Outside Tanzaku Town

Jiraiya was full of energy, his eyes gleaming.

Behind him, the other three were panting.

"Hah... hah..."

Exhausted!

Truly exhausted!

Kyohiko had suspected that wearing weights on his legs might be tiring, but he hadn't anticipated it to be this heavy.

Jiraiya chuckled.

These kids!

Still feel like you can’t go on?

He looked around and asked, “How is it? Can you still walk?”

"Yes!" they all answered in unison.

Jiraiya nodded. "Good, let's keep going. We need to find our master quickly before the debtor escapes and this mission fails."

"Let's go!"

Kakashi gritted his teeth and followed Jiraiya's pace.

He was very serious about completing the mission.

Failing the mission was more painful to him than losing his life!

Kyohiko, following behind, couldn’t help but feel amazed—

Jiraiya was truly a great teacher!

These leg weights looked simple, but they were actually carefully designed, calculated to balance their stamina consumption with Kurenai.

In this way, their rest and running rhythm would align, ensuring they didn’t slow down the mission.

Everything was perfect.

Except it was tiring for Kyohiko and Kakashi.

Kyohiko was panting, his legs felt as heavy as lead, and he estimated—

At his current condition, his body might not be as strong as Kakashi’s, and his speed advantage was only due to his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique.

It made sense.

Kakashi had trained his body since he was young, while Kyohiko only started training after his reincarnation.

Physical training was the hardest to cheat.

Unless you were like Yakushi Kabuto, who directly used cell transplants to alter your genes and physical constitution.

With determination, Kyohiko quickened his pace to keep up with Jiraiya.

Tanzaku Town was very busy.

This area was known for high-risk entertainment.

Many wealthy people and merchants from the Land of the River, even from the Land of Wind, came here to gamble and seek entertainment, and sometimes ninjas appeared here as well. Like—

Jiraiya, who was very familiar with this area. From the main road, he entered the alleys, navigating the turns and corners as if he were home.

Soon, the sign reading "Aoyama Pavilion" appeared in front of them.

They had arrived!

"Master, you're amazing to remember the way here. I’m already dizzy," Kurenai couldn’t hold back her admiration.

Kyohiko added, "You must come here often."

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Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean by that?"

Jiraiya turned around and gave Kyohiko a sharp look.

"I often have business here in Tanzaku Town, so it’s easy to remember after a few visits."

"Right, right," Kyohiko quickly agreed.

Kakashi and Kurenai chuckled, clearly not entirely convinced by Jiraiya’s explanation.

Jiraiya could only sigh.

These kids.

Always trying to ruin my reputation!

However...

Heh heh heh, actually...

Jiraiya laughed inwardly, then quickly cleared his throat and said seriously, "I took this mission not for the reasons you think, but for something more important!"

After saying that, he lifted the bamboo curtain with the word "Gambling" written on it.

A samurai at the door immediately approached them.

"You... ninjas from Konoha?"

"Yes, we accepted a mission from your boss to protect your debt collectors," Jiraiya nodded.

The samurai was pleased and said, "Follow me, everyone!"

He pointed to the side and ran in. Soon, a young man appeared quickly.

"Greetings, I am Matsuyama Koji, the owner of Aoyama Pavilion."

The young man immediately introduced himself.

Jiraiya’s expression became serious.

"I am Jiraiya, a Jonin from Konoha, and this is my team, responsible for this protection mission. Could you explain the situation in detail?"

"Please come in, we can discuss it while having tea."

Matsuyama Koji’s eyes lit up upon hearing Jiraiya’s name, showing a great deal of respect.

Jiraiya nodded.

Once they arrived at the back room, Matsuyama Koji instructed the servants to serve tea.

"I didn’t expect Lord Jiraiya to lead this team directly; this is a great fortune! With you here, this mission is sure to succeed," Matsuyama Koji praised.

Then, he began explaining the details of the mission.

