Outside of Shortbook Street.
Jiraiya was in high spirits, his eyes shining brightly.
Behind him, the three of them were panting heavily.
"Ha... ha..."
So tired! Too tired!
Kyōen had considered before that wearing weighted leg bindings might be tiring, but he never expected it to be this exhausting.
Jiraiya grinned.
Heh, you think I can't handle you guys?
He looked around and asked, "How about it, can you keep going?"
"Yes!"
The three of them replied in unison.
Jiraiya nodded, "Then let's go. We need to find the client as quickly as possible, or the debtor might run away and we'll end up failing the mission."
"Let's go!"
Kakashi grit his teeth and followed Jiraiya's pace.
He valued missions above all else.
Failing a mission would be worse than death!
Kyōen followed behind, silently impressed—
Jiraiya really is an excellent teacher!
What seemed like simple leg bindings was actually carefully designed to ensure their stamina was drained at the same rate as Asuma.
This way, they could rest and run together, ensuring the mission wasn't delayed.
A win-win.
Although it was exhausting for both him and Kakashi.
Kyōen panted, his legs feeling as though they were filled with lead, and calculated to himself—
At this rate, his body probably isn't as strong as Kakashi's, but his speed was still faster, thanks to his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique.
This made sense.
Kakashi had been training his body since he was young, while Kyōen's previous life didn't involve such intense training. The real hard training began after his reincarnation.
Body training doesn't allow for shortcuts.
Unless, like Kabuto, one undergoes cell transplants to change their genes and constitution.
Kyōen steeled his resolve and quickened his pace to catch up with Jiraiya.
Shortbook Street was bustling.
It was known as a notorious den of iniquity.
Many wealthy merchants from the Land of River and even the Land of Wind came here to gamble and indulge in vices, and occasionally, ninjas could be found as well.
For example—
Jiraiya was very familiar with this place, walking through the alleys as if he were heading home.
Soon, the sign of "Qinghua Pavilion" appeared before them.
We've arrived!
"Teacher, you're amazing. You actually remembered this place. I'm already dizzy from all the twists and turns," Asuma couldn't help but exclaim.
Kyōen agreed, "You can tell he's a regular."
Kakashi nodded in agreement.
"What are you two talking about?"
Jiraiya turned around and glared at Kyōen.
"This street has a lot of missions. It's only natural I'd remember after coming here a few times."
"True, true," Kyōen responded quickly.
Kakashi and Asuma couldn't help but chuckle, clearly not fully buying Jiraiya's explanation.
Jiraiya sighed in resignation.
This kid...
Always ruining my reputation!
But, heh, well…
Jiraiya grinned inwardly, then cleared his throat and explained, "I took this mission, not for the reasons you're thinking, but for something more important!"
He then pushed aside the "gambling" bamboo curtain.
A samurai immediately approached.
"Excuse me... are you ninjas from Konohagakure?"
"Yes, we've accepted your employer's mission to protect your debt collectors," Jiraiya nodded.
The samurai beamed and said, "Please follow me!"
He pointed to the side and then jogged inside. Soon, a young man quickly emerged.
"Greetings, I am Matsuyama Kōji, the owner of Qinghua Pavilion."
The young man introduced himself promptly.
Jiraiya's expression became serious.
"I am Jiraiya, a jonin from Konohagakure, and these are my subordinates, responsible for this protection mission. Could you tell us the specifics of the situation?"
"Please come in, and let's discuss it over tea."
Upon hearing Jiraiya's name, Matsuyama Kōji's eyes lit up, and his demeanor grew more respectful.
Jiraiya nodded.
They followed him to the back room, where Matsuyama Kōji instructed a servant to pour tea.
"I never imagined Lord Jiraiya would personally lead the team. We are truly fortunate. This mission is sure to be a success."
Matsuyama Kōji flattered him.
He then explained the mission details.
It turned out that they had previously attempted to collect debts from a group of merchants from the Land of River, but those merchants had hired a band of wandering samurai. Their people couldn't handle them, and they weren't sure if there were any wandering ninjas with the samurai...
So, they had opted to request a B-rank mission from Konoha.
"So, our responsibility is to protect you while you collect debts from the merchants in the Land of River?" Jiraiya asked.
Matsuyama Kōji nodded. "Exactly."
Outside Qinghua Pavilion, Shortbook Street.
After a commotion, a group of wandering samurai and ninjas rushed out, with an angry man shouting behind them, "Once I return to the Land of River, I'll send the remaining money! You really think I'll let you ruin my business?"
"Hisashi Hirakawa, you said the same thing last time. I won't let you escape again!" Matsuyama Kōji sneered.
Most gamblers and businessmen are like this. They always make promises but never intend to pay back what they owe.
Not only did this man owe gambling debts, but he also owed a significant amount of business money.
Now that they had him at Shortbook Street, how could they let him slip away?
"My lord," Matsuyama Kōji said, stepping back to Jiraiya's side, his attitude respectful.
The man's face changed.
"Ninjas? Attack them!"
Dozens of samurai exchanged glances.
"Get them! Don't you want your money?"
"Yes!"
Dozens of men rushed toward them.
Matsuyama Kōji quickly retreated.
Jiraiya smiled but didn't immediately take action. Instead, he stepped back.
"Shall we cooperate?"
Kyōen glanced at Kakashi.
"Do as you like," Kakashi replied indifferently.
Kakashi was confident that he was stronger than the rookie Kyōen when it came to combat. He wouldn't fall behind.
With that, Kakashi unsheathed his sword, ready for action.
Kyōen formed hand seals, gathering chakra.
After more than a year of training, his hand-seal speed had improved significantly. In the blink of an eye, his jutsu was complete.
Immediately after—
Whoosh!
A torrential wave of water erupted from Kyōen's mouth.
Water Style: Water Surge.
The massive wave of water surged like a flood, sweeping away the samurai in front of them, causing them to fall over as it cleared a path.
Kakashi stood frozen.
Had Kyōen really only trained Water Style for half a month?
How was he so powerful?
He had just run a long distance, and his physical and mental energy were far from optimal.
If he were in peak condition, this jutsu would likely be even stronger.
This guy...
Kyōen's Water Style talent is insane!
Kakashi couldn't help but feel envious.
At this moment, he was mostly training body techniques, sword techniques, and Lightning Style jutsu, and didn't know much about Water Style.
But—
Jiraiya knew better.
He understood that Kyōen hadn't just mastered Water Surge; he was also attempting to compress and concentrate the water's power.
Otherwise—
A normal Water Surge wouldn't have such a massive impact.
Such an idea...
If enhanced and perfected, it could become the Second Hokage's Water Dismantling Wave.
When Kyōen released the jutsu, Jiraiya almost thought he was witnessing the reincarnation of the Second Hokage.
It was so similar!
But—
Now was not the time to daydream.
"Kakashi, stop spacing out."
"Huh? Oh, right!"
The wandering samurai were doing their jobs, struggling to charge forward.
Kakashi formed hand seals.
Lightning Style: Earth Walk!
The flow of water ceased immediately.
At the same time, Kakashi pressed his hands against the water, and electrical currents quickly spread through the water, electrocuting the samurai standing up.
Hirakawa had already fled.
But where could an ordinary man run?
Kyōen instantly used Body Flicker and chased him across the rooftops, catching up in just a few moments.
With kunai at his throat, Hirakawa stopped in his tracks.
"I'll pay! I'll pay!"
"Too bad. Your credit here is already negative. Write a letter to your father, Hirakawa Kō, to send the money. Until then, you're not leaving my casino."