Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

The tall, middle-aged man before him had white hair reaching his waist, red marks beneath his eyes, and a headband inscribed with the kanji for 'oil'. Wearing a red haori over a brown outfit and geta sandals, with armor-like guards on his forearms, he was an unforgettable sight.

Seeing this man, Naruto suddenly realized.

'Wow, no wonder this place felt familiar… isn't this the place where Naruto and Jiraiya first met in the original work?'

'The only difference is that in the original work, both Naruto and Jiraiya had been caught together, but now, only Jiraiya is labeled a pervert.'

"Stop it, please!"

Jiraiya pleaded, clutching his head.

However, the girls didn't care at all and they mercilessly kicked and stomped him. A woman even clawed Jiraiya's face.

Looking at Jiraiya's miserable state, Naruto couldn't help but feel sympathy.

'With Jiraiya's strength, he could have suppressed everyone in an instant, but he didn't do anything. It's the testament to his respect for women.'

Naruto could relate to Jiraiya's fascination with beauty. After all, appreciating beauty was natural, right?

With a quick glance, Naruto reluctantly slipped out of the tall woman's embrace and ran toward the angry crowd. Putting on his most innocent, tearful expression, he pleaded, "Please stop, everyone! This is my dad! He was probably just worried about me being here on my own, he didn't mean any harm."

Naruto, who transformed into an adorable, golden-haired little girl, looked so cute and vulnerable that the women's anger melted away.

In order not to destroy the innocence in this little girl's heart, these girls did not have the heart to expose Jiraiya in person. After hugging Naruto, they all dispersed.

Naruto, basking in the lingering warmth of those embraces, barely had time to savor the experience before Jiraiya approached him, confusion written across his face, "Why did you lie to help me?"

Naruto shrugged and replied, "Well, we're fellow connoisseurs of beauty, right? It's only fair we help each other out. But because of you, my view was ruined. So, you owe me a favor."

"Fellow connoisseurs? What do you mean?" Jiraiya looked at Naruto in confusion.

Naruto scanned the area to make sure no one else was around before he released the Transformation Technique, revealing his true appearance.

" See?" Naruto said expectantly.

But Jiraiya still looked confused. To him, it seemed the long-haired little girl had simply turned into a short-haired one. Nothing else seemed different.

"Can't you see? I'm a man!" Naruto was speechless.

"Man?" Jiraiya looked mildly surprised, but his voice carried doubt. "You're awfully… delicate-looking for a boy."

"Do I need to take off my pants to prove it to you?"

Naruto couldn't help but get angry. While he might have a fairer complexion and less rugged features than his original self, but he was still a guy! Being mistaken for a girl was driving him crazy.

Seeing Naruto was about to really take off his pants, Jiraiya quickly waved his hands to stop him, "Alright, alright, I believe you it!"

Seeing Jiraiya's reaction, Naruto gave up on arguing, 'It was clear Jiraiya still didn't fully believe me… He probably takes me for a slightly confused kid.'

"Forget it, just believe what you want." Naruto sighed, "But I just helped you out, so now you owe me a favor."

"No problem! Just say the word. Want some candy? A lift home? You name it." Jiraiya promised with a grin, patting his chest.

"Are you treating me like a kid?" Naruto muttered, feeling exasperated, "My request is simple: take me to Mount Myoboku."

"Mount Myoboku?" Jiraiya's face turned serious, and he asked in a serious voice, "Who exactly are you?"

"I am Minato's son, Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto replied.

Hearing this, Jiraiya's brow furrowed, "You… already know all of this?"

"Of course. Otherwise, why would I have bothered helping out an old pervert like you?"

Naruto said helplessly.

Naruto had already planned to seek out Jiraiya. After all, if he wanted to visit Mount Myoboku, he'd need Jiraiya's help. Meeting him here by chance just made things easier.

He then recited the lines he had rehearsed in his mind,

"When my father sealed the Kyubi, he also left behind a lot of memories. Thanks to them, I know many things, including who you are, Jiraiya."

As he said this, Naruto lifted his shirt, revealing the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style on his stomach.

"I didn't expect Minato to have made this preparation."

Jiraiya muttered and fell into deep thought, as if recalling a distant memory. Then, after a long while, he spoke, "You're Minato's son, and since I now owe you a favor, I can agree to be your teacher and take you to Mount Myoboku. But there's one condition."

"What conditions?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya explained, "Mount Myoboku is one of the Three Great Sage Regions…. not just anyone can go there, and not just anyone can become my disciple. I need to test your abilities first before I make my decision."

"How would you test it?" Naruto suddenly became interested.

In the original work, Naruto relied on the Harem Technique to convince Jiraiya to train him.

This test was unexpected, and Naruto was curious to see what it involved.

"Alright, then." Jiraiya mused, "Here's the challenge: you have one minute to make me lift my right foot off the ground. I won't fight back, and if you succeed, you pass."

"That's it?"

The excitement in Naruto's eyes disappeared instantly. For him, making Jiraiya lift his foot didn't sound difficult… in fact, he felt he might even have a shot at defeating him outright.

Seeing Naruto's unimpressed expression, Jiraiya thought that Naruto had given up, so he couldn't help but chuckled and said, "Since you're giving up this test opportunity, you can't blame me for not keeping my word. I've got some beautiful sights to go admire, so I'll just…"

"Hold on! Who said I was giving up?" Naruto's focus sharpened as he launched himself at Jiraiya.

"Nice spirit, but your strength isn't enough." Jiraiya remarked confidently, standing his ground with his hands behind his back.

In his opinion, Naruto looked as delicate as a young girl, hardly enough of a threat to require any serious movement.

But Naruto had other plans. In the next instant, he reached Jiraiya and formed a quick series of hand seals.

Bang, bang, bang!

Ten shadow clones appeared, then each swelling into a large, round form.

"Naruto Release: Body Slams!"

The rotund shadow clones charged forward, ramming into Jiraiya with surprising force. Caught off guard, Jiraiya felt his body freeze up, unable to move as his head began to spin.

"What… what's happening?"

Jiraiya wondered, feeling a strange heaviness immobilize him, almost as if he were bound in place.

But Naruto's clones didn't stop. They continued slamming into Jiraiya, each hit sending him staggering back, until he finally lost his balance and fell into the scalding hot water of the public hot spring. The sudden heat made him yelp in surprise.

Naruto dispelled his clones, satisfied with the result, 'That is the price of underestimating me.'

If Naruto hadn't needed Jiraiya's help to reach Mount Myoboku, he wouldn't have held back at all. He could have let his shadow clones continue their relentless assault.

Whoosh!

When Jiraiya stumbled out of the hot spring, his skin flushed red from the heat. After shaking off the water stains on his body, he was still a little dazed.

"What a terrifying Ninjutsu…" Jiraiya muttered, still stunned, "I couldn't even move..."