Naruto: Starting with Infinite Chakra

The earthen wall rose only half a meter before halting abruptly.

Jiraiya frowned, stopping his chakra flow, and the wall crumbled instantly into a pile of dirt.

After a full day of grueling practice, he had managed to execute the Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall technique, but he wasn't pleased. The wall rose too slowly, making it practically useless in combat.

If he were in an actual battle, the enemy's attack would have landed before his wall even formed.

"The chakra concentration is still too scattered," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, replaying the technique in his mind. The issue wasn't his hand-seal speed—he was confident about that. The problem had to be in how he guided his chakra.

Even though mastering a B-rank jutsu within a single day was an impressive feat, Jiraiya wasn't satisfied. He resumed his training, determined to perfect it.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

By 1 a.m., Jiraiya clapped his hands on the ground. A surge of earth chakra flowed into the ground, gathering in one place, and within the blink of an eye, a one-meter-high wall rose before him.

"Finally!" Jiraiya exclaimed with relief. With this, he felt confident that he wouldn't have any glaring weaknesses in tomorrow's match. His wall now rose fast enough to block any attack—provided the enemy wasn't using space-time ninjutsu.

Even if the wall couldn't fully absorb an attack, it would at least buy him time to evade.

His stomach growled loudly.

After training all day without eating, Jiraiya was famished. If it weren't for the boost provided by his Sage Body, he wouldn't have lasted this long. Leaving the training ground, he headed to the pond in the courtyard, grabbed a nearby fishing net, and scooped up a catch.

The pond was stocked with plenty of fish—his primary food source.

Before his reincarnation, Jiraiya had been an accomplished cook. Grabbing the kitchen tools, he quickly prepped the fish and tossed it into the pan. In no time, he had whipped up a fragrant plate of sweet-and-sour fish and devoured it at lightning speed.

"Ahh, that hit the spot," Jiraiya sighed contentedly before flopping onto the wooden floor and falling asleep.

"Jiraiya, you idiot! You're still sleeping? You're driving me crazy!"

A furious shout jolted Jiraiya awake. He shot upright and found himself face-to-face with an enraged Tsunade.

"Where did you sneak off to last night to peep again?!" she bellowed. If not for the sparring match scheduled for noon, Tsunade would've already sent him flying with a punch.

"Tsunade, calm down! I overslept because I was training until late last night!" Jiraiya stammered, frantically trying to explain. He glanced at the clock—8 a.m. He had slept in way too late.

"Do you really expect me to believe that excuse?" Tsunade's voice dripped with anger.

"Don't let him get to you, Tsunade, or we'll be late."

A young man in a white shinobi uniform, with piercing serpent-like eyes, entered the room. It was their teammate, Orochimaru.

"Jiraiya," Tsunade warned, her voice icy, "if you lose miserably today, I'll make sure you can't walk for a year."

With that threat, she stormed off in a huff.

Jiraiya turned to Orochimaru with a sheepish grin.

"Thanks for covering for me, Orochimaru."

At this point, Orochimaru hadn't yet become the infamous traitor. Despite his cold and aloof nature, he treated his teammates fairly well. In fact, he had once even agreed to help Jiraiya stage a rescue to impress Tsunade—only for both of them to end up beaten black and blue by her.

Orochimaru's descent into darkness began after the Second Shinobi War. Witnessing the fragility of life, he became obsessed with immortality, leading him down the path of forbidden jutsu. While his pursuit of knowledge wasn't inherently wrong, his methods—such as experimenting on fellow shinobi—were unforgivable.

"I'm not doing this for you," Orochimaru said flatly. "I just don't want to waste time."

He added, "Tsunade's strength isn't something to take lightly. Don't provoke her unnecessarily, or you'll regret it."

"And remember, Danzo's three disciples are stronger than you. Don't push yourself too hard—you can always forfeit."

Though his words were harsh, there was a hint of concern in Orochimaru's tone. Having grown up as a war orphan, his only true friends were Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Jiraiya, however, puffed up his chest. "Orochimaru, don't underestimate me! One day, I'll be the legendary Jiraiya, known throughout the ninja world!"

"Pretend I didn't say anything," Orochimaru muttered, rolling his eyes as he walked off.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Jiraiya resolved to prove himself in today's match.

"Let's grab some ramen before heading to the match," Tsunade suggested.

"I'm in," Jiraiya said eagerly.

"No objections here," Orochimaru added. Besides, whenever they ate out, Tsunade always paid the bill. Being from one of Konoha's wealthiest clans, she could afford it.

At the ramen shop, Tsunade ordered three large bowls.

"Orochimaru, are you confident about today's match?" Tsunade asked as they waited for their food.

"Do you think I'll lose?" Orochimaru replied coolly.

Jiraiya couldn't help but notice how composed Orochimaru was, even at this stage.

"Good point. You're definitely stronger than Jiraiya," Tsunade quipped, taking the opportunity to jab at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya sighed. If there was one thing consistent in his life, it was how much his teammates underestimated him. But today, he would show them all.

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For each 100 Power Stones +1 Chapter