Early the next morning, Aoshi, who had long been in the habit of rising early to train, didn't break the routine just because he was in the Land of Rain.
No matter how heavy the rain fell, it couldn't shake his resolve to grow stronger. By the time he finished his morning training, the others had begun to wake up as well.
"Aoshi-nii, you're already up? So early!" Konan, following behind Jiraiya, looked at him with wide-eyed surprise.
Yahiko also gave Aoshi a surprised glance and silently made up his mind to wake up even earlier the next day. He had thought he and the others were already early risers—only to realize there were still stronger, more disciplined shinobi out there.
"No wonder Aoshi-senpai's become so powerful," Minato added with admiration.
Back during the Second Great Ninja War, he and Aoshi had carried out missions together.
At the time, Aoshi was a bit older than him, but his strength hadn't yet surpassed Minato's. Surviving the war had been more due to his calm nature than overwhelming power.
Yet now, after just two or three years, Aoshi had not only caught up but had far surpassed him.
It stirred a faint sense of frustration in Minato—one who had always been hailed as a genius.
As for Nagato, he remained silent as always, quietly standing behind Yahiko.
Smiling, Aoshi greeted everyone politely before turning to Jiraiya with a request. "Jiraiya-sama, would you be willing to guide me in training?"
Although Aoshi had acquired several jutsu through the system, aside from Water Style, the others weren't yet 'clean'—meaning he couldn't openly use them.
After all, Uncle Kosuke, the identity Aoshi was posing as, was known only for his proficiency in Water Release.
Jiraiya was different. As the student of Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had mastered multiple nature transformations—though Fire Release was undoubtedly his specialty.
"Haha, of course I can!" Without the slightest hesitation, Jiraiya agreed with a hearty laugh.
While he often acted carefree and aloof, when it came to mentoring younger shinobi from the village, he was always generous and reliable. Though not everyone approved of his lifelong obsession with the Child of Prophecy, Jiraiya undeniably embodied the Will of Fire.
Besides, back on the battlefield, Aoshi had taken care of Minato like a big brother. That alone was enough reason for Jiraiya not to refuse him.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama." With that, Aoshi and the others began their training under Jiraiya's guidance.
The three orphans already had an established plan, so they continued according to the schedule Jiraiya had laid out for them.
Then came Minato's turn. After his recent battle experience, he was dissatisfied with his current strength.
Though his fundamentals were solid, and he could hold his own against multiple opponents, effectively stalling them without taking damage, as proven when he fought off three enemies without sustaining injury, but that was his limit.
His shortcoming was a lack of high-damage techniques, which prevented him from finishing enemies quickly in direct combat.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I want to learn offensive jutsu." Hearing this, Jiraiya took out a chakra paper and asked him to test his nature affinity first.
Minato accepted the paper and channeled chakra into it. It split neatly down the middle.
"Your chakra nature is Wind. It's rare and known for its sharpness and piercing power—perfect for offense."
After explaining the characteristics of Wind Release, Jiraiya began teaching Minato how to alter his chakra's nature accordingly.
"From here, Minato, train on your own. Once you can cut through a leaf with chakra alone, you'll have mastered the wind nature transformation." Having instructed Minato, Jiraiya turned to Aoshi.
"Jiraiya-sama, I've already learned Water and Wind Release. Now I want to learn another chakra nature."
Most shinobi are born with one or two chakra natures—like Aoshi's water affinity or Minato's wind affinity.
They typically master their innate nature first, and only after reaching the Jonin level do they begin learning others.
Jiraiya had seen Aoshi fight before and knew that even though he was still officially a Genin, his strength was already on par with an elite Jonin.
Wanting to expand his arsenal wasn't out of the ordinary.
"Which one do you want to learn next?"
After thinking for a moment, Aoshi answered, "Fire Style."
Honestly, it didn't matter which one he chose first—he had already unlocked all five chakra nature transformations via the system.
But he picked Fire Release because he'd already acquired several Fire-style jutsu from the system—far more than Earth or Lightning styles.
"Sure thing! Fire Style is my specialty. Besides my teacher, the Third Hokage, no one's better than me at it." Boasting a little, Jiraiya then started instructing Aoshi.
"Fire Style has the properties of combustion and high heat. When you can make a leaf ignite without flame, that means you've mastered the transformation." After his explanation, Jiraiya left Aoshi to practice and went to check on the three kids.
To avoid being too conspicuous, Aoshi pretended to train seriously for an hour before approaching Jiraiya to demonstrate.
Even with that delay, Jiraiya was stunned by the result. Minato hadn't even completed the Wind Release transformation yet, and Aoshi was already proficient in Fire.
Could it be that Aoshi was actually more gifted than Minato?
No—that wasn't it. Aoshi had already mastered Water and Wind Release, so this was simply the result of accumulated experience.
Convinced, Jiraiya decided to teach Aoshi the Fire Style: Flame Bullet Jutsu.
It was one of his most commonly used Fire jutsu. The technique involved refining chakra into oil in the mouth, then igniting it while spitting it out—creating a powerful fireball.
Although the process was a bit complex, by adjusting the amount of oil, one could freely control the jutsu's power and cast time.
Overall, its advantages far outweigh its inconveniences.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama." Grateful, Aoshi began his training again. In truth, he could've performed the jutsu immediately.
He had already obtained the Flame Bullet technique from the system.
But as someone assumed to be talent-deficient, it would raise eyebrows if he mastered a C-rank jutsu instantly—like Uchiha Itachi copying jutsu with a glance.
Such an act would easily draw suspicion. That's why putting on a proper act was essential. Aoshi decided that pretending to master it after three or four hours would strike a good balance.
That pace would still seem fast—but believable, explained away as the result of preparation and hard work.
As the system gave him more and more powerful rewards, Aoshi knew he'd eventually need to start showing his 'talent' more openly.
By the afternoon, after lunch, Jiraiya asked about Aoshi's progress.
Without a word, Aoshi formed the hand seals and performed the jutsu.
When Jiraiya saw Aoshi unleash a well-formed Flame Bullet with solid power, he couldn't help but praise him.
"Aoshi, you've got real talent. To master a C-rank jutsu this quickly is impressive. In the same amount of time, Minato has only just grasped Wind Release Nature transformation."
"It's all thanks to your great teaching, Jiraiya-sama."