CHAPTER 242: CHAPTER 242: AN EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD’S ICHA ICHA PARADISE?

After their conversation, Kyoichi and Minato used Flying Thunder God to leave.

Minato returned home and immediately made a copy of Kyoichi’s scroll. He applied a sealing technique to it and sent it through Mount Myōboku to Jiraiya.

He was worried the toads might peek at it.

Minato suspected that a large portion of the knowledge in Kyoichi’s scroll came from Shikkotsu Forest and might serve to supplement Mount Myōboku’s own teachings.

Without permission, he couldn’t allow Mount Myōboku to know about it.

However...

What Minato didn’t know was that the Slug Sage from Shikkotsu Forest didn’t actually have a systematic method of training—it was all about grinding.

The knowledge in Kyoichi’s scroll was a synthesis of training from Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Cursed Seal states. In fact, a large part of it was derived from Mount Myōboku itself.

But...

Kyoichi had intentionally removed the overlapping parts and kept only what would actually benefit Mount Myōboku’s Sage Mode.

In other words, this scroll had been specially written for Minato and Jiraiya from the very beginning.

---

Land of Iron.

Disguised as a samurai, Jiraiya strolled about.

"There’s nothing fun in the Land of Iron... The Land of Hot Water was way better... Hmm, I should be getting my royalties soon, maybe I’ll head back there—hehehehe!"

Jiraiya chuckled so hard his eyes squinted shut.

The Land of Hot Water was truly a man’s paradise!

Just as he was daydreaming, a toad hopped from his shoulder. Instantly, nearby samurai turned and glared at him. Jiraiya froze.

Oh no.

"Who are you?"

A group of samurai from the street came over.

"Uh... as a samurai, carrying some... uh... dry rations with me seems perfectly reasonable, right?"

Trying to stay calm, Jiraiya quickly used a jutsu to transform the toad into a rabbit.

The samurai squinted at him skeptically. One of them waved his hand.

"Seize him!"

"Kōsuke, run!"

Jiraiya scooped up the "rabbit" and bolted.

"A ninja infiltrator!"

"After him!"

A dozen samurai gave chase. In this nation of swordsmen, any sign of ninja activity was immediately suspicious.

After several rounds of Body Flicker Technique, Jiraiya finally escaped the pursuit.

He lay low for a while, then summoned the Gourd Toad to slip past the blockade and escape the Land of Iron.

Finally, he let out a long sigh of relief.

It wasn’t that he feared the samurai.

But as one of the Legendary Sannin, his presence in the Land of Iron could easily cause misunderstandings. Better not to draw unnecessary attention.

"Ribbit... This scroll’s from Minato."

Kōsuke, aware he’d caused trouble, promptly coughed up the scroll and darted back to Mount Myōboku, leaving Jiraiya standing there, fuming in place.

Grumbling, he picked up the scroll, but his expression immediately turned serious.

A sealing jutsu!

Minato had used a complex seal, which showed how critical this scroll must be.

Jiraiya carefully undid the seal, page by page.

When he saw what was inside...

He froze.

Sage Mode knowledge?

Kyoichi had already begun researching Sage Mode?

That kid... is too dangerous!

He frantically flipped through the scroll. As he kept reading, his panic turned to amazement, then disbelief, and finally... silence.

He put down the scroll, staring blankly.

"I’m trash."

A long sigh escaped him.

Kyoichi is only seventeen...

Wait.

Wasn’t his birthday in a few days?

He tried to recall what he was doing at eighteen. Something about creating a bunch of weird jutsu—Wild Lion’s Mane, Needle Jizō, that kind of stuff.

Not bad, sure...

But compared to Kyoichi, his own achievements were laughable.

The scroll felt like it was burning his hands.

Its contents didn’t overlap with Mount Myōboku’s Sage Mode knowledge—if he could master it, he might be able to fix the flaws in his own Sage Mode.

"That brat... Ugh. I’ve mooched off him so much, I should at least give him a proper gift."

A sly smile crept across his face.

"Right! My latest masterpiece! He’s turning eighteen, just the right age to read it—hehehehe..."

What he had in mind wasn’t just any Icha Icha Paradise—it was his own handwritten original draft. A one-of-a-kind edition.

Once the name "Toad Sage Jiraiya" became legend, this book would be priceless.

Only one problem.

What about Tsunade?

If she found out, she’d probably beat him within an inch of his life.

"I mean... I’m giving Kyoichi a treasured collectible. He wouldn’t stab me in the back... right?"

Jiraiya hesitated.

Knowing Kyoichi, though...

Actually, you really couldn’t say.

He could be a decent kid most of the time—but he also had a knack for being a troll.

"Oh well. It’s not like I haven’t been punched before. And it’s not the only gift."

Jiraiya pulled out a sword.

It wasn’t made of chakra metal, but it was exquisitely crafted. As a weapon alone, it was top-tier. A fine collectible.

If not for all his royalties, he wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

"Back to the village!"

He hadn’t originally planned to return so soon, but the Uchiha situation had made him wary. He’d also been gathering intelligence during his "vacation."

He had another motive for visiting the Land of Iron—to see if this mysterious organization had ties there.

So far, no leads.

But...

