The idea was like lighting a fuse, making Jiraiya's eyes instantly glow like searchlights! He seemed to see countless small coins waving at him. He suppressed his excitement, picked up the stack of money, and counted it carefully—over three hundred ryo. This was all he had for the month. Fortunately, as a war orphan, he received a thousand ryo in pension each month before graduation, which was just enough to survive.
Tucking the banknotes away, Jiraiya rushed out of his house in a flurry, heading towards the relatively bustling commercial street of Konoha Village. The setting sun's afterglow gilded the streets, and the shops on both sides lit up. The shouts of vendors and the sounds of haggling were endless. The air was a mix of the fresh scent of fruits and vegetables, the smoky aroma of grilled fish, and the faint meaty smell from the butcher stalls. Among the pedestrians, genin wearing headbands, chunin in light green vests, and jonin in dark green vests were everywhere, forming a unique landscape. Jiraiya even glimpsed two Anbu members wearing animal masks flash across the rooftops like ghosts.
He stopped and ducked into a stall with a sign that read "Affordable Fruits and Vegetables." The array of vegetables exuded an earthy scent. "Excuse me, boss!" Jiraiya's voice was clear and crisp. He carefully selected three plump, red tomatoes, six fresh eggs, and a few bunches of crisp green bok choy.
The bald-headed boss, seeing his small stature buying groceries alone, smiled kindly: "Little one, you're so capable! I'll give you all this for twenty ryo!"
"Thank you, Uncle!" Jiraiya politely paid and, carrying his small bag, walked to the adjacent stall where the aroma of meat wafted. On the chopping block, fresh ribs were neatly arranged. "Uncle, how much are these ribs?"
"Oh, little one buying ribs? Eleven ryo a catty! I'll make it cheaper for you, ten ryo!" The hearty butcher waved his hand.
"Thank you, Uncle! Then please cut me three catties!" Jiraiya nimbly counted out thirty ryo and handed it over.
The uncle's knife rose and fell with clean, precise movements. He quickly wrapped the chopped ribs in oil paper and handed them to him: "Alright! Here you go! If it's good, come again next time!"
"I definitely will!" Jiraiya smiled as he took the heavy ribs. Next, he went into a general store, purposefully picking out a stack of good quality A4 white paper, two smooth-writing pencils, a thermos lunch box with a cartoon design (to prepare for tomorrow's lunch), and some spices. The total came to forty-eight ryo. Finally, he carried a small ten-catty bag of rice from the rice shop, which cost eighty ryo.
Looking at his deflated wallet, Jiraiya clicked his tongue, wincing. The entire shopping trip cost a total of 178 ryo! However, thinking of the delicious meals and his writing plans for the next few days, he felt the money was well spent—the rice would last for more than half a month, and the vegetables and meat would suffice for two or three days.
Jiraiya, laden with his purchases, almost ran back to his small house. He put down his things and plunged into the kitchen, which had just been cleaned and still smelled faintly of fresh soap powder. Jiraiya stood on a small stool, and a "duel" with the ingredients immediately began! The stove fire happily licked the bottom of the pot, oil sizzled in the pan, and the ribs gradually took on an inviting caramel color under the influence of soy sauce and spices; the egg liquid poured into the hot oil quickly expanded, colliding with the bright red tomatoes to create a rich sweet and sour aroma; the green vegetables maintained their emerald-like color under high-heat stir-frying... Half an hour later, the kitchen battle ended. On the small coffee table in the living room, three steaming, fragrant dishes and a soup were laid out: braised ribs with a rich sauce, tender enough to fall off the bone; golden and crimson scrambled eggs with tomatoes, their sauce thick and savory; crisp and refreshing stir-fried green vegetables, verdant and inviting; and a bowl of perfectly cooked rice, each grain plump and exuding the fresh scent of rice. This familiar homemade taste instantly awakened the taste buds of Jiraiya, who had been a "single gourmet" in his previous life, and his mouth watered uncontrollably!
He unceremoniously served himself a heaping bowl of rice and devoured it. The diet in the Naruto world tended to focus on grilling, steaming, and sweet pastries. Home-style stir-fries with "wok hei" were rare. Jiraiya feasted, savoring the long-lost flavors, and happily calculated: "Once I save enough money, I must open a stir-fry restaurant in Konoha! With this skill, I'll definitely surpass Ichiraku Ramen and become the new culinary landmark!" It took three bowls of rice before he finally let out a satisfied burp.
He carefully packed the extra food into the thermos lunch box and put it in the refrigerator's cold storage—tomorrow's lunch was taken care of! After washing the pots and pans and cleaning the battlefield, Jiraiya rested for about twenty minutes, allowing his well-fed body to relax slightly.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, Jiraiya stood in the cool night breeze and took a deep breath. He knew his current shortcomings: aside from a moderately proficient substitution jutsu for self-preservation, he was a blank slate in taijutsu and ninjutsu. The most urgent task was to build the most basic physical foundation!
There were no fancy moves, only the most primitive, clumsy repetitions. Jiraiya stood in the center of the courtyard, his legs slightly apart, his waist lowered, and his stance firm. He threw punch after punch forward, followed by hooks and swings. After retracting his fists, he began practicing kicks, straight kicks, side kicks... Sweat quickly soaked his thin clothes, and his muscles screamed silently in soreness. Every punch and every kick aimed for perfection, every breath synchronized with the rhythm of his movements. He knew that every drop of sweat shed now was capital for survival on the future battlefield.
After an hour of monotonous practice, Jiraiya was drenched as if he had just been pulled out of water. He could no longer stand it, and with a "plop," he collapsed onto the cold dirt ground, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath, his limbs and body crying out in fatigue. After resting for about ten minutes, he barely regained enough strength to move, staggering back into the house and picking up a water cup, which he gulped down in one go.
After another half an hour of rest, when his physical strength had largely recovered, Jiraiya prepared to practice hand seals. His former self, Jiraiya, hadn't paid much attention to this, his mind entirely on bathhouse delights and perverted books. But now, he had to pick it back up.
Jiraiya sat cross-legged on the cold floor of his humble living room, his hands clasped together at his chest, fingertips touching, eyes closed in concentration. In his mind, the foundation of ninja power in the Naruto world clearly emerged—the twelve profound seals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Bird, Dog, Boar.
He silently pondered the mysteries of these hand seals. Hand seals, in essence, are a precise and fixed combination of finger movements that guide the chakra flowing within the body, achieving different elemental energy transformations and shape manipulations. Like drawing complex energy circuits, each seal corresponds to a critical node in the flow of chakra. This is not only the key to releasing ninjutsu but also the precise art of a ninja controlling power.