"Alright, kids... Let's pretend none of that happened." Jiraiya requested when he led us to a river section near the Forest of Death entrance. The hot springs weren't far, and the old man promised we'd return that evening to relax. The bank was rocky; walking barefoot wasn't pleasant.
He told Sakura to take off the weights. Per Jiraiya, that training method was hopelessly outdated. Weights are only useful short-term for specific exercises. Water-walking wasn't one. I showed disagreement with my whole demeanor but didn't argue again. We were damn lucky he agreed to train us so easily. Promising pay without knowing the amount was reckless, but I hoped he was bluffing. Guys like him don't do anything for nothing, and I doubt our meeting was chance. He talked like he was provoking a reaction on purpose. If he wanted out, he could've vanished in a second.
Weird... But for me, it worked out perfectly. Honestly, I hadn't planned to seek Jiraiya myself; it just coincided. I didn't remember exactly when Naruto met him at the hot springs. I'd hoped to run into him there, but scanning the pool first and seeing no other visitors, I figured I was wrong and it'd go differently.
Either way, I had big plans for this old man. If I'm right and I can "gain his trust," he'll solve tons of my problems. Sure, it ramps up my schedule this month, but who said it'd be easy?
"If only..." Sakura replied, already back in her normal clothes. Jiraiya had already proven a problem-solver. When he said to head out, she whined about drying hair, needing to change—no spare swimsuit, etc. The old man used some wind technique, lifted a shocked Sakura in a vortex three-four meters up, and kept her there, buffeted by air streams he controlled with a seal. Sakura, dangling in the air, just screamed and demanded to be put down. About a minute...
"Great view, huh?" He winked at me when I looked up at airborne Sakura from below. Think it's clear what part was visible from that angle.
First time I felt amused, embarrassed, and... Fuck, he was right! Can't argue; the view was good...
He gently lowered her; her hair and clothes dried in about ninety seconds with targeted hot air streams—plenty at the hot springs. When he explained he did it to dry her, she shut up. Didn't say a word on the way, though she trailed us reluctantly.
I'd already sent two clones en route to the market for a jacket, check alteration options, and inquire about a sword. Money was becoming an issue. I spent more than I earned, and the Chunin Exam didn't bring cash—just drained it. Needed to hit the Bank and withdraw more. After my busy activities, I had 40 thousand Ryo left. Spent thirty almost right away. Seventeen on Kakashi's gift. Twelve more on misc with mission pays and orphan stipends. Down another ten thousand on new jacket, boots, clothes... Sword repair wasn't cheap. Couldn't squeeze it from Orochimaru, so used my own. Withdraw fifteen more, thirty-five in reserve. End-month bank profit about 7 thousand—nice, but against expenses... Anyway, had to do something. Realizing what Jiraiya was like got my gears turning fast; a rough plan formed, but too early...
"So..." He said, sitting on rocks in meditation pose. "Strip." He turned to Sakura with a stern face. She jolted...
"Damn... Why did I agree to this." She whined but stripped back to swimsuit. The old man and I sat grinning like idiots, staring. Embarrassing but fun. But shameful... She's only thirteen!
Good thing the guy before me seemed surgically lobotomized for shame.
Damn, man... You've lived longer than me in both lives, and you're drooling over a thirteen-year-old! How'd your life go so wrong? Tsunade's rejection that bad? God...
"Naruto, stop grinning or I'll knock your teeth out!" she yelled, removing shorts and showing her fist.
"Uh, why me?" I asked rhetorically. "Not just me looking..."
"YOU dragged a perv into our training! YOU'RE responsible for him!" She spun and headed to the river.
"Old man, better hope your methods work, or I'm screwed..." I muttered.
"Hang in there..." He patted my shoulder.
"Hey, isn't the current too fast here?" Sakura asked after eyeing the river a minute.
"That's the point!" he replied. "Shinobi rarely stand on pool, sea, or lake water. Mostly rivers... Train in field conditions. Hot water's fun, but falling into cold water—especially clothed—is different. Don't wanna get soaked and freeze? Concentrate chakra properly and sync it with this river's flow. Go, try." Sakura saw no escape, concentrated, stepped, then a few more.
