The End

Not long after Kato Dan's death, Tsunade left the village. She left so suddenly.

When Yizhe told Jiraiya the news, Jiraiya lay silent in his hospital bed for a long time. That night, he took Yizhe to a tavern and drank himself senseless.

Though he did not mention a single word about Tsunade, Yizhe could still sense the bitterness in his heart.

"Won't you get me a drink too?" Yizhe asked.

Ever since they had met at the bathhouse, he and Jiraiya had become familiar with each other. Jiraiya often called him along to the tavern.

Of course, he could only eat while watching Jiraiya drink.

"Wait until you grow up—then you can drink!" Jiraiya replied indistinctly, already slightly drunk after downing two jugs of wine.

"Tch! Have you ever seen an adult who regularly takes a kid into a tavern?" Yizhe muttered. Jiraiya brought him to taverns but would not let him drink.

"Come to think of it, you really are different from other kids! The more time I spend with you, the more you seem like a grown-up!" Looking at the rather dissatisfied boy, Jiraiya laughed and drained another cup.

"Look, I accompany you to taverns whenever you feel like it, and when you get drunk, I'm even responsible for taking you home. Even if I haven't earned any credit, I've still put in the hard work, right?" As he spoke, Yizhe grabbed another chicken drumstick and took a vicious bite, as though venting all his frustration on the food.

"Hm? You want compensation?" Jiraiya might have looked carefree, but he was no fool. He immediately understood the implication behind the boy's words.

"I want to learn that move of yours—the Rasengan!" Since Jiraiya had laid it out in the open, Yizhe no longer concealed his intentions and readily stated what he wanted.

After spending this time together, Yizhe had finally learned that the technique Jiraiya had used to punch through the wall at the bathhouse was a hand-signless ninjutsu—the Rasengan.

For someone like him, who disliked forming hand signs, this hand-signless ninjutsu held incomparable appeal.

At the same time, Yizhe had figured out Jiraiya's temperament. So long as his request was not too unreasonable, Jiraiya probably would not refuse.

"Though it's a hand-signless ninjutsu, it also demands extremely precise chakra control!"

"Can a brat still studying at the Ninja Academy meet that kind of requirement?" Rather than refusing outright, Jiraiya stared eagerly at the confident boy and asked in return.

"Relax, relax! If I can't learn it, I won't blame you! Just teach me!" Yizhe waved a hand and continued gnawing on his chicken drumstick. He was quite satisfied with his chakra control.

After all, because he was still too young and his body had not developed enough, the amount of chakra Yizhe could extract had always been limited.

Yet he was interested in all kinds of fancy ninjutsu. Thus, in order to try out a few more techniques during every practice session, precise chakra control and reducing chakra consumption had become essential for him.

As a result, Yizhe's chakra control was far from poor.

"Interesting, interesting!" Seeing the boy brimming with confidence, Jiraiya stopped trying to dissuade him.

Just as Yizhe had expected, cultivating the Rasengan was as easy for him as eating and drinking.

In only three days, he had learned how to use the Rasengan, leaving Jiraiya utterly astonished.

The difficulty of the Rasengan lay in chakra control. If Tsunade, who excelled in medical ninjutsu, had learned it, she probably would have mastered it in the time it took to eat a meal.

After all, chakra control was what medical ninjas did best.

Yet Jiraiya could not understand why the boy before him, proudly holding a Rasengan in one hand, possessed such high-level chakra control at his age.

He did not know that Yizhe's spiritual power was far beyond ordinary. Having practiced hand signs and ninjutsu since childhood, with the aid of the Byakugan as well, it was only natural that he had attained such mastery over chakra control.

Learning the Rasengan had naturally come as easily as water flowing into a channel.

"Hey, Jiraiya!"

"Hm?" The somewhat childish voice pulled Jiraiya from his thoughts and back to reality.

"How do you think the war outside is going?" Yizhe dispersed the chakra in his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and casually asked.

"This war has been going on for a long time. The logistical support of every side is probably about to give out! It should be nearing its end!"

"Ha, ha! What's this? A little grown-up like you cares about the war?" Jiraiya laughed heartily, propped up his chin, and teased him.

"My father is still on the eastern front! I don't know how he's doing!" Ignoring Jiraiya's teasing, Yizhe's face was filled with worry.

Jiraiya fell silent. He too was a ninja who had experienced the battlefield and understood the cruelty of war all too well. Thus, he did not know whether Yizhe's father could return safely, nor did he know how to comfort this child whose mental age far exceeded his appearance.

With that thought, he could only change the subject. "My injuries have mostly healed!"

"Mm! You're heading out to war too?" Yizhe was briefly stunned before realizing that Jiraiya was leaving.

Jiraiya was a good, powerful ninja. During their time together, Yizhe had learned many things from him.

Though he knew Jiraiya would return to the front once his injuries healed, he had not expected the time to pass so quickly.

"Kid, if fate allows, we'll meet again!" Jiraiya smiled faintly, and his tall figure vanished amid a shower of fallen leaves, leaving only his parting words echoing where he had stood.

"Goodbye, Jiraiya!" Yizhe softly bid farewell toward the place where he had vanished.

When Yizhe was seven years old, the war finally came to an end.

Blood had flowed like rivers across the eastern battlefield. The Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan had suffered devastating losses, especially the Uchiha Clan. During that final year, mourning clothes could be seen in both clans almost every day.

In the end, Water Country, located overseas and lacking resources, was the first to falter and seek peace.

Thus, the fighting in the east came to an end.

On the western battlefield, Wind Country was the first to suffer defeat and sue for peace. The Kazekage had vanished, and the Sand Ninja Village had been unable to select a new Kazekage for a long time. As a result, the Sand Ninja had remained leaderless and at a disadvantage until the war ended.

As for Earth Country, the battle there remained locked in a stalemate.

It was not until Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya's disciple, led his subordinates to successfully destroy Kannabi Bridge and cut off the supply line of Earth Country's Rock Ninja that the balance of the war finally began to shift.

With their supply line destroyed, the Rock Ninja soon lacked the strength to continue and were defeated in their war against Konoha.

At last, the shadow of war that had hung over Konoha for years was finally blown away.

"Father?" Returning home from school and just about to enter the house, Hyuga Yizhe recognized the familiar figure standing in the courtyard at a glance.

"I'm back!" Huo Jian forced a stiff smile onto his face. Returning home should have been a joyful thing. He had prepared a great many words to say, but when the moment came, only this one sentence remained in his heart.

"Father, your arm?" Seeing the middle-aged man's empty right sleeve, Yizhe's heart immediately sank to the bottom.

"It's nothing. I encountered someone formidable on the battlefield and lost an arm, but that was how I managed to keep my life!"

Though Huo Jian spoke lightly, Yizhe could still sense the danger behind those few brief words, something no ordinary person could endure.

"Didn't you say your unit would need some more time before it could withdraw?" Not wanting to touch upon the pain of his father's lost arm, Yizhe changed the subject.

"Water Country has already signed the ceasefire terms. But fearing a false surrender, part of the forces were left behind to remain on alert for a while, while the wounded were allowed to withdraw first," Huo Jian explained softly.

"Enough, the war is not something a child like you should concern yourself with! Go do your homework! Later, I'll inspect what you've learned these past few years!"

Without waiting for Yizhe to ask another question, Huo Jian waved him away.