"Yami, I love you—I love your every smile, every frown, every inch of your skin. Your crimson lips drive me mad, your seductive eyes ignite my soul..."
Naruto sat on the ground, reciting these lines of flowery prose with a resigned air. Jiraiya sat beside him, scribbling furiously in his notebook, his face flushed with excitement.
"Hey, Perverted Sage, isn't that enough? Shouldn't you be teaching me Ninjutsu now? Look at the sky..." Naruto's voice carried a mix of resignation and frustration.
"Oh... Hehe, sorry about that. I just got a little carried away."
Sensing Naruto's mounting irritation, Jiraiya scratched his head sheepishly. His expression then turned serious. "Alright, the next Ninjutsu I'll teach you is a real game-changer. You'd better be prepared!"
"Uh-huh, uh-huh." Naruto nodded eagerly.
"Then watch closely! Summoning Technique!"
Jiraiya formed a hand seal. A cloud of white mist erupted, and beneath him materialized a massive toad with prayer beads around its neck.
"Ribbit..."
A scroll unfurled from the toad's mouth and spread flat on the ground. Gamachū, the toad, gazed languidly ahead, its eyes hazy.
"Naruto, this is the Summoning Scroll passed down through generations of our Toad Clan. Now, bite your finger, smear blood on all five fingertips, and press your bloody fingerprints right here."
Jiraiya pointed to a blank space on the Summoning Scroll. "Alright, Naruto, listen up."
"Oh, got it!" Naruto nodded, bit his finger, smeared blood on his five fingertips, and pressed them firmly onto the scroll.
"Good, that's it! All done!" Jiraiya snapped his fingers, rolled up the Summoning Scroll, and stuffed it into Gamachū's mouth.
"Alright, try the Summoning Technique now," Jiraiya called out to Naruto.
"Alright!" Naruto bit his finger again—the previous wound had been healed by the Nine-Tailed Beast. He formed the hand seal. "Ninjutsu: Summoning Technique!"
*Poof!*
A plume of white smoke erupted, slowly dissipating to reveal a colossal figure looming within.
"Haha! I really am a genius!" Naruto thought smugly, gazing at the immense form materializing from the smoke.
"Yo, what'd you call me out for?" Gamaryu greeted Naruto with a mouthful of extra-large snacks, setting aside his meal to offer a comical wave.
"Uh..." Naruto's expression shifted dramatically as he stared at the adorable, pale golden toad before him.
"What?! It's you, you little runt?" Naruto roared at Gamaryu, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Hey, you seem a little cranky, huh?" Gamaryu retorted, wagging a chubby frog finger at Naruto.
"You..."
Looking at Gamaryu's innocent expression, Naruto's anger completely dissipated, leaving him with nothing but resignation.
"Naruto, you've actually done pretty well!" Jiraiya nodded approvingly, inwardly pleased. "To achieve this level on your first try?"
"Alright, Gamaryu, back to where you came from. And take your snacks with you." Naruto waved wearily, sending Gamaryu, who had already snatched up his jumbo-sized bag of snacks, back to the Summoning Realm.
"Naruto, it seems you didn't even need to use that Chakra after all," Jiraiya said, stretching lazily. "From now on, you just need to keep practicing."
"Okay," Naruto nodded in understanding.
"So, next up..." Jiraiya's expression turned lecherous.
"Fine, I know," Naruto sighed in resignation, steeling himself for the task he loathed but had to do. "Oh, Yami, your alluring figure dances before my blurred vision. It was you who guided me, making my soul tremble for a fleeting moment before erupting in an endless explosion..."
"Whew! Today was exhausting!" Lying limp on his bed, Naruto gazed at the bright moonlight streaming through the window, complaining wearily, "Practicing the Summoning Technique again, and then having to provide material for the Perverted Sage's writing..."
"Still, the rewards were truly great!"
Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled, lazily squinting his eyes...
"Ahhh... That was a satisfying sleep."
He sat up, rubbed his sleep-crusted eyes, and got out of bed to change.
Ever since that embarrassing morning incident when he'd gone outside in his pajamas, Naruto now always got dressed first thing after waking up before washing his face, brushing his teeth, and eating breakfast.
Once everything was done, he stretched his limbs and leaped out the window.
Having already informed Jiraiya about his mission last night, Naruto didn't need to seek him out to explain the situation.
Arriving at the meeting point, Naruto noticed Sakura and Sasuke had only just arrived as well. He couldn't help but sigh, "Kakashi-sensei, you've really taught your students to be lazy..."
"Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet, right?" Sakura asked cautiously, sidling up to Naruto.
"That lazy bum would never show up this early. Relax..." Naruto said nonchalantly.
"Phew..." Sakura exhaled in relief, then added smugly, "I knew it! Even if we're an hour late, we'll still beat Kakashi-sensei here!"
"Hey Sakura, how about we go to Ichiraku for ramen and ditch Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto suggested with a mischievous grin.
"Is that... really okay?" Sakura asked, feigning reluctance while secretly yearning to do just that.
Glancing at Sasuke, Naruto noticed a flicker of interest in his expression, and an idea struck him.
"Everyone who agrees to ditch Kakashi-sensei, raise your hand!" Naruto suddenly shouted.
*Swish!*
All three hands shot up in unison.
"Excellent! Unanimous vote passed! Let's go!" Naruto yelled triumphantly, and the trio set off toward Ichiraku Ramen.
"Ah... sorry about this... I got a bit lost on the path of life today..." Kakashi began his usual apologetic spiel, raising his hand in apology. But before he could finish his excuse, he noticed the street was virtually deserted.
*Whoosh...*
A gust of wind blew through, making Kakashi's figure seem even more desolate...
A few seconds later...
"Damn it! Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke! How dare you ditch your teacher?!..."
Kakashi's furious roar echoed through the desolate street...
(End of Chapter)