Training Ground, Konohagakure
Sasuke was still sweating profusely and breathing heavily as he tried to master the Nature Transformation of a Single Chakra Nature.
Seventeen days had passed since the training began, yet the young Uchiha had not succeeded. Despite his failures, Sasuke had no intention of giving up and continued to practice relentlessly.
While Sasuke trained in the training ground, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade-hi observed him from the branches of a nearby tree.
Seeing Sasuke covered in injuries and bruises but still clenching his teeth and persisting, Tsunade-hi couldn't help but sigh. "Well, he is tenacious, I'll give him that, at least," she remarked.
Jiraiya nodded in agreent. "Despite failing to make any progress after more than half a month of attempts, he still refuses to give up. Sasuke indeed has great perseverance."
Despite his incredible family background and talent, Sasuke's hard work and struggle showed he was truly giving his best effort.
"It's just that... his Chakra is very cold. This type of coldness is similar to Uchiha Fugaku's Chakra," muttered Tsunade-hi with a frown. Having implanted her grandfather’s cells, she had beco more perceptive to the Chakra around her, and Sasuke’s cold Chakra made her purse her lips. Even though she was not as averse to the Uchiha as the Nidai Hokage, the increasing coldness of Sasuke’s Chakra was a matter of concern to her.
Kakashi explained, "It's quite likely the result of his Visual Prowess improving." This wasn't Kakashi’s own conclusion. Rather, it was what he had been told by Uchiha Shisui and Itachi when he questioned them about the changes in Sasuke and expressed his concerns. Although Kakashi was a bit skeptical and suspected there might be more to it, for now, he could only trust them, hoping they wouldn't hide anything that could affect Sasuke’s safety.
"Well, if that's the case, then forget it," said Tsunade-hi, shrugging off the matter. She then decided to change the subject. After carefully observing the boy's body, she said, "His injuries are all caused by prolonged exposure to Lightning Chakra. I suggest temporarily stopping the training of mastering the Nature Transformation of a Single Chakra Nature and letting him recover. Otherwise, his body might suffer serious long-term consequences."
Hearing Tsunade-hi’s advice, Jiraiya expressed his concern, sowhat dissatisfied with Kakashi. "Letting him train for the Nature Transformation of a Single Chakra Nature... This decision is indeed a bit hasty. He is still too young and immature to master sothing like that."
Kakashi nodded helplessly. "I hadn't expected things to go like this."
Tsunade-hi smiled at Kakashi's helplessness and asked curiously, "Did you really master the nature transformation of a Single Chakra Nature by simply watching Darui and Raijin's battle?"
Kakashi shook his head and said, "Although I realized the final step to completing the Nature Transformation of a Single Chakra Nature from their battle, I had invested a lot of ti and energy into learning it beforehand. I was facing a hurdle and couldn’t figure out a way forward. Watching Darui and Raijin’s battle made realize the solution to that hurdle, so I was able to master it imdiately."
"I’m afraid not many people can do that. You really have amazing talent, boy," said Tsunade-hi with a chuckle.
"Well, he is indeed the 'Copy Ninja' that we all know," Jiraiya smiled.
Kakashi, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched his head. Wanting to change the topic, he looked at Jiraiya with a serious expression and asked, "Jiraiya-sama, how did it go at Agakure?"
During the second phase of the Joint Chūnin Promotion Exam, Jiraiya suddenly decided to go to Agakure to investigate the backgrounds of Raijin, Samsara, and Tengu. He wanted to confirm if they were genuinely ninjas from Agakure or if they had any connections to the Akatsuki Organization, as Kakashi suspected.
Now that Jiraiya has returned to the village, he must have completed his investigation, and Kakashi wanted to hear the result of the investigation.
Tsunade-hi’s expression also turned serious as she looked at Jiraiya, waiting for him to explain.
“There are indeed records of Raijin, Samsara, and Tengu’s existence in Agakure, it’s just that except for a few key individuals, no one in Agakure seems to know the three of them. Well, the reason for this could be because they are part of the Agakure Anbu and don’t make public appearances.”
Kakashi frowned, “Then... Was I wrong to assu that they might be connected to the Akatsuki?”
Jiraiya shrugged, “It’s difficult to say… while they don’t seem to have any ‘obvious’ connection with the Akatsuki Organization, they could still be connected to the Akatsuki, so it’s better to not drop your guard.” He paused for a while, and added with a doubtful expression, “But there’s one thing that bugs about the three of them… while there are indeed records of their existence, there are no records of their academic performance and there are no records of the missions that they have completed, either…”
Tsunade-hi said, “But these discrepancies can easily be explained if we were to consider that the three of them never followed the traditional path that most children take to beco Shinobi… They probably never went to the Agakure Ninja Academy, rather, they may have undergone a training program quite similar to the Root.”
Kakashi nodded, “It’s possible…”
Jiraiya frowned. "Even if they underwent a training program similar to Root, who trained them? I couldn’t find any records of any shinobi currently living in Agakure who might be capable enough to train the three of them. They had to have soone capable around to teach them, right? Or is it possible that the three of them figured out everything on their own? That would be very scary..."
All great shinobi have had soone to teach them. Jiraiya, Tsunade-hi, and Orochimaru had Sarutobi Hiruzen. Namikaze Minato had Jiraiya, Hyuga Kuroto had Orochimaru, and Hatake Kakashi had Namikaze Minato. Even soone as monstrously talented and strong as Nagato needed an instructor. If not for Jiraiya teaching Nagato, he might not have beco such a big threat to the shinobi world. Therefore, Jiraiya doesn’t believe that Raijin, Samsara, and Tengu could have progressed without soone teaching them.
Kakashi asked doubtfully, “You an to say that soone from Akatsuki might have taught the three of them?”
Jiraiya was unsure, “It’s possible,” he paused and added, “It’s also possible that soone outside of Agakure taught them… I an, just like how I stopped by Agakure for three years to teach Yahiko, Nagato, and, Konan, there might have been soone else out there who stayed at Agakure to teach the three of them…”
Hearing Jiraiya’s reasoning, Tsunade-hi chuckled, “Who would be so foolish?” She didn’t think that there would be another foolish ninja out there like Jiraiya who would teach children of other villages knowing full well that they might beco enemies in the future
Jiraiya imdiately spoke his guess, “Could be Orochimaru.”
“Orochimaru?” both Kakashi and Tsunade-hi were stunned, wondering how Orochimaru ca into the picture out of nowhere.
Jiraiya nodded, “It could have been him, right?” he paused, and tentatively asked, “The matter about Kusagakure’s Kunoichi… The fact that her dead body was found and yet she made an appearance in the Chūnin Exam. I did hear about it. Moreover, Raijin and Kusagakure Kunoichi seem to have worked together against our Genins… If that person was indeed Orochimaru and given how the two of them tacitly cooperated, Orochimaru may have so connection with those three Agakure ninjas, right?”
“If you put it like that…”
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