Chapter 21: Chapter 21: ANBU Infiltration
Jiraiya gripped the Lightning Flame Blade, channeling his chakra into it. As he refined his chakra into a lightning nature, the blade, originally white as snow, began to glow with a brilliant blue hue, crackling with arcs of lightning that sporadically danced along its edge.
Next, Jiraiya refined his chakra into fire nature and infused it into the blade. A thin layer of flames, resembling molten lava, enveloped the Lightning Flame Blade, radiating intense heat.
"Even without mastering the ninjutsu meant to complement this weapon, just infusing chakra alone amplifies its power tremendously. This is truly an impressive tool."
Jiraiya was exceptionally pleased with today's system reward. Setting aside the Lightning Flame Blade itself, gaining the ability to change his chakra nature to lightning was already a significant boon. With this, he could now begin training in lightning release techniques.
As for finding suitable fire and lightning ninjutsu to pair with the Lightning Flame Blade, Jiraiya had no leads. Such high-level jutsu were typically closely guarded secrets of powerful clans, making acquiring them a daunting challenge.
Still, he was optimistic. Considering how his system operated with such uncanny precision, he believed tomorrow's reward might just include the techniques he needed.
After carefully stowing the Lightning Flame Blade, Jiraiya went to wash up and prepared himself a simple breakfast. Once done, he headed to the training grounds to begin his rigorous routine.
He had devised a strict training plan for himself: taijutsu training in the morning, followed by ninjutsu practice in the afternoon. Thanks to his Sage Body, Jiraiya was capable of enduring an exceptionally high workload.
"1,080... 1,081... 1,082..."
Jiraiya's sweat poured like rain as he performed one-handed push-ups, his body never faltering as his palm struck the ground repeatedly. Though the intensity of his regimen was grueling, he relished the process. Feeling himself grow stronger with each passing moment was exhilarating—addictive, even.
The day flew by, and by the time night fell, Jiraiya was immersed in practicing the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu.
This A-rank ninjutsu was currently the only advanced technique he had fully mastered, and he was determined to elevate it further. After days of practice, Jiraiya had reached a point where he could produce a hundred shadow shuriken at once, increasing the technique's lethality a hundredfold.
Yet, he wasn't satisfied. His goal was to refine the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu into something akin to a shuriken laser cannon. With his massive chakra reserves, courtesy of the Sage Body, anything less felt like a waste of his potential.
As Jiraiya pushed himself harder, a shadow crept silently toward his home. This intruder was an ANBU member sent by Danzo to uncover the secret behind Jiraiya's rapid growth in power.
Dressed entirely in black and forgoing the traditional rabbit mask, the ninja's stealth was unparalleled. His rank of special jonin placed him between the typical chunin and jonin, though his unique expertise often made him far more dangerous than most ordinary jonin.
The intruder's talent lay in stealth, aided by his summoning creature: a small black spider perched on his shoulder. Though the spider lacked combat ability, it could absorb and mask his unique chakra signature, making him nearly undetectable.
"This damn door," the intruder muttered under his breath, his eye twitching as he observed Jiraiya's front door—a chaotic assembly of misaligned wooden planks, with gaps visible in various places. Though this wasn't his first time seeing the door, its haphazard design always made his obsessive tendencies flare.
If not for the risk of alerting Jiraiya, he would have smashed the offending door to splinters himself. Who in their right mind would make such a ridiculous door?
Far away, Tsunade sneezed abruptly, interrupting her evening preparations.
"That idiot Jiraiya must be talking about me. I'll make him pay tomorrow," she grumbled, clenching her fist.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, oblivious to Tsunade's ire, was unaware of his misfortune.
The intruder, watching Jiraiya's tireless efforts from a distance, couldn't help but feel a grudging respect.
"To train so diligently at this hour... impressive."
Still, he cursed Danzo's paranoia. It was clear to him that Jiraiya's power stemmed from hard work, yet Danzo insisted on investigating further. Worse still, the assignment had disrupted the intruder's personal life.
Having recently married a widow with boundless energy, the ninja was keenly aware that his frequent absences could jeopardize his relationship.
'If this keeps up, I'll end up having her cheat on me' he thought bitterly, a vivid metaphor for infidelity that only deepened his annoyance.
Shaking off his frustrations, the intruder steeled himself and began forming hand seals. Slowly, his body merged with the surrounding darkness. Invisible to all but the keenest observers, he slipped into Jiraiya's home with practiced ease.
'Let's finish this quickly,' he murmured, glancing at the shelves. His eyes gleamed with mischievous intent. 'I've heard Jiraiya's got a collection of rare adult novels. Might as well grab a few volumes while I'm here. My wife would love exploring them with me.'
However, unbeknownst to the intruder, Jiraiya had already detected him. A smirk played on Jiraiya's lips as he stopped mid-practice. His intuition had been right—Danzo couldn't resist meddling.
Having anticipated surveillance, Jiraiya had deliberately allowed the ANBU to observe his training. But breaking into his home was crossing the line. His personal collection of limited-edition adult novels was irreplaceable. Losing even one would be unforgivable.
Quietly, Jiraiya left the training grounds and headed toward his house. It was time to teach this trespasser a lesson.
What the intruder didn't know was that Jiraiya had recently mastered the Wind Web Jutsu. Though initially intended as practice, the technique had accidentally revealed the intruder's presence.
Now, Jiraiya prepared to confront his unwanted guest—and ensure his precious collection remained intact.
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