The next day, after finishing his morning internship, Taiichi couldn't find Tsunade anywhere. With no other choice, he headed to Training Ground 3, where he had agreed to meet Jiraiya the day before.
As he approached the training ground, he saw Jiraiya already waiting there. Taiichi hurried over. "Lord Jiraiya, I'm sorry I'm late."
"Haha, no worries. I know you have your internship until noon. Besides, there's still fifteen minutes before the agreed time. You're not late!" Jiraiya said casually.
"Also, don't call me 'Lord.' Since I'll be teaching you for a while, just call me 'Teacher' (Sensei)."
"Okay, Jiraiya-sensei." Taiichi agreed readily. After all, having a Sannin as a teacher was a huge advantage for him.
"Before we start training, I need to know: do you know your Chakra nature affinities?"
"Uh..." Jiraiya's question stumped Taiichi. Before, he had no money to buy Chakra induction paper and just assumed he had Fire and Wind affinities. Later, when he had money, he simply forgot to buy the paper to test it.
"I haven't actually tested it. I assume it's Fire and Wind, since I learned jutsu of those two natures pretty easily," Taiichi said uncertainly.
"Just as I thought!" It wasn't clear if Jiraiya meant that Tsunade forgot to test him or that Taiichi himself was careless.
"Here, this is Chakra induction paper. Do you know how to use it?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yes." Taiichi took the paper and infused his Chakra into it. The paper split into three sections: one part burned to ash, one part seemed to be cut into tiny pieces, and one part became damp and soggy.
Watching the reaction of the paper, Jiraiya was surprised. "Fire, Wind, and Water—three natures. That's a rare combination."
"Is there a problem, Jiraiya-sensei?" Taiichi asked, looking at the scraps in his hand, puzzled.
"Nothing wrong. It's just uncommon. Fire, Wind, and Lightning is a fairly common trio, but Fire, Wind, and Water is rare."
Jiraiya sat cross-legged on a large rock in the training ground, dappled sunlight dancing on his white hair. Taiichi sat opposite him, holding his ninja tool pouch, listening attentively.
"Chakra nature transformation is like molding a rice ball." Jiraiya suddenly grabbed a rock and crushed it into fine sand in his palm. "Nature transformation is kneading Chakra into different shapes." The grit fell from his fingers, arranging itself into a flame pattern on the grass. "Of course, before kneading, you need to understand the characteristics of each nature!"
"Let's talk about nature transformation based on your three affinities." Jiraiya raised his right hand. The Chakra in his palm transformed into Fire nature, turning from pale blue to red, then suddenly bursting into flames. "Looking at this, what do you think is the characteristic of Fire nature Chakra?"
"Burning, high temperature... maybe explosiveness too," Taiichi answered tentatively.
"Those are correct. Usually, Fire nature is all of those, but it's not comprehensive. Chakra nature follows perception. What you believe Fire nature to be, it can manifest as—within reason, of course; you can't violate common sense. But generally, people perceive Fire nature as extreme heat," Jiraiya explained.
Taiichi nodded thoughtfully. Since Chakra is created by combining physical and spiritual energy, its nature manifests not only the physical laws of reality but also the subjective laws of the mind. That was Taiichi's understanding.
"Next, let's look at Wind nature." Jiraiya waved his hand, and a surge of Chakra erupted, mixed with many tiny wind blades. "Wind nature isn't just about gusts and pervasiveness; it must also embody the cutting power of wind. Yesterday, the Wind Style: Great Breakthrough you used was just a gale. That's not enough. You need to grasp the cutting aspect of wind to increase its power."
"Finally, let's talk about Water nature. Without a geographical advantage (like a nearby water source), utilizing Water Style effectively requires massive amounts of Chakra." Jiraiya looked Taiichi up and down. "You're at a disadvantage here. Your current Chakra reserves are too small; you haven't even reached the level of a Chunin. But you're still young. Once you pass ten years old, your body will go through a rapid growth phase, and your Chakra reserves will increase quickly."
Hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Taiichi finally understood why his stats were comparable to a Chunin, but his Chakra reserves weren't. It turned out it was just an age issue; he hadn't hit his growth spurt yet.
"Water Style emphasizes surging power, brute force, and volume. Of course, it also has the characteristics of flow and continuity," Jiraiya continued explaining Water Style.
"Now, I'm going to teach you a B-rank jutsu: Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb. Remember the hand seal sequence: Ram - Horse - Snake - Dragon - Rat - Ox - Tiger." Jiraiya formed the seals slowly so Taiichi could see clearly. "The key to this jutsu lies in maintaining the shape of the Chakra."
Upon completing the seals, Jiraiya took a deep breath and spat out a compressed stream of fire. After traveling a meter, the stream expanded violently, rushing forward like a fire dragon. The ground along its path turned a crystallized orange-red from the heat.
"Did you get that? You give it a try."
Smelling the sulfur in the air, Taiichi calmed his excitement. He formed the seals slowly, one by one, carefully feeling the Chakra flow corresponding to each seal. Finally, after completing the seals, Taiichi took a deep breath and spat out a five-meter-long fire dragon on his first try.
"Impressive. Successful on the first attempt. I thought you'd need at least half a day of practice," Jiraiya said with admiration.
Taiichi smiled and began forming seals a second time. This time was faster than the last, and the power was greater. The fire dragon swept across ten meters of space in front of him. Jiraiya watched, dumbfounded. This progress is too fast!
"You've basically learned this jutsu. Now it's just constant practice." Jiraiya checked the time. "It's getting late. I have scrolls here for a C-rank Wind Style: Gale Palm and a B-rank Water Style: Water Wall. Take them back and study them. We'll focus on these jutsu for now. That's it for today."
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei." Taiichi expressed his gratitude. "Sensei, why don't you come to my place today? I'll treat you to dinner. You can taste my cooking."
"Oh? Sounds good. I've always heard Tsunade praising your cooking. Time to see what the fuss is about."
Jiraiya put his arm around Taiichi's shoulder, and the two leisurely walked away.
...
Taiichi's House.
Having just seen Jiraiya off, Taiichi looked at the mess of empty plates and cups on the table and smiled wryly. "Jiraiya-sensei really didn't hold back. Even if it's delicious, you can't eat that much!" Thinking of how Jiraiya waddled away holding his stomach, Taiichi shook his head.
After cleaning up the house, Taiichi went to his study and took out the two scrolls Jiraiya gave him: Wind Style: Gale Palm and Water Style: Water Wall. Opening one, seeing the handwriting inside, Taiichi knew Jiraiya had likely written these overnight. The scroll detailed the casting process of Gale Palm, the seal sequence, and even the function of each individual seal. The care put into it was evident.
Opening the Water Wall scroll, it was the same. The simple and clear explanation would allow even a novice to learn from it. This level of dedication went far beyond just fulfilling a request from Tsunade.
Taiichi was touched, but he couldn't repay this kindness right now. He could only etch this favor into his heart.