What was meant to be just a gathering to prepare for opening a shop and sample various breakfast items ended up becoming a wild celebration for a group of young ninjas.
Mikoto, Tsume, and Honoka teamed up with Kushina to drink Tsunade under the table. As evening approached, they all bid farewell and left.
Shikaku, Chōza, Inoichi, and Shibi kept drinking until past 8 PM, eventually getting so drunk that they all passed out. Their wives had to carry them home.
Meanwhile, Kurenai, Rin, and other younger ones stayed until the end, cleaning up the mess in the living room and kitchen before politely taking their leave.
As for Jiraiya... Kei was busy flirting with the adorably drunk Kushina, playing tongue battles, completely forgetting about that guy.
If it weren't for Minato and Honoka feeling that something was off after returning home and finally remembering that Jiraiya might have been left behind. Minato made a special trip back and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to send Jiraiya to the Training Cave.
The Sannin was probably going to spend the night lying on a balcony somewhere. After all the noise and chaos, the mansion fell into silence once everyone left.
Kushina, overwhelmed by the alcohol, snuggled up with Kei for a while before completely passing out, falling asleep in his arms.
Kei glanced at the guest room where Tsunade was staying. With a sigh, he reluctantly carried Kushina back to her room and tucked her in before heading into the study.
Thanks to [Memory Master of the Shinobi World], which greatly enhanced his speed-reading and memory skills, he quickly skimmed through the numerous scrolls and secret texts Tsunade had brought back.
The Senju clan, as one of the two great powerhouses of the Warring States period, had developed Water Release techniques far beyond what most clans could achieve. Their mastery of the nature transformation and shape manipulation of Water Release was unparalleled—they practically turned it into an art.
Beyond the diverse Water Release jutsus, many scrolls contained deeper research on how to shorten hand seals, release more chakra, and create even more powerful techniques in less time.
After all, most Senju ninjas were naturally gifted with vast chakra reserves due to their bloodline.
Using raw power to overwhelm all techniques and breaking through with sheer force was the most suitable path for them.
As a result, even high-level Water Release jutsus like the Second Hokage's Water Severing Wave and Hard Whirlpool Water Blade consumed an absurd amount of chakra. Of course, some scrolls did mention ways to reduce chakra consumption.
However, from Kei's perspective, it felt like the Senju ancestors were half-hearted about this research.
In comparison, the Hōzuki clan's approach was clearly more focused on minimizing chakra expenditure while maximizing damage output. While it might seem stingy, their methods were undoubtedly more practical for the average ninja.
One of their signature techniques, the Water Gun Technique, embodied this philosophy—condensing a tiny water bullet to pierce targets with pinpoint accuracy, prioritizing efficiency over brute force.
"Huh? This Water Bullet Barrage and Water Gun Technique work on the same principle! And they don't even require the Hydrification Technique as a prerequisite? The starting level is already firing over ten water bullets—talk about spending chakra like it's nothing!"
Just as Kei was mentally praising the Hōzuki clan's Water Release techniques, the Senju ancestors immediately humbled him. Aside from the higher chakra consumption, they had completely dissected and analyzed the principles behind the Water Gun Jutsu. They even took it a step further—using the same principles to develop an even larger-scale, more destructive technique.
"The corrosive nature of Water Release… this is basically a precursor to Boil Release. Kiri would probably be furious if they saw this."
"Water Release shape transformation experiments, testing various high- and low-temperature techniques..."
"Sharpness, cutting, twisting, surging, erosion, density, fluidity, gentleness..."
"Wave Riding Jutsu—allows free movement within water... If combined with the Hydrification Technique, it's perfect for underwater stealth, ambushes, and escapes!"
"Water Blade Slash—coating a weapon with a high-speed rotating water blade… Should work well on kunai, right? Wait… don't I have a ninja sword?"
Kei originally planned to read only two scrolls and sleep before midnight, but in the face of the Senju clan's vast collection of Water Release knowledge, that plan became a joke.
Even as a transmigrator, he couldn't help but be amazed by the innovative ideas and experimental attempts he discovered in these scrolls.
Who would have thought that centuries ago, the Senju ancestors had already considered using the nature transformation of Water Release to enhance their strikes, achieving an effect similar to hydraulic amplification in modern machinery?
A single punch would unleash successive waves of force, stacking layer upon layer, increasing the user's power several times—if not dozens of times!
If not for the fact that controlling chakra in this manner required an even greater level of precision than monstrous strength, who could possibly stand against the Senju clan?
---
As the morning sunlight filled the study, Kei finally snapped out of his reading trance.
He glanced at the wall clock—it was already pointing to 8 AM. Putting down the scrolls, he went to wash up.
After making himself breakfast with the leftover ingredients from the previous day, he checked the still-silent bedroom, packed an extra portion of breakfast, left a note, and headed out toward the Training Cave.
Even though he hadn't slept all night, his extraordinary mental resilience kept him from feeling tired.
Yesterday, he had already arranged to spar with Jiraiya for a few days. Being late on the first day wouldn't look good.
---
The Training Cave was located northwest of Konoha, in the opposite direction of the village's bird summoning beast sanctuary.
Jiraiya had spent quite some time running around the village to acquire the land near the cave, even pouring a significant amount of his manuscript royalties into it.
Later, Minato, having frequently trained here with Jiraiya, also grew fond of the place.
Over the years, the two had sporadically invested funds into it.
What was once just a cave on a cliff had transformed into an elegant, wall-hanging structure, and the barren terrain had been turned into a picturesque retreat with pavilions and lakes.
From a distance, it looked like a hidden paradise.
A falcon glided down from the sky.
Activating his sensory abilities, Kei spotted Jiraiya fast asleep in the largest building nestled against the cliff.
Leaping off the falcon's back, he took a deep breath and shouted, "A pervert is peeping at the women's bathhouse! Catch him!"
BANG! THUD—!
Jiraiya shot out of his room before even opening his eyes.
Realizing he had stepped into thin air, he traced a perfect arc in the sky before crashing straight into the lake below, sending water splashing in all directions.
"Couldn't you be more gentle, like Minato?" Jiraiya groaned, lying on the water's surface with chakra gathered beneath him. His face was full of pain.
Wasn't a normal wake-up call good enough? That yell nearly scared him to death!
"Now hurry up, eat, and let's get started."
"..."
---
A hungover Kushina scratched her sun-warmed cheek, realizing she had slept far too long.
She jolted upright in bed, wide-eyed, scanning the guest room's decor before glancing at her camisole and lifting the blanket to check her shorts.
"Ahhh—! Kushina, you're such a disappointment!"
Puffing up her cheeks in frustration, she smacked her bare thigh—only to wince and inhale sharply at the sting.
The atmosphere had been just right last night!
Even if Tsunade was still in the house, would she have really barged in to watch?!
How… how did she black out at such a crucial moment?! If only she had held on for a few more minutes!
"AAAAHHHHH—! Drinking ruins everything! Drinking ruins everything!"
From this day forward—no more alcohol!