Chapter 51: My Junior Brother Is Too Strong!

The night in Yugakure was unusually drizzling with rain.

Yahiko stood at the entrance of the cave, looking out at the rain curtain, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"When I was in the Land of Rain, I hated the constant rainy weather, but now that I'm outside, seeing this kind of rain makes me feel a bit nostalgic."

Konan looked outside and, after a moment of silence, said, "After all, it's our homeland."

No matter how bad their country was, they still hoped to improve it rather than abandon it.

"Yahiko, Konan, I'm back."

Kyusuke's voice came from outside.

In the rain, he ran quickly toward the cave, wearing a raincoat. After observing for a moment, Konan breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's Kyusuke."

"Although we came with other Amegakure ninjas, Kyusuke came through official channels. No one should be following him."

Yahiko sat down by the fire.

Just as he was about to speak, Konan suddenly tensed, her hands forming a hand seal.

"Who's there?"

"I searched for a long time. Luckily, you still need to go out to buy food, or it would have been quite troublesome."

Kyohiko's voice came from outside.

Kyusuke turned around instantly, his face filled with surprise.

"You... you're the guy from earlier today?"

"During the day, in a peaceful village, I didn't want to make a move. This time, I think we can have a proper talk. Why were you following us Konoha ninjas?"

As Kyohiko spoke, his hands formed seals.

One became two, two became eight.

Eight figures appeared, all of them indistinct, making it hard to tell which were real and which were fake.

Konan immediately changed her hand seals, and sheets of paper flew from the cave walls, transforming into shuriken that shot toward the eight Kyohikos.

However.

In the darkness, flashes of blade light danced, and all the shuriken were either dodged or sliced apart by the eight figures.

"Misunderstanding!"

Kyusuke shouted.

But.

Seeing the enemy charging at them...

He had no choice but to draw his blade.

Kyusuke swung his blade at the figure in front of him, only to see the figure disappear and reappear behind him in the cave.

What?

How is this possible?

This...

Too fast!

He couldn't believe it, but it was too late to block.

Yahiko observed for a moment, then formed hand seals and launched a barrage of water needles toward the left, but the jutsu passed right through the figure.

Clang!

On the right, a kunai slid out of his sleeve, and he blocked the incoming blade.

Yahiko kicked back at Kyohiko.

But.

In the next moment, the figure in front of him vanished.

Whoosh!

Konan transformed into sheets of paper, scattering in all directions before regrouping beside Yahiko.

Yahiko took a deep breath.

He understood now.

Out of the eight figures, only two were real, but the opponent's Body Flicker speed was too fast. Combined with the indistinguishable clones, it made for a very tricky situation—

Each one could be real, but each one could also be fake.

Unless they could use a jutsu to limit his speed or possess extremely sharp perception, it would be difficult to counter this terrifying combination of techniques.

Of course.

There was another way...

Be faster than him!

"Your speed is impressive, but you're still young. If you grow a few more years, this fighting style might truly become unstoppable."

Yahiko stood by the fire, full of admiration. "Your talent is incredible. If you continue to grow, you might become the next White Fang of Konoha."

His performance left Yahiko and Konan utterly shocked.

Too strong!

Earlier, Yahiko had thought...

The rumors about Iwagakure sending elites to deal with a child might have been exaggerated, but now it seemed they might have even underestimated him.

With Kyohiko's strength and talent, any village hostile to Konoha would find it hard to resist the urge to act.

Sensei is really lucky!

Yahiko sighed inwardly.   

First, there was Nagato, then Konoha's Minato, and now Kyohiko.

All geniuses!

Truly, sensei has a knack for finding talent.

The peace of the ninja world still depends on sensei.

After collecting his thoughts, Yahiko said, "Konoha and Amegakure did have conflicts in the past, but that's all in the past now. Besides, I can sense you don't have killing intent, so you're not really here to kill us."

Hearing this, Kyusuke breathed a sigh of relief.

The opponent was too fast!

If Kyohiko had truly come to kill them, even if Yahiko and Konan weren't afraid, he himself probably wouldn't stand a chance.

"How can you be sure I won't really kill you?"

Kyohiko retorted.

"You didn't attack Kyusuke, and the two of us have ways to evade."

Yahiko answered honestly.

Kyohiko was still young, and his speed was something Yahiko could still keep up with for now.

Konan's paper techniques were enough to evade blade-based attacks.

Kyohiko fell silent, pondering the weaknesses of his approach.

"Kyohiko, your technique isn't flawed, but given your current abilities and age, if your opponent is faster and can predict your movements, this tactic will have vulnerabilities."

A voice came from outside, interrupting his thoughts.

Konan's eyes widened, and then a look of joy spread across her face.

"Sensei, is that you?"

"Sensei!"

Both Yahiko and Konan were overjoyed.

They rushed out of the cave into the rain, only to see Jiraiya jumping down from a tree not far away.

It was indeed Jiraiya.

"Yahiko, Konan, you've improved a lot. You're now at the level of jonin from major villages. Well done! Where's Nagato? Why didn't he come? Or..."

Jiraiya's tone gradually became hesitant and serious.

Nagato's talent and the Rinnegan made him a target for many...

"No, no, Nagato is fine. It's just that we have many companions now. Some are like Kyusuke, friends who share our ideals, and others are orphans we've taken in and are teaching."

Konan quickly explained.

Jiraiya finally relaxed.

No issues...

That's good.

Kyohiko sheathed his blade and stood inside the cave.

"Sensei, let's talk inside. The rain isn't heavy, but there's no need to chat in the rain."

"Alright."

Hearing that his students were safe and doing well in Amegakure, Jiraiya's mood lightened, and his steps became more lively.

He had been afraid that Yahiko and Konan would bring news he didn't want to hear.

...

Inside the cave, Yahiko recounted their actions and situation over the past two to three years.

"Yahiko, you've worked hard all these years!"

After listening, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

Yahiko had been the one planning and strategizing their efforts, while Konan and Nagato were more the executors.

As someone who had commanded battles for Konoha, Jiraiya knew all too well the weight of responsibility that came with leading a group.

"It hasn't been too difficult, but I've been feeling lost about the future. When I heard that sensei was leading the effort to pressure the Land of Water into stepping back, allowing the Land of Waves to avoid disaster and return to peace, I thought about it and decided to come seek your guidance."

As Yahiko spoke, he stood up and apologized to Kyohiko.

He had followed the Konoha ninjas because he didn't know where else to find Jiraiya.

"I originally thought that since you only started learning from sensei this year, Kyusuke's abilities would be enough to evade your notice. I planned to wait until sensei appeared and then send him a message, so as not to put sensei in a difficult position."

"He hid very well. It's just that I've had some special training in this area."

Kyohiko waved his hand, indicating it was no big deal.

As an Amegakure ninja, Kyusuke had already left, and Kyohiko's explanation was straightforward.

It wasn't that Kyusuke was weak, but rather that Kyohiko happened to excel in this area.

Neither Kurenai nor Yamashiro Aoba had noticed Kyusuke's presence. Kyohiko had only sensed something unusual when he heard the sound of someone climbing a tree, and after testing, he confirmed his suspicions.

Yahiko and Konan exchanged a glance, silently sighing.

Kyusuke was already one of the best among their companions, aside from the three of them, but against Kyohiko's speed, he was completely outmatched.

Konoha's genin are too strong!

They wondered how many more like Kyohiko there were in Konoha...