Chapter 58: Chapter 58
As the commander of the front line and one of Konoha’s leading forces in the field, Jiraiya was busy every single day.
So although he had decided to take Kiriya as his student, the time he could spare for one-on-one teaching was still limited.
At most, he could squeeze out about an hour a day.
Because of that, Jiraiya did not immediately begin teaching him in person. Instead, he tossed Kiriya a scroll.
It was a scroll containing the training method for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Study this on your own first. If you run into anything you don’t understand, write it down, and I’ll explain it later," Jiraiya said, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
This way, he could improve both the efficiency and the quality of his teaching while also encouraging his student to take initiative in his own training.
Two birds with one stone!
’I’m a damn genius,’ Jiraiya thought proudly.
After saying that, he did not wait for Kiriya’s response.
He simply waved his hand and returned to his command tent, leaving Kiriya behind with the scroll in his arms, so excited he could barely put it down.
Once Jiraiya returned to his seat, he thought the matter over carefully, then recorded Kiriya’s situation in detail and turned it into an intelligence report.
After that, he handed it to a courier and ordered it rushed back to Konoha.
With that done, Jiraiya began dealing with the pile of paperwork that had been waiting for him.
...
Before he knew it, the entire afternoon had passed.
Jiraiya stretched, had his subordinates prepare dinner, then called Kiriya over to eat with him.
While they ate, he planned to help answer any questions Kiriya had about his training.
"Questions?"
Kiriya blinked, then suddenly looked enlightened.
"Actually, yeah, I do have one. Can you give me another scroll?"
"What, you’re giving up already?"
Jiraiya’s mood soured at once.
A mere Shadow Clone Jutsu had already stumped him?
’Don’t tell me this kid is like those two idiots from the Might family, only good at taijutsu.’
The moment that thought appeared, Jiraiya felt a little uneasy.
’Did I rush into taking him as a student? Is it too late to regret it now?’
Jiraiya took a sip of hot soup, and somehow, even the soup tasted a little bitter!
"I’m not giving up," Kiriya said, shaking his head. "I already learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu. I just want a few more scrolls, so I can speed up my studying."
"Pfft!"
Jiraiya sprayed out a mouthful of soup.
Luckily, Kiriya reacted fast and immediately held up a plate in front of himself.
Otherwise, he would have had his face washed with soup straight from Jiraiya’s mouth.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Jiraiya coughed violently, but his eyes stayed locked on Kiriya.
"What did you just say?"
"I said I already learned it."
As Kiriya spoke, he formed the cross seal with both hands.
With a puff of white smoke, his shadow clone appeared beside him, grinning at Jiraiya.
"See? I wasn’t lying."
Kiriya and his shadow clone spoke at the same time, their voices carrying an obvious sense of smug delight.
He could not help being excited.
This was the Shadow Clone Jutsu!
The technique that Naruto, the main character himself, used from the beginning of the story all the way to the finale.
Scouting, baiting enemies, group fights, harem gags, even speeding up training by sharing experience—the technique was absurdly practical.
In Naruto’s hands, this jutsu could beat up the gloomy academy teacher Mizuki at the low end, and at the high end, it could help throw hands with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the origin of chakra herself.
Its value was rock solid, practically unmatched in the shinobi world.
Now that Kiriya had learned such a legendary technique, how could he not be excited?
’Heavens above... what kind of monster did I just take as a student?’
Jiraiya stared at the scene and swallowed despite himself.
’This kid might even be more ridiculous than Minato... No, no, it’s too early to say that.’
At that point, Jiraiya no longer cared about dinner.
He dragged Kiriya into his private tent and handed him a whole pile of scrolls.
Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet.
Toad Flat Shadow Control Technique.
Five Elements Seal.
Barrier techniques.
In short, aside from Sage Mode and some of his personal secret techniques, Jiraiya brought out a large portion of his precious collection.
"All right," Jiraiya said, sitting across from Kiriya, his eyes burning with anticipation. "Let me see just how far you can go."
"Jiraiya-sensei, aren’t you going to eat?"
Kiriya stared at him, a little dumbfounded.
Being watched with such intense eyes by a rough old man like this was honestly hard to handle.
"It’s fine. I’m one of the Sannin! Skipping one meal won’t kill me."
"What about your military duties...?"
"The staff officers can handle most of it. I’ll deal with the really important things myself."
By this point, Jiraiya was already getting impatient.
"Hurry up kid! Show me what you can do."
Kiriya had no choice but to obediently start studying the scrolls in his hands.
Before long, he was completely absorbed.
...
While Kiriya was being pushed by Jiraiya into an intense round of ninjutsu study, the higher-ups of Konoha, thousands of miles away, were thrown into an uproar.
"Wood Release?"
The moment that report appeared in front of him, the Sandaime Hokage’s pupils shrank.
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
"Nani?"
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, seated nearby, both froze.
Then they shot to their feet.
"Are you serious? One of the village’s ninja awakened Wood Release? Who?"
It was no wonder they reacted so strongly.
That kekkei genkai carried too much meaning for Konoha.
Almost the moment they heard the news, they thought of the man who had once stood above the entire shinobi world.
Hashirama Senju.
Wood Release was not just a bloodline limit.
To Konoha, it was a symbol.
A legend.
The shape of invincible power.
"Does this mean... the First Hokage’s power is finally returning to the world?"
Homura’s voice trembled, his throat suddenly dry, Koharu beside him was not much better.
Even the Sandaime’s hand trembled slightly around his pipe.
Still, he lit it, using the familiar smoke to calm the excitement surging in his chest.
"His name is Senju Kiriya. You should both know him."
"It’s him?"
Koharu and Homura were both stunned.
They knew the name far too well.
But wasn’t he supposed to be useless?
When had he awakened Wood Release?
The Sandaime did not answer.
Instead, he handed the intelligence scroll to Homura, and Koharu immediately leaned in to read it as well.
"He took down the Seven Ninja Swordsmen by himself... learned the Eight Gates in a single day... This... This was really done by that Senju Kiriya? Are we sure someone isn’t impersonating him?"
The more Koharu read, the more unbelievable it felt.
For a moment, she almost suspected Jiraiya had lost his mind again and written some third-rate story to mess with them!
Comments