"Hahaha, that makes sense. Speaking of which, when I first saw this kid, I thought he was some thief who'd come from who-knows-where. I never expected him to be Tsunade's cousin."
Jiraiya spoke as he poured himself another cup, then let out a long sigh.
Orochimaru silently drank a cup.
The war was over.
But.
The wounds and suffering would not disappear. Tsunade's experiences were a tragedy born of war.
"Hey, why are you being so quiet? You're scary enough when you don't talk. Don't frighten our cousin. Come on, have a drink."
Jiraiya was very enthusiastic.
He was naturally friendly, but he said this mostly because he hoped Orochimaru would not dwell on the past.
Orochimaru smiled and raised his cup toward Kyoichi. "Lord Kyoichi, we meet again."
"You've met him before?"
Jiraiya was very surprised.
"During the Jonin Exam, Lord Orochimaru was the chief examiner."
Kyoichi gave a simple explanation.
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood the general situation.
With Orochimaru as the chief examiner, the test questions certainly would not have been simple. He smiled and did not ask further. The three of them then began chatting leisurely.
Most of the conversation was about Tsunade's current situation.
"Lady Tsunade is doing fine in every respect. The only problem is that she's short of money. Every day, debt collectors chase her around demanding payment."
"Hahahahaha!"
Jiraiya roared with laughter.
That was definitely Tsunade!
She lacked nothing except money.
No matter how much money she had, it would never be enough for Tsunade to lose. In the end, she would gamble it all away.
"You lent her money?"
"No. I never lend money to gamblers."
"Good. With that money, you might as well give it to me for ninjutsu research. At least once I achieved results, I could teach them to you."
The corners of Orochimaru's lips curved upward.
After Tsunade was mentioned, the barriers and distance between the three seemed to shrink somewhat.
Kyoichi could be certain.
At least at this moment, Orochimaru was not concerned with the Senju physique or Hashirama Cells. He was simply an ordinary person who cared about his teammates.
"By the way, I heard from the old man that you're researching a technique. If you run into any difficulties, feel free to ask for help. At least the two of us are still in the village these days. Who knows? We might have to leave again after a while."
Jiraiya's tone was cheerful, yet filled with helplessness.
The current Konoha...
To say it was teetering on the brink would not be an exaggeration.
There were wars every year, and all four great villages wanted to bite a piece off Konoha.
"I've made some progress with the technique. I've run into a slight problem with skin respiration, but it's nothing serious. I should be able to solve it soon."
In reality, Kyoichi had already mastered skin respiration.
However, his current skin respiration could only serve as an auxiliary measure, relieving the pressure on his lungs. It was still far from undergoing a qualitative transformation into the fourth activation.
"Skin respiration?"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru were both stunned.
Orochimaru was thinking.
What kind of technique required such an ability?
As for Jiraiya...
He thought for a moment before saying, "If that's the case, I might really be able to help a little later."
"That can wait. Lord Jiraiya just mentioned having to leave again. Could it be...?"
Kyoichi lowered his voice halfway through.
Jiraiya nodded lightly. "It's been several years since the Second Great Ninja War ended. Kumogakure and Iwagakure have both recovered a great deal of their strength. We have to take a look at the north."
"Kirigakure is a possibility too, isn't it? They've recovered quite a bit of strength as well. Besides, a certain group has become famous in recent years. They might attack us."
Kyoichi spoke.
He remembered that Kirigakure's attack on Iwagakure had taken place around the same time. Just like with Iwagakure, there had been clear signs before the war broke out.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then nodded lightly. "That is indeed possible. Kirigakure hasn't made a move for many years, but the name of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen has grown increasingly renowned in recent years."
Kyoichi did not say anything more.
He had said all that needed to be said.
He had three young brats under his command. It was impossible for him to go north or east to investigate. The people above could study the future situation themselves.
The higher-ups of Konoha were not all useless drunkards.
