The smell of sake burned through the air — the booth, which remained as ordinary as possible, was without a doubt full of powerhouses.
The three Sannin sat together, their eyes going through multiple levels of shock as they processed the information Jiraiya had just given them.
Tsunade stared at the fair-skinned Kyojiro once more in a new light. His expression was unlike the fiery man they had just heard about. He seemed peaceful, unaware, in a soft slumber.
'And this boy... he is a Human Sage? Or at least has the potential for it?' Goosebumps ran across her arm as she thought about it.
Being a Sannin — and most of all, having the summoning contract of Katsuyu — she knew just how powerful a true Sage could be.
She turned to her side — the smug face of Jiraiya etched in her eyes. "You really got yourself some talent this time, Jiraiya," she muttered, her voice once again tipping into the realm of drunkenness.
However, among the three, the quietest was the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru merely stared at the Uchiha.
'I know now... just how much of a difference genes can make.' His expression tilted slightly. Uchiha were blessed by the heavens — their eyes were beyond a cheat.
Orochimaru stared harder. 'Every transformation of their ocular power brings them to a whole new level...' His tongue lashed out, licking his own lips. 'And this boy... he has the talent of a Sage as well.'
His scientist's curiosity burned — how could a human become a Sage? And if one could, all the Snake wanted to do was cut him open and understand.
Yet he restrained himself. Despite what he told himself, 'He is far too much in the open. Anything I do can be retraced back to me.'Deep down, he stopped himself for one reason —
The Uchiha was Jiraiya's disciple.
The coldness in his heart sure had its place, but it hadn't progressed to the point where he would go against his teammates.
"I would ask you, Jiraiya, take him to a Sage Land and see how he reacts to natural energy there," Orochimaru's slithering voice echoed in their ears. "From the looks of it, it doesn't seem to be a technique problem but a chakra problem." He narrowed his eyes.
"While I only know surface-level things about this boy, his chakra level is still too pathetic to be a Sage," the Snake Sannin's almost indifferent voice rang out in the tavern.
Jiraiya smiled. "Well, that's the plan. In fact, you know, maybe the Toad Sage might be able to help him more than we can."
All of them nodded, their minds still reeling from the shock of the revelation.
Tsunade's eyes glimmered with curiosity. "Truly a weird Uchiha."...
"Huh, huf, huf—" Kyojiro panted, his eyes fluttering open in an instant. Despite the blinding light, he balled up his arms in a boxing motion.
'Where... where am I?' he wondered.
It took him a few seconds before his eyes adjusted. Unfamiliar room, old walls, and a bed lower to the ground than he would've liked.
The room, despite that, felt fresh — a cold stream of air entered through the open window, the curtains fluttering in the wind.
Warmth emerged in the room, courtesy of the rays of the rising sun. The yellow ball in the sky gave a simple realization to the Uchiha.
"I was fighting yesterday with Jiraiya... so—am I in some inn?" he muttered to himself, his voice barely a whisper.
JINGLE.
CREAK.
The very next second, the door of the room opened. From the outside emerged the laughing figure of Jiraiya — the man had flushed cheeks and a love-like look in his eyes.
Kyojiro couldn't help but deadpan. "You went to peep in some bathhouse, didn't you..."
Jiraiya immediately noticed the upright Kyojiro. He lightly scratched his head before firing up. "Well, brat, you don't need to worry about that. Get up and dressed — we have places to go today."
His energy seemed to brighten up the room even further. Kyojiro lightly smiled, his hand subconsciously tracing his back.'No injuries... I was pretty sure I was badly hurt yesterday?'
He looked up. "Jiraiya, how did you heal me? I doubt you know medical jutsu."
Jiraiya replied, "My friend did it. And second of all, I'm your sensei now, brat — so call me that."
Kyojiro couldn't help but widen his eyes as he heard that. 'Sensei? So does that mean I am his disciple now?'"Sensei?"
Jiraiya nodded his head like a kid on a sugar high. His loud, booming voice rang out. "I'm giving you thirty minutes! Get ready — meanwhile, I've got some research to do!"
The very next second, his figure disappeared.
Probably off doing some research in public baths...
The next thirty minutes passed easily for the Uchiha. He freshened up and got dressed in a new shirt — well, the shirt was new, but the design was still the same, with an Uchiha emblem on the back.
It took him barely a moment to discover Jiraiya — peeping on naked women with a lecherous smile on his face.
Lightly tapping his shoulder, he whispered, "Done with the research now, sensei?" a slight mocking tone in his voice.
Jiraiya didn't even look back. His hands blurred as he muttered, "You tell them your story. I'm busy... will come in a few."
Kyojiro couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. 'Huh?' But the very next moment, he disappeared.
His environment changed in an instant — almost as if something had sucked him through one end and spat him out through the other. Goosebumps ran down his skin as he was once again face to face with a giant toad.
Gamabunta tilted his head. "Brat from yesterday? You're alive?"
Kyojiro shook his head. "Yeah... by the way, do you know where the elder toads are?"
Gamabunta stared at him harder before finally relenting. "Well, seeing as Jiraiya sent you — and since you aren't even contracted — sure, come in."
He continued, "Today's your lucky day, you know... the Toad Sage is well awake."