**Chapter 6: First Encounter with Jiraiya**
"Really? That's fantastic!" Sakura exclaimed, her smile blossoming like a cherry blossom.
"Hehe, Kakashi-sensei, you sure love to joke around," Naruto said, grinning easily at Kakashi.
"Hmph," Sasuke chuckled softly without speaking, but the joy radiating from his face was unmistakable.
"Naruto, this isn't a joke. You'll understand eventually," Kakashi sighed helplessly, observing Naruto's blank expression. Seeing no hint of comprehension, he simply dropped the matter.
"Alright, we'll start missions tomorrow. Dismissed for now. Tomorrow's meeting point is the main road in Konoha Village."
With that announcement, Kakashi swiftly leaped onto the rooftops, his figure shrinking into the distance with each bounding leap.
*Damn it! Arriving later than everyone else, yet leaving before anyone else!* Naruto fumed inwardly.
Glancing at Sakura and Sasuke, he saw similar expressions of frustration and annoyance on their faces. *They must be thinking the same thing.*
"Well, I'm heading out too. Sakura, wanna come hang out just the two of us?" Naruto asked, his tone deliberately suggestive.
"You little pervert, Uzumaki Naruto! Are you asking for a death wish?" Sakura threatened, brandishing her pink fist, her pretty face hardening with fury.
"Alright, enough joking around," Naruto called out, quickly making his escape. *Seriously, if I stay any longer, I'm gonna get clobbered!*
"That Naruto..." Sakura sighed inwardly, a mix of exasperation and affection in her heart.
Now alone with Sasuke, Sakura surprisingly didn't invite him to stay. Instead, she simply waved goodbye. "See you later, Sasuke. I should head home too."
Perhaps, without even realizing it, Sakura's heart was beginning to mature, even in this tender age of budding romance...
Left by himself, Sasuke felt a sudden wave of boredom wash over him.
He was about to head home when Naruto's exceptional skills flashed through his mind. His heart refused to settle, his crimson Sharingan eyes blazing as he shot off into the distance...
"Hah! Earth Release: Cracking Earth Turning Palm!"
In a vast, empty clearing, Naruto's figure suddenly appeared. With a thunderous roar, he slammed his palm downward, and the earth beneath his feet cracked open in a web of fissures.
"This level... this much power... it's still not enough..." Naruto muttered, frustration creeping into his voice as he stared at the fractured earth. *I need to at least destroy a chunk of the ground!*
"Telescope Technique!"
Just as he was about to resume his training with renewed vigor, a low, excited voice echoed through the air.
Judging by the tone, it sounded like it came from a middle-aged man.
"Who would be using Ninjutsu here? Could they be training too?"
Driven by curiosity and doubt, Naruto cautiously approached the source of the sound.
Reaching the edge of a waterfall, he peered down in bewilderment. The sight below left him speechless and utterly stunned.
"Th-this... this..."
Though Naruto often talked big, he was completely unprepared for such a visual assault.
"Why is there a girl bathing here?"
Naruto felt a warmth in his nose and quickly clamped his hand over it.
"Wow... hahaha... Perfect..."
A lecherous voice snapped Naruto out of his stupor.
He glanced suspiciously at the windless forest where the bushes were moving on their own. Pushing aside the foliage, he found a sleazy middle-aged man with long white hair standing before him. His expression was the epitome of lewdness.
"Ah... you!" Naruto blurted out, startled. "You're Jiraiya!"
"Damn brat!"
Startled by Naruto's cry, Jiraiya cursed inwardly. He hurriedly tucked his crystal-enhanced telescope into his robes, scooped up Naruto, and fled into the distance.
"Ah... a pervert!"
Seconds later, panicked cries erupted from the stream beside the waterfall.
"Damn brat! Why are you interfering with my research, handsome?!"
Jiraiya glared fiercely at Naruto, his eyes wide with fury.
"Hmph! You're just a pervert, making excuses about 'research'..." Naruto shot him a scornful look.
"You little punk, what do you know?" Jiraiya leaped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, whipping out a book from his robe. "See this? This is art! This is my masterpiece! One day, this book will be a bestseller nationwide, revered by the masses!"
