The barrage of information was definitely brutal at first.
It felt like the veins in my brain were going to pop.
But, after sometime, it gradually softened, there was still a little pain, because it felt like I was getting used to it.
Afterall, there were perks of having a divine entity inside of you that could adapt to any and all phenomenon.
Even if you only got like a hundredth of its power.
It was only a little progress now, but it's progress.
There may come a day where I can use it to the same extent as Naruto.
"Hey kiddo!" Jiraiya yelled and smacked me on my head, "You alright?"
"Yeah..." I said, "It was rough, but yeah, I am fine. Feeling better each second. Still can't do alot of that. I'd say two clones with around that much information is the limit for now."
"That's good. The memory feedback is also the biggest advantage and disadvantage, too much at once and your brain will get fried." Jiraiya said.
"Ah well, frying your brain to some extent to train three times more efficiently is not bad." I said, trying to shrug off the headache and standing up.
Jiraiya snorted loudly.
"Ah well, frying your brain to some extent to train three times more efficiently is not bad." I said, trying to shrug off the headache and standing up.
Jiraiya stared at me for a second.
Then sighed deeply.
"...You really do think like an old shinobi."
"Is that supposed to be an insult?"
"At your age? Absolutely."
I rolled my shoulders slightly.
The soreness from taijutsu practice was already settling in.
Jiraiya hadn't even been hitting hard either.
Mostly redirects.
Pressure.
Balance disruption.
Minimal movements with maximum effect.
Honestly, it was ridiculous.
The difference between an elite shinobi and everyone else wasn't just power.
It was efficiency.
Everything Jiraiya did felt refined to an absurd degree.
Even standing still somehow looked experienced.
Jiraiya stretched lazily before suddenly glancing at me again.
"Actually, this works out pretty nicely."
"Hm?"
"You've got Earth and Fire affinities." He pointed at himself proudly with a thumb. "And guess what your amazing, handsome teacher specializes in?"
"...Pervertedness?"
He looked offended and huffed, "Hey, don't hate on greatness!"
"As it happens, i, Jiraiya, your most amazing sensei, am extremely proficient with both Earth and Fire style chakra natures! Maybe I'll land you a jutsu or two before I leave!" He said and got up, "Well, come on, let's get training. I'll teach you one last jutsu for today."
I raised my eyebrow, "An elemental jutsu?" I asked.
Jiraiya shook his head, "Oh no, not at all, that's after you've got a bit better chakra control. I'll teach you something bit more simple for now."
I raised an eyebrow.
"...Simple?"
Jiraiya grinned.
"The Body Flicker Technique."
My eyes widened slightly.
Shunshin no Jutsu.
A D-rank technique.
Simple in theory.
Terrifying in the hands of monsters.
Jiraiya placed his hands on his hips proudly, "A shinobi who can't move properly is a dead shinobi. Doesn't matter how powerful your jutsu are if someone cuts your throat before you can weave signs."
Honestly?
He wasn't wrong.
The Body Flicker was probably one of the most useful techniques in the entire series despite being low-ranked.
Fast repositioning.
Ambushes.
Retreats.
Closing distance.
Movement enhancement.
And in the hands of absolute freaks—
Shisui.
My expression stiffened for just a fraction of a second.
Jiraiya noticed.
Of course he did.
"...Right," he said, voice calmer now. "You've seen that technique before."
I nodded once.
Shisui.
Even now, the image came back instantly.
Black hair flickering through trees.
Leaves spiraling around him.
That stupid grin on his face whenever he appeared behind me out of nowhere just to scare the hell out of me.
Again.
And again.
And again.
'Too slow, brat.'
I suppressed the memory before it could linger too long.
Jiraiya observed me quietly for a moment before speaking again.
"The Body Flicker itself is easy," he said. "The hard part is using it properly."
He suddenly disappeared.
The ground cracked slightly beneath where he had been standing.
And then—
He was behind me.
No hand signs.
No warning.
Nothing.
"At high speeds," Jiraiya continued casually from behind me, "most shinobi can't properly process what they're seeing."
I turned around quickly.
Tunnel vision.
Right.
Your body moves faster than your perception can fully keep up.
That's why most people used Body Flicker in bursts instead of sustained combat movement.
