Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Fruits of a Month’s Training and the Opening of the Chunin Exams

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Fruits of a Month’s Training and the Opening of the Chunin Exams

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“What’s wrong, Master Jiraiya? Had enough of my fists?” Shuster flexed his wrists as he spoke.

“You... you’re that brat who used to be under White Fang’s command!” Jiraiya exclaimed, his face full of surprise.

“So, Master Jiraiya, you finally remember?” Shuster recalled a memory of Jiraiya once visiting his home.

“I actually thought you were White Fang’s daughter back then. Look, I still have a photo of you as a child,” Jiraiya said, pulling out a picture of a small girl or boy.

Shuster took the photo and fell into silence. The background showed him alongside White Fang; he looked about five years old then, with a cherubic face, shoulder-length silver hair, and dressed in a kimono. With such delicate features, anyone would assume at first glance he was a little girl.

Staring at the picture, Shuster found tears silently streaming down his face.

“Hey! Pervy Sage, what did you do to make Teacher Hatake cry?” Naruto, just recovering from Shuster’s earlier flick to the forehead, saw him in tears and, making a quick judgment with his limited intelligence, concluded: Pervy Sage equals bad guy who bullies the teacher.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, it’s really not my fault! I just gave him this photo—see for yourself,” Jiraiya hurriedly explained, waving his hands.

“Huh? Wait, this is... Ah, this kid looks just like you, Sensei! Could it be your little sister?” Naruto peered over Shuster’s shoulder at the picture, pausing for a few seconds before blurting out his guess.

“Ah, sorry, I just remembered something. Master Jiraiya, can I keep this photo?” Shuster sniffled, composing himself. In his previous life he had been an orphan, and the memories of family warmth in this world struck a tender chord.

“Oh, sure, go ahead. Thinking of your father again? Shuster, remember, now is not the time to confront the elders. You must hold back,” Jiraiya said, never intending to take the photo back, but quickly added this advice when he saw Shuster’s hand move toward his sword.

“I’m calm now. Thank you, Master Jiraiya.” Shuster took a deep breath and steadied himself.

“So, um, what exactly is going on?” Naruto was thoroughly confused. None of this made sense to him.

“You don’t need to worry about it. Come on, Jiraiya and I will take you to do some training,” Shuster said, not wanting Naruto to get mixed up in politics just yet.

“Oh? Where are we going?” Naruto, ever the simple soul, didn’t press for details and immediately got excited about training.

“Let’s head to the back mountain. There’s a small stream there,” Shuster suggested.

“Alright!” Naruto shouted, fired up and ready to go.

The scene shifts to the mountains behind the village.

“Waaah—splash!” Near the little mountain stream, Naruto, shirtless, was practicing walking on water and once again fell in with a splash.

“This time I’ll definitely get it!” he declared, climbing out of the water to try again.

“Wait a moment, Naruto, come here,” Jiraiya called, noticing the seal on Naruto’s stomach.

“What is it, Pervy Sage?” Naruto asked curiously.

This seal hadn’t appeared before, only surfacing during exercise. What’s this? The Five Elements Seal... So that’s it. There’s another seal layered on top—heh...

“Naruto, stand still. Five Elements Unseal!” Jiraiya’s five fingers glowed with the characters for wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. He pressed them firmly to the seal on Naruto’s stomach, undoing the Five Elements Seal left by Orochimaru during their previous battle.

“Wah—splash!” Naruto was sent tumbling into the water by Jiraiya’s sudden move.

“Blub-blub—what the heck, Pervy Sage?” Naruto sputtered, clambering ashore.

“Try it again this time,” Jiraiya said.

“Huh? Try what?” Naruto asked, puzzled.

“Idiot, walking on water, of course!” Jiraiya muttered, exasperated.

“Oh!... Step, step... step, step—wahaha! I did it! I finally did it!” Naruto first stepped cautiously, then stood tall on the water, finally leaping onto its surface for joy.

“So, Naruto, now that you’ve got water-walking down, here’s a training plan I wrote for you. Just follow this and you’ll be fine. I have other matters to attend to,” Shuster said, vanishing in a flash, leaving behind only a sheet of paper.

“Wow, Teacher Hatake is really busy! Let’s see... Rasengan? What the heck is that?” Naruto muttered to himself.

“What?! Rasengan?! Let me see!” Jiraiya, suddenly energized, snatched the training plan from Naruto like a whirlwind.

“What?! Multi-Shadow Clone training, Shadow Clone Rasengan training—what kind of training methods are these?!” Jiraiya was amazed by what he read.

“Hey, what’s up, Pervy Sage? Give it back!” Naruto protested, grabbing the paper from the dazed Jiraiya.

“Let’s see... Step one is—hey, give that back!” Naruto had barely started reading before Jiraiya snatched the paper again.

“Ahem, I’ll just follow this to teach you. First up is the Summoning Jutsu, right?” Jiraiya said from the side.

A time-skip to evening...

*Ding-dong! Main storyline mission discovered: Rescue Hayate Gekkou. Reward: 25,000 Soul Crystals.*

“So it’s evening already?” Shuster, cheeks flushed, stood up. He had just mastered the Mist Ninja Technique and the improved Five Elements Seal from the skill scrolls when the main mission appeared.

“Well then, time to get moving.” Shuster vanished without a sound, leaving no trace—had anyone not known he’d just been there, they would never have guessed.

“Well, well, isn’t this our esteemed examiner? Out so late—where are you headed?” The Sand Village jonin, leader of the Chunin Exam team, blocked Hayate Gekkou’s path.

“Tch, looks like a fight is inevitable!” Hayate gripped his sword with his left hand.

“Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique,” a cold, somber voice echoed.

A gust of wind blew, and thick mist enveloped the area.

“Whoever you are, thanks for the help!” Taking advantage of the fog, Hayate Gekkou used the Body Flicker Technique to escape.

“Damn, this is bad. The plan’s changed!” The Sand Jonin prepared to retreat as well.

“Leaving so soon?” The cold voice came again.

“Damn it, show yourself!” the Sand Jonin shouted.

“Hmph. Password: ‘Clouds under the moonlight.’ Pure nonsense. I’m the commander of this covert operation. There’s no need to pursue—proceed as planned!” The ominous voice spoke once more, and with that, the mist dissipated.

“Hmph, new orders, is it? Tch.” The Sand Jonin vanished in a flash.

“Phew, it’s you, Thunder. Thanks a lot,” Hayate Gekkou said, exhaling in relief at the sight of the striking figure before him.

“Alright, you’d better lay low for a while. We have a plan, and you can’t be the one to mess it up. Understood, Hayate?” Shuster tossed him an ANBU mask.

“Understood,” Hayate Gekkou replied, donning the mask and vanishing.

*Ding-dong! Mission accomplished. Reward: Main storyline B-rank mission x1, 25,000 Soul Crystals.*

“Ah, this month felt endless!” Shuster sighed, speaking to himself in weary resignation.

PS: Boss fight coming up soon—two top-tier Hokage, and the Eight-Headed Serpent! Perfect targets for leveling up!