Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 345 What "Intimate Violence"? I, Bane, have absolutely no interest in that!

After a long silence, Jiraiya said with a self-deprecating smile, "As expected, we mortals are no match for the spiritual realm of Your Excellency."

"You are also a descendant of Mount Myōboku. Focus on cultivating your immortal arts and don't meddle in other people's business. You should be able to live a long time," Bane said with a smile.

"Hahaha, perhaps I'm destined to be a busybody who dies young." Jiraiya laughed loudly, then said, "Spirit Lord, considering Orochimaru's influence, I have to say, perhaps in the future, we really will become enemies."

"See, you still didn't understand what I was saying," Bane said softly, covering his face with a towel and leaning against the edge of the hot spring.

Seeing Ban's expression, Jiraiya stopped talking about it.

After chatting for a while, Jiraiya's expression suddenly turned serious. He said, "Back at Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage told me that I would have a disciple who could change the entire ninja world. He was called the 'Child of Prophecy.' For so many years, I have been searching for this disciple, but to no avail. Spirit Lord, are you also able to see the trajectory of this destiny? If so, would it be convenient for you to tell me the identity of this Child of Prophecy?"

"I have a completely different opinion from the big toad," Bane said lazily.

"Completely different opinions?" Jiraiya was somewhat puzzled and confused.

What does that mean?

Could it be that the giant toad immortal is trying to fool me?

"My experience tells me that neither the future nor fate is immutable. Jiraiya, if you want to change anything, whether it's the ninja world or the village, you might as well try it yourself. Placing your hopes on a vague, prophetic child is nothing but a sign of cowardice and insecurity." Bane said, removing the towel from his face.

Bane raised a hand to brush aside his damp hair and looked at Jiraiya, saying, "If the giant toad gave you this to find the so-called Child of Prophecy, then I can now offer you a piece of golden advice."

"Please speak, Lord Spirit," Jiraiya said, looking at Bane with a sincere expression.

"A person must rely on themselves," Bane said softly with a smile on his lips.

Bane doesn't believe in prophecy or destiny at all. Back in the world of One Piece, he didn't follow any of that stuff. The D. clan, the Nika Fruit—that's utter nonsense.

He used his own abilities and still managed to bring down the world's governments, didn't he?

Do they really think his name "Cantis" came from nowhere?

The same applies in the ninja world. Bane doesn't care about the Sage of Six Paths at all. If he hardens his heart now and goes to kill Sasuke and Naruto together, would the Sage of Six Paths dare to utter a word?

Bane had no interest in finding this guy, since he had no need for the Sage of Six Paths. But if this old man dared to jump out and point fingers at him, Bane wouldn't mind letting this old guy know what the iron fist of justice was!

As far as I can remember, although this old guy is dead, his 'ghost' has not yet dissipated and lingers throughout the entire ninja world.

So theoretically speaking, Bane believed that this Sage of Six Paths couldn't possibly be unaware of his existence, since he had never hidden himself and Jiraiya could find him so easily.

Ryūji-dong also made a big show of announcing his existence to the other two holy sites.

The Sage of Six Paths seems to have a good relationship with the giant toad of Mount Myōboku. If he were even slightly serious and attentive, he would surely know of Bane's existence.

But so far, Bane has been here for almost half a year, and although he hasn't done anything big, the Sage of Six Paths hasn't jumped out to talk to him either.

That guy must be self-aware; he's probably hiding from me like the Grim Reaper.

Bane didn't care about this situation. He didn't care about the ninja world. As long as his needs were met, that was enough. To be honest, he had no interest in world crises or the alien threat from the Otsutsuki clan.

The main problem is the lack of emotional connection.

In the world of pirates, to use their terminology, he has enough ties, you could even say that his foundation is there, it's practically his second home, his base.

Therefore, he naturally paid attention to that side.

But what about the ninja world? He has nothing to worry about. Once he gets what he wants, he'll just leave. As for crises or the Otsutsuki clan, whatever happens, happens. What does it have to do with him?

So as long as beings like the Sage of Six Paths don't provoke him, Bane doesn't bother with them.

After being lectured by Bane, Jiraiya shook his head with amusement and said, "I understand those principles, but how should I put it? My search for the Child of Prophecy and my best efforts to teach him are also efforts towards my own goal, aren't they? Don't you agree, Spirit Lord?"

"Sophistry." Bane uttered two words, then laughed and said, "Well, it does make some sense, doesn't it? Everyone has different pursuits, and the means and methods they use are different, which is understandable."

"Do you even know who the prophesied child that the Great Toad Sage told me about is?" Jiraiya couldn't help but press for an answer.

Bane pondered for a moment, then said, "I know."

Even if he doesn't say it, Jiraiya will meet Naruto in a few days, and slowly he will realize that the son of his beloved student is the hope that can change the ninja world.

So, even if Bane tells Jiraiya the answer a little earlier, it won't really change anything.

It's simply that Jiraiya's hopes for Naruto Uzumaki have become even stronger.

Besides, even if things change, so what?

Having received a definitive answer from Bane, Jiraiya became excited and couldn't help but stand up from the hot spring, asking, "Spirit Lord, who is he? Where can I find him?"

