Jiraiya: You Did That on Purpose, Didn't You?

After they finished their ramen, Matsuyama Ichiro set out with the convoy in the afternoon.

On the road, he chatted casually with Jiraiya.

The purpose of the trip hadn't changed. They were still going to make a deal with Gato. But from what Ichiro had heard, Gato had backed several gangs in the Land of Waves and wasn't exactly polite in his dealings.

He was worried they'd get robbed by the very people they were doing business with.

Koji Matsuyama had mentioned that before.

Jiraiya had accepted the job, of course, not just for the money and the challenge of a super-C-rank mission. He was also curious about the Land of Waves and Gato.

"Do you know much about Gato?"

"Not really. He rose to prominence out of nowhere a few years ago and drove away a lot of our old clients."

Matsuyama Ichiro sighed.

He glanced at Jiraiya, then couldn't help asking, "Lord Jiraiya, they're all fighting for control of the Land of Waves. Have you never considered sending people there?"

"The Land of Waves..."

Jiraiya really didn't know what was going on in the Land of Waves.

Danzo was in charge of that sort of thing for now.

He pondered for a moment.

"Is the situation in the Land of Waves really that bad?"

"It's a mess!"

Matsuyama Ichiro's expression turned serious as he described the current chaos in the Land of Waves.

"It looks like the local gangs are fighting over territory, but a lot of them are backed by the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning. That's why the whole place is in chaos."

"The Land of Water, the Land of Lightning..."

Jiraiya frowned.

The Land of Waves was indeed in a very strategic location.

It was close to the Land of Fire, but sat between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, in the middle of the three countries' territories at sea.

He parted his lips slightly, then fell silent without saying anything.

Moving into the Land of Waves...

Given the geographical positions of the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves, it would certainly make sense. But as someone who believed in peace, he felt it would be wrong.

Kyohiko didn't say a word.

Bringing the Land of Waves into their sphere of influence would definitely benefit the Land of Fire and Konoha. As the "Hokage," he could also skim a little off the top.

But...

In theory, he was only seven years old. He shouldn't know anything about the Land of Waves.

He'd go take a look first.

After they reached the place and looked around, some "insight" would naturally come to him.

Geniuses, after all.

Once you'd established the image, anything you did could be made to seem reasonable!

All his earlier efforts hadn't been in vain.

Kyohiko sighed inwardly.

After a moment of silence, Jiraiya sighed. "Let's wait and see. Some things aren't up to me."

Matsuyama Ichiro could tell Jiraiya didn't want to discuss it further. He immediately bowed and took his leave, heading to the back of the convoy to discuss the next steps in their business.

Jiraiya turned to Kakashi.

"You've got nothing else to do, so why not play with a ball?"

As he spoke, he tossed Kyohiko a balloon. "Do me a small favor and fill it with water. Don't fill it too much."

"Okay."

Without making Hand Seals, Kyohiko easily filled the water balloon.

"Here."

He could gather Water Style chakra that quickly without using Hand Seals...

He'd only been reading for a few days, hadn't he?

And he'd improved again?!

Jiraiya stared for a moment, then quickly passed the water balloon to Kakashi.

"Use only chakra. See if you can burst it."

"Okay."

Kakashi took it.

As he walked, he considered the problem. After a moment, he gathered chakra.

Under his control, the chakra charged around like a sharp sword. But no matter how he directed it, he couldn't control the chakra to break through the water inside the balloon.

It seemed...

It wasn't as simple as he'd imagined.

He frowned.

Jiraiya chuckled and glanced over. "Kyohiko, want to give it a try?"

"Can I?"

"Of course."

Jiraiya nodded.

Kyohiko took the water balloon.

Before long, the water inside began to spin wildly and slam around. Then it battered the balloon's surface again and again until—

Bang!

Water splashed everywhere.

The balloon had burst.

Kakashi blinked.

Kurenai Yuhi blinked too.

Then she discreetly glanced at her teammate—

At least he had a mask on, so she couldn't tell what his expression was. But Kyohiko really was amazing. He'd burst the water balloon on his first try.

