As soon as he got the bells, a prompt sounded from the system:
[Team battle victory against Jiraiya. Choose an entry to absorb: Lecherous Constitution, 100 hours of Jiraiya's Peeping Memories, Ninjutsu: Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!]
Sen's mouth twitched.
What the heck was a lecherous constitution?!
And what use were Jiraiya's peeping memories?!
He grumbled inwardly. It looked like the reward had been split because they'd won as a team. Only the C-rank Earth Release technique was any use.
Still, something was better than nothing. Now he had ninjutsu for four of the five basic natures; he was only missing Water Release.
Just then, Jiraiya patted the dust singed onto his clothes and recovered from the paralysis.
A trick like the Lightning Release Clone might work wonders against ordinary ninja, but to someone of his caliber, it was nothing more than a clever student's trick.
On a battlefield, he could have countered it in a hundred different ways in an instant.
Even so, Jiraiya was generous with his praise.
"You three did great. You've got a lot of my flair from back in the day!"
He looked at Sen with approval in his eyes. "Especially you, Sen. You've mastered the Lightning Release Clone at such a young age. Looks like the Uchiha Clan spared no expense training you.
"And that heavy breathing earlier, and the way you deliberately avoided using your left hand—you were hiding those two fake bells made with the Transformation Technique, weren't you?"
Sen nodded, and Jiraiya turned to Minato. "You've got a real knack for space-time techniques. Coming up with the idea of improving the Substitution Technique using the principles of Summoning Technique—that's genius!
"Looks like we'll have a second me among the ninja from civilian families!"
At last, he looked at Kushina. "You have a huge amount of chakra, but your control is too rough. If you learn a few wide-area attack techniques, your strength will improve by leaps and bounds."
Kushina scrunched up her nose, unhappy. "You barely praised me at all, Sensei! But we passed, right? I'm going to learn Wind Release from Sen as soon as we get back!"
"Wind Release?" Jiraiya seized on the key phrase. "Sen, what else can you do?"
Sen waved a hand dismissively. "Just a few trivial tricks. Nothing worth mentioning."
Seeing that Sen was holding back, Jiraiya turned to Minato. "Minato, you know him best. This is important information for coordinating future missions, so don't leave anything out!"
Minato glanced at Sen, then honestly told him everything. "Shadow Clone, Lightning Release Clone, Lightning Ball, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough...
"Sen taught me all of them, and I'm not as skilled as he is. Besides, he's an Uchiha, so he must know plenty of powerful Fire Release techniques, too."
Jiraiya was completely stunned.
Fire, Wind, Lightning... The kid was only nine, yet he'd already mastered almost as many techniques as an elite Chunin.
Was he getting old?
His feelings were a jumble, and in the end, all he could manage was, "Looks like the Uchiha have another remarkable prodigy."
Sen, however, looked completely matter-of-fact. "It's all the result of hard work. Talent is nothing worth mentioning."
Watching Sen put on that cool, self-assured act, Kushina's eyes sparkled, and her heart skipped a beat.
Sen was just too cool!
Jiraiya looked at Sen's smug face and said, "Then you've passed. Tomorrow—no, you'll start your mission this afternoon!"
That afternoon, the sun blazed overhead.
Team Seven's very first mission was to clear a patch of wasteland for farming.
The three of them swung their hoes, drenched in sweat, while their Jonin instructor, Jiraiya, lounged in a shelter by the field, reading a magazine marked "Adults Only."
After working the fields for a while, Kushina was getting impatient. She tightened her grip on her hoe and demanded, "Why does the village have farmland? Aren't we a ninja village?"
Jiraiya yawned lazily. "Is it strange for a ninja village to be self-sufficient?"
Sen stopped working, too. "Even so, would the fee for this mission be enough to pay three ninja?"
Hiring even one ninja to complete a mission wasn't cheap, let alone three Genin. Farmers didn't make much money. Would they really be willing to pay?
"Who said there was a mission fee?"
A triumphant smile spread across Jiraiya's face. "The war's been dragging on, and the village is under pressure to buy enough grain. They're planning to expand the farmland and increase next year's harvest, so we're clearing new fields now.
"And if you dig up any rocks, toss them out. They'll hurt the yield."
Minato was puzzled, too. He picked up a rock and tossed it into the distance. "But shouldn't we use oxen or something to clear the land? Why make us do it?"
Jiraiya lowered the magazine and glanced at Minato, his face wearing that same triumphant smile. "Oxen cost a lot more than you do. And you don't need to be paid."
The three of them silently cursed Jiraiya.
So we're worth less than oxen?!
"Anyway, I need to report on your progress to the Third Hokage." Jiraiya stretched. "When you're done, divert the river upstream over here. For the next few days, your mission will be to practice Water Walking."
He tossed Sen a scroll. "In three days, take care of this C-rank mission. You can use it to work on your teamwork, too."
With that, he sauntered off without looking back.
......
Hokage Building, Hokage's office.
The moment Jiraiya walked in, he saw Danzo there, too, and irritation immediately stirred in him.
The Anbu's way of doing things already clashed with Jiraiya's personality, and Root was even worse.
"Sensei, here's Team Seven's report." He handed the scroll to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Hiruzen scanned it, then passed it to Danzo without a change in expression.
After all, it was better to let Danzo say certain things.
Shimura Danzo skimmed the scroll. His eyes immediately turned sinister. "How does this Uchiha kid know so many techniques? He's only ten. Last time, we just sent someone to break his ribs, and the entire clan came looking for trouble!
"With a vindictive personality like his, he'll definitely take revenge on the village someday!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in agreement. "In that case, we'll continue keeping an eye on this Uchiha Sen."
Jiraiya was full of questions. From what he'd seen today, Sen might have been a little cold, but overall, he cared about his teammates.
And what did Danzo mean about him fighting back? You attacked him. Did you expect him to just stand there and let you beat him to death?
Everyone knew what Root was like!
Jiraiya's face darkened as he challenged Danzo. "I don't agree with you doing this. I don't think Uchiha Sen is a bad person!"
"What do you mean, 'not a bad person'?! Anyone with the Uchi—" Realizing he'd lost his composure, Shimura Danzo changed tack. "The kid secretly learned all those techniques without reporting them to us. That proves he's disloyal to the village."
"But—"
Sarutobi Hiruzen cut in. "That's enough, Jiraiya. You can go. Keep gathering information on Uchiha Sen."
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen wave him away, Jiraiya had no choice but to leave the building.
The moment Jiraiya was gone, Shimura Danzo pressed ahead. "Why not send the kid to the battlefield? We've had some friction with Kirigakure lately. Although the Uchiha kid has chakra of several natures, his primary nature is definitely Fire.
"We can use someone else to kill him!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe, looking hesitant. "He's only ten. The Uchiha Clan must have taught him those techniques. Is this really necessary?"
"He visits Uchiha Setsuna's house almost every weekend!" Danzo stressed. "He's practically Uchiha Setsuna's personal disciple. Do you want another Uchiha Setsuna to appear in Konoha?"
Danzo's voice was full of persuasion. "And then get assassinated like Teacher Tobirama?"
The words "Teacher Tobirama" finally crushed Sarutobi Hiruzen's last remaining doubts.
"...What about the Jinchuriki?"
"Easy." A cruel smile appeared on Danzo's face. "Simple. We'll handle it my way. Make a deal with Kirigakure: kill the Uchiha kid and let the others go."
Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow, but in the end, he tacitly approved the filthy plan.
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