Chapter 552: Meeting between the Three Ninjas and the Ninja Master

“Fire Release: Flame Bullet!”

Unlike the previous two times, Jiraiya didn’t wait for Nagato to make a move before reacting; instead, he directly formed hand seals, condensed his Chakra, and used the Ninjutsu to attack.

Unlike ordinary Fire Release, Flame Bullet first converts Chakra into oil held in the mouth.

Then, at the moment the oil is spit out, Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation is applied to the condensed Chakra, igniting the expelled oil to form a high-temperature fireball.

“Shadow Clone Technique!”

Nagato created two Shadow Clones, then his main body stepped forward, opening his Rinnegan to activate the absorption shield.

Before the high-temperature flames could even touch Nagato, they were instantly absorbed completely upon contact with the shield he had erected, as if they had never existed.

“So that’s the ability to nullify Ninjutsu mentioned in the intelligence. I can’t tell what kind of method it is, but it should be related to the Rinnegan,” Jiraiya mused.

If it were anyone else using such a mysterious technique, Jiraiya would guess it was a secret technique, but Nagato possessed the Rinnegan.

Such a powerful and mysterious ability perfectly aligned with Jiraiya’s imagination of the Rinnegan.

“Lightning Release: False Darkness!”

One of Nagato’s Shadow Clones formed hand seals and spat out a sharp lightning spear at Jiraiya.

Whoosh!

Jiraiya had been closely watching the Shadow Clones Nagato created and instantly dodged out of the way.

“Bansho Tenin!”

Using his excellent perception and Rinnegan, Nagato successfully caught Jiraiya’s figure after he dodged and extended his hand, unleashing a powerful gravitational pull towards Jiraiya.

At the same time, the other Shadow Clone Nagato had just created finished forming hand seals, preparing to attack Jiraiya, who was about to be pulled in.

But to Nagato’s surprise, he failed to pull Jiraiya over.

Jiraiya transformed his hair, making it long and hard, deeply embedding it into the ground, resisting Nagato’s pull.

“Water Release: Water Spear!”

Seeing this, the Shadow Clone immediately shot three Water Spears at Jiraiya.

As Bansho Tenin ended, Jiraiya’s long hair rapidly retracted from the ground and enveloped his body, blocking the incoming Water Spears.

“Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Under Jiraiya’s control, his hardened hair shot out like steel needles towards Nagato and his two Shadow Clones.

Due to their excessive speed and lack of time to dodge, Nagato once again activated his Rinnegan ability.

“Shinra Tensei!”

A powerful repulsive force erupted, repelling all the hair that resembled steel needles.

“No wonder he gained such a reputation from just one match,” Jiraiya thought, secretly astonished.

Nagato’s various abilities were almost insurmountable for ordinary Ninja.

Attacks that Preta Path couldn’t absorb could be repelled by Shinra Tensei, and Bansho Tenin could forcibly create openings for the opponent.

Coupled with the powerful Ninjutsu Nagato himself had mastered, he was truly adept at both offense and defense.

“Let’s pause the fight. Nagato, I might not be able to give you advice for now,” Jiraiya called a halt to the battle.

Nagato’s strength was too great; if they continued, the fight might become unmanageable.

His main purpose in coming to the Land of Rain this time was to visit Nagato and his friends, not to beat them all up.

Jiraiya was confident he could win against Nagato, but there was no need.

What was the point of winning against his own disciple? If one day Nagato truly grew to a point where Jiraiya couldn’t win even with his full strength, Jiraiya would be proud of him.

Nagato nodded and canceled the Shadow Clone Technique.

“Jiraiya-sensei, you didn’t expect this, did you? The current Nagato is already so strong that even you can’t easily defeat him,” Yahiko joked with a hint of boastfulness.

He mainly feared that Jiraiya might feel awkward, so he wanted to lighten the mood with a joke, especially after such a long-awaited reunion.

However, Yahiko had misjudged this time. Nagato was the Ninja Jiraiya believed most likely to be the Child of Prophecy, a Ninja Jiraiya thought might bear the same destiny as the Six Paths Sage. The more outstanding Nagato was, the more it proved his guess was correct.

Moreover, Jiraiya himself was the type of person who found it very difficult to feel embarrassed.