"Gotta admit, your method's not useless..." He glanced at me surprised. "And this girl... Such chakra control at her age. Just needs to get used to the surface, and done. Jump." She jumped and was shocked to stand fine on the fast river post-jump. But she overdid it, slipped, and sat on her ass. "Now the finale... Drop chakra control, dive under, then surface and stand on the river."
"Huh?! Water's cold... I'll freeze!"
"Don't fear. I'm a sage, after all. Just do it." With a short squeak, Sakura submerged, surfaced two meters left, clambered onto the water, and stood. "Excellent! Come back." She shivered back to us, hands under armpits.
"C-cold..." She really shook. I grabbed a towel from her pack and handed it over. Jiraiya whistled; from a small clearing near—but away from—the Forest of Death, two car-sized toads bounded out. One had firewood on its back, the other a young deer killed, looks like, by its own spear.
"Cool!"
"Cool!" Sakura and I said almost together.
"You bet!" Jiraiya raised his head. "Naruto..."
"Got it." I organized the fire, circling big rocks, stacking wood. The toad spat oil on them; the sage lit the pioneer bonfire with a fire spit.
"Never thought toads could be so useful..." Sakura stared shocked, drying off. The sage butchered the deer, summoning a tool kit wrapped in cloth from a scroll.
"I'm treating today..." He skewered meat chunks on summoned spits, rinsing blood and stray fur. Wood burned well. Sakura huddled by the fire, drying swimsuit and hair. While burning and prepping, I sent a shadow clone sprinting to the village market for veggies, sauce, marinate meat. Needed bread too. Clone handled quick; we marinated hastily while another sliced veggies.
Improvised picnic like that. Venison had a unique taste, but don't look a gift horse—or deer—in the mouth. Jiraiya ate most, but we couldn't finish all; plenty left to take.
"Smart using clones. Wish I'd thought of that back then. Doing so much at once—priceless."
"Uh-huh..." I replied, devouring cooked meat.
"Thanks, Lord Jiraiya." Sakura smiled at him for the first time.
"No prob, sweetie..." He ruffled her hair like a kind grandpa.
"Damn... Enough already? What's with you guys and my hair? All men are the same, even sages."
"Aww, grumpy. Eat a tomato." Her eyebrow twitched. I barely held back laughter. Just as Sakura cooled and acted normal, he boiled her like a kettle again.
"Maybe teach us something else?" she asked unexpectedly.
"Ooh, what about all that 'Go away! Perv! Let go! Old perv! Why'd you bring him, Naruto!'?" he asked with clear irony.
"Fine, sorry. You're not that bad, but peeping at girls is low, gross, and for you—unworthy of a shinobi! You're so old; no wife? How'd you like someone peeping at your wife? Or sister?"
"Told ya... I was working."
"Yeah-yeah..." Sakura dropped her head. "Gathering material, but..."
"Actually, I'm a writer, gathering for my books—like this." He pulled "Icha Icha Paradise" from inside his left lapel. "Working on a new one; besides peeping, I eavesdropped."
"That's... That smut!" she exclaimed. "Damn, take it back—you ARE a perv! And our teacher's a perv too for reading that crap!"
"Hmph!" He turned away, hiding the book. "You're just like Tsun... *cough*... A brat like you can't grasp my art's purpose. It's for real men learning to unlock their women's hearts and bodies." He gestured wildly, inspired.
"Hearts and bodies..." She twitched her eyebrow, eyes squeezed shut, mumbling.
"Yep! When guys do what you always wanted but feared saying—only sharing with girlfriends—you should thank me, the great sage, who opened their eyes and set them straight!"
Fuck, total cringe, but... Saint! This guy's a saint! Gotta henge and buy his book.
"As for techniques, I could teach you, but not today—we gotta head back. Clean up, dress. Training tomorrow. And don't think I forgot payment." He grinned at me.
"Fine, we'll talk at the springs, old man."
"Hm... Your girlfriend's a tough nut. Cherish her, don't let go. She'll make a great, loyal wife." He started in the men's changing room at the springs. My eyebrow twitched at that.
"Listen, you're wrong there... She's not my girl or anything. I was trying to shake her off hard and roped you in to annoy her. Thought you got it..."
"Ha! Idiot..." He judged.
"You're one to talk, and you don't know shit anyway—she's not my type!"
