Chapter 35: The Meeting with Jiraiya
In front of the Hatake Clan's residence in the Hidden Leaf Village...
Jōnin Hatake Kyūjō leaned casually against the wooden gate, arms folded across his chest as he observed the two boys in front of him arguing with intensity.
One of them had a head of thick silver hair. Even though most of his face was hidden behind a mask, his sharp eyes and composed demeanor gave off a clear sense of handsomeness and intelligence.
The other boy looked equally intense but in a completely different way—his youthful face was stern beyond his years, framed by a perfectly round bowl haircut, thick eyebrows, and a vibrant green bodysuit that clung tightly to his frame.
There was no mistaking their identities.
These two were the future Sixth Hokage—Hatake Kakashi—and the man who would nearly break fate itself: the Blue Beast of Konoha, Might Guy… also known in another timeline as "Emperor Guy."
— — —
"Kakashi! Are you really graduating early this year?" Guy asked, his large eyes widened with surprise as he stared at Kakashi, whose expression remained cool and confident.
"Yeah. The Academy doesn't have anything else to teach me. I want to graduate early and train under Uncle," Kakashi replied, nodding toward Hatake Kyūjō, who stood silently by the gate.
He gave a polite greeting. "Uncle Kyūjō."
But Kyūjō blinked in confusion. When did I ever agree to that?
Before he could speak, Might Guy was already shouting with passionate energy:
"Then he must be your destined rival, Kakashi-kun! Truly, only someone this talented could be called a genius!"
"Very well! I've decided! I'm graduating this year too! If I fail, I'll run a hundred laps around the village—on my hands! And if I fail again, I'll do one hundred fifty laps using only my fingertips! And if that still doesn't work...!"
With youthful fervor blazing in his heart, Guy sprang off like a frog on fire, dashing toward his home in a green blur.
Kakashi stood frozen. "…What."
Can this thick-browed idiot not read the room at all?
One of the main reasons he wanted to graduate early... was because of that guy!
And now, he wanted to graduate too?
Fortunately, after a brief moment of contemplation, Kakashi calmed himself. Not everyone could graduate early anyway. There were exceptions... and Guy clearly wasn't one of them.
To Kakashi, Guy was nothing more than a bottom-rung student who couldn't even use basic ninjutsu—relying solely on raw taijutsu. In his eyes, Guy was about on par with Uchiha Obito... another hopeless idiot.
— — —
"Uncle Kyūjō, it's your turn to cook tonight, right? I want grilled salted saury," Kakashi said hopefully as he followed his uncle into the house.
Kyūjō chuckled softly and glanced at him. "You're back, Kakashi. But sorry, it's not my night. Tonight, your mom—Yumiko—is on cooking duty."
"Again...? Didn't she already cook several times this week? Isn't it supposed to be your turn?" Kakashi asked in a hushed, almost pleading voice as he peeked nervously toward the kitchen.
Kyūjō shook his head lightly. "Just wait a few days. I'll grill some saury for you later."
Then he added, "By the way... earlier you told Guy that after graduation, you'd train with me. What was that about? I don't remember agreeing to that."
Kakashi raised his chin, puffing out his chest proudly. "Oh, that's a deal I made with Dad. He said that if I graduated early this year, I'd be allowed to train and go on missions with you."
"…I see." Kyūjō rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then eventually nodded. "Fair enough."
He understood Hatake Sakumo's reasoning. Under his watch, Kakashi would be perfectly safe.
Besides, the kid had talent in Lightning Release, which aligned well with his own specialties.
Whether this would shift the original timeline—replacing Minato as Kakashi's teacher—didn't concern him anymore.
After over ten years in this world, the original story was already in shambles.
All that mattered now was to stay calm, grow stronger, and swiftly eliminate anything—or anyone—that threatened the peace.
Over the past four years, Kyūjō had quietly cultivated his strength. At this point, he had regained most of his former power.
In another year or two, his body in this shinobi world would likely reach the peak state he once had in the pirate world.
A single airborne slash would be enough to erase Konoha from the map.
Uchiha Madara? Rinnegan Nagato?
He didn't fear them at all.
Even if the Sage of Six Paths himself were to rise from the grave, Kyūjō was ready to face him.