Naruto glanced at the book in Jiraiya's hand, realization dawning in his eyes. "Oh, it's the somewhat famous *Make-Out Paradise*... Isn't this Kakashi-sensei's favorite?"
"Kid, your expression tells me you know this book, huh? Hahaha... I really am a genius..." Jiraiya preened proudly.
"Yeah, I know it... It's the target of strict suppression by all my female friends." Naruto nodded, his expression conveying, "I understand."
"Uh..."
Jiraiya's triumphant grin froze instantly, as if he'd just swallowed a dead cockroach.
"You little brat! What do you know about art? This is ART! Art is escapist fantasy!"
Jiraiya flew into a rage.
"Tch, what's with you..."
Naruto glared at Jiraiya, growing increasingly exasperated.
"Listen, brat! When you learn my name, don't forget to worship this magnificent masterpiece!" Jiraiya tapped the book's cover. "Got it?"
"Are you asking me to help you with a pyramid scheme?" Naruto preferred blunt honesty; why bother with beating around the bush?
"It's not a pyramid scheme... it's *worship*, worship!" Jiraiya glared at Naruto. "As a fan of this handsome sage..."
"Hold up!" Naruto interrupted Jiraiya's self-admiration. "I'm not your fan! I..."
"What?! You're not a fan of me, the heartthrob of countless maidens, the Sage of Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya-sama?!"
Before Naruto could finish, Jiraiya impatiently summoned a toad, hopped onto its back, and struck an outrageously flamboyant pose. "Now then? Are you finally overwhelmed by my dazzling charm?"
"Sorry... I'm not feeling it..." Naruto stared at Jiraiya with the look one reserves for complete idiots.
*Plop!*
Unable to handle the rejection, Jiraiya tumbled off the toad's back...
"Alright, kid. Tell me your name."
Jiraiya stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and dismissed the summoned toad. Turning to Naruto, he asked, "So, what's your name?"
"Oh, I'm Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto replied readily, seeing no reason to hide his name.
"Uzumaki Naruto, huh...?" Jiraiya murmured, his gaze drifting off into the distance.
"Hey, old man?" Naruto stood on tiptoe and waved a finger in front of Jiraiya's face.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Jiraiya erupted, "Not 'old man'! I'm a handsome man! A *handsome* man!"
"Uh..."
Staring at Jiraiya's flushed face and red ears, Naruto was speechless. *What kind of person is this...?*
"Hey, Pervy Sage, teach me ninjutsu!" Naruto walked beside Jiraiya, his eyes shining with hope.
"At least you stopped calling me 'old man,' but 'Pervy Sage'... Forget it..." Jiraiya grumbled, frustrated. He'd spent ages trying to get Naruto to call him "Handsome Man" or "Sage of Mount Myōboku," only to have him switch to "Pervy Sage" instead.
Finally, after exhausting himself with explanations, Naruto relented, abandoning "old man" in favor of "Pervy Sage."
"Hey, kid, why would *this* handsome man teach you ninjutsu?" Jiraiya stopped walking and turned to look at Naruto, his expression helpless. "And seriously, can you stop sticking to me like glue already?"
"Ah Zhen slowly raised his hands, cupping Xiaolan's fragrant shoulders. He peeled away her thin silk robe, gently caressing every inch of her fragrant skin. Xiaolan's beautiful eyes grew hazy as she gasped softly, her trembling body betraying both her inner shyness and a hint of anticipation..."
*There's no use arguing with this stubborn old man,* Naruto thought in exasperation. *I guess I have no choice but to bring out my trump card.*
"This passage..."
Jiraiya frowned in thought for a few seconds. Then...
"Ah... truly exquisite! This handsome man's post-climax descriptions are vivid and detailed—what's missing is the foreplay! Brat! You absolutely must teach me this writing technique!"
As if he had stumbled upon a gold mine, Jiraiya's eyes burned with greed as he clutched Naruto's shoulders, refusing to let go.
"So, about the Ninjutsu training..." Naruto prompted, gesturing toward Jiraiya.
"No problem! Leave it to this handsome man!" Jiraiya declared, removing one hand from Naruto's shoulder and pounding his chest proudly.
*Phew, success...* Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes gleaming with excitement. *Sage Mode...*
(End of Chapter)