Jiraiya nodded slightly, seeing I understood.
"Your eyes matter a lot when using Shunshin at higher levels. Timing. Perception. Spatial awareness."
Then his expression shifted slightly.
"There was only one shinobi in the village who truly pushed this technique to its absolute limit."
Shisui Uchiha.
"His powerful Sharingan allowed him to process movement and surroundings at absurd speeds," Jiraiya continued. "That's why he became so terrifying with it."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Most people couldn't even react before he was already behind them."
I stayed silent.
But my chest tightened slightly anyway.
Yeah.
I knew.
Better than almost anyone.
Jiraiya looked at me for another second before clapping his hands loudly.
"ANYWAY!"
The heavy atmosphere instantly shattered.
"No getting depressed during training!"
"I wasn't depressed."
"You were absolutely depressed."
"I was thinking."
"Same thing."
"..."
"Come on, brat, focus."
Jiraiya walked toward the center of the training ground.
"The Body Flicker is basically explosive chakra release through your legs and body to temporarily enhance movement speed."
He crouched slightly.
"You mold chakra."
A pulse of chakra spread through his body.
"Then release it instantly."
BOOM.
He vanished again.
Leaves scattered violently.
A second later he appeared atop one of the wooden training posts.
"No complicated hand signs either," he said casually. "At higher levels, most shinobi can use it almost instinctively."
Honestly?
That was insanely useful.
Especially for me.
Ten Shadows relied heavily on positioning.
Distance control.
Blind spots.
Movement.
This technique was practically mandatory.
Jiraiya pointed at me.
"Your turn."
I stepped forward immediately.
No hesitation this time.
Honestly, I was excited as hell.
The Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Body Flicker.
Training directly under Jiraiya.
This was ridiculous.
If someone had told me this months ago, I'd have assumed they were insane.
Jiraiya noticed the shift in my attitude and smirked slightly.
"There we go. THAT'S the reaction I expected earlier."
I crouched slightly and focused chakra into my legs.
Right.
Shape.
Compression.
Release.
I pushed.
And instantly lost control.
BOOM.
The ground burst beneath my foot.
And I shot forward way too hard.
"OH SHI—"
I slammed directly into a tree.
CRACK.
Leaves exploded everywhere.
Silence.
Then—
Jiraiya burst into shameless laughter.
"HAAHAHAHAHA!"
I peeled myself off the tree slowly.
"...You could've warned me."
"I DID warn you!"
"You absolutely did not."
Jiraiya was still laughing.
"Your control's too rough! You're outputting too much chakra at once!"
I rubbed the back of my head and walked back over.
Annoying.
Again.
I focused more carefully this time.
Less power.
Better balance.
Controlled release.
Step.
Burst.
This time, I flickered forward properly—
Only about several meters.
But I stayed upright.
Jiraiya nodded approvingly.
"Better."
I immediately tried again.
And again.
And again.
Each movement became slightly smoother.
Slightly more controlled.
Still clunky compared to actual specialists.
But functional.
After around half an hour, I could consistently use short-range flickers without launching myself into trees.
Mostly.
Jiraiya crossed his arms proudly.
"Good. Very good actually."
I exhaled slightly.
The remaining traces of natural chakra in my system earlier had definitely helped.
But the remnants were now gone.
My chakra control felt sharper than usual.
Not massively.
But noticeable.
Jiraiya seemed to notice too.
"Hm."
"What?"
"Your training speed is stupid."
"...Thanks?"
"I'm not complimenting you."
"You kind of are."
"Tch."
Still—
I couldn't stop the small grin forming on my face.
This was good.
No—
This was perfect.
Practical techniques.
Real training.
Real progress.
Not just academy nonsense.
Jiraiya suddenly glanced toward the village.
"Ah."
His expression shifted slightly.
"The old man probably wants his report by now."
"Hokage?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"He made me report your progress directly to him every day."
Makes sense.
Considering everything surrounding me right now, Hiruzen was probably paranoid as hell.
Mangekyo Sharingan.
Ten Shadows.
Natural chakra compatibility.
And now Jiraiya's interest.
Yeah.
I wasn't exactly normal anymore.
Jiraiya stretched slightly.
"Come on then."
