Naruto paid no attention to Jiraiya's speechles expression. At that moment, the system's prompt chime rang in his mind, indicating that the encounter quest had successfully advanced to its next stage.
Encounter Quest Stage 2: Under the pretext of verifying training results, engage in a spar with Jiraiya. Completion Reward: Natural Energy Affinity +1.
The encounter quest of the second stage now offered a completion reward granted by the system. A one-point increase in Natural Energy Affinity should help Naruto master Sage Mode much faster in the future.
Though he had no idea how significant an improvement a single point would bring, every little bit counted. Naturally, Naruto was not about to turn down such a reward and gladly accepted it in full.
Next, it was time to hurry and complete the second stage of the encounter quest.
Facing Jiraiya, Naruto said with a deadpan expression of utmost sincerity, "Pervy Sage, aren't you even a bit curious about the results of my training since leaving the Village Hidden in the Leaves?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya immediately grew interested, though on the surface he deliberately played contrarian: "Kid Naruto, you've barely been gone for half a year. How much stronger could you possibly have gotten?"
"If you want to find out, why don't we just fight?" Naruto said with a smile, exuding a subtle air of profound mystery.
"You brat, looks like you're quite confident in your strength." Seeing Naruto act so mysterious, Jiraiya's curiosity about the extent of Naruto's progress was further piqued. Seizing the opportunity, Jiraiya went along with it and said, "In that case, as your teacher, I shall test the results of your training. Follow me."
...
A moment later, Jiraiya led Naruto to an open clearing deep within Mount Myoboku.
Thanks to the dense concentration of natural energy, the surrounding vegetation flourished vibrantly. Standing opposite Naruto, Jiraiya planted his hands heroically on his hips and declared, "Come on! Just like back then, you make the first move."
Jiraiya's words pulled Naruto's thoughts back to the battle he and Jiraiya had fought at Training Ground 58 before leaving the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
Back then, Naruto was still a novice in actual combat, but times had changed. Jiraiya had no idea how rapidly Naruto's strength had grown during his time away from the village.
Suffice to say, the system titles were simply too overpowered. Every single one of the three Intermediate Comprehension titles Naruto currently possessed had brought about a qualitative leap in his overall strength!
Oblivious to all this, Jiraiya was still facing Naruto with such a carefree attitude, and he was likely in for a rude awakening.
"Pervy Sage, you'd better watch out." Standing opposite Jiraiya, Naruto first flashed a harmless smile, then suddenly burst forth with the highest speed he could currently manage, his entire figure instantly vanishing from where he stood.
"So fast!" Jiraiya's pupils constricted sharply at the sight. The speed Naruto had just unleashed greatly exceeded his expectations.
In a flash of lightning, Naruto burst forward at high speed right in front of Jiraiya, raised his leg sideways, and kicked straight at Jiraiya's face.
Bang!
Caught entirely off-guard and unable to react in time, Jiraiya took the kick square in the face, sending him flying backward as a spray of blood gushed from his nose.
This scene bore a striking resemblance to the past, when that youthful ferocious beast had landed a Dynamic Entry on Jiraiya, flashing a confident row of white teeth and a brilliant smile.
While Naruto wasn't flashing a dazzling smile this time, the feat of kicking Jiraiya flying had completely stunned Fukasaku and Shima, the two great sages watching from the sidelines.
"Little Jiraiya actually got kicked flat on his back by a little brat? Old man, am I hallucinating?" Shima gasped in disbelief.
"My dear, you didn't see wrong, it's real." Fukasaku's expression was unprecedentedly serious, and he wore an equally shocked look.
"Pervy Sage, are you alright?" After kicking Jiraiya down, Naruto stepped forward and asked with an embarrassed chuckle, noticing the footprint still lingering on Jiraiya's face.
That kick of his had perhaps been just a tiny bit too forceful...
Jiraiya hadn't sustained any serious injuries, but the sight of a boot print stamped across his face accompanied by a gushing nosebleed made him look rather pathetic. After struggling to accept reality, Jiraiya rolled over into a sitting position, fished out a piece of tissue from goodness knows where, rolled it up, and jammed it into his nostrils.
"Naruto, you really don't hold back, do you, kid?" Jiraiya said, forcing a calm demeanor with tissues plugged up his nose.
As he spoke, Jiraiya stood up and let his gaze fall upon Naruto's face, which seemed to have matured quite a bit in the span of nearly half a year: "Still, I have to admit, your strength has changed drastically. It seems leaving the village to train out in the shinobi world was indeed a good thing for you."
"Next up, your teacher is going to get serious and fight you properly." With a hearty laugh to brush off the embarrassment of being kicked flat on his back, Jiraiya heroically tossed his hair back and spoke with an unbothered air.
Only, the two wads of tissue stuffed into Jiraiya's nostrils and the boot print on his face looked so comical that it was nearly impossible for him to pull off a dashing persona.
Naruto bit back a laugh, managing not to chuckle out loud; otherwise, it might have been pushing it a bit too far. After all, he was the one who had kicked Jiraiya into this state.
Next, round two of the battle commenced. With the fresh "face paint" of tissues plus a boot print, Jiraiya prepared to face Naruto in a brand-new posture!
Seeing that Jiraiya was finally going to fight seriously, Naruto felt his fighting spirit ignite: "Pervy Sage, I still have a newly invented Ninjutsu I haven't used yet. I'll let you experience it in a moment."
Judging purely by raw power, Jiraiya, equipped with Sage Mode, undoubtedly surpassed any opponent Naruto had encountered during his travels across the shinobi world. Therefore, in the battle ahead, Naruto would go all out!
Having been kicked flat by Naruto, Jiraiya now realized that Naruto's strength was no longer what it used to be. Thus, rather than waiting for Naruto to make a second move, he took the initiative.
His figure flickering as he leaped back and forth from side to side, Jiraiya formed hand seals at rapid speed, curled his right hand into a megaphone shape, and shouted, "Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
Boom, boom, boom!
As Jiraiya moved rapidly, blazing fireballs erupted from his mouth, hurtling toward Naruto from all angles like cannonballs.
Seeing this, Naruto began to maneuver without the slightest panic. His reflexes, amplified by the Intermediate Comprehension title, allowed him to easily dodge the menacing incoming flame bullets.
Watching Naruto evade with such composure, Jiraiya grew increasingly alarmed. He was baffled by what Naruto could have possibly encountered during his travels in the shinobi world to cause such a massive transformation in his strength within such a short period.