"Ha! Saw how much she's not your type. C'mon." He stripped, wrapped a towel. At the pool, we draped wet cold towels on heads and entered the water.
"About payment..." I started.
"Come on, Naruto. Can't you tell I was joking? I enjoyed hanging with you, seeing what future Konoha shinobi are made of."
"Still, old man, hear me out. Got a proposal..."
"Hm?"
I told him about advancing to the third stage of the Chunin exams and about my plan. The plan was simple—make money on bets! Since I knew all the winners, the old man and I would be in the black no matter what. Right now, we needed to discuss a few nuances I didn't know about. Carry out a couple of manipulations, which he also had to help with to maximize profits, and done. Unfortunately, until I was seventeen, I wasn't allowed to place bets. And they wouldn't let just anyone into an office that could accept a bet over 50 thousand Ryo. Jiraiya, with his reputation, was surely a welcome guest at most bookmakers. And his bet wouldn't raise suspicions—he probably didn't win often.
Why him specifically? There were a few reasons...
First... Teacher Iruka would have told me to fuck off with proposals like that, I was almost sure of it. Kakashi was even harder to find, and the odds of convincing him were about 50/50.
Second... I didn't have the money for the bet I wanted to make. I could have blindly bet all my money on myself and won. But what was the point? Even if I tripled or quadrupled it, what was that compared to the much larger sum I could borrow from the pervert for this bet?
And third... I wouldn't always be twelve. In just two weeks, my local birthday. Naruto turns 13. If I live to 14 and beyond, I wasn't planning to stay a kid. I needed a guide to the lawless side of life, and it was hard to imagine anyone better than this guy. He was my godfather, and I thought over time we'd find a common language. What could be better for building good relations than a joint venture that brings serious profit?
"I get it overall," he said after looking at me for a minute while I explained the plan. "It's really interesting, but... Are you sure about your predictions?"
"Ha! At minimum, I'm not planning to lose to Neji. As for the rest, I've studied them pretty well, and if I say Kankuro from Sand loses to Shino, he loses. I'm not sure about Gaara and Sasuke, so I won't bet on that fight."
"Got it..." He turned away and took a small sake cup from the rock, a little bigger than a bottle cap, and sipped. "Eeeh..."
Sakura had also come with us to the hot springs, though she was relaxing on the women's side.
"Sure you don't want to take a look?" he asked me with a smile. "I can lend you the scope."
"No," I replied firmly. "What haven't I seen there?"
"Oooh... Kids these days start early..."
"You got the wrong idea!" I blurted out. "She was injured, covered in blood. Her clothes and underwear were stained, and I had to change her while she was unconscious, that's all."
"Hm... Sorry." Holy shit, he even knew how to apologize? "Well, no more sad topics. I want to be sure about my future bet, so come to the river tomorrow, and I'll teach you some cool new techniques."
"Great."
After the hot springs, I really felt rested, though I was a bit sleepy, but a cold shower brought me around. Since I'd spent most of today resting, I could afford to train until midnight. The second stage of Rasengan wouldn't master itself!
"Technique of Transparent Escape!" Jiraiya said when he saw Naruto jump out his window. He himself was on a rooftop a hundred meters from Naruto's house, sitting behind a stone fence. He loved high places in the village and often made notes in the fresh air, and now he decided to combine business with pleasure.
Naruto had grown into an almost exact copy of his father, except for the long hair. But what was surprising was that at almost 13, he was nearly as smart and capable as his father. No jonin could use the Shadow Clone Technique like that. Naruto had incredibly quickly realized his chakra advantage and mastered Shadow Clone Technique to a level beyond ordinary shinobi. Even if he were a pure-blooded Uzumaki... No, only the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails could do that. As he'd already learned, Naruto at the academy, not immediately but eventually, showed incredible mental and physical gifts for an ordinary kid. He didn't lag behind the children of great clans and nearly repeated his father's achievement, who graduated the Academy with the highest scores in village history. To be precise, Naruto was a genius on the level of Orochimaru or Kakashi, with the difference that they used the right to graduate early, while he and Sasuke never even learned about it on the Third's orders.
The only thing Jiraiya wanted to confirm was that with such abilities, the boy wouldn't develop harmful tendencies or an obsession with some idea like the one that overtook Orochimaru.
Following the kid, he was surprised to find him heading to the training ground.