“This proves that my teaching back then wasn’t in vain!” Jiraiya laughed heartily.

Then, the group began their training, with Jiraiya observing from the side.

After watching Nagato train for an hour, Jiraiya finally discovered Nagato’s weakness.

Of course, this weakness was relative. Nagato’s Taijutsu was quite good compared to his peers, but compared to his Ninjutsu and his Rinnegan abilities, it seemed very lacking.

Thus, Jiraiya began to guide Nagato in Taijutsu.

From an overall ability standpoint, Jiraiya was actually a well-rounded fighter.

He was proficient in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, secret techniques, and Sage Mode; the only thing Jiraiya was not good at was Genjutsu.

However, because of this one weakness, Jiraiya rigorously trained his ability to dispel Genjutsu.

This way, although he couldn’t use Genjutsu on enemies, their Genjutsu also had no effect on him.

During dinner that evening, Jiraiya asked:

“Is Sōsuke busy usually? If not, I’d like to get to know him.”

Although Yahiko and the others spoke highly of Sōsuke, Jiraiya believed in seeing for himself rather than just hearing. He wouldn’t feel at ease without personally observing and interacting with Sōsuke.

This was because Yahiko, Nagato, and the others had shown extreme reverence for Sōsuke.

In this state, Jiraiya estimated that even if Sōsuke sold them out, Yahiko and the others would happily help Sōsuke count the money.

For the safety and future of his disciples, even if time was limited, he had to go and see what kind of person Sōsuke truly was.

“As for Sōsuke-sensei, I feel like he’s been relatively free lately. If you want to see him, we can go ask,” Yahiko replied after thinking for a moment.

Yahiko didn’t say he could definitely arrange for Jiraiya to meet Sōsuke.

Because Jiraiya was brought to them by a Shinobi Sect Ninja, which meant Sōsuke knew Jiraiya had arrived.

Since Sōsuke hadn’t directly met with Jiraiya, perhaps it was because Sōsuke wasn’t interested in Jiraiya.

“Was Konoha secretly behind that incident?” Yahiko thought of the unsolved mystery within the Shinobi Sect that still couldn’t reach a consensus.

At that time, Iwagakure promoted peace talks between the Shinobi Sect and the Amegakure. The reason given by the Rain Ninja and Iwagakure was that Hanzō was misled by Danzo Shimura of Konoha, which was why he attacked the Shinobi Sect.

Because Iwagakure and the Amegakure presented substantial evidence at the time, many Shinobi Sect Ninja became hostile towards Konoha and were very dissatisfied with it.

However, subsequent investigations by the Shinobi Sect failed to uncover more evidence linked to Konoha. Coupled with some of Kakuzu’s analyses, a portion of the Shinobi Sect also maintained differing opinions.

Of course, opinions within that group were also not unified.

Some believed it was a tactic by the Rain Ninja to clear their name and had nothing to do with Konoha. Others believed Konoha was indeed involved, but Hanzō was not innocent either. Some even believed Iwagakure, Konoha, and the Rain Ninja were all complicit.

Yahiko was initially among those who hated Konoha, but after careful consideration, Yahiko was now unable to determine what the truth truly was.

Sōsuke had never publicly supported any particular viewpoint. During the meeting, he only stated the necessity of cooperating with the Amegakure.

So Yahiko also didn’t know what Sōsuke’s view of Konoha was.

If Sōsuke believed Konoha was one of the masterminds behind the scenes, it would be reasonable for him to dislike Jiraiya out of association. Yahiko could understand that very well.

After all, that incident nearly led to the destruction of the Shinobi Sect.

“I hope not. Being on the opposite side of Jiraiya-sensei would truly be terrible news,” Yahiko sighed inwardly.

Yahiko held a very special affection for Jiraiya, his mentor who guided him onto the path of a Ninja.

However, if the two sides truly became adversaries and headed to the battlefield.

Yahiko would enthusiastically greet Jiraiya before the battle, and then tell Nagato not to hold back during the fight.

He would have plenty of time to apologize to Jiraiya after his death.

While alive, even if it was the teacher who had guided him, if they wished to destroy the peace the Shinobi Sect had created and stood in the way of peace’s progress, Yahiko would absolutely not allow it.

