Konoha: Tsunade, I Am the Hokage! [12]

Outside Tanzaku Town.

Jiraiya was in high spirits, eyes practically glowing.

Behind him, the three genin were gasping for breath.

“Huff... huff...”

Exhausted.

Absolutely exhausted.

Kagenori had expected that wearing weighted leg bands would be tiring—but not this tiring.

Jiraiya chuckled mischievously.

There you go. See if I can’t handle you brats!

He glanced around at them. “Well? Still able to walk?”

“Yes!”

All three answered in unison.

Jiraiya nodded. “Let’s keep moving. We need to find the client as soon as possible—if the debtor runs off, we’ll fail the mission.”

“Let’s go!”

Kakashi gritted his teeth and fell in step behind Jiraiya.

He was the type who put missions above all else.

Failing a mission was worse than death to him.

Kagenori followed at the back, silently marveling—

Jiraiya really is a great teacher.

What looked like a simple set of leg weights was, in fact, the result of careful observation and calculation. Jiraiya had picked just the right weight to bring Kagenori and Kakashi’s stamina down to about the same level as Kurenai’s.

That way, breaks and running paces could be synced, and no one’s lag would slow the mission down.

All in one move.

Only downside? It left Kagenori and Kakashi utterly wiped out.

Kagenori panted, legs heavy as lead, doing mental calculations—

At this rate, my physical strength is still a little below Kakashi’s. I’m only faster because I’ve mastered the [Shunshin no Jutsu].

Which made sense.

Kakashi had been training his body since childhood. Kagenori’s predecessor had trained a bit, but it was only after transmigrating that he started serious, disciplined training.

There’s just no shortcut to building up your body.

Unless you’re someone like Yakushi Kabuto, with transplanted cells and genetic enhancements.

Kagenori steeled himself and picked up the pace to keep up with Jiraiya.

Tanzaku Town was bustling.

This was a famous den of indulgence in the region.

Wealthy merchants and big shots from both the Land of Rivers and even the Land of Wind came here to gamble and seek entertainment. Shinobi were no strangers to this place, either.

For instance—

Jiraiya, who clearly knew his way around, cut through alleys and sidestreets as if he were returning to his own home.

Before long, the sign for the Pavilion came into view.

Here we are!

“Sensei, you’re amazing! I’m completely lost, but you remembered all this?”

Kurenai couldn’t help but marvel.

Kagenori chimed in, “You can tell he’s a regular.”

Kakashi nodded emphatically.

“What are you implying!”

Jiraiya shot Kagenori a glare.

“Missions in Tanzaku Town are common, so of course you remember after a few visits.”

“Yeah, that’s true, that’s true,”

Kagenori replied, not missing a beat.

Kakashi and Kurenai stifled a laugh, clearly unconvinced by Jiraiya’s explanation.

Jiraiya could only sigh.

This brat... always out to ruin my reputation!

Still—

Heh. Not that they’re wrong...

Jiraiya laughed to himself, then quickly coughed and put on a straight face. “Listen, I only took this mission because of important matters—nothing like what you’re thinking!”

He lifted the curtain with the character for “Gamble” emblazoned on it.

At the door, a samurai immediately approached.

“Excuse me... are you shinobi from Konoha?”

“Yes. We accepted your boss’s request. We’re here to protect your debt collection team.”

Jiraiya nodded.

The samurai beamed. “Please, this way!”

He gestured and hurried inside. Soon, a young man strode out from the inner room.

“Welcome! I’m Matsuyama Kōji, the proprietor of the Pavilion.”

He quickly introduced himself.

Jiraiya’s expression turned serious.

“I’m Jiraiya, jōnin from Konoha. These are my subordinates—here for your protection. Can you explain the situation?”

“Please, come inside and have some tea while we talk.”

Matsuyama’s eyes lit up when he heard Jiraiya’s name, his manner growing even more respectful.

Jiraiya nodded, following him to the back room, where Matsuyama had the maids serve tea.

“I never dreamed Lord Jiraiya himself would lead the team. We’re incredibly lucky—this mission is sure to succeed.”

