Naruto: I Draw Power Into Reality

"Orochimaru, I, the great, have returned!"

His voice came long before he did.

The loud shout echoed across the Rear Mountain, interrupting Orochimaru who had been practicing Chakra Nature Transformation.

"Yo, looks like the idiot's finally back. You do look somewhat different."

A slight smile crept onto Orochimaru's face.

Despite his recent troubles, this smile was genuine.

"Of course! While training at Mount Myoboku, I've already surpassed you."

Jiraiya said proudly.

"Mount Myoboku?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow slightly. So what Teacher and Akaba said was correct—Jiraiya really had been chosen by some holy land.

He then gave Jiraiya a good once-over. Looking at his chakra and appearance alone, there didn't seem to be any real change.

"Come on! Let me show you what true talent really is!"

Jiraiya said arrogantly while assuming a starting stance.

"My thoughts exactly."

Orochimaru chuckled softly. He'd just gotten the hang of Chakra Nature Transformation and was itching for a sparring partner.

While he wasn't sure exactly how much Jiraiya had changed, he undoubtedly made for a perfect opponent.

Meanwhile...

"Teacher, who do you think will win?"

Akaba sat comfortably on a chair, watching the live feed through the crystal ball.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't answer immediately but took a puff from his pipe instead.

Who would win?

Honestly, even he didn't have an answer, since he wasn't exactly clear on what techniques Jiraiya had learned.

Tsunade, however, looked utterly shocked by the technique displayed.

"Teacher, what is that?"

She pointed at the crystal ball, disbelief evident in her expression.

Sarutobi's face stiffened slightly. His hand holding the pipe trembled, nearly shaking hot ash onto his fingers.

He'd forgotten all about this part. If he'd known beforehand, he definitely wouldn't have allowed those two to come along.

"This technique..."

He wondered how on earth he should explain it to Tsunade.

"Just as I wrote in my manga, this crystal ball is a jutsu known as the Telescope Technique."

Akaba clicked his tongue a few times while commenting, "It's truly an ultimate battlefield weapon!"

"No, teacher, that's not what I'm referring to. This technique... could it possibly have other uses too?"

Tsunade clenched her fists suspiciously staring at the crystal ball.

"Cough! Tsunade, how can you think such things about our teacher? Would he ever do something like that?"

Sarutobi responded seriously.

"How can I think? I didn't say anything—you're imagining things yourself. No wonder you took Jiraiya as your student!"

Tsunade proved surprisingly quick-witted, quickly making powerful associations.

Yep, total disaster.

Immediately, silence fell over the room.

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe thoughtfully, wondering how he might restore his authority as a teacher.

Akaba stared at the crystal ball, then at Tsunade, making several gestures, whispering, "Tsunade, control yourself, keep calm!"

"Hmph!"

Tsunade took a deep breath and slowly unclenched her fists.

But the threatening expression on her face clearly warned the Third to watch his back in future.

"Ahem... Let's get back to the match!"

Trying awkwardly to shift the topic, Hiruzen cursed himself inside—"I really should just slap myself for showing that off in front of her!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi made a silent vow never to use those jutsu recklessly in front of Tsunade again. Since Jiraiya was already in the hospital, he had no intention of following in his student's footsteps.

As they were arguing, the crystal ball showed that Jiraiya and Orochimaru had reached the most critical moment.

"It's decided—the outcome!"

Akaba interrupted their thoughts, redirecting both people's gazes back toward the image.

"This is the Vacuum Sphere?"

Tsunade expressed mild surprise. In merely one afternoon, Orochimaru had already mastered the application of the Vacuum Sphere—truly astonishing talent.

"It's not just about ninjutsu; it's also combat experience."

Hiruzen timely commented.

After just a brief clash, Jiraiya was pinned down by the Vacuum Sphere.

Not stopping there, Orochimaru took a deep breath afterward.

[B-ranked ninjutsu: Great Vacuum Cannon!]

Boom!

A sharp whistle rang out as the Great Vacuum Cannon passed right above Jiraiya's head, blowing apart an entire rock face behind him.