Yahiko had a Shinobi Sect Ninja send word. After receiving permission, the group headed to the Shinobi Sect’s headquarters together.

By this time, the sun had completely set, and night had fallen.

As he walked into the Shinobi Sect headquarters towards the reception hall, Jiraiya suddenly felt a chill for some reason.

“This weather, it shouldn’t be like this,” Jiraiya felt the temperature was somewhat abnormal.

The next moment, Jiraiya felt a gaze from behind him.

Jiraiya quickly turned his head to look. He and Nagato and the others were walking side-by-side, and there were no Shinobi Sect Ninja nearby.

“Hehehehe!”

Ghost stared at Jiraiya with wide eyes, continuously letting out strange laughs.

“What in the world is that?”

Jiraiya subconsciously shielded Nagato and the others behind him, rapidly forming hand seals.

“It’s not a Ghost, it’s Nagato’s Nin-Beast,” Yahiko explained.

Ghost’s body structure was quite peculiar. In an open area, even naturally occurring strong winds could blow away or even disperse Ghost’s body. Although it could eventually re-coalesce, it was still somewhat troublesome.

So, Ghost usually stayed inside or near buildings and didn’t follow when Nagato trained outside.

“Nagato, your Nin-Beast has a rather peculiar appearance,” Jiraiya said tactfully.

He had traveled far and wide and seen many strange things, but this was the first time Jiraiya had seen such a morbid Nin-Beast as Ghost.

“Kojya!”

Ghost floated behind Nagato and let out a cry of acknowledgment towards Jiraiya.

That’s right, it was the most peculiar Ghost in the world.

“You might feel that way at first glance,” Nagato nodded.

Once accustomed to it, it was just like that. Now, no Ninja in the Shinobi Sect would be startled by Ghost’s appearance.

When Jiraiya entered the reception hall, he found Sōsuke already seated and waiting.

“Sōsuke-sensei,” Yahiko, Nagato, and their friend greeted Muzuki with immediate respect.

Muzuki smiled and nodded in response, then looked at Jiraiya, who was observing him.

“Hearing about you doesn’t compare to meeting you. As expected of a Ninja Master recognized by so many Ninja, your demeanor is truly extraordinary,” Jiraiya said with a chuckle.

Muzuki, with a face similar to Aizen’s, coupled with his white long robe and accumulated teaching aura, gave Jiraiya the impression of a kind teacher who was good at reasoning.

“The feeling is mutual. The name of the Sannin echoes like thunder, and today I finally get to meet the real person,” Muzuki said with a gentle smile.

Jiraiya’s arrival was within Muzuki’s expectations.

Nagato is not only Jiraiya’s disciple, but also the Child of Prophecy recognized by Jiraiya.

It was normal for Jiraiya to come and see, as the title of the Ninja World’s top genius had suddenly spread.

“I heard that the Shinobi Sect’s ambition is peace in the Ninja World. What do you think will happen to the current chaotic Ninja World, and can peace be restored?” Jiraiya asked.

As he spoke, Jiraiya paid attention to the expression on Muzuki’s face.

Whether it was information Jiraiya had heard, or the experiences Yahiko and others had told him, Sōsuke was a person who sought peace.

Therefore, Jiraiya felt that if Sōsuke hadn’t created a special persona to deceive people, he should have some thoughts on the current Ninja World situation, even if those thoughts weren’t necessarily correct.

It must be said that Jiraiya chose his topic well; even Yahiko and Nagato were curious about how Muzuki would answer.

“That depends on your definition of peace. Is it complete peace or relative peace? Is it eternal peace or peace for a certain period?” Muzuki replied.

“If a major power could produce a God of Shinobi like Hashirama, the war might end very quickly, and then there would be a period of peace for as long as that strong individual lived.”

“If not, the great war should also end in about three years, entering a period of relative peace. The next ten years or so will see localized wars, but no major wars affecting the entire Ninja World.”

As the war progressed, the major Ninja Villages had gradually passed the probing stage, having gathered intelligence on their target villages. The intensity of the war would only continue to rise until it reached its peak.

At that time, clashes between Ninja units of a thousand people would become commonplace, and only clashes involving several thousand Ninja could be called a great war. It was even possible for major battles involving more than five digits of combined forces from both sides.

