Jiraiya was so shocked by the news that he lost his ability to think, his head buzzing.
Tsunade bit her lip, looking at him with utter disappointment.
At its core, Jiraiya was simply too much of a scoundrel, leaving behind too many debts, so any trouble would easily be suspected to be his doing.
He even suspected himself, let alone outsiders.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi took the three of them as his apprentices, he asked about their ambitions. Jiraiya, in front of Tsunade, declared unequivocally, "I want to become the strongest Ninja, and I want to snatch up all the pretty big sisters." From childhood, he was like this, and as he grew older, it only got worse.
Just as Ino was pondering how to explain the situation, Shikaku, observing clearly, quickly grasped the crux of the problem.
"Ino, my Ninjutsu abilities are quite ordinary. Let me ask you, Ninjutsu like Fireball and Rasengan generally don't rely on bloodlines for transmission, do they?"
Ino immediately nodded, "That's right, these Ninjutsu are not Bloodline Limits, so there's no concept of them being rooted in a bloodline. At most, one might pick them up especially quickly when learning certain specific Ninjutsu."
She counted on her fingers, one by one: "That guy can use Fire Release like Fireball and Great Fireball, Earth Release like Swamp of the Underworld and Earth Flow Wall, Wind Release like Vacuum Sphere, and he also has Rasengan, Big Ball Rasengan, Super Big Ball Rasengan, Needle Jizō, and other Ninjutsu. He also seems to be able to use Sage Mode and two extremely powerful Sage Arts. His Fire Release almost blew up my Wood Human Technique."
At first, Jiraiya's face was grim. Every time a Ninjutsu he was good at was mentioned, his heart skipped a beat. But as he listened, he suddenly realized.
Even if this was his son, he shouldn't have inherited so many Ninjutsu, right? Was his bloodline that powerful?
Tsunade also noticed the problem. After all, she wasn't a love-struck maiden; she had enough wisdom to analyze the situation. She had been too angry before, but now, thinking calmly, she realized there were many hidden complexities.
Bloodline inheritance of Ninjutsu is ambiguous; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
The Secret Techniques of the Ino–Shika–Choji families have some characteristics of bloodline inheritance. It's extremely easy for their clan members to practice them, pick them up quickly, and wield great power, while it's extremely difficult for outsiders to master them.
It's difficult for outsiders to master, but not impossible. Ino knows the Hozuki clan's Hydrification Secret Technique, and in the original timeline, Yakushi Kabuto also researched and mastered a portion of the Hydrification Secret Technique from Suigetsu Hozuki's body.
Secret Techniques are like this, and Ninjutsu is the same.
If cells carry this information, then assuming one's own talent is not bad, they can quickly master the corresponding Ninjutsu, and surpassing one's teacher is common.
Seeing that the two fifty-year-old elders' attention had finally shifted from romance to serious matters, Ino took out the Petrification gloves and also mentioned the oversized steam toad that Kashin Koji summoned.
Jiraiya's abilities, for the most part, came from Mount Myōboku.
If a toad from Mount Myōboku trained his "son," it wouldn't be surprising for a master capable of fighting Ino to emerge.
Youth beats age; Jiraiya is over fifty now.
From a fundamental biological perspective, Ninja are no different from ordinary people. He hasn't reached the point where he gets winded after a few moves like the Third Hokage, but his body is gradually aging, and a decline in overall strength is inevitable.
Kashin Koji is a young man who inherited most of Jiraiya's Ninjutsu. With the careful guidance of Mount Myōboku toads, coupled with peak physical fitness, his strength would certainly be very powerful.
"Oh, right, I sealed a portion of the opponent's Sage Art flames. This flame couldn't even be neutralized by my Yellow Springs Water; it's truly powerful. Hokage-sama, please take a look."
Ino unsealed a ball of "Sage Art: Fire Release: Samadhi Fire" that she had sealed at the time.
Tsunade didn't understand Fire Release much. She glanced at it twice, then looked at Jiraiya with a sideways glance, as if he were a scumbag, asking if this was his Fire Release.
Jiraiya felt flustered under her gaze, shrinking his neck.
Shikaku coughed twice, and only then did Jiraiya remember the Sage Art Fire Release. He turned to look.
Speaking of Fire Release, the previous four Hokage were all neglecting their duties. If you also count Tsunade, Kakashi, and Naruto from the original timeline, it could be said that among the seven Konoha Hokage, the one most skilled in Fire Release was the Third Hokage, the "Strongest Hokage."
Now, with Jiraiya's sudden emergence, his mastery of Fire Release was even higher than that of the Third Hokage, who was proficient in five Chakra natures, giving him significant authority on Fire Release.
After looking, his heart sank halfway again.
The technique of this Fire Release was different, but the core concept was exactly the same.
How could this be explained?
He had a flash of inspiration: "My mastery of Sage Art is very ordinary. Should I summon Sage Fukasaku to take a look?"
Tsunade's expression became very serious: "Are you sure Mount Myōboku is trustworthy?"
Jiraiya was stunned, then thought seriously for a minute, and his expression also became solemn: "I have known Sage Fukasaku for over thirty years; I trust him."
Tsunade nodded: "Alright."
Shikaku, as a strategist, advises the Hokage. Once the Hokage makes a decision, he doesn't object. Ino? Ino was also quite curious about Sage Fukasaku of Mount Myōboku, and likewise remained silent.
Jiraiya summoned Sage Fukasaku.
As the smoke cleared, Sage Fukasaku, looking like a small old man in a long robe, emerged from the Summoning Technique formula.
"Little Jiraiya, you called me? Oh? Little Tsunade is here too, long time no see."
After introductions from Jiraiya and Tsunade, he also met Shikaku and Ino.
Jiraiya asked him to look at the "Sage Art: Fire Release: Samadhi Fire" brought back by the Sealing Fire Barrier.
After all the talking and summoning for such a long time, this basin-sized ball of flame was still burning, showing no sign of extinguishing.
Sage Fukasaku didn't think too deeply, glancing at it twice: "Is that the Sage Art Fire Release you developed? Do you no longer need me and the missus to assist your Sage Mode? Quite impressive. What's the problem?"
Tsunade's expression turned grim again, and sweat beaded on Jiraiya's forehead: "Sage, please look more closely!"
Fukasaku was puzzled and observed it carefully again.
As he watched, he couldn't help but let out a soft "Oh?": "Where did this Sage Art flame come from?"
Ino explained her battle with Kashin Koji and also mentioned the very large steam toad.
"It's one of the toad clan members?!" Fukasaku was greatly surprised. After the shock, he hesitated for a moment, then recounted a past event of Mount Myōboku.
Within any intelligent species' community, there are always a host of troubles. Mount Myōboku is not a paradise, and they are no exception. Sage Fukasaku, Sage Shima, and Gamabunta are all part of the frog clan. Hundreds of years ago, the toad clan left Mount Myōboku due to differing interpretations of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, and no one knows where they ultimately went.
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