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Outside Tanzaku Town.
Jiraiya marched ahead, full of swagger, eyes practically sparkling.
Behind him, the three brats were gasping for air.
"Huff… huff—"
Exhausted.
Totally done.
Leo had known wearing those weighted leg wraps would be tiring, but he never imagined this level of torture.
Jiraiya let out a smug little chuckle.
Heh.
Thought he couldn't handle you kids?
He glanced around. "Well? Still able to walk?"
"Yes!"
The three answered in perfect unison.
Jiraiya nodded. "Good. Let's move. We need to find our client before the target runs off and the whole mission goes down the drain."
"Move!"
Gritting his teeth, Kakashi pushed forward to follow Jiraiya's pace.
For him, the mission came first. Failure? Worse than death.
Leo trailed behind, silently amazed.
Jiraiya really was a damn good teacher.
The "ordinary" weighted wraps weren't random at all. He'd clearly observed them, calculated carefully, and set the weight so their stamina would drop to roughly the same level as Kurenai's.
That way, whether they were running or taking short breaks, everyone would recover at the same pace, and the mission wouldn't get delayed.
Efficient on every front.
Even if it left him and Kakashi dying inside.
Legs like lead, lungs burning, Leo did some quick mental math.
From the way his body was acting, he might actually be a bit worse off than Kakashi. The only reason he could match the guy's speed was thanks to his master-level Body Flicker.
Not that it was surprising.
Kakashi had been training his body since forever. The "original" Leo had trained too, but the real grind only started after he transmigrated here.
And physical conditioning wasn't something you could cheat.
Unless you were someone like Kabuto—just go for full-body cell modification and rewrite your genetics.
Leo hardened his resolve and picked up his pace.
Tanzaku Town was lively as always.
The place was a famous money pit, a playground for the rich.
Plenty of nobles and merchants from the Land of Rivers and even the Land of Wind came here to gamble or chase pleasure. Ninjas weren't an uncommon sight either.
For example—
Jiraiya himself knew the area like his own backyard. He cut through the streets and alleys with the confidence of someone walking home.
Before long, the sign for Aohua House came into view.
Here we are.
"Sensei's amazing. I can't remember any of these turns—I'm totally lost."Kurenai couldn't help marveling.
Leo added, "He's definitely a regular."
Kakashi nodded earnestly.
"What are you implying?" Jiraiya shot Leo a fierce glare."There are tons of missions in Tanzaku Town. Come here a few times and you remember the roads."
"Of course, of course."
Leo nodded repeatedly.
Kakashi and Kurenai both snickered. They clearly didn't buy a word of it.
Jiraiya sighed.
This brat…
Always ruining his reputation.
Still…
Heh. Well, he would be doing a little something later…
Jiraiya cleared his throat quickly and said, "Anyway, I didn't take this mission for the reasons you're imagining. I've got important business here."
He lifted the bamboo curtain with the big "Gambling" character on it.
A samurai standing at the entrance immediately stepped forward.
"Are you… ninja from the Leaf?"
"That's right. Your boss hired us. We're here to guard your debt-collection team."
Jiraiya nodded.
The samurai brightened instantly. "Please, follow me!"
He led them in at a quick trot. Once inside, a young man hurried out.
"Welcome. I'm Kōji Kashin , the owner of Aohua House."
Jiraiya's expression tightened.
"I'm Jiraiya, jonin of the Hidden Leaf. These are my subordinates. We'll be handling the protection detail. Could you brief us on the situation?"
"Please, come inside. We can talk over tea."
Hearing the name "Jiraiya," Kōji's eyes lit up, and his attitude grew even more respectful.
Jiraiya nodded.
Following Kōji into the back hall, he signaled a maid to serve tea.
"Didn't expect Lord Jiraiya to lead the team himself. What luck! With you here, this mission is basically in the bag."
Kōji laid on the flattery, then finally got to the point.
