Enduring Transmission

It took Jiraiya and Yuehua Ai more than a week to finally clear the borders of Amegakure. Although they had left the village, the two were still within the territory of the Land of Rivers.

The scope of a ninja village and the scope of the nation it belongs to are two different things; a ninja village is merely a small fraction of its host country.

Whether it is a small village like Amegakure or one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages like Konohagakure or Sunagakure, the very nature of being a ninja village dictates that they share similar characteristics. A ninja village is the manifestation of a nation's military power. While gaining equal status with their host country, they also surrender their economic lifeline, all to maintain a so-called balance between the village and the state.

Ninjas possess power far beyond that of ordinary people, and according to the laws of nature, possessing power should mean having access to the best resources. While that is the logic and the principle, reality often deviates from the rules of consciousness. The villages that gather and produce ninjas are not built on the most fertile lands; instead, they are all established in harsh, barren environments.

Think of Sunagakure, besieged on all sides by sandstorms; think of Kirigakure, locked away by thick fog year-round; or Kumogakure, built atop the peaks of high mountains; and Iwagakure, surrounded by treacherous natural barriers. Even Konohagakure, which enjoys a slightly better environment, is surrounded by an endless forest, tasked with guarding the main thoroughfares of the Land of Fire.

The unique environments where these villages are located may help their ninjas better utilize their strength and effectively avoid attacks from rival villages, but the lack of local specialties means their only source of income becomes the missions commissioned by various nations.

No one likes living in a harsh environment, even if they are powerful ninjas. The current state of the world was formed primarily to avoid war and maintain peace—not the war between ninjas, but the slaughter between ninjas and civilians.

The ninja village holds the nation's strongest military power, while the nation controls the village's economic lifeline. This peculiar balance effectively prevents regional wars; it is the result of a subtle, mutual choice made between ninjas and civilians over the past millennium.

This relationship between village and state is never recorded in history. Even today, thousands of years later, very few high-ranking village officials or feudal lords truly grasp this. Only a transmigrator like Yuehua Ai, looking down upon history from the perspective of an outsider, could reach such a conclusion in an instant.

After stepping out of the range of Amegakure, the climate here, while still rainy, was no longer the relentless, unending downpour of the village.

For the first time in the eight years since his rebirth, Yuehua Ai saw bright, clear sunlight. Bathed in the golden rays, he wept with joy. Ordinary people who spend their entire lives in gloomy, rainy weather could never understand his feelings; having never seen a clear sky, they could not comprehend the warmth of the sun.

As the sunlight spilled onto Ai's youthful face, he felt an immense sense of enjoyment and a sudden, profound feeling of being reborn. Gone was the damp, heavy air; gone was the rain-curtain that felt like a prison of chains. His mood lightened instantly, and his mindset felt significantly younger. Ai ran and laughed on the dry ground; in Jiraiya's eyes, this was the only time Ai truly acted like a child.

The warm breeze no longer carried the scent of rain. Yuehua Ai was ecstatic. He had suppressed his emotions for far too long. After leaving that hellhole of Amegakure, he just wanted to scream and run wild. He felt that only now was he truly alive.

Ever since they left Amegakure and reached the border of the Land of Rivers, Jiraiya had felt that Ai's behavior was somewhat abnormal. Shouldn't someone who had never experienced a sunny day be more curious? Ai's reaction was so exaggerated, almost like a prisoner who had just been released. Though strange, Jiraiya didn't dwell on it, assuming it was just the surprise and curiosity of a child.

The two did not stop their journey home. Three or four days later, Yuehua Ai's excitement finally settled, and they finally stepped onto the soil of the Land of Fire.

Upon entering the Land of Fire, Yuehua Ai clearly felt the difference compared to the Land of Rivers. It had nothing to do with the size of the territory; the population density here was far higher. Even though they were still in the border regions, they had already passed several small villages over the past few days.

Compared to the citizens of the Land of Rivers, the lives of the people in the Land of Fire were clearly several tiers better. Unlike the constant, cold indifference on the faces of the villagers in the former, the people here radiated warmth. Even though they had only passed through a few small villages, Yuehua Ai frequently saw smiles on the villagers' faces—a display of hope and passion for the future.

After entering the Land of Fire, Jiraiya's mood also improved significantly. After three years, he had finally stepped onto this familiar land again. He would finally be able to see Minato, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Master Sarutobi. Just thinking about it made Jiraiya a little excited.

He wondered how Minato had grown over these years, what that guy Orochimaru had been up to while he was away, and whether Tsunade's figure had improved—if her chest had become even fuller. And then there was that old man Sarutobi; he wondered if he still loved smoking as much as before, and if his health was still holding up...

Jiraiya was only in his early thirties. Although his mindset was quite mature, the thought of seeing his friends, his teacher, and his old acquaintances soon made him feel a strange, uncharacteristic nervousness, as if he were a traveler returning home.

"Now this is the kind of strong liquor I'm talking about! The stuff back where you were is just too watered down..."

Jiraiya sat at the tavern table, downing cup after cup. Living in that godforsaken place with Yuehua Ai and the others, he had to carefully budget even the smallest drop of alcohol. He couldn't be this extravagant, and to be honest, he had been suppressing himself for far too long.

"..."

Yuehua Ai rolled his eyes at Jiraiya and said nothing.

