Chapter 48: The Art of Asking
Five days had passed in a flash. For the candidates preparing for the third exam, time was running out. They were pushing themselves to the limit, practicing harder than ever.
But for Hayashi, these days had been tough. The reason was simple: Hinata hadn't visited in days.
Her father had taken an unusual interest in her after she passed the preliminaries. He'd put her through rigorous training, and Hayashi felt lost without her.
For years, Hinata had taken care of him, starting each day with breakfast and lunch. Now, with her focused on her training, Hayashi felt adrift. He couldn't even muster the energy to eat properly at home.
Meditation, which usually brought him peace, now felt pointless. So, after two years, he found himself back at the waterfall area outside the village.
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As the waterfall tumbled down the rocky cliff, its force crashed down on the figure, who was beneath it. He sat lost in thought, oblivious to the world around him.
A group of women had come to the waterfall, their laughter and playful chatter filling the air. But as they caught sight of him, they fell silent, watching him with curiosity.
Their presence didn't go unnoticed for long. A ninja emerged from the shadows, his eyes fixed on the scene before him.
"Hey, Pervy Sage, what's the point of bringing me here? I still need to practice my Summoning Technique," Naruto grumbled.
Jiraiya, peering through a gap in the bushes, looked disappointed as the women began to leave. But his attention quickly shifted to the boy on the water.
"You can practice here, kid," he said, his voice distant.
"Don't bother me."
Naruto let out a resigned sigh, long accustomed to Jiraiya's antics.
As Jiraiya gazed at the figure beneath the waterfall, he couldn't help but be impressed.
"Incredible," he murmured in awe.
He hadn't seen anyone with skills like this in years. It wasn't just the fact that the person could tread water or sit on the surface - any skilled Genin or Chunin could do that.
What really caught Jiraiya's attention was the combination of momentum and temperament.
In the Naruto world, a person's presence could reveal their strength. Sasuke, for instance, was once intimidated by Zabuza's and Orochimaru's murderous auras.
As a Sage, Jiraiya possessed a heightened sense of awareness, allowing him to tap into the faint energies around him. And it was this sensitivity that allowed him to sense the powerful sword aura that Hayashi possessed - a presence that would have gone undetected by ordinary shinobi.
Konoha was known for nurturing talented shinobis, and many prodigies had emerged from its ranks.
However, Jiraiya knew that true greatness required more than just natural talent. It took the harsh realities of war to forge a shinobi into their full potential.
Even Itachi had needed the brutal lessons of the Third Shinobi World War to understand the true meaning of conflict and life, which ultimately led to the evolution of his Sharingan.
In a time of peace, most geniuses had a limit to their growth. Even the most talented graduates were only on par with Sasuke at best. That's why Jiraiya was genuinely amazed when he stumbled upon a rare talent.
This young prodigy had already made a remarkable impact, even in a time of peace. But what happened next left Jiraiya stunned.
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After a long meditation, the figure slowly opened his eyes and stood up. He turned to face the waterfall. With his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he radiated an aura of intense focus.
"Zzip! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing!"
In an instant, he vanished. An afterimage shot upwards, racing up the cliff with incredible speed. Each time it paused, a blinding silver light flashed.
Moments later, the figure stood at the top of the cliff. Below him, the waterfall seemed frozen in time. Then, the silver-white torrent shattered into pieces.
BOOM!
The sound was like a dam bursting.
"What?! What happened?!"
Naruto, startled by the noise, looked around frantically. But Jiraiya, who had been standing in front of him, was nowhere to be seen.
His eyes scanned the area until they landed on Jiraiya, now standing near the peaceful waterfall.
The old man's face was a picture of shock, his eyes fixed on something in the distance.
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Jiraiya scratched his head, trying to process what he'd just seen.
"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself.
"How did that kid slice through the waterfall without using any chakra?"
Even the most skilled shinobis needed a special sword or wind-based chakra to pull off a feat like that. But Hayashi made it look effortless, without using any chakra at all.
Not even the elite samurais of the Land of Iron or the legendary Hatake Sakumo could match that without relying on chakra.
Jiraiya turned to Naruto.
"Hey, kid, is there anyone in your class who's really good with a sword?"
"My name is Naruto, remember it!" Naruto said irritated.
But then his eyes it up as he recalled Hayashi's impressive skills in the preliminaries.
"Oh, yeah! It's Hayashi! He's super powerful, and his sword skills are unbelievable."
Jiraiya muttered, "Hayashi, huh?" as he furrowed his brow.
"A civilian?"
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. If what Naruto said was true, he needed to see Hayashi's skills for himself. A civilian with such extraordinary skills in swordsmanship was rare.
It was clear that Hayashi was no ordinary Genin. His technique, power, and presence suggested a talent far beyond his years, one that could rival even the most skilled ninja in Konoha.
Naruto saw an opportunity.
"Listen," he continued, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"I'm fighting Hayashi soon, so you've got to teach me a new jutsu, Pervy Sage. I need to be ready."
Jiraiya opened his mouth to protest the nickname, but Naruto didn't give him a chance. With a quick hand seal, a cloud of smoke engulfed the young ninja.
When it cleared, a curvy blonde stood before Jiraiya, giving him a sultry look.
"Pretty please, Lord Jiraiya?" Naruto purred in a high-pitched voice, batting his eyelashes.
"Teach me something really powerful?"
The sight was too much for Jiraiya. Blood spurted from his nostrils as he gave Naruto a lecherous grin and a thumbs up.
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I am in need of some ideas. Currently, I am primarily translating this novel. Due to the changes, I find myself writing whole chapters more and more. Additionally, I'm writing my own novel and need more inspiration. So, I have two questions for you:
When would you prefer me to release the chapters for this novel?
- Mon, Tue, and Wed
- or: Mon, Wed, and Fri?
Do you want me to translate something new? I need some inspiration for my novel. I will only translate and won't change the story, just the dialogues or similar elements.
The quality should be on par with what I did over the last few days, as I have time right now and can proofread thoroughly myself.
It should be related to Naruto or something similar, so I don't have to do a lot of research. I have some suggestions, but haven't read them. The synopses were interesting:
a) I Created Cthulhu In Naruto
b) I'm In Rock Shinobi, A Groudon Inside!
c) Konoha Yellow Ape: The salary is in place, and the five shadows are useless!
d) Your own suggestions.
The one with the most comments will be translated. But keep in mind that I am just a normal guy from Europe.
My English skills are okay thanks to school and a three-month stay in the USA, but I am not a professional translator. So my sentence structure may sometimes sound strange.
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