For the next two days, Tatsuma visited various places. From the moment he heard the outrageous rumor on the road, Tatsuma realized that the impact of his injury was more significant than he had imagined. After a brief investigation into the source of the information, Tatsuma couldn't help but feel both amused and helpless; his first thought was that he had become a tool in Danzo's hands.
However, Danzo's seemingly genuine concern couldn't be faked, so Tatsuma could only conclude that two things coincidentally overlapped. Danzo's inexplicable concern was real, and so was his opportunistic attack on Sakumo Hatake. However, in the past two days, Tatsuma also heard some clarifications regarding the rumors.
Tatsuma thought that perhaps Danzo had stopped, or maybe Sarutobi Hiruzen had intervened. Regardless, it didn't matter anymore; Tatsuma just needed to correct the misconceptions of those truly affected. He spoke with Danzo, Sakumo Hatake, members of the Senju clan, and his classmates, repeating the same clarifications over and over.
The saying "a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its shoes on" held true. A rumor requires only a single point to rapidly spread through the social circles of those who believe it, expanding from a point to a surface. Each point on this surface, through its own networks, further propagates the rumor, transforming it from a single point to a complete, self-sustaining narrative.
Fortunately, the rumors hadn't reached that level yet. With some additional time and effort, the situation could still be corrected.
Minato and Jiraiya were the last people Tatsuma visited, as neither of them were easily swayed by rumors, and one of them was directly involved in the matter. It only needed to be explained clearly. Tatsuma also took the opportunity to ask Jiraiya if he could learn Shikigami Jutsu. Jiraiya, upon hearing this, didn't show any reluctance; instead, he smiled and said, "Konan also learned Shikigami Jutsu. You know Konan, right?"
"One of those three children back then."
In the back mountains of Konoha, Jiraiya was training Minato when Tatsuma came to speak with them. Upon hearing Tatsuma indeed remembered, Jiraiya nodded with a smile and said, "Yes, her chakra has a natural affinity with paper. If she had been born hundreds of years ago, she would probably be renowned as an onmyoji or a shrine maiden. The old man put my plan to travel the ninja world on hold, and Minato also asked me to guide him for a while longer. So, you can come and learn Shikigami Jutsu with me during this time."
"But you understand what I mean, right? Minato isn't willing to teach me that technique."
Tatsuma smiled and nodded, understanding that Jiraiya was referring to the Rasengan, which Jiraiya had learned from his disciple Minato in the original story.
This was something that set Jiraiya apart from others: he never hesitated to ask questions and his easygoing nature made him approachable. Tatsuma wouldn't refuse Jiraiya's request to learn the Rasengan either, as Jiraiya had significantly contributed to its development, including techniques like the Big Ball Rasengan and Great Flame Rasengan. However, the "intellectual property" of the Rasengan belonged to Tatsuma. Even though Minato was close to him, he wouldn't overstep by deciding to teach this technique to others without Tatsuma's consent.
"No problem, Minato has the complete training method for the Rasengan. After his training sessions, there should be plenty of leftover materials. You can talk to him about how to get them," Tatsuma said, raising his left hand. He continued, "I probably can't teach you myself at the moment."
As chakra flowed from his palm and spun around, it struggled to take form. Jiraiya's smile faded, and he asked seriously, "Is there some lingering effect from your injury? Is that why you want to learn Shikigami Jutsu?"
Seeing Jiraiya's sudden seriousness and concern, Tatsuma shook his head and replied casually, "My chakra now is more than double what it was before I was injured."
"This has caused my chakra control to drop by more than a level. The Rasengan requires an extremely precise chakra control. Without adequate control, it's impossible to use it." The sudden increase in chakra brought some challenges, such as the need to adapt to finer chakra control. It's like pouring water from a teapot; it's easy to pour a smooth, even, and slow stream of water. But if you switch to a wide-mouthed container, it becomes much harder.
Hearing Tatsuma's nonchalant yet subtly boastful tone, Jiraiya's fist tightened. He thought back to how much he preferred the younger Tatsuma, who had very little chakra and had to be meticulous with each jutsu.
"Then why do you want to learn Shikigami Jutsu? This technique isn't very practical in combat unless you have a natural affinity between your chakra and paper. If that were the case, you would have discovered it long ago," Jiraiya said, puzzled. He continued, "I originally learned this technique to send letters to the ladies in the entertainment district, as I couldn't enter at the time. You wouldn't be planning to..."
Seeing Jiraiya so openly talk about such past exploits, Tatsuma couldn't help but admire his boldness. However, he clarified, "I don't have the same kind of mischievous interests as you. I'm preparing for another technique."
"What technique?" Jiraiya asked.
"Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Jutsu," Tatsuma replied.
