Konoha: Naruto, Taught by Aizen

These unrecognizable insects were fragrant, crispy, and delicious, with a satisfyingly crunchy texture. With one bite, their aroma filled the mouth.

More importantly, Naruto could taste Lady Shima's care in their preparation.

Although for humans, eating insects might be somewhat difficult to accept, for Naruto, this was the best meal he had ever eaten.

"Jiraiya-sensei, eat some more." Naruto casually served Jiraiya a large helping of insects, to the latter's horrified expression.

After enjoying the 'exquisite lunch,' Naruto found a spot, sat down on the ground, and quietly sensed the natural energy.

A few small toads occasionally hopped around Naruto, full of curiosity about him.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya was chatting with Lord Fukasaku and Lady Shima.

Naruto closed his eyes, calmed his breath, and focused his mind. Soon, the natural energy in the air began to surge into his body.

He took a deep breath, accepting the natural energy.

This energy, full of vitality and vigorous life, circulated continuously within his body. It was rather gentle, but when it came to contact with Reiatsu and Reishi, the natural energy became somewhat irritable.

They didn't get along.

To control these energies, Naruto strenuously circulated his chakra, hoping to act as a regulator. Unconsciously, his forehead was already covered in fine sweat, and his expression grew increasingly strained.

"Hum." And just then, Kyoka Suigetsu at Naruto's waist trembled slightly. Subsequently, an extremely tyrannical and savage power surged from within Naruto, directly suppressing the Reiatsu, natural energy, and chakra.

Naruto's expression gradually eased.

Under slow guidance, the natural energy gradually began to convert into Reiatsu.

After a long while, Naruto opened his eyes, feeling the boiling Reiatsu within him, and clenched his fists.

The efficiency of Reiatsu cultivation in the Summoning Realm was at least twice that of the ninja world.

Although the efficiency was still low, it at least allowed Naruto to see the hope of possessing Captain-level Reiatsu.

In Soul Society, Captain-level was actually just the standard requirement for Bankai.

In the middle and later stages of the original story, ordinary Captain-level individuals were often just supporting characters who got taken out in a single blow.

Without some trump cards, one really couldn't win a battle.

And Aizen possessed Reiatsu far exceeding Captain-level, which was why his Kyoka Suigetsu could deceive Captain-level Shinigami.

However, Shinigami with a sixth sense could detect anomalies.

Just like how former Kenpachi, Unohana Retsu, sensed something was amiss when she saw Aizen's "corpse."

It was precisely because he understood Kyoka Suigetsu's limitations that Naruto sought to comprehensively expand his combat capabilities in all aspects.

...

While Naruto was cultivating, Jiraiya and the others also started talking about Naruto.

"Little Jiraiya, this disciple you've taken on is not simple, especially his Kekkei Genkai. I feel that his Kekkei Genkai isn't as simple as it appears; perhaps it can be developed to a degree comparable to the Rinnegan," Lord Fukasaku recalled the terror of being visually manipulated and couldn't help but sigh.

"Yeah, if one isn't prepared beforehand, one might really fall for it," Jiraiya also lamented.

"However, the drawback is also very obvious. As long as one blocks their vision and relies on their sixth sense to fight, the Kekkei Genkai can be overcome. But his Kido attack methods are diverse, capable of both offense and support."

"But that Kekkei Genkai does have the aura of the Pure Land, which is ultimately somewhat unsettling. When the Great Toad Sage awakens, I'll go ask him about it. I hope little Naruto won't suffer a backlash from his Kekkei Genkai."

"Mm, Naruto and I will be imposing on you here for this period," Jiraiya said, scratching his head nonchalantly. "Naruto really likes the Summoning Realm; it seems to be a great help to his Kekkei Genkai cultivation."

"The Summoning Realm is too quiet. If you stay a few more days, you'll bring us some liveliness." Lady Shima then sighed, "It's a pity that child Minato is no longer here."

The atmosphere instantly became somewhat heavy.

"Time passes so quickly. Minato's child has already grown up," Lord Fukasaku sighed with emotion.

"Yes," Jiraiya's eyes held a complex expression.

"You've returned to Konoha now. You won't be leaving again, will you?"

Lord Fukasaku's question made Jiraiya hesitate slightly. He thought of the Third Hokage and the Konoha he had witnessed.

"I won't leave until Naruto has grown up," he finally said in a deep voice. After the Uchiha clan was wiped out, Konoha's combat strength had declined too much, and they urgently needed a Kage-level ninja like Jiraiya to hold the fort.

For the remaining ten-odd days, Naruto and Jiraiya stayed in the Summoning Realm. With rapid refinement, Naruto's Reiatsu saw a small increase.

This made him even more engrossed in cultivating in the Summoning Realm.

This was quite a torment for Jiraiya. Eating insect cuisine that was difficult to swallow every day, he even felt that if he continued eating it, his Kage-level stomach wouldn't be able to take it, and he might very well get diarrhea.

In contrast, Naruto tasted the insects with a smile every time and could even eat disgusting insects resembling flies without batting an eyelid.

Then he would warmly offer his suggestions for the dish.

This gave Lady Shima the feeling of having met a kindred spirit. She would often pull Naruto aside to chat for a long time, from cooking techniques to cute little bugs, and from bugs to the internal organs of bugs.

Naruto always patiently communicated with Lady Shima, occasionally exclaiming:

"Grandma Shima, you're really such a good cook!"

He cajoled Lady Shima until she was all smiles.

Jiraiya, at the side, could only express that he couldn't learn it, had no way to learn it; it was too terrifying.

Time slowly slipped away like this.

During these ten-odd days in the Summoning Realm, Naruto felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.

He also felt heartfelt respect for Lady Shima and Lord Fukasaku.

After all, the memories here were quite happy.

However.

Naruto understood clearly.

In the future, he might become Jiraiya's enemy.

At that time.

Mount Myoboku, caught in the middle, would be in a difficult position.

So, one day during his training.

Naruto asked the two Sages their opinion of Konoha.

In his view, Jiraiya and Minato had both signed contracts with Mount Myoboku, so Mount Myoboku should be biased towards Konoha.

But surprisingly, Lord Fukasaku's answer was rather interesting: "We will not interfere with Konoha's development, but if our contractor is in peril, we will help."

"Then what if... contractors become hostile to each other?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Haha, Naruto, why would you ask such a question? How could you and Jiraiya possibly become hostile?" Lord Fukasaku laughed.

"I mean, if," Naruto shrugged.

Lord Fukasaku didn't take Naruto's question seriously, just thinking that Naruto had been on Mount Myoboku for a while and was feeling bored, hence thinking of strange questions. He pondered for a moment, then replied, "We probably wouldn't help either side."

"What if the other person wanted to destroy Konoha?" Naruto continued to ask.

"Destroy Konoha? That definitely wouldn't be permissible." Lord Fukasaku's answer also made Naruto understand in his heart.

Mount Myoboku ultimately stood on Konoha's side.

In the future, he would definitely defect from Konoha, so Mount Myoboku would very likely become his enemy as well.

"Alright, stop chatting. Come have some dessert." Just then, Lady Shima arrived, carrying afternoon insect sweets.

A simple conversation thus came to an end.

In the days that followed, after much consideration from various aspects, Jiraiya decided to have Naruto train in Sage Mode.