The moon had just appeared, so it was about 19:00, maybe a bit later. A clone handed him some bag, which turned out to contain rubber balls.
"He bought a lot of them. What does he plan to do with them, and at a training ground?" Jiraiya thought.
The answer shocked him...
"THIS IS...!" he screamed in his head, mouth agape in surprise. Before his eyes, the guy was concentrating chakra and giving it multiple directions without releasing it from the sphere. Two dozen more of his clones were doing the same. Helping with his second hand, he tried to build up critical mass of spinning chakra and burst the rubber ball. This technique was too familiar. Its author was the Fourth Hokage himself...
Rasengan.
He had personally helped create a training system for future generations, and so far, the only one who had independently passed the second stage and fully mastered the technique via that system was Jiraiya himself. Of Minato's students, only Kakashi knew Rasengan, but via Sharingan copying. Even so, Kakashi had to sweat to fully copy all three stages. After that, Minato concluded that three-stage techniques were the limit for ordinary Sharingan copying. More complex ones couldn't be copied that way.
"No way! Only two people knew about this system for sure—me and Minato. The only person Minato discussed his techniques with besides me was the Third Hokage. He saw Rasengan too but didn't participate in creating the training system. The Third was the only one who criticized Minato's technique, calling it 'incomplete' and saying it was only useful in battle for Minato himself due to his speed. I vehemently disputed it and even quarreled with the old man, accusing him of bias and being too saddened by Orochimaru's departure. Of all shinobi, only the old man could recreate the training system alone. Assuming he mastered the technique too, which wouldn't be surprising..." Jiraiya reasoned. "However, the chance he'd recreate the system exactly like that approaches zero. And passing it to Naruto... Doesn't sound like the old man. He wouldn't teach Naruto such a technique. Kakashi? Could he have taught the kid Rasengan? Theoretically, yes... But it doesn't explain why the hell Naruto is using the system created by me and the Fourth?"
"You..." A voice came from behind Jiraiya. He turned and in the darkness behind the trees saw one red eye on the left.
The Sage just put a finger to his mouth and signed to camouflage and come closer.
Kakashi quickly copied Jiraiya's technique and became nearly invisible before stepping out of the dark.
"Sharingan can still detect me?" the Sage whispered. Kakashi nodded. "Bad. Expected, but bad. Look over here." He pointed at Naruto.
"This is... That training method and... What is he doing? Is that... Rasengan?"
"Exactly, and if you're not aware, it raises serious questions. Sure, there's a chance Naruto's a genius who's already surpassed the greatest shinobi in history, his father, but I wouldn't bet money on it. The kid's smart and capable of a lot, but I don't buy that..."
"If not, then?" Kakashi asked.
"Each version is more unbelievable and worse than the last."
"For example?"
"Orochimaru has a technique to extend his life by taking over another shinobi's body." Kakashi's eyes widened.
"So that's what he wanted from Sasuke," he whispered.
"Uchiha?" Kakashi nodded and briefly described what happened in the Forest of Death.
"I see... So it is the Uchiha, huh? That damn idiot just won't calm down. Though that makes it easier. That version's out. But shit... Who'd have thought the kid already danced with Orochimaru..." Jiraiya leaned back against a tree, shaking his head.
"You thought..." Kakashi said in surprise.
"I'm telling you, that version's unbelievable and horrible, but there are even more unbelievable ones."
"I get it... Who'd think such horrible techniques exist in the world. Did he create it himself?" Jiraiya shook his head.
"It's a technique from Konoha's dark side. One author is the Second Hokage. That's all I know."
"I see. So about Naruto?"
"Too early to say... Need more time. Kakashi, mind if I steal your student?"
"You're joking? With these exams and Orochimaru showing up in Konoha. I'd be glad if someone handles something for me. Then I can focus fully on Sasuke's safety and training right after the meeting." Meanwhile, Naruto gathered all the clones' experience and fell to his knees, clutching his head.
"Shit..." Kakashi twitched toward him, but Jiraiya stopped him.
"That won't break him. Look closely..."
"Indeed, he seems to be recovering." Kakashi concluded, watching Naruto get back on his feet. "The Nine-Tails' power..."
"Looks like it." Jiraiya nodded. "About the meeting... Don't tell the old man you found me."