The two had been living quite recklessly over the past few days. Jiraiya was afraid that once he returned to Konoha, he wouldn't have many chances to be this free, while Yuehua Ai was simply tagging along for the ride. He had absolutely no money, so he couldn't go wild even if he wanted to.

Yuehua Ai was very interested in the local customs of the Land of Fire. Over the past few days, he had taken every opportunity to explore, gaining a fair amount of understanding about everything here. However, what he understood best was the local drinking culture, because every time they arrived in a new place, the first place Jiraiya would visit was the local tavern.

Jiraiya was right; the liquor in the Land of Fire was indeed much better than in the Land of Rivers. This was something Yuehua Ai couldn't deny, though he had no intention of denying it anyway. He had no sense of loyalty to the Land of Rivers; while it was nominally his homeland, in his heart, there was only one true home.

The drinking culture of the Land of Fire was essentially a carbon copy of the sake and shochu culture from his past life. Even though Ai had rarely touched alcohol in his previous life due to health reasons, he could distinguish the common traits of these two types of liquor. Despite their different origins and methods, they shared one defining characteristic: they were strong!

Yuehua Ai took a small cup, poured a little from Jiraiya's flask, and licked it. His entire face scrunched up, and he couldn't help but stick out his tongue. The fiery, stinging sensation of the alcohol in his throat almost brought tears to his eyes.

"Hahaha!!!"

Seeing Ai's awkward state, Jiraiya couldn't help but roar with laughter. He couldn't suppress a sense of schadenfreude; this kid had ruined his fun more than once recently, and this was just karma!

He remembered a few days ago when he found a "research" spot in a village and gave Ai money to go play by himself. Who would have thought that instead of wandering around, the brat secretly followed him to the red-light district? Once inside, Ai had loudly demanded to join him in seeking service from the ladies. As a result, not only did Jiraiya fail to enjoy himself, but he was also scolded as a piece of trash for corrupting a child and was eventually kicked out.

Watching Ai's face flush red from the alcohol, Jiraiya laughed uncharitably. Even though he felt great, he maintained his duty as a teacher.

"What are you drinking for, you little brat? Alcohol is for men; it's not something you can appreciate at your age. No more until you're an adult! One taste today is enough!"

"Tch." Yuehua Ai curled his lip in indifference. If his body weren't so unaccustomed to alcohol, he wouldn't have looked so pathetic. He didn't know if he liked or hated alcohol; he only craved the stimulating effect it had on his body.

In his past life, everyone knew that alcohol could accelerate blood circulation. Coming to this world of chakra, he discovered that alcohol could also help accelerate the recovery of chakra on top of that. He had concluded this long ago when he first snuck a taste of Jiraiya's drink.

Refining chakra required physical energy. With his spirit energy overflowing, what he lacked most was physical cellular energy. The alcohol in the drink, while accelerating his blood circulation, could also be partially converted and broken down into the energy his body needed, which indirectly sped up his chakra recovery.

Of course, this only happened to a select few. After all, ordinary people had a balance between physical and spiritual energy, or their physical energy was weaker than their spiritual energy. They would never experience the abnormal state Yuehua Ai was in—growing spiritual energy was far more difficult than growing physical energy.

Admittedly, while alcohol could speed up his recovery, the effect was very weak. But for the current Yuehua Ai, it was better than nothing.

He had always held Jiraiya in high regard. A ninja as righteous and selfless as him was truly rare. Being taken as his disciple was the greatest stroke of luck since his transmigration, and he was filled with gratitude toward him.

Ai had a mature set of values, so while he didn't care much for Jiraiya's lectures, he wouldn't argue with him either.

Seeing Ai's expression, Jiraiya knew the boy hadn't taken his words to heart. Though he felt a bit frustrated, he didn't say anything more. This kid was not only one of his favorite disciples but also his most loyal reader.

When they were teaching Yahiko and the others in Amegakure, Jiraiya noticed Ai had a habit of taking notes while learning ninjutsu. Inspired by this and the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage, he felt the urge to write a book. He wasn't a nanny for these teenagers, and after assigning them training tasks, he often felt bored. Writing a book was the perfect way to pass the time.

Combining his own experiences with his daily life with the youths, Jiraiya began writing his first book. Because he wanted to write an inspiring, passionate story, he named his debut work The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja!

Unfortunately, neither Yahiko, Nagato, nor Konan were interested in novels. They preferred training over reading. The only one who supported his writing was Ai.

His career wasn't valued by his disciples, and his only supporter was a little brat. At first, Jiraiya felt quite dejected, feeling a sense of unfulfilled ambition. But ever since Ai read his manuscript and offered his critiques, that frustration vanished.

Being his first time writing, Jiraiya had many shortcomings, but with Ai as his only reader, the boy could always concisely point out his flaws and provide brilliant suggestions that made Jiraiya unable to stop writing. A rare soulmate—that was how Jiraiya defined Yuehua Ai in terms of his writing.

Three years had passed, and after leaving the Land of Rivers, his The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja was finally reaching its conclusion. Yet, for this work into which he had poured his heart and soul, he felt one lingering regret: the book lacked the shadow of Ai.

The protagonist of The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja was based on Nagato. As the Child of Prophecy, Nagato had always been Jiraiya's top priority, and it felt natural to use him as the prototype. But thinking back on all the exchanges he'd had with Ai during the writing process, he now felt something entirely different in his heart.