Before I could ask—
His hand landed on my shoulder.
"Don't throw up."
Wait wha—
The world blurred.
Violently.
The trees vanished into streaks.
Wind exploded against my face.
And then—
We stopped.
Instantly.
My stomach nearly died.
"...That," I said carefully, "felt horrible."
Jiraiya looked deeply offended.
"That was an elite-level Body Flicker experience."
Jiraiya laughed loudly before pushing open the Hokage office door.
Inside—
Hiruzen sat behind his desk.
Kakashi was there too, leaning against the wall with his usual lazy posture and orange book.
Though his visible eye immediately shifted toward me.
Sharp.
Observant.
Hiruzen exhaled smoke slowly.
"You are late."
Jiraiya waved dismissively.
"We were training."
Hiruzen's eyes shifted toward me.
"...And?"
Jiraiya grinned.
"The brat learned Shadow Clones and the Body Flicker in one day."
Silence.
Kakashi slowly lowered his book slightly.
"You really are proving Guy right kid..."
Jiraiya chuckled.
Hiruzen observed me quietly.
Then sighed.
"...As expected."
Jiraiya walked forward and dropped into a chair.
The seals were activated.
"The natural chakra compatibility issue is still weird though."
Kakashi's eye narrowed slightly at that.
Careful.
Even here, they weren't saying too much openly.
Good.
Danzo absolutely could not learn the full details.
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"And your conclusion?"
Jiraiya's expression became more serious.
"...The boy can process natural chakra."
A pause.
"But he still can't naturally gather it himself."
Kakashi frowned slightly.
"...That's contradictory."
"Exactly."
Jiraiya leaned back slightly.
"But his body adapts to exposure frighteningly fast."
His eyes shifted toward me briefly.
"Especially under strain."
Hiruzen was silent for several moments.
Thinking.
Analyzing.
Calculating.
Then finally—
"And the girl?"
Jiraiya scratched his chin.
"She's the opposite."
"Natural talent for senjutsu-like energy manipulation."
"Minimal combat refinement."
Kakashi hummed thoughtfully.
"...So together, they compensate for each other's weaknesses."
Jiraiya smirked.
"Exactly."
For a moment, the office became quiet again.
Then Hiruzen looked directly at me.
"Kai."
"Yes, Lord Hokage?"
His old eyes sharpened slightly.
"Do you wish to become stronger?"
That question again.
Honestly—
That answer had never changed.
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No pretending.
No false humility.
Just truth.
Because strength mattered.
More than almost anything else in this world.
Hiruzen studied me quietly.
Then slowly nodded.
"...Good."
Jiraiya suddenly grinned widely.
"Don't worry, old man."
He slammed a hand onto my shoulder proudly.
"I'll make sure I can teach this brat as much as I can within the time I am here!"
Hiruzen smiled a bit, a hint of happiness in his eyes.
Perhaps, he was happy for his student.
"That's good, Jiraiya."
Hiruzen smiled and looked at me, "So, young Kai, i understand that you know the importance and value of your right eye, yes?"
Oh, here we go.
"Yes, Lord Hokage." I said with a straight face.
The two most valuable and powerful things, well atleast items, in the shinobi world were the Hashirama cells and Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Then you must also know that Kakashi here, also has a situation similar to yours, save for the part where he can't deactivate the Sharingan, unlike you." Hiruzen said, looking at Kakashi.
"Yes, sir." I said, nodding.
"Well, even though your body maybe far from being able to handle the Sharingan for now, there will eventually come a time where you would wish to want to utilise it. If there's anything you'd like to ask about it, you may ask Kakashi. But always be sure, unlike him, we have to keep your Sharingan a secret."
"Understand that under no circumstances, should nobody ever seen and know about your Sharingan until we tell you it's the right time, understood?" Hiruzen said kindly, but with authority in his voice at the same time.
Hiruzen's gaze stayed on me for several seconds.
Old eyes.
Tired eyes.
But sharp.
Far sharper than most people realized.
"Understood?" he repeated calmly.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Only then did he nod slightly.
Kakashi closed his orange book with a soft snap and pushed himself off the wall a little.
"The Hokage's right," he said lazily, though there was a seriousness beneath his tone. "A transplanted Sharingan isn't something to treat lightly."