"My lips are sealed, but... Besides you, Root might be watching the kid. Hokage ANBU are busy on three fronts right now. Village defense prep, hunting Orochimaru and his spies, and also..." Kakashi faltered. "I don't get you, but if you don't want Hiruzen-sama knowing you're back, so be it."
"No tail on him... I checked. What's the third front?"
"Heh... They were looking for you," Kakashi admitted. "I'm glad you're here. With you, we have a chance not just to hold against Orochimaru, but to win."
"We'll see." Jiraiya said, closing his eyes. "I'm off... No point in further surveillance. You go too." Jiraiya formed a blade with the fingers of his right hand and vanished like a dismissed summon.
"That technique..." Kakashi thought, watching Naruto's next attempt to burst the rubber ball. After gathering clone experience, he was already making holes in them, and they were running out. At this rate, he'd master it. In record time. "Fast learning, mastery, and technique creation. Leadership skills and a character one in a million at that age. Not like I haven't seen it before. After all, I was the same in the previous generation of shinobi. Minato-sensei... Do you see this?"
Getting home around 1 a.m. local time. I just crashed.
The second stage of Rasengan was even worse than the first, and after less than five hours of sleep, I had zero desire to get up for morning exercise, but there's the word "must," so I left the alarm on until I splashed cold water on my face to fully wake up.
Both my hands were treacherously shaking, and I barely managed to wrap them boxer-style on the training ground. Sakura was shamelessly an hour late, arriving at the start of eight. She excused it by saying all her muscles ached in the morning. For excuses like that, she naturally got double running, and instead of sparring today—push-ups, squats, and abs to build her muscles a bit. Plus extra shuriken and kunai throwing practice. Meanwhile, three pairs of my shadow clones were training. Still, I needed to work hand-to-hand today, and knife fighting hadn't been practiced in a while.
And since I still couldn't properly burst that fucking ball even after they all ran out and I stayed late for that training... My mood was frankly shit. And if my mood was shit, Sakura was getting it.
She asked for it.
"Meet me at the river today, same spot as yesterday, after breakfast. The pervert promised new techniques," I told her on the way to our houses.
"New techniques? Blin... I totally forgot. I wanted to go to the hospital today."
"It's not that bad. You didn't pull anything, don't worry. Muscle soreness is normal..." I started, but she interrupted.
"I know, idiot! I wanted to visit Sasuke and Lee. Wanna come?"
"Eee... Yeah, it's important, but... Sorry, I promised the pervert. Sasuke'll be discharged soon anyway, and Lee... I'll visit him too, but not today."
"Apologize to Teacher Jiraiya for me..." she asked unexpectedly.
"Fine." Holy shit. That guy tormented her so much, and she still respects him, even calls him "teacher," while I'm still "idiot."
Checking the time, I decided to quickly duck home and have breakfast—two boiled eggs with a banana. Such a... snack.
The clones meanwhile handled the trip to the workshop and tailor. The tailor delivered the new leather jacket format, working the order literally last night. By his admission, it was so fast only because there were almost no customers now. Early autumn was always slow for him. Now the bloody whirlpool was on the back, with the armor plate sewn in. Sleeves cut to the neck. Didn't want anything restricting my shoulders. Added internal pockets and zippers for fur collar and lining for cold winter. I decided to copy Sasuke. That glove to the elbow on the right arm looked damn cool. Put one on and a bracer over it, covering the back of the forearm and palm, just short of the fist and elbow for free punching. ANBU wear similar on both arms. Left the other hand just in bandages above the wrist. Of course, new headband with forehead protector—black this time.
The workshop nailed the hilt replacement too. Sword same as before. Had to listen to the master call me stupid again, but the guy's right. Second time in a row with the exact same damage.
The pervert was waiting at the river, under a red umbrella, scoping girls splashing at the waterfall with binoculars. Apparently today was some day when the last warmth leaves, and the temperature was anomalously high for autumn. So they were having fun.
"Hee-hee-hee... Pour it down her back..." he muttered to himself.
"Hey, pervert Sage... Stop jerking off, time to serve!" I tried translating the saying to Japanese as best I could, making him turn to me with a face and twitching eyebrow like I'd been caught doing something indecent.
"Where'd you pick that up..." he grumbled to himself.
