"Her dad's named Sato, so she's a Sato too!" Ebara roared.
"Ohh, got it!" Might Dai said, as if a lightbulb went off.
Ebara's forehead vein pulsed.
Konoha's biggest genius? You take the crown!
Dai, eager as a monkey, asked, "So, do you know her name?"
Ebara nearly lost it. "You don't even know, how would I?"
"Fair point. What now?" Dai asked, looking worried.
Seeing Dai's expression, Ebara tested, "You really like her that much?"
Dai nodded solemnly. "Absolutely."
Ebara stroked his chin. "Alright, let me think of a plan."
His eyes lit up. "Got it. One guy definitely knows who she is!"
"Who?" Dai asked, leaning in.
"Ebara, you're dead!" a white-haired guy, about Ebara's age, charged at him, roaring.
It was Jiraiya.
Dai quickly stepped in front of Ebara.
Though Jiraiya was a rising genius and the Third Hokage's student, Dai wasn't fazed.
"Chill out," Ebara said, patting Dai's shoulder, completely unbothered.
"You sure?" Dai asked, skeptical.
He could see Jiraiya already forming hand signs.
Jiraiya, a jonin-level ninja, was way out of their genin league.
One jutsu could flatten them both.
And Jiraiya's rage meter was clearly maxed out.
"Relax," Ebara said, hands behind his back, posing confidently. "Sometimes, ninja battles aren't about strength."
Jiraiya was almost done with his seals.
"Fire Style: Great Flame—"
Dai could feel the heat already.
Only then did Ebara casually pull something from his pocket.
With a flourish, he held it up.
His prized Ninja Soldier.
Seeing those words, Jiraiya's pupils shrank, his hands slowing.
But a second later, his eyes hardened.
Compared to a broken heart, what was a mere Ninja Soldier?
His hands moved again.
Ebara, prepared, flicked his thumb, revealing more books behind Ninja Soldier.
Female Ninja White Water, Sly Wind-Water Ninja, Plum Vase, Golden Scales Aren't Mere Pond Fish!
Jiraiya's hands froze, staring at the stack.
"You've got the makings of a rare martial genius," Ebara said seriously. "World peace depends on you. These are martial secrets, fated for you. Ten bucks, and they're yours! Practice hard, and a mighty Kirin Arm is within reach!"
Jiraiya's mouth watered at the books.
He'd hung out with Ebara enough to know their value.
"You're giving these to me?" Jiraiya asked, eyes wide.
"Of course! We're bros!" Ebara said generously, shoving the books into Jiraiya's arms.
Clutching them, Jiraiya was over the moon.
He'd begged Ebara for these books countless times, only to be brushed off.
Now he could finally dive in.
Ebara played dumb. "Oh, you said you had a score to settle? What's that about?"
"Settle? Who said that? I'd fight anyone who did!" Jiraiya bellowed, indignant.
Ebara: "That's my guy…"
"Alright, save those for a quiet night," Ebara said, prying Jiraiya's eyes off the books. "We've got business now."
"What's up?" Jiraiya asked, reluctant to look away.
"How many girls our age in the village are named Sato?" Ebara asked.
Jiraiya, a lifelong perv, knew the village's women better than anyone—maybe even better than the Third knew its female population.
"Sato? Not many in the village," Jiraiya said, forming hand signs.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof! A scroll appeared.
Scrawled across it: Hundred Beauties Chart!
The scroll unfurled, revealing portraits of gorgeous women, their names listed below.
"Holy crap, you actually made this?" Ebara's eyes bulged.
He'd joked with Jiraiya about creating a "beauties chart," but Jiraiya had secretly gone and done it, with plenty of entries.
The drawings were lifelike, capturing their charm.
Their curvaceous figures were especially eye-catching.
Just one glance got Ebara's blood pumping.
"You've seen all these girls?" he asked.
"Some are real, some I made up," Jiraiya said, drooling again. "But the bodies? Those are realistic."
Hearing some were fictional, Ebara's excitement fizzled with a shudder.
"We're Konoha's future pillars. How can you do something so shameless? Get to business," Ebara said.
Jiraiya gave a thumbs-up. "Spoken like a true bro."
Soon, the scroll revealed a relatively plain but playfully charming girl in farm clothes, standing in a field.
"Sato Shizu. That's probably her," Jiraiya said, wiping his brow.
"That's her!" Dai blurted before Ebara could turn to him.
He stared at Shizu's portrait, entranced, cheeks flushing.
"Tell him everything you know about Sato Shizu," Ebara said, nodding at Jiraiya.
"For a plain girl like her, I don't know much," Jiraiya said casually. "Her family lives on the east side. She goes to the mountains every morning to gather herbs. That's about it."
"Got it," Dai said, face red with excitement.
Ebara shook his head.
Being Dai's crush—lucky or unlucky for Shizu?
"Ebara…" Dai started.
"I know, you're off to see your girl. Go," Ebara said, waving him off.
He knew Dai's next move before he made it.
"No wonder you're my bro!" Dai laughed, sprinting toward the village's east side.
"I'm out too, Ebara," Jiraiya said. "Training's been crazy. Gotta master sage chakra."
Sage chakra? More like mastering your Kirin Arm!