After speaking, Jiraiya, wrapped in a towel, ran out. Not long after, shrieks came from the women's bath next door, and in the next second, Shigeo saw Jiraiya bolting out of the bathhouse.
Seeing this, Shigeo chuckled. Carefully, he stored away the scroll, wrapped it in waterproof leather paper, and headed home.
As the sun set in the west, Shigeo locked his door, pulled the curtains shut, and gently unrolled the small scroll, treasuring every motion…
Mokuton. Mokuryū no Jutsu, Myōjinmon, Sashiki no Jutsu, Jukai Eikyō, Jukai Kōtan, Daijurin no Jutsu, Shichūrō, Renchūka, Konpon Baku Sō, Mokuton Bunshin no Jutsu, Mokujin no Jutsu, Hanashigai Kōtan, Bōhai no Jutsu, Jibaku Fukuro no Jutsu…
And later, the Senpō Mokuton techniques required for Sage training: Shinsuusenju, and the colossal Top Transformed Buddha!
It was simply a treasure. Shigeo didn't sleep the entire night, poring over this secret mokuton scroll written by Senju Hashirama himself.
Even before dawn the next day, he had already gone to the back mountain, beginning to train mokuton ninjutsu from the very start.
By the time daylight fully broke, he returned to Konoha. Jiraiya still hadn't come back that night. As Shigeo arrived home, he saw little Ayame standing at his door, holding a basket as if waiting for him.
"Ayame." Shigeo greeted her.
"Shigeo, I made some pastries and brought you some to try…" Ayame said cheerfully, handing him the basket. Shigeo accepted it, opened the cloth cover, and found beautiful flower-shaped pastries neatly arranged inside.
"Thank you, Ayame…" He picked one up and took a bite. "Delicious!"
"Good, right? I made them myself!" Ayame smiled brightly.
Ayame hadn't gone to the ninja academy. Word was that her father would be sending her to an ordinary school next year, so for now she was still at home.
They used to play together often, and Uncle Teuchi had always treated him kindly. But ever since Shigeo had followed Tsunade away from Konoha, they hadn't seen each other much. Later, with him attending the ninja academy, their chances to meet had become even fewer.
It had been a long while since Ayame last saw him, so she had come specially today.
Before leaving, she packed the pastries into a paper wrapper and placed them into his schoolbag. "Do your best in class, and let's play together again when we can!"
"Okay!" Shigeo nodded happily, took his bag from her, and went to school.
School was the same as always. When Shigeo entered the classroom, Hyūga Hikaru was chatting with others.
"Hahaha, did you all see it yesterday? The Tsuchikage came to our school! He even talked to Shigeo, asking if he had kidnapped Iwagakure's jinchūriki and destroyed half the village! I was hiding in the bushes and heard their whole conversation—it scared me half to death.
But come on, there's no way Shigeo is that strong, right? Later, Lord Hokage and the Third Tsuchikage left the school together, so I went to ask the teachers about it. And guess what?"
"What happened?" the classmates asked nervously. They had all heard rumors about yesterday but didn't know the details.
"It was all fake! The Third Tsuchikage mistook him for someone else. I knew it! There's no way Shigeo is that powerful, destroying half of Iwagakure? He's only just learning to mold chakra properly, and he can barely throw shuriken accurately. He doesn't even know where Iwagakure is! How could he possibly have gone there? Hahaha, all lies!" Hikaru laughed loudly.
At that moment, Shigeo entered the classroom. Everyone turned to look at him. Inuzuka Hana stepped forward:
"Shigeo, did the Tsuchikage really mistake you for someone else?"
He nodded. Clearly, this was something the Hokage had covered up. Whether publicly or privately, it wasn't something that should be spread around. It would bring no benefit to Konoha—better to remain silent.
After all, news about a jinchūriki being kidnapped could easily lead to dangerous misunderstandings.
The bell rang. After several days of absence, Uchiha Itachi returned to class, sitting down beside Shigeo.
"You're back? Don't you have your own separate lessons today?" Shigeo asked.
"Today the teacher told me to come back. Apparently, there's some kind of event happening at school." Itachi answered.
Sure enough, moments later, Yamashiro Aoba rushed into the classroom.
"Students, line up! We're heading to the playground for a school assembly!"
Soon, students from all grades had gathered at the field, filling it completely.
On the podium, the Third Hokage and several teachers appeared. They sat down, and Hiruzen began speaking.
"Students, to celebrate the end of the Third Great Ninja War, our school has decided to hold a competition to test your current strength. There will be three prizes: First place will receive a collection of five chakra ninjutsu secrets, second place will receive a scroll of Katon and Suiton ninjutsu, and third place will receive a scroll of Doton ninjutsu. Additionally, there will be monetary rewards: fifty thousand ryō for first place, ten thousand for second, and three thousand for third. We hope everyone tries their best. Each class should proceed to the competition grounds in five minutes!"
After finishing, the Third Hokage stepped down from the podium and left the school.
As soon as he left, the lower-grade students surrounded Yamashiro Aoba.
"Teacher, what should we do? If the whole school competes together, we'll definitely lose!"
"Yeah, we're not even real ninja yet. We don't have forehead protectors. Do we really have to participate?" some worried aloud.
"This time the whole school must participate. Unless someone is on an official mission, no one is allowed to refuse. So, we can't back down. Let's just treat it as participation—we'll do our best together!" Aoba raised his fist, encouragingly.
Shigeo frowned slightly, glancing back at Itachi, who didn't seem to find the situation unusual at all.
Soon, the entire school gathered at West Mountain. Everyone waited outside the forest while the teachers explained the rules.
An elderly teacher stepped onto a platform and addressed the students:
"The first stage will be held in the West Mountain Forest. The first two hundred students to reach the summit will advance to the next round. Begin!"
With a wave of the teacher's hand, everyone rushed into the forest.
Shigeo followed leisurely behind Yamashiro Aoba, showing no sign of fighting spirit.
Very quickly, everyone else disappeared into the woods, leaving only the younger students. Aoba, however, was full of energy, constantly cheering them on.
"Come on, everyone! Even if we're the last ones up, we must give it our all! Uchiha Itachi, go! Push ahead—this is your chance to rush forward!"
(End of Chapter)
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