"Live in an orphanage as long as I have, and you'll pick up worse. You promised a new technique."
"Heh... Fine. Showing once, so watch closely." He bit his finger and quickly formed Dog, Pig, Bird, Monkey, and Sheep seals, slamming his palm on the rocky bank. "Summoning Technique!" A big orange toad appeared again, holding a huge scroll in its mouth, up to my shoulder vertically. It handed it to me with its tongue and croaked when I took it. Jiraiya explained toad summoning conditions and suggested signing the blood contract with Mount Myoboku. Turns out, minimal obligations. If no one more worthy, I become next scroll keeper after Jiraiya and liaison between the mountain and human settlements. The pervert insisted it was a huge honor, falling to chosen shinobi once a generation. In future, I'd have to find a worthy successor, or the scroll returns to the lost mountain until someone "accidentally" finds it and passes the toad Sages' trial, like Jiraiya. I skipped the trial because the previous keeper chose me, and his word is law to toads.
Unrolling the scroll, I realized it really was a huge honor. The first signer's name read "Otsutsuki Hagoromo." Holy shit!
The last was also telling...
"Minato Namikaze." I read aloud, drawing Jiraiya's gaze. "Hey, old man... That's... the Fourth Hokage's name, right?" I added uncertainty to my voice.
"Exactly! Now you get it, huh?" I nodded and cut my finger with a kunai. Tried biting hard a couple times, but... didn't work great, so no showing off. Wrote "Uzumaki Naruto," squeezed more blood, and added fingerprints. Kinda curious...
The scroll's magical or something, and I'm not really Naruto. Would it detect the lie or something else happen? Before trying to summon a toad, these thoughts really creeped me out...
What if reverse summon sends me to hell? Probably the slowest seals of my life. But I gathered chakra solidly... If I go, far away.
"Summoning Technique!" And my balls clenched, ass cheeks could crack nuts. I squeezed my eyes shut, and something tossed me up. Opened them a second later, belly-down on the toad I summoned.
"Oooh... Toad hauler." Jiraiya noted. "Not bad. My first summon was similar, but Minato got a messenger toad, tiny one."
My toad croaked, and I timidly stood on its head. Rope-tied barrel on its back. Toad blinked a few times and croaked loudly again.
Phew...
Seemed okay.
Looked at the toad. Size like the orange one Jiraiya summoned. Mine dirty-red with dark-green spots.
"Now the main part... Try riding it."
"Eh?"
"Come on, let's go!" He walked up and smacked my toad's ass hard.
"SHIIIIT..." flashed in my head as it jumped thirty meters up. I barely held on. Flight turned to dive, sharp pressure drop broke my concentration, and I slid off its head. Training saved me—I grabbed the barrel edge, but landing sucked.
"Hey, toad, stop!" I yelled as it ran long fast jumps along the river, dodging and leaping huge trees. By then I regained focus, climbed back to its head, trying not to fly off again—it ran fast and jumped sharp.
"I said STOP!" I yelled again and punched its head hard. Seemed it got it, jumped to the river, stopped, and croaked sadly, looking at me. "Phew... Back to the old pervert. No more joyrides..."
"Kwa!" the toad replied.
"Fast..." he said surprised as I rode back. "Thought you'd take at least half an hour to control it."
"Don't underestimate me." I grinned. "Old man, any combat toads?"
"Combat toads..." He recalled. "Sure. As effective as jonin-rank shinobi, but I wouldn't summon one here. Controlling them... not as simple as small ones like these."
"Small? This..." I pointed at my toad with its person-sized barrel. "Small toad?"
"For Mount Myoboku, almost kids. This one's about your age by our standards. Adult toads not much bigger. Two-three story house maybe..."
"No way..."
"Then boss toads. Very old. Most twice my age. Few, but... Bigger than Kage building. That's what I meant. Even I struggle to handle them, let alone beat one..."
"Got it. What if we stick to teen toads like these? What can yours do?"
"This? Helper toad. Assist close combat or tongue-pull you from danger. Can give oil to ignite before it evaporates."
"Right... Got it. Dismiss." I blade-formed and dismissed the summon. Felt like shadow clones—if not all summon chakra spent, returns to owner, which I felt. "Show me how to summon specific toad, not random."
