Bonus chapter
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Three days later, Jiraiya and the others had finally recovered enough to begin the long trek back to Konoha.
"Big Brother Isamu, our wounds were practically healed by the second day. Why did you make us wait another forty-eight hours?
Now we're moving at a snail's pace—don't you want to get home?" Jiraiya grumbled, adjusting his pack.
Isamu rolled his eyes at the white-haired boy. "You talk too much, Jiraiya. Do you still want to learn that S-rank Ninjutsu or not?"
"I do! Of course I do!" Jiraiya's head nearly snapped off from how fast he nodded.
"Then I'll teach you while we travel. I have a feeling I'm going to run into some heavy weather when we get back to Konoha." Despite the gravity of the statement, Isamu spoke with a casual shrug, as if he were discussing the afternoon forecast.
"Trouble? How?" Tsunade frowned, her protective instincts flaring. "We went above and beyond on this mission. We should be getting a hero's welcome and a massive reward, not trouble."
"She's right," Orochimaru added, his mind already spinning through tactical possibilities. "The Village leadership shouldn't have any grounds to make things difficult, especially since this mission far exceeded a C-rank difficulty."
Isamu shook his head with a small, knowing smile. "You're missing the point. I have trouble coming. You three will be perfectly fine."
"That's impossible. I don't believe the Village would be so unreasonable. If they try anything, I'm going straight to Teacher Sarutobi for an explanation!" Tsunade declared, her voice rising in anger.
"I'm afraid even Sarutobi won't be able to pull me out of the fire this time," Isamu remarked.
Thinking back to the absolute wreck he had made of Iwagakure, he figured even the Third Hokage would have his hands tied by international politics.
Still, he wasn't truly worried. At worst, it would be a slap on the wrist; they wouldn't dare try anything more severe against someone of his caliber.
While Isamu and his team were making their way south, Konoha was in the middle of a formal ceremony.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before the gathered elite, looking at Danzo Shimura with a contented smile. Today was the day Danzo officially became an Elder.
Sarutobi had deliberately rushed the appointment and organized the celebration while he knew Isamu was away on a mission.
If Isamu had been in the village, Sarutobi likely would have announced it in a hushed whisper and called it a day. Having a party with Isamu around was just asking for a scene he wasn't prepared to manage.
Danzo, standing at the podium, looked decidedly unimpressed. The title of Elder was a consolation prize; what he truly coveted was the Hokage's hat.
Meanwhile, on a quiet stretch of the road, the first lesson began.
"Alright, enough worrying about the village. Jiraiya, come here. I'm going to show you the Rasengan. You two can watch if you want to pick it up as well."
"But—" Tsunade started to argue about the "trouble" again, but Isamu simply grabbed Jiraiya by the collar and pulled him aside.
"If the Village dares to touch him, I'll go straight to Grandma Mito to demand justice," Tsunade whispered to herself, watching Isamu's departing back.
She then turned to the pale boy next to her. "Orochimaru, do you really think the Village will punish him for a successful mission?"
"I don't know. But I have a feeling things are much more complicated than Isamu is letting on."
The two decided not to follow and stayed behind to set up a small camp for the evening.
"Listen up, Jiraiya. The Rasengan is broken down into three stages. The first stage is Rotation." Isamu reached into his cloak and pulled out a water-filled balloon he had stored in the Kamui dimension.
"Watch closely. The concept is simple: gather chakra in your palm, force it to rotate in multiple directions at once, and make the balloon burst." Isamu held the balloon, demonstrating the churning water inside until—pop!—it shattered.
"That looks easy enough! Give me one!" Jiraiya shouted, eager to show off.
"You can try, but there's a trick to it. Lean down and let me see your head." Isamu didn't hand over the balloon immediately.
"If the rotation of your chakra matches the natural flow of energy in your body, you can double your speed. It makes the process effortless." Isamu inspected the crown of Jiraiya's head. "Your hair whorl spirals to the left. So, when you focus your chakra, make it spin counter-clockwise."
Isamu handed him a fresh water balloon. "No problem, Big Brother Isamu! Watch me nail this on the first try!"
Jiraiya gripped the balloon, his face contorting with intense concentration. Then… he just stood there. He stared at the balloon. Nothing happened.
"What are you waiting for? Start!" Isamu urged.
"Uh... Big Brother... the thing is... I already started," Jiraiya said, looking sheepish.
"What? You started? There isn't even a ripple!" Isamu stared at him, wondering if he had switched languages mid-explanation. "Jiraiya, did you understand anything I just said?"
"Don't rush me! Let me try again! Burst, damn you!" Jiraiya squeezed harder.
Isamu's face went flat. Still no movement. "You are remarkably untalented. Stay here and practice until you succeed. Don't even think about coming back to camp until that balloon pops."
Without another word, Isamu turned and walked away.
"Wait! Don't leave me here! Give me one more shot! I'll get it next time, I swear!" Jiraiya wailed, but Isamu ignored him, heading back to where the others were.
When he arrived, he found Tsunade and Orochimaru sitting by a crackling fire, roasting a few chickens they had caught. Isamu sat down with a heavy sigh.
"What's wrong? Where's Jiraiya? I take it the training isn't going well?" Tsunade asked, suppressing a grin.
"I thought he wouldn't be quite as... dense as Naruto," Isamu muttered, then caught himself. "I mean, I didn't think he'd be so stuck on something this basic." He hadn't meant to mention Naruto; he didn't want to mess with the timeline more than he already had.
"Hahaha! Don't take it to heart, Isamu," Tsunade laughed. "That guy has always been a late bloomer. Just give him time."
"That idiot," Orochimaru added, a rare smirk appearing on his face as he imagined Jiraiya struggling with a toy.
"Forget it. He'll get it eventually." Isamu looked at Orochimaru, his expression suddenly becoming serious.
"Orochimaru, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?" Orochimaru looked at him,
surprised by the sudden shift in tone.
"In your opinion, what matters more: a powerful bloodline, or a person's own hard work?"
Orochimaru didn't answer immediately. He thought for a moment before saying, "While bloodlines provide a massive advantage, I believe a person must rely on their own effort. A genius with a Kekkei Genkai who doesn't work is nothing but a talented failure."
Isamu nodded slowly. "I hope you can hold onto that belief." He looked into the fire. "Orochimaru, do you know the true meaning of life?"
Both Tsunade and Orochimaru blinked, confused by the philosophical turn.
"In my eyes, everyone who exists has a purpose. To me, the truth of life can be summed up in six words: Endure, Fate, Life, Effort, Understand, and Wait. Those six words are my gift to you, Orochimaru. I hope you can truly grasp them in the years to come."
Orochimaru didn't fully understand, but he nodded solemnly, sensing the weight behind the words.
"Big Brother Isamu, you're acting very strange today," Tsunade said, her eyes searching his.
"It's nothing. Just a bit of nostalgia," Isamu replied. He pulled a scroll from his gear.
"While Jiraiya is out there fighting a balloon, Tsunade, let me write something down for you."
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