"Poof!"
At Training Ground Seven, with a soft sound, Jiraiya's [Shadow Clone] vanished before Minato. Before the latter could even manage a smile, he collapsed right on the spot.
"Pant...pant... no wonder you're my teacher..."
Minato had fought against Jiraiya's [Shadow Clone] for a long time. Although he hadn't managed to defeat it in the end, he had drained its chakra until it disappeared. He himself was also nearly drained of chakra.
"Whoosh!"
Jiraiya's real body then appeared before Minato, offering his hand to him.
Minato reached out and took it, using it to pull himself up.
"It's only been a year, but you really are amazing, kid..."
Jiraiya sighed. A year ago, his [Shadow Clone] could easily handle Minato with just taijutsu. This time, it ran out of chakra because Minato had used ninjutsu as well.
Even so, Minato had dodged every one of those ninjutsu attacks without fail using the Shifting Body Technique.
Although the speed and quality of the techniques performed by the [Shadow Clone] couldn't match those of Jiraiya's real body, it clearly showed how incredibly fast his disciple had grown.
And Minato was developing exactly in the direction Jiraiya had envisioned, which caused a proud smile to appear on Jiraiya's face.
"All of this is thanks to my teacher's guidance. If I had been left to my own devices, I don't know how long it would have taken me to reach this level."
For an entire year, his teacher had given him only the most basic training exercises. Yet today proved how effective these seemingly simple practices were. Right now, relying solely on his physical speed, he could effortlessly dodge large-scale C-rank (middle-tier) ninjutsu attacks and immediately counterattack.
Although Minato didn't yet know many ninjutsu techniques, that didn't affect his progress in strength.
"Hehe," Jiraiya chuckled softly at this.
"Teacher, will we still do basic practice today?" Minato then asked.
Seeing his energetic and determined look, Jiraiya smiled slightly before placing his palm on Minato's head and ruffling his hair, saying, "You brat, getting carried away already? Have you forgotten what I told you?"
Upon hearing this, Minato laughed slightly with some embarrassment. In his current state—his chakra severely depleted—it wasn't suitable for him to keep training.
Seeing his expression, Jiraiya said, "Since you can beat my [Shadow Clone] now, from today on I'll start teaching you ninjutsu."
A year ago, the reason he hadn't taught Minato ninjutsu was not only because he felt Minato still struggled with timing ninjutsu properly, but also because Minato's chakra reserves were barely enough even for casting C-ranked ninjutsu.
The basic training he gave Minato wasn't just about building fundamentals—it was also meant to boost his chakra reserves.
Chakra is the fusion of physical energy and spiritual energy, so the stronger one's physique, the greater their chakra reserves become.
Right now, Minato's chakra reserves had already reached the level of a Chunin, something Jiraiya hadn't anticipated. Even back when he himself was at Minato's age, his own chakra reserves had been slightly lower.
It wasn't arrogance on his part—among Konoha's Jonin, no one had greater chakra reserves than him.
It seemed Minato, like himself, was naturally gifted with the potential to become a great ninja, even without coming from an esteemed clan.
Hearing that his teacher would be teaching him ninjutsu, Minato's eyes gradually brightened, though he didn't show excessive excitement.
Through Jiraiya-sensei's training, he realized that becoming a stronger ninja wasn't about mastering countless techniques.
Finding a path suited to oneself was most important.
"You probably already learned enough about the basics of ninjutsu at the Ninja Academy," said Jiraiya. "Now I'm going to share some key points about learning new techniques."
"First off, aside from obscure ones, mainstream ninjutsu are tied to the five chakra natures: wind, fire, lightning, earth, and water. To learn efficiently, you must first identify your own chakra nature so your efforts can bring better results. It's kind of like picking a path you're already good at."
Minato had heard something similar before from Kouda-sensei, but he now understood—learning techniques suited to your own chakra nature not only increased their effectiveness but also required less chakra than someone who lacked that nature.
That's why members of the Uchiha clan were so skilled in Fire Release—it was because nearly every clan member possessed the fire chakra nature.
As he spoke, Jiraiya pulled out several sheets of white paper and handed one to Minato. "This is made from trees that absorb chakra. It can test someone's chakra nature. Just channel your chakra into it."
"This is the chakra test paper?" Minato asked as he accepted it.
"Your theoretical knowledge's pretty solid," Jiraiya said with a smile. Indeed, during the time he observed Minato before officially taking him as a student, he noticed how much this kid liked reading.
Even though action mattered most for a ninja, theory still had its place—even if Jiraiya himself wasn't exactly known for it.
Then, Minato channeled what little chakra he had left into the chakra test paper, focusing entirely on it.
The paper instantly wrinkled, then split cleanly down the middle as if sliced apart—extremely neatly. Finally, flames ignited, turning both halves to fire.
Minato showed a hint of surprise. He wasn't sure what these reactions meant, but when he looked up, he saw astonishment in his teacher's eyes.
"You actually managed to manifest all your chakra natures directly..." Jiraiya murmured, then told Minato, "You have three chakra natures: lightning, wind, and fire."
When he spoke, Jiraiya's tone still carried noticeable shock. While it was quite rare for a ninja to possess two or even three chakra natures, Minato had only been under his tutelage for a year and hadn't deliberately trained his chakra cultivation.
Yet he'd already managed to fully awaken all three of his natural chakra natures—now that was something truly astonishing...
But after recalling how he had even self-mastered the [Shifting Body Technique], Jiraiya gradually felt more at ease.
This disciple of his was simply a natural-born ninja.
As for Namikaze himself, he still hadn't realized just how huge it was to show off three chakra natures at once...
Ordinary jonin could usually only master two chakra natures through years of cultivation!
...
...
Regarding chakra reserves, there was no need for me to say anything more about Jiraiya. As for Namikaze, I believe everyone can probably already guess.
Also, just letting you all know—I've got a good buddy coming over tonight that I haven't seen in ages, so I'm heading out with him. Today's owed chapter will tag along with tomorrow's update.
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