Could He Be the Child of Prophecy?

Two days later.

[Under your wise leadership, the "Medical Ninja Early Training" plan has passed and will enter a trial period.]

[Reward: Strength Enhancement Technique increased by one level]

Huh?

Was Tsunade really that efficient?

And—

Had it really gone that smoothly?

Kyohiko was a little surprised.

But—

After thinking it over, he realized it might not have gone smoothly after all.

In what he had said a few days ago, practical combat ability was the key. Early training was just a minor offshoot of the "grading" and "specialization" he had alluded to.

But—

The notification had said nothing about adding lessons in combat ability or technique.

Kyohiko sighed softly.

When it came to medical training...

One reason was that Tsunade truly was an authority on the subject. Another was that Konoha really did need Medical Ninja.

Medical Ninja were incredibly important!

Over the years, they had saved many lives on the battlefield and during missions. With Tsunade pushing for Medical Ninja to be trained early, the proposal had been easy to get approved.

But the other proposals—

It would take a long time before they might be accepted.

As it turned out, he had been right.

At that moment, an uproar erupted in the meeting room of the Hokage Building.

The massive conference table in front of Tsunade had been smashed into splinters.

She was furious.

"Do civilian Genin really need to learn so much complicated theory? They can barely survive on the battlefield. So many Genin go to war only to be sent to their deaths!"

"Tsunade, you're not the only ones who've been to the battlefield. We've fought our way through it too!"

Danzo reprimanded her coldly.

Utatane Koharu added, "The rules of the Ninja Academy were laid down by the Second Hokage..."

"Bullshit! The Second Hokage also said not to send children to war. How many have graduated early over the years? Why don't you bring up the Second Hokage's rules now?"

Tsunade spoke with barely contained fury.

"Tsunade!"

Utatane Koharu trembled with anger, but—

She had no way to refute her.

"Enough!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nudged a splinter with his foot, looking helpless. "Tsunade, Jiraiya, we can trial early training for Medical Ninja, but reforming the Ninja Academy is too drastic. Especially given the current situation, let's wait and see."

Jiraiya felt helpless, and somewhat indignant too.

"Now that we've finally got a brief period of peace, if we don't actively guide change, are we supposed to wait until wartime to make changes?"

He agreed with Tsunade now.

These old men were far too hidebound and stubborn. They only wanted stability and refused to change. They wouldn't listen to reason.

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.

At last, he shook his head. "There shouldn't be another major war for a few years. Let's keep things stable for now and observe for a while longer."

The nations and villages had all suffered heavy losses in the wars of the past few years. They needed to recuperate and rebuild their strength.

In his judgment, no ninja village would make a move and start another major war.

"Fine. Let's leave it at that."

Tsunade rose to her feet and said nothing more.

She was deeply disappointed!

"Tsunade, stop drinking! We both knew the first meeting wasn't going to accomplish much. Getting the early training plan for Medical Ninja approved was already no small feat."

Jiraiya tried to talk her down.

Tsunade shook her head.

She took another drink, then her mood sank.

"That's not why I'm upset. It's that the teacher I once saw as wise and capable is gradually becoming rigid and corrupt, with no courage to act."

Jiraiya fell silent too.

He poured himself a drink as well.

After a while, Jiraiya asked, "What do you want to do?"

"Become Hokage!"

Tsunade's eyes blazed.

She slapped the table and stood.

"If the village stays in the hands of those old men, it'll only grow more corrupt and decline."

Some of the fire returned to Tsunade's voice.

Then she looked at Jiraiya, speaking earnestly.

"Jiraiya, you need to step up and compete for the position of Hokage. I'll help you!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and got up to leave.

"I'd rather go check on Kyohiko. The kid's been learning Shadow Clone lately. If he overdoes it and trains himself to death, I'll lose a good student."

After Jiraiya left, Tsunade held her cup but didn't drink again.

She gazed out the window, her expression unreadable.

