It was a weekend evening.
Shinji had told Naruto and the others to rest tomorrow, then gather for a meal on the last day of the weekend.
Why did he do this?
It was because of the middle-aged man in front of him, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
Jiraiya first sighed, then raised his cup and drank deeply again.
"Jiraiya-senpai, you'll get drunk easily if you drink like that." Shinji advised.
"You're just a kid, don't underestimate me." Jiraiya glared at Shinji, then poured another cup.
Shinji said helplessly, "Then, Jiraiya-senpai, can you first tell me why you came to see me? After all, if you get drunk later, won't I just be wasting my time here?"
However, whether Jiraiya was truly drunk was another matter.
"Speaking of which, you're quite strong, kid." Hearing this, Jiraiya, half-drunk and half-sober, said.
Here it comes.
"It's alright, at least I can protect myself." Shinji said conservatively.
Hearing this, Jiraiya's eyes immediately turned into dots.
Whose self-preservation ability is enough to take down the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki?
"Come on, I understand now how you escaped from Orochimaru's hands."
Jiraiya admired this cautious attitude. Which young powerhouse is like Shinji, without a hint of youthful exuberance?
Shinji didn't respond, just smiled and picked up his cup to drink some tea.
That's right, drinking tea in an izakaya. The owner's surprised expression just now was impossible to hide.
If Jiraiya hadn't ordered a pile of alcohol, the izakaya owner might have thought Shinji was there to cause trouble.
"Alright, how's Naruto?" Jiraiya stopped playing guessing games with Shinji and asked directly.
Shinji asked indifferently, "Jiraiya-senpai, haven't you been secretly observing for several days?"
Shinji had been able to sense Jiraiya's completely undisguised actions these past few days.
Shinji slowly put down his teacup and said, "I think it would be better if you just went to see Naruto directly."
He didn't understand why Jiraiya was so awkward. Preferring to hide in the dark rather than meet him.
"Forget it, Naruto… In short, I still can't bring myself to see Naruto for now." Jiraiya shook his head, still unwilling to accept this option.
It wasn't that Jiraiya didn't want to see him, but he always believed that if he had been there at the time, he might have been able to change something. At least Naruto wouldn't be alone now.
Shinji gave up trying to persuade him.
"However, you've taught Naruto very well." Jiraiya said, changing the subject.
"Apparently, that's my strong suit." Shinji said with a smile.
"Indeed…"
Jiraiya was speechless, remembering his disciples.
Minato died, and the whereabouts of the others were unknown.
"By the way, Jiraiya-senpai, after this period, what do you plan to do?" Shinji intentionally guided the conversation, asking.
"Continue tracking an organization. Recently, it seems to have become more active, so it's shown a few clues." Jiraiya didn't explain too much, just responded vaguely.
Shinji nodded.
In the original story, Jiraiya seemed to have been tracking Orochimaru, thereby learning about the Akatsuki. From then on, he began a targeted investigation.
After all, an organization that could attract his teammate, the genius Orochimaru, to join, no matter how you look at it, it was not to be underestimated.
"Alright, no more talking."
After saying that, Jiraiya stood up, saying, "I haven't found anything in Konoha these past few days."
"That's why I turned my attention to you, but whatever."
With that, Jiraiya waved his hand and walked out of the shop.
Shinji couldn't help but frown.
Did he miss something?
"Um… customer, could you settle the bill?"
The izakaya owner appeared in front of Shinji at the opportune moment, holding a long bill.
Shinji: ???
So I have to pay the full bill just for drinking a cup of tea?
Looking up, there was no sign of Jiraiya.
On the rooftop outside the shop, Jiraiya couldn't help but curl his lips. Having conned Shinji out of some money, his mood improved a lot.
However…
Jiraiya didn't smile for long, and his face slowly became solemn.
That day, in the Hokage Office, he clearly felt Hiruzen's gaze linger on Shinji for a while. But he had been secretly observing for a long time these past few days. Yet he couldn't find anything different about Shinji.
No, it should be said that the biggest difference was that in less than a year and a half, Shinji's strength had changed significantly.
Either Shinji had always concealed his strength and revealed nothing.
Or, he was truly a genius.
However, Hiruzen barely responded to his questions, only telling him to go and see for himself.
Jiraiya shook his head and leaped away.
What could he see?
At most, he could only gather from some details that many of Konoha's current changes actually originated from Shinji.
However, Hiruzen was attracting all the attention upfront.
Otherwise, with the disciples Shinji currently had, it would already be enough to make the ninja clans in the village take notice.
"What game is the old man playing?"
As the evening breeze blew, Shinji, who slowly walked out of the izakaya, looked up at the rooftop.
He shook his head and ignored it, then turned and headed towards the Hokage Building.
He was going to Hiruzen for Yin Seal. After all, that Ninjutsu wasn't in the Scroll of Seals.
His current Yang Chakra was insufficient to maintain it for a long time.
Then it would be necessary to refer to Tsunade's Yin Seal, or to imitate that jutsu based on it.
However, it seems Yin Seal requires vast medical knowledge to achieve. So far, he had only received the Mystical Palm Technique and a few basic Medical Ninjutsu from some rewards. For comprehending the Yin Seal, it was far from enough.
Moreover, Fuinjutsu was also a problem. With the disappearance of Kushina and Minato, Konoha's existing Fuinjutsu was actually only barely ahead of the major ninja villages.
Or, should he find Minato?
Shinji couldn't help but have this thought, but the last time he saw Minato, his state was clearly not right.
If he went to him now, Minato would probably agree, but he wouldn't be able to do too much.
Shinji, lost in thought, suddenly stopped.
If he couldn't personally teach, he should be able to compile scrolls, right?
Thinking of this, Shinji turned and headed towards Naruto's house.
First, improve his Fuinjutsu level, then researching it would likely be twice as effective. As for medical knowledge, he could just trouble Hiruzen then.
(End of Chapter)
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