It turned out—

They had tried to collect a debt from a group of merchants from the Land of the River, but those merchants had hired a group of rogue samurai. Matsuyama’s men were outnumbered, and they weren’t sure if their opponents had also hired rogue ninjas...

With a fee equivalent to a B-ranked mission, they submitted a request to Konoha.

"So, our task is to protect you while you collect the debt from the merchants of the Land of the River?" asked Jiraiya.

Matsuyama Koji nodded. "Correct."

Outside a Teahouse in Tanzaku Town

After the commotion, a large group of rogue samurai and wandering ninjas rushed out of the building. Behind them, an angry man shouted, "Once I return to the Land of the River, I’ll definitely send the rest of the money. Do you have to ruin my business?"

"Hirakawa Ken, you said the same thing last time. This time, I won’t let you escape," Matsuyama Koji sneered coldly.

Most gamblers, especially merchants, always said such things. But in reality, like the man in front of him, they continued to dodge and had no intention of paying.

Not only gambling debts, but he also had many business debts.

After waiting for so long until the man appeared in Tanzaku Town, how could he let him go just like that?

"Sir," Matsuyama Koji stepped back respectfully beside Jiraiya.

The man’s expression changed.

"Ninjas? Attack them! Destroy them!"

Dozens of samurai around him exchanged glances.

"Quickly! Don’t you want money?"

"Yes!"

The crowd surged forward, attacking them.

Matsuyama Koji immediately stepped back.

Jiraiya smiled, not making a move immediately, but instead, he took a step back.

"Want to work together?" Kyohiko asked Kakashi.

"Leave it to me," Kakashi replied indifferently.

When it came to killing, he was confident he was stronger than the still-green Kyohiko and wouldn’t fall behind.

Saying that, he drew his sword, readying himself.

Kyohiko began forming hand seals, gathering and channeling his chakra.

After over a year of training, his hand-seal speed was incredibly fast; in an instant, his ninjutsu was completed.

Immediately after that—

Boom!

A torrent of water flowed from Kyohiko’s mouth.

Suiton: Mizurappa (Wild Water Wave).

Water surged like a flood, crashing forward, sweeping the people away and opening a path in front of them.

Kakashi was momentarily stunned.

Did Kyohiko really only practice Suiton for half a month?

How could he be this strong!

They had run this far, so their physical and mental energy was not in perfect condition.

If he were at his peak, his ninjutsu might have been even stronger.

Kyohiko’s Suiton talent was truly extraordinary!

Kakashi felt a tinge of jealousy.

At this point, he had mostly trained in Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, and Raiton, so he didn’t know much about Suiton.

However, Jiraiya was different.

He understood well that Kyohiko hadn’t just mastered the essence of Mizurappa, but was also attempting to compress and focus his water power. Otherwise—

A regular Mizurappa wouldn’t have made such an impact.

Such a concept...

If refined and perfected, it could become the Suijinchu (Water Cutter Wave) of the Second Hokage.

When Kyohiko released his ninjutsu, Jiraiya almost thought Kyohiko was the reincarnation of the Second Hokage.

It was so similar!

However...

This wasn’t the time to daydream.

"Kakashi, don’t space out."

"Huh? Ah, right!"

The ronin were dedicated, each struggling to move forward.

Kakashi formed hand seals.

Raiton: Shiden!

The flow of water suddenly stopped.

At the same time, Kakashi pressed both hands onto the water, and an electric current quickly spread along the water, immediately electrocuting all the standing ronin to the ground.

Hirakawa Ken had already run away.

But as an ordinary person, how far could he go?

Kyohiko chased after him using Shunshin no Jutsu, running along the rooftops, and within seconds, he caught up with his target.

He pressed a kunai to Hirakawa Ken's neck, immediately stopping his escape.

"I’ll pay! I’ll pay!" Hirakawa Ken said frantically.

"Unfortunately, your credit with me is already in the negative. Send a letter to your father, Hirakawa Hiro, to send the money. Until then, don't expect to leave my gambling hall."