Lightning Release: Earth Current

"Blond kid... very smart... spoke gently... and there was a red-haired girl...

What even was all that supposed to mean?!"

"His name is Minato Namikaze."

Jiraiya glanced at Xuanhui, then reached out and tugged on his ear.

"You brat, didn't you already know his name? You made me remember all that for nothing. Why didn't you just tell me earlier?!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Lord Jiraiya! You never asked! Are you really going to make things difficult for me over something so trivial?"

Xuanhui grinned through clenched teeth, and the sight made Jiraiya furious.

"You still haven't given me the money you promised, have you?!"

He was obviously only around twenty. Why did he smile like such an old fox?

"Lord Jiraiya, didn't you teach me of your own accord?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"What we said was that if I asked you to teach me ninjutsu, I would consider paying you for it.

But you taught me willingly. How could I tarnish such selfless love with money?"

Jiraiya was so angry that he laughed. For people of the ninja world, this kind of maneuver was still far too advanced.

"So what you're saying is, if you ask me for guidance in the future, whether you pay will still depend on your mood?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Xuanhui shamelessly nodded.

Jiraiya felt a headache coming on. The tricks he used to fool children had gotten him nowhere with Xuanhui.

"Forget it. You're a clever kid. I'll just consider the ninjutsu a free lesson. After all, you're my friend's disciple."

Jiraiya waved a hand with an unconcerned expression.

"How could I let you teach me for free? Wait a moment."

Under Jiraiya's curious gaze, Xuanhui bit his finger, and the familiar wooden door rose from the ground once more.

"Your summoning beast... is a door?"

Jiraiya stood and circled the wooden door, examining it from every angle.

"Lord Jiraiya, don't block the doorway."

Xuanhui placed a hand against Jiraiya's waist and gently pushed him aside.

With his other hand, he pushed open the door, and the familiar scent of books washed over them.

"Would you like to come in and sit for a while, Lord Jiraiya?"

Meanwhile, Jiraiya's mouth hung slightly open. For a moment, he did not know what to say.

Seeing no response from him, Xuanhui opened the wooden door wider so he could see more of the scenery beyond it.

He ran into the novel section among the bookshelves, climbed a ladder, and began searching.

"This... is this a sage land?"

Jiraiya swallowed and stepped through the wooden door.

This place... even calling it a sea of books would not be an exaggeration!

"Xuanhui... what exactly is this place?!"

Xuanhui was choosing books from a distant shelf and could not hear Jiraiya muttering.

"This is..."

Jiraiya walked over to the desk and spotted something on top of it.

A small piece of snakeskin in a frame.

"Isn't this an ornament from Orochimaru's home? Why is it here?"

"Lord Jiraiya, don't touch Teacher Orochimaru's things carelessly. He's temporarily staying here right now!"

Xuanhui suddenly spoke from behind Jiraiya, his arms full of four or five books.

Jiraiya jumped in fright. The six-foot-three giant shuddered all over.

"Xuanhui, what is this place? Why is Orochimaru living here too?"

Xuanhui brought out the same explanation he had used on Orochimaru and fooled Jiraiya with it again.

As he spoke, he stuffed the novels in his arms into Jiraiya's embrace.

"To think... there's a place like this! The world truly is vast..."

Jiraiya opened one of them. It was called How the Steel Was Tempered!

After reading only a couple of lines, he was drawn in without realizing it.

"Amazing! This novel is pretty interesting!"

"You can borrow these books. They should help with your writing! Just remember to return them when you're done."

Jiraiya nodded, his gaze deeply absorbed by the words on the page, unable to pull himself away.

"Lord Jiraiya, stop reading for now. Let's head out first. You can read on the way."

They still had a mission to complete outside. If they stayed any longer, Orochimaru would come looking for them.

The two emerged from the door and happened to run into Orochimaru, who was looking around.

Hearing the sound, Orochimaru turned around and immediately understood what had happened.

"Learning ninjutsu?"

Orochimaru's hand naturally settled atop Xuanhui's head, gently rubbing it.

"Teacher Orochimaru! I'm a genius! Teacher Jiraiya taught me Dragon Flame Jutsu, and I learned it right away!"

"Dragon Flame Jutsu?"

Orochimaru thought about it. There really was such a ninjutsu. He seemed to know it too. If he remembered correctly, it was a C-rank ninjutsu.

Though its learning difficulty was only C-rank, mastering it so quickly was still quite impressive!

"Not bad."

The young Orochimaru was still not very good at expressing his emotions.

"Rest if you're tired from training. We'll set off after lunch."

"I'm not tired yet, Teacher Orochimaru. I feel especially fired up right now!

Could you teach me another Lightning Release ninjutsu?"

Orochimaru rested his chin on one hand and fell into brief thought.

Before long, a ninjutsu flashed through his mind.

"I nearly forgot about this one...

Xuanhui, you know that I don't specialize in Lightning Release ninjutsu. I can teach you one for now, then you can go exchange for a few more from the old man later."

Xuanhui nodded and listened intently.

"Lightning Release: Earth Current is a ninjutsu that activates quickly and lasts only a short time. By directing lightning-nature chakra into the ground ahead, it creates a large area of lightning.

This jutsu is suited for close-quarters fighting. If your opponent reacts quickly, you can also use it to create some distance!"

Orochimaru raised his hand and formed a simple hand seal.

Then he spread both hands with his palms facing the ground. A large current surged from his palms and bored into the earth like threads.

In an instant, a pool of lightning erupted across the ground before Orochimaru, rampant arcs of electricity raging wildly.

Yet after only a few seconds, it vanished like fireworks, turning to ashes after its brief bloom.

"Wow! Amazing!"

Xuanhui's eyes lit up. No matter how he looked at it, Lightning Release ninjutsu was the coolest among the five elemental styles!

"Alright, listen carefully now. First, guide the chakra into your palms..."

Orochimaru taught Xuanhui step by step, leaving Jiraiya staring blankly for a moment.

I never thought Orochimaru had changed this much...

This power... is it love?

Jiraiya felt as though he had figured something out, yet he still did not quite understand.

He felt that he had simply seen too little of the world, which was why he could not understand.

Once the war ends, I'll set out on my journey again...

Perhaps... if I could take my disciples with me...

How could that be possible? Their parents probably wouldn't agree...

For a moment, Jiraiya thought of many things.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. He pulled paper and a pen from his pocket.

"My thoughts are flowing like a spring! Orochimaru... I'm so jealous that you have such a wonderful disciple!"