With crowd thinned out, Naruto left the arena, cloak trailing behind him as he moved through the long corridors of the stadium. His mind spun with the match announcement:
Naruto Uzumaki vs Nejire Hyūga.
Nejire was no ordinary opponent. He'd seen her fight — calm, precise, relentless. Against her, brute chakra strength would be nothing. His raw chakra bursts would be seen before they left his tenketsu. He needed more — precision, control, unpredictability.
Only one person could help him with that: Hayate Gekkō.
Naruto made his way quickly through the side district, toward the familiar training grounds where his sensei usually kept to himself.
But when he arrived — the small courtyard was empty.
A lone Genin messenger, seeing Naruto's approach, called out:
"Uzumaki-san! If you're looking for Hayate Gekkō, he's been summoned to the Daimyō Guard detail. Special commission — all hands are needed. Won't return until the final day before the tournament."
Naruto's gaze darkened. Of all times...
But there was no choice. He couldn't waste time waiting.
A few minutes later, seated alone in his apartment, he stared at the bracket again.
"If I can't train with Hayate-sensei... I'll train alone."
Still — something tugged at him. The tension in his body after months of mission, the coiling pressure of upcoming finals — they clouded his focus.
"Maybe... I should clear my head first."
[Hot Springs Town — Later That Evening]
It wasn't far. Just a few hour's walk northeast — a small town famous for its natural hot springs and inns. The perfect place to relax, gather his thoughts, and plan his personal training.
By late evening, Naruto had taken a simple room in a corner inn. After a light meal, he wandered toward the open-air baths, hoping to relax and plan out his next moves.
But just as he passed a high wooden fence near the women's section—
"Heh heh heh... oh-ho... what a sight..."
Naruto's ear twitched.
That was no normal customer.
Curious despite himself, he edged closer.
There — crouched near a small gap in the wall, was a tall man with wild white hair spilling down his back, a huge scroll strapped to him. His grin was wide, eyes gleaming as he unabashedly peered through the fence.
"Ahh... such inspiration... my research must continue!"
Naruto frowned. What kind of idiot—
CRASH!
A furious boulder — hurled by an unseen bather from female bath side — smashed down on the peeping tom, flattening him with a muffled yelp.
"DISGUSTING PERVERT!!"
THUD.
Dust and splinters flew everywhere.
Naruto instinctively backed away. This is escalating... I should leave before someone blames me too.
He turned quietly to go — only to feel a firm grip close around his arm.
"And just where do you think you're going?"
He looked up — and froze.
A woman with long blonde hair and piercing brown eyes stood before him, arms crossed. She radiated authority — not the wild anger of the bathers, but calm, razor-edged scrutiny.
She wasn't dressed as a shinobi — more like a traveler — but there was strength in her presence Naruto couldn't ignore.
"Well? Why aren't you back in the village, preparing for your match?" she asked sharply.
Naruto blinked. "...How do you know I'm part of the exams?"
The woman raised one brow. "You have the look. And I've been in this business long enough to spot a Genin trying to look inconspicuous."
Naruto exhaled slowly. "I needed to clear my head. My sensei was called away. I came here to think about future training."
The woman studied him a moment longer.
"Hmm. Sensible... ."
She glanced sideways toward the now-dazed white-haired man being dragged out by two bathhouse workers.
"That idiot... will never learn."
Naruto looked between her and the man again.
"Who... is he?"
The woman smirked faintly. "Hmph. Just a fool with too many jutsu and not enough sense."
Naruto frowned but said nothing more.
The woman's gaze returned to him, sharper this time.
"You've come far already, boy. But clearing your head won't be enough. You're facing a Hyūga."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I know."
"Then you also know you need more than chakra and a blade. Precision. Control. Fluidity. The Hyūga see everything."
Naruto's jaw tightened. "I'll figure it out."
For a long moment, the woman simply looked at him — and for the first time, her expression softened slightly.
"Stubborn little fox, aren't you?"
Before Naruto could reply, she released his arm and stepped back.
"Good. You'll need that stubbornness."
She turned, waving over her shoulder. "Enjoy the springs. Then train smart."
Naruto watched her go, still unsettled. He didn't know who she was — but something about her presence lingered in his mind.
"She... isn't normal."
He glanced one last time toward the white-haired man now snoring against a wall.
"And who the hell is this guy?"
[Late Night]
The night was cool, the inn's paper walls doing little to keep out the breeze. Moonlight silvered the empty streets of the hot spring town, shadows long beneath the silent eaves.
Naruto sat alone in his room, legs crossed on the tatami, sword across his knees.
