Hiroki's consciousness sank into the system space, and a familiar interface appeared before him.
[Jiraiya — System Disk (C:)]
[Jiraiya — Memory Disk (D:)]
Compared to Kakuzu's neatly organized but extremely one-sided collection of techniques, Jiraiya's files were an absolute mess—scattered folders, overlapping classifications, and chaotic naming conventions.
It fit the man perfectly.
(For obvious reasons, only a small portion of the data is shown.)
Hiroki's eyelid twitched.
What the hell are those files at the bottom…!?
He forced himself to ignore them and refocused.
There was no doubt about it—Jiraiya's arsenal was terrifyingly rich. As a direct disciple of the Third Hokage, he had mastered an enormous range of techniques, especially Fire and Earth Release.
Still, Hiroki didn't rush to copy everything.
His current chakra capacity was a hard limit. Trying to absorb too much at once would only cripple him. More importantly, he didn't need quantity—he needed techniques that would actually help him survive against Tsunade in seven days.
So what kind of opponent was Tsunade?
Overwhelming physical strength.Top-tier taijutsu.Elite medical ninjutsu.Absolute dominance in close combat.
If he wanted to walk away from her attacks without injury, relying only on the Earth Grudge techniques and a few Wind Release jutsu copied from Kakuzu wouldn't be enough.
He needed control, disruption, and distance.
His gaze locked onto several key files.
[Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld.exe]A powerful control technique. Once caught, even Tsunade's movement would be heavily restricted.
Unfortunately, Hiroki didn't possess Earth Release chakra.
[Fire Style: Flame Bullet.exe]A mid-range offensive jutsu. When combined with Wind Release, it could form a blazing barrier, disrupt vision, or escalate into a wide-area attack.
Fire Release was one of Hiroki's natural affinities—this immediately became his top priority.
[Chaos Lion Hair Technique.dat]A secret technique that infused chakra into the hair and allowed it to move freely—both offensive and defensive.
Could it block Tsunade's fists?Or at least interfere with her movements?
There might even be similarities to the Earth Grudge code that could be… borrowed.
Just as Hiroki prepared to begin copying, Jiraiya's slightly impatient voice rang out from the real world.
"Hey, kid, how long is this gonna take? I don't have all day! I just had a brilliant idea that's about to explode!"
Hiroki opened his eyes and looked at him calmly.
"One hour, Jiraiya-sensei. During that time, I need to maintain direct physical contact."
"Physical contact?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, a familiar grin spreading across his face."Heh, what is it, kid? Taken by this immortal's good looks? Got some weird hobby?"
Crack.
Tsunade's clenched fist made a sharp sound as her knuckles turned white.
"Jiraiya."
Her voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
"Joking, joking!" Jiraiya immediately waved his hands and plopped down in front of Hiroki."Alright, alright, what do I do? Let's make one thing clear—I'm not into men. Hurry it up, my inspiration is boiling over!"
"Just stay in contact," Hiroki said expressionlessly as he stepped forward."You can think about your… writing while we wait."
Warm, powerful chakra flowed through the point of contact.
Hiroki's consciousness sank back into the system space, and the copying process began in earnest.
Time ticked by.
Jiraiya was uncomfortable at first, but quickly adapted. He even pulled out a small notebook, scribbling enthusiastically while occasionally letting out suspicious, lecherous chuckles—clearly lost in the plot of his latest novel.
Tsunade watched coldly from the side, her gaze never leaving Hiroki. She wanted to see just how deep this boy's abilities went—and whether Orochimaru's claims about him were true.
Orochimaru stood in the deepest shadow, golden eyes narrowed slightly, his long tongue briefly brushing his pale lips.
Nawaki and Minato stood silently nearby, hardly daring to breathe, as if afraid to disturb some strange and sacred ritual.
An hour later—
"Lady Tsunade," Hiroki said with a small smile, "it's your turn."
Tsunade clicked her tongue, then stepped forward and grabbed his hand firmly.
"That's all it takes, right?"
Ding—
[New compatible target detected: Tsunade.][Temporary connection established via Chakra Communication Protocol.]
[Open and view data?]
Another long wait began.
This time, Tsunade didn't relax.
Her body remained tense, senses sharpened, eyes fixed on Hiroki at all times.
Yet…
Nothing.
No chakra fluctuations.
Nothing she could sense.
How?
No matter how subtle a technique was, chakra movement should still exist—especially at this distance. Even clan techniques focused on mental or shadow manipulation couldn't completely erase their presence.
This absence unsettled her.
It felt as though something fundamental was being stripped away from her without her noticing.
Still, she endured it.
For the sake of the bet—and to force this reckless child to face reality.
At last, another hour passed.
"Seven days from now," Hiroki said as he released her hand and bowed politely."I'll prove that I'm worthy of standing on that battlefield."
Tsunade stared at him, frowning deeply.
She turned to Jiraiya.
"What do you think? Isn't this brat far too confident?"
"…He's interesting," Jiraiya replied, unusually serious."But Tsunade, are you really planning to go all out on him? He's still a kid."
"Of course." Her gaze hardened."If he can't even survive my attacks, he has no business facing Hanzo. This is me protecting him."
They spoke quietly—but not quietly enough.
Hiroki stood right there.
…This is incredibly awkward.
He chose to ignore it and instead exchanged a glance with Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was silent for a moment before whispering,
"As for ninjutsu… I'll teach you personally later."
Hiroki blinked.
Teach me personally?
Was he still wary of Hiroki's abilities—or was this something else entirely?
Either way…
The coming week was going to be anything but peaceful.