"Wait—hold on. I really want to know what this puppet-based taijutsu of yours actually looks like. Uh, I can trade you for it—secret techniques you'll definitely be interested in!"
Jiraiya said this with absolute confidence.
Of course, the real reason was simpler: he didn't quite believe that someone could pull all of this off in a single night.
Souma paused to think.
Among Jiraiya's techniques, aside from the toad-related ones, the only truly tempting options were the hair-based jutsu. But hair growth involved nature transformation as well—something Souma couldn't directly use.
Still…
This puppet taijutsu wasn't exactly core tech. It didn't really matter what he traded it for. Anything gained would be a profit.
With that in mind, Souma nodded.
"Sure."
He then handed Jiraiya a rough draft of his notes.
Jiraiya snorted inwardly and flipped it open, determined to find flaws.
Then—
He fell silent.
Souma's technique used chakra threads to control external puppet limbs, synchronizing them with his own taijutsu. It was completely different from Sunagakure's puppet style, which relied almost entirely on the puppet itself.
This was something entirely new.
What shocked Jiraiya even more was the level of detail in the notes. Souma had even clearly labeled which version was intended to be sold to Sunagakure.
Absolutely insane.
After reading through it, Jiraiya rubbed his chin and said, "It's definitely workable. But rather than calling this a puppet technique, it feels more like a ninja tool system. And… I get the sense there might be an even better solution."
"There is," Souma said frankly. "I originally imagined multiple ninja each controlling different sections, combined with chakra-storage tools to drive a massive puppet."
"That's… a little too crazy, don't you think?" Kakashi said, startled.
Leaving aside feasibility, just the amount of chakra metal required would be terrifying. Who could even manufacture something like that?
"That's why it's just a conceptual puppet," Souma replied calmly. "Simplified, it becomes a single-user puppet driven by chakra tools. The power won't match the full version, but compared to standard puppets, it's still on a completely different level."
A weapon of war—totally unnecessary for everyday missions.
Jiraiya's lips twitched.
This wasn't a puppet at all. It was a walking pile of money.
"So this is already the simplified version?" he asked.
"Yes. Puppet tools. Lowest manufacturing difficulty, lowest material requirements. Perfect for an entry-level system."
Jiraiya was convinced.
He sighed, then said, "I've heard about you. There are probably two techniques of mine you'd be interested in. One enhances hair for combat, and the other creates toad oil through chakra nature transformation."
"Can I take both?" Souma asked. "Also, I can't use them myself, so after modifying them, I may pass them on to others."
"Ha! Greedy little brat. If you can give me something I'm interested in—"
Jiraiya's laughter stopped halfway through.
Souma was already flipping through his notebook, clearly selecting and evaluating options.
Two seconds later, he spoke.
"I'll trade you Gentle Fist—this should be useful to you. And my self-created weakened version of the Strength of a Hundred–style technique."
Kakashi stood off to the side reading his book, completely uninterested.
From the moment Jiraiya made his offer, the outcome had already been decided.
Jiraiya leaned over to look.
"This is…?"
"My own version of Gentle Fist."
Both variants were written clearly, along with practical application notes. At Jiraiya's level, one glance was enough to grasp the essentials.
So he stopped reading before memorizing it completely.
As for the other—
A weakened version of monstrous strength? He didn't even need to think about it.
Jiraiya had taken far too many beatings to underestimate that technique.
After a brief pause, he nodded. "Deal."
"As expected. I also have Sage Mode versions of both. If you want them, I can include those too."
Souma flipped to the next page.
Jiraiya read carefully.
Both techniques were already extremely refined. The latter, especially when combined with Sage Mode, had practically become a different system altogether.
After finishing, he couldn't help but sigh again.
This level of talent…
It really made the older generation feel ashamed.
Seeing Jiraiya satisfied, Souma continued, "Jiraiya-sama, I remember you once summoned two sages and planned to fuse with them, right?"
"That's right."
Jiraiya looked a bit embarrassed.
