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Chapter 551: A Test of Skills
Chapter 551: A Test of Skills
Jiraiya's suggestion piqued Yahiko's interest, as he had already been contemplating sharing their experiences.
"After you left, Jiraiya-sensei, we wanted to contribute to the peace of the Land of Rain using our own strength. At first, we helped villages fend off invading ninjas..."
Yahiko put down his chopsticks and picked up his teacup, beginning the tale of their journey.
Initially, Yahiko had no intention of creating a ninja organization. After all, he was just a naive young boy taking his first steps in the world. Whether it was strength, experience, or other aspects, he lacked the foundation to support such an ambitious idea.
The Land of Rain was in a state of chaos at the time, but even amidst the turmoil, there were ninjas who longed for peace. Through their actions, Yahiko and his companions gradually gained other allies, and when their numbers reached a certain point, the Akatsuki was formed.
However, Yahiko didn't dwell on this period for long, quickly moving on to his first encounter with Souzu. It wasn't that he thought this period with Akatsuki was unimportant, but there wasn't much to tell.
"Compared to the impact of the Ninja Sect on the Land of Rain, Akatsuki's efforts could be considered minor skirmishes," Yahiko said, pausing to take a sip of water before continuing. "Our slogans may have been loud, but our influence was minimal."
"What you achieved as a young man is something to be proud of," Jiraiya encouraged.
The fact that Yahiko, an orphan who lacked a formal education, could have such aspirations and act on them impressed Jiraiya. He felt that Yahiko had already surpassed countless others.
Jiraiya's words brought a smile to Yahiko's face, and he continued to narrate their story with a grin.
"At the time, Souzu might have heard about Akatsuki's deeds from somewhere else and took an interest in our ideals. Unfortunately, I let him down; I was clueless about most things." Yahiko's face fell in regret.
From their first meeting, Yahiko believed that Souzu was a key figure who could promote peace in the Land of Rain. What Yahiko regretted was his own inadequate performance; he hadn't been able to answer Souzu's questions satisfactorily, likely disappointing the man.
"He sounds like a serious and meticulous person," Jiraiya said, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he listened to Yahiko.
Yahiko's description reminded Jiraiya of Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. It was as if Tobirama was making up for his older brother's lack of subtlety, as he exhibited seriousness and meticulousness in every aspect.
Jiraiya didn't dislike such qualities, or rather, he thought that few people would dislike someone who approached their work and ideals with seriousness and meticulousness.
Of course, if someone were serious and meticulous about every little thing in their life, Jiraiya felt that would be a bit much—too tiring.
"Souzu-sensei takes a very serious approach to major issues, but when it comes to teaching, he's quite laid-back," Yahiko explained.
The development of the Ninja Sect was closely tied to Souzu's lectures, as its birth originated from Souzu's travels across the Land of Rain, spreading his teachings.
Yahiko had attended these lectures and eventually decided to join the Ninja Sect, even going so far as to dissolve Akatsuki and merge all its members into the Ninja Sect.
"It can be terrifying when someone lacking in ability makes critical decisions," Yahiko added.
When talking about the development of the Ninja Sect, one couldn't avoid mentioning the crisis that nearly led to its destruction.
Yahiko unhesitatingly took most of the blame for that incident, acknowledging that his naivete had played a significant role.
At the time, the Ninja Sect didn't have many members, and Yahiko, as the leader of Akatsuki, had the support of his followers. Additionally, his impassioned words had swayed some of the Ninja Sect ninjas, ultimately leading to a vote in favor of collaboration.
"So, you were there during that incident as well," Jiraiya said, a bit surprised.
Even someone as uninvolved as Jiraiya had heard of the battle that made Souzu's name renowned in the ninja world.
However, those who didn't pay much attention, like Jiraiya, usually only knew one thing: Souzu's fire jutsu was unmatched, allowing him to defeat the water jutsu specialist, Hanzou, despite the elemental disadvantage.
Jiraiya was unaware of the supporting roles played by Yahiko and Nagato, who had essentially just made up the numbers.
As Yahiko continued his narrative, Jiraiya's mental image of Souzu became more and more substantial.