Tomorrow, he would return to Konoha.
He exhaled slowly.
A faint tap-tap at the window broke the silence.
Naruto's eyes flicked sideways — a thin spike of chakra flared into his senses.
Not hostile. But powerful.
Too powerful.
"No ordinary shinobi."
He rose without sound, hand near the hilt, and slid the window open.
A tall man crouched on the sill, broad-shouldered and wrapped in a travel cloak. His long mane of white hair gleamed pale under the moon.
A lazy grin touched his face.
"Yo.""You're Uzumaki Naruto, right?"
Naruto's gaze sharpened, he had seen him before at hot spring peeking at women."You are?"
The man dropped lightly to the floor, unhurried, hands open at his sides.
"Name's Jiraiya." He tilted his head."One of the Sannin. You've heard of us."
Naruto frowned faintly.
He had.
"The Legendary Three."
Jiraiya's smile widened."Relax, kid. I'm not here to fight."
Naruto remained standing, unmoving.
"Then why?"
The older shinobi scratched his chin."Hiruzen-sensei asked me to check in on you. And… to offer a little guidance."A pause."You made waves at chunin exam. Taking down a Takigakure team solo, first to the tower… not bad."
Naruto said nothing.
Jiraiya's gaze flickered over him, weighing something unseen.
Then — his tone shifted, a touch more serious.
"Look. The finals will be different. You've seen some strong opponents — but soon you'll be facing monsters."A faint grin."Including one red-haired kid who's even nastier than he looks."
Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he held his tongue.
Jiraiya continued."You're strong — but raw. No elemental training, your sword work is sharp but predictable.He folded his arms."I can help you fix that."
Naruto's gaze hardened."Why?"
Jiraiya tilted his head again, more amused than annoyed."Because it's my job. And because… well, I knew your parents."He shrugged. "That matters to some of us."
"If that's your reason — don't bother."
Jiraiya blinked.
Naruto's voice was cool."I'm not them. I don't need pity or a shadow of obligation."
For a moment, the Sannin's grin faded.
Then he chuckled softly."Fair enough."
He reached into his cloak, pulled out a small scroll.
"It's not about pity, kid."A flick of his fingers — the scroll unrolled."It's about giving you tools. If you want them."
He tapped the scroll."Elemental techniques."Another tap."Advanced clone variations. Chakra control techniques."
Naruto watched, impassive.
Jiraiya's gaze sharpened slightly."And one more thing."
He drew another scroll — smaller, older. The paper was sealed with intricate markings.
"This," he said quietly, "is a method your father designed. Based on the Eight Trigrams Seal that holds the Kyūbi."His voice lowered."It allows the host to draw controlled chakra from the fox — through a secondary siphon layer. Safe. Reliable."
Naruto's breath caught.
For a moment, his mind spun.
"Using the fox's power, without losing yourself."Jiraiya's eyes met his."With it, you'd leap ahead of nearly anyone in the finals."
The room was silent but for the whisper of the wind outside.
Naruto stared at the scroll.
"A way to steal its power. To claim it as mine."
A sharp bitterness twisted in his chest.
"Human greed. Always the same."
He saw again the faces in the village — the wary glances, the whispered words. The monster they called him.
And now — they would give him a leash.A key to the cage.To use what they feared.To make himself their weapon.
"No."
The thought burned cold and clear.
"I will not walk that path."
He raised his eyes — calm, hard.
"I refuse."
Jiraiya blinked."...Huh?"
Naruto's voice was level."You said it. That power isn't mine. It belongs to something else — something that should never have been forced into me."His gaze sharpened."Using it would be no different than those who chained it there."
Jiraiya frowned slightly.
Naruto continued.
"I will fight with what is mine. My body. My sword. My will."A faint smile — cold and resolute."That will be enough."
For a long moment, the two stood in silence.
Then — slowly — Jiraiya exhaled.
A faint, rueful grin returned.
"You're more stubborn than both your parents combined."He shook his head."Alright, kid. I won't push."
He rolled the scrolls back up, tucking them away.
"Just know — the offer stands. If you change your mind, you'll find me."
Naruto gave no answer.
Jiraiya moved toward the window, one foot on the sill.
He glanced back once — eyes thoughtful now, deeper.
"You've got fire, brat. But don't let pride blind you."A pause."There will come a day when you'll need more than steel and will alone."
With that, he vanished into the night.
Naruto stood in the empty room, breathing slow.
"Maybe. But not today."
He sat once more, hand on his sword.
"I will win this with my own strength."
And in the silence that followed, his resolve burned ever sharper.