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's silver hair shook slightly as he said, "That's not a technique a living person can safely use. Would the old man even allow you to learn it?"
"Yes, I have a way to mitigate the damage from this technique," Tatsuma shrugged confidently. Jiraiya, with a skeptical look, replied, "Using that Medical Ninjutsu that nearly killed you?"
Tatsuma's expression fell; Jiraiya was not easy to deceive. Tatsuma had to explain, "Yin Healing Wound Destruction requires a significant amount of chakra, which I didn't have before, but that's no longer the case."
"I have quite a bit of chakra myself," Jiraiya said thoughtfully, then stared at Tatsuma. Tatsuma quickly understood what Jiraiya meant, but instead of refusing, he smiled and said, "If you want to learn it too, Jiraiya-sensei, I can teach you."
"However, this involves a lot of knowledge about Cursed Seals. Some aspects I only know in theory and not in depth. If you don't understand something, you could consult Orochimaru-sama."
"Ask that snake? Forget it, I'd rather not learn it!" Jiraiya immediately rejected the idea after imagining the scenario. He'd rather face serious injury than seek advice from Orochimaru, knowing that Orochimaru would likely respond with sarcasm and mockery.
Jiraiya then suddenly thought of something and glanced at Minato, who was still training, ensuring he wasn't paying attention. He leaned closer to Tatsuma and whispered, "Tatsuma, with your current chakra control issues, it must be hard to guarantee success in medical procedures, right? If you were to accidentally remove Dan Kato's spare kidney, it would be understandable, wouldn't it?"
Tatsuma responded, "I think if that happened, Sensei would likely come after me. And if she knew you suggested it, she'd probably come after you too."
"Ahaha~ ahaha~ What do you mean 'suggested'? I was just expressing concern," Jiraiya laughed awkwardly.
Jiraiya stepped back from Tatsuma, and seeing his reaction, Tatsuma grinned mischievously and said, "Jiraiya-sensei, have you mastered Sage Mode?"
"How do you know about that?" Jiraiya was surprised, then shook his head and said, "It must have been that snake who told you. No, I haven't. I still can't enter Sage Mode; Sage Fukasaku always says I can't calm my mind enough."
"Let me tell you a secret: I've already entered Sage Mode," Tatsuma said, raising his eyebrows with a knowing look, like someone boasting to a friend about an adventure in the entertainment district.
Jiraiya's eyes widened as he instinctively responded, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I've been training for years and still haven't mastered it. You've only been to the Shikkotsu Forest once, how could you have mastered it?"
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Sensei. She witnessed it herself."
Tatsuma's confident tone caused Jiraiya's expression to change. He grabbed Tatsuma's collar and exclaimed, "Is the Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode easier? Can I still become a disciple of the Shikkotsu Forest Sage?"
"Maybe. Given how close we are, I definitely want to help you master Sage Mode quickly. If you're really interested in learning the Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode," Tatsuma said, pushing aside Jiraiya's now-loosened grip, "you can become my first disciple. I could even have your name inscribed on the Shikkotsu Forest's summoning scroll!"
"You..." Jiraiya was about to get angry, but something in Tatsuma's offer made him seriously consider it.
Tatsuma suddenly panicked a bit, thinking about what he would do if Jiraiya actually accepted the offer. Would he really take Jiraiya as a disciple?
After pondering seriously for a while, Jiraiya sighed and said, "Forget it. If I actually did that, Fukasaku and Shima would probably come from Mount Myoboku and beat me to death."
Tatsuma breathed a sigh of relief. Jiraiya then looked at Minato, who was training earnestly, and said, "It seems I really need to work harder. I still want to guide Minato in Sage Mode training as his sensei in the future."
Tatsuma, seizing the moment, said, "Jiraiya-sensei, your inability to calm your mind might be due to certain substances in your body, like androgens, dopamine, or hormones. This condition could be resolved by removing the source of these distractions, like the testes. Without the root of these troubles, you might naturally find peace of mind."
"Where did you learn about this?" Jiraiya asked, looking downward skeptically. Tatsuma quickly improvised, "I heard it from Orochimaru-sama."
"Him? Could it be...?" Jiraiya's eyes widened as the thought took hold, causing him to shudder as if he had suddenly become a bristling cat, his skin crawling with goosebumps, and his silver hair standing on end.
Meanwhile, in his laboratory, Orochimaru, who was analyzing Tatsuma's latest blood sample, suddenly felt a tickle in his nose. He turned his head quickly, even through his mask, to avoid contaminating the equipment and materials.
"Ah...choo!"
"Could it be that I've contracted Tatsuma-kun's cancer? No, cancer isn't contagious... Wait, it's not even confirmed to be cancer. How could I jump to conclusions like that?"
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