56 - 56 - Training with a Kage-level Ninja

After the group had finished their individual discussions with Jiraiya, they all convened at the center of the training ground.

Jiraiya then dismissed his clones and announced, "Okay, from now on, we will start this training first thing in the morning, so keep coming here at 6 in the morning."

The group of three responded, "Yes, sensei."

Jiraiya smiled and inquired, "Do each of you have a gravity seal?"

They all nodded.

"Great. I want each of you to set it to the maximum percentage you can train with. Now, what is the max weight your seal can handle, and what percent of it can you use?" Jiraiya asked.

Izuna then declared, "My seal has a max weight of 250 kgs, and I can apply 26%." Jiraiya was surprised by the amount of weight Izuna could manage and nodded in approval.

Following that, Minato stated, "My seal has a max weight of 125 kgs, and I can apply 45%." Jiraiya was once again taken aback by his student's capability and nodded.

Hinoka then shyly mentioned, "My seal also has a max weight of 125 kgs, and I can apply 30%." Jiraiya responded, "That's good. You all have surprised me. And Hinoka, don't feel bad; you can catch up with hard work."

Team 3 then embarked on their first training session under their kage-level sensei. Initially, everyone was extremely excited. Being trained by one of the Legendary Sannin was more than anyone could have hoped for. They all dreamed of reaching their sensei's level one day, and they knew that this was the kind of training it would take to achieve that dream.

In the first 30 minutes, they were all excited and energetic, but after that, the next 30 minutes, they started to lose their excitement, and their energy began to wane. While they could all still keep up with the workout, they could all be seen struggling. Jiraiya seemed to know exactly how much to push each of them to get the most out of the workout. He could be seen off to the side, smiling at his fine work. After 2 hours, the three of them could barely keep up and were close to dropping like flies, unable to continue.

But thankfully, Jiraiya called an end to the workout and said, "You all did very good." He then began to give off a light chuckle and said, "This is a light morning workout, so you need to get used to it. Now, come over here in the shade." The group then walked and sat next to a tree under the shade, and Jiraiya gave them some water and a ration bar each.

He said, "Ok, I'll give you an hour of rest, so eat and rehydrate yourselves, and I'll meet you back here in 1 hour to continue your training." He then flickered away.

Izuna then thought to himself, 'I've got to get used to this. If I want to learn the 8 gates one day, I'm going to have to train at least this hard every day.'

After an hour was up, Jiraiya appeared and said, "Before we start your training, let's talk about your daily routines first."

He then discussed with each of them about their new routines that they would each be following. He planned to train them from 6 AM to 8 AM and then from 9 AM to 11 AM. After that, they would each do an hour of sparring with his clones and end the day with an hour of supervised ninjutsu training. He also recommended everyone their diets, which involve a lot of protein and ration bars. He explained that ration bars were created for ninjas who would go on long missions so they had everything necessary for survival packed into them.

The group then began the next training session, and Jiraiya did not take it easy on them just because it was the first day and they were tired. He pushed each of them just enough to where they could barely finish the workout. This workout was a little different from the previous one; this one was more focused on teamwork with things that they learned in the academy.

After 2 hours, Jiraiya ended the workout and gave them another hour of rest, and then after that, they began their sparring. Each of them went their separate ways and trained in combat with one of Jiraiya's shadow clones.

Izuna worked on his kenjutsu as well as ninjutsu, and he even tried to work on his genjutsu but failed to get Jiraiya even once.

After that, they began their ninjutsu training, where they could practice and ask Jiraiya any questions they had or explain any problems.

Once their day was over, they all left tired, and Jiraiya left to go to Hiruzen's office to report on his first day with his team.

When he walked into the office, the first thing Hiruzen asked was, "So, how was your first day? Were the kids everything you expected?"

Jiraiya smiled and said, "They are very talented and hold a lot of promise. They each have the strength of a chunin, with Izuna even having the strength of an elite chunin. He is very talented in ninjutsu, and while his kenjutsu could use some work, he has no flaws; he just lacks experience. Minato is also very smart, and his ninjutsu is very good, as well as his taijutsu. He was able to last a couple of seconds against me, and Hinoka seemed to be very good with the Gentle Fist style."

Hiruzen then said, "That's very good. I'm glad you have taken them under your wing. I expect great things from your team."

Jiraiya then smiled and said, "I also got Izuna's Rasengan from him. Now, I just have to learn it, but it shouldn't take too long. I think I've already got the hang of it after a couple of hours of practice with one of my clones. I should learn it in a couple of days."

Hiruzen smiled and said, "That's very good. Now, show me how to learn it."

Jiraiya then began to show Hiruzen the process of learning the Rasengan that he learned from Izuna.