Chapter 40 (Patreon)

Naruto and six other genin remained in the hall while the Third Hokage explained the finals. Sasuke was still absent, leaving seven of the eight finalists present.

“In the finals, your battles will be shown to an audience. Each of you will represent your country, and I expect you to demonstrate your full strength.”

The remaining candidates all came from Konoha or Sunagakure.

“The finals will begin in one month,” Hiruzen continued.

“We will inform the daimyō and other prominent figures from the various nations in advance. You should use that month to prepare yourselves as thoroughly as possible.”

The seven candidates present then drew lots to determine their opponents.

Naruto was matched against Neji, just as he had been in the original story. Sasuke would fight Gaara, Shikamaru would face Temari, and Shino would take on Kankurō.

Naruto turned toward Neji with a challenging look. Neji merely snorted and said nothing.

“So only four of us can become chūnin?” Shikamaru asked.

“Not necessarily.” Hiruzen shook his head. “Promotion will depend on your performance. A candidate who loses may still become a chūnin, while one who wins may not.”

“Then everyone here could be promoted?” asked Temari, the girl who would one day become Shikamaru’s wife.

“Yes. But it is also possible that none of you will be promoted,” Hiruzen replied solemnly.

“That will be all. We’ll meet again in one month.”

Before leaving, he cast one last glance at Naruto.

...

Naruto caught up with Guy as he was leaving.

“Guy-sensei,” he called quietly. “I really want to learn taijutsu. Would you teach me?”

Guy turned toward him, along with Lee and Neji, who were standing nearby.

Neji sneered.

“You think a month of taijutsu training will let you defeat me? Don’t be naive.”

Naruto ignored him and kept his attention on Guy.

“Kakashi-sensei is going to spend the next month training Sasuke one-on-one. I’ll be left on my own. Your taijutsu is the best in Konoha, so please let me learn from you.”

Guy rubbed his chin, considering the request. Then he remembered that Naruto had just saved Lee’s life. That settled it.

He raised a thumb. “Of course! Come and experience the power of youth with us!”

“Naruto, you’ve made the right choice! Guy-sensei will help you become an outstanding shinobi!” Lee gave him a matching thumbs-up, his white teeth flashing in a broad smile.

...

Naruto didn’t go home after the preliminaries. That same day, he followed Guy and Lee straight to the training ground.

Taijutsu began with physical conditioning, so that was where his training started. Guy explained the conditioning methods he had developed and gave Naruto a pair of leg weights. They were only half as heavy as Lee’s. He also offered Naruto a comfortable green jumpsuit.

Naruto declined with an awkward smile.

There were no shortcuts to this kind of training. He had to follow the routine, train, recover, and train again, repeatedly pushing past his body’s limits.

Fortunately, the Sage Body of the Uzumaki Clan gave him exceptional recovery, allowing him to keep going much longer than most people. Where an ordinary person could manage three hours of running, Naruto could last six. His stamina recovered as he went, and his muscle fatigue eased enough to let him continue.

It wasn’t until ten that evening that he finally reached his limit, panting too hard to carry on. Even Lee, whose body was already far better conditioned, could do little better beside him.

Guy was surprised. Naruto had considerable potential for taijutsu. He became more attentive in his instruction, and after Naruto pleaded with him, he agreed to teach him a few techniques ahead of schedule.

Naruto could use shadow clones to learn the movements in advance. As his physical conditioning improved, he would be able to put more and more power behind them.

During the session, Kakashi quietly stopped by the training ground. He had already found Ebisu, the bespectacled instructor, to oversee Naruto’s training. But when he saw Naruto working with Guy, he could only sigh and leave.

...

Early the next morning, Naruto arrived at the training ground and noticed a white-haired shinobi stretched out on a branch high in a nearby tree, apparently asleep. It was Jiraiya.

After receiving a prophecy from the Great Toad Sage and an urgent summons from the Third Hokage, he had finally returned to Konoha. He intended to stage a chance encounter with Naruto, much like the one in the original story. A demonstration of his strength would surely persuade the boy to ask him for training.

Unfortunately for Jiraiya, Naruto didn’t cooperate. He simply followed the routine Guy had given him the day before, continuing his exercises as though he hadn’t noticed the man in the tree.

Soon, Guy and Lee arrived as well. Neither paid any attention to Jiraiya. They exchanged thumbs-up and bright, toothy grins, then launched into another declaration about youth.

Jiraiya’s attempt to make an impression was going nowhere. He pretended to wake, muttering in irritation. “What’s all this noise? What kind of training is that?”

Guy turned toward him and raised a thumb, his enthusiasm undiminished. “Hey, mister! Have you come out this early to let your youth shine with us?”

Jiraiya adopted a lofty expression. “Your taijutsu isn’t very impressive. I won’t be joining you.”

“Guy-sensei has the best taijutsu in all of Konoha!” Lee protested. “Even Kakashi-sensei can’t match him!”

“Kakashi? He can’t even match me!”

Then Jiraiya changed his approach. “Fine. I’ll show you what I can do. If I beat you, take your training somewhere else and let me sleep in peace.”

As he spoke, he glanced toward Naruto. The boy was still concentrating on his techniques and conditioning exercises, seemingly unaffected by the commotion. Fifty shadow clones were training alongside him.

Jiraiya was surprised. The sight only strengthened his faith in the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy. Naruto was the true Child of Prophecy. He had to take him as a student.

With his resolve strengthened, Jiraiya clashed with Guy without another word, fists and feet striking in rapid succession. If he defeated Guy, Naruto would finally take notice and approach him for training on his own.

Guy’s taijutsu was the finest in Konoha, but Jiraiya had spent decades fighting throughout the shinobi world. His wealth of experience in close combat allowed him to hold his own, and the two matched each other blow for blow.

But every exchange only made Guy more excited. This was only the second opponent he had encountered who could match him like this in taijutsu.

He shouted enthusiastically as he fought, his strikes growing stronger. As the spar continued, the older Jiraiya began to struggle.

Then he remembered hearing about a certain eccentric in Konoha: the Green Beast of Konoha. Wasn’t that the man in front of him?

Rather than risk embarrassing himself, Jiraiya used the Summoning Jutsu. A large toad appeared, startling Guy.

Even Guy couldn’t miss what that meant. He stared at Jiraiya in surprise. “Jiraiya-sama? Is that really you?”

“Hah... hah... You finally recognized me,” Jiraiya muttered helplessly.

“Guy-sensei, who is Jiraiya-sama? Is he strong?” Lee asked curiously.

Jiraiya gave Lee an approving glance. Thick brows, wide eyes... the boy looked rather dense.

“Jiraiya-sama is one of the Legendary Sannin, and one of Konoha’s strongest shinobi!” Guy explained.

Then he turned back to Lee, eager to encourage him. “Lee! Keep training hard! One day, you’ll be able to surpass even the Sannin!”

“Yes, Guy-sensei! I’ll keep working hard!”

Lee clenched his fists as he made that promise, then looked at Jiraiya with open admiration.

Jiraiya nodded in satisfaction. But when his gaze shifted toward Naruto, his spirits sank again. The boy was still training by himself, apparently unmoved by anything that had happened.

Jiraiya sighed inwardly. He would have to call out to him himself.

“Hey! You, the blond kid over there!”