Sure, whether he'd win or not was debatable—after all, chakra and Haki were two very different systems. But when it came to actual combat potential… Kyūjō was confident he had the edge.
Now that he understood chakra better, it no longer posed a serious threat to him.
He already possessed the equivalent of eight massive chakra reserves—and he was currently researching Natural Energy to develop Sage Mode.
With that much chakra, plus his mastery of ninjutsu and taijutsu, there was no doubt.
Hatake Kyūjō was already the strongest shinobi alive—at a level on par with Super Kage.
And if he managed to perfect Sage Mode?
Until someone like the Sage of Six Paths reappeared, no one in this world could force him to even use Haki.
— — —
The next day, Jiraiya arrived—bearing two important requests.
But the moment he explained Orochimaru's intentions, Kyūjō's expression twisted in annoyance.
That damn snake is still poking his nose around?
As for Tsunade's request about medical ninjutsu, that was less of a problem… though it came with a backstory.
Two years ago, Captain Araki was on a mission outside the village when he was ambushed by Kumogakure shinobi. Though grievously injured, he managed to kill his attackers.
But one of them—a lightning-style specialist—struck him with a combined taijutsu-ninjutsu technique: Lightning Release: Thunderclap Hundredfold Dance.
The damage shattered Araki's ribs into dozens of tiny fragments. Even Konoha's best medical-nin couldn't fix it.
Tsunade herself—the foremost authority on medical ninjutsu—admitted defeat.
His teammates began preparing for the worst.
But Kurama Kaeha, one of their squadmates, refused to give up. She rushed to Kyūjō's house and begged for help.
Without hesitation, Kyūjō intervened.
He channeled Colorless Haki into Araki's body, controlling the bone shards and realigning them precisely.
To stabilize the structure, he even left a trace of Haki inside Araki as reinforcement.
Tsunade had witnessed the entire process.
She had been completely stunned.
She'd wanted to ask about it right then—but their relationship wasn't close enough at the time.
Even after their friendship improved over the years, Kyūjō never agreed to teach her.
Not because he was stingy—but because the technique wasn't teachable.
It wasn't chakra-based. It was pure Haki—specifically a high-level application that only top-tier pirates could master.
There was no way Tsunade could learn it.
To avoid constant pestering—not just from Tsunade, but even from his brother Sakumo and his sister-in-law Yumiko—Kyūjō had spent the last two years developing an alternative version using chakra.
That new technique was only recently completed.
Which made Jiraiya's visit... perfectly timed.
— — —
Seeing Kyūjō lost in thought with furrowed brows, Jiraiya's heart sank a little.
He knew these requests were no small matter.
Orochimaru wanted a blood sample, hair, and skin tissue—to study Kyūjō's bloodline limit.
And with Orochimaru's skills… those materials could be used for anything from tracking to curse-seals to targeted assassination techniques.
As for Tsunade's request?
In the shinobi world, a unique medical technique was practically a clan's inheritance.
If the Hatake clan passed it down, they could ensure their survival even outside the battlefield.
So asking for it… was asking a lot.
That's why Jiraiya came prepared to offer something in return—his most powerful technique: Sage Mode.
— — —
But before he could finish explaining...
Kyūjō suddenly nodded. "Jiraiya-sensei, I'll do it. I'll grant both requests."
Jiraiya blinked. His eyes lit up—then dimmed with guilt.
He felt indebted to this student.
He hadn't taught Kyūjō anything during their time together… and now he'd come asking for favors.
Jiraiya sighed and looked at him seriously.
"Kyūjō, you're a genius—far beyond me. I've never really taught you anything worthwhile…"
"But I've spent the last few years learning something powerful. It's a risky technique. One wrong step could be fatal. Are you willing to learn it from me?"
Kyūjō scratched his head and chuckled.
"Jiraiya-sensei, did you forget you have another student? Can I train together with Minato?"
"…Huh?"
Only then did Jiraiya remember—he still had a second student.
Of course, he couldn't show favoritism.
He instantly agreed with a laugh.
After setting a training schedule for the next day, Kyūjō stepped back inside—and returned a moment later with all the requested materials for Orochimaru and Tsunade.
He handed them to Jiraiya without hesitation.
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