Chapter 57: Chapter 57
Thinking back on the fight, Kiriya could not help sighing in admiration.
The old foxes of the shinobi world were really something else.
Every single one of them had too many tricks, and their tactics were dirty in a way that came from years of experience.
Compared with those scheming old monsters, Kiriya felt as pure and innocent as a little white flower.
One careless step, and he would be buried up to his neck.
"Hmph. You brought that on yourself," Jiraiya snorted. "Who told you to disrespect your elders?"
"But you were the one who told me to come at you with everything I had," Kiriya said, looking wronged.
"I meant I wanted to test your Wood Release, not watch you open the Eight Gates and try to punch my head off!"
Jiraiya’s face darkened, and his expression turned dangerous.
"Oh, well, you should’ve said that earlier. Look at this mess! And it was a total misunderstanding in the end."
Kiriya clicked his tongue.
Seeing Jiraiya’s expression grow even more unfriendly, he quickly cast Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality on him.
A warm, soothing current spread through Jiraiya’s body.
The swelling and bruises on his face faded at a visible speed, and within moments, he looked completely normal again.
Now the commander of this front finally did not have to worry about losing all his dignity in front of his subordinates!
"Hiss..."
Jiraiya sucked in a sharp breath, touching his now smooth, refreshed face.
It felt as if he had just received some high-end skin treatment, and the shock in his heart was impossible to hide.
"Where did you learn this technique?"
"No one taught me, i figured it out myself."
Kiriya cast Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality on himself as well, and his battered state quickly recovered. In no time, he looked energetic again.
"You created it yourself?"
Jiraiya’s eyes widened.
The way he looked at Kiriya instantly changed, as if he had discovered some priceless treasure.
What was medical ninjutsu?
It was a field that required exceptional talent and extremely precise chakra control.
Even Tsunade had spent a long time exploring and refining her methods before gradually developing her own series of medical ninjutsu.
Yet this kid had only awakened Wood Release recently, and he had already created a healing technique on his own?
If that was true, "genius" no longer felt like a strong enough word.
This was the kind of talent that came along once in a lifetime.
A person like this had to be tied firmly to Konoha’s cart—no, no, that sounded bad.
He had to be warmly welcomed into Konoha’s loving family, so everyone could embrace the Will of Fire together and shine for the village’s future!
"Uh..."
Kiriya felt a chill crawl up his back under Jiraiya’s suddenly intense gaze.
For a moment, he was genuinely afraid the old man had awakened some unknown hobby.
He quietly took two steps back.
"Lord Jiraiya, is something wrong?"
"Hm?"
Jiraiya snapped back to himself and realized his expression had gotten a little weird.
He quickly coughed twice.
"No. It’s nothing. This ability is very important, so make sure you protect yourself well."
A healing technique this powerful, if used properly, could save who knew how many shinobi on the battlefield.
From that moment on, Jiraiya had already placed Kiriya firmly in the "treasure" category.
Anyone who tried to take him away would be getting a fight to the death with him!
"Well then," Jiraiya said, shifting the topic to ease the awkward atmosphere, "it’s about time you showed me your Wood Release. Let me see how much you’ve mastered."
Kiriya nodded.
"Watch closely. Wood Release: Three Bedrooms and a Living Room Jutsu."
Rumble!
As Kiriya finished his hand seals, a two-story wooden house rose from the ground.
Each floor had three bedrooms and one living room, arranged neatly and properly.
Jiraiya’s forehead filled with imaginary black lines.
"Well, you’d be amazing at setting up camp i guess."
Then his mouth twitched.
"What else? Don’t tell me you awakened the First Hokage’s Wood Release just to build houses and plant trees. That’s not using a bloodline limit, that’s vandalizing a miracle."
"What else am I supposed to do?" Kiriya spread both hands. "How long has it even been since I awakened it? I’ve been wandering outside the village the whole time, and I don’t have anyone teaching me. Honestly, developing this much is already pretty good. At least I don’t have to sleep in the wild anymore."
Jiraiya’s mouth twitched again.
That excuse was way too reasonable.
For a moment, he had no comeback!
But he recovered quickly and gave a light snort.
"So that’s what you’re aiming for, don’t get your hopes up too high though. The First Hokage’s personal notes aren’t something just anyone can read."
"I’m the only Wood Release user in the village right now. If you don’t let me read them, they’ll just keep gathering dust in storage."
Kiriya grinned shamelessly.
"And I’m not asking for them for free, I’ll trade merit for them. Konoha wouldn’t mistreat someone who made a real contribution, right?"
"Merit? What merit?"
Jiraiya looked confused.
