Rasengan

Early in the morning, on the way to the Mission Assignment Hall.

Akiyama Shun and Tsunade were suddenly called out to. They turned around and saw a white-haired porcupine head and a yellow-haired hedgehog head.

The white-haired one was naturally Jiraiya, one of the Konoha Sannin, and a lecher.

He was also an S-rank ninja in the Hokage mobile game, a classic example of someone who got better with age, like fine wine.

He had the invincible form [Intelligence Jiraiya].

The blond one was Namikaze Minato.

It was worth mentioning that Minato hadn't yet reached the [Namikaze Minato (Young)] stage from the Hokage mobile game. [Namikaze Minato (Young)] had already mastered the Rasengan.

But the Minato of this time hadn't developed the Rasengan yet. He only knew the Flying Thunder God.

Like his master Jiraiya, he also had an invincible form: [Going Home Minato].

"Yo~ Tsunade! And this kid... You're Akiyama Shun, right? I've heard your name quite a bit these past few days since I got back to the village."

Jiraiya walked right up to Akiyama Shun with the ease of an old friend, leaned close to inspect him, and seemed to be looking for something special.

"Lord Jiraiya, Lord Minato."

Akiyama Shun greeted them politely.

Jiraiya seemed especially interested in Akiyama Shun. While Tsunade and Minato exchanged greetings, he pulled the boy aside.

"I hear you're good at gambling, too. I've heard you cleaned out all the casinos around here. You're good enough to bankroll that big fat sheep, Tsunade, while she gambles. Impressive!"

Jiraiya didn't bother to lower his voice. As he spoke, he even burst out laughing.

Tsunade, who had been chatting with Minato nearby, immediately darkened at the sound of that. She walked over and punched Jiraiya's head straight into the wall.

"Haha..."

Minato gave an awkward laugh. Even he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Jiraiya had clearly gotten used to being hit by Tsunade, and quickly recovered. Once Tsunade had gone back to talking with Minato, he pulled Akiyama Shun aside to whisper again, this time in a much less boisterous voice.

"Young geniuses like you tend to be quick-witted. Why don't you help me come up with some inspiration?"

Akiyama Shun looked at Jiraiya in confusion. "Inspiration?"

"Exactly. You've probably heard that I'm a writer. I'm working on a book called Tales of a Gutsy Ninja, and I expect to finish it soon. I've already started looking for inspiration for my next book," Jiraiya explained.

His next book?

Icha Icha Paradise?

Akiyama Shun looked at Jiraiya, unsure what expression to make.

"Lord Minato is a young genius too, isn't he?"

Namikaze Minato, who had been chatting with Tsunade, suddenly noticed Akiyama Shun pointing at him. His face was full of confusion.

"He won't do. He's too serious about this sort of thing. You're different. You go to casinos, so you're obviously not going to be overly prudish about it." Jiraiya shook his head.

"..." Akiyama Shun was speechless.

"Here, take a look at these two books first. Just tell me what you think." As he spoke, Jiraiya pulled two books from inside his clothes and handed them to Akiyama Shun.

Akiyama Shun took the books and glanced at them. Well, just looking at the covers was enough to tell him they weren't suitable for someone his age.

"Lord Jiraiya!"

"Jiraiya! What are you doing?"

Tsunade and Minato had both noticed what was going on and hurried over.

Tsunade snatched the two books from Akiyama Shun's hands and flung them at Jiraiya's face. Then she punched him into the ground.

"What the hell are you showing my student?"

She gave him another punch for good measure, then took Akiyama Shun and left.

Six in the evening.

Today's mission involved some odd jobs around the village, so Akiyama Shun finished it quickly.

After turning in the mission, Akiyama Shun went home. Seeing that he still had [4153] coins, he immediately started drawing.

He'd met Jiraiya today, so his luck ought to be good!

[Summoning Beast]

[Hawk Fragment X1 (1/100)]

[Secret Scroll]

[Forbidden Technique · Yin Healing Wound Destruction Fragment X (3/5)]

[A-Rank Ninja]

[Gaara (Sage of the Six Paths) X4 (4/40)]

[Dan Katō Fragment X4 (4/40)]

[B-Rank Ninja]

[Kimimaro Fragment X8 (20/40)]

[Orochimaru (Konoha Sannin) Fragment X4 (4/40)]

[C-Rank Ninja]

[Uzumaki Naruto Fragment X1 (10/10)]

[...]

Kimimaro's fragments continued to accumulate steadily.

As far as Akiyama Shun was concerned, either Kimimaro or Haku would be fine as his next B-rank ninja. Both had Kekkei Genkai.

He'd gotten quite a few more fragments for C-rank ninjas, too.

Most importantly, he finally had enough to synthesize Uzumaki Naruto!

The [Uzumaki Naruto] from this period was nothing like [Uzumaki Naruto (Ninja Academy Student)]. The latter didn't have a single useful skill.

But the [Uzumaki Naruto] from this period was the version who had finished training with Jiraiya.

This ninja gave Akiyama Shun two ninjutsu techniques.

The first was the offensive technique, Rasengan!

Like Chidori, it was an A-rank ninjutsu. It was also one of the signature techniques of Uzumaki Naruto in the original story, and there was no question about its power.

The second was the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!

After finishing his draws, Akiyama Shun immediately got started on something else.

Writing a book!

As for what he would write, naturally, it would be the kind of book Jiraiya wanted.

He wasn't about to pass up a chance to quickly get close to one of the Konoha Sannin.

Having another high-ranking ninja watching over him would not only help keep that old bastard Shimura Danzō from going berserk, it would also improve his chances of surviving the Ninja World War.

As for the difficulty of writing, he hadn't even considered it. He'd read far too many books. He could just copy any book from his previous life, and it would be more than enough to blow the competition away!

"Poof!"

Once Akiyama Shun used the Shadow Clone Technique, three clones and the original began writing furiously.

Ninjas were fast writers to begin with. Akiyama Shun and his three clones needed just over an hour to write a hundred chapters.

He didn't need to write that much for his first time showing Jiraiya. It was enough to get him interested in reading.

Once he finished the book, Akiyama Shun left home and found Jiraiya's place after asking around.

When Jiraiya opened the door and saw Akiyama Shun, he froze for a moment.

"Kid... Oh!!!"

Jiraiya had been wondering why Akiyama Shun had come by, but the moment he spotted the book in the boy's hands, his excitement shot through the roof.

"Lord Jiraiya, I gave writing a try. There should be enough here to keep you reading for a while. See if you can get some inspiration from it. I'll head home and get some rest."

With that, Akiyama Shun turned and left.

"I'll thank you for this, kid."

After thanking him, Jiraiya closed the door and went to his room. He burrowed under the covers, ready to savor the book and see what the genius who had made a name for himself throughout Konoha could write.

Given Akiyama Shun's age and experience, Jiraiya hadn't expected him to write especially well. A little inspiration for his next book would be enough.

Jiraiya opened the book.

Young A-Ye

A-Ye? That was an interesting name.

Was it based on my name?

Jiraiya smiled and turned the page.

Chapter One.

A-Ye's grades at the Ninja Academy weren't very good...