(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Seeing Colt, who hadn't visited in a long time, Ayame and Teuchi were visibly delighted.
Then, noticing the well-mannered Temari beside him, their expressions suddenly turned ambiguous with a hint of a smile.
"Colt, here's some extra Char Siu on the house!" Teuchi said with a wink as he served the meals ordered by the pair. It was obvious he had misinterpreted the situation.
Colt didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Teuchi-san, you've got it all wrong."
"I understand, I understand. I won't tell Ino and Hinata," Teuchi replied with a knowing look. He left without giving Colt a chance to explain, leaving space for the two of them.
Temari's face reddened to the roots of her hair, making Colt even more exasperated.
"You're blushing like a teapot!" he said. "Won't that just make the others misunderstand even more?"
Shaking his head, Colt focused all his attention on the food before him. It had been a while, but Ichiraku Ramen was still so delicious that he ordered two more bowls.
Temari beside him also ate with relish, finding it much more refined than the food in their Sand Village.
"Konoha is truly blessed," Temari sighed after finishing her meal.
Though both were among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure and Konoha were vastly different.
Konoha boasted a beautiful environment, pleasant scenery, and abundant resources. Countless wealthy merchants and civilians chose to live here, not to mention the numerous prodigies that emerged from the village every now and then.
Then what about Sunagakure? The land was sparsely populated, the climate harsh, and even water had become a precious resource.
Sometimes, a group of ninjas would fight to the death for just a few explosive tags.
Even more disheartening, the daimyo of their country felt that Sunagakure consumed too much money, so he preferred to hand tasks directly to Konoha.
If not for this, would they have taken the risk of working with Otogakure?
Thinking of this, Temari's heart skipped a beat, and she looked uneasily at Colt, who was still eating his fourth bowl.
'After today, we would be enemies.'
Upon leaving Ichiraku Ramen, Colt and Temari parted ways.
The relationship between them remained awkward.
Colt knew Sunagakure's purpose for this visit, but he would never reveal it.
Only after this trial could Konoha shed its complacency and embrace true renewal. As for the sacrifices, he could only help minimize them as much as possible.
For the next few days, Colt devoted himself to practicing sage techniques daily. Though progress was slow, he could feel the natural energy gradually integrating into his chakra system.
Finally, on the fourth day, he managed to use a small amount of sage chakra.
"[Sage Art: Wind Style - Great Breakthrough]!" he exclaimed.
The power of the Wind Style technique, infused with sage chakra, was astounding. It momentarily caused the waterfall to flow upwards against gravity. The waterfall itself was huge, and the normal version of the jutsu would not even disturb the surface of it.
"Is this the power of sage arts?" Colt's eyes shone brightly. With the blessing of the Sage Arts, even a C-rank ninjutsu had undergone a qualitative change.
He couldn't help but wonder: What about B-rank, A-rank, and S-rank techniques?
A small amount of sage chakra could cause such a qualitative change in ninjutsu. If he could fully enter Sage Mode, his strength would undoubtedly skyrocket. Perhaps he could directly enter the ranks of the super Kage-level!
Yet, he was still far from that step. After a whole morning of effort, he had only become able to use such a tiny amount of sage chakra. It was far less efficient than Naruto's initial two hours of charging for five minutes of use. But now that he had started, it would become easier with practice.
Colt's goal was to enter Sage Mode in seconds, just like Hashirama Senju - to simply clap his hands together and unleash whatever technique he desired.
"That's enough for today," Colt decided, watching the waterfall return to its natural state. He decided to give himself a break.
Leaving the waterfall, Colt headed towards a famous hot spring. He understood the importance of balancing work and rest, and hot springs were an excellent way to relax. A good soak would wash away all his fatigue.
However, as he approached the hot spring, he discovered something.
A middle-aged man with long white hair, carrying a large scroll on his back, was lying at the edge of the hot spring, peeping through a small hole. His buttocks wiggled occasionally in a rather pitiful display.
As Colt got closer, he could hear the man's muttering:
"This one's good, she got some big cheeks… hmm, seven points."
"This one is also nice, but the bath towel is in the way… six points for now."
"Wow! Those are huge, almost as big as Tsunade's."
It was Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, one of the Legendary Sannin.
A man who had inspired countless shinobi in his previous life was now engaged in such a shameful act. It really made Colt's feelings quite complicated.
"It's not good to meet your heroes, if they do such unsavory things," Colt thought. Now that he had encountered this, he felt compelled to teach Jiraiya a lesson.
Silently, a kunai appeared in Colt's hand. There were also a few explosive tags attached to it.
[Ten No Shiso] activated, guiding the kunai straight to Jiraiya's most vulnerable area.
Simultaneously, Colt raised one hand.
"[Ninja Art: Tandem Paper Bombs Technique]!"
Jiraiya, engrossed in observing a woman about to stand up, suddenly felt a chill down his spine. A sense of crisis overwhelmed him.
Looking back, his heart nearly leaped out of his throat. A kunai with a blazing explosive tag was mere inches away from his backside.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions rocked the area. With Jiraiya's strength, a few explosive tags wouldn't seriously harm him, but the wooden wall behind him suffered greatly, a large hole blown clean through it.
The startled women inside turned to find a rather embarrassed Jiraiya.
"Ah! Pervert!"
"Scum"
"Lowlife"
Screams erupted as towels and buckets flew through the air.
Jiraiya had no choice but to flee. But before leaving, he glared at Colt.
"You snotty brat, this isn't the place to deal with you. Do you dare to follow me?"
With that, he leaped away running.
Amused, Colt gave chase. His interest was picked.
Perhaps to allow Colt to keep up, Jiraiya's pace wasn't too quick. The two soon arrived at a small stream where Naruto was repeatedly biting his finger and making hand signs.
Naruto looked puzzled to see Jiraiya appear suddenly.
"Hey, Pervy Sage! Why are you back so soon?"
Usually, Jiraiya would leave Naruto to train while he went "gathering information."
"Some brat ruined my research!" Jiraiya grumbled, glaring at Colt who had just caught up.
"Colt? Why are you here?" Naruto greeted, then looked confused.
"Colt? Is he that Kamiyo Colt?" Jiraiya's eyes immediately sharpened.
He'd heard this name frequently lately. Not only did Naruto mention it often, but even the Third Hokage had brought it up several times.