54. True Man of Culture

(325B, Guys, We are near the Top 10, Don't let the momentum vanish, It would be hard later otherwise, So Give me your Powerstones)

Sora inched closer and started telling his tale in a conspiratory tone

"One Night I was going back home from a late-night Prank and came across a scarecrow in a training ground, and thought why not decorate it with some colourful colours"

Jiraiya nodded at that asking him to continue

"So, I went closer to it and realized It was not a Scarecrow... It was Kakashi- Sensei" Jiraiya also was shocked that Kakashi was involved again, What was he doing in a training Ground in the middle of the night?

"He was not alone, He had a clone with him who was holding that orange book for him... That's how I came to know about Shadow Clone Jutsu, after much research and seeing the Hand-signs I practised it and learned it" Sora ended that anti-climatically.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya absent-mindedly nodded at that while internally his thoughts were going very fast, He could guess what Kakashi was doing there with his clone and why that clone was holding the book for him... However, Due to a child in front of him, He didn't voice out his thoughts.

'Kakashi... You are a man of culture' Jiraiya nodded

 Sora suddenly asked "So... were you here just to introduce yourself? Because if so, you can go now. I need to train."

Jiraiya's eye twitched again. This kid had guts, he'd give him that. "Actually, I'm here to see what you can do. I heard you're quite the seal master for your age."

Sora's eyes lit up at the mention of seals. "Oh, you know about seals? Are you any good?"

Jiraiya chuckled. "Am I any good? Kid, I'm one of the best seal masters in the Five Great Nations. But I hear you're not too shabby yourself. How about we compare notes?"

For the next few hours, Jiraiya and Sora sat in the clearing, surrounded by scrolls and diagrams. They discussed complex seal theories, debated the merits of different seal structures, and even started working on a few experimental designs.

As the sun began to set, Jiraiya sat back, impressed. "I've got to hand it to you, kid. You've got a real talent for this. How'd you learn so much about seals at your age?"

Sora shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, you know. A little bit of reading, a lot of experimenting, and maybe a tiny bit of breaking into the restricted section of the library."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Breaking into... you know what? I don't want to know. But listen, how would you like to learn from a real master?"

Sora's eyes widened. "You mean... you'd teach me?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Why not? It's been a while since I've had a student, and you've got potential, kid. What do you say?"

"I say... when do we start?" Sora grinned.

"Meet me here tomorrow morning," Jiraiya said giving him a slip, and getting to his feet. "And be prepared to work hard. I don't go easy on my students."

As Jiraiya walked away, Sora couldn't contain his excitement. He was going to be trained by one of the Legendary Sannin! He couldn't wait to tell Naruto and the others.

Little did he know, the next day would bring some unexpected surprises.

The following morning, Sora arrived at the location Jiraiya had given, bright and early, eager to begin his training with Jiraiya. However, to his surprise, the Toad Sage was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found a man with dark sunglasses lying unconscious on the ground.

Concerned, Sora approached the man and gently shook him. "Hey, mister? Are you okay?"

The man groaned and slowly opened his eyes, adjusting his askew sunglasses. "Wha... what happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Sora said, helping the man sit up. "I'm looking for a pervy old man with white hair. Have you seen him?"

The man's face contorted into a mix of anger and embarrassment. "Pervy old... oh, you must mean Jiraiya-sama. Yes, I... I encountered him earlier."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "And he knocked you out?"

The man, who Sora now recognized as Ebisu, a special jonin known for his teaching skills, cleared his throat awkwardly. "Not... exactly. You see, I was meant to train Naruto Uzumaki today, but Jiraiya-sama... intervened. He used a rather... unorthodox technique to distract me, and then left with Naruto."

Sora couldn't help but grin. "Let me guess... it involved women and this hot spring?"

Ebisu's blush told Sora all he needed to know.

"Right," Sora said, helping Ebisu to his feet. "Well, thanks for the info. I'd better go find them."

As Ebisu dusted himself off, muttering about "disreputable sages" and "corrupting influences," Sora formed his plan. He created five shadow clones, each heading off in a different direction to search for Jiraiya and Naruto.

It didn't take long for one of the clones to spot them near a secluded spot near a waterfall where some ladies were playing with each other in the water. Sora dispelled his other clones and made his way to the location.

As he approached, he could hear Jiraiya's booming voice. "Come on, kid! Put some chakra into it!"

Sora emerged from the trees to find an amusing scene. Naruto was standing at the edge of a cliff, his face scrunched up in concentration as he attempted to summon something. Meanwhile, Jiraiya was... well, being Jiraiya. The Toad Sage had a telescope in one hand and a notebook in the other, and he was periodically glancing towards the hot springs with a lecherous grin.

"Yo! Old man and Naruto-nii-chan!" Sora called out, catching their attention.

Naruto turned, his face lighting up. "Sora! What are you doing here?"

"I'm the old man's new disciple," Sora said with a grin. "Or at least, I was supposed to be. What's going on here?"

Jiraiya, who had hastily hidden his "research" materials, cleared his throat. "Ah, Sora. Good of you to join us. I was just teaching Naruto here the fine art of summoning."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Pervy Sage says I might be able to summon toads like the Fourth Hokage!"

Sora's eyes widened. "Toads? That's so cool! But... why aren't you summoning anything yet?"

Naruto's enthusiasm deflated a bit. "I don't know. I'm putting chakra into it, but nothing's happening."

Jiraiya stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... I have an idea. How about you two spar for a bit? It might help me assess what you both can do"

The two boys looked at each other, grins spreading across their faces. "You're on!" they said in unison.

They moved to a clearing nearby, facing each other with determined expressions. Jiraiya stood to the side, watching with interest.

"Alright," the Toad Sage said. "Begin!"

The sun beat down mercilessly on the rocky terrain as Naruto and Sora faced each other, tension crackling in the air between them. Naruto's blue eyes narrowed with determination as he declared, "It won't end up like last time, Sora."

A smirk played on Sora's lips. "Bring your best shot, Naruto," he taunted, sliding into a fighting stance. It has been around three weeks since Sora had a battle against Team 7.

Without warning, Naruto's hands flashed through familiar seals. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he cried, and suddenly the clearing was filled with a dozen identical Narutos. As one, they flickered towards Sora, their movements a blur.