章 114: Chapter 114
"Boy, how about we make a bet?"
"What bet?"
"You don't want to be my disciple. You seem very confident in your own strength, right? Let's have a fight. If you can hold your ground against me for five minutes, I'll agree to one condition from you!"
"Any condition?"
"Well... as long as it doesn't go against my morals, I'll consider it."
"Alright then. If I win, how about you take on two disciples instead of one?"
"Two?" Jiraiya glanced at Naruto. "Who's the other besides this brat? That girl? I don't just accept anyone as my disciple."
"No, the other person is Uchiha Sasuke. His talent is no less than Naruto's, and he definitely meets your standards. You'll have to teach them all the ninjutsu and senjutsu you know. What do you think? Deal?"
Kazuki, originally, just wanted Naruto to train with Jiraiya like in the original storyline. But since Jiraiya presented this opportunity, he figured why not raise the stakes?
After all, whatever they learned, they would eventually pass back to him, so why not send both of them for training?
"Well... I don't accept disciples based on talent alone," Jiraiya said hesitantly.
"Then what do you consider?"
"Character! It's all about character!"
"Then why did you want me as your disciple the first time you saw me?"
"Hahaha, I could just tell we were destined to be master and student. It's a gut feeling!"
Kazuki rolled his eyes, clearly not buying Jiraiya's excuse. He figured the old man believed him to be the Child of Prophecy, which was why Jiraiya was eager to accept him as his disciple.
"I don't care about your criteria. If you won't agree, then there's no bet."
Kazuki played it cool. After all, he wasn't the one pushing for this. Whoever acted desperate would lose the upper hand.
Jiraiya knew this too, which made him more anxious. "Hey, kid, why don't you want to become my student? You'd rather use your two friends to learn from me?"
"Friends?"
Kazuki was momentarily surprised, glanced at Naruto, and replied calmly, "I think you misunderstood. I want them to train under you because the stronger they become, the stronger I will become."
While that was true, it sounded different to Jiraiya. In his mind, he pictured Kazuki, Naruto, and Sasuke growing up together, working hard as a team, with Kazuki always outshining the other two. He imagined that Kazuki, out of a sense of friendship, wanted his comrades to grow stronger, even if it meant sacrificing his own opportunity.
This moved Jiraiya, filling him with admiration. How could the conduct of three individuals with such strong bonds be anything less than exemplary?
With this newfound sentiment, Jiraiya agreed to Kazuki's proposal.
"Alright, kid. I'll make you a deal. If you can last five minutes in my hands, I'll take both of them as my students. You can also train with us if you want."
"I don't need—"
"Boy, hear me out!" Jiraiya cut him off. "If you can't last five minutes, you not only have to tell me how you learned the Rasengan, but you'll have to learn ninjutsu from me too. Deal?"
"Whatever you say."
Kazuki was nonchalant, agreeing to Jiraiya's terms. He didn't plan on becoming a student anyway.
"Let's change locations."
Kazuki looked at Naruto and Sakura, saying, "You two train on your own. I'll be back shortly."
"Okay, Kazuki-kun! Are you really going to fight that old man? Be careful not to get hurt. I heard Anko-sensei was harassed by a villager on her last mission!"
"Anko?"
Kazuki raised an eyebrow but didn't inquire further, disappearing in a flash.
Jiraiya, unsure of why they had to change locations, followed Kazuki nonetheless.
At Training Ground, where Team 7 usually practiced, Kazuki stopped.
"This will do," he said calmly.
Jiraiya scanned the surroundings. There was nothing special here—just ordinary grass, trees, and a river. Perhaps Kazuki, a member of the Gekko Clan, was proficient in Water Style jutsu, he thought.
"You go first. You're fast, so I assume you're a ninjutsu type? Even I almost couldn't keep up with you earlier. Impressive."
"Taijutsu is actually my weakest area," Kazuki replied, pulling out an apple and taking a bite.
It appeared he was planning to fight Jiraiya while eating an apple.
Before Jiraiya could ask another question, Kazuki vanished.
So fast!
Even faster than before!
Jiraiya's senses went on high alert, his body reacting instinctively. He couldn't track Kazuki's speed, so he prepared to defend blindly.
Crunch.
The sound of an apple being bitten came from behind Jiraiya, startling him into moving.
Kazuki had reappeared, kicking through the air where Jiraiya had been standing.
"Oh? You reacted pretty quickly."
"…"
Jiraiya pulled back, giving Kazuki, who was calmly eating an apple, a perplexed look. This was supposed to be a teaching moment, but it felt like a trial by fire instead.
Kazuki's speed was beyond what even elite taijutsu users were capable of. Feeling the pressure, Jiraiya decided not to hold back any longer. If he didn't take this seriously, he might be the one unable to last five minutes.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Jiraiya quickly formed seals, turning the grassy terrain into a swampy marsh. The swamp would slow down Kazuki's movements and give Jiraiya more control over the battlefield.
But for someone with Kazuki's level of chakra control, a mere swamp posed little challenge.
Kazuki remained still as the ground beneath him transformed, unaffected by the sinking earth.
Jiraiya, seeing this, felt a twinge of concern.
It's no use. The swamp isn't slowing him down!
In the blink of an eye, Kazuki vanished again and reappeared at Jiraiya's side, delivering a powerful kick.
Though Jiraiya managed to block it with his right arm, the force behind the kick was enough to make him wince. If not for his own training, his arm might've been broken by now.
-----------
+86 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット