In the days that followed, the valley became their second home.
Every morning, before dawn had fully broken, Jiraiya would wake them from their sleep.
His method was very direct: he would splash a basin of cold water on each of them.
“Get up! Training has begun!”
Yahiko was always the first to jump up, cursing “It’s freezing, it’s freezing,” but his movements were faster than anyone else’s.
Konan would quietly stand up, wipe the water from her face with her sleeves, and tidy up her clothes.
Nagato would always rise quietly without saying a word.
Luna, on the other hand, would first curse internally, “This old man is ruthless,” and then drag her damp body up.
Anyway, in the Land of Rain, being damp was already the norm.
Water Walking was the first training session of every day.
At first, both Yahiko and Konan could only stand on the water’s surface for a few seconds.
Yahiko was too impatient, and his Chakra output fluctuated wildly; one moment he exerted too much force and caused ripples on the water, and the next moment his force was insufficient and he sank directly.
Konan was too cautious, and her Chakra output was never quite stable enough; although she could stand longer than Yahiko, she could never break through that bottleneck.
Nagato and Luna’s situation was much better.
Nagato could walk to the center of the pool from the very first day.
By the third day, he was already able to walk completely across the entire pool, standing steadily on the water’s surface for over a dozen seconds without sinking.
His Chakra reserves were simply too immense; even though his output control was still not refined enough, relying solely on his abundant reserves could make up for many shortcomings.
Luna also progressed very quickly.
The bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan gave her enough confidence.
Coupled with the theoretical knowledge about “Chakra control” from the anime and novels she had read in her past life, although not necessarily completely accurate, it at least gave her a direction: maintain stability, output evenly, and do not be impatient.
By the fifth day, she was also able to walk across the entire pool.
“Not bad.” Jiraiya watched her walk back from the other side of the pool and nodded.
“Your control is better than Nagato’s; although your volume isn’t as great as his, you use it more finely.”
Luna shook the water off her feet without speaking.
As for Nagato…
his Chakra volume was like an inexhaustible volcano, and he didn’t need to consider issues like “using it sparingly” at all.
Jiraiya’s gaze shifted between Nagato and Luna, then he clapped his hands to signal that training should continue.
…
Water Walking was just the foundation.
Once all four of them could stand steadily on the water’s surface, Jiraiya began the second stage of training: tree climbing.
“The principle is the same as Water Walking.” Jiraiya pointed to the steep stone walls covered in vines on the valley’s cliffside, “Focus your Chakra on the soles of your feet and adhere to the vertical surface. It’s a bit harder than Water Walking because the friction of tree bark and rock walls is greater than water, requiring finer control.”
He demonstrated it once, his entire body clinging to the rock face like a gecko as he climbed upward at an astonishing speed, reaching a height of over a dozen meters in just a few seconds before jumping down steadily.
“Who’s first?”
This time, Konan was the first to try.
She walked up to the rock face, concentrated Chakra on the soles of her feet, and took her first step.
Her feet stepped steadily onto the rock face without sliding down.
When she climbed to a position about three meters high, her Chakra suddenly fluctuated.
Her soles slipped, and her entire body fell from the rock face.
“Ah.”
Yahiko caught her below, and the two of them fell to the ground together, rolling twice before stopping.
“Are you okay?” Yahiko helped her sit up.
Konan rubbed her bruised shoulder and shook her head.
“…I’m fine. The Chakra cut off; I didn’t control it well.”
“Continue.” Jiraiya’s voice came from the side.
Konan stood up, walked back to the rock face, and began her second attempt.
This time, she climbed to a height of five meters before falling.
The third time, seven meters.
The fourth time, eight meters.
She fell down over and over again, and got up over and over again, her body bruised black and blue from the falls.
Looking at her stubborn appearance, Luna felt a bit heartbroken.
Konan didn’t cry out in pain and didn’t complain.
She walked to the rock face and began her next attempt.
…
The afternoon training was Taijutsu.
Although Jiraiya was famous for his Ninjutsu, his Taijutsu foundation was equally solid.
Among the Sannin, Orochimaru excelled in Ninjutsu and forbidden techniques, Tsunade excelled in medical Ninjutsu and Strength-enhancing Taijutsu, while Jiraiya was an all-rounder.
