Young Man, Don't Let Your Mind Collapse!

"Because I have been training in this aspect, I was able to do it quickly; it is not that my talent is truly that much greater than yours."

Kyohiko explained, offering comfort.

It was easy to see.

The young man's mindset seemed to be crumbling a bit.

This was not his original intention!

He wanted Kakashi to know that there is always someone better, that individual ability is limited, and that one must rely on the strength of the team and comrades—he did not want to cause Kakashi's mental state to become unbalanced.

The loss would be too great!

What if the reward gets deducted because of a blunder?

The mask twitched, and after a few seconds, Kakashi asked, "Really?"

"I have been practicing the nature transformation of compressed Water Release, hoping to integrate it into the Water Wave. Although this isn't Water Release, the principles are the same."

Kyohiko answered with good intentions.

Jiraiya took a deep look at him.

Could he not know Kyohiko's previous level?

He was strong, yes, but only compared to his peers. In reality, based on his judgment, Kyohiko's ability to compress chakra should not have been enough to reach this level yet.

Otherwise—

When Kyohiko used that technique of Tsunade's earlier, given his chakra levels, he shouldn't have been injured so severely.

In these past few days, he must have made significant progress!

Could it be...

Jiraiya had a guess.

He understood very well.

Tsunade had requested the Second Hokage's books for Kyohiko to read, primarily to improve his insight, knowledge base, and fundamentals like chakra control.

If he improved, there might even be hope for him to truly master the Strength of a Hundred.

However.

From the time he received the books until now, it had only been a few days.

The progress was rapid!

Jiraiya gathered his thoughts and glanced at Kakashi, unable to help but worry for him.

He hadn't paid much attention in the past, but he knew that Kakashi had grown up amidst the praises of others, always carrying the title of "genius."

Now that an even greater genius had appeared, Kakashi's self-confidence might be shattered.

But.

He didn't say anything.

If Kakashi truly became decadent because of this, he would only look down on him more.

For Kakashi, the current situation might actually be a good thing.

As a ninja, one should be unyielding and persistent.

Several hours later, as evening approached, Kyohiko followed them off the carriage.

At the pier, the people of the Matsuyama Clan had already begun unloading and loading cargo, which included timber, stone materials, and medicinal herbs from the Nara Clan.

There were over a dozen ships outside, a truly staggering amount.

No wonder they needed to seek protection.

With such a massive business, if Gato were to strike from the shadows and plunder them, the Matsuyama Clan would suffer a devastating loss.

While he was pondering this, Ichiro Matsuyama walked over under the escort of his men.

"Lord Jiraiya..."

"You can just call me Jiraiya."

Jiraiya responded with a smile.

Ichiro Matsuyama didn't dare to do so, instead saying, "It's like this: we depart tomorrow morning, and it will take an hour to reach the Land of Waves from the pier. Would you all like to rest on the ship and perhaps have a meal?"

"Very well, but there is no rush for now. My students happen to be training on the shore, so it wouldn't be very convenient to go aboard."

Jiraiya laughed.

Ichiro Matsuyama nodded, not pressing the matter, but he didn't leave immediately either. Instead, he looked around, an apologetic expression appearing on his face.

"Lord Jiraiya, as you can see, the quantity of this cargo is immense. Regarding the debt, it is truly because our Matsuyama Clan is short on cash flow. The rumors among the other families were really not spread by us..."

"Rest assured, it is a fact that Tsunade owes money, and it is only right and proper for you to collect the debt; there is nothing to be said against that."

Jiraiya understood what the other party meant.

"Besides, with Tsunade's ability, it is only a matter of time before she becomes famous. Stopping it now is far better than having people show up at her door to collect debts in the future."

"Ahem—although our family runs casinos, gambling is truly not a good thing."

Ichiro Matsuyama gave a light cough.

Tsunade lost everywhere she went, and rumors of the "Big Fat Sheep" had already begun to circulate in certain places, though the reach was not yet very wide.

It was foreseeable.

If Tsunade continued to gamble, she would only lose more miserably and fall deeper into debt.

Cutting losses now was indeed a good idea.

Jiraiya did not dwell on the topic.

"Mr. Matsuyama, business is business; you needn't take that matter to heart. My main concern now is the Land of Waves. Given the situation you described, what if enemy ninjas intervene..."

"Rest assured, I know the rules. If the opposition involves ninjas, we are willing to pay a commission commensurate with the situation."

Ichiro Matsuyama immediately guaranteed.

Jiraiya nodded, his smile returning to his face.

Gambling debts were one thing.

But commissions could not be skimped on!

Once everything was settled, Ichiro Matsuyama felt completely at ease and returned to the ship with a smile.

Jiraiya looked around.

Finally, he spotted Kyohiko by the shore and walked over immediately.

"Kyohiko, what are you doing?"

"Teacher, I am practicing Water Style ninjutsu. I want to see if I can reduce the hand seals for Water Wall when near a water source."

Kyohiko explained.

Part of the hand seals for Water Wall were intended to generate Water Style chakra, but if there was water nearby, theoretically, some steps could be omitted.

In the Land of Waves, such a technique should prove quite useful.

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh inwardly—

Among his peers, Kyohiko could be called the elite of the elite, yet he was not the least bit arrogant or complacent. Such a temperament was truly rare and commendable!

He nodded gently.

"Using Water Style near a water source can indeed save on some hand seals..."

After sharing some technical pointers, Jiraiya paused and continued, "Did you learn the Strength of a Hundred from Tsunade?"

"I haven't fully mastered it yet. Currently, I'm using a method I figured out myself. It's roughly usable, and Lady Tsunade has seen it and said it's fine, but she told me not to teach it to others since it might be a bit difficult for them."

Kyohiko answered truthfully.

Under the moonlight, Jiraiya seemed to turn to stone.

As Tsunade's teammate, he understood the situation with that technique all too well.

In Tsunade's words, the Strength of a Hundred was either something you "could learn" or "couldn't learn"; there was no middle ground.

What on earth did "roughly usable" mean?

This shocked him even more than Kyohiko bursting the rubber ball earlier that day.

Jiraiya couldn't help but be curious.

"Can you demonstrate it?"

"Of course."

Kyohiko gathered and elevated his chakra, and after a second, he stomped his foot down hard.

BOOM!

The ground collapsed, leaving a basin-sized crater.

It couldn't compare to Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred, but precisely because of that, Jiraiya was even more stunned.

Through his senses, he roughly understood the principle.

Slowing the release speed and reducing the scale of the chakra to trade for safer usage.

Theoretically, it was feasible.

However.

To actually achieve it required incredibly precise and subtle chakra control.

This was not something that could be made up for by acquired training alone.

Yet.

Having such aptitude and actually thinking of, executing, and optimizing a technique were two completely different things.

Many people might go their whole lives without being able to optimize a single technique.

Take Tsunade, for example; her mastery of the Strength of a Hundred had reached the pinnacle, yet she still couldn't simplify it or lower its difficulty.

What a remarkable child!

After a long moment, he nodded dazedly and replied, "Mm-hmm, just listen to Tsunade. My main goal is simply to gauge the actual combat strength of the team members."

"Are you worried about ninjas from Kirigakure?"

Kyohiko asked.

Jiraiya nodded.

"The Land of Water has always harbored ambitions of dominating the seas. The Land of Waves, while close to the Land of Fire, serves as a crucial maritime transit point in this region. It is highly likely that Kirigakure will interfere from the shadows."

He spoke with a grave expression.

"If you encounter combat, do not act recklessly, understand? The enemy will not care about your status as genin or chunin."

"I understand."