One month was a rather long time, yet it also felt short for the Genin who would compete in the final round of the Chunin Exams. Each of them had their own way of preparing.
Because Naruto's foundation, especially in terms of chakra control and basic ninjutsu understanding, seemed to have developed rapidly (thanks to Hana's intensive and 'unseen' guidance), Kakashi Hatake decided not to have Naruto study under Ebisu's tutelage anymore. He felt Naruto was ready for more serious training.
However, Kakashi also received a secret mission from the Third Hokage.
The mission was to protect Sasuke Uchiha from potential threats, especially after the incident with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death.
The pretext Kakashi used was to provide special training to Sasuke.
One morning, at Team 7's usual training ground, Kakashi gathered his students.
"Alright, Team 7," Kakashi began with a slightly more serious tone than usual.
"Considering both of you, Naruto and Sasuke, have made it to the final round, I've decided there will be a slight change in your training program for this month."
"What kind of change, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked curiously.
Kakashi glanced towards Sasuke.
"I will provide special and intensive training to Sasuke personally to maximize his potential against Gaara later."
Naruto, hearing that, immediately pouted.
"WHAT?! Only Sasuke gets special training?! That's not fair, Kakashi-sensei! I made it to the finals too, dattebayo! Why don't I get special training too? You're playing favorites!"
Before Naruto could grumble any longer, Hana's voice whispered in his mind. "Calm down, my prince. Kakashi has his reasons. Remember what I talked to you about regarding Sasuke and the threat of Orochimaru? Kakashi is actually on a mission to protect Sasuke. So, don't make it too difficult for him, okay?"
Naruto fell silent for a moment, recalling Hana's previous explanation.
Although there was still a bit of jealousy, he tried to understand.
He just snorted softly. "Hmph, alright then. But it still doesn't feel good."
Seeing Naruto's slightly disappointed but not explosive expression as usual, Kakashi felt a little guilty.
He knew Naruto also needed guidance.
"Maa, maa, Naruto. Don't pout like that right away," Kakashi said with his characteristic smile.
"I will indeed focus on Sasuke, but that doesn't mean I'm forgetting you. Tell me, is there anything you need or want to learn for your preparation?"
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up.
"Really, Kakashi-sensei?! In that case... I want a new, cool, and strong jutsu!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.
Kakashi chuckled.
"A new jutsu, huh? Alright, I think I have something that suits you and your fighting style."
He reached into his Jōnin vest pocket and took out a scroll.
"Here, Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. This is an A-rank jutsu, allowing you to create shadows of the shuriken you throw, massively multiplying their numbers. With your already excellent Kage Bunshin ability, I think you can master it quite quickly."
Naruto's eyes widened seeing the scroll.
"A-RANK JUTSU?! WOW! That's so cool, Kakashi-sensei! Thank you so much!"
Naruto happily and enthusiastically accepted the scroll, his earlier disappointment vanishing without a trace.
"Train hard, Naruto. And be careful not to injure yourself," Kakashi advised.
"Yes, Sensei!" Naruto immediately turned around.
"I'll master this jutsu right away and make Neji regret it! See ya!"
With that, Naruto dashed off, leaving Kakashi and Sasuke (and Sakura, who could only sigh at Naruto's antics).
Naruto immediately headed to a secluded forest area he usually used for training, far from the village crowds.
He impatiently opened the scroll and began to study the hand seals and the working principle of his new jutsu.
While Naruto was busy training, Hana in his mind was thinking about something else.
What about Naruto's meeting with Jiraiya?
According to Hana's memories from her 'previous life', that meeting should happen around this time, and usually involved an 'accidental' incident at a hot spring.
Hana felt that meeting was surely part of 'destiny' or perhaps had already been planned by certain parties (like the Third Hokage who might want Jiraiya to watch over Naruto).
So, Hana didn't need to worry too much about whether Naruto would meet Jiraiya or not.
It was bound to happen.
'Actually,' Hana thought to herself, her cheeks slightly blushing, 'I really, really want to open this damn seal soon so I can... can affectionately hug and kiss my sweet prince... ahem! I mean, of course, so I can give my full power to help Naruto become stronger! Yes, that's what I mean!'
Hana shook her head slowly, trying to dismiss her 'naughty' thoughts.
'But I also know, Naruto's current body is still not capable of fully receiving the Kyuubi's chakra flow. I have to be a little more patient. For his own good too.'
With the help of Kage Bunshin, which was truly like a cheat in terms of learning efficiency, Naruto managed to understand and begin mastering the Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu in just two full days of non-stop training.
After all, although both were A-rank jutsus, the Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was conceptually easier to learn and master compared to the Rasengan that Naruto would learn in the future, which required high-level chakra control and complex shape transformation.
After two days of hard training until his body felt sticky and sore, Naruto decided to relax for a moment at the public hot springs in the village.
When he arrived at the men's bathing area and was just about to enter, he heard strange giggling sounds and saw a tall, long white-haired man doing something very suspicious, peeking into the women's bath through a gap in the bamboo fence.
Naruto's eyebrows immediately shot up.
"HEY, OLD MAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE, DATTEBAYO?! THAT'S RUDE!" Naruto reprimanded loudly.
The white-haired man jumped slightly in surprise, then turned to Naruto with an annoyed face.
"Ssssh! Don't be noisy, brat! Seriously. What if we get caught?"
The man wore a forehead protector with the kanji "油" (Oil) engraved on it, and there were two red lines extending from under his eyes to his cheeks.
