Eight Inner Gates! (First update)

Facing this fallback request from Gong Yi, Jiraiya found himself in a difficult position.

Instead, the Third Hokage stared at Jiraiya with a beaming smile.

"I would very much like to see this happen, but it depends on Jiraiya."

Jiraiya scratched his head, finding it hard to speak; after all, he was the one who told his teacher to let Gong Yi make a request.

The Third Hokage had just rejected Gong Yi's first request, and if the second were also denied, it would be like an adult bullying a child.

Jiraiya asked with a headache, "Why do you want me to take you as an apprentice?"

Gong Yi blinked his large eyes and said innocently, "Because you are very strong, Jiraiya-sama! And you taught a powerhouse like Minato Namikaze. I believe my talent is quite good, and if you teach me, even if I can't compare to Minato Namikaze, I can still make a greater contribution to the village."

Gong Yi's words greatly pleased the Third Hokage.

In reality, if Jiraiya truly agreed, Gong Yi certainly wouldn't be the one losing out.

When Jiraiya taught apprentices, his skills might not match the Third Hokage's, but they were far from weak.

Not to mention Minato Namikaze, even the three children he taught in the Land of Rain were incredibly powerful.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan!

Yahiko was the founder of the Akatsuki and nearly became the new leader of the Land of Rain.

Nagato went on to inherit the Akatsuki and, with a pair of Rinnegan, destroyed Konoha.

Konan was no slouch either; that trap of Six Hundred Billion Explosive Tags nearly brought the entire series to its finale.

Furthermore, becoming Jiraiya's apprentice would allow him to build a relationship with the Fourth Hokage and gain access to Mount Myōboku, one of the three great sage regions.

Mount Myōboku was the very place to practice Sage Art.

Given Jiraiya's generosity, there was no reason he wouldn't let his own apprentice come into contact with Sage Art.

In fact, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki had both successfully entered Mount Myōboku and practiced Sage Art!

The Third Hokage watched this scene with a smile, "Jiraiya, teaching the next generation of the village is something every Jōnin needs to do. You've grown accustomed to your wandering ways, but it's time you did your part for the village."

Jiraiya gave a bitter smile and said with a pained expression, "Oh, I already have Minato Namikaze to worry about; Teacher, please don't shove anyone else onto me."

He turned his head to look at Gong Yi and tempted him, "Why don't you go find Orochimaru or Tsunade? Orochimaru hasn't taken an apprentice yet, and neither has Tsunade."

Gong Yi stopped speaking and simply looked at the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage was also in a bind.

Regarding this matter, he had actually spoken to Orochimaru about it.

But Orochimaru had only gone to observe Gong Yi and had not revealed whether he intended to take him on as an apprentice.

As for Tsunade, the situation was more complex; she was in a very poor state and was not fit to take on an apprentice.

"Jiraiya, will you really not reconsider?"

Jiraiya jumped onto the windowsill in frustration, "I don't want to teach an apprentice! Little one, it's not that I look down on you, I just fear the trouble. How about this, I'll teach you a Ninjutsu later as compensation."

Having said that, Jiraiya jumped out the window and ran off.

The Third Hokage watched this, caught between laughter and tears.

However, when he looked back at Gong Yi, he felt a deep sense of guilt.

He had asked the boy to make a request, yet two perfectly reasonable requests had been rejected.

They were adults, and Gong Yi was only eight years old; if this got out, it would be a laughingstock!

"Gong Yi, I am truly sorry."

Gong Yi shook his head sensibly, "It's alright, Hokage-sama, it was my request that was too demanding."

Hearing him say this, the Third Hokage felt even worse.

He actually understood Gong Yi's mindset very well; a war orphan, a civilian ninja with no background, would basically never have a top-tier teacher.

He had originally arranged for Iga Kawaji to mentor him, which was a decent arrangement.

But now that Iga Kawaji had lost an arm and was crippled, struggling even to perform hand seals, he could no longer serve as Gong Yi's teacher.

"How about you make another request? This time, I will certainly satisfy it!"

Watching the Third Hokage look both guilty and determined, Gong Yi smiled inwardly.

Whether it was asking the Third Hokage to be his teacher or having Jiraiya take him on, Gong Yi had actually predicted the outcome of both.

But this was precisely his strategy of retreating to advance!

Gong Yi feigned a difficult expression, and after deep deliberation, he said formally, "Since no teacher is willing to take me, I would like to seek a high-level Ninjutsu! Preferably an S-rank one, something that can save my life at a critical moment!"

The Third Hokage was stunned. After a long moment, he said slowly, "Wait here for me, I will be right back!"

Gong Yi nodded.

A few minutes later, the Third Hokage returned, holding a thick book in his hands.

"This is the Scroll of Seals, which contains the forbidden techniques of the village. It records the high-level Ninjutsu developed and collected by successive Hokages, but many of them are dangerous to the body, so they are rarely shown to anyone. Except for ninjas who have rendered great service, ordinary people rarely get to see it!"

Listening to the Third Hokage's introduction, Gong Yi felt a sense of certainty in his heart.

Scroll of Seals!

This was his goal!

In Gong Yi's estimation, given his mission contributions and background, it was actually quite difficult for him to gain access to the Scroll of Seals.

However, with the groundwork laid earlier, it was not impossible for the Third Hokage to allow Gong Yi to view the Scroll of Seals.

After all, while the Ninjutsu contained within were immensely powerful, actually mastering them was an entirely different matter.

"You may browse through the Ninjutsu descriptions and then select one! However, I must warn you: the Ninjutsu recorded here are extremely difficult to learn and can even cause irreparable harm. Once you have made your choice, you cannot change it. Furthermore, your rewards for this mission will be considered concluded!"

Gong Yi grunted in acknowledgment, his gaze already fixed upon the Scroll of Seals!

After a long while, Gong Yi pointed to the name of a specific Ninjutsu and called out.

"I choose the Eight Inner Gates!"

PS: A new week has begun, and I ask for everyone's continued support.

Reviews and votes, thank you all!

Still five chapters every day, stable and consistent, with plenty of content in each chapter.