He was a man with a dream of world peace, approaching it with a serious and meticulous attitude. He was a powerful teacher who held fast to the belief that knowledge should be shared with all who sought it. He had a broad perspective and was willing to set aside the grudge against the Rain Ninja Village for the sake of peace in the Land of Rain.
"I've really been too busy these past few years," Jiraiya mused. "An interesting person like Souzu appeared in the ninja world, and I didn't even notice." He vowed to travel and learn more about the world after the war ended.
It must be said that Yahiko's description of Souzu painted him as a near-perfect individual. There were things that even Jiraiya, putting himself in Souzu's shoes, felt he couldn't achieve.
"Yahiko, Nagato, you two have had a tough journey, experiencing so many things," Jiraiya said with a smile. "I'll cook dinner for you all tonight!"
They had pursued their dreams, encountered like-minded companions, founded a ninja organization, and then met a powerful senior with similar aspirations in the midst of their struggles. Together, they had weathered various trials and tribulations.
In the time that Jiraiya had been away, Yahiko and Nagato's experiences could indeed fill the pages of a novel.
"Alright!" Yahiko cheered.
While getting a free dinner was certainly something to be happy about, what truly excited Yahiko was that Jiraiya would be staying until evening.
After lunch, Jiraiya took the initiative to offer guidance to Nagato and his companions, fulfilling his duty as their teacher.
The three eagerly accepted, and they all headed to a training ground outside the city.
It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and Jiraiya's knowledge of Nagato's current abilities was limited to the information he had gathered. To provide better guidance and satisfy his own curiosity, Jiraiya engaged in combat training with Nagato and his companions.
However, for the best results, Jiraiya had them fight him one at a time instead of all together.
Their skill levels varied significantly, and if they fought as a group, it might turn into a showcase of Nagato's prowess.
"I'll go first," Yahiko volunteered.
Seeing that Konan and Nagato had no objections, Yahiko took a stance opposite Jiraiya.
"Use everything you've got," Jiraiya said with a flourish. "Don't hold back. Show me everything you've learned."
As a well-known powerful ninja in the current world, Jiraiya had the confidence to make such a request.
"Very well, Jiraiya-sensei," Yahiko said, taking the older man's words to heart. He gathered his strength and charged forward.
In that moment of attack, Yahiko focused his breathing, enhancing his physical strength.
The breathing technique he had been practicing was a derivative of the Rock Breathing Style, developed by Tsuki no Mikazuki, known as the "Ninja's Inhalation Style."
Strictly speaking, the Ninja's Inhalation Style consisted of two breathing techniques: one that enhanced physical strength and was accompanied by taijutsu similar to Gale Palm, and another that bolstered defensive capabilities, paired with a defensive ninjutsu akin to Iron Wall.
However, Jiraiya's battle experience was extensive, and he had already observed Yahiko's movements. He simply sidestepped, effortlessly dodging Yahiko's kick.
Yahiko's kick landed on a tree, leaving a deep gash that nearly severed it.
"Not bad, but you need to work on your speed," Jiraiya commented.
Such an attack could inflict significant damage if it landed on a ninja.
Undeterred, Yahiko focused his entire being on the fight, gathering chakra in front of him to create three water spears that shot towards Jiraiya.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
Jiraiya swiftly formed the necessary hand seals, summoning a thick wall of earth that rose in front of him. Yahiko's water spears only managed to leave dents in the sturdy wall, failing to breach its defense.
When his ninjutsu proved ineffective, Yahiko once again gathered the power of his breathing technique and lunged at Jiraiya, ready for close-quarters combat.
Their battle raged on, with Jiraiya matching Yahiko's every move.
After observing Yahiko's taijutsu habits, Jiraiya began to increase the difficulty, feinting to expose Yahiko's vulnerabilities.
"Earth Style: Iron Rock Technique!"
Yahiko calmly countered with the ninja version of the Iron Block technique.
The power of the breathing technique flowed into his body, enhancing his defense. Combined with the Earth Style chakra nature transformation's hardening effect, this move had the potential to withstand ninjutsu.
Within the Ninja Sect, this technique was also known as the Turtle Shell Technique due to its remarkable hardness.
