Chapter 49 (Patreon)

The next morning, at exactly eight o’clock.

Yujiro, Kakashi, and Itachi were already waiting at Training Ground Seven.

A few moments later, two figures appeared.

Minato and Jiraiya.

The moment Jiraiya saw Yujiro, he immediately grinned.

“Yo, Yujiro-kun. We meet again.”

Yujiro glanced at him calmly.

“Morning, Pervy Sage.”

Jiraiya instantly choked.

“Ahem—”

He coughed awkwardly before straightening up dramatically.

“I am not some random pervert. I’m one of the Legendary Sannin!”

“The Great Toad Sage, Jiraiya-sama!”

Yujiro nodded casually.

“Got it, Pervy Sage.”

“...”

Jiraiya’s face twitched.

Yesterday’s incident had clearly left a deep impression on the kid.

Besides, he was only gathering inspiration yesterday!

How else was a great novelist supposed to create masterpieces?

Minato sighed helplessly before stepping forward.

“Jiraiya-sensei is my teacher,” he explained. “And he’s one of Konoha’s strongest shinobi.”

Then Minato looked toward Yujiro and the others apologetically.

“I won’t be able to personally guide you very often from now on.”

“So during this period, Jiraiya-sensei will be teaching you.”

Kakashi nodded calmly.

Itachi’s eyes brightened slightly.

After all, the title of one of the Legendary Sannin carried enormous weight in Konoha.

Yujiro, meanwhile, looked completely indifferent.

To him, it made no difference who taught him.

Jiraiya crossed his arms and looked at the three of them.

The joking expression on his face slowly faded.

“Kakashi. Itachi. Yujiro.”

“Don’t think training under me will be easier than training under Minato.”

His gaze sharpened slightly.

“If anything, I’m much harsher.”

“And after I test your strength today…”

Jiraiya smirked.

“I’ll be taking you straight to the border.”

“We’re joining the war.”

Minato’s expression changed slightly.

That was clearly different from what they had discussed before.

But before he could speak—

“It was my idea.”

Yujiro grinned faintly.

Kakashi remained calm as ever.

Itachi also showed no intention of backing down.

Jiraiya glanced at Minato and waved a hand.

“Relax. I’ll keep an eye on them.”

“Jiraiya-sensei…” Minato hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.

The border situation had already become extremely tense.

Jiraiya clapped his hands once.

“Alright, enough talking.”

“Let me see what the three of you can do.”

He pointed toward the open field nearby.

“One at a time.”

“Itachi, you’re first.”

…

Fifteen minutes later.

Itachi lost.

Jiraiya nodded in approval.

“Not bad at all.”

“For Genin, your overall level is already comparable to some Chūnin.”

Then his eyes shifted.

“Next—Yujiro.”

Yujiro stepped forward slowly, the black blade resting against his shoulder.

The moment he wrapped his hand around the hilt—

A sharp killing intent burst outward.

Jiraiya’s expression immediately changed.

Just like Minato said…

This kid’s dangerous.

Yujiro vanished instantly with the Body Flicker Technique.

In the next moment—

He appeared beside Jiraiya.

“One Sword Style—”

His black blade slashed horizontally.

“Black Crescent!”

A crescent-shaped black slash tore through the air.

Jiraiya’s pupils shrank.

He instantly leapt upward to evade.

But the moment he moved—

Yujiro’s sword turned.

Lightning exploded from the blade.

“Lightning Style: Chidori Slash.”

Crackling blue lightning erupted violently.

Jiraiya barely twisted aside in midair.

His expression finally became serious.

That power…

That’s already bordering on high-level A-rank ninjutsu.

This kid’s absurd.

Yujiro didn’t stop.

“Wind Style…”

His stance shifted.

“One Sword Style: Iai Slash!”

The sword left its sheath instantly.

A compressed blade of wind shot forward with terrifying speed.

The air screamed.

Jiraiya’s body exploded into white smoke with a bang.

Shadow Clone.

Dozens of meters away, behind a massive tree, the real Jiraiya landed while breathing heavily.

Cold sweat rolled down his face.

Every move Yujiro had used so far was aimed to kill in a single strike.

And the terrifying part—

Jiraiya could tell Yujiro still wasn’t using killing intent seriously.

If this kid actually wanted to kill someone…

One moment of carelessness would be enough.

“Pervy Sage.”

Yujiro’s voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

“Getting distracted in battle is dangerous.”

Jiraiya’s eyes widened.

The giant tree behind him split cleanly in half.

Jiraiya barely dodged in time.

The next instant, he counterattacked instinctively.

“Rasengan!”

Blue chakra condensed violently in his palm.

Yujiro narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Rasengan.

Minato’s signature technique.

The jutsu that would eventually become famous throughout the entire shinobi world.

His black blade collided head-on with the spinning sphere of chakra.

BOOM!!!

A violent shockwave exploded outward.

Dust and wind swept across the training ground.

“Alright, alright! That’s enough!”

Jiraiya hurriedly shouted.

Only then did Yujiro stop advancing.

Jiraiya exhaled deeply.

No wonder Minato called this kid a battle maniac.

Yujiro had directly clashed against the Rasengan—

And instead of backing away, he had continued pressing forward like nothing happened.

Did he not feel pain?

Or was his body just that monstrous?

What Jiraiya didn’t know was that Yujiro had already unlocked the Second Stage of the Limiter.

His senses, muscles, nerves, and recovery ability had all undergone enormous enhancement.

Even taking a Rasengan head-on would not cripple him.

At most, it would hurt for a while.

Yujiro could already feel it himself—

His physical recovery was beginning to rival the Uzumaki clan’s vitality.

And once he reached the Third Stage of the Limiter…

His regeneration might even approach Hashirama Senju’s level.

After all—

This was pure bodily recovery.

No hand seals.

No chakra consumption.

Just raw physical evolution.

Jiraiya landed back on the ground and looked at the three boys.

“I’ve got a general understanding of your strength now.”

Then he grinned.

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Nine o’clock.”

“Konoha’s main gate.”

His gaze sharpened slightly.

“We head for the border.”

He deliberately watched their reactions.

Kakashi remained completely calm.

After all, he had already experienced the battlefield before.

Yujiro, meanwhile…

Was smiling, his excitement barely contained.

Jiraiya couldn’t understand it.

That was a battlefield.

So what exactly was this kid looking forward to?

Then he glanced toward Itachi.

Only to realize the boy was staring at Yujiro with shining eyes.

At this point, Itachi practically looked like Yujiro’s biggest admirer.

Finally, Jiraiya’s gaze returned to Yujiro.

And suddenly—

A ridiculous thought surfaced in his mind.

Could it be…

The Child of Prophecy that the Great Toad Sage spoke about…

…is Yujiro?