There was still one day left before the final round of the Chunin Exams. During this time, Sasuke sought out Kakashi for secret training. Jiraiya had also originally wanted to give Naruto some secret training but was flatly refused. After all, Jiraiya at his current stage had nothing left to teach him.
With nothing to do, Jiraiya could only wander the streets. Unconsciously, he found himself at the bathhouse again. Only after finishing his "research" did he drag his somewhat lethargic body towards the training grounds.
In the training grounds, Sasuke and Kakashi were engaged in a fierce battle.
"Sasuke, your ninjutsu development has hit a bottleneck. What you lack most is combat experience. Next, I'll suppress my strength as much as possible to let you grow under pressure. Be careful; if you're not, you might die," Kakashi moved swiftly, kunai in hand, continuously launching fierce, highly threatening attacks at Sasuke.
Sasuke, with lightning surrounding his body and his Sharingan active, barely managed to keep up with Kakashi's movements. The air was filled with the "ding, ding, dong, dong" sounds of clashing kunai, a testament to the intensity.
In less than a minute, Sasuke was kicked away by Kakashi, and a great fireball followed close behind. Sasuke leaped out of the flames, already bearing scorch marks, but the lightning surrounding him raged even more fiercely. The pain further stimulated his strength and speed, and his attacks became even more ferocious.
Kakashi dodged with ease, sensing a slight disarray in Sasuke's attacks. This was the biggest difference between a genin and a jonin. A jonin could endure severe pain, maintain their form, and keep a clear head. But a genin's mind could easily be distracted by intense pain, leading to various mistakes. In a real battle, such a mistake often meant losing one's life.
"Bang!" Kakashi seized an opportunity, appeared before Sasuke in a flash, grabbed Sasuke's face with his right hand, and slammed it hard against his knee.
Sasuke's face was instantly covered in blood; he looked utterly wretched. Kakashi casually tossed Sasuke to the ground, where the latter groaned in pain.
"If this is all you've got, you won't pass the Chunin Exams," Kakashi taunted Sasuke with his words.
"My, my, Kakashi, you're being a bit too harsh, aren't you? Directly disfiguring him like that, how will Sasuke face anyone now?" Jiraiya's lecherous voice suddenly chimed in.
Kakashi and Sasuke looked up to see Jiraiya lazily lounging on a treetop, one leg dangling in the air.
"Lord Jiraiya," Kakashi immediately showed a respectful expression.
"Tch. So it's the Pervy Sage," Sasuke curled his lip in annoyance. His impression of Jiraiya wasn't good; it could even be considered bad. Despite having Kage-level strength, he spent all day thinking about lewd things, and on top of that, his devil-may-care attitude made him seem very unreliable. Sasuke believed that with great power came great responsibility. Since Jiraiya was one of the Sannin, he shouldn't tarnish that title.
Jiraiya paid no mind to the contrary Sasuke and chatted amicably with Kakashi.
"Yo, Kakashi, isn't it a bit late for this kind of training? It'll be troublesome if he gets injured before the match."
"I understand that too, Lord Jiraiya," Kakashi said with a helpless look. "But there's no other way right now."
Kakashi's eyes suddenly lit up. "Lord Jiraiya, would you be interested in giving him a few pointers?"
"Eh? I refuse!" Before Jiraiya could even speak, Sasuke crossed his arms and said coldly.
"Hey, you brat! Do you know who I am? I'm the Toad Sage! Countless ninja dream of receiving my guidance!" Jiraiya's face darkened with annoyance. Although he hadn't intended to guide Sasuke either, being rejected so directly made him lose some face.
Sasuke crossed his arms again and snorted coldly, declaring emphatically, "So what if Naruto received your guidance? I'll prove to everyone that I will surpass him." After speaking, Sasuke stood up and began to cultivate his Lightning Release chakra. Lightning crackled around his body, and the surrounding grass was scorched by the high temperature.
"My apologies, Lord Jiraiya," Kakashi hurriedly apologized to Jiraiya on Sasuke's behalf. But Jiraiya paid it no mind, instead observing Sasuke with considerable interest. He nodded slightly, murmuring to himself, "To be able to cultivate Lightning Release chakra to this extent at such a young age… it seems this Uchiha brat's talent is no less than Naruto's. He just needs to evolve his eyes, and his strength should be able to catch up to Naruto."
A nostalgic curve touched Jiraiya's lips. For some reason, for a fleeting moment, he saw a young Orochimaru in Sasuke. Both were extremely handsome, and their personalities were a bit tsundere.
"Interesting fellow," Jiraiya chuckled softly, sat down on the spot, and watched quietly.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" Feeling the intense gaze, Sasuke stopped, somewhat uncomfortable, and looked at Jiraiya with clear displeasure. "Why don't you go train Naruto?" He then pretended to have a sudden realization, slapping his forehead. "I get it! You definitely couldn't teach Naruto anything, so you got kicked out, right?"
"So that's how it is! To think the renowned Sannin can't even teach Naruto anymore. Hmph, defeating a Naruto like that will be even more interesting!" Sasuke tilted his little head up, speaking cockily.
