Chapter 93: Jiraiya: You’re Really Something Else!

At Konoha’s Ninja Academy, a large meeting room was filled with teachers waiting for Tsunade and Hiruzen to arrive. "Honestly, Hiruzen, how could he be so irresponsible?" Koharu complained to Homura. Homura, watching the children outside, waited for Koharu to finish venting before speaking. "Perhaps it’s for the best." "What? Have you gone mad too?" Koharu was stunned. Homura replied, "Do we have any other choice?" "At the very least, he shouldn’t have done it this way!" Koharu fumed. Homura shook his head. "Koharu, we’re old." "What?" "Hiruzen is old, and so are we. We don’t have the energy to handle so many things anymore. Letting go might be better for everyone." Homura lowered his voice. "Freeing one hand allows us to deal with the other." Koharu fell silent. Opposing Danzo was something she had never considered. At that moment, Hiruzen’s soft chuckle came from the side. "My old friends, I’m glad you still possess such wisdom." "You’re mocking me, aren’t you?" Koharu rolled her eyes. She had always opposed Hiruzen stepping down as Hokage, but now, with no other options left, she had to accept it. She glanced inside and whispered, "Will it go smoothly?" "It will. From his words and actions, the Daimyo isn’t fully supportive. He only needs the Guardian Ninja. Otherwise, why would he have dismissed those people that day?" Hiruzen explained. Homura pondered for a moment. "You’re saying Danzo won’t get what he wants?" "Don’t underestimate him. The nobles in Kyoto..." (TLNote: it’s unknown where daimyo lives and the fic only says capital-like-city in land of fire, so I named it Kyoto for convenience) Hiruzen shook his head. The Daimyo might not support Danzo, but the nobles in Kyoto could be a different story. Having dealt with them the most, Hiruzen knew their greed and arrogance all too well. Fortunately, the current Daimyo was rational and wise, unlikely to be manipulated. Hiruzen exhaled deeply. "Let’s go in." "Yes." The two nodded and followed Hiruzen inside. As they entered the meeting room, the teachers immediately stood up. "Hokage-sama!" "Ah, soon I won’t be. Today, I’m just a jonin. Please, sit." Hiruzen smiled, gesturing for them to sit before taking a seat to the left of the head chair, leaving it empty. Everyone knew who that seat was reserved for. Tsunade! Moments later, a soft "whoosh" sounded from outside. A figure dashed into the meeting room. Tsunade exhaled. "Sorry, I’m late!" She glanced at the seating arrangement, hesitated briefly, then strode confidently to the head chair. She placed two thick booklets on the table. "Everyone here is a cornerstone of Konoha." "Today’s meeting is to discuss the grading system for ninja education. I’ve refined the proposal further. Please take a look." Tsunade handed the booklets to Hiruzen and Homura. Hiruzen took his copy and began reading carefully. After a long while, his expression turned serious. The plan for the first three years was incredibly detailed and substantial, filled with Tsunade’s ideas and proposals. However... Many of the concepts were highly constructive. For example— Specialization! This was something he hadn’t considered before. The lack of educational resources had been Hiruzen’s main objection to Tsunade’s proposal. But according to this plan, after three years, students would specialize—those weaker would continue basic training, while stronger ones could choose electives... This was far more mature than the current six-year system. Hiruzen felt that the backbone of this plan wasn’t Tsunade’s doing. She couldn’t have come up with such a groundbreaking idea. That kid? No way! Though Kyohiko was smart, could he really have devised such a comprehensive plan? If it was indeed Kyohiko’s work, then his intelligence and value far exceeded Hiruzen’s expectations. Hiruzen couldn’t help but marvel. Though he hadn’t finished reading, he grasped the core of the plan and passed the booklet to Koharu. Meanwhile, Homura was reviewing the detailed specialization plan. Ninjutsu class, genjutsu class, sealing class, medical class... The specialized divisions raised questions—should a sealing class exist? Was a reconnaissance class necessary? Reconnaissance wasn’t a combat skill, but it was crucial in ninja operations and already part of the core curriculum. However, some ninjas excelled in reconnaissance—did they need more specialized training? These questions overwhelmed Homura’s mind. Finally, he rubbed his temples in frustration. He was getting old! His brain wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. Homura sighed and passed the booklet to the next teacher. The meeting room fell silent. Everyone had expected Tsunade to push her agenda forcefully, and Hiruzen had prepared for the worst. But instead— Tsunade’s detailed proposal left everyone deep in thought, and the room remained quiet for a long time. "First, what are your thoughts on this proposal?" Tsunade looked directly at Hiruzen. Though Hiruzen had submitted his resignation and recommendation, he was