Kyohiko wasn't practicing the Strength Enhancement Technique. Instead, he was trying to understand and master it.

The Strength Enhancement Technique at the proficient level!

Once it reached the "proficient" level, chakra could be gathered and released with much greater precision. After reading many books, Kyohiko had reached a conclusion—

If he used it in small bursts at this level, it probably wouldn't damage his body.

At his current level, he couldn't casually unleash terrifying attacks like Tsunade or Senju Tobirama.

Still—

The real point wasn't being able to use the Strength Enhancement Technique in combat.

Though it had only increased by one level, the knowledge and insight that came with it, along with the improvement that seemed to reach down to his bones, had benefited Kyohiko immensely.

It was like his Master-level Body Flicker Technique.

The difference between the beginner and proficient levels of the Strength Enhancement Technique was enormous.

In truth, Kyohiko's abilities hadn't changed, but his chakra control had grown more precise. He could quickly draw on his physical and spiritual energy, then gather it in an instant.

That was the foundation for using the Strength Enhancement Technique effectively.

Master one technique, and you could master them all. Many techniques shared the same principles.

This fundamental improvement could also be applied to Water Style, the Body Flicker Technique, and other skills.

It was a greater improvement than mastering any single jutsu!

"Going from beginner to proficient means advancing my chakra control, but my body is still too weak. I can't use the technique repeatedly."

"I still need to train my body!"

"Next, I should work on compression."

Compressing chakra.

This technique wasn't used only in the Strength Enhancement Technique. The Rasengan and Water Severing Wave used it too, though each to a different degree.

That was what Kyohiko was studying now.

Compression!

This technique had its own levels. At a low level, you could use a Shadow Clone to help, the way Naruto did, but that was just brute force. It wasn't the right path for him.

The advanced level would take hard work.

For example, Senju Tobirama's Water Severing Wave was the ultimate example of compression.

Still...

Sometimes, training hard wasn't as direct as getting a reward.

Kyohiko kept exercising in the courtyard, training his body, but after a while, he felt it wasn't enough.

The exercises were too simple to have much effect.

"I need to redesign the courtyard."

He spent the whole morning working on it.

When Jiraiya climbed onto the wall, he saw Kyohiko had cleared away all the weeds and wildflowers in the courtyard and set up a series of wooden frames, each with a sandbag hanging from it.

What was he doing?

Jiraiya was puzzled. Then he watched Kyohiko punch several sandbags away.

Then—

Thud, thud, thud!

The sandbags swung back and knocked him flat on the ground.

Fortunately, the sandbags had no sharp edges. They hurt when they struck, but weren't deadly.

"That's something. Is he training his body's instincts? No, he's wearing weights on his hands and feet too."

Jiraiya was secretly astonished.

What a brutal way to train.

The kid was tough on other people, but even tougher on himself.

He was only seven!

Who trained like this at seven?

What's more—

Inside the house, another Shadow Clone was sitting at a desk, buried in books and studying just as hard.

"A genius's success is written in blood and tears. How could it be as easy as it looks to everyone else?"

Jiraiya sighed.

If Kyohiko trained this relentlessly, even an ordinary person would go far. And he had incredible talent on top of that.

This child would go far!

What was most remarkable was...

He had a maturity and way of thinking far beyond his age.

Could he be the Child of Prophecy too?

Jiraiya wondered.

The thought was absurd. He had a feeling that he saw a "Child of Prophecy" in everyone.

Kyohiko was already the third person he'd met who might be the "Child of Prophecy."

The first was Nagato.

With the Rinnegan, he naturally qualified.

The second was Minato.

Minato had become the strongest of the young Jonin, and had even mastered a forbidden Space-Time Ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God.

The third...

The seven-year-old boy before him.

Jiraiya concealed his presence and sat in the shadows, wondering—

Could there be an even younger one in the future?

Probably not.

The Child of Prophecy was most likely one of those three.

Jiraiya was certain of it.