--
After finishing their ramen, in the afternoon, Ichiro Matsuyama set off with the convoy.
On the road, he casually chatted with Jiraiya.
The purpose of this journey remained the same: to make a deal with Gato. However, from the information he gathered, it seemed Gato had supported some gangs in the Land of Waves and was not very polite in his dealings.
He was worried about being double-crossed.
Koji Matsuyama had mentioned this earlier.
Jiraiya took on this mission not only for the money and the challenge of an S-rank mission but also because he was curious about the Land of Waves and Gato.
"Gato, what kind of person is he? Do you know him?"
"Not very well. He suddenly rose to power in recent years, driving away many of our old clients."
Ichiro Matsuyama sighed.
He looked at Jiraiya and asked,
"Lord Jiraiya, everyone is competing for control over the Land of Waves. Haven't you considered sending someone there?"
Jiraiya actually didn't know much about the situation in the Land of Waves.
"The Land of Waves..."
Currently, matters like this were under Danzo's jurisdiction.
He thought for a moment.
"Is the situation in the Land of Waves that bad?"
"It's chaotic!"
Ichiro Matsuyama had a serious expression as he described the current chaos in the Land of Waves.
"It seems like all the local gangs are fighting for territory, but in reality, many of them are backed by the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning, creating even more chaos."
"The Land of Water, the Land of Lightning..."
Jiraiya frowned.
The location of the Land of Waves was indeed quite strategic.
It was close to the Land of Fire but also situated between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, a central sea area among the three countries.
Entering the Land of Waves...
Considering the geographic positions of the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves, it would certainly be advantageous. But as a seeker of peace, he felt that wasn't the right thing to do.
Kyohiko remained silent.
Winning over the Land of Waves would indeed benefit the Land of Fire and Konoha. As "Hokage," he could even gain some advantage from the situation.
But...
Theoretically, he was only seven years old and shouldn't know about the Land of Waves.
Go to the Land of Waves first.
After traveling around the area, he would naturally "gain insights" in due time.
Genius.
Maintaining the character was indeed logical.
The earlier efforts were not wasted.
Kyohiko felt satisfaction in his heart.
After a moment of silence, Jiraiya finally sighed and said, "Let's see. Some things are out of my control."
Ichiro Matsuyama realized that Jiraiya didn't want to discuss it further, so he immediately bowed and took his leave, heading to the back of the convoy to discuss business matters.
Jiraiya glanced at Kakashi.
"You're free anyway, why not play with this for a bit?"
He tossed a balloon to Kyohiko.
"Do me a favor, fill it with water, not too full."
"Alright."
Kyohiko filled the balloon easily without making any hand signs.
"Here."
Without any hand signs, he managed to quickly gather water element chakra?
Just from reading for a few days?
Already improved?!
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, but he quickly handed the balloon to Kakashi.
"Just use chakra, see if you can break it."
"Okay."
Kakashi took it.
Walking along, he thought for a moment, gathering chakra.
The chakra he controlled moved around like a sharp blade, but no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't manipulate the chakra to break the balloon filled with water.
It wasn't as easy as he thought.
He frowned.
Jiraiya chuckled, glanced at Kyohiko, and said, "Kyohiko, want to give it a try?"
"Can I?"
"Of course."
Jiraiya nodded.
Kyohiko took the water-filled balloon.
Soon, the water inside the balloon started swirling and colliding, until finally, the balloon burst with a splash.
Kakashi blinked.
Kurenai blinked as well.
Then, she quietly glanced at her companion.
Thank goodness.
Her companion was wearing a mask, so his expression couldn't be seen, but Kyohiko was indeed impressive, able to burst the balloon on the first try.
Jiraiya was inwardly shocked, but as a seasoned jonin leader, he kept his expression steady.
"Once you get the hang of it, it doesn't seem that hard."
Kyohiko clapped his hands, wiping away the water and balloon fragments from his hands.
Jiraiya calmly handed another balloon, "You did well; now let Kakashi give it a try."
Kurenai held back a laugh.
Too bad.
"Haha--"
She failed.
Noticing Jiraiya and Kakashi's gaze, her face reddened slightly as she quickly explained, "I didn't laugh on purpose, just thought of something funny."
Kyohiko stifled his laughter.
Clearly.
Her explanation did little to convince Jiraiya or Kakashi.
Kakashi was perhaps more self-conscious, but his covered expression still seemed downcast.
Kyohiko managed it easily, while he struggled, which was a blow to him.
As someone once deemed a genius, Kakashi felt the struggle of the exercise.
Yet...
He spoke with determination, "It's okay! I'll get it soon!"
After a while.
"Boom!"
Kakashi calmly wiped the fragments off his hands, looking at Jiraiya and Kyohiko, but recalling they had completed the exercise long ago, he felt he had nothing to brag about.
Feeling frustrated, he lowered his head.
"Sensei, I did it."
"Alright, now move on to the rubber ball. This time, use chakra to break it. The rubber ball is a hundred times harder than the water balloon, so you can try it for a while."
Jiraiya tossed him a rubber ball.
Kakashi caught it and immediately tried to break it, but the ball merely deformed and wouldn't break.
After trying hard...
"Puff!"
A strange sound came from the rubber ball.
It only broke in a small spot, with air slowly leaking out, and eventually, the whole ball deflated.
He failed.
Kakashi was unsatisfied, but he knew the rubber ball was indeed difficult.
He thought of some other ways.
For example—
Shadow clone.
But…
He didn't have enough chakra to sustain such an attempt, and that imperfect method didn't suit his needs.
Jiraiya tossed him another ball.
Kakashi paused, still thinking, when suddenly a loud sound came from beside him.
"Boom!"
The rubber ball in Kyohiko's hand exploded.
Kakashi, holding his rubber ball, froze and stared at the ball in Kyohiko's hand.
His expression was filled with shock.
How did that happen?
Jiraiya finally couldn't hold it in.
It seemed like fate was working against him!
Just as he spoke, Kyohiko had burst the ball. Couldn't he have waited a little longer?
He looked down.
The rubber ball in Kyohiko's hand was shattered, not just punctured with one or two holes.
This kid had truly done it!
Jiraiya was astonished.
How did he do it?
"How did you manage that?"
Compared to Jiraiya, Kakashi was more direct.
Didn't understand…
So he asked!
Otherwise, he felt he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
They were all trying it for the first time, so why was Kyohiko able to grasp it so quickly?
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