still the acting Hokage. Hiruzen said, "It’s much more mature than before, but as you’ve noted, there are still areas that need discussion." "Hence this meeting." Tsunade didn’t deny it. Listening to others’ opinions brought clarity; relying solely on one’s own led to bias. Neither she nor Kyohiko had been academy teachers, so there were likely blind spots. "Let’s discuss point by point." Hiruzen became serious. It seemed they’d be here all day! He recalled the proposal and asked, "What if some students fall behind in the first year’s basics?" "Retention and remedial exams." Tsunade replied. "Not every child has the potential to become a ninja. Even in our current system, only a few become genin each year. They can repeat and reinforce the basics over six years." Hiruzen understood. Under this system, less talented students would likely remain weak genin, with few advancing to chunin. But genin and chunin made up the majority of ninjas; jonin were the elite minority. It seemed Tsunade’s plan was thorough. "What about students who excel in one area but struggle in others? Like Might Gai in the past, or Uchiha Obito now? Gai’s situation you know, but Obito... he fails all his academic subjects. What about kids like him?" As the acting academy head, Homura knew the situation well. Tsunade said, "If they show enough potential, they can be admitted to specialized classes, allowing them to learn basics while advancing in their strengths." Early specialization was the core of Tsunade and Kyohiko’s philosophy. Six years was precious time for ninjas—a safe period to grow stronger. Wasting it solely on basic knowledge was a disservice, especially to civilians who lacked access to additional resources. In any village, civilians were the majority. And among fallen ninjas, civilians also made up the majority. The meeting room buzzed with debate. This was normal. The education system had been in place for over a decade, and sudden changes were hard to adapt to. Flaws could always be found. But overall, the direction was positive. ... In the morning, Kyohiko went out for his usual run and training. After dozens of laps, he noticed a change in his body. His stamina recovered faster! By his estimate, it was about 10% faster than before. The bloodline enhancement was gradual, and there might be other improvements later. For now, though, it seemed only stamina recovery had improved. As he pondered, a voice echoed in his mind. [Under your leadership, the ninja grading system has been approved.] [The new system will be trialed at the academy in five days and officially implemented in three months.] [Reward: Yin Seal proficiency upgraded to Mastery.] Efficient! And it directly upgraded to mastery... All that talking yesterday wasn’t in vain. Kyohiko marveled. He sat in the nearby woods, processing the new memories flooding his mind. Mastery of the Yin Seal. Jumping two levels brought a wealth of knowledge and techniques. After a while, Kyohiko’s face lit up with understanding. His sealing knowledge had expanded significantly. The idea of "multiple reservoirs" now made more sense, aligning with his training goals. The system’s rewards weren’t random—they matched his understanding, essentially granting him insights he’d eventually achieve. According to the memories, creating multiple reservoirs required distributing chakra along the Yin Seal’s pathways. Additionally, mastery reduced the chakra loss during sealing and resealing. However... To maximize the Yin Seal’s potential, the best approach was to develop a technique similar to the Strength of a Hundred Seal. Returning home, Kyohiko released the remaining chakra in his reservoir, creating a shadow clone to study while his main body sat in meditation. "Shrink the reservoir, condense the sealing formula, and then—" "Create another reservoir." Kyohiko knew the optimal chakra nodes near the forehead for expansion. The intersection points on the cheeks! "Perhaps I can create two additional reservoirs instead of just one." Ignoring how Sakura had done it, Kyohiko followed his own instincts, guiding chakra to construct the sealing formula. The formula spread outward from his center before converging back, gradually forming the Yin Seal’s activation patterns on his face. Then, chakra concentrated intensely. On his cheeks, faint sealing marks appeared, while the diamond mark on his forehead became almost imperceptibly small. Chakra flowed from his heart, through his mouth and nose, into the three reservoirs. By the time it emerged, only a trace of chakra remained. The combined capacity of the three reservoirs was only about 10% more than before—not a huge difference. But... The next few months would be tough. ... A few days later, at Konoha’s Ninja Academy. "Look! The new system—" After school, students gathered around a posted notice. "Specializations?" At first glance, everyone was confused. But upon closer reading, they understood. Taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, reconnaissance—each could be a specialization. Qualified students could