Jiraiya's Test and Freeloading

Jiraiya's Test and Freeloading

A breeze swept over the rooftops.

Jiraiya sat carelessly on the edge of the eaves, wearing a tempting smile.

"Kid, come with me. I'll teach you Sage Jutsu."

Chenshu Senju did not hesitate.

"Meals and lodging included?"

"..."

Jiraiya's eyelid twitched.

"If they're not, I'm not going."

Chenshu Senju calculated inwardly. With a free guide and walking ATM, he would be a fool not to mooch off him.

He had to go see Tsunade anyway. Following Jiraiya would even save him travel expenses.

[Hidden mission triggered: The Three Sannin's Test and Freeloading.]

[Mission objective: Obtain cultivation resources and Sage Jutsu information from Jiraiya.]

[Mission reward: One advanced draw opportunity.]

The corners of Chenshu Senju's mouth rose slightly.

The system always understood what he was thinking.

Early the next morning.

Outside an upscale hot spring resort south of Konoha.

Jiraiya led Chenshu Senju around to the base of a wall with practiced ease.

There was a gap beneath the bamboo fence below, barely half a finger wide. At a glance, it was clearly the perfect observation spot left behind by an expert.

Holding binoculars, Jiraiya lay against the wall, his face slightly flushed.

"That figure, those curves... beautiful."

Chenshu Senju stood to one side.

He disdained using such crude tools. The One-Tomoe Sharingan in his right eye slowly spun.

Below, several female ninja who had just finished a cleanup mission were soaking in the springs.

Mist drifted through the air, but it could not block the Sharingan's vision.

He could see everything with perfect clarity.

One particularly voluptuous female ninja stood up, preparing to grab a towel beside her.

Her bath towel slipped down halfway, revealing a bottomless cleavage.

A dazzling expanse of white, still glistening with droplets of water.

"So white," Jiraiya blurted out.

Chenshu Senju nodded.

"Indeed."

He was merely observing the direction of chakra flow through the human body with a critical academic eye.

He was absolutely not peeping.

Just then, one of the female ninja below suddenly turned her head.

"Who's up there?"

Two shuriken tore through the air, carrying a fierce gust of rage.

Jiraiya reacted instantly, forming a hand seal with one hand before vanishing in a flash.

Chenshu Senju had just been about to leave when a clothes-drying bamboo pole from who knew where smashed down beside his feet.

Half an hour later.

In the forest outside the village.

Jiraiya clutched the huge bump on his head.

"Why didn't you warn me earlier, brat?"

Chenshu Senju glanced to the side.

While fleeing just now, Jiraiya had panicked and run straight into Shizune, who had been passing by. The pink piglet named Tonton had promptly been plastered all over his face.

It had been deeply humiliating.

"I thought one of the Three Sannin would be able to dodge it."

"Bullshit!"

Jiraiya cursed.

He was increasingly convinced that bringing this brat along had been a mistake.

The two headed along the dirt road toward Tanzaku Town.

Night fell.

By the campfire.

Jiraiya turned two fish over the flames, his gaze suddenly growing profound.

"How exactly did your Wood Release awaken?"

Jiraiya stared intently at Chenshu Senju.

Orochimaru wanted the answer, and so did he.

As the only person after the First Hokage capable of using Wood Release, Chenshu Senju would sooner or later be dissected for research by Konoha's upper ranks.

Chenshu Senju turned the grilled fish over the fire.

"A bloodline awakening. Is that so hard to understand?"

"The Senju Clan has gone all these years without even Tsunade awakening it, yet you, a branch family member..." Jiraiya paused.

"Maybe I'm just lucky."

"Just luck?"

Chenshu Senju took a bite of fish.

"Also, I dug up the old Senju Clan site and found a few things the First Hokage left behind in a secret chamber."

Jiraiya's mouth twitched.

Could he really talk about digging up his ancestors' graves with such righteous confidence?

He sighed.

Talking with this guy always made him feel like he might die of anger at any moment.

Chenshu Senju held out his hand again.

"Lord Jiraiya, what is the first lesson of training?"

"Chakra control."

"Too easy."

Chenshu Senju wiped his mouth. "I want to learn Sage Jutsu directly."

Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"Do you even know what Sage Jutsu is, brat?"

"Absorbing natural energy and combining it with one's own chakra in a one-to-one-to-one ratio to form senjutsu chakra." Chenshu Senju's tone was calm.

The Sage Body within him had long since taken care of that part.

What he lacked now was merely a systematic method of guidance.

Freeloading off Jiraiya's experience would save him plenty of blind experimentation.

Jiraiya fell silent.

This brat even knew the underlying principles of Sage Jutsu?

He suddenly felt like he was facing a little monster.

"If you want to learn Sage Jutsu, you must go to Mount Myoboku and sign a contract. The risks are enormous. One mistake, and you'll turn into a stone frog."

"Risk is part of strength too."

Jiraiya pulled out a tattered scroll and tossed it over.

"First, make sure you understand what's in there. Stop trying to run before you can walk."

[Obtained Jiraiya's Chakra Control Notes.]

[Mission progress: 30%.]

Chenshu Senju casually stuffed the scroll into his clothes.

"Jiraiya, this scroll is all ragged. Don't you have anything more advanced?"

"Don't push your luck, brat!"

Over the next few days.

Jiraiya paid for all their ration pills, deluxe grilled meat meals, and inn expenses along the way.

His frog wallet visibly shriveled at an alarming rate.

Chenshu Senju walked ahead.

He did not feel the slightest bit guilty.

He had always been a professional at mooching off wealthy people. Not only did he eat a lot, he specifically chose the expensive stuff.

As they walked.

Jiraiya looked at his deflated wallet and suddenly sighed.

"The world's getting more chaotic by the day."

Chenshu Senju did not even turn around.

"Orochimaru isn't dead yet. Of course it's chaotic."

"It's not just Orochimaru."

Jiraiya stopped walking, his expression unusually serious.

"The Great Toad Sage sent me word a few days ago. Something strange has appeared on Mount Myoboku recently."

Chenshu Senju turned around.

"What kind of situation?"

"Abnormal chakra fluctuations."

Jiraiya lowered his voice and looked around. "That chakra is ancient. It isn't a tailed beast, and it doesn't resemble ordinary natural energy either."

"The Great Toad Sage said it was like it had appeared out of nowhere. It gives people the creeps."

Chenshu Senju's gaze shifted slightly.

Ancient chakra?

In the ninja world, aside from the tailed beasts, the only ancient chakra left was probably tied to those Ōtsutsuki troubles.

He did not ask further.

For now, he only needed to secure his rewards and steadily improve his strength.

No matter what kind of abnormal fluctuation it was, once it encountered him, it would become another draw opportunity.

He would only think those experience packs arrived too slowly.

"Let's keep moving."

Chenshu Senju pointed toward the small town ahead, where smoke curled from chimneys.

"I'm hungry. I want wagyu tonight."

Jiraiya:?

Could this brat think of anything besides eating?

After such a serious topic, he was not concerned at all?

"You're paying for yourself tonight!"

"No money."

"Didn't you just loot a whole pile of spoils from the Sound Ninja underground laboratory?" Jiraiya gritted his teeth.

Chenshu Senju wore an innocent expression.

"I turned it all over to the village."

Jiraiya's face darkened.

If those old fogeys in Konoha could get even a single coin in spoils from this brat, Jiraiya would eat noodles upside down.

This brat was even harder to deal with than Orochimaru.

For some reason, he now felt a little... no, not a little. He very, very much regretted it.

Bringing this brat along was practically killing him.