"Little troublemakers, not only are you picking up my Ninjutsu moves, but now you're copying my hairstyle too?"
Beneath the blazing summer sun, Minato and Tatsuma found themselves standing on the water's surface, splitting their focus between activating their hair and maintaining equilibrium. In that moment, a hand landed on their shoulders, and a voice reached their ears.
"Splash~"
Taken aback, Tatsuma and Minato plunged into the river. Their hair, fashioned into impressive braids, spontaneously reverted to short lengths, and the two floundered in the water, seemingly oblivious to their ability to swim.
"Hahaha~ You two little troublemakers still have a long way to go."
Two sizable hands plucked them from the river and strolled to the riverbank. Finally, the two managed to muster the curiosity to identify their rescuer.
"Jiraiya-sama?"
"Jiraiya-sama, you're back?"
Jiraiya, sporting a grin, observed the two soaked individuals and remarked, "Indeed, with a few days off. By the way, that hairstyle you just had, did you come up with it yourselves?"
Minato nodded, exchanging a glance with Tatsuma, and explained, "It was Tatsuma's idea to break down Ninjutsu into different stages for targeted practice—a method to master high-level Ninjutsu."
"Haha, Minato was the one who realized it first. I just threw in a few suggestions," Tatsuma quickly waved his hand. While receiving praise felt good, commendation that wasn't rightfully his always felt a bit awkward.
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya rubbed his chin and inquired, "Tell me more."
Tatsuma and Minato then briefly elucidated the learning method they had devised six months ago to Jiraiya. Jiraiya nodded repeatedly and remarked, "Truly, geniuses like you two make this old man proud. Your minds are sharp. Furthermore, your grasp of Needle Jizo and Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu is spot-on. Indeed, by breaking down the learning process as you suggested, the difficulty can be mitigated. Well, both of you, give me a demonstration."
After uttering those words, Jiraiya signaled the two to showcase their achievements. They exchanged nods, swiftly formed the necessary hand seals, and soon, both of their hair began to lengthen at an impressive pace.
Observing the rapid and precise control these two exhibited over their hair growth, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel somewhat incredulous. As a seasoned Jonin, he could instantly recognize the exceptional Chakra Control displayed by these two young troublemakers.
Not only would their classmates from the ninja academy be in awe, but even some Genin or a portion of Chunin might not match the level of skill in Chakra Control exhibited by these two.
Minato adeptly controlled half of his hair to trigger rapid growth, while Tatsuma, after more days of dedicated practice, could now manage to control about three-quarters of his hair.
After the demonstration, Jiraiya tousled their damp hair and remarked, "Your Chakra control is already impressive, and your Taijutsu skills are commendable. Why not consider applying for early graduation? At your age, I'm sure you'd love to earn the admiration of your peers through outstanding performances, wouldn't you?"
Following Jiraiya's inquiry, Tatsuma shook his head and replied, "That's true, but we haven't delved into any Ninjutsu that requires Chakra. Our repertoire includes only the Escape Technique and Cloak of Invisibility Technique."
"Hmm?" Jiraiya blinked and mused, "With your talents, you couldn't learn them yet?"
Minato sighed and clarified, "Transformation Jutsu is scheduled for next semester, and Substitution Jutsu and Clone Jutsu are even further in the subsequent semester. I've heard there are other Ninjutsu and Genjutsu topics after that."
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya finally grasped that, despite their talent, these two were facing a shortage of techniques.
It took Jiraiya a moment to understand the reason. During his own enrollment, the ninja academy's system and curriculum were not yet perfected. Moreover, they had caught the attention of their sensei, Sarutobi Hiruzen, early on and were taken as disciples.
Therefore, Jiraiya had early exposure to many Ninjutsu, but due to his rebellious nature at the time, he didn't bother learning much, while Orochimaru, on the other hand, absorbed a considerable amount.
After a moment of contemplation, Jiraiya sported a smile once again and said, "It's better to graduate a bit later. After all, if you graduate early, it means the big tree can't protect you saplings anymore. You'll have to rely on yourselves to grow quickly."