Jiraiya was utterly astonished, but as a qualified Jonin leader who had spent years mingling in the streets and alleys, he had thick skin. He managed not to show what he was feeling.

"Once you get the hang of it, it doesn't seem that hard."

Kyohiko clapped his hands, brushing away the water and scraps of balloon.

Jiraiya calmly handed him another balloon. "Well done. You don't need to try again. Fill one for Kakashi."

Kurenai Yuhi held back a laugh.

Unfortunately...

"Pfft—"

She failed.

Noticing Jiraiya and Kakashi looking at her, she blushed slightly and quickly explained, "I wasn't laughing on purpose. I just remembered something funny from the past."

Kyohiko struggled to hold back his laughter.

Obviously...

Her explanation wasn't enough to convince Jiraiya or Kakashi.

Kakashi was thin-skinned, but his mask hid any change in his expression. His eyes, however, were gloomy, and he looked anything but cheerful—

Kyohiko had done it with ease, while he couldn't manage it. The blow hit him hard.

Jiraiya had seen plenty in his life and wasn't bothered by other people's stares.

He remained perfectly composed.

"Then you can start on the second stage. You work on this, Kakashi works on the water balloon."

Kyohiko filled the balloon with water and handed it to Kakashi, then took the rubber ball Jiraiya gave him.

"As for Kurenai, heh heh heh..."

Jiraiya let out a strange laugh.

Kurenai Yuhi had been a little timid at first, but she soon came around—

She'd already laughed. There was no way to swallow it back down.

Bring it on!

She'd thought she would have to train too, but Jiraiya tossed her a large bundle.

"Carry this. Think of it as weight training."

Kurenai Yuhi quickly put the bundle on her back.

Kakashi stared at the water balloon, his gaze like a blade.

He'd always been called a genius. He learned everything quickly, as if he didn't need to practice—

Though only he knew how much effort he'd put in behind the scenes.

But!

Ever since he'd been assigned to a team, looked down on by those Chunin, and placed alongside Kyohiko, he'd felt as though he were living in someone else's shadow, like he'd become one of the people who used to stand around watching him.

Kakashi clenched his fists.

It was fine!

He'd get it soon!

After quite a while.

Bang!

Kakashi calmly brushed the scraps from his hands and looked at Jiraiya and Kyohiko. But then he remembered that Kyohiko had already completed the water balloon test, so he didn't have much to brag about.

He immediately felt dejected and lowered his head.

"Teacher, I did it."

"Mm. You can start practicing with the rubber ball too. You have to burst it with chakra as well, but it's a hundred times tougher than the balloon. You'll be busy for a while."

Jiraiya tossed him a rubber ball.

Kakashi caught it and tried at once. The ball quickly deformed, but he couldn't burst it. After a long struggle...

Pfft!

A strange sound rang out.

A small hole appeared in the ball. Air slowly hissed out of it, and then the whole thing deflated.

He'd failed.

Kakashi wasn't satisfied, but he knew the rubber ball was genuinely difficult.

He thought of a few different methods.

For example—

Shadow Clone.

But...

He didn't have enough chakra to try that, and that incomplete method didn't suit what he was trying to do.

Jiraiya tossed him another ball.

Kakashi didn't try it right away. Instead, he considered the problem. Just then, the rubber ball beside him made a loud noise.

Bang!

The rubber ball in Kyohiko's hand exploded.

Kakashi's hand froze around the ball. He stared fixedly at the one in Kyohiko's hand.

Even his mask couldn't hide his expression now.

He was stunned.

How could that be?

Jiraiya finally lost his composure.

This kid...

He seemed to be going out of his way to contradict him!

Jiraiya had just finished speaking, and Kyohiko had burst the rubber ball. Couldn't he have waited a little longer?

He looked down.

The rubber ball in Kyohiko's hand had burst apart, badly shredded—not merely punctured with one or two holes.

The kid had really done it!

Jiraiya was shocked.

How had he done that?

"How did you do it?"

Unlike Jiraiya, Kakashi was straightforward.

If he couldn't figure it out...

He'd ask!

Otherwise, he felt he wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

They'd all only just started. Why had Kyohiko picked it up so quickly?