It wasn’t fruitless.

On his way from the Land of Hot Water to the Land of Iron, he’d caught wind of something. The Land of Water had suddenly gone quiet—its sea trade routes sealed.

And...

Its actions in recent years had raised suspicions. At first, it just seemed like Kirigakure’s usual tactics. But when combined with Kyoichi’s intel...

He suspected that the Land of Water might be controlled by this shadowy organization.

Or worse...

Being manipulated from the shadows.

If it’s the latter, then the enemy possesses Kage-level strength—or can command someone at that level.

The second option was far more terrifying.

If someone can control multiple Kage-level figures...

Even Jiraiya didn’t dare imagine what that kind of power would look like.

He had to return to Konoha.

Sending messages through the toads wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

At his full speed, it wouldn’t take him long to reach the village.

As for the birthday...

Kyoichi himself didn’t really remember. To him, the most important "birthday" was the day he crossed into this world.

Unfortunately...

That wasn’t something he could share with others.

But—

Everyone else?

They were buzzing with preparations. And they’d made sure not to let Kyoichi find out.

Eighteen...

In the shinobi world, turning eighteen was a big deal. Kakashi, for example, received his first copy of Icha Icha Paradise at that age.

Tsunade had put serious thought and effort into this.

Kyoichi, however, remained completely unaware.

His daily life revolved around training Sage Mode and adapting to natural energy.

Lately, the forest had gotten a bit crowded—Shisui, Asuma, and Kurenai would occasionally come to train. Even Minato joined in later...

After all...

This was the place with the richest natural energy around Konoha.

Poor forest animals.

Kyoichi stuck to his routine—training in the forest at night, working at the office during the day, occasionally putting pressure on the ANBU and students to keep them on their toes.

Then—

One day, Tsunade approached him.

"Come home tonight. I have something important to discuss with you."

"What kind of important thing?"

Kyoichi was puzzled.

If it were village matters, they’d talk at the office. So it must be personal.

Maybe...

Something to do with finding a team leader for Shizune?

Kyoichi pondered it for a moment.

At dinnertime, he returned home—only to find the courtyard decorated beautifully. Lanterns and candles surrounded a sakura tree in full bloom.

Beneath the tree was a table filled with a lavish feast.

"What’s the occasion?"

"Kyoichi-sama, you remember everything... except your own birthday. Today is your eighteenth."

Shizune sounded helpless.

To her, Kyoichi was a workaholic—his clones worked non-stop, and his real body was constantly researching or training. It was like he didn’t even know the meaning of rest.

"These dishes..."

Tsunade looked at the spread, her face tinged with nostalgia and melancholy.

"When Nawaki was still alive, there was a time when I dreamed of preparing a coming-of-age feast for him myself."

"Ah...!"

Kyoichi’s danger sense tingled. He looked warily at the table, then cautiously turned his eyes toward Oriri.

Oriri gently shook her head.

Kyoichi let out a quiet sigh of relief and didn’t interrupt Tsunade’s moment of remembrance.

As long as you didn’t cook it yourself...

If she didn’t cook—

Then everything’s fine!

"It’s a shame... Nawaki never lived to see that day. And I suppose I never had much talent for cooking either. So in the end, neither came true."

Tsunade chuckled at herself, then added, "But at least... I did manage to learn a bit of Wood Release."

She gestured toward the cherry blossom tree behind her.

This was the product of her clone’s continuous study over the past while.

Wood Release Ninjutsu.

Kyoichi sensed it—about as effective as his own "early-stage" Wood Release back before he had Sage Chakra. In other words, mostly for show.

A cherry blossom tree...

He didn’t particularly care for that kind of flower, but he could feel the thoughtfulness behind it.

"Thank you, Tsunade-neesan."

"It’s nothing. After today, the name Kanda will be known throughout the shinobi world!"

Tsunade smiled.

And in that moment, her smile was breathtaking.

Kyoichi found himself a little dazed.

But then—

Thud!

Cough, cough! "I made it in time, right? Oof, my back! Kyoichi, I remembered your birthday was coming up, so I rushed back from the Land of Iron—completely wore myself out."

Jiraiya tumbled over the wall, only to be met by the thunderous glares of Tsunade, Oriri, and Shizune. He froze.

It seemed...

He’d walked in at the wrong time.

"Uh... should I come back later?"

"GET OUT!"

"Kyoichi, I’ll swing by again later! Cough cough..."

"Wait," Tsunade called out coldly, "you can leave—but the gift stays."

Sharp-eyed, she had already spotted the present in his hand.

Jiraiya gave a sheepish laugh, set down the sword, and was just about to retreat when—

Tsunade’s gaze locked onto the other gift-wrapped box under his arm.

"T-This one’s for Minato! I swear!"

Knock knock knock!

Just then, the sound of knocking echoed at the door, followed by familiar voices.

"Tsunade-hime, I’ve come to visit Kyoichi."

"Perfect timing!" Tsunade beamed.

She sent Shizune to answer the door.

Kyoichi glanced at Jiraiya’s twitching expression and silently lit a candle for him in his heart.

This guy...

Definitely brought something he shouldn’t have.

Which—on its own—wasn’t that bad.

But couldn’t he have come in private?!