"However, that being said, it would be beneficial for you to learn early. How about this—I'll take care of the Ninjutsu issue, and you just focus on your training."
"No, Jiraiya-sama, Ninjutsu scrolls are too expensive; we can't let you bear the cost," Minato refused. However, Jiraiya shook his head, saying, "How pricey can low-level Ninjutsu scrolls be? When you become independent ninjas, you can repay me by treating me to a few baths."
"Huh? Are baths as expensive as Ninjutsu scrolls?" Minato was somewhat surprised, recalling that bathhouses were free for those under ten. Jiraiya laughed heartily, saying, "Baths can be very expensive. You're still young; you wouldn't understand."
Suddenly noticing Tatsuma's look of realization, Jiraiya, with a mischievous grin, asked, "Tatsuma, little rascal, do you know why baths are considered expensive?"
"Probably because of different services, right? Just bathing should be affordable, but if you add other services..."
Tatsuma carefully chose his words, and Jiraiya, with a somewhat wicked interest, asked, "What kind of services are you thinking of adding?"
Minato, now extremely curious, looked at Tatsuma. Tatsuma cleared his throat and said, "It's probably, uh, things like scrubbing and also having tea and meals in the bathhouse. They would likely charge extra for those."
Upon hearing Tatsuma's explanation, Minato nodded in understanding. Jiraiya, once again, ruffled Tatsuma's head, leaving him with a comment reminiscent of what Tsunade had said half a year ago: "Small in size but big in wisdom! By the way, use this method for learning Ninjutsu for yourselves; don't go spreading it around."
"Huh? Why?" Minato was a bit puzzled because if this method could help ninjas master high-level Ninjutsu more quickly, wouldn't it be better for other ninjas in the village to learn it too?
Jiraiya nodded and spoke with a serious tone, "This method should be very effective, but the problem is that it has no threshold. Once too many people know about it, our enemies will also find out. Konoha can use this method to ease the difficulty of learning Ninjutsu, but it could be exploited by ninjas from other villages. Ninjas still need to keep a few cards hidden. Anyway, let's not delve into this further."
Jiraiya's tone shifted, and he said with a cheerful smile, "Oh, there's one more thing. I just came out of Sarutobi-sensei's office, cough, it's Sarutobi Hiruzen-sensei, not your sensei."
As soon as the Third Hokage was mentioned, Minato's attention instantly focused, while Tatsuma, not as excited, still adopted a concentrated expression. Jiraiya continued with a smile, "One student in your class got eliminated. Are you curious about who will fill that position?"
At Jiraiya's words, both Minato and Tatsuma maintained an uninterested expression, thinking it might be some significant event between villages or even countries. However, it seemed less thrilling than expected.
"Hey, hey! This is not a trivial matter. Shimura Danzo got into a serious disagreement with the Third Hokage because of this."
Hearing about this gossip, Tatsuma's attention was piqued again, and Minato also looked back at Jiraiya, waiting for his explanation. Seeing the two seemingly indifferent, Jiraiya was a bit annoyed but continued, "This time, it's said that a female ninja from another country will be joining, a relative of Mito-sama. But I must remind you, try not to get too close and avoid unnecessary trouble."
"Stirring up trouble? Why?" Minato asked in confusion. Interacting with new classmates seemed like a way to foster camaraderie and help people from other countries integrate better into Konoha. Why would Jiraiya disapprove?
Tatsuma, on the other hand, had a faint idea about the reasons. Jiraiya didn't elaborate much but simply said, "Just treat her like any other classmate. It's okay to interact and communicate, but don't be overly friendly, or you might be seen as having ulterior motives."
"Like you did with Tsunade-sama, right? I understand," Tatsuma nodded. Jiraiya also acknowledged with a nod. However, a second later, Jiraiya realized something, and a punch landed squarely on Tatsuma's head.
"Little rascal! You damn little rascal! Who said anything about me having ulterior motives with Tsunade? And where did you hear such things? Speak up!"
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