[Training Ground 41 - The Next Morning]
I was lying flat on my back on a large, sun-warmed boulder, soaking in the morning rays and chewing thoughtfully on a dango stick.
Below me, the river flowed peacefully. And in that river, Naruto was currently drowning.
"Gah! Cough, splutter! I can't do it!" Naruto surfaced, spitting out a mouthful of muddy river water and flailing his arms. "Ebisu-sensei said to focus chakra to the soles of my feet, but it just blows away! It's like my chakra is fighting me!"
I sighed, tossing the empty dango stick into my [Inventory] so I wouldn't litter. "That's because your chakra network is currently experiencing a massive traffic jam, Naruto. Someone put a permanent roadblock on your stomach."
"A roadblock?!" Naruto waded to the shore, dripping wet and looking miserable. "What are you talking about, Kenji? Can you fix it?!"
"I could," I yawned, stretching my arms over my head. "But I'm not a licensed mechanic. Plus, your new tutor is here."
"Tutor? You mean the closet pervert? He's still in the hospital with a concussion from yesterday!"
"Not him. Look up."
POOF.
A massive cloud of white smoke erupted on the surface of the river, sending a wave of water crashing against the bank. As the smoke cleared, it revealed a giant, red-warted toad. Standing on top of it, striking a pose that defied both gravity and common sense, was the white-haired giant from the hot springs.
"Hear me, and rejoice!" Jiraiya boomed, his voice echoing through the trees. "For the man who can make crying children stop and stare in awe has arrived! The Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku! The great, the incomparable... JIRAIYA!"
He finished with a dramatic flourish of his spiky white hair, waiting for the awe-struck silence.
Naruto stared at him. Then he pointed a trembling finger.
"IT'S THE ERO-SENNIN! (Pervy Sage!)"
Jiraiya slipped, nearly face-planting off his toad. "Don't call me that, you loudmouthed brat! I am a Sannin! A living legend!"
"You were peeping at women in the bathhouse!" Naruto yelled back, completely unimpressed. "And you smell like booze and cheap perfume!"
Jiraiya grumbled, jumping down to the shore and dismissing the giant toad with a wave of his hand. He marched right up to Naruto and whacked him on the head with his knuckles.
BONK.
"Ow!" Naruto grabbed his head, tears forming in his eyes. "What was that for?!"
"Respect your elders, you brat!" Jiraiya grunted, crossing his arms. "Hokage told me to fix your chakra control. Apparently, that snake Orochimaru messed with your seal in the Forest of Death."
Naruto blinked, rubbing his head. "Snake guy? Seal? Wait... you're really going to train me?! You know how to fix it?"
"Only because I have to," Jiraiya sighed heavily, poking Naruto's stomach. "Lift your shirt."
Naruto obeyed. Jiraiya channeled chakra into his right hand. His fingertips glowed with blue, concentrated energy. With a swift motion, he slammed his five fingertips directly into the weird, uneven seal Orochimaru had placed over Naruto's gut.
"Five-Pronged Seal Release!"
Black ink swirled violently across Naruto's skin and vanished into thin air.
Naruto gasped. A sudden surge of suppressed blue chakra exploded outward, creating a shockwave that ruffled my hair and nearly blew me off my rock.
"Whoa!" Naruto looked at his hands, his eyes wide. "I feel... so light! My chakra is flowing again! It feels amazing!"
"Now get back on the water and practice," Jiraiya ordered, sitting down heavily on the grassy bank. "Don't bother me until you can walk across the river without sinking like a stone."
Naruto grinned, his confidence fully restored. He charged back into the water. "Watch me, pervy sage! I'm gonna master this in ten minutes! Believe it!"
Jiraiya watched him go, a nostalgic, somewhat sad smile touching his lips. It was the look of a man seeing a ghost from his past.
Then, the smile vanished. The goofy pervert routine dropped entirely, replaced by a calculating, razor-sharp smirk. He turned his head and looked up at me on the boulder.
"And you," Jiraiya said, his voice dropping the theatrical tone. "Kenji Sato, right?"
"In the flesh," I replied lazily, not moving from my comfortable spot.