He dabbled in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu; although he didn’t have a particularly outstanding single specialty, his comprehensive ability was extremely strong.
“Taijutsu is the foundation of a Ninja.”
He lined up the four of them and began explaining the basic movements, “Your current physical fitness is too poor, you are malnourished, and your muscle strength is insufficient. No matter how large your Chakra volume is, if your body can’t keep up, you won’t be able to unleash its power.”
He demonstrated a few basic movements: straight punches, side kicks, dodging footwork, and blocking postures.
The movements looked very simple, but every detail had been carefully adjusted—strength, angle, timing, all were just right.
“Yahiko, give it a try.”
Yahiko stepped forward and threw a punch according to the movements Jiraiya demonstrated.
Jiraiya shook his head.
“Not enough strength. Your punch is too soft; hitting an enemy with it will only make them feel like you’re tickling them.”
He walked up to Yahiko, grabbed his wrist, and adjusted his posture.
“You need to use your waist, not just your arms. Power originates from the waist and abdomen, transmits through the shoulders to the arms, and finally concentrates on the fist. Again.”
Yahiko adjusted his posture and threw another punch.
This time, the fist made a crisp “pop” sound, and the strength was significantly stronger than before.
“A bit better.” Jiraiya nodded.
Yahiko grinned and began repeating that movement over and over again.
When it was Nagato’s turn, Jiraiya’s expression became somewhat subtle.
Nagato’s Taijutsu foundation was much worse than Yahiko’s.
His body was thin and weak, his muscle strength was insufficient, his movements were stiff, and his reactions were slow.
But Jiraiya did not criticize him, only patiently correcting his posture over and over again.
“Your physical condition is inferior to Yahiko’s,” Jiraiya said finally.
“But your Chakra volume can make up for this gap. Learn to concentrate Chakra on your attacking parts, using Chakra to strengthen your strength and speed. This is the most suitable combat style for you at this stage.”
Nagato nodded.
Konan’s Taijutsu was between Yahiko’s and Nagato’s.
Her movements were smoother than Nagato’s, but her strength was inferior to Yahiko’s.
What Jiraiya taught her was another way: utilizing flexibility.
“Your body is lighter than Yahiko’s and more flexible than Nagato’s,” Jiraiya said.
“In Taijutsu combat, don’t meet force with force; learn to dodge and counterattack. Use speed and angles to make up for the lack of strength.”
Konan listened attentively, engraving every key point in her heart.
Finally, it was Luna’s turn.
Jiraiya looked at her, his gaze carrying a complex meaning.
“Your situation… is rather special,” he said.
“Your Chakra volume is about the same as Nagato’s, but your control is finer than his. Your physical fitness is worse than Yahiko’s, but better than Nagato’s. Your reaction speed…”
He paused, “To be honest, it’s a bit strange.”
Luna’s fingers curled slightly.
“Sometimes your reaction is very fast, so fast that it doesn’t look like a seven-year-old child,” Jiraiya looked at her.
“And sometimes it’s very slow…”
The reason her reaction speed was “strange” was because there were two souls inside her body: one was the physical instinct of this seven-year-old girl, and the other was the thinking habit of an adult from her past life.
Sometimes, physical instinct would react before thought, and at those times her speed was very fast.
Other times, she would think of countermeasures in her head first before acting, and at those times her speed would slow down.
This “duality” was the inevitable result brought by her identity as a transmigrator, and it was also a flaw she couldn’t completely conceal.
“During future training, don’t think too much,” Jiraiya said finally.
“Let your body move first, and let your brain catch up later. A Ninja’s battles often rely on instinct.”
Luna nodded.
“…I understand.”
The sun gradually sloped westward, and the vines on the rock face cast long shadows in the twilight.
Today’s training had ended.
Dragging their exhausted bodies, the four of them walked toward the bonfire in the center of the valley.
Yahiko was already complaining about leg pain, Konan was rubbing the bruises on her shoulders from the falls, Nagato walked silently, and Luna followed behind, her mind still pondering what Jiraiya had said just now.
Reaction speed was indeed a problem.
She must find a way to overcome this “duality” and better integrate her physical instinct and thinking habits.
In a real battle, this flaw might get her killed.