"There he is, my prince," Hana's voice chuckled amusedly in Naruto's mind. "That person is one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. He was also the Fourth Hokage's teacher. And... well, he is a bit... eccentric. Try asking him to train you."
Naruto blinked in confusion.
"Huh? This pervert... a Legendary Sannin? And the Fourth Hokage's teacher? Hana-neechan, are you serious? Why should I train under such a weirdo?" Although confused, Naruto was used to trusting Hana's instincts and information.
"Who are you really, Weird Old Man?!" Naruto asked the white-haired man again in a louder tone, ignoring his request to be quiet.
The man sighed, then struck a cool pose.
"A good question, brat. Listen carefully! I am the great Jiraiya! A wise Sage from the sacred Mount Myōboku, better known by the honorable title, Toad Sage! It is a great honor for you to meet me!"
The white-haired man introduced himself with full confidence, as if performing on a stage.
Jiraiya then took out a small book from under his clothes, its cover depicting a woman in a slightly suggestive pose.
"And besides being a Sage, I am also a famous writer! I am currently doing research for my latest novel, this one!"
He presented the book towards Naruto.
Naruto looked at the book cover and his eyes immediately widened.
"TH-THIS IS...!"
He remembered seeing Kakashi-sensei reading a book with a similar cover.
"Isn't this that naughty novel Kakashi-sensei always reads?! What kind of research material is this?! This isn't research, this is peeping at women bathing, you Pervy Old Man!" Naruto shouted loudly.
Naruto's loud shout apparently reached the women's bath next door.
"KYAAAA! THERE'S A PERVERT! GUARDS! SOMEONE'S PEEPING!" Panicked screams of several women were heard, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
Jiraiya's face immediately turned deathly pale. He glared at Naruto angrily.
"YOU IDIOT, BRAT! ABSOLUTELY IDIOTIC! Now because of you, my noble reconnaissance activity for seeking inspiration has been exposed!" the Pervy Sage grumbled.
"You're the idiot, you pervert!" Naruto retorted, unwilling to back down.
"Wrong! I'm not just a mere pervert!"
Jiraiya defended himself earnestly.
"I am creating a great work of art by gaining inspiration through profound voyeuristic activities! This is for art, brat! Art!"
Naruto just looked at him with disbelief.
But then he remembered Hana's message.
"Hey, Ero-sennin!" Naruto called out.
"Who are you calling Ero-sennin?!" Jiraiya grumbled.
"You! Train with me, come on!"
Naruto started to pester Jiraiya, continuously calling him 'Pervy Sage' or 'Ero-sennin' along the way as Jiraiya tried to escape.
"No way!"
Jiraiya flatly refused.
"I hate impolite brats who have no manners like you the most! And I'm not interested in training boys! Go away!"
With one agile leap, Jiraiya disappeared, carried away by a gust of wind to who knows where.
Naruto didn't give up.
He searched all over the village to find the Pervy Sage.
After a while, he found Jiraiya sitting at a dango shop, seemingly 'gathering material' by observing the waitresses.
To avoid Naruto's troublesome pursuit, Jiraiya cunningly trapped Naruto, locking him inside a large empty water tank behind the shop, then left laughing heartily.
A few hours later, Jiraiya was sitting alone in the middle of the forest, leaning against a tree while looking at the sky and thinking about beautiful, busty girls, a perverted smile clearly etched on his face.
Suddenly, a series of shuriken and kunai shot out from behind the bushes, narrowly missing him! Naruto, with a determined (and slightly drenched) face, appeared and chased him again.
"I won't let you get away again, Ero-sennin!"
Jiraiya leaped away behind a tree trunk. Naruto ran in pursuit, but all he found was a substitution log.
"Damn it! Kawarimi again!" He ran again, searching for the Pervy Sage.
Elsewhere, Jiraiya, who had transformed into an ordinary middle-aged man using Henge no Jutsu, chuckled.
"Huh, that naughty brat still wants to deal with me? He's still a hundred years too early to catch me."
Just as he finished speaking, a blond head appeared from behind his shoulder.
"You underestimate me, Ero-sennin!" Naruto exclaimed.
After an exhausting chase (especially for Jiraiya), the Pervy Sage finally gave up.
"Alright, alright! I'll teach you! But there's a condition!" he said, out of breath.
"I'll only teach you if there's a beautiful, busty young woman accompanying me during training! That will give me inspiration!"
Naruto thought for a moment, then a cunning idea popped into his head. He grinned.
"Alright then! How about this one?"
POOF!
Naruto used Oiroke no Jutsu, transforming into a beautiful blond girl with a voluptuous body.
Jiraiya's eyes immediately widened, his nose starting to bleed.
"WH-WHAT... THIS TECHNIQUE... IS AMAZING! PERFECT!"
The Pervy Sage immediately knelt, having a massive nosebleed.
"Alright! Alright! I'll teach you! Maintain that form while we train! It will be very... inspiring!"
"Ah! You really are as perverted as I thought, you super Pervy Sage!"
Naruto reverted to his original form, looking at Jiraiya with disgust and a little satisfaction.
"Wrong! I'm not a pervert!"
Jiraiya laughed heartily while wiping the blood from his nose.
"I am... a SUPER pervert! Hahahaha!"
Hana, who had been watching the entire drama of the chase and the strange negotiation between her prince and the legendary Sannin from the beginning, was completely weak from laughing so hard in Naruto's subconscious.
Her blue kimono was slightly disheveled, and there were tears in the corners of her eyes from laughing too much.
"My prince... and his teacher... they are truly... a unique pair! Hahaha! My stomach hurts!"