I, Konoha's Sage of Life-Chapter 157: Jiraiya, You’re in Trouble

Earth-Style Sword Technique.

If Kakashi hadn't brought it up, Kyoichi would've completely forgotten about it.

Not because he had a bad memory—he just had way too much on his plate to study.

Let's not even talk about the Rain Tiger at Will Technique and the ongoing fusion research. Even the more immediate projects were piling up: Wood Release, Hashirama cells, Lightning and Fire Release training...

Excluding Yin and Yang, he naturally possessed three chakra natures.

Recently, Kyoichi had been trying to develop Lightning and Fire Release through postnatal training. Everyone's situation was different, and the difficulty of awakening new chakra natures varied from person to person.

Lightning Release, at least, wasn't too hard.

He had already mastered the Lightning Release nature transformation that came with Chidori.

Sealed within the Yin Seal was the Lightning Release chakra he had absorbed from the Raikage.

As long as he reconstructed the Four Symbols Seal outside the Yin Seal into a Eight Trigrams Seal, allowing the Lightning chakra to slowly seep in and influence his body, it shouldn't be difficult to grasp and awaken the Lightning Release nature.

As for Fire Release...

If Kyoichi devoted himself to studying it, with his main body cooperating with shadow clones, he could probably figure it out within a few months. But compared to Fire Release, clearly, Wood Release and Hashirama cell research had higher priority.

Thanks to Kakashi's reminder, there was now another heavy nature transformation added to the to-do list.

It was too much!

One person's strength was simply too limited.

A research institute had to be established!

All the geniuses in Konoha should be brought together to dive into endless ninjutsu research.

Kyoichi had made up his mind.

Once he got back, he'd hold a meeting with the Third Hokage and Tsunade, throw all the capable ones into the institute. Didn't matter if they didn't know what to study—he could provide them with a few topics.

Take someone like Mitokado Homura...

He had been in high positions for too long. If left in charge of education, he'd probably only churn out a bunch of bookworms. Acting as a temporary overseer was fine, but long-term? He'd be a disaster for the next generation.

Better to let him do research.

As for people like Orochimaru—these lawless types needed to be monitored by old hardliners. That way, the Third and the others could rest easy.

Perfect!

"Kyoichi-sensei, I heard the village is running a Chūnin prep course?" Kakashi asked in a low voice.

"Chūnin crash course. Why, someone from your Hatake clan wants to join?"

"I want to go..."

"Huh?"

Kyoichi gave him a strange look.

Is this a joke?

Kakashi's ability, honestly, wasn't enough for jōnin, but for tokubetsu jōnin or ANBU, he was more than qualified. Going to a Chūnin crash course would be nothing but a waste of life.

"What do you think you're lacking?"

Kyoichi could tell the kid was lost. Time for a heart-to-heart.

Kakashi stayed silent for a moment before answering, "I don't know. But I feel like I'm not worthy of being a Chūnin or Jōnin yet..."

"Your skills are more than enough for tokubetsu jōnin. According to Tsunade-hime's psychology theories, you're just dealing with a mental illness."

Kyoichi smiled.

The old Kakashi had a troubled mindset—not only mentally unwell but also deeply insecure about it. He was in no condition to guide or educate others.

Now though, he was doing much better.

"Tsunade-hime... mental illness?"

Kakashi's eyes widened.

There was such a thing?

He truly had no idea.

"It's something Tsunade-hime thought of after returning to the village. Still under research and not yet announced publicly."

Kyoichi explained briefly.

Kakashi nodded lightly.

If it were someone else, he might not believe it. But if Tsunade-hime said it... then maybe he really was sick.

But then he looked disappointed.

According to what he'd heard from Minato-sensei, Tsunade-hime was likely to become the next Hokage soon.

So...

Even if the psychological medicine research was approved, she probably wouldn't have time to treat him herself...

Huh?

Kakashi looked up at Kyoichi.

He remembered Kyoichi had a really good relationship with Tsunade. So, could it be that Kyoichi also understood how to treat psychological issues?

"Kyoichi-sensei, do you know how to treat it too?"

"A bit. Can't say I'm an expert. And now's not the time for this talk. If you really want to chat, let's find a time after we return."

"Yes, sir!"

A bit...

Kyoichi-sensei always said "a bit," but he ended up knowing more than anyone. Kakashi felt deeply reassured—as if everything would be okay now.

Reality was surreal.

Kyoichi spoke the truth, yet no one believed him.

Kakashi quietly slipped away.

Not everyone was like him—young, full of life. With this rare downtime, most were either leaning against trees or dozing off for a quick nap.

...

Rest time was short-lived.

Before long, the group was back on the move.

In at most two days, they'd be back in Konoha. In fact, many of the village's ninja had already resumed missions.

Over this period, a backlog of tasks had piled up. Returning shinobi were going full throttle. Even the kids enrolled in the Chūnin crash course had half days of class and half days doing D-rank missions.

Of course...

Tsunade wasn't a tyrant.

This batch of returning shinobi would get a few days off—just enough to rotate with the previous group.

After their break, it was back on the road.

Kyoichi had a small concern. A serious one—Slug hadn't shown up with a message from Tsunade.

Looks like...

Tsunade was furious. And the consequences would be dire!

The road home to Konoha felt endlessly difficult.

Kyoichi grew more uneasy with each step.

They were close to the village now, but the closer they got, the more anxious Kyoichi felt. Would he end up like Jiraiya—flat on a hospital bed?

"Konoha, it's been a while!"

