The Tale of the Ninja

Jiraiya and Yuehua Ai spent over a week traveling before they finally left the territory of Amegakure. Though they had left the village, they were still within the Land of Rivers.

The territory of a shinobi village was not the same as that of the country it belonged to. A village occupied only a tiny portion of its country.

Whether it was a small village like Amegakure or one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, such as Konoha or Sunagakure, all shinobi villages were destined to share certain characteristics. A shinobi village represented a country's military might. In exchange for being granted a status equal to that of their country, the villages handed over control of their economic lifelines. This was done to maintain the so-called balance between village and country.

Shinobi possessed power far beyond that of ordinary people, and according to the laws of nature, those with power should have access to the best resources. That was how things ought to work, and that was the principle. Yet reality didn't match what one might imagine from the rules of logic. The villages where shinobi gathered and trained weren't built on the most fertile lands. On the contrary, they were all established in barren, inhospitable places.

Consider Sunagakure, surrounded on all sides by sandstorms; Kirigakure, shrouded in thick fog throughout the year; Kumogakure, built atop towering mountains; and Iwagakure, encircled by natural barriers. Even Konoha, which enjoyed somewhat better surroundings, was surrounded by an endless forest and tasked with guarding the main roads of the Land of Fire.

Though the unusual environments where the villages were located helped their shinobi make better use of their abilities and effectively prevented attacks from hostile villages, the lack of local resources meant that their only source of income was the missions commissioned by the various countries.

No one wanted to live in an inhospitable region, not even powerful shinobi. The main reason the world had developed this way was to prevent war and maintain peace. Of course, the wars being prevented were no longer wars between shinobi, but clashes between shinobi and civilians.

The villages controlled their countries' strongest military forces, while the countries controlled the villages' economic lifelines. This unusual balance effectively prevented regional wars. It was the subtle result of the choices shinobi and civilians had made over the course of a thousand years.

The relationship between villages and countries was never recorded. Even now, hundreds or thousands of years later, only a handful of village leaders and daimyo could grasp the truth. It took someone like Yuehua Ai, a transmigrator viewing history from an outsider's perspective, to reach the conclusion at a glance.

After they left Amegakure's territory, the weather remained rainy, but it was no longer relentlessly wet.

After eight years, Yuehua Ai finally saw bright sunshine for the first time since his rebirth. Bathed in its golden rays, he burst into tears of joy. Ordinary people who had spent their whole lives under gloomy skies could never feel what Yuehua Ai did. Having never seen a sunny day, they simply couldn't understand the warmth of sunlight.

Sunlight fell across Ai's young face. As he basked in it, an indescribable feeling of being reborn welled up inside him. The damp air was gone, as was the curtain of rain that had trapped him like a prison. His mood suddenly lightened, and he even felt younger. As little Ai ran and laughed across the dry ground, Jiraiya thought that only then did he really act like a child.

The warm breeze was no longer mixed with rain. Yuehua Ai was overjoyed. He had been suppressed for far too long, and after leaving that cursed place, Amegakure, all he wanted to do was shout and run. 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 noticed that Ai was acting strangely. Surely people who had never experienced a sunny day would be more curious when they suddenly saw sunlight. Why was Ai acting so over the top, as if he were a prisoner who had just been released? Jiraiya found it odd, but since Ai was still a child, he didn't dwell on it. He assumed Ai was simply overwhelmed with surprise and curiosity.

Jiraiya and his companion continued on their way home. Another three or four days passed before Yuehua Ai's excitement finally subsided. By then, they had at last set foot in the Land of Fire.

Once they entered the Land of Fire, Yuehua Ai immediately noticed how different it was from the Land of Rivers. The difference had nothing to do with the size of their territories. The population density in the Land of Fire was far greater than in the Land of Rivers. Even though they were still near the border, they had already passed several small villages over the past few days.

Compared with the people of the Land of Rivers, those in the Land of Fire clearly lived several levels better. Unlike the unchanging indifference on the faces of the former's villagers, the people here seemed full of warmth. They had only passed through a few small villages, but Yuehua Ai had already seen the villagers smile time and again. Their smiles carried hope and enthusiasm for the future.

Jiraiya was in much better spirits after entering the Land of Fire, too. Three years had passed since he had last set foot on this familiar land. At last, he would see Minato, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Teacher Sarutobi again. Just thinking about it made him a little excited.

He wondered how much Minato had grown over the past few years, and what that fellow Orochimaru had been up to while he was away. He wondered if Tsunade's figure had gotten even better, if her breasts had become fuller. And then there was old Sarutobi. Did he still smoke as much as ever? Was he still in good health?

Jiraiya was only in his early thirties, and though he was fairly mature, the thought of seeing his friends, teacher, and old acquaintances again soon made him feel strangely nervous, like someone returning home after a long absence.

"The liquor here really has a kick. The stuff where you live is way too mild..."

Jiraiya sat at the table, downing cup after cup. Living with Yuehua Ai in that godforsaken place, he had to ration even the tiniest amount of alcohol. How could he drink so freely like this? Honestly, he had been pent up for far too long.

"..."

Yuehua Ai rolled his eyes at Jiraiya and said nothing.

They had both been having a little too much fun these past few days. Jiraiya was afraid that once he returned to Konoha, he wouldn't have many chances to enjoy such freedom. As for Yuehua Ai, he was simply tagging along. After all, he didn't have a penny to his name. He couldn't go wild even if he wanted to...

