Chapter 71: Jiraiya's Legacy of Experience
Seeing this, Akiyama Makoto let out a long breath. He had basically accomplished everything he wanted to do in this Chūnin Exam. All that was left was to see the results. His only regret was that his simulated self hadn't managed to dig up more intelligence on Shimura Danzō, but he wasn't too concerned about that. Until he had a way to counter Danzō's Kotoamatsukami, it was highly unlikely he could take him down directly anyway.
Fortunately, this was a simulation. Before the real Chūnin Exams arrived, he still had a chance to improve his strength.
[Due to your active performance, coupled with the fact that many Konoha ninja were equipped with your Fragmentation Kunai, which played a significant role in the Chūnin-level confrontations, Konoha managed to control the situation with relatively few casualties.]
[You played a huge role on the front lines, in medical support, and in logistics and tool replenishment. Your name is now known by everyone in Konoha. Unfortunately, the Third Hokage still died in battle. Konoha is busy holding his funeral and cleaning up the aftermath.]
[After all this is over, an order comes from the Hokage's Office: someone needs to leave the village to find the Sannin, Tsunade. Jiraiya proactively seeks you out, wanting you to go with him to persuade her to return to Konoha and become Hokage.]
Makoto was not surprised by this development. He had already solidified his identity as Tsunade's successor. Even Jiraiya showed no signs of doubt. The only remaining problem was that Tsunade herself would need to recall whether she was getting old and suffering from Alzheimer's, having somehow forgotten that she had taken him as a student.
[You, Jiraiya, and Naruto embark on the journey to find Tsunade. However, not long after leaving the village, you receive a request for help from Konoha, asking you to intercept a mysterious two-man ninja team.]
[You know this must be Itachi Uchiha and his teammate, Kisame Hoshigaki, who have returned to the village after hearing of the Third Hokage's death. By the time you arrive, Sasuke has already had a taste of Itachi's Tsukuyomi.]
[Faced with the Sannin Jiraiya, Itachi has no intention of fighting. He activates Amaterasu and escapes directly. You do not make a move throughout the entire encounter, only quietly observing Itachi and Kisame, memorizing their appearances and sensing their chakra, preparing for a future meeting.]
Seeing this, Makoto was pleasantly surprised. That's right, in a simulation, he could record an enemy's chakra state! Although he couldn't collect their pheromones to use them for a direct simulation, there was still a lot of information he could gather. At this moment, he wished he could use the Mayfly Technique to travel the entire ninja world. Who knows what interesting things he might discover? But that was obviously not something he could do right now. Perhaps in the future, if he had more simulation attempts than he could use, he could give it a try.
[The battle ends, and you treat Sasuke. His physical injuries are easily healed by you, but the trauma from Tsukuyomi is not something you can handle. Naruto is provoked and vows to find Tsunade immediately. The three of you set off again.]
[On the way, Jiraiya takes Naruto to wander through a bustling town and teaches him the Rasengan. Faced with you, Jiraiya is in a difficult position, not knowing whether he should teach you something or how to arrange your schedule during this time.]
Seeing this, Makoto's eyes lit up, and he unhesitatingly chose to exchange a simulation attempt for a guidance. Jiraiya was actually thinking of teaching him something? But considering he thought of him as Tsunade's disciple, it wasn't surprising. Perhaps Jiraiya was even waiting to use this to show off to Tsunade when they met. Since that was the case, he naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.
The question was, what should he learn from him?
He fell into deep thought. As a veteran powerhouse among the Hokage, Jiraiya's arsenal had many shining points. Sage Mode, in particular, was something he absolutely had to obtain in the future. But for now, it was almost impossible for Jiraiya to teach him Sage Mode. If he were to learn it, he would have to go through Tsunade's path to Shikkotsu Forest first. If that didn't work, he might have a sliver of hope by asking Tsunade to get him into Mount Myōboku through Jiraiya.
By the same logic, he couldn't learn any of Jiraiya's jutsu that required cooperation with the toad summons. As for a jutsu like the Rasengan, he had already learned it, and Jiraiya wouldn't teach it to him anyway.
Excluding those, all that was left were Jiraiya's secret hair techniques and his sealing jutsu... Was he supposed to learn to fight with his hair? Although that series of secret techniques was very practical, it wouldn't be a major improvement for him... It seemed he could only learn sealing jutsu.
Makoto scratched his head. It seemed he and Jiraiya weren't very compatible.
Just as he was about to input "learn sealing jutsu," a flash of inspiration struck him.
Didn't Jiraiya have a jutsu called Barrier: Dome Method Formation? He wasn't very interested in the jutsu itself; he could achieve the same sensory effect with his own innate talent without needing extra hand seals. He thought of this jutsu because he suddenly remembered that Jiraiya had performed it by forming hand seals with his feet!
Although compared to the Pain era, where everyone could seemingly cast jutsu just by clapping their hands, using one's feet for hand seals seemed comical, upon careful thought, it was an incredibly practical skill. Especially for a Chakra Enhanced Strength user like himself. If he could flexibly form hand seals with his hands and feet while suppressing an opponent, his combat power would increase by another huge leap.
At this thought, he quickly input the idea and looked at the simulation results with anticipation.
[Jiraiya is surprised that you want to learn something as fundamental as hand seals, but he immediately praises you, believing that for you to value the basics while already possessing such strength means you have the makings of a great Hokage.]
[Jiraiya organizes all his related experience and techniques—one-handed seals, compound two-handed seals, partial seal omission, foot seals, and all other knowledge he has come across—and writes it down for you. You are deeply moved holding this summary of a veteran ninja's lifetime of experience.]
[And so, you wave your hand and cover all of Jiraiya's expenses for food, drink, and entertainment during Naruto's training. Jiraiya's attitude towards you becomes even more friendly. When discussing their writing experiences, he even begins to treat you as a kindred spirit.]
Seeing this, besides being excited, Makoto didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was this just like Jiraiya, to become brothers with his teammate Tsunade's disciple?
[In the following days, you become engrossed in hand seal training, slowly mastering the techniques of one-handed and two-footed seals. However, you still need a long period of practice to use them proficiently.]
[Naruto's Rasengan training shows some success. Jiraiya finally discovers Tsunade's whereabouts, and you head towards Tanzaku Town.]
Makoto's smile faded. Had the day finally come? Although he was prepared, whether Tsunade would ultimately acknowledge him as her disciple still depended on her choice.
Of course, if she didn't, he still had many aces up his sleeve.
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