Tsunade…
She's in love now…
At that moment, Jiraiya felt as if he had suffered a devastating critical hit. His entire being faded into a dull, ashen gray, completely out of sync with the world around him.
"Hehehe, someone like you—peeping on women's bathhouses all day, never serious about anything, and disappearing for three whole years at a time—"
"How could Tsunade-nee ever like you?"
"You'd better wash up, go to sleep, and get ready to drink Tsunade-nee's wedding wine."
Kyusei's merciless words struck Jiraiya's heart like arrow after arrow, each one landing true.
"Kyusei…"
Kaoru tugged gently at his sleeve. She genuinely felt that Jiraiya-sensei looked pitiful right now.
The woman he had always loved didn't love him back—that alone was painful enough. But on the very first day he returned, he learned that Tsunade was already in a relationship. Not only did no one comfort him, Kyusei was even rubbing salt straight into the wound.
Even though, objectively speaking, Jiraiya-sensei's behavior really was the kind that made it hard for women to like him.
Kaoru herself was a girl. If she knew someone liked her but also had a serious obsession with peeping, she wouldn't feel any affection toward that person either.
She might even beat him up.
But this man was still her teacher. There were some things she couldn't say outright—at most, she could only hint at them gently in daily life.
"You little brat…"
"You're just as sharp-tongued as ever."
Jiraiya gave a bitter smile as he looked at the red-haired boy who was already entering his teens.
Kyusei looked back at him, utterly unimpressed.
He genuinely didn't understand—if Jiraiya liked Tsunade that much, why couldn't he just fix that nasty peeping habit?
But then again…
If Jiraiya didn't peek, would he still be Jiraiya?
"Well, so what?"
"You still hate me just as much as you did back then."
Kyusei snorted dismissively.
Jiraiya ignored the provocation entirely and turned his gaze to Kaoru beside him.
"Kaoru, come with me."
"I want to see how much you've grown in the three years I wasn't around."
"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei."
Kaoru smiled, her eyes shining with anticipation.
After all, the original Namikaze Minato had crushed the Third Shinobi World War head-on, aiming straight for the Hokage position—how could someone like that not love fighting?
By the same logic, Kaoru, who had always been striving to become stronger, also had a deeply rooted competitive streak in her bones.
Kyusei immediately followed the two of them.
Jiraiya didn't bother stopping him. Even if he disliked the brat, Kyusei was far too important to the village—he didn't have the authority to block him anyway.
Besides, even if he tried, it would be pointless.
The more you told this kid not to do something, the more determined he'd be to do it.
A pure troublemaker.
He really couldn't understand what Kaoru saw in him…
One day, he had to make Kaoru dump this brat!
"Don't come back too late."
Inside the house, Naori, who was reading, glanced casually at the three figures leaving and spoke without much concern.
"Got it!"
Kyusei's voice echoed back from afar. Naori didn't pay it much mind.
Now that Sarutobi Hiruzen had lifted Kyusei's restrictions, her only remaining task was to stay by his side.
And judging from Hiruzen's attitude, he was clearly planning to properly nurture Kyusei, no longer treating him as just a simple Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
The cause and effect behind this—Uzumaki Kushina from two years ago had played a decisive role.
Still…
This kid really was interesting.
The black-haired, Byakugan-eyed girl flipped through the pages of her book with slender, jade-white fingers, a faint, unreadable smile curling at her lips.
The book in her hands was titled A History of the Hyūga Clan.
As she read, her eyes paused on a passage that surprised her.
Several hundred years ago, when the Hyūga clan leader developed the Caged Bird Seal, it wasn't just because outsiders coveted the Byakugan—
There was also another, extremely important reason, one tied directly to the survival of the clan itself.
This…
—
Training Ground No. 3
It was nearly ten at night. The training field was practically deserted.
Lights around the grounds cast overlapping shadows of the two figures standing at the center.
Kyusei somehow produced a bag of sunflower seeds, found a rock nearby, and sat down comfortably.
This was destined to be a fierce battle.
If Jiraiya underestimated Kaoru, he was going to pay dearly for it.
The current Kaoru could be described as a reinforced version of Namikaze Minato.
She was far stronger than the twelve-year-old Minato from canon—by an unknown margin.
Kaoru raised two fingers in front of her chest, her bright blue eyes blazing with barely restrained fighting spirit.
"Jiraiya-sensei, are you ready?"
Jiraiya looked at her confidence—almost bordering on arrogance—and felt momentarily speechless.
Wasn't he supposed to be the one saying that?
Had she really been influenced this much by that brat?
Damn him…
Mentally whipping Kyusei again, Jiraiya pushed aside the distractions and raised his own hand in the same seal.
The Confrontation Seal—a unique Konoha tradition.
It symbolized that this was a sparring match, free of personal grudges. After the fight, the two could still entrust their lives to each other as comrades.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I—"
"I'm coming!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened abruptly.
So fast!
The blonde girl transformed into a streak of golden light, wrapped in roaring wind, appearing before him almost instantly!
Wind Release—chakra nature transformation!
Had she already grown this far?!
Caught off guard, Jiraiya barely managed to evade the kunai in her hand, its arc sharp enough to carve patterns in the air!
But having seized the initiative, Kaoru had no intention of letting him go.
Twisting her body mid-motion, she unleashed a fierce whip-like kick straight at the tall man!
Jiraiya hastily raised his arm to block, then grabbed her ankle and hurled her away.
The blonde girl flipped through the air and landed steadily after several leaps. Jiraiya stared at her, his expression turning grave.
Only now did he truly take her seriously.
Her strength was far beyond his expectations. He could no longer treat her as just a student.
If he lost to his twelve-year-old disciple…
That would be an utterly miserable life indeed.
And yet, the very next second, his eyes widened once more.
That was… what…?
He stared at the blue sphere of chakra forming in her hand, shock flooding his face.
No hand seals.
Just a single outstretched palm—
And a jutsu that radiated terrifying power.
From the sidelines, Kyusei cracked a grin as he munched on sunflower seeds.
As Namikaze Minato's signature technique, how could Kaoru not know the Rasengan?
It had taken Minato three years to create this A-rank jutsu.
With Minato's complete understanding of the technique handed down to her, Kaoru mastered it in just five days—almost as if it had been made for her.
"Jiraiya-sensei, please be careful."
Kaoru looked at the man in the distance, her expression serious.
"Getting hit by this jutsu…"
"…really hurts."
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