"You plan to help him how?"
Help had to be appropriate.
If it felt like pity, the person might prefer not getting any help at all.
That's why Jiraiya had never stepped into someone else's life—he wasn't sure how to help the right way.
"Encouragement. Opportunity."
Akaba spoke just two words.
The Eight Gates technique wasn't hard in theory. The real challenge was the persistence required to train and make it real.
Someone like Might Duy was exactly the kind of recruit the taijutsu-focused group needed most.
Of course,
given enough time, Might Duy could develop the Eight Gates on his own once he understood the basics. But compared to seasoned researchers like Orochimaru, who had vast knowledge reserves, his approach was too simple and reckless—making it easy for him to go down the wrong path.
"When did you start sounding like Danzo?"
Jiraiya sighed helplessly, then quickly opened a book. "We probably won't find him now anyway. Let me finish reading this manga first."
He didn't know where Might Duy trained every day—hadn't been back to Konoha in three days already, so who knew what had changed?
Besides, he was genuinely curious.
What exactly did Akaba mean by "encouragement" and "opportunity"?
They exchanged a glance and said nothing more. With all the curious eyes around the manga shop, some things just weren't meant to be discussed here.
There wasn't much new from One Piece—it didn't take long to read through everything they had.
Akaba wasn't in a hurry.
He didn't have anything else to do anyway. Even if he went home, there was no need to start drawing—the shadow clones were already taking care of it there.
When Jiraiya finished reading, he set the manga down. His research was done.
Still, his gaze lingered longingly on Sakuma Yunlang—
that most precious volume…
He looked greedily at Sakuma Yunlang, but remembering the insane price of one hundred taels per day, his face immediately fell.
"How about it? Want to borrow it?"
Sakuma Yunlang grinned wickedly, already sure of Jiraiya's answer.
That guy would definitely bite.
"Tomorrow. I'll come tomorrow again."
Jiraiya let out a reluctant sigh. Today, he had to help Akaba find that pure-taijutsu kid anyway—there was no time left for studying. He could only come back tomorrow to borrow books.
So broke!
That look of sorrowful reluctance even made Akaba hesitate slightly.
It's just a comic book...
Still, after thinking about it, he decided against letting Jiraiya retrieve one from the factory.
A borrowed book might better motivate him, pushing him to study harder and grasp the essence faster. Even that kind of pressure could be a form of encouragement.
"Let's go. Let's find that person."
Jiraiya tidied up the manga in his hands.
"Wait."
Akaba selected the complete set of Naruto and sealed them into a sealing scroll. "Let's go."
Interrupting someone's training might seem inappropriate, but maybe the person would actually be interested.
He followed behind Jiraiya.
"Don't worry, we're just regular folks—our place isn't fancy."
Jiraiya walked ahead with a solemn expression. After some distance, he stopped and spoke seriously, "Akaba, perhaps it's wrong of me to suspect you like this as a friend, but I still hope that if you're only acting out of temporary sympathy, please don't disturb his life."
It wasn't an easy profession to follow.
If the boy himself lacked talent for ninjutsu and was forced into becoming a ninja with Akaba's help, death might await him.
He was no longer the naive rookie he once was—he had come to understand just how dangerous being a ninja could be.
"I'll explain anyway so you won't misunderstand."
In a low voice, Akaba said, "The Ninja Preparatory Division will soon be established. I plan to set up specialized groups focused on taijutsu, specifically to help those ninjas who aren't very talented in ninjutsu or genjutsu, allowing them to become equally outstanding through physical techniques."
Jiraiya stood in stunned silence for quite some time before finally continuing on his way, deep in thought.
He'd heard rumors about the Preparatory Division and wasn't completely ignorant of it, but this was the first time he'd heard about taijutsu specialty groups.
After thinking for a while, he asked, "What about Teacher?"
"He agreed—the decision passed during this afternoon's meeting. In the next few days, I'll start recruiting for the Preparatory Division."
"In that case, that's great."
Though Jiraiya often acted mischievous and playful by nature, this time his happiness came from the bottom of his heart—as someone who started as a commoner with no remarkable talent, no one understood the struggles of ordinary ninja better than he did.
Without masters' guidance, without inherited ninjutsu, some hadn't even lost their parents in war, growing up supported by the village.
It took a genius—someone like Orochimaru—to rise above that kind of hardship.
It's just too hard!
Of course, he himself had been lucky—not only encountering The Third, but also gaining the favor of Mount Myoboku, learning techniques inherited from the sacred land.
These were things that many commoner children desperately longed for.
"I don't help him out of temporary pity—I genuinely need someone like him to carry out my philosophy."
Akaba understood Jiraiya's thoughts.
Ninjas are dangerous; an unqualified genin might affect not only himself but also the entire team.
They walked along the street together until reaching the commoners' district.
Konoha was thriving, and the villagers enjoyed a decent standard of living, never having to live in rundown houses like slums, though their dwellings looked relatively simple compared to those decorated residences belonging to clans or rich families.
"I don't know that guy, but he lives here too. Usually, he runs back home to cook around this time in the afternoon. Judging by the time, he should arrive soon."
Jiraiya sat down at the roadside.
Akaba nodded and sat beside him. Together, they looked outside, waiting for that boy's return.
Several commoners passed by, seeing Jiraiya and Akaba, wanting to ask questions but hesitating before leaving. Nearly half an hour later, someone finally approached and asked, "Jiraiya, why are you sitting here with him?"
"Uncle Yanoro Toyo, we're waiting for that boy who keeps training persistently."
Jiraiya replied.
Yanoro Toyo thought deeply, recalling a certain boy's image before asking, "You mean Duy?"
"Do you know him, Uncle Yanoro Toyo?"
