"Some Second Hokage!
I…
There's no way I could beat him!!!"
Jiraiya's passionate outburst left the Konoha 12 completely deflated…
This guy was all hyped up, talking a big game, only to admit he couldn't win?!
Naruto Uzumaki, who'd been pretty excited, was let down. He thought this pervy sage could take on the Second Hokage, but turns out, he's got nothing!
Munching on a leek-stuffed pancake and picking his nose, Naruto grumbled…
"If you can't even beat the Second Hokage, why should I take you as my master?!"
"You naturally wicked Uzumaki brat! You're not cute at all!!! How did Minato end up with a son like you?! I'm the one taking you as my disciple!!! Can you stop saying weird stuff?!"
Naruto might be a bit dense, but he's not dumb.
This pervy sage was still pretty strong. After all, his dad was Jiraiya's student.
Sure, the Second Hokage had been teaching him, but he hadn't officially taken Naruto or the others as disciples. Becoming Jiraiya's student could actually be a solid choice!
But…
No way Naruto Uzumaki's doing anything without some benefits!
"Pervy Sage, I'm not saying I won't be your student, but you've gotta show me what you can teach me! Or at least, what's in it for me?!
I hear people usually get gifts when they take a master! I'm a kind guy, so I won't ask for too much—just, like, three to five billion ryo to make it worth my while…"
Jiraiya was floored!
Since when does the master give gifts to the student?!
Isn't the apprentice supposed to offer gifts to the teacher?!
"You naturally wicked Uzumaki brat!!! Become my student, and I'll teach you super powerful ninjutsu!!!"
"How powerful?" Naruto asked, curious.
"Hmm… ever heard of the Rasengan?! It's a jutsu from the Scroll of Seals!"
"I know it. The Second Hokage's already teaching me! And my dad's teaching me too—not just the Rasengan, but all sorts of jutsu! And it's not just me—everyone's learning!
Like Multi-Shadow Clone Explosive Tags… Dark Row Technique… Eight Gates… Flying Thunder God… We're all studying like crazy!"
Jiraiya was on the verge of tears!
He didn't even know those forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals! At this rate, Naruto could probably teach him!
After racking his brain, Jiraiya remembered the summoning scroll on his back…
"Right! I can teach you Summoning Jutsu!!!"
Naruto perked up a bit.
"Summoning Jutsu?!"
"Yup!"
"Can I summon the First Hokage or Madara like Hirofumi does?!"
Jiraiya nearly fell over!
"What do you think Summoning Jutsu is?! Only someone like Hirofumi Ito can pull that off! My Summoning Jutsu is a contract with Mount Myoboku, one of the three sacred lands. You can summon super powerful toads!!!"
When Naruto heard he couldn't summon the First Hokage or Madara, his interest fizzled out…
"Tch… not interested!"
Jiraiya was starting to panic. Thinking hard, he realized he didn't have much else to offer…
Wait! Sage Mode! He could teach Sage Mode from Mount Myoboku!!!
"I can also teach you Sage Arts! Sage Jutsu is super strong!!!"
"Tch… not interested!!!"
Naruto munched another leek pancake, unimpressed.
He knew about Sage Mode—his dad had shown him Sage Mode before…
But now he could tap into Nine-Tails Mode, and that shiny, glowing Nine-Tails Mode was way cooler than some eyeshadow-wearing Sage Mode!
So, yeah, Naruto wasn't biting…
Jiraiya stared at Naruto, who was as stubborn as a rock in a latrine—stinky and unyielding. Desperate, he turned to Hirofumi for help.
"Lord Hokage… Naruto's your buddy, and part of your Hokage Guard Squad. Can you talk some sense into him?! Training with me will definitely make him stronger…"
Hirofumi tapped the table with one hand.
"Jiraiya-senpai… what about that Minister of Education thing?!"
"Hahaha… Lord Hokage!
I, Jiraiya, love teaching kids more than anything!!!
The Minister of Education spot? It's mine!
Anyone who tries to take it from me will have to deal with me!!!
Hand over the Education Department, and I'll train you a whole bunch of little sages!!!"
Hirofumi nodded, satisfied.
Sure, Jiraiya was a bit of a pervert, but his teaching skills were top-notch. Otherwise, Hirofumi wouldn't have picked him as the first Minister of Education.
After all, Jiraiya's students were legendary across the ninja world…
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze; Yahiko; Nagato; Konan; and eventually Naruto Uzumaki—all trained by Jiraiya. And for Nagato's group, he only taught them for a short time!
Yet every one of them shook the ninja world.
So, making Jiraiya the Minister of Education? No problem at all…
"Jiraiya-senpai… I'm counting on you for the future of the Education Department!"
"You can trust me, Lord Hokage!!! So, about Naruto…"
Hirofumi flashed a sly grin.
"Naruto!"
"What's up, Hirofumi?! You want me to take this pervy sage as my master?!"
Hirofumi nodded.
"Yup, exactly! Think about it, Naruto—who's Jiraiya's student?!"
"My dad!"
"Exactly! Jiraiya's Minato's teacher. If you become Jiraiya's student, your dad becomes your senior brother! You can call each other whatever—him calling you 'son,' you calling him 'senior brother'! Heh heh heh heh…"
Naruto froze, his eyes suddenly sparkling with a strange light!
And that light only grew brighter…
"Hirofumi!!! Great idea!!! I'd be my dad's junior brother?! Heh heh heh heh…"
In that moment, Naruto's mind painted a vivid picture: him coming home, his dad happily calling him "son," and Naruto, smirking like Hirofumi, calling his dad "senior brother"!
Heh heh heh heh…
From today on, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the Dragon King!!!