Jiraiya sighed.

Every time he came back from war, it always felt like ages had passed. The moment he stepped back into Konoha, he couldn't suppress the excitement.

Good sake, beautiful women, hot springs...

Wait!

Nope—Tsunade was basically in charge now. If he went to that place and got caught, he might really end up in the hospital!

Jiraiya shivered.

As he was pondering, he turned and saw Kyoichi and Kurenai had once again drifted to the back of the group—on the same line as him.

He moved closer.

"Kyoichi, why are you lagging behind? Don't tell me Kurenai's too tired to run? Hehe, want me to summon a toad to help?"

"No, no need... thank you, Jiraiya-sama."

Kurenai was running while holding her breath.

"Jiraiya..."

Kyoichi shot him a side-eye.

Jiraiya gave a sheepish grin and said, "Just kidding. Kurenai, taijutsu is important—don't slack off."

"No, I think Kurenai doesn't need it. It's probably more about how ugly the toads are."

Kyoichi smirked coldly.

"They're not..."

"Really?"

Jiraiya's eyes lit up.

Kurenai faltered, momentarily speechless.

Those toads really were ugly. Saying they weren't... that just felt like betraying her own aesthetics.

Konoha was just up ahead. Most were visibly excited—except Kyoichi and Jiraiya. Kyoichi glanced at Kurenai and said, "Don't make things hard for the kid. Kurenai, go on ahead."

"Yes!"

Kurenai sighed in relief and took off, leaving Jiraiya's question unanswered.

"So energetic!"

Jiraiya marveled, then sighed. He lowered his voice, "Kyoichi, now that the war's over, I'm thinking of traveling around, seeing the world..."

"Too afraid to go to the hot springs with Tsunade in charge, huh?"

"D-don't say that!"

Jiraiya frantically glanced around.

Seeing no one nearby, he finally relaxed and said, "No way—it's just that I want to visit places like Yugakure, the Land of Iron, Takigakure... maybe even check in on Yahiko and the others in the Land of Rain."

"I'll take your word for it."

Kyoichi smiled silently.

Yugakure—also known as the Land of Hot Springs.

"I'm serious!"

Jiraiya looked exasperated.

"Then go. No one's stopping you. Before you leave, maybe grab a drink with Tsunade and Orochimaru... haven't the three of you not gathered since Tsunade returned?"

Kyoichi said.

Jiraiya furrowed his brow, clearly torn. After a long pause, he finally nodded. "You're right. Oh yeah, Orochimaru mentioned you were planning to start a research institute. That true?"

"Yeah, that's the idea. Don't worry though—the institute will have strict rules. Mitokado might not be great at running the village, but he's solid on discipline."

Kyoichi said calmly.

Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise. "Mitokado... you're putting him in charge? That could work, but aren't you just placing a grumpy old watchdog over your head?"

"It's fine. I'm not afraid of scrutiny. The more sensitive research will be overseen by the village and ANBU—he won't have access. I'm putting him there to prevent others from crossing the line. Besides, he only has the power to nitpick. What actually happens still comes down to the Hokage."

Kyoichi was cool as ever.

That's the power of ANBU backing.

Such enviable power!

Jiraiya sighed inwardly. Look at this guy—research institute's not even built yet, and he's already mapped out how to dodge criticism and avoid being nagged.

Still... he had to admit, after hearing Kyoichi's plan, Jiraiya felt a whole lot more at ease.

The older generation like Mitokado Homura are completely useless in the village—aside from messing up people's thinking, they're not worth a damn. When it really counts, not a single one of them can pull their weight.

But...

Put them in charge of enforcing discipline, nitpicking regulations...

Huh!

Actually pretty reliable. They've got plenty of free time and love meddling in other people's business.

In that sense, it's a decent arrangement.

Konoha was up ahead, and the group had split up across the village's various gates, lining up for registration.

People like Kyoichi and Jiraiya, with their status, could've easily walked right in on special privileges. But neither of them did.

Not out of any sense of noble integrity.

They were scared.

The same thought crossed both their minds—

Jiraiya got punched into the hospital.

"Why aren't you going in?" Kyoichi asked.

"I... right, why am I not going in? You're the one who ticked off Tsunade. I didn't do anything wrong. What am I afraid of?" Jiraiya suddenly realized.

He had thought about heading straight to the hot springs, but he hadn't actually gone yet!

Kyoichi patted his shoulder and said, "I get it. This is a form of trauma. A type of psychological condition. But you're in this with me now, so when we go in, help me out a bit—say a few nice words on my behalf, or at least give me a hand if things go south."

"...Why should I help you?"

"Well, if you don't, I'll tell Sis you took me to the hot springs."

"You little—! You can't keep using that to blackmail me! One more time and I swear, I'll fight you right here! And besides, I was drunk out of my mind that time, I wasn't even in control. Doesn't count!"

Jiraiya was fuming.

Why the hell had he gotten involved with this guy in the first place...

The worst part was, he had been the one to approach Kyoichi.

He considered turning around and leaving, but Kyoichi had dirt on him. With no other choice, he took a deep breath and followed him toward the village gates, still wondering to himself—

Do I really have some kind of psychological disorder?

Kyoichi puffed out his chest a little.

With Jiraiya by his side, things shouldn't get too bad!

"Hehehe, so you two finally came back? Hmmph, perfect timing. I just finished up my work—come on, let's grab a drink!"

Tsunade beamed at them.

Both their faces froze.

Damn, she's fast!

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