Naruto’s Training Mishap

"Um?"

"Isn't that the psychic technique Jiraiya uses?"

Gamabunta, the enormous toad, puffed out a huge smoke ring from his cigarette rod.

Jiraiya, seizing Naruto by the collar, whispered through gritted teeth, "Naruto, remember—psychic beasts are our partners. Don't ever do something like this again, you hear?"

"Got it," Naruto replied, glancing regretfully at the toad in front of him.

This toad was even bigger than the last one he had summoned. If only he could use it for training, he thought; he'd definitely become a lot stronger.

Jiraiya, relieved that Naruto seemed to understand, took a deep breath. At least the kid was listening to him now.

"Gamabunta, this child channeled you," Jiraiya said to the massive toad. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uzumaki… Naruto?" Gamabunta looked at the yellow-haired boy, and Minato's face briefly flashed through his mind. "Is he actually the child of that boy Minato?"

Gamabunta was slightly surprised by Naruto. Even Minato had been unable to summon such a toad at Naruto's age.

Jiraiya continued to chat with Gamabunta, ensuring that Naruto wouldn't make any more ridiculous mistakes. Once he was certain that Naruto would behave, Jiraiya left the training ground, eager to avoid further confrontation.

Jiraiya was also determined to settle scores with the old man. It wasn't that he was unwilling to accept Naruto as his disciple. He just wished the old man had been clearer about Naruto's situation!

With a sense of frustration, Jiraiya stormed toward the Hokage Building. However, before he could enter, two ANBU ninjas stopped him.

"Jiraiya-sama, please wait," one of the ANBU said. "Sir Third Generation has been busy with official duties these past two days. No outsiders are allowed for now."

The ANBU's sympathetic gaze only fueled Jiraiya's anger. The weight of teaching Konoha's "Yellow Flash" was on Jiraiya's shoulders, and it wasn't an easy task. He felt that the Third Hokage was avoiding him out of guilt.

"Damn it!" Jiraiya fumed. "That old man is hiding!"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen! If you've got the guts to lie to me, come out and face me!"

Jiraiya's shouting was loud enough to be heard inside the Hokage's office. The Third Hokage, hiding behind the curtains, peered out at Jiraiya. Though he was being scolded, the old man couldn't help but feel a bit pleased. At least he didn't have to deal with Naruto directly.

The Third Hokage was contemplating throwing away the pile of pills in his drawer. Perhaps, with Jiraiya's efforts, he wouldn't need them anymore.

"Jiraiya-sama…" The ANBU ninja couldn't bear to see Jiraiya so angry and secretly warned him, "You should go back. Third Generation-sama won't see you right now."

"Damn it!" Jiraiya yelled, feeling betrayed. "I knew it wouldn't help to come back to the village!"

Frustrated and unable to see the Third Hokage, Jiraiya left the Hokage Building, grumbling under his breath.

"Damn old man! Don't even think about taking the crystal ball back."

Meanwhile, at Naruto's exclusive training ground, Naruto and Gamabunta were getting along surprisingly well. Gamabunta, who saw Naruto as Minato's child, was willing to protect him just as he had protected Minato.

Naruto felt a peculiar sense of satisfaction with animals, though he often struggled with people in the village. He reflected on his uncle's disdain and wondered why Neji still held a grudge. Determined to be a better person, Naruto thought about helping Konohamaru and Sakura with special training.

Naruto remembered their desire to become stronger and decided to use Gamabunta for their training. He summoned them both to the training ground and watched as they arrived, confused but hopeful.

Konohamaru was eager, shouting, "Brother! Let's start! Are we going to practice martial arts today?"

Sakura, on the other hand, was apprehensive. "Naruto… should we really do this? I don't think I'm cut out for your physical training."

Naruto reassured them with a smile that only made Sakura more uneasy. She recalled a similar smile from when Naruto had dressed as Sasuke and nearly gone rogue.

"Don't worry, Sakura. This special training isn't what you think."

Naruto bit his thumb and formed seals with his hands, which caught Sakura's attention. She knew Naruto's signature jutsu was the Shadow Clone Jutsu, so many seals must mean something significant.

"Psychic Art!"

Naruto pressed his hand to the ground, and Gamabunta's enormous form appeared before them. Sakura and Konohamaru stared in awe at the giant toad, their excitement growing.

"Brother Naruto! I want to learn this!" Konohamaru exclaimed.

But then they noticed that Naruto was no longer on the ground; he was on top of Gamabunta's head.

"Hey, where's Brother Naruto?" Konohamaru asked, looking around.

"Naruto… what are you doing up there?" Sakura questioned, her unease mounting.

Naruto, standing atop Gamabunta's head, felt as though he just needed an orange scroll and some eye shadow. He then addressed Gamabunta with a serious tone.

"Gamabunta… brother. Attack them!"

Gamabunta was taken aback. He stared at Naruto in confusion. Had the ninja world changed so much that he couldn't keep up?

Without much thought, Gamabunta raised his foot and prepared to stomp on the two below.

Boom—

The massive toad leg came crashing down, stirring up a cloud of dust and debris. Sakura barely managed to grab Konohamaru and pull him out of harm's way, only to realize that the giant toad was still chasing them.

"Naruto!!!" Sakura screamed.

"Ahhh! Brother, what are you doing?" Konohamaru cried.

Both were terrified, fearing that Naruto intended to eliminate them.

But Naruto's voice came through clearly, "Sakura! Konohamaru! Why are you running? Come face my psychic beast!"

Despite Naruto's serious tone, his smirk betrayed his amusement.

"Brother Naruto! I don't understand! This is too dangerous!" Sakura shouted.

"That's right!" Konohamaru added. "Naruto, are you trying to kill us?"

Naruto, realizing that his approach might have been a bit extreme, tried to explain, but Sakura and Konohamaru were still in shock.