It should be said that among ninja, there's no rigid sense of affiliation when it comes to "passing down knowledge." It's perfectly fine if my disciple and your disciple turn out to be the same person. There's no contradiction in that.
The most typical example is The Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was essentially educated by both First and Second. Such prominent figures as First and his younger brother Second ended up producing... Well, let's not get into that.
Therefore, it's completely understandable why Sakumo Hatake and Jiraiya both liked Minato Namikaze. Two grown men taking a liking to a young boy—and even a young girl doing the same—wasn't an issue at all.
Sakumo Hatake was the kind of ninja who could cut through everything with just one blade from start to finish. As for Jiraiya, he was perhaps the most classic example of a well-rounded ninja, excelling equally in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and even genjutsu. He had no real weaknesses.
Especially in terms of ninjutsu, Jiraiya particularly stood out—he was proficient in practically everything except Lightning Release. Much like Haseo, he was undergoing rigorous training to master Sage Arts.
A few years later, he'd start grasping Sage Mode and begin developing Yin and Yang chakra natures.
As for Sakumo Hatake, aside from Lightning Release, Haseo had never seen him use any other elemental techniques—not that he needed to.
Frankly speaking, Jiraiya was more likely to define the upper limit of Minato Namikaze's potential since Sage Arts were simply beyond standard norms. Theoretically speaking, disciples following in Jiraiya's footsteps were also far more likely candidates for succeeding the Hokage title.
When it came to political resources, Jiraiya was in a completely different category compared to ordinary ninja—even Haseo was considered part of that "ordinary" group.
On the other hand, under Sakumo's guidance, Minato could quickly become a top-tier ninja and serve as Konoha's sharpest blade.
Minato was exceptionally gifted. Under Sakumo Hatake's mentorship, he quickly embarked on a rigorous path—one that honed him into a true weapon of Konoha.
Therefore, these two silver-haired ninjas made a perfect match—balancing strengths and weaknesses with seamless synergy.
The only problem was that Jiraiya immediately started teaching Minato [Flying Thunder God]. This was something Haseo hadn't anticipated. Although Minato eventually mastered [Flying Thunder God] and even improved and refined it based on the original version developed by the Second Hokage, nobody knew exactly how long it took him to learn the technique.
Wouldn't starting actual operations directly with such high-risk techniques be a bit too reckless?
Thankfully, Haseo—who never rushed into anything—never saw this. Otherwise, Jiraiya would've gotten a beating he wouldn't forget.
...
At this point in time, Haseo had already finished his day's training and returned home from the training grounds.
Step by step, he ascended the thick wooden spiral staircase. Soon enough, Haseo reached his treehouse located halfway up the giant tree trunk.
At this moment, Katsuyu was still clinging to his shoulder.
His day of training had certainly been fulfilling and satisfying. Yet, as Haseo opened the door, his actions appeared cautious, sneaky, and guilty.
Nobody locked doors in Shikkotsu Forest, but Haseo crept in like a thief anyway.
The house was empty, so Haseo finally relaxed and stepped inside.
The first thing he noticed was the delicate lacquered lunchbox on the dining table. That meant Tsunade had already stopped by. She had left dinner behind, but Haseo didn't touch it yet. Instead, he went upstairs to check around, only truly relaxing after confirming Tsunade had indeed already left.
"Lord Haseo," Katsuyu was puzzled by his actions, "although your sensing abilities aren't strong, I know you can still perceive nearby presences... Since you could tell earlier that Lady Tsunade wasn't here, why did you still feel the need to confirm it again like this?"
"You wouldn't understand. Some things must be verified with your own eyes."
As he spoke, Haseo placed Katsuyu on the table. Then he took a shower and changed clothes before returning with the lunchbox in hand, heading out to the platform outside.
After using a barrier to block out the humid heat, a refreshing evening breeze now blew through. He sat at the edge with his legs swinging over the side, placing the lunchbox beside him.
