The afternoon sunlight filtered through the old wooden window lattice, casting dappled light and shadows across the floor. A faint scent of medicinal herbs and old books filled the air.
Senju Chen sat cross-legged on the tatami, his eyes closed and his hands forming hand seals.
Wisps of chakra flowed slowly through his meridians like gentle streams. Ever since stealing Jiraiya's "Advanced Chakra Refinement Technique," he could clearly feel the changes in his body. His chakra, once a mere trickle, now seemed to flow through a widened riverbed, becoming more turbulent and more concentrated. Each round of refinement was like tempering fine steel, stripping away impurities until only the purest power remained.
This made his thirst for power burn all the hotter.
However, the peaceful days did not last long before a new "trouble" arrived uninvited.
"Tsunade! I'm back! I gathered some fantastic material in the Land of Hot Water this time! I guarantee it'll make for an earth-shattering masterpiece that'll go down through the ages! Wahahaha!"
His voice arrived before he did.
Jiraiya's signature booming laughter was like a boulder hurled into a still lake, instantly shattering the afternoon quiet of the Senju estate.
His visits were absurdly frequent. Almost every two or three days, the white-haired man would appear right on schedule. His stated purpose was to discuss important village affairs with Lord Hokage and catch up with his old teammate while he was at it.
But Senju Chen saw right through him.
The man's eyes always drifted toward him, seemingly by accident or design. Those clouded eyes, apparently drained by drink and women, concealed a trace of scrutiny and curiosity, as though he were determined to find a "Child of Prophecy" label on him.
Senju Chen's response was nothing short of textbook.
He would immediately hide behind Tsunade, revealing only a pair of timid eyes, watching the strangely behaved white-haired man with just the right mix of three parts fear and seven parts curiosity.
Whenever Tsunade noticed his "nervousness," she would instinctively shield him more closely, occasionally shooting Jiraiya an impatient glare.
"Keep your voice down. You're scaring the child, idiot!"
"Hahaha, boys need to be a little braver!" Jiraiya laughed it off, but his gaze lingered on Senju Chen for another two seconds.
At first, Jiraiya would even make a show of teaching him a few chakra control tricks.
Senju Chen was naturally happy to cooperate.
A chance to freeload off the practical experience and instruction of one of the "Legendary Sannin" was the sort of opportunity you could hardly find even with a lantern.
In the courtyard.
Senju Chen held out his pale, tender little hand, using chakra to hold an emerald-green leaf against its back.
The leaf trembled violently on the back of his hand, as though a gust might blow it away at any moment.
"No, no!"
Jiraiya crouched beside him, shaking his head repeatedly with a pained expression. "Your output is far too unstable! Little Chen, you need to feel it. Let your chakra flow steadily like a stream, not burst out like a flash flood!"
As he spoke, he extended a finger. A leaf clung steadily to his fingertip, even rotating slowly at his will, as gracefully as if it were dancing.
You've got some skills, old man.
He adjusted his chakra in a "panic." The leaf on the back of his hand shook even harder before falling to the ground with a snap.
Senju Chen's little face paled as though he had suffered a tremendous blow, and he lowered his head dejectedly.
"Lord Jiraiya... I... I can't do it."
"Don't get discouraged. You've only just started." Jiraiya smiled reassuringly, but the scrutiny in his eyes quietly deepened a fraction.
This brat's chakra reserves seemed greater than last time. His control was a complete mess, but the chakra fluctuations that leaked out for that instant were definitely not something an ordinary child could produce.
Was this the physique of the Senju Clan?
Jiraiya picked up the leaf and handed it to Senju Chen with a kindly smile.
"Try again. This time, concentrate and put all your distracting thoughts aside."
Senju Chen obediently nodded and attached the leaf to the back of his hand again.
This time, he put even more "effort" into controlling it. Fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead, and his little face flushed red with exertion.
The leaf trembled, holding on for a full ten seconds before finally fluttering unsteadily down.
Yet the instant the leaf left the back of his hand, Jiraiya's gaze abruptly sharpened.
His hand shot out like lightning-not to catch the falling leaf, but to grab Senju Chen's wrist!
"Lord Jiraiya... l-like this?"
He tilted his little face up, looking at Jiraiya with clear, slightly timid eyes. His voice was soft and sweet, portraying a four-year-old child's innocence and unease to perfection.
"Yes, yes! Just like that!" Sure enough, Jiraiya took the bait. He crouched until he was almost at eye level with Senju Chen, wearing an exaggerated, somewhat comical smile. "Little Chen, concentrate. Feel the flow of chakra, just like you're sticking it to your hand with glue!"
Glue?
Senju Chen rolled his eyes inwardly. Such a childish analogy would only fool someone genuinely naive and gullible.
On the surface, however, he gave a perfectly timed look of sudden understanding, and the leaf on the back of his hand seemed to steady a little as a result.
"Jiraiya."
From beneath the veranda, Tsunade's voice carried a tipsy languor and unmistakable impatience. She propped her chin on one hand while toying with a sake cup in the other.
"If you've got nothing to do, go help the old Third with his paperwork. Stop hanging around my place all day, scaring my little brother."
"Hey, this is called caring for the younger generation!" Jiraiya paid no mind to Tsunade's coldness. Instead, he winked at her, then leaned closer to Senju Chen and lowered his voice, speaking in what he thought was a discreet tone. "Tsunade, about the Great Toad Sage's prophecy..."
"Shut up!"
Tsunade's voice abruptly turned cold, and she slammed her sake cup onto the table!
Thud!
The sharp sound seemed to freeze even the air in the courtyard.
"Don't mention that old toad's nonsense in front of me!"
At the very moment the two exchanged words, Senju Chen's heart lurched.
Having kept up his act for so long, he was mentally tired. Tsunade's sudden outburst startled him, and his chakra output instantly went out of control.
Because of his uncontrolled movement, the spinning leaf lost the chakra holding it in place and drifted gently to the ground.
"Big Sis..."
Senju Chen's eyes instantly reddened. He pouted, looking both wronged and frightened, and began to sniffle softly.
"Please... don't fight..."
That tearful protest proved remarkably effective.
Tsunade instantly fixed Jiraiya with a murderous glare.
"Look what you've done!"
Jiraiya opened his mouth, utterly dumbfounded.
He looked at Tsunade, who was seething with rage and might flip the table and attack at any moment, then at the fallen leaf and the aggrieved Senju Chen. All that remained on his face was embarrassment and helplessness.
What the hell was this?
"Ahem, well... I just remembered I still haven't finished gathering material! Yes, gathering material!"
Jiraiya jolted, having found the perfect excuse.
"I'm off, then! I'm off!"
Before his words had even faded, the legendary Sannin vanished ignominiously through the estate's entrance at a speed that bordered on fleeing, his retreating figure as panicked as if a dog were chasing him.
Phew...
Senju Chen let out a long inward sigh of relief. He had finally sent that great Buddha on his way.
Over the past few days, he had endured Tsunade's "lovingly prepared meals," which could practically qualify as biological weapons, while also playing cute and acting his age in front of Jiraiya. He was utterly exhausted, body and mind.
If this kept up, he suspected he would develop a split personality before any enemy could kill him.
I can't live like this!
Senju Chen's gaze sharpened slightly. He had to find a once-and-for-all solution that would make this number-one fan of the "Child of Prophecy" lose interest in him completely.