Chapter 56 – Jiraiya: Wait, Hold On—You Two Are What Now?!
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[Main Quest Completed: "Return of Princess Tsunade"]
Reward: Secret Art – Senju Clan's Chakra Burst Technique ("Monstrous Strength")
Uchiha Yujiro tilted his head slightly, reading the system notification with a grin.
"Now that's what I call a good reward."
A surge of new knowledge flooded his mind—
the intricate control of localized chakra explosions,
the method to condense and detonate power within one's muscles.
Yujiro's smile widened in satisfaction.
Good thing he'd beaten the crap out of a few Uchiha prodigies earlier this month—
those "training sessions" had boosted his Strength stat to thirteen.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have had nearly enough chakra to support a monster technique like this.
Not to mention combining it with Lightning Release Chakra Mode
and his dual Blades, layering technique upon technique like a mad scientist with a death wish.
He flexed his fingers, testing the flow of chakra through his arms.
Single-handed Lightning Blade: fivefold power output.
Single-handed Fire Blade: also fivefold output.
But both together—
Dual-Handed Lightning-Fire Monstrous Strength Mode—
that multiplier stacked.
Twenty-five times his base strength.
Enough to blow a damn tailed beast straight out of the battlefield.
Of course, the cost was equally monstrous.
At fivefold output, it just drained his chakra and left him winded for a while.
At twenty-fivefold output, though?
That was a whole different story.
That move didn't just drain chakra—it devoured it.
And worse, it burned away bits of his lifespan in exchange.
A true last-resort technique—
a self-destructive "Heavenly Demon Breakdown Mode."
But Yujiro didn't flinch.
If trading a serious injury for an enemy's death was the price,
he'd pay it without hesitation.
After all, plenty of shinobi died wishing they'd had that choice.
---
"Once I'm back, I'll track down Guy and learn the Eight Gates,"
Yujiro muttered to himself, already planning ahead.
"Stack that on top of my current arsenal, and my physical combat line's complete."
Then he turned, flashing that same easy, confident smile toward Tsunade.
"Alright, Tsunade-nee, let's keep walking and talk on the way.
We've got a world to save—
and a clan to rebuild."
Tsunade blinked at him, momentarily caught off guard.
Somewhere between his calm certainty and that reckless grin,
her guard slipped just a little.
Without realizing it herself,
her steps began to match his pace.
The once-aimless princess of the Senju
was now walking beside the dangerous boy who claimed he could change the world.
---
Meanwhile, several miles away…
"Eh? Wait, wait, hold up—"
Jiraiya froze mid-step, eyes bulging,
as he stared at the two figures walking ahead in perfect sync.
"You two are… what now?!"
And just like that, Yujiro's grand plan took its first solid step forward.
When he and Tsunade returned from the wilderness—talking and laughing together as if nothing had happened—both Orochimaru and Jiraiya were caught completely off guard.
They'd been waiting at the edge of town, half-expecting a disaster.
Instead, the "unpersuadable" Legendary Sucker walked back beside the Uchiha boy, calm and radiant, like a new person.
Orochimaru's serpentine eyes narrowed, faintly amused.
Jiraiya just gawked.
He actually brought Tsunade back?
How the hell had he managed that?
The two exchanged glances—mutual bewilderment, followed by quiet relief.
Whatever method Yujiro had used didn't matter.
The important thing was: they had a healer now.
A proper medic in a team like theirs meant survival odds skyrocketed.
From any angle, that was good news.
The difference lay in their reactions.
Orochimaru merely chuckled softly, nodding in satisfaction—pleased with the boy's results.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, felt… complicated.
After all, he and Tsunade had once shared something—
not quite love, not even quite heartbreak,
just that awkward, bittersweet thing that happens when youth collides with war.
It was ancient history now, but still—seeing her smile beside someone else stirred something uneasy in his chest.
Tsunade caught his look immediately and rolled her eyes.
Oh, please. That ship sank decades ago, old man.
Go cuddle your "Icha Icha Paradise" and leave me alone.
Her expression said it all.
Jiraiya sighed internally.
I remember that day… running beneath the sunset…
That was my youth—long gone now.
If someone asked him about it, he'd probably just laugh and say:
"I loved her. Once."