Although ten thousand was not a very large number for the era Muzuki lived in before his transmigration.

But ten thousand Ninja and ten thousand ordinary people are not the same concept.

Once a Ninja reaches Chunin, they are almost two different species from ordinary people. Not to mention Ninjutsu, just the speed and strength boosted by Chakra are greatly exaggerated.

Moreover, at that time, high-level strong individuals from various villages, and even Kage, might be dispatched.

So when the Shinobi World War reached its peak, even Muzuki would need to be more cautious.

After all, someone was still watching him from the shadows, or rather, watching his disciples.

“Isn’t that the same as before?” Yahiko asked in confusion.

Fight a major war, then rest for ten years, and even have some small-scale wars during the resting period.

“It has indeed been like this since the Ninja Village era,” Jiraiya sighed.

Although Muzuki’s words sounded like he was analyzing and then stating the Shinobi World Wars from history, Jiraiya had to admit that Muzuki was too right. The subsequent development was very likely to be exactly as he said.

Jiraiya’s impression of Muzuki’s alias improved slightly. Gaining real-world experience from history was also a skill.

“Even a strong individual like the God of Shinobi can only create temporary peace. So how can the entire Ninja World achieve long-term peace? Does it require the Six Paths Sage to be reincarnated?” Yahiko asked Muzuki in confusion.

Although the Shinobi Sect’s big goal was peace in the Ninja World, under Muzuki’s leadership, the Shinobi Sect internally focused on practical matters, rarely discussing large-scale peace for the entire Ninja World. Currently, they were still focused on how to achieve long-term stability in the Land of Rain.

“The Six Paths Sage’s reincarnation won’t work either,” Muzuki corrected.

“The peace during the Six Paths Sage’s era was actually similar to the peace during Senju Hashirama’s era, only the Six Paths Sage was stronger.”

The First Shinobi World War broke out after Senju Hashirama’s death, and after the Six Paths Sage’s death, the Shinobi Sect split and chaos erupted everywhere. The developments were actually not much different.

It was just that the Six Paths Sage’s era was too ancient, and coupled with the fact that the Six Paths Sage had been completely deified, many people felt that the Six Paths Sage could bring true peace.

In reality, for the current Ninja World, the resurrection of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama together would have little different effect from the resurrection of the Six Paths Sage.

Jiraiya looked at Muzuki in surprise. As a Ninja force with the same name as the ancient Shinobi Sect, in the eyes of non-Shinobi Sect Ninja, the Six Paths Sage was the Shinobi Sect’s faith. Otherwise, why would their base be called Six Paths City?

But Jiraiya looked at Muzuki and he didn’t seem to worship the Six Paths Sage.

At this moment, Nagato looked at Jiraiya. Earlier, Jiraiya had used the example of Nagato possibly being the reincarnation of the Six Paths Sage, capable of creating a world where people understood each other and establishing peace, just like the Six Paths Sage.

Noticing Nagato’s gaze, Jiraiya scratched his head. He couldn’t be blamed; most of his knowledge about the Six Paths Sage actually came from myths and legends, and he didn’t know as much as Muzuki.

“No wonder they dared to directly call themselves the Shinobi Sect. That so-called sage art inheritance should indeed be real,” Jiraiya thought to himself.

Jiraiya felt that Muzuki might have stumbled upon a Shinobi Sect ruin or something similar, which contained records of various Shinobi Sect deeds.

“I don’t know how to make the Ninja World peaceful for a long time, but aren’t we currently working hard to find the answer? This is the meaning of cultivating the next generation. Even if we don’t find it, we can let our descendants take over and continue to search for the answer,” Muzuki continued to reply.

Even in the world Muzuki lived in before his transmigration, there wasn’t peace for too long, and there were still localized wars around the world.

So if asked how to achieve long-term peace, Muzuki couldn’t give a definite answer.

Actually, Muzuki wasn’t completely without a method for long-term peace, but saying it would sound a bit chuunibyou, and essentially, it was an enhanced version of Senju Hashirama’s plan.

That is, for a sufficiently excellent and wise person to become a god, to become an Ōtsutsuki or even an existence beyond an Ōtsutsuki.

