Boruto had a million thoughts running through his mind and eventually fell asleep without realizing it.
The next day, Naruto woke him up.
"Boruto! Wake up! Wake up!"
"Too young to be sleeping in? How can a kid your age sleep this late?" Naruto watched the groggy Boruto, who could barely open his eyes.
Though Naruto himself was prone to sleeping in, he had always been lenient with himself and strict with others!
He also enjoyed speaking from a position of moral authority to criticize.
So, he said these words without a blush or a single shortness of breath.
Boruto groggily woke up. Seeing the younger version of his father before him, and recalling the issue that had kept him up all night, he couldn't suppress his curiosity any longer.
"Uncle, what is your relationship with Aunt Sakura, and what happened last night—"
Seeing his expression, Naruto realized he had misunderstood something and explained, not without annoyance, "Last night was just training, wasn't Sasuke there too?"
"Is that so?"
To protect his father's image in his heart, Boruto chose to believe him!
A little later, the two arrived outside the village.
"Uncle, what are we doing here?" Boruto had been very mindful of his address since his frequent slip-ups yesterday.
"Pervy Sage told me yesterday that he's going to teach me a powerful jutsu, so we're here for class."
"Pervy Sage?"
"Uh,"
Naruto glanced at Boruto, whose confusion seemed genuine.
Wait a minute, he doesn't even know who one of the Sannin is? Did Jiraiya not live to that age?
He quickly did the math.
If I have Boruto at age 20, and he's 12 now, that's about 20 years from now. Jiraiya-sensei is so strong, how could he not live for even 20 years?
Did he die in battle early?
As he pondered, Naruto explained verbally, "Jiraiya, you've heard of him, right? He's my master."
The moment the words left his mouth, Naruto realized something was slightly off.
The reason Jiraiya became his master was because he proactively sought to become his apprentice.
The Naruto in Boruto's original timeline might not necessarily have had Jiraiya as a teacher!
However, Boruto's answer was unexpected.
"Jiraiya? I've seen a photo of Dad and him together. He really is Dad's master!"
"Is that so?"
Could history really have some kind of self-correcting effect?
Considering Jiraiya's relationship with his father, Minato Namikaze, it seemed entirely possible.
"But..."
Boruto looked up at the sky. The blazing sun was high, making it clearly noon or later.
It's already midday; shouldn't class start early in the morning?
Naruto naturally knew what he meant.
But the Pervy Sage was no ordinary person!
That man was either doing "research" or was on his way to do "research"!
His nickname was the 'Research Sage'!
Even if he'd promised to teach him yesterday, the Pervy Sage definitely wouldn't show up until he had finished his research for the morning!
Definitely!
Naruto smiled confidently, his tone full of certainty, "You'll get used to it. The Pervy Sage loves research. He researches until noon, so this is the perfect time for us to arrive!"
"Is that so? Naruto!!"
An unexpectedly familiar voice sounded from in front of them.
Huh?
Naruto looked up and saw Jiraiya, who had been waiting for what felt like ages, sitting on a rock ahead.
Rare, this is truly rare!
The Pervy Sage actually didn't go for research today?
Did he change his personality?
"Haha... Jiraiya-sensei, long time no see." Naruto quickly played it off with a hearty laugh.
Long time no see?
We just saw each other yesterday!
Jiraiya glared at him with annoyance but also noticed Boruto standing next to Naruto.
Seeing Boruto, Jiraiya thought he was mistaken.
He looked at Boruto, then back at Naruto.
The two shared the same bright blond hair, the same blue eyes, were almost the same age, and most importantly, their faces held many similarities.
Jiraiya felt a strange sense of panic.
Could Naruto have a twin brother? Did Minato do something mischievous?
"Who is the child you brought with you?" he asked, trying to remain poker-faced.
"He's my distant nephew."
Distant nephew?
Jiraiya didn't believe a word of Naruto's statement. What relatives did Naruto have that he didn't know about?
Plus, it was obvious the two knew each other.
Forget it.
If Naruto didn't want to talk, he wouldn't force him.
Jiraiya's gaze returned to Naruto, filled with solemnity and eager anticipation. "Naruto, you are a genius."
Jiraiya recalled the first time he saw Naruto.
He had merely demonstrated the Rasengan, and Naruto learned it just by watching. He even innovated upon the Rasengan and managed to incorporate elemental affinity.
He's an absolute monster!
Because of this, Jiraiya desperately wanted Naruto to grow stronger and become the savior of the world!
Not to die in some unexpected accident.
Like... the situation yesterday.
Even recalling the circumstances back then sent a chill down Jiraiya's spine.
Therefore.
"I have a powerful jutsu passed down in our master-student lineage. Once you master this one, you'll never have to fear Genjutsu again!"
"Is that so?"
Well, I don't really fear Genjutsu anyway!
But learning an extra skill is always good.
"What is it, Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto was very curious. Is the ninja world so vast that there are jutsu he doesn't know about?
"Haha."
Seeing that he had piqued Naruto's interest, Jiraiya suddenly became reserved. "I can't tell you that yet. You'll need to come with me to Mount Myōboku."
Go to Mount Myōboku?
Naruto shook his head immediately. He had to wait on the streets of the Leaf Village for Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki to arrive. He couldn't leave the Leaf, let alone go somewhere as far as Mount Myōboku.
"Can't I practice in the Leaf Village? I can't leave the Leaf right now, Pervy Sage," Naruto asked.
Pervy Sage?
The constantly shifting form of address caused a black line to appear on Jiraiya's forehead.
