In Naruto with the Flame-Flame Fruit

Training continued—but now, Kiyosuke was doing it all on his own.

Orochimaru had given him a few pointers before disappearing back into the lab, as if there were something particularly fascinating inside. Well, in Orochimaru's case, there probably was.

An invisible blade of wind shot from Kiyosuke's hands after he completed a series of hand signs. It sliced clean through a small tree as thick as a bowl, the cut smooth and even. The little tree didn't even have time to suffer.

"Ugh… How the hell am I supposed to apply Wind Release chakra to a weapon?"

He scratched his hair in frustration, then plopped down into the grass with a sigh.

He had already tried coating a kunai with chakra. But if he wasn't extremely careful, the Wind Release chakra would disperse. Keeping it compressed and stable was much harder than he'd thought.

Orochimaru was back in the lab again—probably wouldn't come out for days. That guy lived off soldier pills alone. Bitter, yeah, but Orochimaru had bigger things on his mind. Research was everything to him.

Kiyosuke was pretty much being raised free-range now.

Honestly? He didn't mind it.

"This won't work. I need help."

That's when a certain sleazy—wait, scratch that—a certain tall and imposing back appeared in his mind.

The one and only pervy member of the Legendary Sannin: Jiraiya!

Always lurking around pubs, hot springs, and any place filled with beautiful women.

Kiyosuke successfully spotted Jiraiya... on the rooftop of his own house.

Why his rooftop?

Well, because his house had three stories. From the top, you could catch a decent view of some open-air hot springs nearby. Of course, if your eyesight wasn't great, you wouldn't see much through the drifting steam.

But come on—this was Jiraiya we were talking about.

Personal student of the Third Hokage. One of the Legendary Sannin. A man of many... talents.

Those eyes of his were like twin Sharingan trained in perversion—fog was nothing to him.

"So, Jiraiya-sama, you're on my roof just to peek at the hot springs?"

"Of course I... cough! I mean, no, definitely not!"

He coughed loudly and said, "Wait, this is your house?"

"Of course it is," Kiyosuke replied.

"Dammit. Kid, you've got a sweet spot here. I'm just visiting! Make me a cup of tea, will you?"

"Whoa, whoa, what's with that tone? If you're really here to visit, maybe don't just loiter on the rooftop. And forgive me if I don't totally buy the 'guest' thing."

"Look at my sincere eyes! I really am here to visit."

"Oh, sure, I totally believe you."

"What's with that dismissive tone?! Look me in the eyes when you say that!"

Kiyosuke looked away, and Jiraiya took the hit hard. He quickly changed the subject.

"So, how's the Chūnin Exams going?"

"Not bad. I made it to the third round. I'm doing some special training now."

Hearing "special training" got Jiraiya fired up.

"Then why the hell are you lounging around at home?! You should be out there training! Didn't Orochimaru teach you anything?!"

"He did! I just... can't do it!"

"Then go ask him again!"

"He's not around!"

"Then go train! Didn't he teach you?!"

"He did! I said I can't do it!"

"Then just—"

"Enough already! I'm done with this back-and-forth! Jiraiya-sama, please train me!"

Jiraiya pouted. "Nope. I'm gathering material. Planning to write a new novel—it's my specialty."

Oh-ho? Was the legendary Make-Out Paradise about to make its debut?

The future favorite of Konoha's No. 1 little perv Kakashi himself? Rumor had it that reading it increased hand speed...

"Jiraiya-sama, I can pay."

"Hm?"

A glint sparkled in Jiraiya's eyes.

"If you transform into that hot chick from last time... maybe we could talk. Hehehe..."

"..."

Kiyosuke couldn't help but feel... dirty. Was selling his looks really worth it?

"Sexy Jutsu!"

A technique so easy, it was criminal.

Honestly, was this really okay... for a human being?

"Hehehe! Not bad! You're definitely a genius!"

Nose bleeding slightly, Jiraiya laughed heartily.

"Go ahead and ask whatever you want. This great sage hides nothing!"

"Well, here's the thing..."

Kiyosuke explained how he couldn't maintain a steady wind blade and keep its shape intact. After a moment of thought, Jiraiya replied,

"So basically, you just can't control your Wind Release chakra properly. In short, your chakra control still needs work."

"What should I do about it?" Kiyosuke asked.

"There's no shortcut here. Practice makes perfect. Don't you know the Shadow Clone Technique? Use it. Let your clones train."

Great. So it was still back to hard work.

"I understand. Thank you, Jiraiya-sama. I'm off to train!"

With that, he leapt off the roof and ran toward the training ground.

"Tch. Didn't even offer me a cup of tea... Oh well."

He peeked back at the hot springs and grinned.

"Hehehe, now that's a figure! Ohhh... it jiggled!!"

...

After Jiraiya's advice, Kiyosuke realized his main problem was chakra control.

So, he started grinding.

He created shadow clones and focused purely on training. Life became simple and monotonous.

One week later...

"I DID IT!!!"

Kiyosuke shouted with joy. A faint but sharp Wind Release chakra now coated his kunai, extending into a half-meter-long wind blade.

He walked up to a tree and swung.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

He left his mark in just a few strikes.

"Not bad. Chakra consumption isn't too bad, either. With my current stamina, I should be able to maintain this for about an hour and a half."

Dispersing the chakra from the kunai, he sheathed the blade and smiled.

The final round of the Chūnin Exams was just days away. He needed to rest up and prepare properly.

First stop: a hearty meal at Ichiraku Ramen.

Then a long, hot bath at home, followed by a good night's sleep.

That's how the next few days were going to go.

As for Kurenai and Asuma, they were still hard at work training.

No way were they going to let Kiyosuke pull too far ahead.

They were a team, after all.

But judging from how he fought during the team matches, Kiyosuke had clearly been holding back. That fact alone put pressure on Asuma and Kurenai—they hated the thought of being left behind, watching his back from a distance.

Shinku stood watching his two subordinates train with intense focus. He nodded. He understood their frustration.

As he attacked them, he barked, "If you don't want to fall behind Kiyosuke, then give it everything you've got! The final round is in one week. Show me your grit and determination!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Understood!"

Both of them fought against Shinku's relentless attacks, using every ounce of strength to improve.

This was the training method they'd chosen—brutal, direct, and honest.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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