Ch.252 Rasengan

At this moment, it wasn't just Kakashi and Asuma in the distance who were shocked. Even Jiraiya, who was on the training ground, was filled with astonishment.

For the past few days, Naruto had been right under his watch.

He knew exactly what Naruto's level was.

And precisely because of this, seeing the entire training ground filled with Naruto's shadow clones, the shock in his heart far exceeded that of Kakashi and Asuma.

Of course.

They didn't know that in the original timeline, Naruto, who couldn't even pass the graduation exam's 'Clone Jutsu,' had mastered the forbidden 'Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu' in just a few hours after stealing the 'Scroll of Seals' and easily defeated Mizuki, who had the strength of a Chunin.

It could be said that, apart from Shinji, no one currently knew just how strong Naruto's potential was!

"Toad Sage, I did it!"

"...I did it!"

"...I did it!"

At this moment, all of Naruto's shadow clones on the training ground shouted in unison, their voices overlapping like the roar of an army.

Jiraiya scratched his ear. "This kid!"

The next day.

It was the same training ground as yesterday.

Naruto complained, "Toad Sage, why do we still need special training? I've already mastered the 'Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.' I can defeat Sasuke now!"

Jiraiya unceremoniously knocked Naruto on the head. "Do you think Uchiha Sasuke doesn't know the 'Shadow Clone Jutsu'? He can take on ten of you. If he makes ten shadow clones, he can defeat a hundred of your shadow clones!"

"Ah!"

Naruto's face fell.

At this moment, Jiraiya slowly extended his right hand, and the glowing orb he had shown Naruto before appeared in his palm once again.

Without a doubt.

What Jiraiya was demonstrating to Naruto was the A-rank, hand-seal-less ninjutsu 'Rasengan,' developed by Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage, after observing the Tailed Beast Ball.

Not far away.

Kakashi and Asuma were still on the same tree as yesterday, watching the training ground.

However, today there was an additional figure on the tree—the Third Hokage, holding a pipe with his hands behind his back.

The news of Naruto mastering the 'Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu' last night had clearly alarmed the Third Hokage, so he had come today to personally observe Jiraiya's special training of Naruto.

Seeing the 'Rasengan' glowing in Jiraiya's hand, Kakashi was surprised. "Is Lord Jiraiya planning to teach Naruto the 'Rasengan'?"

Ashma was also quite surprised.

As an A-rank, hand-seal-less ninjutsu, the 'Rasengan' was not easy to master. Not to mention academy students, even ordinary Jonin might not be able to learn it.

The Third Hokage simply watched quietly, offering no comment.

In the past, he wouldn't have allowed Jiraiya to train Naruto so aggressively, as Naruto was still young. But now, the situation in the shinobi world was unpredictable. Although they hadn't yet figured out the Akatsuki's ultimate goal, their intention to target the Tailed Beasts was undeniable.

And the strength of the Akatsuki had left the Five Great Shinobi Villages restless.

Under these circumstances, allowing Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, to gain some self-defense capabilities as quickly as possible was a necessary choice.

After watching quietly for a while, the Third Hokage smiled and shook his head.

This time, Naruto's training of the 'Rasengan' wasn't as smooth as his mastery of the 'Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu' last night.

Jiraiya exhausted himself explaining and demonstrating dozens of times, but Naruto still scratched his head, unable to grasp the essence, which infuriated Jiraiya.

Taking advantage of this break, the Third Hokage asked Kakashi and Asuma, "How is the investigation going?"

Kakashi shook his head. "There's been no movement from the maximum-security prison."

Clearly, imprisoning Mizuki in the maximum-security prison was a ploy by Kakashi to lure out the possible 'A,' or rather, Uchiha Itachi, who might be lurking in the village.

According to the Intelligence Division's analysis, the Akatsuki member who bribed Mizuki was most likely Uchiha Itachi, disguised as 'A.'

Only he possessed the familiarity with the Hidden Leaf, the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the concern for Uchiha Sasuke's safety.

The Third Hokage ordered, "Continue monitoring."

"Yes!"

Kakashi acknowledged.

Ashma said, "Itachi might not care about the life or death of a spy. I think we shouldn't waste too much effort on Mizuki."

The Third Hokage sighed.

Everyone understood this logic, but at the moment, apart from Mizuki, the village had no other leads.

Kakashi then asked, "Should we continue the investigation of the academy? The ANBU is severely short-handed. Some squads haven't had a break in a long time."

The ANBU were human too and needed rest.

The prolonged, non-stop work had left many ANBU squads, responsible for surveillance and investigation, physically and mentally exhausted.

After pondering for a moment, the Third Hokage asked, "How is the investigation of the students going?"

Kakashi replied, "Out of the seventeen suspicious individuals, eleven have been cleared of suspicion. There are still six under surveillance: Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Shinji, Kimimaro, Haku, Karin, and Yūgao Uzumaki."

Among these six, Sasuke and Shinji, being members of the Uchiha clan, were the most likely to have leaked information about Naruto to Uchiha Itachi, so they had been the focus of the investigation.

Kimimaro, Haku, and Karin were foreign shinobi, so they were also within the scope of the investigation.

As for Yūgao Uzumaki, she had been temporarily added to the investigation list by Tsunade due to her inexplicable recovery and was under ANBU surveillance.

After hearing the list, the Third Hokage asked, "Are there any targets that require special attention?"

Kakashi shook his head. "The longest surveillance has been for several months, and the shortest has been for several weeks. So far, there's been no sign of any contact with the Akatsuki."

"Surveillance on Sasuke must not be relaxed!" After a pause, the Third Hokage said, "As for the other students, lower the surveillance level."

"Yes!"

Kakashi nodded.

Large-scale investigations, limited by manpower, were difficult to maintain for long, so he wasn't surprised by the Third Hokage's order.

Hesitating for a moment, Kakashi reported, "Hokage-sama, during the investigation of the academy, I discovered that Lord Danzō's subordinates have been secretly investigating other teachers at the academy."

Compared to Naruto's eight- or nine-year-old classmates, the probability of a teacher being a spy was obviously higher. With Mizuki having been uncovered, Danzō had turned his attention to the academy's teachers.

The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes in thought, then said, "Leave him be for now."

The ANBU's investigation of the academy teachers needed to be handled carefully, but this inevitably meant that some, like Mizuki, might slip through the cracks. Leaving such a thankless task to Danzō might actually yield better results.