Inside the waterfall of the Land of Rain.
After a period of rest in the Hidden Leaf Village, Jiraiya decided to return to the Land of Rain.
He wanted to check on the four youngsters and, as requested by the Third Hokage, investigate the details of the Flame Gym.
Following the first round of the year-end Ninja School exams, it was now the 38th year of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Beyond the Flame Gym, there were also missions from the Hidden Leaf.
But Jiraiya was most concerned about his precious disciples.
The moment Jiraiya stepped into the waterfall canyon, his pupils involuntarily contracted.
The waterfall roared, and mist-like water vapor filled the air.
Jiraiya halted, and Marshtomp leaped out from beside his feet, its gaze, like Jiraiya's, firmly captivated by the scene before them.
"...They've all evolved?" Jiraiya murmured softly, his voice filled with both relief and irrepressible shock.
On the high ground to the left of the waterfall, Yahiko and Charizard weaved through bursts of flame.
Yahiko's body was covered in a faint blue fire—the Dragon Flame granted by Charizard.
Even more astonishing.
Emerging behind Yahiko was a pair of fiery wings.
These were Dragon Wings formed within Yahiko's body through the resonance of fire Chakra and Charizard's flame energy.
Yahiko took a step forward, tearing through the air as if it were shattering.
It was a power he had learned to resonate with through continuous adjustment.
Metallic dragon claws took shape on his arms, their edges gleaming with sharp light, carrying a destructive force capable of piercing anything as he struck at Charizard with Cut.
Charizard curled its lips into an appreciative smile and violently flapped its wings!
Boom!
Its figure turned into an afterimage in the scorching air, a trail of flames cutting across the sky as it clashed with Yahiko mid-air.
One claw, flames splitting the storm.
One punch, dragon energy shaking the air.
Each collision between the two was accompanied by thunderous roars that echoed endlessly through the waterfall canyon.
Charizard exhaled a searing pillar of fire. Yahiko's fiery wings abruptly retracted and then exploded outward, allowing him to twist mid-air using the Dragon Wings' power, dodging the flames while counter-attacking.
It was like a dance between human and dragon.
Jiraiya watched, utterly dumbfounded.
Then, Jiraiya's attention was drawn to Konan's direction.
Above the waterfall, clouds and mist coiled, and the sound of water roared. In the central open area, Konan hovered in mid-air.
She had no wings.
What truly kept her aloft was a large number of paper tags spinning behind her, forming a rune wind wheel.
With her hands spread open, Sealing Tags scattered from her fingertips, spinning, overlapping, colliding, and transforming in the air!
After Shiroishi's previous reminder, Konan had finally mastered four techniques.
Explosive Tag, Lightning Drawing Tag, Mist Tag, and Sealing Tag.
The paper tags encircled her, forming a translucent sealing array.
Below, Blastoise stood steadily atop the waterfall, its twin cannons slowly rotating.
Blastoise slowly raised its head.
Two high-pressure water spheres were gradually expelled, bursting in the air and transforming into a massive mist that spread toward the sky.
Rain Dance.
Raindrops fell from the sky, merging with the mist created by Blastoise, instantly doubling the air's humidity.
And the moment the raindrops fell!
Konan activated the Lightning Drawing Tag.
Crack!
A blinding flash of lightning appeared among the clouds.
A second, then a third bolt of lightning followed closely.
The waterfall canyon was illuminated by interweaving white and purple lightning, as if divine punishment had descended.
Yet Konan moved through this sea of electricity.
Her figure was nimble, her paper talismans dissolving into mist amidst the rain, completely concealing her presence.
In the next instant, she emerged from the thick fog, tossing out a new batch of talismans that resonated simultaneously with lightning and water vapor, forming a multi-attribute ninjutsu assault.
Jiraiya couldn't help but exclaim, "Konan has become terrifying too!"
Marshtomp silently raised its paw, seemingly in agreement.
Then Jiraiya spotted Nagato at the base of the waterfall.
At the bottom of the waterfall valley, the earth was being torn, overturned, and shaken.
Nagato stood at the center of an expanding green ocean.
His hands formed seals before his chest, Chakra surging from his body like tidal waves.
Beside him, the massive Venusaur sat with closed eyes, as if conversing with the earth.
As the vines on its body gently swayed!
Green sprouts broke through the soil.
Tree trunks shot up from the ground, transforming into towering giants.
Thousands of plants grew to maturity within mere seconds, forming a small forest.
As the tree canopies swayed, pollen scattered down like fine mist.
Jiraiya squinted, "Venusaur's power is becoming more and more like Wood Release."
Nagato focused his gaze, his Rinnegan activating as he slowly spread his hands.
Under his guidance, some pollen transformed into Paralysis Powder, some into Sleep Powder, while others contained deadly toxins.
Powders of different properties danced through the air, forming a complex mist zone.
Venusaur opened its mouth and inhaled, drawing vast amounts of green energy from the ground back into its body, which then converged upon Nagato.
This was a cyclical training method.
These three children...
He had to admit, as the original Ninja Beast users, their progress was remarkably fast.
"Getting more impressive by the day. And what about Shiroishi...?"
At the far end of the waterfall valley, Jiraiya's gaze moved past Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, finally settling on the quietest figure.
Shiroishi.
He sat on a rain-polished stone platform, wearing the most ordinary white Shinobi Sect Garment imaginable.
Round-framed glasses rested on his face, their lenses reflecting faint light.
He looked less like a ninja and more like a scholar who had wandered out of some research institute.
He wasn't participating in the training at all.
Just silently reading, deducing, recording.
His right hand constantly moved his brush, complex symbols rapidly appearing on the pages...
Ninjutsu Formulas, Energy Calculations, Formation Diagrams, mathematical models never seen before
Crowded densely across several sheets of paper.
Jiraiya couldn't help but frown.
Only after turning the final page of his notes did Shiroishi notice someone approaching.
He looked up and asked calmly, "Teacher Jiraiya, I've completed studying all the Hidden Leaf Village textbooks you left us."
He paused, adjusting his glasses.
"Might there be any other professional books available?"
Jiraiya froze.
He thought he must have misheard.
"Wait... you said... you've finished all of them?"
Shiroishi nodded, "Yes."
Jiraiya stood rigidly in place.
These weren't just one or two books, but the complete three-year curriculum from the Hidden Leaf Village's Ninja School that he had brought for the Rain Ninja orphans to study.
Ninja characters, Chakra fundamentals, Ninja Tool mechanics, Ninjutsu introduction, Taijutsu principles, Sealing overview, Ninja history, Combat mathematics...
Dozens of volumes in total.
Normal children took three years.
Geniuses took one or two.
"During this time... you've completed three years' worth of courses?"
Shiroishi added, "Not entirely. There are some advanced Sealing Techniques I still can't fully comprehend and require more systematic theoretical support."
Jiraiya: "..."
Shiroishi's silhouette overlapped with Orochimaru's at that moment.
No wonder there were so many unnatural aspects about Shiroishi that Jiraiya sometimes subconsciously overlooked.
Because he had already encountered one such genius before.
Shiroishi continued recording his deductions, speaking calmly.
"I wish to continue researching the Shinobi World's power system. If you have more advanced books, such as [Advanced Chakra Transformation] or [Engineering Principles]."
Jiraiya snapped back to reality: "I do, but it's not convenient for me to directly provide textbooks. Why don't you raise any questions you have? I'll record them all and compile them later."
Continuing research and study would require more than just Ninja School materials - he'd need to dig out substantial content from the Book of Seals himself.
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