"Five seconds? You've got some nerve!"
Gamabunta, who had just started to warm up to Naruto, instantly got mad. "Let's see how you plan to beat me in five seconds!"
"Oh no, Naruto just pissed off Gamabunta!"
Jiraiya saw Gamabunta get angry and immediately stepped back.
Seeing things going south, Gamachu used Reverse Summoning to return to Mount Myoboku.
At that moment, Gamabunta was already swinging a giant palm toward Naruto.
That slap wasn't held back at all—if Naruto didn't really have the strength he claimed, he would've been seriously hurt!
But Gamabunta didn't care.
He wanted Naruto to learn what happens when you run your mouth too much!
Naruto didn't dodge. He stayed still and quickly made a hand sign.
"'Ram'?"
Jiraiya looked confused when he saw the hand sign Naruto made.
Was he planning to use the Clone Jutsu to trick Gamabunta?
Could that even work?
While Jiraiya was still wondering, there was a sudden puff of smoke—and Naruto turned into… Gamabunta!
"A Transformation Jutsu?!"
Jiraiya's eyes went wide in disbelief.
He transformed into Gamabunta using a basic jutsu?
Was Naruto really that good at the Transformation Jutsu?
Still, transformation is just transformation. There's no way it could copy Gamabunta's real power or skills.
If you're actually trying to beat Gamabunta like this, Naruto, then you're being way too naive.
Jiraiya was just thinking this when he suddenly saw Naruto—now in Gamabunta's form—catch Gamabunta's slap with one hand!
"What?!"
Both Gamabunta and Jiraiya were shocked by Naruto's strength.
None of them thought Naruto could block that attack with his own power.
"This chakra..."
Gamabunta could feel it. Naruto didn't stop the attack with just physical strength—he used that red chakra!
That red chakra was very familiar to Gamabunta—Nine Tails!
"Kid, if you're using that chakra properly, yeah, maybe you can hold out for five minutes. But you said you'd beat me in five seconds, and now there's only..."
Before Gamabunta could even finish his sentence, Naruto—still in Gamabunta's form—suddenly appeared above him and kicked down with both legs!
Boom!
Gamabunta was sent flying into the ground, crashing and leaving a huge crater.
"Looks like the timing was just right."
The transformed Naruto bit onto a pipe and said quietly, "Still, this form isn't much to look at—better change back."
The reason he chose to transform into Gamabunta wasn't because the jutsu made him stronger. Naruto just wanted to test the limits of the Transformation Jutsu.
After all, he hadn't really tried it since he maxed out the skill.
And he wasn't even sure what made a max-level Transformation Jutsu different from a normal one.
Now, he was starting to get it.
Using the jutsu well requires careful observation and understanding of the target. With the maxed-out version, Naruto became extremely good at this.
With just a glance, he could copy almost all the key details and pull off a near-perfect transformation.
If you didn't see him transform with your own eyes, it'd be almost impossible to tell.
Also, for most ninjas, their Transformation Jutsu has limits.
Because of chakra limitations and lack of control, they can't transform into something huge like Gamabunta.
And even if they somehow did, they couldn't use the size advantage like Naruto just did.
It would just be for show.
But Naruto didn't have that problem.
His steady chakra control and massive chakra reserves gave his transformed Gamabunta real strength and defense.
And if he added Nine Tails' chakra to the mix, even the real Gamabunta wouldn't be stronger than him!
In fact, looking at it that way, even without using his full power, Naruto already had Kage-level strength.
"Not bad, kid!"
Gamabunta got back up from the crater, glaring at Naruto but with a hint of respect in his eyes.
"That kick really hurt—but as long as I can get back up, it doesn't count as a loss!"
"..."
Why had he never noticed before how similar Gamabunta and Jiraiya were?
That thick skin must run in the same bloodline.
"Well then, Gamabunta, have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"What the hell is a speed-of-light kick? I—"
Gamabunta had just started to talk tough when he suddenly saw Naruto glow with golden light and vanish on the spot.
The next moment, Naruto was already right in front of him.
Before he could even react, he felt a sharp pain in his toad chin, and the next thing he knew, Naruto's kick had launched him into the air.
"We're not done yet!"
Naruto looked at the airborne Gamabunta, then turned into golden light again and used Yata no Kagami to appear above Gamabunta—before slamming down with a spinning kick!
Light Release: Shadow Leaf Dance!
Gamabunta crashed down hard from the sky, slamming into the ground, and with a loud *bang*, he vanished in a puff of smoke!
Too badly hurt, Gamabunta was forcibly sent back home!
At that moment, Jiraiya, who was hiding nearby and watching, was completely stunned.
What kind of jutsu was that?
Golden flash?
Are you your dad or something!?
Wait… no, even your dad didn't move like that!
Jiraiya ran over to Naruto, who had just sent Gamabunta flying, and quickly asked, "Naruto, what was that move you just used?"
"Just Light Release and a bit of standard Konoha-style taijutsu," Naruto replied.
"Light Release?"
Naruto had moved so fast that all Jiraiya saw was a golden flash—he didn't catch what the taijutsu part was.
But that didn't matter to him. What mattered was this Light Release he'd never even heard of!
"It's a special type of kekkei genkai," Naruto explained.
"Kekkei genkai…"
Jiraiya was extremely curious and excited about this new bloodline ability.
Curious, because it was so unique and unfamiliar.
Excited, because the more special Naruto was, the more likely he was to be the Child of Prophecy that the Great Toad Sage spoke of.
Could Naruto be the one who would bring change to the entire ninja world?
Ever since Nagato and Minato passed away, Jiraiya hadn't felt this kind of hope from anyone in a long time.
He never expected that a simple trip back to Konoha to gather inspiration would lead him to someone with this kind of potential!
And that someone turned out to be his former student's son!
Looking at Uzumaki Naruto in front of him, Jiraiya's mind was racing.
He had originally taken Naruto as a student just to make up for what happened to Minato and Kushina, and partly out of concern for Konoha—a spur-of-the-moment decision, really.
But now, it looked like he'd hit the jackpot.
Who would've thought the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki also had such a powerful bloodline?
Talk about stacking all the buffs.
'Naruto... are you the one who will change the ninja world?'
---
Read 40 advanced chapters on my patreon
patreon.com/GustinaKamiya
---