Jiraiya truly was a good teacher. He could tailor his instruction to each student's strengths, allowing them to fully develop their talents. That was why every one of Jiraiya's disciples achieved remarkable things, whether it was Minato Namikaze of Konoha or Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan of the Land of Rain.
For the past half month, Taichi Matsushita had gone to study under Jiraiya every afternoon without fail, sometimes studying for an entire afternoon. To Taiichi, this was both an opportunity for rapid progress and a profound bond. Although Jiraiya had not formally accepted Taiichi as his disciple, Taiichi regarded him as a true master in his heart.
The same went for Tsunade. Although she was terribly irresponsible and had disappeared after teaching Taiichi for only a few days, Taiichi would never forget her efforts or her kindness.
Today was the last day of the holiday. That morning, Taiichi had completed the handover with Director Fujita and Director Biwako at the hospital, and they had collected his internship wages for the past two months together. Although it was not much, it was the first money Taiichi had truly earned himself, and he was still delighted.
That afternoon, at Training Ground 11.
Cicadas chirped as heat waves swept across Training Ground 11. Taiichi stood on the gravelly riverbank, sweat running down his jaw and turning to white vapor on the scorching stones. Jiraiya sat cross-legged on a tree stump across the river, tossing and catching three shuriken. Cold metallic glints flickered between his fingers.
"This will be our final practical lesson. Let me see how much you've improved over the past half month." Jiraiya suddenly flicked his hand, and the shuriken tore through the heat with a piercing whistle. As Taiichi leaned back to evade them, the short sword at his waist was already out of its sheath, its blade colliding with the next two projectiles in a burst of sparks.
The hum of the blade cutting through the air suddenly intensified. Taiichi's figure left an afterimage across the water's surface, while the chakra-coated blade glowed faint blue-green. Jiraiya's hand froze midway through forming seals—Taiichi was too fast. Watching Taiichi rush toward him, Jiraiya pulled a kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch and met his charge.
Clang!
The instant the kunai blocked the blade, the force of the wind lifted Jiraiya's headband. He retreated half a step into the river. Before the ripples on the water could spread, Taiichi had already completed the final Yin Seal. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A whirlwind carrying river sand rushed at him head-on. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, and his pupils suddenly contracted when he saw cold flashes glinting amid the sand. Multiple transparent Wind Blades were mixed into the violent gale. Half a month ago, Taiichi's Great Breakthrough had only been a powerful wind, which could at worst blow someone away. But now, it concealed quite a few Wind Blades. If they struck, they would tear flesh open.
Jiraiya did not take it head-on. He leaped backward, rapidly formed seals, then slapped one hand onto the water. Water Style: Water Formation Wall! The rising water curtain shattered into countless droplets beneath the Wind Blades, refracting rainbow-colored light.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
The boy's clear shout pierced through the water curtain. The crimson line of fire abruptly swelled as it passed through the rainbow light, transforming into a three-meter-long fire dragon. Jiraiya leaned back to avoid the flames, catching the smell of singed hair at the tip of his nose. Using the momentum of his backward lean, he planted one hand on the ground and swept his chakra-infused right leg toward Taiichi's abdomen.
Splash!
Amid the spraying water, Taiichi's flying body abruptly turned into a wooden log. Jiraiya was just about to turn when the sound of air tearing overhead made him form seals on instinct. "Earth Style: Earth Wall!" The moment the rock wall rose, shuriken wrapped in Wind Blades had already sliced away half of it.
"Your timing was good, but..." Before Jiraiya could finish, the river beneath his feet suddenly began to boil. As he leaped upward, a two-meter-wide waterspout burst from the river and swallowed him in midair. Within the crystalline water curtain, Taiichi's hands, held in the Snake Seal, trembled slightly—this was a modified application of Water Style: Water Formation Wall. Instead of raising a water curtain before himself, he raised it directly from beneath the enemy's feet to strike them.
The waterspout collapsed with a roar, and the drenched Jiraiya landed on a rock by the shore. Shaking the droplets from his white hair, he looked at the boy kneeling on one knee in the middle of the river, gasping for breath. The setting sun stretched Taiichi's shadow long, while his soaked ninja clothes clung tightly to his undeveloped body. His chakra fluctuations were clearly in disarray, yet he was still forcing himself to gather chakra.
"That final Water Formation Wall," Jiraiya said, wiping the water from his face, "the scroll didn't say it could be used like that." He noticed the boy's pale lips, a sign of chakra exhaustion. Yet the waterspout's scale and precision of control had far surpassed that of an ordinary Chunin.
Taiichi pushed himself up with the hilt of his sword. The sensation of river water flowing past his calves cleared his mind slightly. "You said Water Style needs to be adapted to the situation..." Before he could finish, three shuriken bearing Explosive Tags had already embedded themselves around him. Amid the thunderous blast, the boy's leaping figure was swallowed by flames.
When the smoke cleared, a pale blue water curtain protected Taiichi like an overturned bowl. The ripples on the Water Formation Wall had not yet faded. The boy's fingertips, held in the Snake Seal, trembled faintly, but he still managed a smile. "When you ate your fifth bowl of tonkotsu ramen yesterday... cough... you said anything could happen in actual combat..."
