"Before the Fourth died, he sealed the Nine-Tails… and it's inside me. I've got the same blond hair and blue eyes as him. Just think about it a little — it's not that hard to figure out," Naruto said calmly.
Jiraiya's usual carefree smile faded as he listened. He hadn't expected things to develop this way and quickly followed up with a question.
"You mean… you guessed from a young age that the Fourth Hokage was your father?"
Naruto gave a slight nod — it was the truth.
Now that it had been confirmed, a heavy weight settled in Jiraiya's heart. What he was about to attempt suddenly felt far more uncertain.
If Naruto had known since childhood that he was the son of the Fourth — the hero of Konoha — and yet still suffered hatred and scorn from the villagers...
In that kind of situation, Jiraiya couldn't begin to imagine what Naruto must've felt.
He was starting to understand why the boy before him gave off an impression more mature than most adults.
And Naruto's earlier words... struck a nerve.
If a child could figure it out, how could the villagers not? Instead, they took things further — channeling their hatred and fear into a child?
Do I even have the right… to ask Naruto to forgive those villagers? That question surfaced in Jiraiya's mind.
And along with it, a pang of sympathy for this boy who'd grown up too fast.
"Since you'd guessed so early that the Fourth might be your father, why didn't you say anything?" Jiraiya asked. "Maybe if you had, the villagers wouldn't have treated you like that."
Naruto smiled. "Say it out loud? And who would've believed me? People only believe what they want to believe. As for the truth… most of the time, no one actually cares."
"That's…"
Jiraiya stared at him in shock.
Words like that — such a deep understanding of human nature — coming from the mouth of a twelve-year-old?
Their first meeting had gone nothing like what Jiraiya had expected.
Before arriving, he'd heard stories about Naruto's recent actions.
Fighting with the Anbu, destroying the entire Root division, imprisoning tens of thousands of Konoha citizens on Uzushio Island...
He'd expected Naruto to be hot-blooded, reckless, the type who acted without thinking.
But after just this short conversation, Jiraiya realized just how wrong he'd been.
People only believe what they want to believe.
To be able to say something like that… meant everything Naruto had done wasn't out of impulse.
Jiraiya now understood — there was a very real chance he would leave this meeting having accomplished nothing.
Wait!
To possess such mental fortitude and extraordinary talent at this age… doesn't that only further confirm that Naruto is the Child of Prophecy?
Jiraiya's spirits lifted again.
He had searched for the Child of Prophecy for years — it had become something of an obsession.
"Ramen's ready!"
At that moment, Teuchi placed two massive bowls in front of them.
Ichiraku Ramen was known for its generous portions and delicious broth.
The bowls were larger than washbasins, filled with savory soup, firm noodles, thick cuts of pork belly balanced perfectly between fat and lean, and topped with two soft-boiled eggs. Just the smell made your appetite surge.
"Let's eat. It's been ages since I had Ichiraku," Jiraiya said as he picked up a slice of pork and dropped it into Naruto's bowl.
"You're still growing. Make sure to eat plenty of meat."
Naruto caught the subtle care in Jiraiya's tone and gave him a longer look.
Once they finished eating, Naruto stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Jiraiya chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, it's still early. Let me take you somewhere."
On the way there, Jiraiya's mood had lightened. His face once again wore that familiar lecherous grin.
Third Training Ground — a grassy clearing.
Though the Third Hokage had told him Naruto's talent surpassed even Minato's…
Minato's abilities had already astounded him back then.
Now, Jiraiya wanted to witness it firsthand — the potential of the Child of Prophecy.
"Alright, I'm gonna teach you an A-rank jutsu. Your father invented this one. Watch carefully."
Jiraiya lifted his right hand, palm upward like a claw.
As he activated his chakra, a swirling wind began to gather in his palm.
"Look closely. First, keep the chakra output steady, and then — like this — maintain a high-speed rotation while continuously compressing it."
As he explained, the swirling ball of wind-like chakra in his palm began to emit a sharp hum. A pale blue chakra sphere formed.
"This move is called the Rasengan. Don't be fooled by its small size — it packs a punch."
Jiraiya pressed the Rasengan against a large boulder nearby.
Boom!
The Rasengan blasted a deep hole into the stone. Thick cracks radiated from the center like spiderwebs.
"How about that? Impressive, right? Bet you want to learn it now." Jiraiya grinned, hands on hips.
But Naruto's expression remained calm.
He had activated Transparent World and observed every part of Jiraiya's demonstration.
Even without the explanation, he could already see through the Rasengan's mechanics at a glance.
With the observation power granted by Transparent World, Naruto's learning ability far surpassed even the Copy Ninja, Kakashi.
After watching, Naruto thought—
The Rasengan had immense untapped potential. It was indeed worth learning.
Inside the seal space, the Nine-Tails snorted dismissively.
"Tch! Can't even blow up a rock properly. Compared to my Tailed Beast Bomb, this is nothing but fluff. What's so great about it?"
Naruto ignored him and raised his right hand.
Jiraiya noticed and quickly warned, "Naruto, take it slow at first. If the chakra sphere explodes, it could hurt you."
The next moment, Naruto began channeling chakra.
In just one second — the Rasengan formed in his palm.
Jiraiya rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
He'd only blinked once… and the Rasengan had appeared, fully formed, in Naruto's hand?
And judging by its stability, it was even more refined than the one he himself had created.
That's insane.
One second… for the full formation?
Even he couldn't do it that fast.
Naruto looked down at the Rasengan in his hand.
He remembered watching the original anime as a kid — always thinking it was kind of lame that Naruto needed two Shadow Clones just to make one Rasengan.
He'd always hoped the main character would eventually pull it off single-handedly — with style.
Now he had the opportunity to do it.
It was… a strange feeling.
Right now, the Rasengan he held was still in its base, non-elemental form.
Naruto wanted to try infusing it with chakra nature transformation.
With his current stats…
Just how far could he evolve the Rasengan?