"The old man told me about you," Jiraiya noted, his eyes narrowing slightly as he sized me up. "Said you're a genius, but a massive headache. He said you have absolutely no respect for authority, you extort people for mission pay, and your combat style is... 'unorthodox'."
"The Hokage is too kind," I smiled lazily. "I prefer the term 'pragmatic'."
Jiraiya chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound in his chest. He reached into his haori and pulled out a small notepad and a pencil.
"You're an interesting brat," Jiraiya said, walking over to the base of the boulder and leaning against it. "You recognized me instantly at the hot springs. And your critique of my writing... it was harsh, but insightful. You seem to know a lot about the... finer things in life."
"I am a man of culture," I agreed, sitting up.
"Why don't you tag along for this training trip?" Jiraiya offered, tapping his pencil against his chin. "I'm mostly here for the blonde kid, but you could learn a thing or two. With your talent, I could make you a powerhouse."
"What can you even teach me, old man?" I asked, looking down at him with mild boredom.
Jiraiya looked genuinely offended. His jaw dropped. "Brat, do you know who I am?! I am one of the Legendary Sannin! I have mastered thousands of jutsu! I can summon toads the size of mountains! I can—"
"Not interested," I cut him off, waving a hand. "I really have no interest in little elemental tricks or giant frogs. I have my own style. But... if you can teach me sealing techniques... then we can talk."
Jiraiya paused, his anger fading into curiosity. "Fuinjutsu? That's an obscure art for a Genin to be interested in."
I kept my face neutral, but my mind was working fast.
Jiraiya was the teacher of Minato Namikaze. Minato was the husband of Kushina Uzumaki. Jiraiya naturally learned some high-level sealing techniques from them. I could easily learn those from the [System Shop], but why waste thousands of Shameless Points when I can just finesse them out of the Sannin for free?
And it's not like I want to learn them myself. Fuinjutsu requires patience and drawing circles. I hate drawing.
I want them for Karin.
Currently, Karin was staying at a secure house designated by the village. After I dragged her out of the Forest of Death and reported her to the Hokage, she had been given a new identity as a Konoha refugee and a place to stay. And, more importantly, there were ANBU monitoring her 24/7.
Why? Because I specifically requested it. I knew that Danzo—the mummy wrapped in bandages who was crazy about recruiting talents for his Root division—would try to snatch an Uzumaki sensor the moment he smelled her. I had to ensure she was under the Hokage's direct protection, safely away from Danzo's tongue-curse-mark fetish. Providing her with Uzumaki sealing scrolls would not only boost her utility but keep her safely occupied indoors.
As for Jiraiya's Toad Summoning contract? I didn't even bother asking.
Summoning contracts like the Toads were basically nepotism inheritances. Only specific lineages got them. Jiraiya made the contract, gave it to his disciple Minato, and now he was going to give it to his disciple's son, Naruto. Who was I? An outsider with no connections. Asking would just result in rejection.
Hearing my demand, Jiraiya rubbed his chin, making a thoughtful gesture.
"Fuinjutsu, huh?" Jiraiya mused. "Well, I'm not a Grandmaster like the Uzumaki clan was, but I do know my way around a sealing array. I don't have the time to sit down and teach you the brush strokes one by one, though. Whether you can learn them or not... that's on your own talent, boy."
He reached into his thick haori and pulled out three worn, heavy scrolls.
"These contain the fundamentals of chakra sealing, barrier seals, and intermediate storage seals," Jiraiya said, tossing them up to me.
I caught them easily.
[System Notification]
[Items Acquired: Basic & Intermediate Fuinjutsu Scrolls]
Jackpot.
"Thanks, pervy-sage," I grinned, tossing the scrolls into my inventory with a flick of my wrist. "I appreciate the donation to my education."
He sighed, turning back to watch Naruto, who was currently taking his tenth consecutive plunge into the river.
"Alright," Jiraiya sat down. "You got your scrolls. Now sit quietly and don't disturb my 'research' while the blonde idiot trains."
Jiraiya pulled out his telescope and aimed it toward the distant women's bathing area across the river.
I lay back down on the boulder, closing my eyes.
"Whatever you say, old man."
Author's Note:
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