"Master Jigen? Where is this master now?" Jiraiya asked excitedly.
He had no doubts about what Master Chiriku had said.
After all, the Ninja World was huge—plenty of powerful monks preferred to stay hidden, far away from fame and fortune.
In short, someone whom even Master Chiriku's own teacher was willing to personally seek advice from,
Must surely be extraordinary—definitely worth a try.
Of course, if the person were too far away,
It would probably be better to return to Konoha Village first.
"Not far. Two days ago, Master Jigen visited our temple as a guest."
"And he asked me to help find an unfortunate orphan."
"He is quite old now and wants to adopt a child to raise and train personally."
"Most likely hoping to leave behind a successor to care for him in his final years..."
"Therefore, he is currently staying in a small courtyard over thirty li south of the temple."
"He will stay temporarily for about a week, giving us time to find an appropriate orphan before notifying him..."
"If you think it's feasible, you can go visit him right now!"
Master Chiriku honestly explained.
He genuinely wanted to help Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya immediately felt hopeful and filled with optimism.
Only thirty li—just ten or so minutes travel time. Not far at all.
Totally worth a shot!
Even if Master Jigen couldn't remove Tsunade's seal after all,
They still wouldn't be late returning to Konoha.
No significant time would be lost either way.
"Great! Thank you so much, Master Chiriku. I'll take Tsunade there to visit him right away!"
Without hesitation, Jiraiya immediately made his decision.
"Please feel free to proceed without worry."
"If any pursuers come, we will personally intervene and block them."
"We may not be able to stop all of them, but we will do our best to buy you some time..."
Master Chiriku clasped his hands together and guaranteed once more.
Within his limited capabilities, he didn't mind helping Jiraiya and Tsunade further.
After all, he also had a good relationship with Asuma.
"Thank you again, Reverend!"
Jiraiya was delighted, solemnly thanked him, and then quickly set off with Tsunade.
Heading south of the temple, aiming to seek assistance from this Master Jigen.
...
Less than ten minutes later,
Gamabunta had already carried Jiraiya and Tsunade to that secluded little courtyard.
And found Master Jigen.
The man wore white monk's robes, accented with red sashes around his waist, red earrings dangling from his ears, and matching red neckbands and wrist guards. His hair gathered neatly on top of his head, leaving only a single long braid trailing down his back. He had a dignified appearance and exuded complete righteousness.
At this moment, he sat quietly in the courtyard,
One hand propped beneath his forehead, studying a jutsu scroll.
He radiated a profound and transcendent aura, calm yet weighty like an immovable mountain.
Even the tremor when the giant Gamabunta landed just beyond the courtyard barely earned a glance—he remained utterly unperturbed.
Indeed, he fully embodied the presence of a high-level elder sage.
...
Actually, thanks to the power granted by Isshiki otsutsuki, Jigen's physical form had lived for over a thousand years.
During those thousand years.
Isshiki had been hiding inside Jigen's mind, like a parasite controlling Jigen's body.
To regain his strength and lay low for as long as possible, he remained cautious, living in seclusion to avoid being discovered.
Because he knew it all too well.
After consuming the fruit, Kaguya had truly attained a true Immortal Body!
That woman, although she had trapped herself, was sealed away by her two sons working together.
But she likely still left behind some sort of contingency plan!
Therefore, before her backup plan was unleashed,
Isshiki had long decided not to act rashly!
Unfortunately though, Jigen's body was never the ideal 'vessel' to begin with.
Added to the erosion of a thousand years, this body was increasingly deteriorating.
It was time to seek another suitable 'container.'
This was also the real reason why 'Jigen' stepped out of his base, going around looking everywhere, acting under the guise of adopting a foster son.
However,
finding a proper 'vessel' was no easy task.
He had traveled many places, spending much time.
Yet still hadn't found a suitable replacement.
And now, he hadn't anticipated this either.
Two insects who seemed moderately strong had actually come right to him?
...
Isshiki controlled Jigen, continuing to play the role of a reclusive monk.
He greeted the two guests with unusual warmth and kindness.
They exchanged words.
Jigen understood Jiraiya's purpose.
Immediately, he expressed willingness to help Jiraiya, saying he could dispel the Sealing Formula binding Tsunade.
Hearing that, Jiraiya was overjoyed and thanked him profusely.
Jiraiya harbored little suspicion toward Jigen.
After all, Jigen gave off the vibe of an enlightened high monk, appearing completely free from worldly desires.
Moreover, the identity of a monk itself was extremely deceptive.
It naturally raised minimal suspicion.
But regarding whether Jigen could genuinely remove the seal or not, Jiraiya did have some slight concerns.
"Release your Water Release technique."
Jigen said calmly.
"Master, this..."
"Just trust me."
Jiraiya gritted his teeth and complied, releasing the Water Prison Technique.
The moment it was lifted,
With the Water Release no longer suppressing them, Tsunade's cursed seals flared up on her unconscious body,
turning red rapidly, trying to transform into chains of flame to devour Tsunade.
Seeing this, Jiraiya's heart tightened. He quickly moved forward to stop it.
"Hu——"
Jigen extended his right hand, injecting a small amount of chakra into Tsunade's body.
Instantly, those crimson cursed seals were suppressed, calming down immediately.
Witnessing this, Jiraiya felt relieved, secretly marveling at Master Jigen's extraordinary skills!
At the same time, all doubts about this master vanished completely.
"This is just a temporary suppression of the seal; to fully undo it will take another two or three hours."
"During this time, you guard outside the courtyard and keep anyone from approaching!"
"Make sure no one disturbs my removal of the sealing formula."
Jigen instructed Jiraiya.
"Alright! Leave it to me!"
Jiraiya hurriedly assured him.
Though he'd recovered only a small amount of chakra, as long as he could move freely, fending off a few pursuers wouldn't be a problem.
Besides, it was just three hours — nothing much to worry about.
And during that time, he'd give his life to protect this courtyard — for Tsunade's sake!
After saying that, Jiraiya immediately stepped outside the courtyard.
Jiraiya stood side by side with Elder Toad, bracing themselves for whatever was coming.
...
Seeing Jiraiya leave,
Jigen revealed a sinister grin. With a wave of his hand, he shut the courtyard gate,
and then he set up a barrier to keep any prying eyes out.
Only after that did he finally turn his gaze toward Tsunade.
"A truly fine body indeed!"
"Though she's a bit older."
"But this rich vitality and strong physique are far superior to my current vessel."
"Not perfect by any means, but still an ideal vessel for me!"
Jigen murmured eagerly.
In truth, that so-called Heaven Prison Sealing Formula
was utterly trivial to Jigen.
With the very origin of Chakra at his command, he could obliterate it in an instant...
The real reason he asked for those three hours wasn't to break the seal at all.
Rather, it was precisely to use this time to carefully carve his own [Kāma] into Tsunade's body!
After all, a fine container possessing Senju bloodline like this was rare to find.
Let alone one that came right to him willingly.
It perfectly suited Isshiki's needs.
So using the guise of removing the seal, quietly imprint the [Kāma] within her body, achieving everything undetected.
As for it being a female body — that was completely irrelevant.
Once the [Kāma] fully thaws and unfolds completely,
it would overwrite and replace Tsunade's appearance like a "data packet," transforming her into the original gender of Isshiki Otsutsuki.
Fully transformed into his true self.
No need to worry about anything.
Thinking thus, Jigen grew even more excited, his eyes shining brightly.
He wasted no time and started his work immediately.
<><><><><><><><>
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
<><><><><><><><>