"Why are you so agitated?" Bane remained calm, then continued, "Orochimaru, as the representative of Ryuchi Cave, even if he asks me to do something, he has to prepare a sacrifice that satisfies me. You're just a little toad from Mount Myōboku, and we have absolutely no connection. Why should I help you?"

"Although I usually call myself the Toad Sage Jiraiya, I am not a little toad, Spirit Lord." Jiraiya pouted and complained, then put his hands together and pleaded, "Please help me, Spirit Lord. As for the offering, what do you want? But let me make it clear first, I will not perform a human sacrifice."

"A human sacrifice? You're underestimating me too much," Bane said, slightly annoyed.

Jiraiya gave an awkward laugh, then asked, "What would you like, Spirit Lord?"

"Knowledge," Bane said succinctly.

The term seemed somewhat vague, but Jiraiya's expression became troubled. For the Spirit Lord to call it "knowledge," it must at least reach the level of "forbidden techniques."

However, despite his formidable strength, Jiraiya never used forbidden techniques; this was a personal requirement he set for himself.

He didn't even use the overused forbidden technique of multiple shadow clones.

From beginning to end, even when he died in Amegakure, Jiraiya never used any forbidden techniques, relying entirely on his own superior skills!

"The development of the ninja world over the past thousand years has exceeded my expectations. There are so many new things emerging, so I'm very curious and interested in this knowledge. If you want my help, you should at least prepare some secret techniques or forbidden techniques for me, Jiraiya." Bane looked at the troubled Jiraiya and patted him on the shoulder with a smile.

Jiraiya was now sitting back down in the pool, scratching his head. "Luckily, there's still the need for secret techniques. If it were forbidden techniques, I really wouldn't be able to do it. I haven't learned a single forbidden technique."

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

After a slight pause, Jiraiya said, "Spirit Lord, what do you think of the Lion's Mane Technique I used last night? It's a secret technique I developed myself, and it's very useful."

However, as soon as Jiraiya finished speaking, Bane's hair began to grow rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it went from just covering his shoulders to covering the entire hot spring pool, making the scene suddenly dangerous and eerie.

Not only that, but those strands of hair were also moving around very actively.

"Your messy lion's hair is meaningless to me," Bane said, glancing at Jiraiya.

As soon as he finished speaking, the pool of long hair quickly receded, and in no time, Bane returned to his original appearance.

Once Bane fully mastered the Six Styles, he could easily do hair regrowth; it wasn't difficult at all. Even though he hadn't studied Jiraiya's Lion's Mane Technique, he could still explain the basics: it's simply about stimulating hair growth with chakra and then controlling it, which is similar to the principles of the Six Styles in this respect.

"This is troublesome. Although I have mastered quite a few ninjutsu, they are all very conventional. You certainly don't need Sage Mode, and I doubt you'd be interested in any techniques that require toads to assist you. Tsk." Jiraiya scratched his head, saying with some helplessness.

However, his words made Bane feel that he was really amazing, remarkable, and worthy of respect.

While many ninjas rely on forbidden techniques to gain prominence, Jiraiya mastered ordinary ninjutsu to its fullest potential. Whether it was the addition of Sage Chakra or his collaboration with toads, it's undeniable that he achieved a unique and distinctive style through his ordinariness.

Just as Bane was marveling at Jiraiya's excellence in this area, Jiraiya's expression suddenly turned somewhat lewd, and he whispered, "Spirit Lord, actually I'm also a writer. I recently finished a brand new novel that hasn't been published yet. It can be said to be a treasure of human knowledge. If you're interested..."

Hearing this, Bane's face twitched slightly. Did this guy really have no sense of shame?

Can you call the novel you wrote a serious novel? Who writes a serious novel?

After a moment's hesitation, Bane couldn't help but ask, "What book?"

"Ahem, 'Intimate Violence' is a bestselling sequel, absolutely worth it. I can send you the original manuscript," Jiraiya said mysteriously.

"That's not enough. The Kato clan's spiritification technique," Bane hesitated for a moment before offering a suggestion.

He's completely uninterested in this "Intimate Violence" thing, you know? But he just feels that some things still need to be viewed critically. How can you criticize something you don't understand?

The main goal is still spiritualization techniques, which have absolutely nothing to do with this "Intimate Violence" thing. Yeah, that's it.

After a moment's thought, Jiraiya said, "Alright, I'll do my best to make this happen!"

He received the reward for the transaction from Bane, and given Jiraiya's character, he would certainly compensate the Kato clan accordingly.

However, this has nothing to do with Bane.

"Once you bring this offering, I will give you a definite answer," Bane nodded and replied casually.

Jiraiya was also an impatient person. Upon hearing Bane's response, he immediately stood up and said, "Then I'll go and help you with the Spirit Transformation Technique first. If it goes smoothly, I'll come back to see you soon. I won't disturb your enjoyment of soaking in the hot springs any longer."

Before Bane could say anything, Jiraiya hurriedly left the hot spring. Seeing this, Bane shook his head with amusement and said nothing.

(End of this chapter)