"This sword is weird..."
Itachi hurriedly tilted his head to dodge, barely avoiding the blade, but was still kicked in the stomach by Natsuki, sending him flying into the stomach wall.
From the way his body curled up slightly, it was clear just how heavy that kick had been.
Moreover, the stomach wall was alive—it started to wrap around him tightly.
On the other side, it was the same story. In the cramped space of the stomach wall, Kisame's large sword was completely unusable. His Taijutsu wasn't as good as Gai's to begin with, and now he was kicked flying by Gai in no time.
"Well done, little guys! Now it's my turn, Jiraiya-sama! Ninpō: Ranjishigami no Jutsu (Wild Lion's Mane Technique)!"
Jiraiya clapped his hands together. His white hair danced and extended toward Itachi and Kisame, trying to bind them.
Itachi didn't want to be caught. His three tomoe eyes suddenly spun, forming the shape of a pinwheel, and a unique force erupted against the stomach wall, instantly igniting it with black flames.
"Amaterasu!"
Boom! In just an instant, the stomach wall was blown open by the black flames.
Itachi and Kisame didn't wait for Jiraiya's hair to reach them—they quickly escaped through the opening. And coincidentally, Kisame's Samehada was just outside. He grabbed it and took off.
Jiraiya could only retract his hair, his face turning serious.
He hadn't expected the two to escape such a predicament. It seemed the Akatsuki was no ordinary organization.
Moreover, the black flames used by Itachi gave a chilling sense of dread. Not only did it ignite the stomach walls of Mount Myoboku's toads, but it also showed no signs of going out even after half a day.
Jiraiya walked over to the black flames, examined them for a while, then silently took out a scroll and brush and began writing.
Naruto finally snapped out of it, asking, "Ero-Sennin, who were those two guys? That guy called Itachi... he looked really familiar, you know."
Jiraiya didn't answer. After finishing the sealing, he quickly used a Fūin Jutsu (Sealing Technique) to seal the black flames into the scroll.
It was Gai who replied, "That's Konoha's missing-nin Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, and the true culprit behind the Uchiha massacre!"
"Nani?! Sasuke's... brother?!"
Naruto's pupils shrank. He couldn't believe that guy was Sasuke's brother—the one Sasuke had sworn to kill. No wonder they looked so much alike.
But why had Sasuke's brother come after him? Was he here for the fox inside him?
Did Sasuke know about this? And if he did, what would his reaction be?
Naruto was full of confusion, but no one was giving him answers, leaving him feeling increasingly anxious.
Natsuki, meanwhile, had already moved close to Jiraiya, carefully observing the entire process of sealing Amaterasu's black flames.
He had basically memorized it, but just watching wasn't enough—without understanding the principles, it would be impossible to learn.
Thinking about it, he suddenly spoke up with a sharp tone, "Jiraiya-sama, why was Naruto left alone outside the village while you disappeared without a trace? You do know that if Gai-sensei and I had arrived even a little later, Naruto would have been captured, right? Is this how you protect Naruto while taking him on this journey?"
Jiraiya's face immediately became awkward. "Well... I... I went to gather information on Tsunade, and there were places Naruto couldn't go. Plus, Naruto is quite..."
"Heh, so by 'gathering information,' you mean going to brothels, right?"
Natsuki grinned slyly. "There are many ways to gather information, yet you just happen to pick the ones that make you feel good. It's hard not to think you have personal motives. And you even let Naruto end up in danger because of it. Since you're going to bring Tsunade back, I guess she'll have to hear about this when she returns."
Jiraiya's face changed. "Hey, brat, don't do anything rash!"
"Hehe, Jiraiya-sama, you don't want Tsunade-sama to find out about this, do you? Be smart and hand over all your sealing technique scrolls to me!"
"...So that's what you're after, you little rascal. Not very cute, you know! You almost gave me a scare."
"Oh, you're not giving them to me? Then I guess I'll just start blabbing!"
"Hmph! Go ahead! Tsunade already knows what I'm like. You think I'm scared of her finding out about this? Brat, if you want to learn my sealing techniques, you'd better ask nicely. Don't think you can get them by using dirty tricks."
Jiraiya clearly saw through Natsuki's intentions, and he wasn't flustered at all.
Besides, he really thought this little brat was just too unlikable. If he wanted to learn sealing techniques, he should ask properly—why play these games? He wasn't going to fall for it!
Natsuki snorted. "I'm not going to beg a perverted old man who peeps at women's baths!"
Jiraiya: ...This little brat really is impossible!
Natsuki turned to Gai. "Gai-sensei, does this mean our mission is complete? Can we go back now?"
Gai crossed his arms, replying objectively, "Not yet. We've only just driven the enemy off, and they might come back. We need to wait a couple of days to confirm they won't return before we can leave."
Wait a couple of days?
Wouldn't that waste my training time for nothing?
And I need to get back home to spend time with my girlfriend—I'm not sticking around with these two!
At that moment, Jiraiya spoke up again. "Perfect timing. I still need to gather information about Tsunade. You two can stay here and train Naruto... keep him from getting kidnapped again."
"No way. I'm going into town. Let Naruto train by himself."
Natsuki said as he walked toward Naruto, placing a hand on his shoulder. Naruto looked at him in confusion.
Just as Jiraiya was about to say something else, he saw Natsuki retract his hand—and suddenly, a Flying Thunder God formula appeared on Naruto's shoulder, making his pupils shrink in shock.
"Flying Thunder God formula?! Brat, you...!"
"Stop calling me 'brat' all the time. My name is Natsuki. And I haven't fully mastered this technique yet. I can only use it to locate Naruto's position. This way, even if he's kidnapped, I'll know where he is. There's no need to constantly watch over him."
With that, Natsuki turned and walked toward the town. He had no intention of sticking around to babysit Naruto—he wanted to go eat and drink in the town instead.
He called back to Gai, "Gai-sensei, do as you like. You can stay here and train Naruto, or you can go into town. We'll head back to the village together in two days. Don't worry about Naruto—he'll be fine."
Gai gave a thumbs up. "Oh! Then I'll stay here and train!"
As a contemporary of Kakashi, Gai naturally understood what the Flying Thunder God was. Since Natsuki had placed a formula on Naruto, it was as good as ensuring his safety.
So, as for Natsuki going into town to have fun—Gai had no problem with that.
Jiraiya, however, seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, he pulled out a scroll and shouted, "Hey! Natsuki! Catch!"
Natsuki turned and caught the scroll, looking puzzled.
Jiraiya said, "It's rare for me to feel nostalgic. Consider this a little gift for you. Those are some sealing techniques—go ahead and learn them."
(End of Chapter)
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