Chapter 57: Demonstration

In the forest behind Konoha, a place Natsuro usually never visited, it was quite open and empty. At this moment, Natsuro and Jiraiya stood facing each other.

"Natsuro, use all your skills against me." Jiraiya said, having become more familiar with him since taking him on as a disciple. The reason for bringing him here was to test his basic abilities.

"Alright, then please be careful, Master." Natsuro nodded. He trusted Jiraiya's abilities but still offered a warning.

"Don't worry about me. Give it your best shot—I'm a sage!" Jiraiya said confidently.

Without hesitation, Natsuro launched his attack from the front. He aimed to demonstrate his basic skills without any unnecessary tricks, engaging Jiraiya in straightforward physical combat.

Of course, this "combat" mainly involved him attacking while Jiraiya defended effortlessly.

Soon, he noticed that his attacks had no effect at all. Jiraiya effortlessly saw through and blocked everything.

But he wasn't discouraged. This was Jiraiya he was facing. If his attacks were effective, he'd have to question whether becoming Jiraiya's disciple was the right choice.

Unknown to Natsuro, Jiraiya was somewhat surprised. Natsuro's taijutsu and physical condition were quite impressive, indicating he had received some training. He judged that Natsuro's skills couldn't have come from a basic school teacher; he would need to find out who had trained him after the test.

After demonstrating his basic taijutsu, Natsuro's body began to emit electric arcs, increasing his power and significantly boosting his speed.

Yet, even with these enhancements, his attacks remained ineffective against Jiraiya. Even with lightning-enhanced punches, he couldn't break through Jiraiya's defenses or make him retreat.

Despite Jiraiya being one of the legendary Sannin, Natsuro's heart still raced with excitement. He wanted to test his limits!

Next, he focused all his attention on his legs, pushing his lightning enhancement to the limit. However, this was not the end. He continued forming hand seals.

Wind Release: Gale Palm!

In the next moment, a fierce and intense wind rose from his body, concentrating around his legs.

"Master, be careful." He warned before vanishing from sight.

Although it was a similar technique as before, the power was on a whole new level. Natsuro's enhanced physical attributes and the refined lightning and wind enhancements made this attack far more powerful than any previous one!

Jiraiya was at a loss for words. He could see the speed enhancement provided by the lightning release and recognized the Wind Style: Gale Palm. He was astonished that he had mastered it to this extent. Even a Chunin, especially one not specialized in speed, couldn't achieve such velocity. It was even difficult for speed-type ninjas to match!

At such speed, even a regular punch would be formidable, let alone the upcoming attack that combined lightning and wind enhancements!

Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!

Finally, Jiraiya began forming hand seals for the first time. Such an attack could not be endured solely with physical strength.

As Jiraiya completed the hand seals, his messy white hair quickly grew and enveloped his entire body.

In the next moment, Natsuro appeared before Jiraiya and delivered a powerful kick to Jiraiya's white hair.

Boom!!

The intense impact caused the ground beneath Jiraiya to crack and forced him to step back a few paces, creating a depression where he had been standing.

For a seven-year-old, the power of this kick was indeed terrifying.

Seeing Jiraiya use a ninjutsu was an eye-opener for Natsuro. Though he hadn't injured Jiraiya, he had finally forced him to use a technique.

But the demonstration wasn't over yet!

With the physical techniques done, it was time to showcase ninjutsu. Natsuro had only a C-rank Wind Style technique to show, but—

Wind Release: Cutting Wind Technique!

Yes, it was a relatively simple C-rank technique, but he found it was the most suitable for cutting. Wind Style techniques inherently require speed and pressure for cutting, and the Cutting Wind Technique utilized both of these aspects.

What Natsuro aimed to do was to maximize the wind nature of this technique to achieve a qualitative leap in its power.

Perhaps it wasn't as powerful overall as his earlier kick, but in terms of precise cutting power, it surpassed the kick.

The Cutting Wind Technique created an invisible wind blade that sliced towards Jiraiya's hair.

In the end, the Cutting Wind Technique didn't harm Jiraiya, but seeing the portion of his hair cut off and glancing at the now-dormant Natsuro, Jiraiya realized the demonstration was complete.

At this point, Jiraiya had time to carefully consider what he had witnessed.

A seven-year-old child with impressive taijutsu and physical conditioning, a strong foundation in ninjutsu, quick hand seal formation, and excellent control over both shape and nature transformation, not to mention the perceptive talent and Flying Thunder God potential previously displayed—

What was going on? Jiraiya was momentarily bewildered. Had he truly received no formal training?

Though it was unkind to assume, Jiraiya knew the Third Hokage's character. If someone had taught Natsuro, the Third Hokage would have known, and his background would have been thoroughly investigated before being assigned to him.

So, Natsuro must have reached this point through his own efforts?

Jiraiya couldn't help but marvel at the talent of his new disciple. He felt relieved that he had returned; otherwise, this prodigious talent might have ended up as someone else's apprentice.

"Master, I've finished my demonstration." Natsuro said, approaching Jiraiya.

As for the Rasengan he had learned earlier, there was no way he could show it to Jiraiya. After all, it was a jutsu created over three years by the Fourth Hokage, and even with Kushina's help, the Fourth Hokage could observe the Tailed Beast Ball's form at any time. It took three years to create, and while understanding the principle made it easier to learn, creating it was incredibly difficult.

Without ever having seen the Tailed Beast Ball, Natsuro had no justification to 'create' the Rasengan and attempting it would only bring trouble.

"Hmm? Good, good!" Jiraiya slowly snapped out of his shock. After praising Natsuro several times, he withdrew the Needle Jizo technique and looked at him with a burning gaze.

Not only did he possess the talent for the Flying Thunder God, but his overall talent far exceeded Jiraiya's expectations!

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