He pressed his large hand down on Naruto's head, giving it a good rub—a harsh 'revenge'—before finally refusing. "The Leaf? No!"
"Why?"
Naruto frowned. Does this jutsu require a specific location for training?
Looking at Naruto, Jiraiya explained sincerely, "Training this jutsu requires a special kind of energy, also called Natural Energy."
"Natural Energy?"
"Correct!"
Jiraiya nodded. "It is an energy that exists throughout nature. It is somewhat sparse and hard to sense in the ninja world. But at Mount Myōboku..."
He paused, "Natural Energy is very dense, making it easier for you to sense it during your initial training."
"Moreover, Mount Myōboku has another great secret weapon!"
"What secret weapon?"
Naruto was interested. He loved secret weapons!
Maybe it will even activate some sort of bonus.
"It's Toad Oil!"
Jiraiya made a strange gesture with his hands. "If we smear this toad oil on you, it will make it easier for you to sense and absorb Natural Energy. It will achieve twice the result with half the effort."
I see.
However, looking at the curves Jiraiya drew with his hands, Naruto's face darkened.
Did he think I couldn't tell what he was gesturing?
The Pervy Sage is definitely thinking about applying suntan lotion to someone!
Noticing Naruto's contemptuous glance, Jiraiya sheepishly lowered his hands. Being scorned by his disciple was a little embarrassing.
But what is pride to the Toad Sage?
It's not even worth a lady's tissue.
He quickly changed the subject. "Naruto, I admit that you are slightly more of a genius than I am, and you will make rapid progress in training Sage Mode."
"But if you can't sense Natural Energy, no matter how fast you train, no matter how much of a genius you are, you won't even be able to start!"
"So," he raised an eyebrow, "you should still come to Mount Myōboku with your master. Besides, the Great Toad Sage has been wanting to see you since last time."
Naruto rolled his eyes at him. The last part was the main point, wasn't it?
Sigh.
Jiraiya-sensei is really being completely misled by that Great Toad who's been alive for who knows how long.
Will I really be unable to train Sage Mode if I don't go to Mount Myōboku?
I don't believe it!
Sense Natural Energy?
Look what I have!
Bam!
Invincible Sensing Capability!
Bam!
A Chakra Control Capability of 489!
Will it work?
"Pervy Sage, what exactly is Natural Energy?"
"Natural Energy?"
Seeing Naruto ask this, Jiraiya, as the master, scratched his head. After a moment's thought, he explained, "It's a peculiar energy that exists everywhere in the world."
It exists everywhere in the world? Then it must be around me!
Naruto closed his eyes and began to sense with all his might.
"What do they look like?" Naruto asked again.
Seeing Naruto close his eyes, Jiraiya paid it no mind but still answered seriously, "It's simply an energy that exists all around. In terms of sensation, they are energy points scattered everywhere in the air, mainly existing as specks of light in your perception."
Specks of light suspended everywhere?
Naruto was very familiar with this!
Since he was four, countless specks of light had existed around him and throughout the world.
He had always thought they were some kind of Ki or other substance. Could these actually be Natural Energy?
Naruto closed his eyes. With just a slight effort to sense, the specks of light he had seen countless times reappeared in his perception.
Innumerable tiny specks of light, dense as an ocean, covered his entire range of perception, glittering brightly.
And he, Naruto Uzumaki, was right in the middle of this deep sea of Natural Energy.
It's not as sparse as Jiraiya-sensei said.
"Naruto, don't waste your time. If you're not at Mount Myōboku, you can't sense the surrounding specks of light on your first attempt."
Jiraiya tried once more to persuade Naruto to train at Mount Myōboku, believing that Naruto was performing a useless effort.
"I sensed them."
"I know you believe in your talent, but unless you've had experience sensing Natural Energy, it's difficult to sense those specks of light."
"I sensed them," Naruto repeated.
"I know it's hard... what?"
At this, Jiraiya's small eyes suddenly opened wide.
He sensed them???
Just... like that?
How is that possible!
At that moment, Naruto gently opened his eyes, his confident gaze meeting Jiraiya's. "I've sensed them. What's the next step?"
His tone was utterly casual, as if he had just completed an insignificant chore.
"Th-this..."
After these two words, Jiraiya immediately realized something. Although his mind was still reeling from the shock, he quickly replied.
"The next step is to draw that Natural Energy into your body and mix it with the Chakra inside you to form Senjutsu Chakra."
Seeing Naruto close his eyes again, ready to move to the next step, Jiraiya suddenly grew anxious.
He warned, "Naruto! You must be careful, careful, and more careful! You know that Chakra is a mixture of Spiritual Energy and Physical Energy. Senjutsu Chakra requires the extra introduction of Natural Energy to form a balance of Natural Energy - Spiritual Energy - Physical Energy!"
"You absolutely must not rush! Be extremely careful! If the Natural Energy is too much or too little, you'll turn into some kind of monster... uh, hmm?"
Jiraiya's warning ended abruptly with a suspicious sound from himself.
He noticed that orange eye shadow had appeared above Naruto's closed eyes.
It's done?
But how is that possible? Did the laws of physics cease to exist?
Jiraiya immediately began to question his entire life experience.
Naruto opened his eyes, a strange glint flashing across them.
"Is this Sage Mode?"
Naruto looked down at himself, feeling completely filled with power. His Chakra had undergone a qualitative transformation.
So strong!
Sensing the change in his power, Naruto immediately smiled, his face beaming with infinite confidence.
"This is... quite interesting."
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