Facing Gong Yi's fallback request, Jiraiya was in a difficult position.
The Third Hokage, on the other hand, watched Jiraiya with a smile.
"I'd be happy to see that, but it's up to Jiraiya."
Jiraiya scratched his head, unsure how to respond. After all, his teacher had told Gong Yi to make a request.
The Third Hokage had just turned down Gong Yi's first request. If he rejected the second one too, it would be like an adult deceiving a child.
Jiraiya asked with a headache, "Why do you want me to take you on as a student?"
Gong Yi blinked his big, innocent eyes. "Because you're so strong, Lord Jiraiya! And you trained a powerhouse like Senior Minato. I think I have decent talent too. If you trained me, even if I couldn't measure up to Senior Minato, I could still make a greater contribution to the village."
Gong Yi's words greatly pleased the Third Hokage.
In truth, Gong Yi wouldn't lose out if Jiraiya really agreed.
Jiraiya wasn't as skilled a teacher as the Third Hokage, but he was still a good one.
Never mind Minato Namikaze. Even the three children he'd trained in the Land of Rain had been powerful.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan!
Yahiko had founded the Akatsuki and had nearly become the Land of Rain's next leader.
Nagato had gone on to inherit the Akatsuki and destroy Konoha with his Rinnegan.
Konan was no pushover either. Her trap of six hundred billion explosive tags had nearly brought the Naruto story to an end.
Besides, becoming Jiraiya's student would help Gong Yi build a relationship with the Fourth Hokage and give him access to Mount Myōboku, one of the Three Great Sage Regions.
Mount Myōboku was where one trained in Senjutsu.
Given Jiraiya's generosity, there was no reason he wouldn't let his student learn Senjutsu.
In fact, both Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and Naruto had successfully made it to Mount Myōboku and trained in Senjutsu!
The Third Hokage watched with a smile. "Jiraiya, teaching the next generation of the village is something every Jonin needs to do. You've spent long enough being carefree every day. It's time you did something for the village."
Jiraiya smiled bitterly, then said with a troubled expression, "Oh, I already have Minato Namikaze to worry about. Don't send anyone else my way, Sensei."
He turned to Gong Yi and tried to tempt him. "Why not go to Orochimaru or Tsunade instead? Orochimaru hasn't taken on a student yet, and neither has Tsunade."
Gong Yi said nothing. He simply looked at the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage was also in a bit of a bind.
He had actually brought it up with Orochimaru before.
But Orochimaru had only gone to assess Gong Yi and hadn't said whether he intended to take him on as a student.
Things were complicated with Tsunade. She was in a bad place right now and wasn't suited to taking on a student.
"Jiraiya, are you sure you won't reconsider?"
Jiraiya hopped onto the windowsill, looking exasperated. "I don't want to teach a student! Kid, it's not that I look down on you. I just don't want the hassle. How about this? I'll teach you a Ninjutsu someday as compensation."
With that, Jiraiya jumped out the window and ran off.
The Third Hokage watched him go, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
But when he looked back at Gong Yi, his face filled with guilt.
He had invited Gong Yi to make a request, yet both of his perfectly reasonable requests had been rejected.
They were all adults, while Gong Yi was only eight. If word got out, wouldn't people laugh at them?
"Gong Yi, I'm truly sorry."
Gong Yi shook his head sensibly. "It's all right, Lord Hokage. My request was too much."
His words made the Third Hokage feel even worse.
He could understand Gong Yi's thinking. As a war orphan and a civilian ninja with no connections, he was unlikely to get a good teacher.
Originally, assigning him Iga Kawaji had been a pretty good arrangement.
But now Iga Kawaji had lost an arm and was disabled. Even forming Hand Seals was difficult for him, so he could no longer teach Gong Yi.
"How about you make another request? This time, I'll definitely grant it!"
Seeing the Third Hokage's guilt and firm resolve, Gong Yi smiled inwardly.
Whether it was asking the Third Hokage to teach him or asking Jiraiya to take him on as a student, Gong Yi had predicted the outcome of both requests.
But that was exactly what he'd intended: to retreat in order to advance!
Gong Yi put on a hesitant expression. After thinking it over carefully, he said seriously, "Since no one is willing to take me on as a student, I'd like to ask for a high-level Ninjutsu. Preferably an S-rank one, something that can save my life in a critical moment!"
The Third Hokage was stunned. After a long pause, he said slowly, "Wait here. I'll be right back!"
Gong Yi nodded.
A few minutes later, the Third Hokage returned with a thick book in his hands.
"This is the village's Scroll of Seals, which contains forbidden techniques. It records high-level Ninjutsu developed and collected by Hokage throughout the generations. But many of them are dangerous to the body, so we rarely let anyone read them. Only a ninja who has rendered great service to the village can see them. Ordinary people rarely get the chance!"
Hearing the Third Hokage's explanation, Gong Yi felt reassured.
The Scroll of Seals!
This was what he'd been aiming for!
In Gong Yi's estimation, given his mission contributions and background, it would normally be difficult for him to read the Scroll of Seals.
But with the groundwork he'd laid, letting him read it wasn't out of the question in the Third Hokage's eyes.
After all, the techniques in the scroll might be powerful, but learning them was another matter entirely.
"Browse through the descriptions, then choose one. But I have to warn you: the techniques in there are all extremely difficult to learn, and some can cause injuries that are hard to treat. Once you've made your choice, you can't pick another. And this will count as the end of your reward for this mission!"
Gong Yi gave a quiet "Mm," his gaze already fixed on the Scroll of Seals!
A while later, Gong Yi pointed to the name of a Ninjutsu and called out,
"I choose the Eight Inner Gates!"
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