Back then, he'd planned to enter Sage Mode to fight Orochimaru and the two Hokage. In the end, before he could even get started, everything was already over.
All that carefully gathered senjutsu chakra… wasted on congratulating Souma.
Thinking about it now still made his face burn.
Fortunately, Jiraiya's skin was thick enough.
Seeing that Souma wasn't reacting oddly, he relaxed a little.
Souma truly hadn't been focused on that.
What he wanted to trade involved something else entirely.
"I have a technique," Souma said, "that can suppress one's presence in normal circumstances, and during combat, by increasing chakra consumption, it allows you to absorb natural energy while fighting."
"!!!"
Jiraiya sucked in a sharp breath.
Every single technique Souma mentioned hit him right where it hurt.
Painfully precise.
He remembered what Kakashi had said earlier—
You'll get used to it.
Yes.
At this point, Jiraiya really was starting to get used to it.
This kid's talent…
The Third Hokage hadn't exaggerated at all—if anything, he'd been too modest.
After several seconds of silence, Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh.
"You want the fusion technique?"
"Yes."
Souma nodded.
Jiraiya frowned, then shook his head. "I can't give you an answer right now. How about this—once we finish discussing official matters, I'll summon the two sages and we can talk it over together?"
"That works."
Souma wasn't fond of the Great Toad Sage anyway. He didn't like dealing with prophet-types. The others were fine.
Jiraiya and Kakashi sat down.
Then they got to business—
Akatsuki.
From its composition and numbers to Itachi's involvement, Jiraiya shared everything he knew.
"So Itachi's in that organization too?" Kakashi asked grimly.
"Yes. From what I've found."
Kakashi's expression darkened. As a former ANBU captain, he knew exactly how terrifying Itachi's talent was.
Souma thought for a moment. "If they're all S-rank missing-nin from various countries, we can gather intelligence on known S-rank defectors to narrow it down."
"True," Jiraiya said. "But what matters more is their goal. A group like that wouldn't band together just to do volunteer work."
He chuckled softly.
Neither Souma nor Kakashi laughed.
Souma already knew Akatsuki's objective.
After a brief pause, he stopped spinning his pen.
"If we assume maximum malicious intent, then the most likely thing a group of S-rank missing-nin would attempt is to overturn the shinobi world—or at least a major nation."
"Agreed," Jiraiya and Kakashi nodded.
"But that alone wouldn't be enough against the Five Great Villages," Kakashi added. "So if I were them, I'd leverage elite power to expand their strength."
"Like tailed beasts."
Clearly, Jiraiya and Kakashi had already discussed this and reached similar conclusions.
Souma considered it, then looked at both of them.
"You've already talked this through. You came to me for something else, didn't you?"
Kakashi nodded. "You and the Third are planning to restart the ANBU training division, right?"
"So?"
"Why not expand it? Bring in special jōnin, elite chūnin, and outstanding genin for collective training."
As he spoke, Kakashi casually waved his Icha Icha Tactics.
Souma glanced at it—and immediately understood.
They're planning to keep Jiraiya here as a training instructor.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That works. I'll draft a textbook and a training outline soon."
"Raising overall shinobi strength is the most direct solution," Jiraiya agreed, completely unaware that both Souma and Kakashi had already set their sights on him. He even offered a few helpful suggestions.
Souma quickly wrote them down.
After wrapping up their discussion, Jiraiya bit his thumb and summoned Fukasaku.
The toad sage still had a bug hanging out of his mouth.
Seeing everyone present, he slurp—swallowed it—and cleared his throat.
"Little Jiraiya, what is it?"
"Fukasaku-sama, this is Yagyū Souma—Konoha's greatest genius. You've met him before."
Jiraiya introduced.
Fukasaku looked at Souma, initially confused, until Souma released his chakra slightly.
"Oh. The boy who mastered Sage Mode."
"Yes," Souma said. "I'd like to make a trade. I'll exchange a self-created technique that conceals presence and restores natural energy during combat, in return for the fusion technique you and Jiraiya use."
