Konoha: From the moment I was adopted by Tsunade

Chapter 209 Jiraiya's Experiences

"Tsunade, this is the first time I've seen you speak so highly of someone."

Jiraiya remarked with a wistful tone, then jokingly added, "Anyone who didn't know better would think you were talking about a teacher, not a student."

"Hmph, how can that old man compare to him?"

Tsunade replied without hesitation, "You'd be more like my grandfather."

Jiraiya was even more surprised upon hearing this.

He knew Hashirama Senju's place in Tsunade's heart.

It can be said that no one can match it.

Besides ability, there are also emotional factors.

But I never expected that Natsume would be used as a comparison.

Not simple.

Jiraiya laughed heartily and said, "It seems I'll have to stay a few more days to get to know him better."

"He won't let you down."

Tsunade's lips curled slightly as she said, "While I'm not sure if the Child of Prophecy you're referring to is him, he certainly qualifies to be the Child of Prophecy."

"Um."

Jiraiya nodded. Putting everything else aside, he highly recognized Natsume's abilities.

He was experienced and had seen many tailed beasts.

Each one possesses a destructive power and deterrent force that is difficult for ordinary people to match.

Those who can defeat them are few and far between in the entire ninja world.

"Tsunade, I've noticed your temper has improved a lot."

Jiraiya looked her over and said with a smile.

"Yeah?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and said, "Since no one bothers me, I naturally won't lose my temper."

"Okay, looks like I'm the one who annoys you."

Jiraiya's smile turned into a bitter one.

"You? I'm already fed up with you."

Tsunade's lips curled into a smile again as she said, "Look how outstanding Natsume is now, but he used to be quite mischievous."

Jiraiya was slightly taken aback.

Tsunade's expression was far too blissful.

It reminded him of the time when Rope Tree was around.

Did she treat Natsume like a younger brother?

Jiraiya suddenly realized something.

No wonder the reviews are so high, to the point of being unrealistic.

According to Tsunade, Natsume is not only incredibly strong, but also exceptionally capable in handling Konoha's political affairs.

He can be described as invincible in every way, practically an enhanced version of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze.

"Tsunade, it seems you're enjoying your retirement quite well."

Jiraiya took a sip of water and said, "I'm a little envious, it's a pity I can't retire yet."

Tsunade glanced at him and knew he was referring to Mount Myōboku.

Her opinion of the Great Toad Sage was actually rather lukewarm.

Because it gets involved in so many things, it's hard to call it a spirit beast anymore; it's more like a certain force.

At the same time, those who are its contractors are undoubtedly the busiest.

Or rather, being driven.

Tsunade herself, as a contractor of Shikkotsu Forest, lived a very carefree life.

Orochimaru is the same; aside from using the snakes of Ryuchi Cave in battle, he is almost completely unrestrained in his daily life.

Only Jiraiya was always busy.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Tsunade pulled herself together and smiled, "Natsume's cooking is excellent, you should try it."

She knew the importance of Mount Myōboku in Jiraiya's heart.

Therefore, she understood that saying anything was useless.

If it were truly effective, even Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be helpless against him.

As a ninja, he ignored the Hokage's orders and ran away every day.

Fortunately, he was the Hokage's apprentice; otherwise, he would have been considered a rogue ninja long ago.

"Need not."

Jiraiya felt somewhat resistant for some reason.

Perhaps it was because she noticed that Tsunade cared too much about Natsume.

It gave him a strange sense of loss.

But he had no right to say anything.

Because he was busy with his mission at Mount Myōboku, he felt somewhat indebted to Konoha Village.

After all, he wasn't there during many of the crisis moments.

For example, the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage.

If he were just a ninja from Konoha, he would naturally not have been absent and would have had the opportunity to save his student, Minato Namikaze.

"I'll come over another day, and I'll treat you to drinks then."

Jiraiya stood up and said, "I will be in Konoha for the time being."

Tsunade nodded.

"Then, I'll take my leave."

Jiraiya waved his hand, opened the gate, and stepped onto the street.

He exhaled, and after thinking for a moment, decided to first determine whether Natsume was the legendary child of prophecy.

So Jiraiya leaped into the air, and in a few bounds, he arrived at the Sarutobi clan's territory.

"Hey old man, fishing? Hope you can catch anything?"

"What? You're coming back and immediately starting to mock and ridicule me, your teacher?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding a pipe in one hand and a fishing rod in the other, asked.

