Chapter 54: Chapter 54
"No need to be tense. I’m Senju Kiriya from Konohagakure. I’m sure you’ve heard the name before."
"Huh? Senju Kiriya?"
The two guards froze.
It was not that they did not know the name.
On the contrary, it was because they knew it too well that they failed to react for a moment.
"Isn’t Senju Kiriya that ... idiot?"
"I remember he went missing a while ago."
"He disappeared and now suddenly shows up here? Don’t tell me he was turned into a spy?"
With that thought, both guards had already reached toward the shuriken at their waists.
It was hard to blame them for being so cautious.
These were sensitive times, and being careful was never wrong.
"No need to be nervous," Might Duy quickly stepped forward and repeated the explanation Kiriya had prepared in advance.
"He escaped the village without permission some time ago. We happened to run into him while returning from our mission, so we brought him here for Lord Jiraiya to handle."
As he spoke, he also pointed at the ropes tied around Kiriya.
The meaning was obvious.
He was only a dead last, and he was tied up securely.
There was no need to be too alarmed.
The two guards exchanged a look, then gave Kiriya a thorough inspection, mainly checking whether he was using a Transformation Jutsu or some other disguise.
Only after confirming that Kiriya was not disguised did the atmosphere relax a little.
They still had not completely lowered their guard, but at least they were no longer as tense and ready to strike as they had been at the start.
"I’ll report this to Lord Jiraiya. Wait here."
With that, one guard ran toward the command tent.
Before long, he returned with Jiraiya’s orders.
Might Duy and the others were to report to the record officer and verify the completion of their mission, while Kiriya was to be brought separately to meet Jiraiya.
"It’s fine. Don’t worry."
Facing the concerned looks from Might Duy and the others, Kiriya answered with a confident gaze, then walked toward the command tent with calm, unhurried steps.
"You’re Senju Kiriya?"
The moment he entered the command tent, a bold voice rang out.
Kiriya looked up and saw a tall, white-haired middle-aged man seated at the head of the room.
He wore a forehead protector marked with the character for "oil," and two red markings ran down from beneath his eyes.
A carefree, roguish smile always seemed to hang on his face.
This man was the teacher of the Child of Prophecy.
The Pervy Sage!
A master author of ninja-world erotica.
The supreme grandmaster of the Way of Peeping!
Jiraiya.
"That’s right. Genuine one not a spy," Kiriya said calmly, standing straight-backed like a spear.
"You want to chase after Lady Tsunade, but you don’t even know her own clansman?" Kiriya asked.
"Well, of course I know some things." Jiraiya put away his careless smile, and the way he looked at Kiriya grew a little more serious.
"But the Senju Kiriya I know is a useless brat who loves to brag! Not a strong kid like you."
From the moment this boy had stepped into the tent, Jiraiya had felt a powerful chakra from him, surging like vibrant nature itself.
This child was no ordinary fish in a pond.
"You flatter me, In front of Jiraiya of the Sannin, I wouldn’t dare call myself strong," Kiriya said evenly.
"That modesty of yours sounds a little fake."
Jiraiya chuckled, stood up, and walked over.
He circled Kiriya, studying him carefully, occasionally reaching out to pinch here and there while clicking his tongue in surprise.
"This body, this chakra... Kid, how did you get this power?"
"You’ll have to ask your good friend Orochimaru about that."
As Kiriya spoke, a sharp wooden blade extended from his shoulder and cut through the ropes binding him.
"Wood Release? How do you—"
Jiraiya’s eyes widened at the sight.
Then, connecting it with what Kiriya had just said, he immediately understood what had happened.
"That bastard... He used you for a First Hokage cell transplant experiment?"
As one of the Sannin, with strength approaching that of the Third Hokage himself, Jiraiya’s position in Konoha was beyond question.
He naturally knew that the village had long wanted to recreate the First Hokage’s kekkei genkai.
Previously, however, the experiments had involved volunteers, and because the failure rate and death rate were too high, they had been officially halted.
He had not expected Orochimaru to violate the village’s ban and continue that forbidden research in secret.
"That’s right. It was quite the near-death experience." Kiriya’s voice carried intense hatred. "If I hadn’t been lucky enough to adapt to the First Hokage’s cells, I’d be nothing but a pile of rotten flesh by now."
Jiraiya frowned.
He did not ask how Kiriya had escaped from Orochimaru.
Right now, only one question mattered to him.
"Why did you come back?"
By all rights, after being abducted by Orochimaru and forced into human experimentation, nearly dying in the process, it would not have been strange for Kiriya to hate the village to the bone.
Yet this boy had returned on his own.
No matter how Jiraiya thought about it, that did not quite add up.
"Isn’t that obvious?"
Kiriya looked as though he had been insulted.
His tune turn righteous and firm!
"Konoha was built through the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of my predecessors. Now that it’s facing danger, how could I, as a descendant of the Senju clan, simply stand aside?"
At that moment, Kiriya seemed almost possessed by Naruto himself.
The Will of Fire was embodied in him so perfectly it was practically suspicious!
Feeling the powerful conviction in Kiriya’s words, Jiraiya could not help being moved.
"Good kid! Good! As expected of a descendant of the Senju clan. You haven’t embarrassed Tsunade."
For the village’s former dead last, awakening Wood Release was nothing short of rising to the top in one step.
Even if his combat ability were poor, he could at least qualify as a special jōnin with that alone.
Yet after gaining such power, Kiriya’s mind had not twisted.
He still wanted to protect the village.
That kind of character was almost too good to be true.
"But..." Jiraiya pointed at the ropes now lying on the ground. "What was all this about?"
"There was no other choice. I did disappear without permission before, and suddenly showing up at the camp during a time like this would obviously make people suspicious." Kiriya shrugged.
"Looking like that probably made everyone feel a bit safer. It also helped avoid unnecessary conflict and kept anyone from getting hurt."
"Heh. You’re pretty confident, kid."
Jiraiya’s interest grew.
"What gives you that confidence? The First Hokage’s cells?"
"More or less."
Kiriya neither confirmed nor denied it.
’Just what level is this kid really at?’
Seeing Kiriya’s slightly cocky attitude, Jiraiya became genuinely curious.
After giving a few instructions to his subordinates, he brought Kiriya to a hill near the camp.
"Lord Jiraiya, what’s the meaning of this...?" Kiriya asked with a puzzled expression.
"Obviously, I’m testing you."
Jiraiya stood with his hands behind his back, carrying the air of a master.
"Konoha doesn’t keep idle people, after all and you’ll be working too. If I understand the details of your abilities, it’ll be easier to assign you missions afterward."
"Oh, I see. But..."
Kiriya looked a little shy and scratched his cheek with some embarrassment.
"I don’t actually know that many techniques, and the ones I do know are a little rough."
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