Chapter 078: This Ninjutsu Is Extremely Difficult—It Took Me a Whole Month to Master It

"Master Jiraiya... May I call you that? It's how my parents addressed you."
There was a certain light flickering in Naruto's eyes—one that Jiraiya couldn't quite describe.
His voice, still untouched by adolescence, was a little boyish, yet it rang with conviction and power:
"Master Jiraiya, I know what you're worried about."
"I'm not going to pretend the cold indifference I suffered left me untouched. The harm was real and undeniable—if I claimed I didn't mind, I doubt you'd believe me."
"Still, that is the village where I was born and raised, and my parents gave their lives to protect it. I don't want to destroy with my own hands what my parents died to defend, nor will I let the Leaf Village fall behind as I lead it toward change."
"But, don't expect me to show mercy when I break old shackles—especially when it comes to settling accounts with those stubbornly clinging to the past."
"The Land of Waves is only the beginning. What I seek is a world without war, where everyone can live in happiness. I'll sweep aside anything that stands in the way of that goal—be it the Land of Fire or the Leaf itself; nothing will be exempt."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed deeply, his heart full of unspeakable conflict.
He could feel Naruto's determination and courage as clearly as day, but he also knew that such a path was fraught with unknowns and peril.
"Let's set everything else aside for now and talk about your ideals."
Jiraiya chose his words carefully. "Naruto, I think your vision is too idealistic. The history of the shinobi world is steeped in war and conflict. Do you really believe you can change all of that?"
Naruto took a deep breath, his eyes growing even more resolute:
"I can't say for certain I can bring about peace, but I can promise you this: everything I do is to make people's lives better. The future of the Land of Waves stands as proof of my resolve."
Jiraiya fell silent, gazing at Naruto as a storm of emotions welled up within him.
He knew Naruto's resolve could not be shaken, but his own lifetime of wandering made it impossible to fully endorse Naruto's methods.
Don't let the fact that Jiraiya wrote those silly little adventure novels fool you into thinking he's just a second-rate peddler of vulgar tales.
His breadth of experience and depth of thought were unmatched by almost anyone in this world.
That, more than anything, was why Jiraiya put his faith in the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.
To say he believed it was to understate his hope; he wanted the prophecy to come true. Because Jiraiya knew his own powerlessness, he pinned his hopes on someone who might surpass him.
In Naruto, he saw hope.
But at the same time, Naruto's somewhat detached attitude—a rationality that bordered on coldness when it came to the fate of others—filled him with fear.

He thought back to one of his own past failures.
"Naruto, your plan could cost countless lives. Have you really thought it through? Do you truly know what you're doing?"
Jiraiya stared intently into Naruto's eyes, deadly serious.
Naruto nodded, wearing the same gentle smile as his father, but his gaze was grave:
"Master Jiraiya, I know exactly what I'm doing, and I understand the consequences. I know this isn't a child's fantasy, but I have to try."
"I can't save everyone. I'm not a messiah, nor do I have the power to be one."
"All I can do is give likeminded people the chance to save themselves."
"At the very least, look at the Land of Waves. After I came, their lives became better than before."
Their conversation by the seaside went on for a long time as they argued and discussed, each trying to persuade the other.
In the end, Jiraiya sighed, realizing that Naruto's determination would not be swayed.
"Naruto, I can't promise I'll support your actions, but I've seen what you've done for the Land of Waves. I will, for now, conceal your deeds from Konoha's intelligence network."
Naruto looked at Jiraiya, gratitude flickering in his eyes:
"Thank you, Master Jiraiya. I'll prove with my actions that my choices are the right ones."
In truth, Naruto knew Jiraiya had already done far more for him than just this.
For example, a certain rumor spreading through the Land of Waves, and the curious direction of public opinion, were both Jiraiya's doing.
If Jiraiya hadn't circulated the rumor that "Naruto will save the Land of Waves," the public trial against Gato would never have attracted so much attention, and the impromptu town magistrate tribunals might not have even happened.
In fact, Naruto had originally planned to use the military tribunal system he knew best as the blueprint for Gato's trial.
Jiraiya changed the subject again.
"Naruto, your father had a formidable jutsu called the Rasengan—it was his signature move. I'd like to teach it to you. With your intelligence, you should be able to master it quickly."
There was a note of nostalgia in Jiraiya's voice.
This jutsu was something Minato Namikaze had developed specifically to help Kushina Uzumaki manage her massive chakra.
Originally, Minato had given the jutsu a name so bizarre it defied description. Thankfully, Kushina's sense of aesthetics was normal, or the Rasengan would have become strange in more ways than one.

As he reminisced about his student, a blue chakra sphere formed in Jiraiya's hand.
Naruto looked at Jiraiya and laughed. "Master Jiraiya, so you know the Rasengan too? Actually... I mastered it a long time ago—self-taught, even!"
With that, a pale blue chakra sphere appeared in Naruto's palm as well.
Under Jiraiya's astonished gaze, Naruto even hurled his Rasengan outwards, where it formed a massive spherical whirlpool in the sea.
"When I was researching my father's history, I learned about his signature jutsu."
Naruto said, "After thoroughly understanding its appearance, destructive force, and the way it worked, I tried to recreate it. It's a difficult jutsu—I spent about a month before I could pull it off."
"A month?!"
Jiraiya cried out, "Minato spent three years developing that jutsu! And he had both me and your mother helping him! You mastered it in a month and call it difficult?!"
"It's definitely hard! The hardest part is the creativity, all right? Copying the steps from a manual isn't that hard!"
Naruto couldn't help but cry out in protest, just like Jiraiya.
As Jiraiya stared at him as if he were a monster, Naruto said, "The other huge challenge was leaving an interface for nature transformation in the jutsu! That was what took most of my research time!"
"You even managed to add nature transformation?"
Jiraiya was still yelling. "Minato never succeeded with that, not even to his dying day. And you managed it? I can hardly believe it!"
"Words are pointless—just watch!"
Naruto formed another Rasengan in his hand.
But this time, the Rasengan turned a blinding white, its surface encircled by four small wings.
At the same time, a fine, high-pitched chirping came from the sphere.
"Look, Master Jiraiya! This is the Rasengan with wind nature transformation added!"
"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"