章 94: Chapter 94: Kazuya—Power that Controls Even Super Kage-Level Battles!
The forest fell silent.
Jiraiya lay on the ground, exhausted. He didn't even care about the scorched earth beneath him; he just stared up at the birds flying across the sky.
"So it seems…" he sighed, "even birds soaring high in the sky must eventually return to the ground where they were born and raised."
With most of his chakra depleted, Jiraiya still had enough strength to keep going, but the battle had become pointless.
He'd lost, fair and square.
Had it not been for Sage Mode and his Wild Lion's Mane technique shielding him, Kazuya's last lightning strike would have ended him on the spot.
Even now, a hint of fear lingered in Jiraiya's heart.
"Kazuya-kun… did you hold back on me?"
In the stillness, Jiraiya broke the silence with his question.
"Of course," Kazuya replied, his tone calm. "It's only right to give my best when facing a legendary Sannin."
"You're lying!"
Jiraiya flipped up from the ground, bracing himself with his arms as he stood. "You didn't even seem winded, and yet you're saying you gave it your all?" he exclaimed, wide-eyed, looking Kazuya up and down with disbelief. "Your chakra reserves are… unreal. Releasing one terrifying jutsu after another without even looking fatigued…"
"To be honest, I don't think Minato could hold a candle to you there."
"Well, maybe not quite," Kazuya replied with a slight smile. "Minato still had half of the Nine-Tails in him; if he were reincarnated, his chakra would be top-tier."
"Seems to me…"
A mix of admiration and excitement sparked in Jiraiya's eyes. "Kazuya, you really might have the power to accomplish what the previous Hokage couldn't."
"So go on, boldly do what needs to be done!"
Jiraiya laughed heartily. "This 'handsome middle-aged man' may be running out of steam, but I'll burn bright as fire if it helps fulfill your vision and secure the village's future!"
As he spoke, he could feel a stirring resolve bubbling up inside him.
It had been so long since he felt this way.
For the first time in years, he was reconnecting with the Jiraiya of his youth—the one who would charge forward no matter the odds.
…
The aftermath of the battle wasn't without notice. The explosions had drawn the attention of many in the village, though the Third Hokage had anticipated this, and set up a 3000-meter security perimeter around the area, keeping news of the Kazuya vs. Jiraiya battle strictly confidential.
In the world of shinobi, the techniques, abilities, and battle habits of high-level ninjas were top secret and essential to the village's security.
Once the fight ended, a team of ANBU arrived to clean up. Jiraiya, having taken two direct hits from Kazuya's Kirin, was carefully lifted onto a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.
To say the medics were stunned would be an understatement.
One of the legendary Sannins, Jiraiya, in this condition? His face was lopsided, mouth crooked, body blackened and bruised; his once-white hair puffed up like a wild dog's mane. He looked utterly, horribly wrecked.
In no time, Jiraiya was admitted to the hospital. A team of medics surrounded him, hands glowing with chakra as they worked to treat him.
Fortunately, shinobi had robust physiques and healed quickly. Using chakra to stimulate protein synthesis sped up the process even more. Despite looking terrible, Jiraiya's injuries weren't severe.
As for Kazuya, his battlefield control was top-notch.
The village wouldn't want their golden asset, the top-tier shinobi, to get injured unnecessarily.
…
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage, pipe in hand, paced thoughtfully. "Kazuya," he said, exhaling a puff of smoke, "you need to mature a bit more. Jiraiya's always been a bit reckless, but you can't humor him like that."
"Besides, you and Jiraiya are both invaluable assets to the village. If anything happened to either of you, the consequences would be… severe."
Kazuya nodded. "Apologies, Hokage-sama. It was only meant to be a simple sparring match, but it got a little out of hand."
The Third Hokage waved him off. "No need to apologize, Kazuya. But I must remind you that, in the future, you and Jiraiya will be on different paths."
"He can afford to be reckless; you can't."
The Third then added with a warm smile, "With your wisdom and strength, the role of ANBU Commander isn't your final destination. In the meantime, just keep in mind the influence you carry."
"First, Tsunade left the village. Then we lost Minato and Kushina. Just this year, Orochimaru went rogue…"
"None of the younger generation can fully shoulder our burden yet. Kazuya, you must do your best to carry more responsibility and start seeing things from the Hokage's perspective. Do you understand?"
The Third Hokage looked at him expectantly.
So this is him laying his cards on the table, Kazuya thought with a slight smile.
Without realizing it, he seemed to have become the prime candidate for the next Hokage.
In hindsight…
It made sense.
After all, Konoha's strongest young talent, Kakashi, was off to the Land of Rain, planning his future with Rin.
As for the original future Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, the pseudo-Fifth Danzo, and the Sixth Kakashi—they couldn't hold a candle to Kazuya now.
Just average.
Then there was Danzo…
Kazuya wondered when the master manipulator of Konoha's shadows would resurface for a big scheme, giving him a chance to rake in even more experience points.
He had deliberately left Root alone, just waiting for Danzo to make a move.
…
After leaving the Hokage's building, Kazuya strolled down the village streets, occasionally collecting flashes of gold that dropped from passing shinobi.
[You picked up 20 Chakra points]
[You picked up 30 Chakra points]
[You picked up 50 points of combat skill]
[You picked up 5 points of Earth Release talent]
None of these scattered drops were particularly high-value, but watching himself steadily grow stronger in real time felt immensely satisfying.
Besides, the epic clash with Jiraiya had already brought him a jackpot.
He'd earned a total of 40,000 chakra points!
Massive profits.
On top of his boosted Sage talent and energy, Kazuya's current stats were:
[Chakra: Level 5 (367,900/1,000,000)]
[Ocular Power: Level 4 (800/100,000)]
[Sage Energy: Level 4 (12,000/100,000)]
[Tailed Beast Power: Level 5 (0/1,000,000)]
Chakra, ocular power, sage energy, and tailed beast power maxed out.
At this point, a bit more leveling and some Otsutsuki chakra would put him on par with Madara from the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Unstoppable.
Unstoppable.
With the issue of Jiraiya's potential departure resolved, Kazuya turned his attention to his Genjutsu talents.
Currently, Kazuya's Genjutsu is at Level 4.
Decent, but still a weak point in ultra-high-level battles.
It also affected his plans for the Uchiha clan…
Problematic.
After a moment, Kazuya decided his next goal would be to address this gap in his Genjutsu abilities.
After all, it involved a clan's worth of Uchiha experience points—worth taking seriously.
Note: If you are interested, read up to chapter 135 at patreon.com/MythicForge11
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