Yuehua Ai was fascinated by the customs and culture of the Land of Fire. Whenever he had the time over the past few days, he had gone sightseeing and learned quite a bit about the place. What he'd learned most about, though, was its drinking culture, because wherever they went, the first place Jiraiya visited was always the local tavern.

Jiraiya had been right. The liquor in the Land of Fire was indeed much better than the stuff in the Land of Rivers. Yuehua Ai couldn't deny it, though he had no desire to. He didn't care about defending the reputation of the Land of Rivers. It might technically be his homeland, but in his heart, he recognized only one place as home.

The drinking culture of the Land of Fire was practically a replica of that of Japan in his previous life. Sake and shochu were just as popular here. Though little Ai had hardly touched alcohol in his previous life because of his health, he could still recognize the two drinks' shared characteristic. They might be made in different places and by different methods, but they had one thing in common: they were strong!

Yuehua Ai poured a little from Jiraiya's flask into a tiny cup and brought it to his lips. He took a sip, and his whole face scrunched up. He stuck out his tongue, unable to help himself, as the fiery taste of alcohol in his throat nearly brought tears to his eyes.

"Ha ha!!!"

Seeing Ai's miserable expression, Jiraiya couldn't help bursting into laughter. He couldn't stop himself from feeling a little gleeful. Ai had ruined more than a few of his plans lately. This was karma!

A few days earlier, he had found a perfect place to gather material in a village. He'd paid Ai to go off and amuse himself, but instead of wandering around on his own, the brat had secretly followed him to the red-light district. Once inside, he'd loudly insisted on joining Jiraiya in finding a pretty young lady to entertain them. As a result, Jiraiya hadn't enjoyed himself at all. He'd been called a scoundrel and a disgrace for corrupting a child, and then they'd been thrown out.

As he watched Ai's face turn red from the liquor, Jiraiya laughed without a shred of decency. Though he was feeling thoroughly pleased with himself, he still maintained the proper dignity of a teacher.

"You're just a little kid. What are you drinking for? Alcohol is for men, and someone your age can't appreciate it. You're not allowed to drink again until you're an adult. A taste today is enough!"

"Yeah, right~~(﹁﹁)~~~" Yuehua Ai pursed his lips indifferently. If his body weren't so unfamiliar with alcohol, he wouldn't have made such a fool of himself. He couldn't say whether he liked or disliked liquor. All he wanted was the stimulating effect it had on his body.

Everyone in his previous life knew that alcohol could speed up blood circulation. In this world of chakra, alcohol could also help chakra recover faster. He had reached that conclusion long ago, after secretly sampling Jiraiya's liquor.

Chakra was produced from physical energy, and though his spiritual energy was abundant, he was desperately short on energy from his cells. The alcohol in liquor could speed up blood circulation, and some of it could also be broken down and converted into energy the body needed. In turn, that helped chakra recover faster.

Of course, this only happened in a small number of people. Most people had a balance between physical and spiritual energy, or else had less physical energy than spiritual energy. They wouldn't end up in an unusual state like Yuehua Ai's. After all, increasing spiritual energy was much harder than increasing physical energy.

Of course, although liquor could speed up little Ai's recovery, the effect was very weak. Still, at Yuehua Ai's current stage, even a little helped.

Yuehua Ai had always deeply respected Jiraiya. There were very few shinobi as just and selfless as him. Being taken on as his student was the greatest stroke of luck since Yuehua Ai had transmigrated. He was naturally full of gratitude toward Jiraiya.

Ai had a mature set of values, after all. Though he didn't take many of Jiraiya's words to heart, he wouldn't argue with him either.

Seeing Ai's expression, Jiraiya knew he hadn't taken his words seriously. Though he was rather exasperated, he didn't say anything more. Ai wasn't just one of his favorite students; he was also his most devoted reader.

While teaching Yahiko and the others in Amegakure, Jiraiya had noticed that Ai liked to take notes while studying ninjutsu. Inspired by him, Jiraiya had remembered the Great Toad Sage's prophecy and felt the urge to write a book. He wasn't the boys' babysitter, after all. Once he'd assigned them their training, he had plenty of time on his hands. Writing would be a good way to pass it.

Combining his own experiences with the everyday moments he shared with the boys, Jiraiya began writing his first book. He wanted to tell a passionate, inspiring story, so he named his debut novel The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja!

Unfortunately, neither Yahiko nor Nagato and Konan were particularly interested in novels. They preferred training, and the only one who showed any support for his writing was Ai.

His students didn't care about his work, and the only one who supported him was a little kid. At first, Jiraiya had been quite disappointed. He had really felt like an unrecognized talent. But after Ai read his manuscript and critiqued it, that gloomy feeling disappeared.

Since it was his first time writing, Jiraiya had plenty of shortcomings. But with Ai as his only reader, he could always point them out in a few concise words and offer plenty of brilliant suggestions. Jiraiya found himself unable to stop writing. To him, Yuehua Ai was a rare confidant when it came to writing.

Three years had passed, and shortly after leaving the Land of Rivers, The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja had finally reached its concluding chapters. Though Jiraiya had poured his heart and soul into the book, he still felt there was one regret he hadn't made up for: the story was missing a trace of Ai.

The protagonist of The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja was based on Nagato. In Jiraiya's heart, Nagato, the Child of Prophecy, had always held the top spot. At the time, basing his book's protagonist on Nagato had seemed perfectly natural. But after all the conversations he'd shared with Ai while writing, he now felt quite differently.