"What's got you in such high spirits, Jiraiya-sensei?"
A handsome ninja with bright blonde hair and a sun-soaked smile walked into the Izakaya.
"Ah! Minato!" Jiraiya's face lit up, and he let out a hearty laugh. "Double the good luck today! I didn't know you were back in the village."
Jiraiya turned, intending to introduce Minato to Taiichi, but Minato spoke first.
"Uh, Sensei... what happened to your face?" Minato stared, genuinely shocked by the bruises.
He knew Jiraiya's strength. Even Lord Third might struggle to beat Jiraiya up this badly.
Taiichi covered his mouth, stifling a giggle. Minato looked between them, confused.
Jiraiya froze awkwardly for a second before laughing it off. "Ah, just a little... training accident! Anyway, forget that. Minato, come here."
He pulled Minato over to Taiichi. "Look, this is your junior disciple. Tsunade's student. I taught him a few tricks myself for a while too!"
"Taiichi, this is Minato Namikaze. One of Konoha's youngest Jonin and my star pupil!" Jiraiya introduced him proudly.
"Hello, Minato-senpai!" Taiichi greeted him enthusiastically. Following Jiraiya's lead, he immediately latched onto the "senior disciple" connection. You gotta sweet-talk the future Fourth Hokage.
"Hello to you too, Taiichi-kun," Minato replied warmly. Being the nice guy he was, he accepted the title of Senpai without hesitation. "Becoming a ninja at such a young age is impressive."
Taiichi happily grabbed an empty cup for Minato and filled it with sake.
Minato smiled his thanks and turned back to Jiraiya. "So, Sensei, you still haven't said why you're so happy."
"What else? It's him," Jiraiya said, pointing a thumb at Taiichi. "Originally, Tsunade was just teaching him medical ninjutsu. But now, she's officially taken him as her disciple."
Jiraiya's smile faded slightly, and his voice dropped. "Sigh... still, it's a bit late."
Minato noticed the shift in mood. Jiraiya was usually boisterous; seeing him downcast was rare. "Sensei, did something happen?" he asked with concern.
"Tsunade... left the village," Jiraiya sighed.
"What? Really?" Minato looked shocked. He hadn't expected one of the Sannin to leave Konoha at a time like this.
"Forget it. No point bringing the mood down," Jiraiya waved his hand. "The ones who need to worry about Tsunade now are the Hokage and this kid." He pointed at Taiichi again.
Taiichi nodded silently. Since he had resolved to bring Tsunade back, the responsibility fell on him.
"Minato-senpai, have you eaten yet?" Taiichi noticed Minato hadn't touched his chopsticks. "Let me order a few more dishes."
"No thanks, I'm just here to pick up some takeout. Kushina is waiting for me," Minato said, a sweet, doting smile appearing on his face.
"Oh, right! Jiraiya-sensei, Kushina talks about you all the time. She said she wants to cook a meal for you personally when you get back. How about we set a date?"
"Ah... that..."
Cold sweat instantly poured down Jiraiya's back. In his life, he had eaten two things that truly terrified him: Myoboku Mountain's insect cuisine and Kushina Uzumaki's cooking.
"Let's... do that another time. No rush. No rush at all," Jiraiya stammered, backing away. He grabbed Taiichi, who was enjoying the show. "Taiichi! Didn't you say you wanted me to help with your training? Let's go! Right now!"
"Huh? Wait!" Taiichi looked confused as he was dragged toward the door. "Sensei! The bill! I haven't paid yet!"
"Don't worry about it! Training comes first! Minato, cover the bill for us! Make the kid pay you back later!" Before he even finished the sentence, Jiraiya had dragged Taiichi out of sight.
Minato stood there, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Is Kushina's cooking really that bad? I think it's fine..."
---
Once they were a safe distance from the Izakaya, Taiichi finally spoke up. "Jiraiya-sensei, seriously? Is Kushina's food that deadly?"
He knew why Jiraiya ran, but he didn't expect the reaction to be that extreme.
Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "You haven't tasted it. Once you do, you'll understand the horror."
Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Hey, you're a good cook, right? When the time comes, I'll bring you along. Show that girl what real cooking tastes like." Jiraiya grinned, pleased with his own genius.
Seeing that mischievous grin, Taiichi laughed. "Jiraiya-sensei, you said you'd guide my training earlier. You weren't just making excuses to escape, were you?"
Jiraiya looked at Taiichi's smiling face, touched the still-throbbing bruise on his cheek, and gave a slight, ominous smile. "Of course not. When has the great Jiraiya ever gone back on his word? Let's go to Training Ground 3."
He marched off toward the training ground.
Taiichi watched his back suspiciously. Jiraiya seemed a little too eager all of a sudden. But he dismissed the thought quickly. Getting personal instruction from a Sannin was a rare opportunity. He happily jogged to catch up.
---
Training Ground 3
Jiraiya and Taiichi stood on opposite sides of the field.
"Taiichi! Don't hold back. Come at me with everything you've got. Let me see how much you've improved," Jiraiya shouted.
Taiichi knew this was a golden opportunity to test his true strength.
His previous battles against high-level ninja had always relied on luck, tricks, or specific circumstances. This was a chance for a pure, head-on collision of skill.
"Here I come, Sensei!"
With a shout, Taiichi charged straight at Jiraiya. He drew the tanto from his back mid-sprint, coating the blade in Wind Release chakra.
Jiraiya didn't underestimate him. He pulled a kunai from his pouch, reinforcing it with his own chakra.
CLANG!
The collision of steel rang out crisply.
Taiichi was forced back several steps by the impact. He couldn't help it; he was a kid. Even with the leverage of a longer weapon, his raw strength was far inferior to Jiraiya's.
"Not enough muscle, kid! You need to work out more!" Jiraiya taunted, though internally, he was surprised. His strength has grown fast. He's way beyond his peers.
Having tested the strength gap with the first strike, Taiichi didn't try to overpower him again. He used his small stature to his advantage, launching a flurry of technical strikes from awkward angles.
They traded blows back and forth. Jiraiya was obviously holding back significantly, treating it as a sparring lesson.
Gradually, Taiichi found his rhythm. The "Advanced Kenjutsu" skill he had unlocked earlier felt a bit shaky at first, like a new pair of shoes, but under the pressure of combat, he was breaking it in. His movements became fluid and grounded.
To Jiraiya, it looked like Taiichi's attacks were getting sharper by the second. He actually had to start paying attention to defend properly.
Slash!
Taiichi's blade cut through the afterimage of Jiraiya's kunai. He spun, delivering a horizontal slash wrapped in the roar of wind chakra.
Jiraiya had to use both hands on his kunai to block the heavy strike comfortably. But the moment he braced for impact, the pressure vanished. Taiichi had retracted the blade mid-swing, turning the slash into a thrust.
Seeing the tip of the blade inches from his face, Jiraiya pushed off with his toes, sliding backward while swatting the blade aside with his kunai.
Taiichi was relentless. He stepped in, slashing diagonally upward. When Jiraiya dodged, Taiichi used the momentum to spin into a roundhouse kick.
The kick caught Jiraiya off guard. He barely had time to raise his arm to block.
THUD!
The two separated.