Chapter 46: The New S-Rank Rogue Ninja
Jiraiya discovered a refreshing new drink he really liked: lemonade. Its sweet and sour taste was just like his mood.
During this period, he once again experienced that feeling of a genius disciple making a teacher feel at a loss... Only the casual chats after dinner each night could help him regain some confidence.
The problem was, what he taught was no different from what a Chunin teacher at the Ninja Academy taught... perhaps just a bit more refined...
Whether it was ninjutsu or sage art, in the two areas he excelled at most, Uchiha Itachi already possessed the ability of the new wave to surpass the old.
"What else can I teach him?"
Jiraiya sipped his straw, watching the little boy sit cross-legged, synthesizing sage art chakra, while the crow beside him pecked at a watermelon... A wave of melancholy washed over him...
Uchiha Itachi was completely unaware of this. He was still diligently cultivating, his brow furrowed, his eyes unconsciously starting to turn red, and a black aura gradually spreading from his body...
This was the prelude to an excess of natural energy. If he continued, the black aura on his body would turn into black feathers, and then he would become a real crow.
"Caw!"
Kitahara deftly guided the sage art chakra into Uchiha Itachi's body. The clumps of black aura quickly gathered towards his back, condensing into the shape of a pair of black feathered wings, and gradually solidifying.
Every time he saw this scene, Jiraiya, whose heart ached with a mix of pain, weariness, and sorrow, said, "..."
"Failed again."
Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes, gazing at the wings behind him. His training goal was to be able to independently activate Sage Mode.
Jiraiya walked up to him with his arms crossed and comforted him, "Itachi, being able to reach this step already is very good. We'll return to Konoha tomorrow and start formally engaging in ninja missions!"
After all, Jiraiya himself, as a teacher... couldn't even extract natural energy on his own yet!
Besides, there was no need for Uchiha Itachi to rush his Sage Mode training; he could cultivate it anytime, anywhere. Having a Great Sage as a pendant to help with cultivation meant he could be willful...
"Are we finally going back to the village?" A smile crossed Itachi's lips; he truly missed his family.
"Caw?"
The freshly baked Great Crow Sage heard Jiraiya's words and flew onto Uchiha Itachi's shoulder.
Why would Jiraiya suddenly want to return to Konoha?
Of course, it was because there was nothing left to teach. The only two ninjutsu he could still impart...
The Rasengan was a ninjutsu developed by the Fourth Hokage; Jiraiya had no right to teach it privately... Toad Oil Fire Bullet was Mount Myoboku's signature technique, impossible to teach to the Crow Sage's spokesperson...
He thought it over and over, and decided to simply take Uchiha Itachi back to the village, accept some ninja missions, and incidentally let his disciple level up.
As one of the Sannin, he certainly couldn't accept low-level missions like finding lost cats or walking dogs at the Mission Assignment Post. At the very least, it had to be a direct mission or order issued by the Third Hokage.
On one hand, it would allow Itachi to quickly adapt to the life of a ninja; on the other hand, it would also make him closer to the village.
There was another matter, which was Jiraiya's constant search for news of the Child of Prophecy. It was possible that this would now fall upon this crow.
According to the confirmation from the Great Toad Sage and Fukasaku, they believed Kitahara was highly likely to know about the Child of Prophecy. Even if it only leaked a small clue, it could save Jiraiya a lot of time.
However, this matter couldn't be rushed; someone needed to act according to the circumstances... Jiraiya took it upon himself to extract this information.
Anyway, Mount Myoboku had no other candidates.
If Kitahara knew the information they wanted to ask, it would probably welcome their questions, right? After all, the matter of the Child of Prophecy was what it was most familiar with, no matter which aspect...
Even if they asked about the Child of Prophecy's true love, Kitahara could talk and analyze until Naruto grew up, and then pack up that cub at home and throw him out!
Uchiha Itachi was eager to return home, and Kitahara also greatly missed the Uchiha family... It now possessed sage art, so it wasn't afraid of that little brat at home anymore!
Their group didn't travel back to the village particularly quickly. After all, there was a considerable distance from the border of the Land of Wind to Konoha...
But Kitahara learned some not-so-good news...
A Konoha ninja at the Land of Fire border outpost briefly told them about the situation in the village when they encountered them.
Danzo Shimura had been reinstated as a Hokage Advisor and had once again taken control of the ANBU training class... And this was less than half a year after Hiruzen Sarutobi had stripped him of his power.
Additionally, Konoha had once again declared an S-rank rogue ninja.
Jiraiya had already obtained the intelligence on the rogue ninja, looking at the wanted poster over and over in confusion, "A Flying Thunder God user? Defected?"
Besides his eldest disciple Minato Namikaze, had a new Flying Thunder God user been born in the village?
The stationed ninja responded, "Yes, Lord Jiraiya. It's said he was a member of the ANBU training class, extremely proficient in the Flying Thunder God Technique. He defected after a failed assassination attempt on Lord Hokage..."
"A Flying Thunder God user failing to assassinate the old man..." Jiraiya's words always sounded awkward. He looked at the portrait and couldn't help but complain, "This is too ugly, isn't it?"
Kitahara curiously flew onto his shoulder and saw a simple portrait on the wanted poster... The person on it had distinctly black and white skin and a very strange appearance...
It looked very familiar... Hmm, like Zetsu, whom it had nearly killed that night... Wasn't this the appearance of its Transformation Jutsu when it attacked Kakashi and the other ANBU?
The Konoha higher-ups... how exactly did they define a non-existent person as a rogue ninja?
The stationed ninja quickly gave an explanation, "This rogue ninja once privately colluded with Orochimaru to conduct human experiments, which is why he looks like this..."
Kitahara: "..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were truly outstanding... Or rather, Danzo Shimura was too formidable, forcibly creating a non-existent ninja and conveniently blame onto someone else.
Reasonable and well-founded, making people convinced.
"Orochimaru..."
Jiraiya lowered his head, staring at the wanted poster in his hand. For the first time, he felt his close friend was a bit terrifying...
To actually be able to help a ninja master a space-time ninjutsu through human experimentation... It was too incredible... After all, the Flying Thunder God Technique relied purely on talent!
In that case, it was possible that Orochimaru himself might become a Flying Thunder God user in the future... Jiraiya could only pray that Orochimaru had no intention of taking revenge on Konoha.
Orochimaru, who had just had a base destroyed, suddenly had two more pots (blames) thrown on him: illegal human experimentation to create inhuman creatures, and instigating others to assassinate the Hokage.
Perhaps Danzo Shimura felt he had too many pots and couldn't carry them all himself, so he gave two to Orochimaru...
Jiraiya was very interested in the Flying Thunder God rogue ninja, "Is there any recent intelligence on this rogue ninja?"
"Lord Jiraiya..."
Logically, this stationed ninja shouldn't casually leak intelligence, but presumably, the village's actions were no longer a secret.
The stationed ninja simply laid it all out, "The previous stationed squad was reassigned to the border of the Land of Grass. We are here to replace them... The village has already mobilized many ninja squads towards the Land of Grass."
Kitahara's eyes gradually became dazed, "..."
The one carrying the blame... seemed to be more than just Orochimaru!
(End of this chapter)