"You… little… brat!" Veins throbbed on Jiraiya's forehead. He leaped onto a rock and pointed at Sasuke, retorting, "What nonsense are you spouting! I let Naruto rest for a day! Under this Toad Sage's hellish training, his strength is improving by a thousand li a day!"
"Tch."
"You don't believe me?"
"I don't believe you!"
"Come, come, come! I'll teach you! This Sage will let you experience the joy of a massive power boost right now!"
"I refuse!"
"Refusal invalid! Brat, this is the first lesson I'm giving you: the ninja world is perilous! Without strength, you can't control your own destiny!" Jiraiya grinned savagely.
"Forcing me to learn?"
"This Sage is forcing you to learn today! So what are you gonna do about it?!"
"Being a Sannin is such a big deal? Does being a Sannin mean you can do whatever you want?"
"Haha! Sorry, but being a Sannin really does mean I can do whatever I want. Today, you'll learn whether you want to or not! I'm going to drill you half to death!"
"It's not that I want to learn; you're forcing me to."
"Come on then," Sasuke looked at Jiraiya, a cunning glint in his eyes.
"Hiss—this Uchiha kid is quite crafty!" Jiraiya paused, inwardly shouting that this was bad. To think that he, the dignified Toad Sage, had actually fallen into a trap. So, the kid had been wanting to learn a trick or two from him all along.
But then again… this kid was actually quite interesting. For him to take an interest in an Uchiha brat… that was rather rare.
Well then, he might as well teach him a bit.
Watching Jiraiya and Sasuke going at it, Kakashi adjusted his mask with a bewildered expression, his dead fish eyes blinking. It seemed… he had become an outsider again? What an unpleasant feeling.
Meanwhile, Naruto was walking down a street, contemplating his future training regimen. Ninjutsu wasn't much help to him anymore, though the Rasengan was worth cultivating further. The creativity of that self-made ninjutsu was high, capable of being extended into different forms. The power of Kido and Zanpakuto were both closely related to Reiatsu. So, the top priority was still to find a way into the Pure Land. Besides that, there was Zanjutsu and Shunpo. Naruto had consistently trained these fundamentals, so there was no need to elaborate.
Naruto walked as he thought, and before he knew it, he had wandered onto a bustling street. The moment Naruto stepped onto the street, all the clamor paused for a fraction of a second, then resumed as normal, the villagers continuing with their business. However, their eyes never lingered on Naruto for even half a moment. They all subconsciously ignored him.
"The hostility of the weak is always the strongest, because they can't even control their own emotions," Naruto's gaze was calm as he turned and walked away. The villagers ignored him, but wasn't he also ignoring the villagers?
This was the first time he had strolled through Konoha like this. Some villagers had tried to scold him, but they backed down after seeing the forehead protector on his arm. No matter how fierce they were, they didn't dare provoke a ninja.
Walking through Konoha, which seemed prosperous but was, in reality, cold, Naruto gained a new understanding. With every step he took, the various energies within his body flowed more freely, gradually integrating perfectly into his physique. He looked up at the Hokage Rock, which symbolized Konoha's history and glory. The past Hokage received worship daily. They surely never imagined that the Konoha of today had changed.
Naruto's gaze was terrifyingly calm. Reiatsu seethed within him, and the scarce natural energy in the ninja world surged continuously into his body.
Naruto understood! If this were a Wuxia novel, this would be an epiphany!
Konoha was so large, yet he felt no sense of belonging, almost as if there was no place for him. The political undercurrents among Konoha's higher-ups surged, yet externally they were timid and obsequious, almost afraid that others wouldn't bully them. With Konoha's decline, their rival ninja villages were also beginning to stir restlessly.
Originally, Konoha boasted great clans like the Uchiha and Senju, with countless geniuses born every year. It was even called the cradle of geniuses. But this excellent hand of cards had been completely played into ruin. In Konoha, there was almost no one left who could truly fight. Konoha's leadership had already obstructed the birth of geniuses.
Naruto took a deep breath, and the Reiatsu within him gradually calmed. He wondered if Konoha could accommodate Sasuke. He, after all, had the potential to surpass the existence of the ninja world.
As Naruto frowned in deep thought, a figure leaning on a cane approached from a distance. He was entirely wrapped in bandages and looked shifty and strange.
He was Konoha's Root, Danzo.
Danzo approached from afar; he understood Naruto's current inner turmoil. As a ninja with a peculiar Kekkei Genkai, Jiraiya and Kakashi could hardly help him. But he was different. As the leader of Root, he had organized countless human experiments, deeply analyzed various Kekkei Genkai, and if his understanding of Kekkei Genkai was called second, only a very few would dare claim first. Only he could help Naruto better develop his Kekkei Genkai. This was also his leverage. He was confident that Naruto would sooner or later become his disciple.
So, he had come again. Although he had made a bet with the Third before—that if rejected, he wouldn't harass Naruto again—this time, he was just "passing by" for a casual chat. He was still fulfilling the terms of the bet very well.
"Long time no see, Uzumaki Naruto." Danzo looked at Naruto, offering what he considered a gentle smile.