"What nonsense!"

Jiraiya sat down next to him, glanced at the bucket, and couldn't help but laugh, "Why aren't there any?"

"I've just started!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at him and said, "And keep your voice down, don't scare my fish."

"Okay, okay, okay."

Jiraiya lowered his voice and stopped talking.

Half an hour later, Hiruzen Sarutobi still hadn't found anything.

He threw down his fishing rod and said, "It's all your fault, I didn't catch a single fish."

"...?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he said, "Old man, you've gone too far! I didn't say a word."

"Speak, what is it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi skillfully employed the technique of shifting the topic.

"About Natsume."

Jiraiya's expression turned serious as he asked, "Old man, what do you think of him?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback, clearly not expecting this question.

He took a drag of his cigarette and remarked with a sigh, "What a despairing genius."

"That's certainly true in terms of strength."

Jiraiya nodded and said, "And what about character? For example, the Will of Fire that you, old man, are best at."

"Not bad either."

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to realize something, got up and went into the room, quickly obtaining a pile of documents.

"This is?"

Jiraiya accepted it with a puzzled look.

"Natsume's understanding of the Will of Fire during his school years was somewhat surprising to me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile, "Regardless of his character, so far, everything he has done has been beneficial to Konoha."

"I'll take it back and take a look."

Jiraiya put away the documents and said, "I heard from Tsunade that he is very capable in political affairs."

"That's true."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked surprised and said, "Let's talk about it from the perspective of the Konoha Police Department."

After hearing this, Jiraiya had only one feeling.

This is absolutely the legendary prophetic child.

In Jiraiya's view, strength alone is not enough to become the Child of Prophecy; wisdom must also be added.

After all, he was meant to bring peace to the ninja world.

Peace cannot last if it is based solely on strength.

This can be understood by referring to Hashirama Senju.

"Just how powerful is Natsume?"

Jiraiya thought for a moment and then asked.

To be honest, he still had a slight worry.

What if Natsume is the one who destroyed Mount Myōboku? That would be a huge joke.

However, it's quite easy to tell whether it is or not.

Just look at their abilities.

"Very strong."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment and said, "Sage Mode plus Wood Release, in terms of expressiveness, is only slightly inferior to the First Hokage."

His judgment was based on various legends surrounding Hashirama Senju.

For example, even Madara Uchiha and Kurama together couldn't defeat him.

In particular, he learned more detailed information from Mito Uzumaki.

Hashirama Senju held an absolute advantage.

The most powerful tailed beast, Kurama, was like a chick in his hands, posing no threat whatsoever.

In comparison, Natsume fighting Shukaku seems less outrageous.

They even used the True Several Thousand Hands and Top Transformed Buddha, which are considered forbidden techniques in Wood Release.

If it were Hashirama Senju, there would be absolutely no need for that.

"Can he be compared to the Sage of Six Paths?"

Jiraiya secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but just in case, he asked another question.

According to Fukasaku, only the Sage of Six Paths could possibly destroy Mount Myōboku.

"That's naturally incomparable."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, recalling the prophecy from long ago, and asked, "Are you still looking for that ninja who might destroy Mount Myōboku?"

"Um."

Jiraiya sighed and said, "But there's no trace of them."

"So you suspect Natsume?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and asked, "He's the Hokage now. As a ninja from Konoha, how can you make such a guess?"

"Feel sorry."

Jiraiya gave an awkward smile and said, "I was just asking casually. Natsume doesn't have any special eyes, so it definitely can't be him."

"I still have to remind you, you are a ninja from Konoha Village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him, shook his head, but said nothing more.

"I see."

Jiraiya said with a serious expression.

"Let's go, I'll treat you to dinner. It's been a long time since we've gotten together."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and smiled again.

"Old man, I have to go to the Uchiha clan."

Jiraiya scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Let's have dinner together when I get back."

"Is it for some so-called prophecy again?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand dismissively and said, "Go on, go on."

Jiraiya turned and left.

Not long after, they arrived at the Uchiha clan's residence.

"I apologize, Jiraiya-sama, for keeping you waiting."

Mikoto Uchiha took a deep breath and, after making sure no one would notice anything amiss, pushed open the door and entered.

She had fought Natsume before and was resting when she heard the news that Jiraiya had come to her door, which startled her sober up immediately.

After quickly changing his clothes, he rushed over.

There's not even time to take a shower.

"It's okay."

