Chapter 7: The Unlikely Master and Disciple
Jiraiya's greatest wish was to be free, to roam the world unbound.
As his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally understood his apprentice's deepest desire.
However, in these turbulent times for the shinobi world, and in order to better tie Jiraiya's heart to the village, Hiruzen had secretly devised a plan: to send the extraordinarily talented Liumu to Jiraiya as his disciple.
But…
Having just left the Land of Rain, Jiraiya's heart still lingered on the three disciples he had left behind there. He had absolutely no intention of taking on Liumu.
"I will now administer your graduation assessment for the Ninja Academy."
At the Valley of the End, Jiraiya sat at the base of the towering stone statue of Uchiha Madara, addressing the somewhat bewildered Liumu standing before him. "If you can pass my assessment this time, you may graduate early from the Academy and become a true shinobi."
Liumu: "…"
"And if I fail?"
Liumu frowned. He had just been planning to ignore the system's task and avoid becoming a ninja for now. But here he was, being forced into a real-life graduation exam. Wasn't this like forcing a rooster to lay an egg? It wasn't his responsibility, so why was he being pushed into it?
"If you fail…" Jiraiya replied indifferently, "You simply return to the Academy."
Having served under the Third Hokage for so long, Jiraiya understood his old teacher's intentions perfectly. But knowing the identity of the Child of the Prophecy he'd already found, Jiraiya couldn't simply refuse the Hokage's request outright. He needed another way.
"I'm short on time. After assessing you, I'm going traveling to find… creative inspiration," Jiraiya said, a glint in his eye.
"Oh? Can you take me with you?"
Hearing this, Liumu's eyes lit up. He rushed to Jiraiya's side with a look of pure yearning. "I've grown up and never once left the village! If I pass your assessment, can I come with you?"
Jiraiya looked at Liumu's eager face, now inches from his own, and felt a flicker of genuine curiosity. "You… want to leave the village too?"
In response, Liumu nodded his head vigorously, like a pestle pounding garlic.
"Hahahaha!"
Jiraiya threw his head back and laughed uproariously. The Third Hokage wanted Liumu to stay in the village as his disciple, but it turned out Liumu's own desires mirrored Jiraiya's own—to see the world.
"Fine!" Jiraiya declared, slapping his knee. "As long as you pass my assessment, I'll take you with me."
By the riverside, Jiraiya casually picked up a fist-sized stone. He crouched slightly in front of Liumu, and a powerful surge of chakra emanated from his outstretched left hand. Immediately, a swirling mass of vibrant blue chakra gathered from his body into his palm, rapidly condensing into a small, spinning chakra shuriken.
"Watch closely!"
Without further ceremony, he hurled the stone high into the air. Before it could begin its descent, the Rasengan in his palm shot forth like a comet. It struck the stone mid-air.
BOOM!
Not only did the Rasengan utterly pulverize the stone, but the resulting shockwave continued across the river, cleanly shearing through a willow tree on the opposite bank as thick as a man's waist.
"If you wish to become my disciple, you must face an assessment far more difficult than the standard Academy graduation exam."
Jiraiya picked up another stone. "I'll give you three days. Use ninjutsu, taijutsu, whatever you like. As long as you can shatter this stone, I will accept you as my disciple."
Having said his piece, Jiraiya didn't wait for a reply. He simply walked toward the riverbed, slipped on the wooden sandals he'd left by a boulder earlier, and called over his shoulder, "I'm off to the hot springs for some… inspiration. I'll find you again in three days." A sly, knowing smirk played on his lips.
Seeing that Jiraiya was about to leave, Liumu called out, "Wait!"
"Hmm?" Jiraiya turned his head.
But looking at the now-empty riverbank where Liumu had been standing, Jiraiya's eyes widened. He frantically scanned the area. Liumu was gone.
'Where did he go?' Jiraiya was stunned. To vanish from right under his nose… Just who was this five-year-old? Could it be… as his teacher had suggested… that he possessed speed comparable to the Second Hokage's famed Body Flicker?
"I'm up here!"
Liumu's voice rang out from a distance. Jiraiya's gaze shot upward, following the sound. There, standing atop the massive stone head of Uchiha Madara's statue, was Liumu, waving down at him.
"No need to wait three days! I'll show you right now! Then we can leave sooner!"
Jiraiya: "???"
At that moment, the sunset dyed the sky in hues of orange and purple. A gentle breeze scattered the few white clouds overhead. The insects and birds in the forest had fallen silent for the evening, replaced by the endless chorus of croaking frogs from both riverbanks.
High on the statue, Liumu offered a faint smile. He pulled his right arm back, fingers curling loosely into a fist. The air around his knuckles seemed to crackle and pop with contained force.
[Normal Series: Consecutive Normal Punches.]
BOOOOOOM—!!!
In an instant, it was as if thunder had struck the valley. Stone exploded. Dust plumed into the sky in a massive cloud.
Jiraiya watched, utterly dumbfounded, as the dozens-of-meters-tall stone statue of Uchiha Madara was reduced to a cascading avalanche of shattered rubble by the small boy before him.
Whoosh!
A figure flashed in front of Jiraiya. Liumu landed gracefully from the chaotic rain of debris, completely unharmed. Jiraiya noted, with a sense of surreal disbelief, that there wasn't even a speck of dust on the boy's clothes.
"This… you…"
Jiraiya was rendered speechless. His heart was a storm of shock, but he could only stand there, mouth agape, unable to form a single coherent word.
Looking at the field of destruction he'd just created, Liumu sighed and shook his head in mild disappointment.
It seemed the power bestowed by the One-Punch Man Saitama template was simply too overwhelming. The ordinary stone statue of Uchiha Madara couldn't even withstand a single Consecutive Normal Punch.
"I should have just used a single Normal Punch," he muttered to himself.
"You… you…" Jiraiya finally managed to sputter.
Now he finally understood. The Third Hokage hadn't been exaggerating. On the contrary, the ability Liumu had just displayed was even more terrifying than what his teacher had described.
...
Midnight.
The guards at Konoha's main gate were in the middle of changing shifts. In a moment of distraction, two dark shadows shot past the gate's shadow and vanished into the night beyond the village walls.
Outside the village, within the perimeter guard forest, a childish voice suddenly exclaimed as if realizing something, "Oh no! I smashed the stone statue in the Valley of the End! The Third Hokage won't be angry, will he?"
After all, according to the lore of this world, those two statues were a symbol of the alliance between Konoha's First Hokage and the Uchiha clan, representing the unity of the village.
"So you do understand the statue's importance!" Jiraiya's previously lazy voice was now sharp with urgency. "Then stop talking and run! If the old man finds out about this, we're both done for!"
...
...
...
"That damnable fool!"
In the Hokage's office, an old man stood alone, hands clasped behind his back. Sarutobi Hiruzen stared out the window, his expression dark.
Danzo Shimura, standing nearby, spoke with grave solemnity. "I fear this incident will provoke a strong reaction from the Uchiha clan. That statue stood as a symbol of their faith within the village. For it to suddenly be destroyed…"
Hiruzen took a long, slow draw from his pipe, the embers glowing brightly in the dim room. He turned around, exhaling a plume of smoke. "But those two have already left the village."
As Hokage, Hiruzen had sensed the subtle fluctuation in the village's barrier the moment Jiraiya and Liumu crossed it. He had already guessed what must have happened.
"As for the Uchiha clan…" Hiruzen shook his head, a complex, weary smile touching his lips. "The rift between us already exists. With external turmoil brewing, they are unlikely to take any action that would outright harm Konoha over this… for now."
(End of Chapter)
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