"You've lost."

Orochimaru said indifferently.

Jiraiya looked at his own hands disbelievingly for a moment.

Then, rubbing his nose awkwardly, he said, "I hadn't summoned Gamabunta yet. Otherwise, you wouldn't stand a chance."

Gamata was still young at this time but already quite powerful.

Still, against Orochimaru, he wanted no outside help.

"You indeed improved greatly, but we haven't been idle either during this time. So you're still dead last."

Orochimaru comforted while simultaneously hitting a nerve.

Akaba glanced secretly at Tsunade. Both were so stubborn—it was obvious she cared about Jiraiya, yet she insisted on pretending like this.

"The genius will definitely surpass you eventually. Just wait and see!"

Jiraiya wasn't discouraged after losing; he'd long grown used to losing anyway, so why care about one more defeat?

Orochimaru felt differently.

In the past, he hadn't even needed to use ninjutsu—just taijutsu alone sufficed to defeat Jiraiya. Now, though, he understood that wouldn't work anymore.

"Everyone keeps improving!"

He stared at the mountain, inwardly musing, Not enough yet—I'm still not strong enough!

Previously, there had been no one ahead of him, but now there stood a goal ahead. Compared with that, these small improvements were insignificant.

"Tch, I told you he's arrogant."

Tsunade scoffed.

Nonetheless, she had to admit that nowadays Jiraiya could hardly be considered dead last anymore.

"Right now, Jiraiya has become an elite among genin. You think he's weak because you've already become chunin."

Sarutobi said with a smile.

Each of these three-and-a-half students had their own strengths, something he found extremely gratifying.

Of course, he wouldn't admit that he himself was completely at a loss regarding how best to teach Jiraiya, uncertain how to tailor teaching methods to students' strengths. Originally, the only area where Jiraiya truly excelled was something he personally found difficult to impart.

Fortunately now, Jiraiya had met his destined opportunity.

"Alright, it's time we gave Jiraiya a proper welcome."

Akaba yawned. He originally hoped to witness an exciting battle, but unfortunately, Jiraiya now was simply too inexperienced.

"That makes sense. Mount Myoboku is full of toads. He must have had a rough time there."

Tsunade said with a mischievous grin hinting at schadenfreude.

"I've already prepared everything. Though for Jiraiya's portion, I need to go inform them again."

Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his chakra and ended the Telescope Technique.

The Uzumaki clan made sure to treat their guests from Konoha with utmost hospitality, and since they were located near the sea, the dinner table was filled with rare seafood delicacies seldom seen in Konoha.

Akaba was practically drooling. If it weren't for Jiraiya and Orochimaru not having arrived yet, he would've started eating ahead of time.

Before long, loud footsteps came from outside the door.

They're back!

Akaba immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to dig in.

Yet Jiraiya's first action upon bursting in wasn't to eat, but rather to approach Akaba. "Akaba, I found this by the riverside. Help me take a look."

"What is it?"

Akaba turned his head even as his hand reached for a large shrimp and began peeling it.

"Look at these characters, style, and artistic techniques. It's truly exquisite work, but unfortunately I only managed to recover a fragment."

Jiraiya sat beside him, mysteriously pulling out a torn corner of what used to be paper.

Though the page was in shambles, Jiraiya had painstakingly pieced it together, restoring part of the image.

"You're a manga pro — can you figure out who drew this?"

"This? I have no idea."

While denying any knowledge, Akaba was also clearly taken aback.

How did this even survive a Water Dragon Bullet attack?

And how much free time does Jiraiya actually have anyway?!

"Oh, this is…"

Orochimaru was just about to reveal where this manga page originated when Tsunade pulled him back.

If Jiraiya, with his clumsy skills, could already pull this off, imagine what he could do if he learned Akaba's techniques!

"Let me see."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took one glance and was immediately drawn to it.

"Hmm?"

Tsunade's eyes blazed fiercely, like a tiger ready to pounce.

"Uh… I'm just curious about this drawing, that's all."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced over briefly, instantly feeling regretful inside.

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