Jiraiya glanced at her.

His complexion was rosy and he was full of energy, suggesting that he had already emerged from the shadow of the extermination of his clan.

That makes it easier for him to ask questions.

"Mikoto, I've come here today because there's something I'd like to ask you."

Jiraiya carefully chose his words before asking, "How did you escape that night? Was it related to that mysterious Wood Release master?"

Mikoto Uchiha suddenly remembered all the conditions she had promised Natsume.

Some of them were quite excessive.

She sat in the chair, subconsciously crossing her long, slender legs.

I have a feeling that something is about to be revealed.

Suppressing her unease, Uchiha Mikoto took a deep breath and said, "This issue has already been clearly explained in the intelligence report submitted to Konoha."

"Feel sorry."

Jiraiya assumed she was upset because he had brought up something painful, so he explained, "There was an explanation, but I'd like to know more details."

"What's going on?"

Mikoto Uchiha forced a smile and asked.

Jiraiya suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

But for the sake of Mount Myoboku, we have no choice but to ask.

"After he saved you, did you realize his purpose?"

Jiraiya suppressed his emotions and asked.

"I feel it's for the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Mikoto Uchiha pondered for a moment and said, "Now that I think about it, he often used certain methods to help us awaken our Sharingan."

"But didn't he already obtain Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan?"

Jiraiya asked in confusion.

"Perhaps there are even more powerful eyes than these."

"That's what Uchiha Mikoto guessed," she said.

Jiraiya's first reaction was disbelief.

Because he remembered that Madara Uchiha seemed to have the Mangekyou Sharingan.

But upon closer reflection, it seems reasonable.

How could the Mangekyou Sharingan possibly destroy Mount Myōboku?

If a higher level of vision truly exists, its power must be world-destroying.

"Of course, this is only my side of the story."

Mikoto Uchiha shook her head and said, "Years passed, and he discovered that none of us had the talent to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, so he gave up on us."

"give up?"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and said, "Although it may be presumptuous, I still want to ask, this person doesn't seem to be a kind person, so why didn't he kill you? Is it related to his identity?"

At this moment, he thought that this person might be from the Uchiha clan, otherwise, he wouldn't know so much about the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Uchiha Mikoto hesitated.

Upon seeing this, Jiraiya's heart stirred, and he quickly said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else about what happened today."

"He revealed his name, but I think it's impossible."

Mikoto Uchiha hesitated before speaking, "He said his name is Madara Uchiha, and that he is our ancestor, so he won't kill us."

"Uchiha Madara?!"

Jiraiya suddenly stood up, his face full of shock.

Although Madara Uchiha was not as great as Hashirama Senju, he was still a legendary figure in the ninja world.

The important thing is that even if he hadn't died, he would be nearly a hundred years old by now.

At such an advanced age, he should have been lying in bed waiting to die long ago.

How could anyone be as lively and energetic as that mysterious powerful figure, jumping and leaping around?

Moreover, he didn't believe anyone could survive against Hashirama Senju.

Jiraiya frowned and sat down again.

However, if Madara Uchiha were alive, he would indeed fit the criteria quite well.

Evil and powerful.

He possesses special eyes, originating from Konoha, yet he harbors hatred for Konoha.

Taking action against Mount Myoboku seems reasonable.

Regardless, the most urgent task is to find him.

Jiraiya snapped out of his daze and asked, "Mikoto, in these past few years, besides him, have you seen any other strangers?"

"A stranger?"

Mikoto Uchiha had a thoughtful expression on her face.

Jiraiya did not urge him, but waited quietly.

Although he was quite anxious.

After all, knowing only a name is not enough to find the person.

Especially Madara Uchiha.

After a moment, Uchiha Mikoto seemed to remember something and said, "There really is someone, but I only met him once, so I don't remember him well."

"What do you look like?"

Jiraiya's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked.

"He was a ninja wearing a black trench coat embroidered with red clouds and a straw hat with wind chimes attached."

Mikoto Uchiha paused, then said, "He was a rogue ninja, but I don't remember that headband; it was a downward-pointing arrow."

"Takigakure Village!"

Jiraiya was immediately a little excited.

Because of her status as the clan leader's wife, Uchiha Mikoto rarely went out and therefore didn't know much about the small ninja village.

But he was different; you could tell it was Takigakure Village just by hearing his name.

This is undoubtedly a very definite clue.

Four thousand characters.

(End of this chapter)