Matsuyama flattered them, then got down to business.

It turned out—

They’d tried to collect debts from a group of merchants from the Land of Rivers. The merchants, in turn, had hired a band of wandering samurai, and possibly even rogue shinobi. Matsuyama’s people were no match, and weren’t sure what else the merchants might try...

So they decided to pay for a B-rank mission and request shinobi from Konoha.

“So, our job is to protect you during debt collection from these merchants?” Jiraiya asked.

Matsuyama nodded. “Exactly.”

A ruckus had broken out inside, and now a mob of wandering samurai and rogue ninja poured out. Behind them, a man shouted angrily, “Once I get back to the Land of Rivers, I’ll send the rest of the money! Do you have to ruin my business over this?”

“Fukagawa Ken, that’s what you said last time. I’m not letting you run again.”
Matsuyama Kōji snorted.

Every gambler says the same thing—especially businessmen like these.

But in reality—

This guy had been dodging them for ages, never intending to pay back what he owed.

Worse, he owed not just gambling debts, but a huge sum from business deals too.

Finally catching him in Tanzaku Town, there was no way Matsuyama would let him slip away.

“Sir.”

Matsuyama retreated to Jiraiya’s side, posture deferential.

The debtor’s face changed.

“Ninja? Get them! Take them out!”

Dozens of samurai glanced at each other.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Don’t you want to get paid?”

“Yes, sir!”

The crowd surged forward in a wave.

Matsuyama hurriedly withdrew to safety.

Jiraiya just grinned, not even making a move—instead, he stepped back.

“Want to coordinate?”

Kagenori glanced at Kakashi.

“Go ahead.”

Kakashi’s reply was cool and indifferent.

When it came to killing, he was confident he had the edge over the still-green Kagenori—he wasn’t about to fall behind again.

With that, he drew his blade, preparing to strike.

Kagenori’s hands flashed through seals, chakra surging and gathering.

Over a year of training had honed his seals to near-mastery; in a blink, the jutsu was ready.

And then—

Whoosh!

A torrent of water burst from Kagenori’s mouth.

[Suiton: Mizu Rappa] (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)

A crashing surge, like a flood, swept through the crowd, knocking people aside and clearing a path straight through.

Kakashi was stunned for a moment.

Did Kagenori really only practice Suiton for half a month?

How could he be this strong?

And that was after a long run—when his physical and mental energy weren’t even at their peak.

At full strength, his jutsu would be even more devastating.

This guy...

His Water Release talent is off the charts!

Kakashi felt a pang of envy.

His own focus had been on taijutsu, kenjutsu, and Lightning Release; he didn’t know much about Suiton.

But Jiraiya was different.

He could see at a glance that Kagenori hadn’t just mastered the essence of [Wild Water Wave]—he was already experimenting with compressing and focusing the water’s power.

Otherwise—

No ordinary [Wild Water Wave] could create that kind of force.

That approach—

With a bit more refinement, it would become the Second Hokage’s famed [Water Severing Wave].

For a split second, when Kagenori cast that jutsu, Jiraiya had nearly thought—

Is this kid the Second Hokage reincarnated?

It was that similar!

But—

This wasn’t the time to get distracted.

“Kakashi, don’t just stand there.”

“Huh? Right!”

The samurai, to their credit, still tried to push through, struggling to their feet.

Kakashi flashed through hand seals.

[Raiton: Denshin] (Lightning Release: Ground Current!)

The water instantly stilled.

Kakashi pressed his hands to the water, sending electricity racing along the surface—within seconds, every samurai still standing collapsed in a heap.

Fukagawa Ken had already made a break for it.

But he was just an ordinary man—how far could he get?

Kagenori used the [Shunshin], bounding along the rooftops and overtaking him in moments.

A kunai at the man’s throat put a quick end to his flight.

“I’ll pay! I’ll pay, I swear!”

“Sorry, your credit with me is below zero. Write home and have your father, Fukagawa Hiro, send the money. Until then, you’re not leaving my casino.”

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This is a fan translation of 木叶：纲手，我才是火影！by 卖身葬节操 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!