The investigation team sent by the Third Hokage found no useful clues at the location Jiraiya had left behind. Space-time ninjutsu was inherently mysterious, and combined with the fact that Jiraiya used it so recklessly—landing randomly—it made the outcome unpredictable. Therefore, the investigation team's failure was completely expected.
However, despite their efforts yielding nothing, not too long after, the Third Hokage still received news regarding Jiraiya.
Two days later, a wandering toad entered the village through a gap in Konoha's barrier. It crawled straight onto the Hokage's desk, handed Hiruzen Sarutobi a postcard written by Jiraiya, and explained the current situation of the latter.
It turned out that Jiraiya had gone to Mount Myoboku. Only then did everyone learn of his whereabouts.
Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally knew about Mount Myoboku. With confirmation from Jiraiya's notes and the fact that toads were far more trustworthy than humans, he believed what was said.
For certain special reasons and some purposes related to study and cultivation, Jiraiya decided to stay at Mount Myoboku temporarily. His decision to stay away was frustrating, but ultimately unimportant. The Third Hokage was already content knowing Jiraiya was safe.
Precisely because he understood exactly what Mount Myoboku was, the Third Hokage felt reassured about Jiraiya being there. In fact, upon learning that Jiraiya had accidentally fallen straight into such a hidden realm as Mount Myoboku, the Third Hokage even developed an illusion akin to "children have their own fortune," an old saying goes. For reasons unknown, ever since the passing of the Second Hokage and taking up the mantle as the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt like his heart had aged decades all of a sudden.
Jiraiya's message arrived just in time, albeit barely, preventing the Hokage from investing further effort into searching for him and allowing him to focus on communication with the Uzumaki clan instead.
This also meant that Haseo wouldn't actually have to fulfill the promise he'd made to the Hokage—which the Hokage hadn't truly intended to ask him to do anyway—to help locate Jiraiya.
If Haseo himself had to give advice, the wisest decision for the Uzumaki clan would be to leave the Land of Whirlpools and join Konoha. Yet he also realized such thinking was overly simplistic. After all, Haseo didn't belong to this era originally, so he harbored no sense of deep attachment to one's homeland. But for traditional clans like the Uzumaki, even if they recognized that Konoha might offer better prospects, abandoning their native country wasn't a simple matter that could be decided with a single word.
Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Kaguya, and others—whether clans integrated within ninja villages or those who remained independent outside them—would eventually fade away with time. Clans within villages might perish due to accidents or infighting, while those beyond the villages' influence faced near-certain demise over time.
It was quite regrettable that the Uzumaki clan perished, yet despite these understandings, Haseo was, after all, a minor figure whose opinion carried little weight when it came to major decisions.
He'd never go straight to the Uzumaki and say something as idiotic as, "You'd better relocate soon—otherwise, there'll be a massacre here within ten years." Haseo had all the relevant intelligence, but he temporarily lacked the power to rewrite the future. It was undeniably both tragic and realistic.
So instead of getting bogged down by that stuff, what really mattered to Haseo now was getting a grip on Wind Release.
Shikkotsu Forest.
Before Haseo stood a massive rock wall as smooth as a mirror. He took a deep breath, then extended his right hand and placed his palm flat against the surface.
No matter what season it was outside the forest, the climate inside remained eternally hot and humid—so oppressively damp it felt like the rock itself might start oozing water. The moment his palm touched the surface, he felt a warm, slick sensation.
"Focus chakra, convert to wind nature, then… release!"
Haseo suddenly slammed his palm against the rock wall. A gush of wind blades burst forth from his hand, radiating outward from his fingertips. Then came an ear-splitting screech, like nails raking across a chalkboard, and instantly, the rock bore a radiating mark resembling a spider web.
Haseo moved his hand away and frowned while examining the mark he'd made. The conversion of his wind-nature chakra posed no issues—instruction from the Third Hokage had clearly proven effective. However, his chakra strength and volume were far too low, making the result seem less like cutting stone and more like scraping moss.
"There's nothing wrong, Lord Haseo," Katsuyu spoke up beside him upon noticing his frown, attempting to comfort him. "It simply comes down to the amount of practice now."
Haseo had already taken his first steps into Wind Release training; everything else was just a matter of putting in enough effort. With continued practice, his skills would naturally mature and progress smoothly.
"It indeed comes down to practice volume then. No more shortcuts this time… My Water Release awakened due to the Second Hokage's chakra, my Fire Release stems naturally from my own chakra attribute, and I developed Lightning Release by utilizing Water Release. These three were all shortcuts. However, for Wind and Earth Releases remaining, it seems there's no other way but to walk every step methodically," Haseo said.
This wasn't complaining—it was quiet self-reflection.
Avoiding shortcuts and not relying on supernatural advantages, gradually cultivating each chakra nature through personal efforts alone… At this moment, Haseo realized how immensely challenging this undertaking truly was.
His words came from the heart, but anyone who heard them would probably slap him twice without thinking—Is this even human? So there are actually other ways besides painstaking effort to master these jutsus?
"Considering Lord Haseo's age, this really isn't something worth rushing over," Katsuyu continued.
"You're mistaken. Actually, I don't have much time left—one or two months at most—before returning once again to the Front Line. Before that happens, I hope to at least grasp basic Wind Release techniques… Becoming stronger in battle than I was before is one of my core principles for survival."
Only by continuously improving can one maintain the right to survive on the battlefield. That's how straightforward and direct a ninja's battlefield is.
Haseo strongly disagreed with Katsuyu's suggestion that, given his age, he didn't need to hurry. Others at sixteen were already soloing World Bosses. After all, those were ten-thousand-player raids. In comparison, what could Haseo do at sixteen? He was only capable of defeating Genin-level opponents and scraping by on survival mode.
Comparison kills people; comparing stuff just leads to trash. Fortunately, Haseo still had determination burning inside him, so he entered the most difficult and diligent training period of his life.
Over the next one or two months, his training load was staggering. By the time the rock wall was filled with densely packed, uneven scratches—looking as if it had been exposed to wind erosion for centuries—Haseo's wind-natured chakra had finally reached a level sufficient for using jutsu.
"Haseo-sama, you've succeeded…" said Katsuyu.
"Phew…" Haseo exhaled deeply before replying, "Let's say this is just the first step forward. Next… shall we try [that jutsu]? After all, I designed it long ago."
"Do you think it'll work?" Katsuyu asked in return.
"Who knows? Let's give it a shot." Although the result was unknown, Haseo spoke with considerable confidence.
After all, the theoretical design had already been completed.
Hmm, no need to rush. Not like I'm gonna show off here anyway.
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