninja.
Even so, the day's battle had pushed him to his limits.
But Naruto refused to rest.
After resting briefly, he forced himself to continue training before finally collapsing into sleep late at night.
The next morning.
Naruto woke up with a sudden sense of panic.
He had made a promise.
Three ninjutsu techniques.
Three days.
That was the challenge Jiraiya had given him.
Technically, failing the challenge wouldn't be a big deal.
At most, Jiraiya would tease him endlessly.
But Naruto wasn't worried about Jiraiya.
He was worried about the system.
If he failed the task…
He would be struck by lightning.
Naruto shuddered just imagining it.
Yesterday had practically been wasted.
He only trained for a short time before encountering Itachi and Kisame.
Which meant—
He only had two days left.
Two days to master three ninjutsu techniques.
And he still had to follow Jiraiya to search for Tsunade.
Naruto's face turned pale.
"This… this is impossible!"
He clenched his fists tightly.
For a moment, he felt completely overwhelmed.
He had rarely felt so nervous and helpless before.
But Naruto quickly shook his head.
Complaining wouldn't solve anything.
If the task seemed impossible…
Then he would simply work harder.
Without hesitation, Naruto began training again.
This time, he didn't even ask Jiraiya for help.
Jiraiya watched him silently for a moment before smiling slightly.
"Good attitude."
He crossed his arms.
"Naruto, you keep training. I need to gather some information."
Naruto waved him away impatiently.
"Go quickly, Perverted Sage!"
"Don't delay my training!"
Jiraiya froze.
"…What do you mean by delay?!"
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh… nothing."
Jiraiya snorted.
"Fine. I won't argue with you."
He grinned mischievously.
"There are only two days left."
"I'm curious how you plan to master three ninjutsu in that time!"
"Hahaha!"
With that, Jiraiya turned and walked away.
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"Just watch me…"
He formed a hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Smoke exploded everywhere.
But Naruto didn't stop there.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, the training field was filled with hundreds of Naruto clones.
Normally, Naruto would never create so many clones during training.
Although he had mastered this jutsu long ago, he usually used it only in battle.
Training with too many clones carried risks.
But today was different.
Time was running out.
He had no choice.
Hundreds of Narutos scattered across the training ground.
Each group began practicing a different technique.
Some practiced Wind Release: Vacuum Blade.
Others focused on the Summoning Technique.
Another group worked tirelessly on the Rasengan.
At first glance, Rasengan seemed like the simplest technique.
But Naruto quickly realized the truth.
It was actually the hardest.
Yesterday, he had completed the first stage quickly.
Bursting water balloons using chakra rotation had been surprisingly easy.
But the second stage was completely different.
The rubber ball was far stronger.
Almost one hundred times harder.
Naruto tried again and again.
But the ball refused to burst.
"Damn it!"
Naruto wiped sweat from his face.
"I have to keep going!"
All across the training ground, Naruto's voice echoed.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!"
"Summoning Technique!"
"Rasengan!"
The air filled with shouts, explosions, and heavy breathing.
Minutes turned into hours.
Naruto's body became increasingly exhausted.
"Ugh…"
"I'm so tired…"
He nearly collapsed.
But then he forced himself upright.
"No… keep going!"
At the same time.
Fate was quietly bringing the Legendary Sannin together in the same town.
Tanzaku Town.
Inside the busiest casino in the town, a loud ringing sound suddenly echoed.
"Congratulations to our honored guest!"
"You've won the jackpot!"
Cheers erupted.
Many gamblers turned toward the machine with jealous expressions.
Nearby, Shizune held Tonton in her arms.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Lady Tsunade!"
"You actually won the jackpot!"
"This is incredible!"
Tonton snorted happily.
"Oink!"
But Tsunade herself didn't look happy at all.
Instead, her brows were deeply furrowed.
"…Strange."
Shizune blinked.
"What's wrong?"
Tsunade stared at the slot machine.
Without answering, she pulled the lever again.
The reels spun rapidly.
Then—
Ding!
Three sevens appeared again.
Another jackpot.
Shizune gasped.
"You won again?!"
"What is happening today?!"
"The legendary big loser actually won two jackpots in a row?!"
Tsunade's face grew even darker.
"I don't know why…"
"But I have a bad feeling."
She stood up immediately.
"Let's go, Shizune."
Shizune was stunned.
Tsunade loved gambling.
Winning jackpots should have made her stay even longer.
Yet she was leaving immediately.
Still, Shizune followed obediently.
"Wait for me, Lady Tsunade!"
"Oink!"
Meanwhile, two figures appeared on the walls of Tanzaku Town.
Orochimaru.
And Yakushi Kabuto.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses.
"Orochimaru… even if you promised Danzo to stop Tsunade from returning to Konoha…"
"What exactly are you planning?"
Orochimaru smiled coldly.
"There are many ways."
"But there's no need to think too much."
"Let's find Tsunade first."
He licked his lips.
"The real key isn't Tsunade."
"It's Jiraiya."
Kabuto understood immediately.
"Then why not find Jiraiya directly?"
"If we eliminate him…"
"Tsunade might never even know."
Orochimaru chuckled.
"Kabuto… you really are intelligent."
"If I can find Jiraiya…"
"I would be very happy to kill him."
"That idiot ruined my plan to destroy Konoha before."
"I've wanted revenge for a long time."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed.
"Let's go."
"I can sense both of them in this town."
Kabuto nodded.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Elsewhere.
Jiraiya questioned a gambler.
"Tsunade lost a lot of money here?"
The gambler laughed proudly.
"That's right!"
"The legendary big spender lives up to her reputation!"
"My luck was terrible, but I still won a lot from her!"
Jiraiya sighed.
"Do you know where she went afterward?"
The gambler shrugged.
"No idea."
"But she said this casino had bad feng shui."
"She planned to try another one."
Jiraiya chuckled helplessly.
"Blaming the casino for her bad luck…"
"Classic Tsunade."
He nodded politely.
"Thanks."
Jiraiya rushed toward the next casino.
But a strange unease lingered in his heart.
"Even if I find Tsunade…"
"Convincing her to return to Konoha and become Hokage won't be easy…"
After searching all day, Jiraiya still hadn't found her.
Exhausted, he finally returned to the inn.
Behind the building was a small garden.
There—
Naruto was still training.
Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock.
Naruto's face was pale.
Hundreds of shadow clones had already disappeared.
Most had collapsed.
The remaining ones were barely standing.
They were gasping desperately for breath.
Jiraiya's heart tightened.
He knew the dangers of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
When chakra ran out…
It could even kill the user.
"Naruto!"
"That's enough!"
Jiraiya shouted.
Naruto turned his head weakly.
But he didn't stop.
"I…"
"I'm not done yet…"
He held a rubber ball in trembling hands.
Sweat poured down his face.
"I still haven't…"
"…burst the rubber ball."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)