Jiraiya threw a punch at Yahiko, but to his surprise, Yahiko stood firm, unmoved. Instead, Jiraiya's fist showed signs of redness due to the counteraction.
Yahiko couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, curious about Yahiko's newfound confidence.
Jiraiya then unleashed a surge of chakra from his palm, quickly striking Yahiko with a powerful punch that sent him flying.
"Using a defensive ninjutsu is a good choice when there's no option to evade. But remember to create distance or counter-attack immediately afterward," Jiraiya advised.
"The ninjutsu you used earlier was Earth Style, right? Avoid using it against a Lightning Style ninja; it might end up hurting you instead," Jiraiya cautioned.
During the Second Great Ninja War, Jiraiya had faced many Hidden Stone Village ninjas and knew firsthand how troublesome their hardening techniques could be for someone who hadn't mastered the Lightning Style chakra nature transformation. However, against a Lightning Style ninja, this tactic was virtually useless.
Since the hardening technique was cast on the user's body, if it was broken, the best-case scenario was still taking damage.
"Hehe, thanks for the reminder, Jiraiya-sensei," Yahiko said with a cheeky smile.
Mu Yue had already given a similar warning because defensive ninjutsu often instilled a false sense of invincibility, and without reminders, one could easily get carried away.
After ten minutes, Jiraiya turned to Nagato and Konan. "Who's next?"
Nagato took a step back, not out of shyness but because he knew that if he fought Jiraiya, the sensei might need some rest before instructing Konan.
Although Nagato didn't think he could defeat Jiraiya, he was confident that with his abilities to absorb all ninjutsu and deflect all attacks, Jiraiya wouldn't be able to take him down easily.
The ability to absorb any ninjutsu and deflect any attack was a formidable combination.
"Then I'll go," Konan said, stepping forward.
"Paper Shuriken!"
Konan took out a piece of paper, infused it with chakra to harden it, and then threw it like a shuriken.
She had kunai knives and regular shuriken in her ninja tool pouch, but Konan was frugal and preferred to use her Paper Jutsu whenever possible.
Whoosh!
After throwing the paper shuriken, Konan channeled the power of her breathing technique and swiftly closed the distance between herself and Jiraiya, launching into a swift attack.
Unlike Yahiko, Konan had also learned the power-enhancing Ninja's Inhalation Style, but she hadn't bothered to learn the defensive variation.
Konan's Paper Jutsu provided her with adequate defensive capabilities. With enough practice, she could turn her body into paper to dodge attacks, eliminating the need to rely on hard defenses.
"Your taijutsu is impressive, even more aggressive than Yahiko's," Jiraiya praised.
Of course, Jiraiya's words were sincere, but that didn't stop him from matching Konan's attacks without holding back just because she was a girl.
After a thorough beating in close-quarters combat, Konan threw three shuriken at Jiraiya.
This time, instead of blocking with a kunai, Jiraiya used Fire Style jutsu to incinerate the incoming shuriken.
BOOM!!
One of the shuriken that Konan had thrown was an explosive shuriken disguised with a Paper Jutsu. It detonated upon being hit by Jiraiya's fireball.
Konan's fake shuriken looked identical to the real ones, but there were subtle differences that a seasoned ninja like Jiraiya could spot as soon as they left her hand.
After another ten minutes or so, Konan's turn came to an end, and Jiraiya turned his attention to Nagato.
As their eyes met, Jiraiya once again beheld the Rinnegan eyes that had startled him in the past. He couldn't help but think that Nagato could very well be the prophesied child.
"Please be careful, Jiraiya-sensei," Nagato said respectfully as he stepped forward.
The Rinnegan's abilities could easily overwhelm an opponent who lacked knowledge of its powers.
"Haha, let's see how much you've grown over the years," Jiraiya said, taking Nagato's words seriously.
After all, Nagato bore the title of the ninja world's first genius and possessed the eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths.
Additionally, the unpredictable nature of ninja battles meant that if Nagato were his enemy, Jiraiya would have immediately summoned Gamabunta for assistance.
Those were, after all, the legendary eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths, and who knew what terrifying abilities they held.
PS: I passed out from exhaustion yesterday, so today, there are only 4k characters.
(End of Chapter)
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