"Poof, poof, poof!"
In an instant, white smoke billowed out. Within moments, the entirety of Training Ground 58 was filled with the shadow clones of Uzumaki Naruto. Seeing this, Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh to himself, "This kid Naruto, his chakra reserves are as ridiculously vast as ever."
Following that, every single shadow clone, including the original Naruto, manifested a Rasengan in their palm. Thanks to the "Ultimate Rookie" title, the chakra consumption for creating a Rasengan was reduced by 50% for all of Naruto’s clones and his true self. As a result, Naruto still had plenty of chakra remaining and was far from reaching his limit.
Looking across the field, the sight of numerous Narutos, each brandishing a swirling Rasengan, was quite a spectacle. Facing one of the legendary Sannin, Naruto held nothing back, unleashing his full strength right from the start.
Across the training ground, all the shadow clones rushed toward Jiraiya at once. They sealed off every possible escape route, surrounding him completely before slamming their Rasengans toward him!
Youth is about going all out without regrets! "Take this, Pervy Sage! Uzumaki Naruto Shadow Clone — Super Rasengan Barrage!"
"Oh? A human wave strategy combined with the Rasengan? Quite impressive, indeed." Facing the barrage of Rasengans coming from all directions, Jiraiya tossed his hair back heroically and laughed, "In that case, I'll use that technique."
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
As Jiraiya shouted the command, his long white hair suddenly extended, wrapping around his entire body in an instant. He looked just like a white, spike-covered hedgehog. The very next second, the sharp hair covering his body extended outward in all directions. Naruto’s first wave of shadow clones didn't even get close before they were pierced by Jiraiya’s hardened locks, dissipating into puffs of white smoke.
"Hahahaha! Take this! Wild Lion's Mane Technique!" Jiraiya’s boisterous laughter echoed once more. After defending himself with Needle Jizo, he whipped his white hair up and began lashing it around wildly, like a giant, frantic whip.
Even though Jiraiya’s Wild Lion's Mane Technique seemed chaotic, it struck Naruto's clones with uncanny precision, causing them to vanish into smoke one after another. It was clear that Jiraiya’s combat awareness was far beyond that of a novice like Naruto, who had only just arrived in the Shinobi World.
This was exactly why Naruto wanted Jiraiya to act as his sparring partner. He didn't want his first experience in the Shinobi World to be a life-or-death struggle against a battle-hardened ninja before he had even mastered the basics of using a Kunai; that would have been a disaster.
As Jiraiya unleashed the Wild Lion's Mane, the training ground was once again filled with puffs of smoke as Naruto's clones were steadily taken out. The original Naruto watched from the sidelines and shook his head imperceptibly.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was powerful, but its fatal flaw—the clones popping like balloons at the slightest touch—meant that his strategy had fallen apart halfway through.
It seemed that in future real-world battles, he would need to be more selective about when to use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to avoid wasting chakra.
While the original Naruto was lost in thought, Jiraiya unleashed yet another technique. With a flamboyant flair, Jiraiya performed hand seals using his feet, then flung his wild, lion-like mane and shouted, "Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
In an instant, the ground in front of Jiraiya turned into a massive swamp. Many of Naruto’s shadow clones were unable to dodge in time and sank into the churning quagmire.
Naruto’s sheer numbers, which had once been his greatest advantage, now worked against him as they crowded the training ground, leaving no room to maneuver. It was this lack of space that allowed Jiraiya to wipe out a massive number of clones with just one Earth Style technique.
His numerical advantage had instantly turned into a disadvantage under the weight of Jiraiya’s swamp. The original Naruto observed this silently, taking note. He knew that after this battle with Jiraiya, his combat experience would undoubtedly improve significantly.
After all, having a Sannin as a private sparring partner right after arriving in this world—that was a level of treatment not everyone could afford.
Jiraiya did not pursue his advantage after using the swamp. He watched the original Naruto standing at the back, noticing the thoughtful expression on the boy’s face, and gave a slight nod. It seemed Naruto had begun to grasp something; this was the kind of experience Jiraiya hoped to impart through actual combat.
Sometimes, using Ninjutsu required adapting to the environment and applying the right countermeasure for the situation to achieve a miraculous effect.
The battle paused briefly before Naruto's remaining shadow clones surged forward again. "Pervy Sage, the fight isn't over yet! Let’s start round two!"
"Haha, such youthful spirit! Naruto, today I shall spar with you to your heart's content!" Jiraiya laughed, his white hair dancing wildly again as he stood there like an untamed white lion.
Once more, the sound of intense combat filled Training Ground 58. After several more rounds of shadow clones and Rasengan attacks, at one precise moment, a shadow clone suddenly hurled a Kunai at Jiraiya.
The sharp tip of the Kunai whistled through the air, heading straight for Jiraiya’s throat. Jiraiya laughed as he watched it approach, "Haha, Naruto, that's just a Kunai. You won't hit me with that."
But just as Jiraiya finished speaking, a sudden change occurred. As the flying Kunai neared him, it transformed with a *poof* into a Naruto holding a Rasengan. Because of the massive amount of chakra infused into it, the Rasengan in his hand was clearly larger than normal.
It turned out that during a lull in the battle, the original Naruto had quietly transformed into a Kunai. After the shadow clone threw it, the original had transformed back mid-air, all to catch Jiraiya off guard!
In the original story, Naruto had used this same tactic in coordination with Sasuke while fighting Zabuza Momochi. However, that had only worked because Zabuza’s movements were restricted. Here, Naruto was facing Jiraiya, whose strength far exceeded Zabuza's. Even though Jiraiya wasn't fighting with his full potential, as a Sannin, he wouldn't be caught by a sneak attack so easily.
Sure enough, Jiraiya sidestepped the surprise attack at the critical moment. He then seized the chance to counter with a kick, aiming to send Naruto flying.
Watching Jiraiya’s wooden-sandal-clad foot loom larger and larger in his vision, Naruto reflexively twisted his body in a desperate attempt to dodge, barely managing to avoid the blow.
"Pervy Sage, don't you dare underestimate me!" Naruto planted his feet firmly and gritted his teeth.
At that exact moment, the long-awaited system notification chimed in his mind:
"Congratulations to the host for successfully dodging an attack in real combat. You have unlocked the title 'Junior Evasion'!"