The familiar courtyard.
Returning home, Kyohiko felt a wave of emotions.
He opened the door and stepped inside, only to be momentarily stunned. Despite being away for several days, the place wasn't as messy as he had imagined. In fact, new equipment had been added.
There were more sandbags.
Additionally, some areas of the yard had been planted with...
Herbs?
However, the door and windows were covered in dust, clearly untouched.
Kyohiko entered, cleaned up the room, and then sighed.
"So tired!"
He didn't start training immediately. Instead, he went to the study and rummaged through the books, finally finding one.
Sword Technique Notes.
Sword techniques.
Kyohiko flipped through the book, which contained Senju Tobirama's summaries on sword techniques.
From the ideas and concepts, it was clear that techniques like Three Crescent Moon Dance and Konoha Style: Willow were derived from Tobirama's thoughts.
"The White Fang's approach is assassination—a single, lethal strike."
"Senju Tobirama's approach, on the other hand, uses genjutsu, ninjutsu, and other methods to create opportunities for a decisive blow."
"Flying Thunder God Slash serves a similar purpose."
As an enemy, Madara's description of Tobirama as "underhanded" was the highest praise for his tactical style.
And what about me?
Kyohiko read carefully, his mind racing.
He didn't plan to master sword techniques.
For him, the sword was a tool for training and discipline.
However, the White Fang's techniques seemed to have enhanced his reflexes and weapon-handling skills.
"No, more accurately, it improved the speed of my hand movements and reactions."
Kyohiko reflected and concluded.
In other words.
The White Fang's techniques required sharp judgment, incredible reflexes, and lightning-fast hand speed.
These were qualities Kakashi lacked.
Someone like Namikaze Minato, with his godlike speed, could effortlessly control techniques like the Flying Thunder God.
That was talent.
If Kakashi had such talent, he wouldn't need the Sharingan to master the Chidori.
Of course.
Kakashi's talent wasn't bad, but compared to Minato and the White Fang, he was a step behind.
"My talent in this area definitely isn't on par with the White Fang."
"So."
"I should combine the strengths of both approaches to compensate for my weaknesses. Only then can I become strong enough before the war arrives."
The ninja world seemed to be in a brief period of peace, but in reality, conflicts and small-scale wars were breaking out everywhere.
Not just between Konoha and Kirigakure, but between other villages as well.
War could break out at any moment. He couldn't rely on the timeline from his previous life and wait blindly.
Enough rest.
Time to train!
Kyohiko went downstairs and continued his training.
By evening, seven or eight sandbags were swinging at him. He quickly knocked three away, then ducked through the opening and escaped to the edge.
As his strength improved and he grew more familiar with the routine, the training had become less effective.
He needed to create a mechanism and have a shadow clone operate it.
...
At night, Kyohiko went to bed early.
However.
Suddenly, he woke up, his hand immediately grabbing a kunai as he moved to the window.
But the next moment.
"Kid, why are you so on edge even in the village?"
Jiraiya pushed the window open.
Kyohiko was stunned.
"Teacher?"
He put the kunai away, surprised. "It's so late. Why aren't you resting? What brings you here?"
"I wanted to talk."
Jiraiya looked around, somewhat embarrassed. "Got time?"
"Of course."
Kyohiko got up.
Outside, Jiraiya sat on the roof.
The moon hung high in the sky.
He held a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a juice in the other, patting the spot beside him when he saw Kyohiko.
Kyohiko sat down.
Jiraiya seemed troubled.
"Here, have some juice."
"Okay."
Kyohiko took a sip.
Orange juice.
Not bad.
Jiraiya drank his alcohol and began to talk.
The topic...
The usual spiel about peace.
Nothing new.
Kyohiko wasn't surprised. Given Jiraiya's personality, if the situation had been in the Land of Rivers against the Land of Wind, he might have hesitated to intervene.
But the Land of Water and Kirigakure were different.
Talking about peace with them was like playing a lute to a cow.
Now, Jiraiya's hesitation seemed partly influenced by the Third Hokage and partly by concern that interfering in the Land of Waves might escalate conflicts with Kirigakure, harming Konoha.
These were valid concerns.
Kyohiko listened quietly.
Jiraiya said, "Kyohiko, you're different from other kids. You always have surprising ideas and words. What do you think—ah, never mind, you already said we should stop them."
He took another sip, talking as he drank.
Rather than discussing with Kyohiko, it seemed Jiraiya was sorting out his own thoughts.
He just needed a listener.
But.
Wasn't Minato in the village?
Well, fine. Maybe he could still gain something from this.
Kyohiko squinted, fighting off sleepiness.
As a child, being woken up in the middle of the night was exhausting, but Jiraiya's dilemma wasn't something a single suggestion could solve.
He was too lost.
Fortunately, Jiraiya's ideals of peace weren't fully solidified yet. There was still time.
As for Hiruzen, that old stubborn fool—
Kyohiko couldn't care less!
He listened quietly.
When Jiraiya finished with a long sigh, Kyohiko finally spoke. "Teacher, what you're worried about is that Konoha isn't strong enough right now. You're afraid that interfering in the Land of Waves might provoke Kirigakure, weaken Konoha, and lead to attacks from other villages, right?"
"Yes, that's part of it."
Jiraiya nodded.
Kyohiko said, "I don't understand village governance or the politics of the ninja world, but when I was a kid, I always called my friends to gang up on others when I got into fights. If that didn't work, I'd trade candy to get others to join me."
Why bother with honor when dealing with a demon like Kirigakure?
Jiraiya paused for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle.
Candy...
Such a childish tactic.
But effective.
Kids couldn't resist candy, but nations and ninja villages were far more complex than children's squabbles.
Jiraiya smiled.
"Anything else? Go on."
"If it were up to me, the Land of Waves is like a training ground. I want to train there, but so does someone else. The difference is, I don't want to monopolize it, but they do. So, I'd team up with others who don't want to monopolize it and take them down."
"Team up..."
Jiraiya frowned.
The Land of Waves was strategically important for maritime trade, but only for the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. For other nations, it held little value.
How could they form an alliance?
The only option would be Kumogakure.
Kumogakure wouldn't want to see either Konoha or Kirigakure gain control of the Land of Waves.
"Another option is to find someone to stir up trouble, so neither side gets it. As for the others, deal with them later."
"Neither side gets it?"
Jiraiya was stunned.
Then, he slapped his forehead.
"I'm such an idiot! Kyohiko, your words make perfect sense. I know the general direction now, and I've found the absolute expert for this."
Jiraiya quickly vanished in a Body Flicker.
He was probably going to find Orochimaru.
If Orochimaru were to get involved, pulling the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire's side might be difficult, but causing chaos and being a troublemaker? That was his specialty.
Additionally.
Danzo was also an expert in this field!
Jiraiya cursed himself for being so foolish.
Such a simple solution, and he needed a child to point it out. Perhaps...
He really had been too narrow-minded!