choose a field, receiving better guidance and education. "Yay!" Cheers erupted from the crowd. Soon, everyone began discussing excitedly. "What should I specialize in?" "I think..." Only one person stood apart, sighing quietly. He turned and walked away. Obito was lost. Rin, though not yet graduated, was already studying at the hospital and rarely came to the academy. He had no one to talk to or discuss with. Specialization... What should I choose? On the rooftop, Hiruzen and Homura exchanged glances. The students below were thrilled! But this was Tsunade’s policy, and they had been opposing it, fearing instability. "Hiruzen..." "It’s fine. I’ve gotten used to it lately." Hiruzen shook his head. He squinted. "Many don’t understand the new system. We must ensure proper education and screening." "Agreed. I’ll oversee it personally." Homura nodded. Hiruzen acknowledged and then vanished with a Body Flicker. Outside the academy, Obito wandered the village, his mind preoccupied with the specialization dilemma. Suddenly— "Oof!" He bumped into someone, stumbling back and falling. Rubbing his head, Obito saw an elderly man and immediately bowed. "I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention." "Ha, no worries, young man. Are you hurt?" The old man, hunched over, smiled kindly. Obito shook his head, forcing a smile. "I’m going to be a ninja! How could I get hurt?" "Really? But you seemed distracted earlier. Even ninjas have troubles?" "Well..." "An old man like me has nothing to do but listen. If you don’t mind, maybe I can offer some advice?" ... At home, Kyohiko sat reading. Minato knew about his condition and decided not to take on A-rank missions for now, knowing Kyohiko needed time to recover. As for Tsunade... She was busy with education and medical reforms, leaving her no time for anything else. Kyohiko had the luxury of sitting at home, accumulating chakra while reading. However, his sharp hearing picked up a faint noise. Someone was coming! He grabbed a chakra-infused dagger. The next moment, the intruder’s presence was revealed. It was Jiraiya! He was back? Kyohiko was surprised and leaned out the window. "Sensei, you’re back?" "You... when did your sensing get so sharp?" Jiraiya climbed up, looking sheepish. He had wanted to surprise Kyohiko but was detected immediately. "Your climbing gave you away." Kyohiko smiled. Jiraiya entered the study and sat down casually. Seeing Kyohiko return to his book without much reaction, he sighed dramatically. Kyohiko pretended not to notice. Only when Jiraiya’s sighs grew louder did he turn around. "Sensei, you didn’t come here just to sigh, did you?" "Danzo’s information was leaked by Orochimaru." Jiraiya replied gloomily. "Oh." Kyohiko kept reading. Jiraiya glanced at him. "Aren’t you surprised?" "Isn’t it obvious?" Kyohiko said, "Sandaime-sama didn’t just magically get the intel to raid ROOT, did he?" "..." Jiraiya was stunned but had no rebuttal. Kyohiko continued reading, one hand propping up the book. He couldn’t afford to lose focus! The more energy he conserved, the faster his chakra would replenish. "What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?" Jiraiya noticed something off and asked with concern. "Nothing serious. I’m just storing chakra for the Yin Seal." Kyohiko replied weakly. Jiraiya blinked, dumbfounded. What? It hadn’t even been three months... "You’ve mastered it? But Tsunade stores chakra daily, and she’s not like this!" He hadn’t practiced it but knew the basics. The Yin Seal shouldn’t leave someone looking half-dead! "I modified it to have three reservoirs. It reduces chakra loss and speeds up storage, but it leaves me exhausted most of the time." Kyohiko explained weakly. "Huh?" Jiraiya was floored. The Yin Seal... An S-rank sealing technique! Most people struggled to master the basics in two or three months, but this kid not only learned it but also innovated it. Three reservoirs... Unbelievable! Storing chakra from all three at once would leave most people completely drained. Only Kyohiko’s rigorous training kept him going. Anyone else might have collapsed by now. This talent—even Orochimaru in his prime couldn’t compare! "Are you... okay?" "Aside from not being able to exercise much, I’m fine. I can seal two of the reservoirs if needed, so it’s manageable." With mastery of the Yin Seal, Kyohiko could control it freely. He didn’t need to develop the Strength of a Hundred Seal like Tsunade or Sakura. For him, the Yin Seal was purely for chakra storage. As for its release and application... He’d figure that out on his own. Jiraiya’s jaw dropped. This student of his never failed to amaze him, making him feel like they hadn’t seen each other in ages. After a moment of stunned silence, Jiraiya asked, "What else have you been working on lately?" "Not much. I’ve improved my Water Dragon Bullet and Strength of a Hundred Seal techniques, and I’ve mastered Maruboshi Kosuke’s Willow technique..." Kyohiko listed his achievements. Jiraiya blinked, going from surprise to shock, and finally to numb silence.