Where Was Jugo Making His Fortune?

Shikotsumyaku?

Where had Shikotsumyaku come from!?

After taking a closer look, Jiraiya immediately realized how the Bone Forest had come into being.

Forget that. Now isn't the time to think about this. I need to find Akiyama Shun and the others, fast!

Just as he finished speaking, three people emerged from the Bone Forest.

"Lord Jiraiya, have you taken care of things on your end? Did you get the intel?"

Akiyama Shun and the others had come out. When Shun spotted Jiraiya, he asked him the question.

"Teacher Akiyama Shun? You're all safe? Thank goodness!"

Seeing that all three of them were alive, Jiraiya hurried over and hugged them.

"Ah! That hurts!"

The moment Sarutobi Jun'suke was hugged, he let out a shriek.

He had been injured quite badly while fighting those bounty hunters. By now, his clothes were completely stained with blood.

Aburame Takuma was only a little better off. He gave a dry laugh and replied, "We were surrounded by a team led by an Iwagakure jōnin. We nearly died, but luckily Akiyama Shun stepped in and killed them all."

Just hearing Aburame Takuma's words was enough for Jiraiya to imagine how dire the situation had been. His expression grew serious.

"Sorry. This was my failure as the team leader. But you said Teacher Akiyama Shun killed them all? What about the shinobi with Shikotsumyaku? Did Teacher Akiyama Shun take him out too? Great work!"

After blaming himself, Jiraiya immediately looked at Akiyama Shun with admiration. Who would've thought Shun would be so formidable? He'd even taken down someone with a Kekkei Genkai!

"But I have to say, Iwagakure really knows how to keep secrets. They had a Shikotsumyaku user hidden away. Though I suppose we can't talk—we've got someone with Ice Release hidden away in Konoha too..."

As Jiraiya muttered to himself, Aburame Takuma interrupted him. "Um... Lord Jiraiya, the Shikotsumyaku user wasn't on the other side. It was Akiyama Shun. He used a large-scale Shikotsumyaku technique and wiped them all out."

"Oh, I see. So it was Akiyama Shun..."

Jiraiya spoke, then paused and realized what Takuma had said.

"Teacher Akiyama Shun!? Teacher Akiyama Shun has Shikotsumyaku!?"

As if he'd just discovered some rare species, Jiraiya moved right up to Akiyama Shun and began examining him closely.

"No! What on earth happened out there?"

Jiraiya was completely bewildered.

"Lord Jiraiya, I know you're curious, but I need to treat the two of them first. You can have them tell you what happened while I'm treating them."

Akiyama Shun pointed to Sarutobi Jun'suke and Aburame Takuma, who were standing nearby and grimacing from the pain of their wounds.

"Oh, right! Treat them first!"

Jiraiya knew how to prioritize.

Akiyama Shun cleared a clean spot, spread some clothes on the ground, and had Sarutobi Jun'suke lie down first since his injuries were worse.

He opened Jun'suke's shirt, soaked through with blood. It was covered in wounds of all sizes, and some of his skin had been charred by Fire Release attacks.

"You're hurt this badly, and you still climbed all over my bones..."

Hearing Akiyama Shun's exasperated tone, Sarutobi Jun'suke gave an awkward chuckle. "Heh, sorry, sorry. I was just too curious at the time."

"Enough. Try to bear it." As Akiyama Shun spoke, he used the Chakra Scalpel to treat Sarutobi Jun'suke's wounds.

"Pssh—" Sarutobi Jun'suke sucked in a sharp breath.

Without anesthetic, Akiyama Shun was cutting away at the wounds directly. Jun'suke's face twisted with pain, but he did his best to endure it and not make too much noise that might interrupt Shun's treatment.

Once the wounds had been cleaned, Akiyama Shun used the Mystical Palm Technique to heal them. He had performed this routine countless times at the hospital and knew it by heart.

"All done. Lie down and rest for a while. We'll set up camp here for the night."

Before long, Sarutobi Jun'suke's wounds had been treated.

"Heh, Akiyama Shun, you really can do it all. You can fight, heal, and use Ice Release. You even make life so much more convenient."

Sarutobi Jun'suke chuckled foolishly, already imagining what he'd do if he had Akiyama Shun's abilities.

Akiyama Shun ignored him and took out some fresh clothes for Aburame Takuma to lie on before beginning his treatment.

While Akiyama Shun had been treating Sarutobi Jun'suke, Aburame Takuma had already told Jiraiya everything that had happened.

Now, Jiraiya watched Akiyama Shun with intense curiosity. But since Shun was treating Aburame Takuma, he could only hold back for the moment.

Soon, Aburame Takuma's treatment was finished, and Jiraiya finally got a chance to speak. "Teacher Akiyama Shun, what was that thing where your whole body changed color and you grew a tail?"

When Akiyama Shun had first demonstrated Ice Release, Sarutobi Hiruzen had said he would handle everything related to Shun's Kekkei Genkai. That was why Jiraiya and the others had never asked about it.

But this transformation was different from a Kekkei Genkai. From the description, that state sounded exactly like Sage Mode!

What did that mean?

Was this what it meant to be a genius—could he even whip up Sage Mode all on his own?

Akiyama Shun explained, "I call that state Cursed Seal Transformation. When I activate it, my chakra, strength, and speed all increase dramatically. For example, my Dance of the Seedling Fern—that is, this Bone Forest—requires Cursed Seal Transformation to use."

"Also, Cursed Seal Transformation can't be taught. I'm the only one who can activate it for now. You can think of it as a special constitution."

Akiyama Shun saw the hopeful look in Jiraiya's eyes and knew what he was thinking. He cut off Jiraiya's daydreams right away.

That was the truth. To put it simply, Cursed Seal Transformation worked by extracting cells from Jugo, who had a constitution that allowed him to "enter Sage Mode," copying them, modifying them into Cursed Seal Enzyme, and then transplanting them into the body.

Who knew where Jugo was off making his fortune now?

"Okay, then."

Jiraiya accepted the truth quickly. It seemed there was no chance of creating an army of Konoha Ninja with Cursed Seal Transformation.

As for Akiyama Shun's explanation about his special constitution, Jiraiya soon accepted that too. Shun already had two Kekkei Genkai, so a special constitution wasn't all that surprising.

"By the way, are we just going to lie here?"

Sarutobi Jun'suke suddenly asked.

"If you want to go into town and see whether there are any other enemies, go ahead. We won't stop you," Aburame Takuma replied.

Sarutobi Jun'suke gave an awkward laugh. "Hahaha, I think I'll pass. Staying here is pretty nice too."

Jiraiya and Akiyama Shun put up a tent. They waited until Sarutobi Jun'suke and Aburame Takuma's injuries had fully stabilized, then set off along the road back to the village.

Before leaving, Akiyama Shun also took the opportunity to completely pulverize the Bone Forest. The bone spikes formed by the Dance of the Seedling Fern were entirely under his control.

After returning to the village, Jiraiya went to the Hokage's office and reported Akiyama Shun's two Kekkei Genkai to Sarutobi Hiruzen.