Tsunade, I am the Hokage!

"Because I've been training in this field, I can achieve it quickly. It's not that my talent is so much greater than yours," Kyohiko explained, trying to comfort him.

It was obvious.

The young man seemed a bit shaken.

But that wasn't Kyohiko's intention! He simply wanted Kakashi to realize that there are always stronger people out there, that individual ability is limited, and that it's important to rely on the strength of a team and companions.

He never meant to unbalance Kakashi's mindset.

That would be a huge loss!

What if it affects the rewards later?

After a few seconds, Kakashi's mask shifted slightly as he asked, "Really?"

"I've been practicing compressing water release chakra transformations, hoping to integrate it into the Water Colliding Wave. While this isn't a typical water release technique, the principles are similar," Kyohiko replied sincerely.

Jiraiya gave him a deep look.

He knew Kyohiko's level of ability before this. Strong, yes, but only compared to others his age. In terms of chakra compression, by his judgment, Kyohiko shouldn't have reached this current level.

If he had—

Then when Kyohiko used Tsunade's technique before, with his chakra levels, he shouldn't have been injured so severely.

Over the past few days, Kyohiko must have made significant progress!

Jiraiya had a hunch. He understood very well.

Tsunade had borrowed the books written by the Second Hokage and gave them to Kyohiko mainly to broaden his knowledge, expand his perspective, and improve his basic chakra control.

If Kyohiko could enhance these areas, there might be hope for him to fully master her superhuman strength.

However...

From the time the books were given to now, it had only been a few days.

His progress was unbelievably fast!

Jiraiya calmed his thoughts and glanced at Kakashi. He couldn't help but feel concerned.

He knew that Kakashi had grown up surrounded by praise and had always been regarded as a "genius."

Now, with someone more talented appearing, Kakashi might feel discouraged and lose his confidence.

Even so...

Jiraiya said nothing.

If Kakashi were truly to fall into despair because of this, Jiraiya would look down on him even more.

For a ninja, this might actually be a good thing.

A ninja must be incredibly resilient.

---

Several hours later, as evening fell, Kyohiko got off the carriage with the group.

At the dock, people from the Matsuyama family had already begun loading and unloading goods. The cargo included wood, stones, and medicinal herbs from the Nara family.

Outside, there were more than ten large ships, an astonishing number.

No wonder they needed protection.

With a business this large, if Gato launched an attack to plunder it, the Matsuyama family would suffer enormous losses.

As he was pondering this, Matsuyama Ichiro approached, flanked by guards.

"Jiraiya-sama..."

"Just call me Jiraiya," Jiraiya replied with a smile.

Matsuyama Ichiro didn't dare to refuse but continued, "Well, we plan to set off tomorrow morning. It will only take an hour from the dock to reach the Land of Waves. Would you like to rest on the ship and have a meal?"

"That sounds good, but not yet. My students want to train here on the shore, so going aboard now would be inconvenient," Jiraiya said casually.

Matsuyama Ichiro nodded without pressing further. However, he hesitated to leave and glanced around with a slightly apologetic expression.

"Jiraiya-sama, as you can see, this shipment is quite large, and our family is currently short on cash due to debts. But regarding the matter with the other family, we did not spread any rumors..."

"Don't worry. Tsunade being in debt is a fact, and it's only right for you to collect what you're owed. There's nothing wrong with that," Jiraiya replied.

"Besides, with Tsunade's abilities, it's only a matter of time before she becomes famous. Better to stop things now than have more people coming to demand payment later."

"Ah... even though my family runs a casino, gambling truly isn't a good thing," Matsuyama Ichiro said, coughing lightly.

Tsunade's tendency to lose at gambling had earned her the nickname "big fat sheep" in some places, though the rumors weren't widespread yet.

If Tsunade continued gambling, her situation would only worsen, with more debts piling up.

Stopping now was indeed a wise choice.

Jiraiya didn't linger on the topic.

"Mr. Matsuyama, that matter is separate. You don't need to worry about it. My primary concern right now is the situation in the Land of Waves. If enemy ninja get involved..."

"Rest assured, we understand the rules. If enemy ninja intervene, we are willing to pay a corresponding fee for protection," Matsuyama Ichiro promised immediately.

Jiraiya nodded, his smile returning.

Debt is debt. But commission payments must not be short!

After the discussion concluded, Matsuyama Ichiro finally felt at ease and returned to his ship with a smile.

Jiraiya scanned the surroundings and eventually walked toward Kyohiko, who was training by the shore.

"Kyohiko, what are you doing?"

"Sensei, I'm practicing water release techniques. I want to see if I can reduce the number of hand signs needed for the Water Formation Wall when near water," Kyohiko explained.

In the hand signs for the Water Formation Wall, some are used to create water-element chakra. However, when near water, some steps could theoretically be skipped.

In the Land of Waves, such techniques should be more practical.

Hearing this, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel impressed.

Kyohiko was undoubtedly an elite among his peers, yet he showed no arrogance. Such humility was truly admirable.

Jiraiya nodded slightly.

"When using water release near a water source, you can indeed save some hand signs..."

After giving a few technical tips, Jiraiya paused and asked, "Have you learned Tsunade's super strength?"

"Not completely. For now, I've been using my own methods. You could say I've roughly managed to use it. Tsunade-sama has seen it and said it's fine, but she told me not to teach it to others," Kyohiko replied honestly.

Under the moonlight, Jiraiya seemed frozen.

As Tsunade's teammate, he understood that technique all too well.

According to Tsunade, her super strength had only two possibilities: you could either master it or you couldn't. There was no in-between.

Yet Kyohiko claimed to have "roughly managed to use it." What did that mean?

---

"Could you demonstrate it?" Jiraiya asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Of course."

Kyohiko gathered and enhanced his chakra before stomping hard on the ground.

Boom!

The ground caved in, forming a hole the size of a basin.

While it couldn't compare to Tsunade's level, that was precisely what made Jiraiya even more astonished.

Through his sensory abilities, Jiraiya could roughly grasp the principle.

Kyohiko slowed the release speed and reduced the chakra's scale, prioritizing safety.

In theory, it was plausible.

However...

Achieving such precision required extraordinarily fine chakra control.

This wasn't something that could be compensated for with mere training.

More than that, having the potential alone wasn't enough to create and refine a technique.

Many spend their entire lives without ever optimizing even one jutsu.

Even Tsunade, who had mastered her super strength to perfection, couldn't simplify or lower its difficulty.

What an extraordinary child!

After a long moment, Jiraiya finally nodded and said, "Alright, just follow Tsunade's advice. I mainly wanted to understand my students' actual combat capabilities."

"Are you worried about ninja from the Mist Village?" Kyohiko asked.

Jiraiya nodded.

"The Land of Water has always aspired to dominate the seas. The Land of Waves, situated near the Land of Fire, is a key maritime transit point in this region. There's a high likelihood the Mist Village will interfere secretly."

His expression turned serious as he continued, "If a battle breaks out, don't act recklessly. Do you understand? The enemy won't care if you're genin or chunin."

"I understand," Kyohiko replied firmly.