Turns out—
They had gone to collect a debt from a group of merchants from the Land of Rivers. Those merchants, in turn, hired a bunch of ronin. Kōji's people weren't strong enough, and they weren't sure if the other side had hired rogue shinobi as well…
So they simply paid the price of a B-rank mission and requested help from Konoha.
"So our job is to guard you while you collect what those River merchants owe you?" Jiraiya asked.
Kōji nodded. "Exactly."
…
Tanzaku Street, outside the Tea Hall.
After a burst of shouting inside, a crowd of ronin and rogue ninja rushed out. Behind them, a furious man shouted, "Once I'm back in the Land of Rivers I'll send the rest of the money! Do you really have to sabotage my business over this?"
"Hirakawa Ken, that's exactly what you said last time. I'm not letting you slip away again."
Kōji let out a cold snort. Every gambler says the same thing—especially businessmen like this one.
But the truth was—
The man in front of him had dodged payment again and again. It was obvious he never planned on paying a single coin.
And that wasn't all. He owed not just gambling debt, but a massive amount tied to business deals too.
Kōji had waited forever for him to show his face on Tanzaku Street. There was no way he'd let him go now.
"My lord."
Kōji stepped back to stand beside Jiraiya, his attitude respectful.
Hirakawa Ken's expression twisted.
"Ninja? Get them! Take them out!"
Dozens of ronin looked at each other, unsure.
"Hurry up! Do you want your payment or not?!"
"Yes, sir!"
A mob of fighters surged forward.
Kōji immediately retreated.
Jiraiya just laughed, not attacking yet. In fact, he even stepped back.
"Mind playing along a bit?"
Leo glanced at Kakashi.
"Whatever."
Kakashi said it without emotion. When it came to killing, he considered himself leagues ahead of the still-green Leo. No way he'd fall behind.
He drew his blade, ready to go.
Leo formed hand signs, chakra gathering and shifting inside him. After more than a year of training, his sign-weaving speed was sharp. In a blink, the jutsu was ready.
Then—
A crashing roar.
A torrent of water burst from Leo's mouth.
Water Release: Wild Water Wave.
A massive flood surged forward like a breaking dam. The entire crowd in front of them was washed off their feet, bodies tumbling as a clear path opened right through them.
Kakashi froze for a second.
Leo trained Water Release for only half a month?
How was it this strong?
And this was after running all the way here—his physical and mental energy weren't even at their best.
If he were in top condition, the jutsu would be even stronger.
This guy…
His Water Release talent was insane.
Kakashi couldn't help feeling a wave of envy.
He'd been focusing mostly on taijutsu, swordplay, and Lightning Release—he didn't know much about Water Release.
But Jiraiya did.
He could see clearly that Leo wasn't just using the basic form of Wild Water Wave—he was trying to compress and concentrate the water's force.
Otherwise—
A normal Wild Water Wave could never create such a powerful impact.
That kind of idea…
If Leo refined and developed it further, it would turn into the Second Hokage's "Water Severing Wave."
For a split second, when Leo unleashed that jutsu, Jiraiya almost thought he was watching Tobirama reincarnated.
It was that similar.
But—
This wasn't the time to space out.
"Kakashi, don't just stand there."
"Huh—yes!"
The ronin were surprisingly determined. Even after being washed away, they were already scrambling back up to charge again.
Kakashi formed hand signs.
Lightning Release: Earth Flow!
The water flow halted.
Kakashi pressed both hands to the ground—electricity raced along the shallow water, shooting forward faster than the eye could track. In seconds, every ronin who had gotten back on their feet was electrocuted into twitching heaps on the ground.
Hirakawa Ken had already run.
But he was just a civilian. How far could he possibly get?
Leo flickered forward, hopping across rooftops as he chased. A few Body Flicker steps later, he was already behind him.
A kunai pressed against Hirakawa Ken's neck, and he froze on the spot.
"I'll pay! I'll pay!"
"Too bad. Your credit with me is already way below zero. Write a letter and have your father, Hirakawa Hiro, send the money. Until then, don't even think about leaving my gambling hall."
"....."