章 264: Chapter 264: Tatsuma's Bounty
"Tatsuma, if you entered a paper-folding contest, you'd definitely win something, at least the speed award."
In the back hills of Konoha, during a break from training, Minato looked at the ever-changing paper in Tatsuma's hands—forming into a paper crane, a dog's head, a teacup—and was somewhat surprised. Tatsuma's hands didn't seem to be moving at all.
"Only after learning Shikigami Jutsu did I realize that the legendary shikigami are somewhat childish."
As Tatsuma spoke, the paper in his hand transformed into a small square man. With a light toss, the paper figure landed, and Tatsuma used the Seal of Confrontation for subtle control.
The paper man walked up to a rock the size of a basketball. Using both hands, it lifted the heavy stone, astonishingly supported by the paper figure.
"How is this done? Can paper support such heavy weight?" Minato, like a neighbor's child discovering a fun toy, wanted to play but was somewhat reserved. After all, he was just a fourteen-year-old boy.
Years of ninja training had deprived him of much childhood fun compared to normal kids his age. Though he often hid his playful side, it would occasionally emerge. Especially in the presence of his close friend Tatsuma, there was no need to pretend.
Tatsuma's hand released the seals, and in an instant, the rock flattened the paper. Tatsuma then said, "Paper can't do it, but Chakra can. Whether changing forms or having superhuman strength, it's all due to Chakra. The principle of Shikigami Jutsu is to use Chakra to create a framework on the paper. In appearance, the transformation of the paper is much like memory materials."
"Memory materials?"
Minato was a bit confused. Tatsuma took out another piece of paper, gently pinching it as Chakra gradually crept onto it, leaving invisible lines.
"Memory materials are creations designed to change shape under specific conditions. For Shikigami Jutsu, that condition is Chakra."
As he spoke, Tatsuma infused more Chakra, activating the Chakra threads. Without any further action from Tatsuma, the paper folded itself into a paper airplane according to a preset route and sequence. Tatsuma blew on the airplane's nose, then flicked his arm, sending the paper airplane flying far away. Watching it disappear, Tatsuma commented, "Shikigami Jutsu was just a trick used by onmyoji to deceive ordinary people."
"You can't say that."
At this moment, Jiraiya returned, holding the paper airplane. He said, "You have a talent for learning Ninjutsu, but your Chakra doesn't bond well with paper. If you've seen Konan's Shikigami Jutsu, you'd truly understand its power. Her Chakra can even change the physical properties of paper, making it as strong as steel."
"Maybe most onmyoji were frauds, otherwise, they wouldn't have been gradually eliminated by history. But we can't rule out the existence of geniuses who could truly elevate Shikigami Jutsu to a divine skill."
As Jiraiya spoke, he tossed the paper airplane toward Tatsuma, but it fell to the ground after just two meters. Scratching his head, Jiraiya asked, "How did you make it fly so far?"
"Blow on the nose," Tatsuma said. He picked up another piece of paper, instantly folded it into a paper airplane, blew on its nose, and threw it. The paper airplane traced a delicate, uncontrollable arc, flying farther and farther away.
"What's the principle behind this?"
Both Jiraiya and Minato's eyes lit up. Jiraiya eagerly picked up the fallen paper airplane and asked, though he hesitated to blow on the dirty nose. After all, Tatsuma had tricked him more than once before, so who knew if Tatsuma was telling the truth?
"Moisture changes the weight of the nose, making it more balanced during flight, allowing for a more graceful flight path and, therefore, greater distance," Tatsuma explained seriously. Jiraiya nodded, blew on the dirty airplane nose, and threw it. However, it flew even less far than before.
In an instant, Jiraiya looked at Tatsuma with a resentful gaze. Tatsuma pointed to the ground and said, "The ground is wet. The nose already picked up some moist dirt, which seriously disrupted the balance."
"Let me try again."
Jiraiya walked over to Tatsuma, holding out his hand. Although Tatsuma's Shikigami Jutsu was taught by Jiraiya, this kid had surpassed him within a month. Reluctantly, Tatsuma folded another airplane for Jiraiya. Seeing Minato with his big eyes, sensibly not asking but clearly wanting one, Tatsuma kindly made one for him too.
The two began blowing on their airplanes and throwing them. Watching the paper planes fly high and far, they jumped up and down in excitement.
"Minato, try using paper airplanes to train your ninja tool throwing skills," Tatsuma suggested. Minato looked at the plane disappearing into the tree canopy and said, "The flight path of a paper airplane is indeed unpredictable, but with just one, it's still easy to anticipate."
Tatsuma had coined the term "paper airplane." Minato didn't particularly like the name, but he respected Tatsuma's right to name it and didn't protest.
"Who said it was just one?"
Tatsuma pulled out forty or fifty sheets of paper from a stack nearby, infused them with Chakra, and transformed them into small paper balls. Tatsuma said, "Your ninja tool throwing skills have surpassed most ninjas, so hitting these shouldn't be a problem."
Minato counted the number and said, "I can give it a try."
Hearing this, Tatsuma scattered the paper balls from his hand and then clapped his hands together. "Gale Palm!"
The paper balls, which were about to fall, were blown up into the air chaotically by the strong wind, their general direction being forward. Tatsuma then performed the Seal of Confrontation and looked at Minato.
Minato took out a shuriken and nodded to Tatsuma.
"Swish, swish, swish~"
In an instant, dozens of paper balls unfolded in the air, transforming into paper airplanes flying erratically. Minato threw the shuriken in his hand.
"Ninja Art! Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Minato quickly formed seals, and dozens of shuriken shadow clones appeared, perfectly positioned in the flight paths of the paper airplanes.
One by one, the paper airplanes were sliced and cut by the shuriken; some could still manage to fly, while others crashed immediately. Amidst the black and white flurry, one stubborn paper airplane evaded the shuriken shadow clones and continued soaring.
