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Demon Slayer-Here comes the King of curses.
The title speaks for itself, Ryomen sukuna after the Shinjuku showdown incarnates in the body of Tanjiro just at the beginning of canon.
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Consider the current time and the ages of the characters.
At this moment, Hatake Kakashi is roughly ten years old, while Hagoromo is approaching twelve. In terms of rank, Hagoromo is a Chunin, having been promoted not too long ago.
However, if judged by combat strength, Hagoromo's level is well above that of a Chunin. For his age, this is already quite remarkable.
Furthermore, when comparing his mastery of nature transformation, specifically Lightning Style, he doesn't believe there's anyone better than him, atleast in the hidden leaf.
This is why Jiraiya believed Hagoromo when he claimed he used such means to escape from Sasori of the Red Sand.
"I've received your three pieces of intelligence... Given their gravity, they must remain classified for now. Do not speak of this to anyone else. I will report this to the Hokage, and he will make the final judgment."
Jiraiya choosing to tell the Third Hokage wasn't a case of passing the case; on the contrary, it showed he actually accepted Hagoromo's account.
Considering the current alliance between the Leaf and the Sand, once the Hokage confirms this news, he might even inform the Sand Village. The "Strongest Kazekage" is indeed dead, killed by the very ninja they were once so proud of: Sasori.
"How did your squad's standard mission go?" Jiraiya asked.
"It was completed without any major hitches," Hagoromo replied.
The encounter with the Fuma Clan was originally a significant event, but compared to what followed, it was now a footnote. Aoba Yamashiro could report those details to the Intelligence Division; there was no need to trouble Jiraiya with them.
"It's good you didn't run into a crisis... Anyone injured?"
"Some. The others are fine, but Asuma... well, he has some soft tissue contusions," Hagoromo said with an air of "it's no big deal."
If Asuma had heard this, he likely would have dragged his broken body to fight Hagoromo. To be trashed that badly with broken ribs and have it called a "soft tissue contusion"? What country's medical scale was Hagoromo using?
"By the way, that move of yours... 'Raien Jukoku'... how much more time does it need to accumulate chakra?"
Hagoromo's Railgun had been showcased during the fight against Shukaku, and he had given Tsunade a somewhat plausible explanation for it back then.
Consequently, it was recorded in the Leaf's archives. The village had a registered name for Hagoromo's "self-created jutsu," and the naming rights naturally belonged to him.
To avoid sounding too out of place, he couldn't report the name "Railgun," so he made up a name on the spot. This "jutsu" was defined as S-rank—though that didn't really matter; it could have been D-rank for all he cared, since no one but Hagoromo could learn it anyway.
Lightning Style: Raien Juukoku was the official name for the Railgun.
Ignoring his naming sense, at least he was ahead of Minato in that department.
Jiraiya asked because he had a specific use for it. The Raikage was famous for having the "Ultimate Defense," which was indeed ridiculously strong. With that defense, the Raikage could trade blows with the Eight-Tails.
The current Third Raikage, in particular, possessed the "Strongest Spear" (Hell Stab) and the "Strongest Shield" (Lightning Style Chakra Mode). He combined speed, defense, and power into one; once on the battlefield, ordinary ninjas were helpless against him.
But what if someone found an opening to hit the Raikage with a Railgun? Could the "Strongest Shield" withstand a weapon that was far more of a "spear" than the "Strongest Spear"?
Heh.
Unfortunately, to prevent people from becoming too wary of the move, Hagoromo had "self-sealed" the Railgun verbally. Though he could fire at will, he couldn't let that be known.
"It needs at least another year of accumulation, maybe more. I can't be certain, but one year is the minimum," Hagoromo said after a moment of contemplation.
This explanation made sense. Jiraiya hadn't seen the move personally, but word was that it turned the Shukaku into dust. If a jutsu like that could be spammed, jiraiya had ideas on how to shorten the war significantly.
This type of jutsu had another famous representative: Shisui of the Body Flicker's Kotoamatsukami. That genjutsu was absolute, and if it didn't have such a long cooldown, Shisui would have been the true Child of Prophecy, bringing world peace single-handedly.
"I see. Your squad will rest for now. Regarding Sasori, you may be summoned again at any time..."
Jiraiya's questions seemed random to Hagoromo, who didn't realize he had just been designated as the Leaf's main artillery piece, waiting for his "skill cooldown" so he could take a shot at the Raikage.
However, his business here was finished. Before leaving the tent, he acted as if he had just remembered something:
"By the way, the reason our fight with Pakura ended without a result was that we ran into a group of ninjas in the Land of Rain. They didn't seem like standard Hidden Rain. They were active with the goal of avoiding conflict and maintaining peace. They stopped our fight and allowed us to leave safely."
"I don't know the name of the organization, but the leaders were two men and a woman. One had orange hair, one had red hair, and one had purple hair. All very young ninjas..."
After dropping that line, Hagoromo turned and left. He didn't look back to see Jiraiya's expression. He could only assume the man would be heartened to hear about his disciples carrying on his ideals.
For a short while after, Squad Hagoromo rested at the camp. After all, Asuma didn't actually have soft tissue contusions, and the Sasori situation wasn't simple.
Soon, Hagoromo received a new personal order: he was to return to the Hidden Leaf Village immediately to undergo questioning by the high command.
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