["Cough—cough! Stop! Stop! Stop!" Jiraiya spat as he hurriedly raised his hand to call a halt.]
[Kagerō withdrew the Eight Gates. His face paled slightly, but after exhaling a breath of turbid air, his complexion quickly returned to normal.]
Rock Lee: "Opening five gates in one night… this person is too strong!"
Might Guy: "A genius—no, a genius among geniuses! I trained my body for decades to reach this level!"
Naruto: "Is Sage Mode really that weak…? Now I'm confused."
Tsunade: "What is going on? Jiraiya got beaten by a kid! Normally, an eight-year-old hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet!"
Orochimaru: "Interesting… this boy's talent and comprehension are truly monstrous."
Senju Hashirama: "More importantly, after closing the Eight Gates, his aura is stable. He hasn't weakened much—that's the key point."
Fourth Raikage A: "Terrifying… he's even stronger than Nagato after three years of training at the same age!"
Jiraiya: "I… got beaten? I was using Sage Mode! This is absurd… what kind of person did my counterpart encounter in that world?"
Their understanding of "genius" included people like Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Itachi, Senju Hashirama, and Uchiha Madara.
All were top-tier prodigies.
But none of them—
Had ever reached such a level at an age before even graduating from the academy, purely through self-comprehension.
It was unimaginable!
In this world, Nagato was already terrifying—
Possessing the Rinnegan and destroying Konoha single-handedly.
But at eight years old, Nagato had been fragile, introverted, and sensitive.
He didn't even dare approach Jiraiya.
After awakening the Rinnegan and killing a ninja, he was consumed by guilt and inner conflict.
But Kagerō?
At eight years old—
He was already beating Jiraiya.
And in combat, he showed structure and strategy.
Was that something an ordinary child could do?!
["I'm still too young. Once I grow up, my strength and speed will increase further," Kagerō said, clenching his fists.]
[Jiraiya's expression stiffened. "The ninjutsu scrolls I gave you… you've already comprehended all of them?"]
["Yeah, I did. I noticed clear patterns in the hand seals, so I'm planning to improve them."]
["Improve them? How?" Jiraiya asked, puzzled.]
[After all, ninjutsu had been passed down for generations—it required hand seals to channel chakra and form techniques.]
["Obviously—by eliminating hand seals entirely!" Kagerō replied as if it were common sense.]
["Hey, you need to understand—even the Sage of Six Paths required hand seals for certain techniques!"]
["That just means he wasn't strong enough."]
[Jiraiya froze.]
Not strong enough?!
If the Sage of Six Paths isn't strong, then who is?!
Senju Hashirama: "Hahaha! I like this Kagerō—he's incredibly interesting!"
Uchiha Madara: "Absurd. This is pure fantasy. It's impossible—unless it's a kekkei genkai."
Senju Tobirama: "Extremely difficult. I've researched countless ninjutsu and considered this problem myself—but it always ended in failure."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "My teacher is right. Only a small number of techniques can be used without hand seals. Modifying them is far harder than creating new ones."
Tsunade: "Is this really something an eight-year-old could think of? Unbelievable."
Hinata Hyūga: "Even though it sounds difficult… it also feels kind of amazing…"
["We've already entered the Land of Fire. Where do you want to begin your… what was it… investigation?" Jiraiya asked as they walked side by side.]
["It already started," Kagerō said with a smile.]
["When did it start? Why didn't I notice?"]
[Kagerō gestured around them. "There are many types of investigation. The environment is an important factor."]
["After entering the Land of Fire, rainfall is balanced."]
["The vegetation is lush, the air is fresh, the soil is fertile. There are plenty of insects, birds, and wild animals—this means the land is highly livable."]
["There must be many people who want to claim this land."]
[Jiraiya froze.]
He couldn't believe—
That Kagerō had deduced the advantages of the Land of Fire just from observing the environment.
And even inferred the existence of conflict over resources.
At that moment—
He no longer saw him as a child.
But as a scholar.
Even his monstrous ninjutsu talent seemed secondary now.
[Kagerō looked up and smiled. "No need to look at me like that. This is basic knowledge. Humans naturally desire good resources."]
["It's instinct."]
["And because of this instinct, divisions arise. Some want to protect what they have—others want to seize it."]
["That is why war exists."]
["This is the fundamental cause of war—not hatred, not mutual misunderstanding. Those are only surface-level phenomena."]
["We must look beyond appearances and see the essence!"]
Senju Hashirama: "Now I truly believe Kagerō could be the leader of the Akatsuki. His words are like a beam of light piercing through the fog!"
Ōnoki: "I've only recently begun to grasp something similar… and he just laid it out so clearly!"
Uchiha Madara: "Compared to his ninjutsu talent… his ideology might be even more terrifying."
Senju Hashirama: "Madara, it's rare to hear you praise someone—especially an eight-year-old. You've grown."
Uchiha Madara: "Hashirama, I swear I'll defeat you one day—let's see if you can still say that then!"
See through the surface… to the essence.
At that moment—
Not only Jiraiya in the scene—
But everyone watching—
Was stunned.
Such simple words—
Yet they struck like arrows straight into the heart.