But between the fleeting warmth of one woman and the great love he bore for the shinobi world itself…
Jiraiya had already chosen.
---
"Alright, enough reminiscing." Orochimaru broke the moment, folding his arms.
"Yujiro-kun—report. What's the situation?"
So the group found a yakiniku shop, settled into a booth, and let the aroma of grilled meat fill the air while Yujiro laid everything out—
his full briefing on Amegakure, Hanzō's fall, and the rise of Pain and Konan.
Both Sannin listened intently.
Jiraiya had already heard part of the story from Minato,
but never in this kind of detail.
"Danzo again, huh?" Tsunade muttered darkly.
"Is there anyone worse than that bastard?"
Orochimaru gave a low chuckle.
"To be fair, in a sense… he wasn't entirely wrong.
Akatsuki did have potential.
If he'd succeeded in dividing them from Hanzō,
they might've destroyed each other—
which would've benefited Konoha."
He paused, smiling faintly.
"But this time, Danzo miscalculated."
Yujiro picked up where he left off, his tone sharp as a blade.
"And when he did screw up,
he buried it—kept the truth hidden from the village.
That's what makes him dangerous."
"If Akatsuki keeps growing unchecked,
and one day launches an assault on Konoha,
we'll be completely unprepared.
And when disaster strikes,
you can bet your life that old Danzo will crawl out of the shadows
and say, 'It was the Hokage's fault.'"
Tsunade slammed her hand on the table.
"Exactly! That's exactly the kind of man he is!"
She was well past tipsy now, cheeks flushed, voice booming loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear.
Each word shook the dishes like thunder.
Shizune, pale with worry, pulled Tonton close,
as if protecting the little pig from being accidentally turned into char siu mid-rant.
---
Everyone took turns tearing Danzo apart—
everyone except Jiraiya.
He wasn't being antisocial.
It was just… personal.
Because when Yujiro mentioned Pain and Konan,
those weren't just names to Jiraiya.
They were his kids.
His students.
Nagato, Yahiko, Konan—the three orphans he'd trained, fed, and believed in.
Hearing Yahiko's death retold—even for the second time—
it hit him like a kunai to the gut.
And knowing Konoha's politics were tangled up in it
only twisted the knife deeper.
The village he loved,
the students he'd cherished—
now standing on opposite sides of the same battlefield.
Even Jiraiya, who prided himself on his strength and humor,
felt lost between the two worlds he couldn't reconcile.
But it was fine.
Yujiro knew what to do.
---
"Alright," Yujiro said at last, leaning forward.
"That's the background. Now, here's the plan."
"I sympathize deeply with Yahiko's fate.
If possible, I'd prefer a peaceful resolution.
If Akatsuki is still acting as a humanitarian group,
Konoha can support that—even form an alliance."
He paused, eyes glinting.
"But if Nagato insists on using force to 'bring peace,'
or starts hunting the Tailed Beasts…"
"…then we'll have to teach them a lesson."
His gaze shifted to Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei, can you guarantee you can talk him down?"
Jiraiya wanted to say, Leave it to me.
To thump his chest, make that bold promise like he used to.
But he couldn't.
He wasn't that young anymore.
He exhaled softly.
"I can't promise that.
But I'll do everything I can."
Yujiro nodded.
"That's all I ask.
If peace can be achieved through words, that's ideal.
But if not…"
"…then we'll end it by force."
"Defeat them first—then redeem them later."
"They're talented, good people at heart.
Just… misguided."
"And deep down," Yujiro smiled faintly,
"they love peace just as much as we do."
Jiraiya frowned.
There was something about the way Yujiro said "love peace"
that made it sound just a little… ironic.
But when he thought about it,
he couldn't think of a better plan either.
So he nodded slowly.
---
The rest of the meeting became pure tactics—
discussing Pain's Six Paths,
possible counters,
and how not to get obliterated by a god-tier "mechanical boss" on first encounter.
By the end, Jiraiya's brain was spinning.
Yujiro, meanwhile, had already promoted him—
naming him "Information God Jiraiya."
When all preparations were done,
the Allied Strike Force Against Akatsuki was officially formed.
The next step:
the march on Amegakure.
The final battle was about to begin.