Lifting the lid of the first layer, Haseo found today's dinner was actually top-tier sushi. Then… he cried.
Because of his lingering habits, Haseo actually disliked cold dishes and couldn't quite get used to them. But considering how long he'd been eating cold rice balls, switching to something else was genuinely joyful.
Besides, no matter what kind of meat it was, at least there was meat.
Did mission money finally come in? Is there some cash flow now?
He lifted off the second layer — oh, there was actually soup inside.
It definitely was just soup, and Haseo would only acknowledge it as soup. At most… it was merely highly "nutritious" soup.
But Katsuyu didn't hold back her sarcasm, crawling around the outside of the lunchbox before speaking up, "Lord Haseo, is this for lower back pain?"
Haseo fell silent…
Not exactly, but close enough.
Seeing Haseo quiet, Katsuyu continued, "Lord Haseo, I doubt your claim about being passive and forced. From my perspective, clearly it's you who…"
"Katsuyu, you've been secretly watching me."
"Not at all, I'm just making reasonable deductions."
Alright, Haseo decided he'd believe that.
What could he say? The entire Shikkotsu Forest was Katsuyu's domain, after all. It was everywhere.
A weary look crossed his face. He gazed at the distant moonlight filtering through the fresh spring leaves.
After a while, he finally said, "Here's the thing — originally, if I struggled a bit, did my duty and still found joy, I could have rested peacefully afterward.
"But then someone mockingly giggles and says things like, 'Haseo, you're useless' or 'Haseo, you're just not good enough,' so wouldn't that keep me up all night? Don't you think that makes sense?"
"?"
"Lord Haseo, I don't really get it."
This question, along with the deep implied logical connections between Haseo's words and actions, were both too profound for Katsuyu to grasp.
"So why are you researching this? I think it's more appropriate for us to discuss topics related to Sage Mode training."
"It seems... you're right..."
...
Land of Lightning.
While Haseo and Katsuyu were discussing topics about "Sage Mode" or "Reproduction Mode," two ninja walked out of the Hidden Cloud Village.
They were both about two meters tall, approximately six feet seven inches, and each had an exceptionally muscular build.
Normally, there was nothing particularly unusual about that—in Kumogakure, this type of ninja was quite common.
But here's the point: one of them wasn't actually a Kumo ninja. In fact, he came from a faction representing Kumo's traditional enemies, yet now he was standing side by side with them.
Although both ninja remained wary of each other, at present, they were indeed acting together.
One was Kitsuchi—son of the Third Tsuchikage Onoki of Iwagakure, a powerful Jonin of considerable strength.
So why could a father less than five feet tall produce a son over six foot six? No need to question it—it's just atavism.
The other ninja, although possessing no special marked status, had already been granted the title "A." Among the people of Kumogakure, this name alone was enough to say everything. It meant this ninja had already been chosen as the next Raikage.
Indeed, so far—and likely into the future—so long as he remained alive, he would be the sole candidate for the next Raikage.
There was a diagonal scar across A's forehead from right to left, though it was hidden beneath his forehead protector and generally invisible to others.
"Going southwest next?" A asked Kitsuchi.
"Yeah, circumvent the Land of Fire and head that way. Try not to expose our movements to Konoha," Kitsuchi replied.
"Hmph, just hope they treat us like we treated you and don't immediately attack on sight..."
Even if Sunagakure launched an assault against these two, their combined might would still allow them to retreat safely. The only real regret would be that their mutual understanding wouldn't reach completion, and their carefully laid plans would fail.
Thank you to Qidian user Mo Da z for your Dragon Coin reward, and to Youmuxiyou for your generous support.
Thank you to Mengshi Ims for donating 5,000 Dragon Coins, Canque Knight for 1,500 Dragon Coins, and Mumu for 1,000 Dragon Coins.
Special thanks to fellow readers Jiang Ge Ge, My Praise Song, Listening Is Already Defeat, and Starry Sky 666 for your generous contributions.
(End of Chapter)
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