Naruto: The new beginning

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Naruto hung upside down under the eaves, peering into Jiraiya's office. The legendary ninja sat at his desk, back to the window, engrossed in writing.

'Just stay focused for another 25 minutes, and I'll complete the task' Naruto thought.

Curiosity gnawed at him. 'What is he writing?' Unfortunately, without x-ray vision, he couldn't decipher the script from the movement of Jiraiya's arm.

'Didn't he just release a book six months ago? Why is he already writing again? Are fiction writers always this diligent? Poor Kakashi's wallet won't survive this pace.'

Inside, Jiraiya finished a paragraph, put his pen down, and rubbed his wrist. Without turning around, he called out, "You've been there long enough. Why don't you come inside instead of sneaking around?"

Naruto froze. 'Busted already? It's only been five minutes!'

Frustrated, he flipped through the air, landing inside the office through the open window. Tugging at his clothes to straighten them, he muttered, "Pervy Sage, how did you catch me so quickly?"

Jiraiya smirked. "You left signs everywhere. Was it supposed to be hard?"

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "I hid my chakra, slowed my breathing, didn't move, and made no sound. What more could I do?"

"Those are just the basics," Jiraiya said dismissively. "You failed to conceal your gaze. Any experienced ninja can feel when someone's watching them especially from behind."

Naruto blinked, processing the explanation. 'That… makes sense. Even back in school, I could always feel the teacher's glare when I was messing around. It's instinctual. Ninjas just take it to the next level.'

"And another thing," Jiraiya added. "Your mind is too active."

Naruto stared at him in disbelief. "You can sense my thoughts now? That's terrifying!"

Jiraiya laughed. "No, I can't read your mind. But don't forget, chakra is made up of both physical and spiritual energy. If your thoughts are racing or your emotions spike, it can disrupt your chakra flow. That's enough to tip off someone like me."

Naruto's jaw dropped. 'So that's why Gaara got caught eavesdropping back then! He was too shocked to stay calm

"Wait…" Naruto frowned. "If someone can analyze spiritual energy changes in chakra, wouldn't that basically be mind-reading?"

"Close, but not quite," Jiraiya said. "The idea behind chakra was to connect people spiritually, to help them understand each other better. It's why the Sage of Six Paths shared it with the world. But people have twisted it for their own purposes over time."

Naruto's mind wandered. 'If everyone could read minds like the Yamanaka clan, the ninja world would be a mess. Imagine Tsunade walking down the street and couples everywhere getting into fights. Yeah, no thanks.'

Jiraiya interrupted Naruto's thoughts. "Anyway, even with these tricks, they're not the most important part of counter-surveillance."

"Then what is?" Naruto asked, eager to learn something useful for his next attempt.

Jiraiya grinned. "I'm a sage, remember? Even if my Sage Mode isn't as refined as Minato's, I can sense natural energy changes. If you want to stay hidden from me, you'll need to master merging with nature."

Naruto groaned. "If I could do that, I'd already be sitting in Mount Myōboku, hanging out with the toads."

Jiraiya leaned against the desk. "So, what brings you here today?"

Naruto sighed. "My dad gave me a test. I'm supposed to shadow a few people without getting caught. So far, I've failed twice in half an hour."

"Minato came up with this?" Jiraiya scratched his head, circling Naruto thoughtfully. "Interesting. He's probably testing something beyond your stealth."

"Whatever. It's not like I'm learning anything useful," Naruto grumbled. "When I followed Tsunade, I caught her sneaking into an underground casino. Now I find you writing Icha Icha on the job."

Jiraiya sputtered. "What?! I'm not writing that. It's serious work!"

Naruto crossed his arms sceptically. "Oh really? Then why not tell me what it's about?"

Jiraiya coughed and changed the subject. "*Cough* Just stick to Minato's plan. There's a reason he gave you this mission."

Naruto slumped into Jiraiya's chair, flipping through some crumpled notes on the desk. "I don't see the point. I already know I'll get caught if I try to shadow Kakashi or Mom."

Jiraiya sighed. "Naruto, you're too focused on power. Being a ninja isn't just about techniques or strength it's about your inner resolve. Only those who can endure everything are true ninjas."

"Oh, great," Naruto deadpanned. "Another lecture about patience and resolve. Got anything new? Maybe a ruler to convince me?"

Jiraiya ignored the sarcasm and pointed to the manuscript on the desk. "Inner strength."

Naruto, unimpressed, opened the drawer, revealing a stack of magazines with scandalous covers. "Endurance?"

Jiraiya turned red. "Those are dreams! Hobbies! They're unrelated!"

"Sure they are," Naruto smirked.

Unable to take any more, Jiraiya picked Naruto up and tossed him out the window. "Go do your mission!"

Naruto landed gracefully, dusted himself off, and muttered, "The Hokage's kid gets stuck running pointless errands. One Sannin sneaks off to gamble, and another is writing romance novels during office hours. And they call this the best generation?"

If Danzo were alive to hear this, he'd explode. Konoha will be ruined in your hands!

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