"Come, have a drink... Kid, you'll drink this one in Tsunade's place. You absolutely can't refuse."
"There's no need for that."
Kyoichi waved his hand. Then he bit his finger and used the blood to cast the Summoning Jutsu.
A tiny slug crawled out.
"Lady Katsuyu?"
Jiraiya was quite surprised.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, gave Kyoichi a meaningful look.
The Shikkotsu Forest contract.
This kid had truly allied himself with the Senju Clan.
It seemed he would have to make another trip to Danzo's side. Otherwise, if he happened to anger that Princess Tsunade...
Who knew what might happen?
He took a sip to conceal his expression.
"Lady Katsuyu, sorry for the trouble, but could you send this bottle of wine to Lady Tsunade? Tell her it's a treat from the Sannin—Jiraiya and Orochimaru—at our gathering."
"Very well."
Katsuyu wrapped the bottle up and controlled the mucus within her body so that it would not corrode the bottle. Then she vanished from the tabletop.
Jiraiya was filled with emotion.
Signing a contract with the Shikkotsu Forest meant that Kyoichi's Senju identity had been acknowledged. This was entirely different from before.
Had he gone to retrieve the summoning scroll that day?
Jiraiya suddenly understood, then was rendered speechless by Tsunade as well—the contract scroll had simply been thrown into her house?
She was far too careless!
"Drink. Once we finish, I'll tell you more about skin respiration."
Jiraiya raised his cup.
After several cups of wine, the food on the table was gradually swept clean.
Orochimaru was the first to leave.
He was a very busy man.
Jiraiya was used to it. He left the tavern with Kyoichi and wandered around casually, explaining some of the key points of skin respiration. The toads of Mount Myōboku possessed similar abilities.
While cultivating Sage Mode, he had experienced the sensation of merging with the toads, so he understood skin respiration very well.
Thus, Kyoichi had asked the right person.
However...
The only problem was.
"Lord Jiraiya, I'm very grateful that you taught me all this, but why did you bring me to the hot springs?"
Steam coiled above the walls.
The playful voices of women drifted over.
Kyoichi felt as though a huge "Danger" was written across his forehead.
He was a teacher, after all!
If someone discovered this, he might as well say goodbye to Konoha.
"Ahem! Don't misunderstand. I took a wrong turn. Come on, let's go around this place, lest the people inside misunderstand."
Jiraiya's old face flushed red.
After drinking, he had unconsciously followed the voices here.
Kyoichi was speechless.
Did he really need people to misunderstand?
Anyone from Konoha knew all about Jiraiya's illustrious history.
He did not expose him.
"By the way, I still don't know what technique you're researching. Can you tell me?"
"Cell Activation Technique."
There was nothing to hide.
Kyoichi answered directly, gathering chakra in both hands. Then...
He began forming hand seals.
His hand-seal speed was noticeably faster than normal!
"This is the application of skin respiration combined with the Activation Technique that I've come up with so far."
"Stimulating cellular activity in specific areas?"
Jiraiya pondered this.
This method was ingenious. It could be adjusted according to one's needs, without placing too much strain on the body, but the corresponding requirements were extremely high. Ordinary people could not learn it at all.
"There should be an even higher-level application of this, right?"
"That's right. I named it the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods. For the first three levels of activation, breathing through the lungs is enough, but for the fourth activation, I envision strengthening skin respiration."
"It should indeed be feasible. This Activation Technique..."
"If you want to learn it, I don't mind teaching you. However, it's a forbidden technique, so it's best not to use it too frequently."
Kyoichi did not hesitate.
The first three levels of activation were nothing precious, so there was no need to be stingy. Besides—what he gained from teaching Jiraiya might well be worth more than the technique itself.
"Ahem, how about this? You teach me the Activation Technique, and I'll teach you my secret hair technique."
Kyoichi was Tsunade's junior. How could Jiraiya have the nerve to take advantage of him for nothing?
Before you continue