Chapter 119 - Training

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In the Konoha training field, Akio stood tall, his expression serious.

Standing before him were Tsunade, Jiraiya, and three young members of the Uzumaki Clan.

"Over the past few days, your training has yielded great results—"

"Yeah, right!" Akio had just begun speaking when Jiraiya interrupted. But before Akio could even respond, the murderous glares from the other four were enough to make Jiraiya shrink back.

Akio shook his head. "I originally thought your hard work during this time would be sufficient… Well, in truth, your current strength could already be considered Jōnin-level. So, you should be excited."

"As expected of the great Jiraiya—Ugh!"

Tsunade threw a punch, and Akio felt the world fall silent.

Sighing helplessly, Akio watched Jiraiya limp back into position, now standing quietly and not daring to make a sound.

"I'll continue. Although your strength is sufficient, this upcoming exam is a joint Jōnin examination. You probably know what kind of opponents you'll be facing."

Jiraiya grunted, wanting to say, "There's no opponent the great Jiraiya fears…" but swallowed his words.

The three Uzumaki kids looked utterly confused—after all, in Konoha, they had no access to any intel.

Tsunade, however, nodded solemnly. "Second Grandpa told me… the incoming opponents are strong."

Akio felt a jolt of disorientation—Second Grandpa? That title made his thoughts wander.

"I'll give you a brief rundown. From Kirigakure, there's Hōzuki Mangetsu . He can use the Hydrification Technique and is a natural-type shinobi, meaning most taijutsu won't work on him."

"Natural-type?"

"Don't worry about the terminology…"

"From Sunagakure, there are three participants: a red-haired boy and a black-haired girl, both puppet masters. They're nothing to be overly concerned about—they specialize in coordinated attacks. As long as you're in one-on-one combat, just be cautious of their poison. The real threat is the boy with dark blue hair—he possesses a Kekkei Genkai: Magnet Release."

"Using Magnet Release to manipulate iron sand ore, he generates overwhelming offensive power." Akio paused. "To be honest, I don't think any of you have a chance at winning right now."

"Elder Akio, we'll do our best!"

Akio scratched his head. The Uzumaki patrol squads' training was starting to feel a little cult-like.

"I, the great Jiraiya, will definitely beat him!" After holding it in for so long, Jiraiya finally burst out.

This time, Tsunade ignored him and instead turned a serious gaze to Akio. "Great Ancestor… You said we have no chance right now. But what about two months from now?"

Akio paused, then smiled and muttered, "Finally, someone with a brain."

"That's a good question, Tsunade. That's why I'll now teach you the secret techniques I've been keeping in reserve. Tell me—what do you want to learn?"

"Gambling!"

Tsunade blurted it out, immediately shattering the aura of expert prestige Akio had just built. He could only chuckle in disbelief.

"Tsunade, I already know what I'll be teaching you. Go play."

"Old freak, can you teach me that jutsu that makes people fly?" Jiraiya's eyes sparkled with excitement—clearly interested in Akio's techniques.

"You can't learn that," Akio replied with a helpless smile. That particular technique truly couldn't be passed on.

"How would you know if I don't try…" Jiraiya muttered under his breath.

"Alright, what about you three?"

"Whatever Elder Akio teaches, we'll learn!" they responded in unison.

Akio rubbed his forehead. "Izuko didn't secretly use the training I developed for Jitou on the patrol squads, did she?"

"Forget it, I'll decide for you."

"Jiraiya, Tsunade—go wait for me at Mito's place. I'll first teach these three something useful."

"To Grandma's?" Tsunade blinked, then nodded. "Let's go, you idiot Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya quickly followed. Akio turned to the three remaining Uzumaki clansmen.

"What I'll be teaching you are unique sealing methods I developed based on our clan's fuinjutsu. There are two months left—how much you can master depends on you…"

After finishing with the three, Akio watched them begin their studies but didn't head to Mito's right away. Instead, he turned toward another Konoha training field.

There, Jitou was passionately training with Might Duy. Akio smiled and waved.

"Sensei!"

"Old Sensei!"

Akio's face darkened. What kind of nickname is that…

Looking at the older-looking Might Duy, Akio hesitated. "Just call me Founder Master…"

Even he felt a bit embarrassed after saying it, but luckily these two were a bit… simple-minded.

"Duy, I'm here for you today. You're taking the Jōnin exam in two months. I have something good to give you… no, to lend you!"

With some reluctance, Akio took out a sealed scroll from his robe and handed it to Duy.

As Duy turned it over and over, unsure how to open it, Akio sighed helplessly.

"Jitou, help him out…"

Fortunately, Jitou had apparently used one of these before, so there was no trouble opening it.

A hand cannon appeared in Duy's hands, and Akio explained with a smile, "This was crafted by Yuna. When you channel chakra into it and fire, it's highly destructive. But Duy, you must open at least the Gate of Rest to use it."

Jitou paused. "Sensei, Duy doesn't have chakra."

"No chakra?" Akio's face showed genuine surprise. He'd assumed Duy just lacked talent in ninjutsu—he hadn't expected him to be completely without chakra.

"Guy should have chakra… If Duy doesn't, how does he even open the Eight Gates…"

"Duy, open one of the Gates for me."

When Duy opened a gate, Akio was stunned. In his sensory perception, even when Duy opened all Eight Gates, there was no chakra flow—only the lifting of some kind of physical limiter.

"Amazing. Not even a shred of chakra, yet you've trained to this level. No wonder the Eight Gates Formation only took down four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen… It's a matter of talent limits, huh…"

Akio sighed. Suddenly, he felt that it would be wrong to let someone like Duy rely on the 'cheat' weapon he'd given.

"Forget it," Akio said, taking back the hand cannon. "Keep training, both of you."

The two watched Akio leave, wondering why he seemed suddenly downcast.

As Akio walked toward Mito's home, he couldn't shake the feeling that handing out "cheats" before the exam felt… a little wrong.

"But the things I gave to Tsunade and Jiraiya should help them immensely in the future… Let's just leave it at that for now."

Not long after, an enormous wave of chakra erupted from Mito's house. Though regular people couldn't sense it, Konoha's elite all turned to look.

"…That's…" In the Hokage office, Tobirama paused. "Second Grandpa's ultimate technique?"

About half an hour later, the chakra surge from Mito's residence subsided.

Nearby, Tsunade and Jiraiya were seated in meditation, calming the agitated chakra. Akio and Mito watched them with warm smiles.

A diamond-shaped mark had appeared on Tsunade's forehead. Using Mito's Yin Seal, they had stored one-third of Akio's chakra inside her, giving her nearly unlimited chakra temporarily—ideal for her future training with the Yin Seal.

As for Jiraiya, an Eight Trigrams Seal had been inscribed on his abdomen, within which a portion of Akio's Sage Chakra was sealed. This would allow him to experience Sage Mode for five minutes.

"With this Jōnin exam, those two kids have really leveled up. They might finally catch up to Orochimaru," Mito said with a smile.

Akio nodded and waved a hand. "It's a bit of a shortcut, but… let's hope they can win."

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