His visible eye shifted toward me.
"Especially not that eye."
Mangekyo Sharingan.
Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan.
Even now, saying it openly inside this room felt dangerous somehow.
Hiruzen folded his hands together.
"You are intelligent enough to understand this already, Kai, but power changes things."
His voice remained calm.
Measured.
"It changes how people see you."
A pause.
"And eventually..."
His eyes dimmed slightly.
"It changes how you see yourself."
Silence settled over the office.
Jiraiya's usual grin had faded.
Even Kakashi looked quieter now.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled smoke from his pipe.
"...I have seen many prodigies during my lifetime."
His gaze shifted toward the window slightly.
"Dazzling talent."
"Children praised as geniuses."
"Shinobi who surpassed others so quickly that the world began placing expectations on them before they were even old enough to truly understand those expectations."
His eyes returned to me.
"Shisui Uchiha."
My chest tightened slightly.
"At eleven years old, he was already a jonin."
No pride in Hiruzen's voice.
No admiration.
Only regret.
"He carried burdens no child should carry."
A pause.
"And because he was capable enough to bear them..."
His voice lowered slightly.
"...we allowed him to."
"Shisui was kind, perhaps the kindest Shinobi I had seen. The will of fire burned inside him brighter than it had ever burned inside me, almost as bright as Lord First."
Silence.
Kakashi's visible eye shifted downward slightly.
Jiraiya stayed quiet.
Hiruzen continued slowly.
"Itachi Uchiha entered the ANBU at eleven as well."
Again—
No praise.
Only exhaustion.
"He was brilliant."
"Too brilliant."
"He thought like a Hokage while still being a child."
His fingers tightened slightly around the pipe.
"And in the end..."
A long pause.
"...he slaughtered his own clan."
The room felt heavier now.
Even the air itself.
I stayed silent.
Because honestly—
What exactly were you even supposed to say to that?
Hiruzen looked away briefly.
"And Orochimaru..."
Jiraiya's expression darkened immediately.
"...was perhaps the greatest genius I had ever taught."
There it was again.
Regret.
Deep regret.
"He pursued knowledge endlessly."
"Power endlessly."
"He convinced himself that if he simply learned enough..."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"...then the normal rules of humanity no longer applied to him."
The office fell silent again.
Jiraiya looked annoyed now.
Not at Hiruzen.
At the memory.
Kakashi quietly leaned back against the wall again, though his posture had become less relaxed.
Hiruzen looked at me carefully.
"Kai, I've made mistakes with almost every genius in my hands. With Shisui, with Itachi, with Orochimaru."
Hiruzen leaned back a bit, tired.
"But I do not wish to make the same mistake with you." He said, looking into my eyes, "Not with you, and not with Naruto-kun either."
Hiruzen smiled a little at saying Naruto's name and leaned forward, "You, Kai, are smart, smart enough to have already figured out the unique condition of Naruto already, yes?"
I nodded, "Yes, I know he is the Nine-tails jinchuriki."
"Naruto-kun too, possesses immenese potential, just like you. Infact, if he can fully utilise the power of the Nine-tails like the jinchuriki of the Eight-tails, he will probably become the strongest man alive."
"But I, don't want make the same mistake with you and him, as I made with Itachi and Orochimaru." Hiruzen said, his voice feeled with regret and sadness, yet also determination. Determination to not repeat the same mistake.
"As for why I have gone more forward with you than Naruto-kun. It's because you, you have grown more faster, mentally and physically, than Naruto-kun. And you also possess almost the same level of understanding as a young Itachi-kun. It pained me too much to just sit idly."
I stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Not because I didn't know what to say.
Mostly because I was trying to figure out how honest I should be.
Hiruzen was watching me carefully.
Not suspiciously.
Just attentively.
Like he actually cared about the answer.
"...I understand what you're trying to say." I finally said.
Hiruzen nodded slightly for me to continue.
"I know strength alone doesn't solve everything." I said. "But in the shinobi world, not having strength usually means you don't even get the chance to try solving anything in the first place."
Jiraiya hummed quietly at that.
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed just slightly, though not in disagreement.
Hiruzen stayed silent for a moment before smiling faintly.
"...That is a very shinobi answer."
