Chapter 7: New Trash
The quiet hot spring echoed with the astonishment rising in Ruofeng's heart.
His brow trembled slightly — a sign that the Three Thousand Trash Station had produced new trash.
Ruofeng thought to himself, How is this possible? I just entered the Three Thousand Trash Station not long ago and obtained trash from the world of Tomb Raider Notes. Although the harvest wasn't much, it was still decent. Why has new trash appeared again? Twice in a single day — that has never happened before. Could it be because chakra has appeared in my body? If that's the case, does it mean that as I grow stronger, the frequency and level of trash generated by the Three Thousand Trash Station will also increase?
The more he pondered, the more it seemed likely. A faint smile appeared on Ruofeng's lips. If he had grasped some of the principles behind the Three Thousand Trash Station, then in the future he could obtain more trash from other worlds and continuously strengthen himself.
Suddenly, Tsunade withdrew her chakra and pinched Ruofeng's cheek.
"This is the Senju clan's chakra extraction method. Even in Konoha, it ranks among the best. Train well, and enroll in the Ninja Academy when you turn six. Also, since you're the young master of this hot spring, remember to give me a free pass. I remember Jiraiya has one. Soaking in hot springs is quite nice, hehe…"
Tsunade smiled and slowly stood up. Her perfect figure appeared before Ruofeng's eyes, completely unconcerned with his gaze — or rather, she didn't care about the gaze of a five-year-old child.
After putting on the clothes prepared by the maid, Tsunade left directly.
Ruofeng said, "From now on, Tsunade may enter any hot spring in Konoha for free. And at our family's casinos, she will be granted unlimited credit."
At these words, the maid hurriedly nodded. "Yes, Young Master!"
Ruofeng narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the lingering chakra still flowing within him. He muttered to himself:
"What a marvelous energy — originating from the Divine Tree, yet preserved within the body. With chakra, I've taken the first step toward becoming a ninja."
With that, Ruofeng stood and walked out of the pool.
Before long, night had fallen.
When Ruofeng returned to the courtyard where he lived, a maid approached him and said, "Young Master… the Old Master is waiting for you in the main hall. It seems to be about Lord Jiraiya."
Ruofeng nodded and turned toward the central hall.
The place was antique and elegant, carrying the atmosphere of the Warring States era.
As Ruofeng stepped into the hall, he saw two people. One was his grandfather; the other was a familiar figure.
"Uncle Jiraiya, why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the hospital?" Ruofeng asked.
Looking at Jiraiya lying there, his entire body wrapped in bandages like a mummy, the sight was almost comical.
Grandfather said, "Jiraiya's injuries are quite serious. He needs quiet rest. There's no one to properly care for him at the hospital, so we brought him here. Besides, since you want to become a ninja, you can learn from him. After all, Jiraiya is a jonin and also a disciple of the Third Hokage."
Ruofeng looked at Jiraiya's young face — not yet bearing the aged look he would have in later years.
Jiraiya gave a bitter smile. "I didn't expect the little guy to have grown so much. Judging by your condition, your physical strength is already comparable to that of an eight- or nine-year-old. The medicinal baths worked well, and you've trained hard yourself. But being a ninja isn't so easy."
At this point, his gaze grew serious.
"Your grandfather hopes you'll inherit the family business rather than become a ninja. Ninjas may seem to hold high status, but they walk on the edge of life and death. One mistake, and it's over."
Ruofeng sat down casually and replied calmly, "I'm still young. We can talk about those things later. But Uncle Jiraiya, Sister Tsunade feels apologetic about today's incident, though she refuses to apologize to you directly. So she gave me the Senju clan's chakra extraction method as compensation."
Jiraiya's expression stiffened awkwardly.
"Tsunade is always that willful. If not for those precious medicinal herbs today, I'd still be unconscious. Being able to talk right now is thanks to some secret medicines from Mount Myoboku. Sigh… forget it. Since she passed it to you, then train well with it. My chakra extraction method isn't suitable for ordinary people anyway.
"If you form a contract with the toads of Mount Myoboku, you would qualify to train in it. But contracting with the toads requires passing a trial — otherwise, you won't earn their recognition. There's no way you could pass it right now. When you're older, I'll give you a chance to sign a contract with Mount Myoboku."
Jiraiya spoke very seriously. After all, forming a contract with a powerful summoning clan was no small matter. In the ninja world, summoning races on the level of the toads were exceedingly rare.
"Then thank you, Uncle Jiraiya. I'll take my leave," Ruofeng said.
Without minding the worried look in his grandfather's eyes, he turned and left the hall. In the blink of an eye, Ruofeng returned to his room.
Walking into his bedroom, he muttered, "It seems Grandpa's relationship with Jiraiya is far more complicated than I imagined. I originally thought Jiraiya was just repaying a past favor for financial support. But offering a Mount Myoboku contract… that's far beyond simple repayment."
He fell into thought, then felt the familiar tremor at the center of his brow.
"Never mind… I'll check the Three Thousand Trash Station first. Hopefully something valuable has appeared."
The moment the words fell, he entered the silent space.
Inside, the trash from that morning was still there — none of it had disappeared. The useful items had already been sorted out, but the useless ones had nowhere to go. Throwing them into Konoha might cause trouble. Fortunately, the Trash Station had an automatic decomposition function, though its speed was painfully slow.
Luckily, the space itself was enormous. This small pile barely occupied any room.
With a thought, Ruofeng said, "Come out."
The air twisted violently.
Boom! Boom!
A chaotic heap of objects crashed down into the silent void.
Ruofeng narrowed his eyes.
"This is definitely not Earth's trash."
Excitement flashed across his face — until he saw it.
A massive wild boar lay among the pile. Its forehead had been pierced clean through; it was thoroughly dead. Its body was fiery red, like burning flames. Its sheer size resembled a ferocious beast rather than an ordinary animal.
This was absolutely not a creature from Earth.