"Hm... Not easy. First, summon each needed toad once and memorize its chakra and name."
"Chakra and name?"
"Simply put, I'm well-acquainted with most mountain toads, friendly bond. So I summon who I want easily. Also, calculate exact chakra for that summon. Miss a bit, wrong toad. Honestly, reaching that level might take a lifetime."
"Seriously? Bliiiin..."
"What'd you expect?! Fourth Hokage reached virtuoso toad summoning after ten years!"
"Well shit... So this technique useless for me for years?"
"You can do some already." He pulled a small scroll from his robe and unrolled. Summoned a barrel his size.
"See, like this, store and summon weapons on battlefield." Barrel full of goodies. Chains, katanas, folding spears, various kunai, even folding cutting shuriken.
"Nice..." Jiraiya dismissed and closed the barrel after showing most.
"As for toads. One or two enough. Won't learn more this month anyway."
"Few!" I stated categorically.
"Don't whine!" he yelled. "Master this first. Then we'll talk... Made it harder for you. Here..." He summoned two bigger toads. If helper toad sat half-head taller than pervert, these... size of three perverts, maybe more. Huge muscular frog-things. One red like tomato, other sky-blue. Red with massive halberd no normal human could hold even if buff... Blue in samurai-like armor with steel plates and "toad" helmet protecting head. Both looked at me like shit. Blue armed with knuckle-dusters like Asuma's.
"Meet... Guardians of the lost mountain," Jiraiya said. "Agni (red) and Rudra (blue)."
"Eh?" red said.
"Eeeeeh?" blue said.
"You haven't summoned us in over twenty years. Last was Minato," Red noted.
"You found an heir?!" Blue asked.
"Exactly." Jiraiya said. "Test him. This is Uzumaki Naruto. If he beats you, he's your boss instead of Minato."
"What?! Beat them?!" I yelled.
"What?! He's just a brat!" Red roared.
"You said that about Minato too, Agni. Remember how it ended... Don't underestimate him, fight full strength, or back to mountain."
"Ha! Minato was genius, this dumb face hopeless!" Blue croaked. Then they squinted at me and stepped forward.
"Hey you! Ready for battle!" Agni said, gripping halberd, rearing on hind legs.
"We've guarded secret path to Mount Myoboku over thirty years, lost only thrice!" Rudra said, rearing and pulling knuckle-dusters from belt.
Shit, I'm in deep...
Jiraiya vanished, and I knew the fight started now. Thanked my paranoia for always carrying full gear.
"Fine... Let's try." I leaped to a meter boulder, drawing explosive kunai. Didn't think these toads that strong. Probably just big and clumsily wielding weapons.
Never been so wrong.
Red Agni raised halberd overhead fast and vertical-smashed the rock I stood on to gravel with huge axe-head.
Instant transmission saved me. Threw three explosive seal kunai under their feet from air, but blue leaped thirty meters back and up, Agni just vanished.
"You're not only one who can instant transmit, brat! Learned it after Minato!" Heard behind. Scary as hell, but opening mouth before strike was its mistake. Made shadow clone, sacrificed it, dodged thrust line. Little more and skewered! Damn toads serious?
Falling, kept making clones, jumping down them for smooth safe descent, threw shuriken at red toad several times. Hard to miss, but...
Yeah, the beast, unprotected just in wrappings and Mount Myoboku headband as belt, parried. Agni spun halberd insanely fast, making "fan" gusting wind at me, deflected three volleys of four shuriken.
"Ha!" toad said. "Rudra, no need. This kid no Minato. Total weakling. I'll chop quick, home time." Stern look, slammed halberd ground right paw, said toad.
"No time play. Next technique wipes you! Mass Shadow Clone Technique!" Summoned over hundred clones, drawing kunai, wave-attacking big toad.
"I see..." Toad muttered, eyeing ground-rushing, flanking clones. Agni dramatically shouldered halberd like human. "Kendo: Toad Style—Furious Slash!" Agni wildly swung halberd from shoulder every direction, spinning giant weapon after hop. Rocky riverbank shredded. Stones to fine gravel, smaller to dust in seconds.
Two-thirds clones that reached destroyed. Toad landed same spot, dust cloud, halberd now left.
"Don't underestimate mountain guardians, boy!"
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: patreon.com/Granulan