"That kid can't train today—he seems to have hurt his foot."
Yanoro Toyo sighed.
He's just a child, and not eating well enough either. If Duy keeps pushing himself like this, something bad is bound to happen.
"Do you know where he lives?" Akaba asked immediately.
"Why do you ask?"
Although they were from the same village, judging by Akaba's appearance, he clearly looked like a disciple from some prestigious clan, so Yanoro Toyo seemed somewhat cautious.
"Don't get me wrong, Uncle Toyo. He means no harm at all—we're actually here to help Duy," Jiraiya quickly explained.
"Help?"
Yanoro Toyo was slightly taken aback, glancing between the two of them.
If Akaba had said that, perhaps he would've been suspicious for a while, but as it was, he didn't believe Jiraiya would lie to him.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded. "Follow me."
Akaba noticed that in Yanoro Toyo's hand was a basket of freshly picked herbs—clearly newly gathered medicinal plants meant for treating Duy's injury.
Following Yanoro Toyo, the three soon reached a small single-story house.
"This is where Duy lives. Let me knock."
Yanoro Toyo approached and knocked on the door. After a short while, it opened. A young boy, one leg bent and unable to put it down, made his way to the door hopping on the other foot.
Seeing who stood there, he paused in surprise, then gratefully said, "Uncle Toyo, you came again..."
"We're all family here—no need for such formalities."
Yanoro Toyo supported the boy as he spoke, then turned to call out, "You two can come too!"
Akaba followed them inside. Might Duy's home was simple, yet fully equipped with kitchen facilities and basic supplies. Still, judging from the ingredients around, his meals appeared quite plain and limited.
Supported gently into a seated position, Duy hesitated before asking, "Uncle Toyo, who are they?"
"My name's Jiraiya. I live near your place."
"I know. You're also Lord Third's disciple—one of our village's common-born geniuses like Orochimaru-san."
There was admiration in Duy's tone.
What kind of genius am I really?
"My name is Sakuma Akaba. Aside from being part of the Sakuma clan, I'm also the training instructor for the Ninja Preparatory Division."
"The Ninja Preparatory Division?"
Both Yanoro Toyo and Might Duy reacted in shock—they'd never even heard of such a department.
"It's a brand-new unit that will be officially announced soon. It trains ninja who have graduated from the Ninja Academy."
"I don't think I'll graduate at all."
Might Duy's expression turned grim. His skills in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu were awful—only his Taijutsu was decent. With nothing but physical techniques, wouldn't he just become a burden to others as a ninja?
Right now, his mindset was completely different from what it would become in the future.
Duy, injured and helpless, felt consumed by despair.
"There's someone who once said that even if all you have is Taijutsu, you can still become a great ninja. I've heard about your story from Jiraiya. I believe you possess the potential to become a truly great ninja."
Akaba finished speaking confidently.
This kind of flattery could rival even Orochimaru's, Akaba mused. That kid must be all fired up by now!
Jiraiya stared at him with narrowed eyes.
This guy's got some nerve, blaming someone else when he himself was the one who said it.
What a great ninja.
Keep talking, keep sweet-talking!
Might Duy wasn't inspired at all by these words; instead, he felt a bit doubtful about what was being said.
A great ninja?
Me?
Seems like it had zero effect.
Akaba fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "There's a taijutsu specialized group within the Ninja Preparatory Division, and I'd like to invite you to join."
"Really?"
Might Duy's eyes lit up.
Sighing inwardly again, Akaba realized he truly lacked any talent for flattery. He'd just have to offer direct benefits to persuade people.
He continued, "Yes, we need you."
"Lord, is that really true? But his body..."
Yanoro Toyo genuinely felt happy but also worried that Might Duy's strained leg might cause issues.
"Please don't worry. We have professional medical ninjas researching healing techniques here—treating a leg strain like this won't be difficult."
After speaking, Akaba feared they might still worry about financial concerns, so he added, "As members of the Preparatory Division, there will be no charge. Please rest assured."
"That's fantastic!"
Yanoro Toyo expressed happiness on Might Duy's behalf. It's always better to have some guidance than just blindly training on your own. This way, Maybe Might Duy wouldn't get hurt as often.
"Oh, right—you're injured anyway. Take this manga as a gift to pass the time. Maybe it'll even give you some motivation."
Akaba pulled out the Naruto manga from the sealing scroll.
After handing over the manga, he stood up.
The main help for Might Duy was arranging his enrollment into the taijutsu specialized group. Yet as he was leaving, he paused and added, "Oh, by the way—if you know others like yourself who aren't skilled in ninjutsu or genjutsu, but who are nevertheless hardworking and diligent, you can recommend them to me too."
"Someone like me...I understand. Thank you very much."
Might Duy bowed respectfully.
"Well then, uncle, we won't take up your time anymore. We'll be going first. Treating Duy's injuries might take a few more days, so please don't worry about it."
Tsunade has been extremely busy lately and couldn't spare the time, so it would have to wait a while longer.
"Uncle Yo, we're off now."
Jiraiya waved goodbye.
"Alright, alright! Take your time leaving!"
Yanoro Yo smiled brightly—it was truly wonderful that Duy had received help from these two individuals.
"I'll go tell them right away and bring them along to train with me,"
Might Duy stood up, eager to find those classmates.
He wanted to tell them that even if someone only had taijutsu, they still had a shot at becoming a real ninja.
However, before he could fully stand up, Yanoro Yo pushed him back down.
"If you truly care for them, then don't reveal the truth yet. Once your body recovers, ask them who's willing to train together with you. Let's see who remains committed after some time passes, and only then report their names to Lord Akaba."
"...Okay, I understand."
This site categorizes completed novels accurately. Please support this great site by sharing it with your friends!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>