Taking me to the hot springs? What do you mean?

"Hahaha, that makes sense. Speaking of which, the first time I saw this kid, I thought he was some kind of thief. I didn't expect him to be Tsunade's cousin."

Jiraiya took another drink and let out a long sigh.

Orochimaru silently drank his cup.

The war was over.

But.

The trauma and pain wouldn't disappear. Tsunade's experience was a tragedy of war.

"Hey, why are you so quiet? You're scary when you don't talk. Don't scare our cousin, come on, let's have a drink."

Jiraiya was very enthusiastic.

He was outgoing, but more than that, he hoped Orochimaru wouldn't overthink things.

Orochimaru smiled and raised his cup to Kyoichi, saying, "Kyoichi-kun, we meet again."

"You've met him before?"

Jiraiya was surprised.

"Orochimaru-sama was the chief examiner during my Jonin exam."

Kyoichi simply stated.

Jiraiya paused for a moment, then instantly understood the general situation.

With Orochimaru as the chief examiner, the test must not have been easy. He smiled and didn't ask for details. The three of them then began to chat idly.

They mostly asked about Tsunade's recent situation.

"Lady Tsunade is doing well. Her only problem is being short on money; she's chased by debt collectors every day."

"Hahahaha."

Jiraiya burst out laughing.

It was indeed Tsunade!

She lacked nothing, except money.

No amount of money was enough for the big spender Tsunade to lose, and it all ended up going out.

"Did you lend her money?"

"No, I never lend money to gamblers."

"You're right. It's better to give that money to me for ninjutsu research. At least I can teach you once I get results."

Orochimaru's lips curved slightly.

Mentioning Tsunade seemed to shorten the distance and gap between the three of them.

Kyoichi could be sure.

At least at this moment, Orochimaru wasn't concerned with the Senju physique or Hashirama Cells, but was just an ordinary person who cared about his teammate.

"Oh, right. I heard from the old man that you're researching a certain jutsu. If you need any help, just say the word. We two are in the village recently, but we might be heading out again soon."

Jiraiya's tone was hearty, yet filled with helplessness.

Konoha nowadays...

Describing it as precarious wouldn't be an exaggeration.

War every year, and the four great villages all wanted to take a bite out of Konoha.

"I've made some progress on the jutsu recently. I've encountered some difficulties with skin breathing, but it's okay. I should be able to solve it soon."

In reality, Kyoichi had already mastered skin breathing.

However, the current skin breathing could at most act as an aid, reducing the pressure on his lungs. It was far from evolving into the fourth activation.

"Skin breathing?"

Jiraiya and Orochimaru were both stunned.

Orochimaru was thinking.

What kind of jutsu would require this ability?

As for Jiraiya...

He thought for a moment and said, "If it's this, I might actually be able to help you out later."

"There's no rush. Jiraiya-sama just mentioned heading out again, could it be?"

Kyoichi lowered his voice mid-sentence.

Jiraiya nodded slightly and said, "It's been several years since the Second Great Ninja War. Kumogakure and Iwagakure have recovered a lot of their strength. We need to check the north."

"Kirigakure is also a possibility, isn't it? Their strength has also recovered significantly, and there's a very famous combination that's emerged in recent years. They might make a move against us."

Kyoichi said.

He remembered that the timing of Kirigakure's conflict with Iwagakure was similar. Just like with Iwagakure, the outbreak of war was traceable.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "It's certainly possible. Kirigakure hasn't made a move in many years, and the name of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen has only grown louder in recent times."

Kyoichi didn't say any more.

That was all he had to say.

He had three brats under him, so it was impossible for him to go investigate the north or east. The future situation was something for the higher-ups to figure out.

Not all of Konoha's higher-ups were incompetent.

"Come, let's have a toast... Kid, you drink this glass on Tsunade's behalf. Absolutely no refusing."

"That's hardly necessary."

Kyoichi waved his hand, then bit his finger and used his blood to perform a summoning jutsu.

A small slug crawled out.

"Lord Slug?"

Jiraiya was quite surprised.

Orochimaru, however, gave Kyoichi a meaningful glance.

A Shikkotsu Forest contract.

This kid had really connected with the Senju clan.

It seemed he would have to pay Danzo another visit. If he accidentally angered that Princess Tsunade...

Who knew what would happen.

He took a sip, concealing his expression.

"Lord Slug, please deliver this bottle of wine to Lady Tsunade and tell her it's from Jiraiya and Orochimaru's Sannin gathering."

"Alright."

The Living Slug rolled up the bottle, controlling the mucus inside its body to prevent it from corroding the glass, and then disappeared from the table.

Jiraiya sighed with emotion.

Signing the Shikkotsu Forest contract meant Kyoichi's Senju identity was recognized, which was completely different from before.

Did he go to retrieve the summoning scrolls that day?

Jiraiya understood, and then he was speechless about Tsunade as well—she just left the contract scroll at home?

She was too careless!

"Drink, drink, and after that, I'll tell you about skin breathing."

Jiraiya raised his cup.

After a few drinks, the food on the table was gradually cleared.

Orochimaru left first.

He was a busy man.

Jiraiya was used to it. He casually strolled out of the tavern with Kyoichi, explaining some of the essentials of skin breathing—the toads of Mount Myōboku had this kind of ability.

While cultivating Sage Mode, he had experienced the feeling of merging with the toads and knew exactly what skin breathing was.

Therefore, Kyoichi had asked the right person.

However...

The only problem was.

"Lord Jiraiya, I'm very grateful you're teaching me this, but what's the deal with bringing me to the hot springs?"

Steam swirled around the walls.

The sound of women's laughter could be heard.

Kyoichi felt a giant "danger" sign written on his forehead.

He was the teacher!

If this were discovered, he might as well say goodbye to Konoha village.

"Ahem! Don't misunderstand, I took a wrong turn. Let's go, let's go, let's bypass this place to avoid any misunderstandings from the people inside."

Jiraiya's old face flushed.

After drinking, he had unconsciously followed the sound here.

Kyoichi was speechless.

Do you still need people to misunderstand?

Anyone in Konoha knew about Jiraiya's glorious history.

He didn't expose him.

"By the way, I still don't know what jutsu you're researching. Is it convenient to say?"

"Cell Activation Technique."

There's nothing to hide.

Kyoichi said directly, gathering chakra in his hands, and then...

He began to form hand signs.

His hand sign speed was noticeably faster than normal!

"This is how I currently envision using skin respiration in conjunction with the Activation Technique."

"Stimulating cell activation locally?"

Jiraiya pondered.

This technique was ingenious, allowing for enhancement based on need with minimal strain on the body, but it also had extremely high requirements, making it impossible for ordinary people to learn.

"You must have a higher level of application for this, right?"

"That's right. I've named it the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods. The first three levels of activation only require lung respiration, but for the fourth activation, I envision enhancing skin respiration."

"It's certainly feasible. This Activation Technique..."

"If you wish to learn it, I don't mind teaching you, but it's a forbidden jutsu, so it's best not to use it frequently."

Kyoichi didn't hesitate.

The first three activations weren't anything precious, so there was no need to be stingy. Besides, the gains from teaching Jiraiya might very well be worth more than the technique itself.

"Ahem, how about this: you teach me the Activation Technique, and I'll teach you my hair secret jutsu."

Kyoichi was Tsunade's junior, so Jiraiya felt awkward about getting something for free.