Fukasaku pondered for a long time.
The request wasn't unreasonable. Fusion techniques weren't widely mastered even in Mount Myōboku. Even if Souma learned it, there was no guarantee he could use it.
But Souma's technique?
Presence concealment. Natural energy recovery.
Exactly what Jiraiya needed most.
And Fukasaku was deeply curious about how Souma had cultivated Sage Mode in the first place.
Still—
These were sacred techniques. Such matters required careful thought.
After weighing it thoroughly, Fukasaku finally nodded.
The trade was completed.
After that…
Jiraiya scratched his head and left.
Souma's technique was powerful and practical, but he quickly realized—
He probably couldn't learn it.
Maintaining chakra output and absorbing natural energy at the same time?
Impossible for him.
After Jiraiya and Kakashi departed, Souma reviewed the newly acquired techniques.
Needle Jizō and the enhanced Wild Lion's Mane could be used for defense and reinforcement, but the hair-growth component was still incompatible.
Unless…
He briefly considered full-body fur coverage, but dismissed it.
In the end, these techniques were better suited for others—such as the Inuzuka clan.
While the Inuzuka hadn't helped Souma directly, their contributions to the research institute were undeniable—especially their willingness to share core beast-rearing techniques, which formed the foundation of ninja pet development.
They deserved compensation.
Improved versions of Needle Jizō and Wild Lion's Mane were perfect for them.
Another good candidate was the Akimichi clan.
Needle Jizō combined with Human Bullet Tank would create an unparalleled offense-defense combo—though it would need adjustments, since not every Akimichi had Souma's level of chakra control.
As for toad oil—
That was more of a reserve technique, suitable for Asuma and others to research.
The most important gain, however, was the fusion technique.
Souma's shadow clones had previously tried cooperating with the Bug King, but that couldn't compare to Jiraiya's Sage Mode fusion with the two sages.
Two days passed.
The modified versions of Wild Lion's Mane and Needle Jizō were complete. Toad oil extraction was outlined conceptually.
For example—
Toad oil combined with Fire Release and sealing arrays could form powerful combo techniques.
In Souma's vision, ANBU teams needed stronger coordination—maximizing team-based ninjutsu efficiency.
These ideas were already included in the half-written textbook.
At this point, the only urgent tasks left were finishing the textbook and perfecting the puppet taijutsu.
Right on cue—
Tenten finished the tool.
"Did you use chakra metal?" Souma asked.
"No, but it's designed so chakra metal wires can be swapped in at any time. I also made it modular, so parts can be replaced easily during maintenance."
Souma nodded repeatedly.
That detail had completely slipped his mind.
"I'll test it first."
He put on the equipment, then guided chakra threads through the convergence points along his back—
Shing!
Eight spider-like legs shot out behind him.
"It works."
After confirming basic functionality, Souma began testing in earnest.
Power. Latency. Responsiveness.
Step by step.
After a while, he frowned slightly.
"Standard materials still have limitations. Chakra metal would be much smoother."
"Captain Obvious," Tenten deadpanned.
If chakra metal didn't have overwhelming advantages, every village wouldn't be hoarding it.
"We'll sell this version to Sunagakure. Our own can be refined later."
"Agreed."
Half an hour later, Souma had mostly adapted.
"Let's do a spar."
"I'll fight you?"
"That works."
None of the more dangerous components were installed yet. At worst, someone would get bruised.
That was normal for shinobi.
Tenten drew a staff and charged.
Before it even reached him, one of Souma's spider legs deflected it. The others followed immediately, closing in from all sides, paired with a sudden surge of speed and a heavy punch—
She lost in a single exchange.
"Switch weapons. Add tools and ninjutsu."
"Alright."
They continued testing until the puppet tool was nearly worn out.
Souma finally stopped, already outlining improvement plans in his mind.
This puppet taijutsu—
Sunagakure was absolutely going to buy it.
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