Early morning rain drummed softly against the roof.
In the Land of Rain, precipitation was as natural as breathing. The sky rarely cleared, and the air was always thick with moisture. For most people, such weather was a perfect excuse to sleep in.
For Aosui, it made no difference.
Long before dawn fully broke, he was already awake.
Habit, once formed, was not easily shaken. Ever since he had resolved to walk the path of strength, Aosui had maintained a strict routine—one he refused to abandon regardless of location or circumstance.
Even here, far from Konoha, his body moved on instinct.
Stretching.
Breathing.
Circulating chakra.
He ran through a complete set of physical exercises, followed by chakra control training, ignoring the persistent rain soaking his clothes. To him, discomfort was simply another form of resistance to overcome.
Strength was not built in moments of ease.
By the time Aosui finished and returned to the residence, the sky had brightened slightly, and signs of life began to stir within the house.
"Brother Aosui, you're up so early!"
Konan's surprised voice rang out as she followed Jiraiya outside. Her eyes widened when she saw Aosui already done with his training, rainwater still clinging to his clothes.
Yahiko, standing nearby, also stared at him in astonishment.
He had thought that waking up early with Jiraiya was already impressive.
But compared to Aosui—
It seemed they were still late.
Tomorrow, he silently vowed, he would wake up even earlier.
"No wonder Brother Aosui is so strong now…"
Minato spoke quietly, but the emotion in his voice was unmistakable.
He and Aosui had fought side by side during the Second Great Ninja War.
Back then, Aosui had been older than him, yet weaker.
His survival had relied more on caution, medical skills, and careful judgment rather than raw combat strength.
Minato had always been the one at the front.
But now?
After only two or three years apart, Aosui had not only caught up—
He had surpassed him.
The realization made Minato clench his fists unconsciously.
Since childhood, he had been called a genius.
He was used to being ahead.
This unfamiliar sense of being left behind stirred something uncomfortable in his chest.
As for Nagato, he remained as he always was—silent, half-hidden behind Yahiko, his expression calm but distant.
Aosui smiled and greeted everyone, then turned his gaze toward Jiraiya.
"Lord Jiraiya," he said respectfully, "would you be willing to guide me in training?"
Although Aosui had acquired many techniques through the system, most of them—aside from Water Release—could not yet be openly used.
They hadn't been properly "explained."
After all, Uncle Kosuke was known only for Water Release.
If Aosui suddenly began using Fire, Earth, or Lightning techniques without a reasonable source, it would raise suspicion.
Jiraiya was different.
As a direct disciple of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya was proficient in multiple elemental releases. While Fire Release was his strongest, his overall knowledge was vast.
Learning under Jiraiya would give Aosui the perfect cover.
"Hahaha! Of course!"
Jiraiya laughed loudly, agreeing without the slightest hesitation.
Though he often behaved frivolously and unreliable, when it came to guiding the younger generation, he was unexpectedly dependable.
Perhaps his obsession with the Child of Prophecy wasn't universally approved—but there was no denying that Jiraiya embodied the Will of Fire.
Besides—
Aosui had once protected Minato on the battlefield like an older brother.
That alone was reason enough.
"Thank you for your trouble," Aosui said sincerely.
Soon after, training began.
The three children—Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato—already had a routine established by Jiraiya and continued with it diligently.
Their foundations were still being built.
Rushing would only do harm.
Next came Minato.
After the battle with the rogue ninja, Minato had become acutely aware of his shortcomings.
His fundamentals were solid.
He could maneuver skillfully, fight multiple opponents at once, and avoid injury even when surrounded.
That alone placed him far above most genin.
But—
That was all.
His attacks lacked finishing power.
He could stall.
He could defend.
But he couldn't decisively end a fight.
"Jiraiya-sensei," Minato said seriously, "I want to learn offensive ninjutsu."
Jiraiya nodded and took out a piece of chakra paper.
"Let's test your chakra nature first."
Minato placed his hand on the paper and infused chakra into it.
A moment later—
Rip.
The paper split cleanly down the middle.
"Wind Release," Jiraiya said with a satisfied nod. "Your chakra nature is Wind—cutting, piercing, and extremely sharp. It's rare, but very powerful."
After briefly explaining the properties of Wind Release, Jiraiya began instructing Minato on nature transformation.
"Focus your chakra," he said. "Make it thin, sharp, and controlled."
He handed Minato a leaf.
"When you can cut this leaf cleanly using only chakra, you'll have mastered Wind Release nature transformation."
With that, Jiraiya left Minato to train independently.
Then he turned to Aosui.
"Your turn," Jiraiya said. "What do you want to learn?"
Aosui answered calmly, "I've already learned Water Release and Wind Release. This time, I want to learn another chakra nature transformation."
Every ninja was born with one or two chakra natures.
Most spent their entire lives mastering just those.
Only after becoming jōnin would they begin learning additional elements.
Yet Jiraiya knew Aosui's strength.
Though he was officially a genin, his combat ability was already on par with a jōnin.
Wanting to learn more was perfectly reasonable.
"Which one?" Jiraiya asked.
Aosui thought briefly, then replied, "Fire Release."
In truth, it didn't matter which element he chose.
He had already mastered them all.
Fire Release was simply the most convenient choice.
"Perfect," Jiraiya said, grinning. "Fire Release is my specialty. Aside from my teacher, the Third Hokage, no one does it better than me."
After boasting shamelessly, Jiraiya became serious.
"Fire Release focuses on combustion and high temperature. When you can make a leaf ignite purely through chakra—without external flame—you'll have mastered Fire Release nature transformation."
After the explanation, Jiraiya left Aosui to practice and went to check on the children.
Aosui began training—but deliberately held back.
He adjusted his output, failed a few times, and acted as if he were genuinely learning from scratch.
After about an hour, he approached Jiraiya again.
"Lord Jiraiya," he said, "I think I've grasped it."
Jiraiya was surprised.
Minato hadn't even finished mastering Wind Release yet.
Still, he watched as Aosui demonstrated.
The leaf in Aosui's hand began to smoke.
Then—
It ignited.
Jiraiya blinked.
"…That was fast."
Aosui smiled modestly.
Inside, Jiraiya quickly rationalized it.
He already mastered two chakra natures. Experience makes a difference.
That had to be it.
Suppressing his amazement, Jiraiya proceeded to teach Aosui a ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet."
It was one of Jiraiya's most frequently used techniques.
First, chakra was kneaded into oil and held in the mouth.
Then, Fire Release ignited it as it was expelled, forming a powerful flaming projectile.
The technique allowed flexible control over power and preparation time.
Versatile and practical.
"Thank you, Lord Jiraiya."
Aosui trained again.
In reality, he already knew the technique.
But learning a C-rank ninjutsu instantly—like Itachi Uchiha—would be too abnormal.
His reputation had always been that of someone with average talent.
Acting too monstrously would invite suspicion.
So he waited.
Three hours.
Just fast enough to be impressive.
Not fast enough to be unbelievable.
In the afternoon, after lunch, Jiraiya came to check on his progress.
Aosui didn't answer verbally.
He simply formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
A jet of fire burst forth, powerful and controlled.
Jiraiya laughed loudly.
"Excellent! Aosui, your talent is remarkable. You mastered a C-rank ninjutsu in such a short time. In the same period, Minato only just finished Wind nature transformation."
"It's because you're such a good teacher," Aosui replied calmly.
Jiraiya waved his hand, pleased.
Yet deep down, he felt it.
Another talented ninja—
Quietly revealing his brilliance.