"Is it wrong?" I asked.
"No." Hiruzen answered immediately.
Then he leaned back slightly in his chair.
"But incomplete."
The room stayed quiet.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled smoke from his pipe.
"When I was younger," he said calmly, "there was a time people called me the strongest man alive."
Jiraiya snorted quietly.
"'Called'?"
"You talk too much, Jiraiya."
Kakashi's eye curved slightly, probably hiding amusement behind the mask.
Hiruzen ignored them and looked back at me.
"I possessed every advantage a shinobi could ask for. Talent. Power. Knowledge. The finest teachers."
A pause.
"And still..."
His gaze drifted slightly toward the village outside the window.
"...there were many things I could not protect."
"I couldn't stop the wars."
"I couldn't dispel the hatred between the Uchiha and the Village, which existed even before the Nine-tails attack."
"I couldn't stop the death of the child soldiers."
The office became quieter again.
"But despite that," Hiruzen continued, "strength is still important."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Very important."
Hiruzen chuckled, "Unless, of course, you are as strong as Lord First. No one in the world would try to stir up a war or anything during your lifetime if you are as strong as him, he alone kept the entire shinobi world in peace by his strength alone. But of course, it's unlikely we are gonna see someone as strong as him anytime soon." And then he looked at ceiling.
"Even then, he could not stop his dearest friend Madara from turning to madness, and had to kill him himself."
And then he looked at me.
"There is nothing wrong with pursuing power, Kai."
"The mistake Orochimaru made was not becoming strong."
His voice remained calm.
"The mistake was believing strength alone placed him above everyone else."
"And Itachi..."
A faint sadness crossed his face.
"...believed he had to carry everything alone."
Jiraiya crossed his arms quietly.
Hiruzen looked directly into my eyes again.
"That is what I wish to avoid with you."
Not dramatic.
Not emotional.
Just honest.
"You possess great talent."
"Good instincts."
"And an uncommon mind for your age."
His expression softened slightly.
"But you're still part of this village."
"The people here matter."
"Your comrades matter."
"The bonds you create matter."
"The Will of Fire is not merely protecting Konoha from enemies."
His eyes shifted briefly toward Jiraiya and Kakashi.
"It is loving the people inside it enough that you wish to become stronger for their sake."
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then Hiruzen spoke again.
"And if there ever comes a time..."
His voice became firmer.
"...where you begin questioning yourself, your path, your decisions, or even your own thoughts..."
"...come to me."
A pause.
"Or Jiraiya."
Jiraiya nodded once, surprisingly serious.
"Without hesitation," Hiruzen continued. "Do not isolate yourself."
"And do not keep dangerous burdens entirely to yourself either."
Kakashi quietly closed his book again.
"...That's usually how things start going wrong." he muttered.
Honestly, hearing that from Kakashi of all people was a little ironic.
Hiruzen was trying to make sure I didn't turn to the same path as Orochimaru and Itachi, wanted to stop another genius from going to waste.
Yes, it was because it'd be good for the village. But it also mattered to him.
Hiruzen may seem too positive sometimes, may seem too ignoring of the evil within his own village, but his love for the people was real. Everytime he looked at me, his care and worry was real.
He wanted me to have the Will of Fire instilled in me.
I mean, could you blame the guy? His own student became the most wanted shinobi in the world, and the most evil. And another two geniuses under his care turned shit, one murdered his whole clan, and one comminuted suicide. Well the latter one was just the information given to the village. He was killed by Danzo, but I wasn't sure if Hiruzen actually knew that Danzo killed Shisui, he definitely knew that Danzo was involved in the Uchiha Massacre.
Honestly, the man's love for his former comrade was too much. Still letting him live despite knowing that Danzo forced his hand to get the Uchiha killed under his nose while he himself was actively trying to find ways to resolve the issue.
Itachi was also acting as a spy for the village inside Akatsuki, but why didn't he tell Hiruzen that it was Danzo who killed Shisui? Surely Hiruzen and Jiraiya along with Kakashi and the other jōnin would take out Danzo instantly? Afterall, stealing Shisui's eye for his own goal was the biggest treachery Danzo commited, because it was the village's second most powerful weapon after the Nine-tails.
Might have to do that soon..