"So close."
Minato said regretfully. He had forgotten to consider the sudden appearance of the shuriken and the disturbance in the airflow during their flight, which affected the paper airplanes. Although most of the paper airplanes were cut by the densely packed shuriken due to the short distance, one still managed to escape.
This "so close" feeling was the most frustrating because it made one feel that there was still something lacking, rather than lacking the ability entirely.
"Ding~"
Tatsuma also heard the system's notification in his mind. Although the rewards were small, he didn't mind.
Jiraiya silently sat down nearby, his tall figure trying to blend into the forest. He was somewhat worried that Minato might ask for his advice or that Tatsuma might suggest he try as well. After all, he was one of the ninjas Tatsuma mentioned, whose ninja tool throwing skills Minato had surpassed.
Jiraiya's skill in ninja tool throwing was now just enough not to be a burden, but it was definitely not his forte. In their original team, the only one who had seriously studied ninja tool throwing was that "damn snake."
And with the proficiency these two little guys had in ninja tool throwing, even that "damn snake" might not win easily.
Luckily, Minato and Tatsuma had no intention of mocking Jiraiya. Instead, they continued chatting and trying again and again. The number of paper airplanes Tatsuma threw increased, but Minato's accuracy did not decrease. After two or three rounds, no paper airplane could escape Minato's shuriken.
Eventually, they started showing off their skills. Tatsuma used Ninjutsu to change the flight paths of the paper airplanes, while Minato used Manipulated Shuriken Jutsu to make the shuriken collide and change directions, attempting high-difficulty maneuvers.
The session ended when Tatsuma ran out of all the paper he had brought for training. As Minato entered puberty, his body was rapidly growing, and his Chakra reserves were no longer a major limitation. Although he still needed to manage his Chakra carefully in intense battles, he no longer experienced interruptions during training.
Tatsuma had no intention of cleaning up the paper scraps scattered throughout the forest. After all, the paper was made from bamboo and wood, and returning to the forest might even serve as fertilizer.
"Jiraiya-sensei, do you have any secret skills left to teach Minato?"
As today's training ended and Minato was collecting his ninja tools scattered throughout the forest, Tatsuma asked Jiraiya. Jiraiya's expression turned serious as he understood Tatsuma's implication. He said, "At this stage, I've taught Minato everything he can learn. The rest either I haven't mastered myself, or Minato isn't ready for yet. We both need a period of practical experience before continuing his training.
"My plan to wander the ninja world has been postponed for too long. Although it's late spring, there are still many places where cherry blossoms are in full bloom. But you, have you really fully recovered? The old man shouldn't be rushing you like this, right?"
Jiraiya looked at Tatsuma with some concern. Although Tatsuma claimed he had fully recovered, it had only been less than two months since his rest and recovery. Was he truly alright? Jiraiya had consulted Orochimaru and knew that Tatsuma wasn't without lingering issues. Even though that "damn snake" didn't explicitly say so, he had indicated that any injury Tatsuma sustained, no matter how minor, could potentially worsen his condition.
Jiraiya knew Tatsuma all too well, aware that in battle, he wouldn't concern himself with injuries. He had never seen Tatsuma come out of a fight unscathed on the battlefield. Tatsuma shrugged and said, "Of course, I would prefer a longer period for recovery training. But if I rest, the whole team has to rest with me. Besides, there are still things I need to obtain from the Third Hokage."
"Try to avoid dangerous missions," Jiraiya hesitated before adding, "During the previous war, Hidden Sand Village put a bounty on you. Fortunately, Hidden Sand is poor and the main bounty wasn't on you, so not many bounty hunters targeted you. But Hidden Cloud Village is quite generous. The bounty they placed on you alone is equivalent to that of Sakumo and Minato combined."
"Jiraiya-sensei, you have information on the bounty hunters?"
"I can gather some intelligence," Jiraiya replied.
Tatsuma asked curiously, "Can the Five Great Nations openly place bounties on ninjas from other countries?"
Jiraiya nodded. "To some extent, yes. It's a shadowy aspect of our world, but it happens. The bounty system is a way to indirectly weaken rival nations by targeting their key ninjas."
"Of course, it's not done openly, but tracing such large sums of money isn't difficult. However, this kind of behavior is something all Five Great Nations engage in, so it's nothing unusual."
After Jiraiya finished speaking, he noticed that Tatsuma wasn't afraid but rather even more curious. Tatsuma, calculating silently for a moment, asked, "So, how much am I worth now?"
"Thirty million ryo. Hidden Cloud Village alone has added twenty-five million ryo. If your initial bounty hadn't been so low, you might have made it into Konoha's top ten bounty ninjas."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Tatsuma couldn't help but be a bit surprised. In the original series, Sarutobi Asuma, the Third Hokage's son, a Konoha Jonin, and one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire, had a bounty of only thirty-five million ryo. These bounties certainly didn't come from a single person or faction but from multiple sources. Tatsuma, having his bounty updated just once, was now close to Asuma's. He found it hard to believe and said, "I never thought I'd be worth so much."
"Mastering the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God technique, combined with your expertise in Sealing Jutsu capable of breaking tailed beast jinchuriki seals, and your ability to escape from the Third Raikage, you should be thankful that the other three nations haven't fully believed the accusations from the Land of Lightning yet."
"Otherwise, your bounty would skyrocket, attracting countless rogue ninjas. Given your age, many greedy rogues would underestimate your danger and swarm toward you. Don't forget, your ANBU identity has also been exposed. Whether you walk openly or travel as ANBU, they'll recognize you."
Tatsuma pressed his lips together, showing no fear, and then smiled, "Let's hope these rogue ninjas are all on the ANBU mission list."
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