Shinji never knew exactly how many Cursed Spirits had been released when he collapsed that Level‑3 lair.
But he did know this: between him and Hidan, a total of 111 Level‑3 Cursed Spirits had been killed.
Heh… that number — is it mocking me or something?
The reward for exorcising a Level‑3 spirit was 200 Cursed Spirit Points.
That meant all his hard work just now had earned him 22,200 points.
A very solid gain.
Having tasted such sweet rewards, Shinji was left feeling unsatisfied and wanting more.
Current total: 181,800 Cursed Spirit Points.
He was less than 20,000 points away from reaching 200,000!
Suddenly, Shinji felt a strong urge to go collapse another Cursed Spirit lair.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Tsunade had watched Shinji's frantic, race‑against‑time hunt all through the night.
They had no idea that he was actually the one who had unleashed all these spirits in the first place.
All they saw was Akagi Shinji risking his life to save people and destroy monsters, wasting not even a single second.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were fighting and saving people too, of course — but without that same desperate urgency.
To them, it was more like: Well, since it's happening right in front of us, we have to step in and help.
And so, the difference in attitude and dedication was clear for all to see.
Jiraiya began to completely revise his impression of the young man.
And Tsunade finally started to believe what Shinji had told her earlier — that this newly formed "Cult of the Evil God" truly was dedicated to fighting against all Cursed Spirits.
Respect!
It had to be said… this was a truly beautiful misunderstanding.
...
The next day, when Naruto woke up, he was noticeably dispirited.
All that special training had felt completely pointless.
He had gone out, fought… and lost even more miserably than ever before.
The blow to his confidence was massive.
Fortunately, Jiraiya was a master at pep talks and life lessons.
He spoke at length about philosophy, the "Way of the Ninja," and never giving up — convincing Naruto all over again to charge forward with burning enthusiasm.
Of course, Naruto was so easily persuaded largely because of his naturally optimistic and stubborn personality.
Anyone else who had been treated with coldness and scorn for twelve whole years would almost certainly have turned bitter and dark.
But Naruto hadn't. Instead, he had grown up to be exactly the kind of person his late parents would have been proud of.
That was rare and remarkable — almost a miracle that could never be repeated.
Seeing Naruto finally regain his spirit, Jiraiya let out a long sigh of relief.
If I'd let this boy's potential go to waste… how could I ever face the spirits of the previous Hokages?
Thank goodness… thank goodness…
"I'm going out for a bit."
"Naruto, where are you off to?"
"To find Sasuke!"
"No way!"
As soon as he heard that, Jiraiya immediately blocked his path.
"Why not?"
"Do you remember what happened just before you lost consciousness?"
Naruto thought hard. Gradually, memories surfaced: that dark space… the prison cage… the Nine‑Tailed Fox… and the seal…
He only remembered lifting the corner of the seal slightly… and then a massive, surging chakra had hit him, and he knew nothing more.
Naruto didn't try to hide anything. He told Jiraiya exactly what he remembered and asked for an explanation.
There was no way to keep it secret anymore.
So Jiraiya chose what he could safely tell him — leaving out the part about his parents — and clearly explained the relationship between Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki.
Naruto fell silent as he listened. So this was the real reason why people had hated and avoided him all these years…
Most people, upon hearing this, would have crumbled emotionally.
But Naruto was different. Instead, he felt a strange sense of relief.
He thought: The villagers weren't wrong to hate me. After all, the Nine‑Tails that destroyed Konoha and killed so many people is sealed inside me. It's only natural that they blame me.
Jiraiya, however, was thinking about something else entirely: How to help Naruto fully master and control the Nine‑Tails' power.
At his age, constantly suppressing and sealing it away wasn't a good long‑term solution.
If Naruto were treated like a tool and locked inside Konoha forever, maybe that would work — but Jiraiya would never allow that.
Naruto needed the strength to protect himself, yes… but he also had to learn to control the beast inside him.
Otherwise, if he lost control again like he did last night, Naruto might end up losing his freedom forever.
Even if he became Hokage one day, Jiraiya could never allow a Jinchūriki who might go berserk at any moment to leave the village.
Besides, the Nine‑Tails inside Naruto was already growing restless.
This time, it had even tried to trick Naruto into breaking the seal voluntarily. If it ever succeeded… the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Last night, you lost control and nearly caused a terrible disaster. So until you learn what it means to be a proper Jinchūriki… I don't want you seeing Sasuke again."
"Why?"
"Haven't you realized it yet? Sasuke has become your biggest emotional weakness. Every time you see him, your mood shifts wildly and you lose your calm. Do you really want to turn into a mindless monster again and hurt everyone around you?"
Naruto went quiet. Then he nodded slowly. "I understand, Perverted Sage."
"I'm glad you do."
"I want to get stronger. Will you help me, Perverted Sage?"
"Aren't I already training you every day?"
"It's not enough — not nearly enough. While I'm getting stronger, Sasuke is getting stronger even faster. If we keep growing at this rate… I'm afraid the next time we meet, I'll lose even worse than before. I need more training! Much more!"
"Are you absolutely sure?"
Jiraiya asked with a heavy sigh.
"Yes!"
Naruto nodded firmly.
"Very well. Normally, I wouldn't teach you this kind of training method at your age… but there really isn't anything else that suits you better."
Jiraiya spoke seriously, though deep down he felt conflicted. Am I doing the right thing? Could something go wrong?
But Naruto was asking for it himself. How could his teacher keep holding back and acting lazy?
Time to step up!
"What is this method?" Naruto asked eagerly.
"The answer lies in the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique you taught yourself."
"Huh?"
"Do you know why such a seemingly simple jutsu is classified as a Forbidden Technique?"
Naruto shook his head, completely confused.
"Because if it's not used properly, Multiple Shadow Clone can cause you severe injury… or even kill you!"
Seeing Naruto jump in fright, Jiraiya continued:
"I'm not exaggerating to scare you — this is a real danger.
First: anyone who does not possess immense chakra reserves will harm themselves just by using this technique.
Second: every shadow clone, the moment it disappears, transfers every memory, every sensation, and every experience it had directly back to the original body.
"That means every injury your clones suffer, every bit of exhaustion or pain they accumulate… will be sent back to you at 100% intensity. Even though it's only the feeling of it… if your will isn't strong enough, or if too much suffering piles up at once… it can shatter your mind completely."
"Do you understand now?"
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously:
"So… you want me to use Multiple Shadow Clone less from now on?"
"No. I mean I want you to use Multiple Shadow Clone for special training. But it could put your life in danger. Are you ready for that?"
Jiraiya looked at him with utmost seriousness.
____________________
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