Jiraiya suddenly burst into laughter, startling flocks of birds from the forest. He walked over to Taiichi, who had collapsed in the shallows, his shadow covering the boy's pale face. "Your chakra is nearly depleted, and you still dared to maintain the Water Formation Wall?" His rough palm pressed against Taiichi's wet black hair. "But..." He turned to look at the fading water curtain. "Being able to turn a defensive ninjutsu into a trap—this adaptability is more precious than the ninjutsu itself."
As dusk deepened, the cries of returning birds echoed from the forest at the edge of the Training Ground. Jiraiya pulled out his Frog Wallet, and three discount coupons drifted onto Taiichi's knees with a faint chakra sound. "As a graduation gift, I'll treat you to double pork char siu tonight." He turned toward Konoha, his shadow falling over the boy in the sunset. "The next time you see Tsunade, tell her that the trouble she threw at me..." His white hair fluttered in the evening breeze. "Was a pleasant surprise."
"Jiraiya-sensei, are you leaving?" Taiichi shouted at Jiraiya's retreating back.
"I'm going on a mission. I've put it off for over half a month. If I don't go now, someone will get angry." Jiraiya's voice drifted back on the evening wind.
After bidding Jiraiya farewell, Taiichi went alone to Ichiraku Ramen. He handed over the coupons Jiraiya had given him, and the owner soon served him a large bowl of tonkotsu ramen.
Looking at the heaping bowl of ramen, Taiichi could not help feeling a little sad. Whenever he had eaten ramen before, there had always been someone beside him who laughed, cursed, and did whatever he pleased. But now, Taiichi was alone.
After hurriedly finishing the ramen, Taiichi gathered himself and rushed home. He wanted to carefully review what he had gained over the summer holiday, and he could hardly wait.
At home, Taiichi looked at his newly organized Attribute Panel, his heart filled with accomplishment.
Name: Taichi Matsushita Class: Genin Lv8 (1024/1400) Talents: Diligence Makes Up for Mediocrity, Academic Overachiever Age: 6 Constitution: 15 Strength: 17 Agility: 15 Spirit: 20 Chakra: 5000 (5800) Attribute Points: 10 Skill Points: 11 Fire Nature Transformation Lv3 (356/400) Wind Release Nature Transformation Lv3 (373/400) Water Nature Transformation Lv3 (173/400) Yang Release Nature Transformation Lv4 (537/600) Skills: Basic Taijutsu Lv10 (463/2000), Basic Meditation Lv10 (634/2000), Chakra Refinement Technique Lv10 (944/2000), Ninja Tool Throwing Lv9 (345/1600), Three Body Technique Lv9 (12/1600), Hatake Style Kenjutsu Lv7 (53/1200) [Fire Style: Flame Bullet Lv8 (356/1400), Phoenix Sage Fire Lv9 (124/1600), Fire Dragon Flame Bullet Lv4 (302/600)] [Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Lv8 (36/1400), Air Palm Lv4 (352/600)] [Water Style: Water Formation Wall Lv4 (257/600)] [Medical Ninjutsu: Healing Technique Lv10 (1467/2000), Mystical Palm Technique Lv6 (935/1000), Delicate Illness Extraction Technique Lv6 (467/1000), Chakra Scalpel Lv5 (312/800)] Evaluation: As an ordinary person, your lack of chakra is your fatal weakness.
The three physical attributes had all increased because of his diligent training over the summer. His Agility had risen by two points in particular. It could be said that Taiichi had now reached Genin level through physical ability alone, not to mention that his Constitution and Spirit far exceeded those of ordinary Genin.
The greatest changes were still the improvements in his various skills. Several had even reached Lv10. Looking at the experience requirement that had suddenly jumped to 2000 at Lv10, Taiichi guessed that when Lv10 was fully maxed out, the panel would offer an unexpected surprise.
Perhaps the only thing that left Taiichi dissatisfied was exactly what the evaluation had said. Although the evaluation was always irritating, it struck right at the heart of the matter every time—Taiichi had too little chakra. At present, his chakra had only barely reached the entry-level Chunin threshold of 5000 points. Based on the usual consumption of 500 chakra for a C-rank ninjutsu and 1000 chakra for a B-rank ninjutsu, Taiichi's current chakra quantity could still let him cast ten Flame Bullets or five Fire Dragon Flame Bullets.
That was only for the most basic use. If he added more complicated manipulation, such as extending the duration or increasing the power, the number would be even lower.
According to Jiraiya, a ninja's chakra would only begin to grow rapidly after the age of ten as their body developed. This period of rapid growth formed a parabolic curve spanning the ages of ten to thirty-five for most ninjas. Before that, they were merely laying the foundation.
He had also advised Taiichi not to worry too much about his chakra quantity. Taiichi already possessed far more chakra than an ordinary child, and he must never over-refine chakra because of his shortage. That would damage his body's potential.
Taiichi naturally understood Jiraiya's good intentions and promised that he would not over-refine his chakra. But whenever Taiichi thought of those people with incomparably vast chakra reserves, he could not help feeling envious. At that moment, Taiichi made up his mind that he would thoroughly study chakra nature transformations in the future and strive to synthesize his own Kekkei Genkai, breaking through the limits of his chakra in one stroke.
Overall, the current Taiichi could absolutely crush the Taiichi from before summer vacation. Even fighting one against two or one against three would not be a problem.
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