Chapter 61: Meeting Jiraiya on the Road
"Finally... I've almost digested it."
Over the past two years, Ayaan had mastered the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates, and both his Haki and physical strength had improved at an astonishing pace.
Opening the Eight Gates is a form of extreme physical training. With his monstrous physique, Ayaan had activated the Third Gate the very first time he trained. Since then, he trained daily with multiple gates open—something that would have crippled even Might Guy or Rock Lee within months due to accumulated injuries.
But Ayaan was different. With his enhanced body and the power of the Baku Baku no Mi , he could heal from nearly anything as long as he drew breath. This allowed him to endure prolonged training at full throttle. The fruit guaranteed not only survival but ensured that no residual damage or hidden injuries remained.
Since physical taijutsu like the Eight Gates Technique must be trained with the original body to be effective, all other forms of ninjutsu were assigned to shadow clones. In this way, Ayaan mastered all the five basic chakra natures. Though useful, these were merely backup skills.
What truly occupied his shadow clones was Wood Release—a rare and powerful kekkei genkai inherited from Senju Hashirama. Integrating it fully was no easy task.
Even if one ignored his Devil Fruit and Haki, Ayaan alone was now unquestionably Super Kage-level. With his pirate powers included, not even Uchiha Madara or Hashirama Senju could guarantee victory against him.
"After surviving this long, I've finally become the strongest in the current ninja world. It's time for the next hunt."
As he stepped out of his underground base, Ayaan made his way toward the black market—to gather information and, perhaps, catch a few fish along the way.
Given all the chaos he'd unleashed, he doubted the other villages had remained idle. Surely, someone was preparing a response.
When Ayaan entered the black market again, the atmosphere instantly froze.
The boss, who usually lazed behind the counter cleaning glasses, practically sprinted toward him this time. His face was all smiles and nervous sweat.
"Sir... Black Shadow Ninja, what can I help you with today?"
Wearing a sleek black mask, Ayaan gave a light snort. "Give me everything you've got from the past two years."
He tossed over a small suitcase filled with money.
The boss, who usually counted every coin, didn't even open it. He gave the signal, and soon stacks of scrolls and files were piled before Ayaan.
Flipping through them quickly, Ayaan absorbed the intel like a sponge. In no time, he'd gone through most of it.
"The shinobi world remains largely unchanged," he muttered coldly behind the mask. "Seems my butterfly wings haven't flapped hard enough yet."
Still, a few things had shifted. The Uchiha clan hadn't been driven into isolation. This time, without Danzo's interference, they'd participated fully in the Nine-Tails battle.
Fugaku Uchiha had nearly died during the fight with Ayaan—and lost his Mangekyō Sharingan. Even with the Sharingan's pattern appearing in the Nine-Tails' eyes, the village couldn't just push blame entirely onto the Uchiha anymore.
"Though the Uchiha are still under suspicion… It's only a matter of time before misfortune finds them. Danzo's silence won't last forever."
One piece of intel caught Ayaan's attention:
"Amegakure (Rain Village) has closed off all contact with the outside world. Isolation policy active. Leadership unknown. Possibly Uzumaki Nagato."
"The Akatsuki seems to have transformed into a militant group… I suppose Hanzo is already dead?"
After finishing the last report, Ayaan stood and exited the black market. Behind him, the marketplace erupted with chaos—summoning beasts burst forth, scrolls exploded into the air, and information on his location began spreading like wildfire across the shinobi world.
"It'll take maybe three hours before every village knows where I am."
He looked to the sky with a smirk.
"Let's see who's the first to come knocking."
Despite claiming to head straight for Amegakure, Ayaan didn't rush. With his speed, he could be there in a day. But that would ruin the fun—he wanted to "fish" for reactions, not storm a fortress.
Besides, Nagato wasn't like the leaders of the Five Great Nations. He never showed himself directly, always using puppets and hiding his body. A direct assault would likely be pointless.
So Ayaan decided to take his time.
Three days later, after leaving a small town and entering the forest, Ayaan halted his steps.
"Come out. You've been following me for over an hour," he said casually.
From the trees, a tall man with wild white hair, wooden clogs, and a serious expression stepped out.
Ayaan tilted his head, then gave a small smile. "Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin. I didn't expect Konoha would send you first."
"With all the heat on them, I figured they wouldn't dare make a move yet."
"Konoha is Konoha," Jiraiya said solemnly. "I am myself."
His voice was low. There was grief in his tone.
"What's this? Are you picking a fight?" Dark energy began to leak from Ayaan's skin.
"If it's just you, I doubt you're strong enough."
"I came for answers," Jiraiya said. "What happened that day? How did the Kyūbi break free from its seal?"
Jiraiya wasn't here for revenge or politics. What mattered most to him was his student—Minato Namikaze, the man he once believed was the Child of Prophecy.
Jiraiya's life had been filled with painful regrets. First, he thought Nagato was the chosen one—until he heard of his death. Then he believed Minato was the answer—but now, Minato too was gone.
Hearing his question, Ayaan let the darkness retreat into his body.
He always liked Jiraiya in the original story. If he could avoid fighting the man, he would.
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