Without external influences, it would absolutely bring peace for a considerable period.

Listening to Muzuki’s words, Jiraiya was deeply moved, and looking at Muzuki again, he felt a sense of ‘another me in this world’.

He had traveled the Ninja World taking on disciples with similar ideas.

At this point, Jiraiya felt that he had gained some understanding of the Ninja named Sōsuke, and he felt a bit relieved.

Nagato and the others following Sōsuke was not only not a bad thing, but a good thing that required luck to encounter.

…

Konoha, South Border Forest.

Obito arrived early at his usual training spot, then looked around, waiting for Muzuki to arrive.

For Obito, today was a special day.

Because today was the day Muzuki had previously said he would teach him and Shisui a super powerful Fire Release.

“What kind of Fire Release will it be? Will it ignite space itself, making it impossible for the opponent to escape?” Obito couldn’t help but fantasize in his mind.

If it really was such a Fire Release, then Fire Release would no longer be at the bottom, but at the top!

One Thought Cut and Golden Skyline would all have to step aside.

“Still not awake?” Kakashi asked, looking at Obito who was staring blankly and smiling foolishly.

“You’re the one who’s not awake,” Obito subconsciously triggered his counter-attack move.

“Hehe,” Kakashi chuckled and ignored Obito, beginning his training with Rockruff.

Now, Rockruff was an important fighting force for Kakashi, and training together with Rockruff could effectively improve Kakashi’s overall strength.

“Just you wait, once I learn the new Fire Release, I’ll definitely defeat you soundly in front of Rin.”

His Martial Arts Tournament ranking had already surpassed Kakashi, and if he also learned the Fire Release and defeated Kakashi in an internal battle, he would be absolutely winning.

In the face of absolute achievements, Kakashi’s words would become pale and powerless.

“What a day of youth! Everyone is training so early,” Might Guy, who had come for rehabilitation training, greeted all the disciples enthusiastically.

“Riolu, it’s truly a pity that I can’t train with you until exhaustion, but I’ll cheer you on!” Might Guy encouraged the Riolu beside him.

When Might Guy used to train, Might Duy would encourage him by his side.

“Riolu!”

Feeling Might Guy’s emotion, Riolu waved his paws with great fighting spirit.

“Although Guy is stronger than Kakashi, his Nin-Beast hasn’t evolved yet. Once I master the new Fire Release, he definitely won’t be a match for me and Charizard.”

Obito calculated the combat power of each disciple in his mind and suddenly realized that the internal battle time change was truly ill-timed.

Now, internal battles were twice a year, and the Martial Arts Tournament served as one internal battle, so the next internal battle would be in half a year.

But in half a year, Shisui and Might Guy’s Pokémon would definitely have evolved, and Charizard’s evolution advantage would be gone, unless Charizard evolved again during that period.

Obito looked regretful. If the internal battle were in the next two months, he truly might have won the title of strongest disciple.

Because Shisui’s Pokémon, who was learning Fire Release with him, hadn’t evolved, and Might Guy’s Pokémon, who had the strongest raw power, also hadn’t evolved.

Although Rin Nohara’s Milotic could both attack and heal, Rin Nohara herself was Milotic’s weakness.

Only Kakashi, not only had the Pokémon evolution advantage like Obito, but his own strength was also not bad.

Upon seeing Muzuki’s figure, Obito eagerly walked forward to greet him, and the other disciples also came closer to greet Muzuki.

“Yes, good morning to you all too,” Muzuki responded with a smile to everyone.

“Obito, Shisui, come over here,” Muzuki called Obito and Shisui to his side, and then created Shadow Clones to guide the others in their training.

Azure Flame was extremely difficult to learn, so it required both teaching and enlightenment to improve teaching efficiency.

“The Fire Release I’m going to teach you next is called Azure Flame, also known as Azure Flame,” Muzuki simply explained.

Obito listened attentively to every word Muzuki said.

He swore he had never been so serious. He had truly been suppressed by Golden Skyline for too long, and with Kakashi also mastering One Thought Cut, Obito desperately wanted to master an attack method of the same level.

PS: Today is 6k. I will try my best to maintain this, and I will update more if conditions permit.