He had gone straight to Kiriya earlier and had not yet heard Might Duy’s mission report, so he naturally did not know about Kiriya’s absurd record of fighting six of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
"Huh? You’re saying you wiped out all seven of Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Jiraiya’s voice nearly cracked.
Those were elite jōnin!
Every one of them carried a special ninja tool, and their teamwork was tight.
Even if Jiraiya ran into them, it would take real effort to handle them. Wiping them all out in one go would be even harder.
After all, they were seven jōnin, not seven pigs.
They knew how to run.
As for whether Kiriya was lying?
Jiraiya did not think so.
Once he went back and looked at the seven ninja swords Might Duy had brought in, everything would become clear.
So the achievement was very likely real.
’How the hell did this kid pull that off? With that half-baked Eight Gates technique of his?’
"I’m ashamed, really."
Kiriya scratched the back of his head.
"They saw I was young, and they looked down on Uncle Duy because he was a genin, so... I found an opening."
"..."
Jiraiya fell silent.
The young people these days were terrifying.
They almost had a bit of his own glorious style from back in the day.
For a moment, Jiraiya drifted into memories of his own youth, recalling those magnificent days when he too had been handsome, powerful, and wildly popular—at least in his own imagination.
Seeing that Jiraiya had gone quiet, Kiriya quickly pressed him.
"Lord Jiraiya, can I or can’t I? At least give me an answer."
"All right, I understand."
Jiraiya waved a hand.
"I’ll send a message back to Konoha and if everythings go well the notes should be delivered within a week. Until then, stay in the camp, help treat the wounded, and don’t run around."
Then he added, "During this time, I’ll also guide your training. Prepare yourself."
With that, he started walking back toward the camp.
Kiriya followed behind him, quietly letting out a breath of relief.
’Finally. That worked.’
Over this period, he had grown closer to Might Duy for two reasons.
One was, of course, his desire for the Eight Gates.
The other was to build the right image.
A boy who knew gratitude and grudges clearly, yet still cared deeply about Konoha.
A straightforward, hot-blooded kid.
That kind of image would be effective at lowering the guards of those old foxes, while also fitting naturally with his old chunibyo reputation.
It would not feel too sudden or out of place.
Using Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality and the Eight Gates was a way to show his value and increase his say in things.
Meanwhile, the result of his fight with Jiraiya reassured the higher-ups that he had not grown beyond their control.
All those conditions added together made Kiriya a piece Konoha could not afford to throw away.
No, more than that—a promising seed worth investing in heavily.
Jiraiya’s attitude just now had already proven it.
This was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, the beloved—well, supposedly beloved—student of the Third Hokage.
His theoretical foundation was solid, and his mastery of many different ninjutsu was beyond question.
Having someone like him guide Kiriya would be extremely useful for strengthening his basics and improving his overall ability.
Kiriya was not greedy.
Getting Sage Mode would be enough.
’If that doesn’t work, Summoning Jutsu and Shadow Clone Jutsu would be pretty nice too. Hehehe...’
On top of that, Kiriya would have a smoother path toward Konoha’s treasured secret techniques.
That was one of his biggest reasons for coming here.
Flying Thunder God, sealing techniques, Impure World Reincarnation...
Kiriya had been craving those famous techniques for a long time.
Now that he had a chance, there was no way he would not at least try.
As for why he did not steal them or take them by force...
Kiriya was not arrogant enough to think he could fight all of Konoha on his own.
At least, not yet.
Right now, all three Sannin were still around.
The Yellow Flash was beginning to show his edge.
The Third Hokage had not gone dull yet. Danzo was... dangerous in a very unpleasant way.
And beneath the surface, there were still plenty of old monsters from the various kekkei genkai clans.
There was no need to go looking for trouble.
Kiriya was still reviewing his plan in his head when his steps suddenly paused.
Jiraiya had stopped in front of him.
"Kid, I know some people have given you plenty of reasons to feel..." Jiraiya paused for a moment, then continued, "But individuals are individuals, and the village is the village. I hope you can keep those two things separate."
Kiriya froze for a second.
Then he showed a bright, sunny smile.
"Lord Jiraiya, I’m young, so I don’t understand any grand principles. I only know that kindness should be repaid with kindness, and grudges should be answered directly. I can still tell who treated me well and who didn’t."
"You really do draw the line clearly."
Half of Jiraiya’s face was hidden in shadow.
After a moment, he let out a quiet sigh.
"But maybe that’s fine. Maybe that’s better."
"Lord Jiraiya?"
Kiriya looked a little confused.
"From now on," Jiraiya said as he continued walking forward, his voice drifting back on the wind, "call me sensei."
Kiriya paused.
Then his steps grew lighter.
"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei."
Comments