Chapter 51: A Man Cannot, or at Least, Should Not

On the flat ground outside Tsunade's house, Hagawa leaped into the air, completing a perfect high jump.

Sarutobi Asuma watched with a puzzled expression. Is this kind of training really useful?

"Why aren't you training?" Hagawa asked, looking at him.

"I don't need this kind of training," Asuma said after a moment's hesitation.

"Just train however you normally train," Hagawa said casually.

"Huh?" Asuma was taken aback. "Aren't you going to teach me?" He had thought that Hagawa's invitation to train together meant he was going to teach him how to get stronger.

"I don't know Wind Release, so how could I teach you?" Hagawa, realizing the misunderstanding, said with a smile. "Although I can't teach you, I can be your sparring partner."

Asuma's eyes lit up. That man, his old man Sarutobi Hiruzen, had once said that being a ninja was a war of intelligence. He had fought Hagawa three times and been utterly defeated each time. But thinking about it, a big reason was that he knew nothing about Hagawa's abilities. A sparring partner meant they could fight anytime, anywhere. Perhaps after understanding him, he could finally win.

As the Hokage's son, Asuma had a Special Jonin as a teacher who also sparred with him. But that teacher, mindful of Asuma's status, was always hesitant and never used his full strength.

Asuma glanced around and plucked a leaf from a tree.

Hagawa's spirits lifted. The training for Wind Release chakra nature transformation he wanted had finally presented itself. But he wasn't in a hurry. He turned and continued his physical training.

An unknown amount of time passed. Asuma looked at the leaf in his hand, now finally cut in two, and let out a breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat down on the ground with a plop.

"What's this training?" Hagawa walked over, handed him a bottle of water, and asked casually. "I've never seen it before."

"Of course you haven't," Asuma said, his eyebrows dancing with delight. "This is the training for Wind Release chakra nature transformation."

"Amazing," Hagawa said with genuine admiration. "I remember you have to be at least a Chunin to be qualified to learn that."

"That's right! I'm a genius with Wind Release!" Seeing Hagawa's expression, Asuma felt as refreshed as if he'd drunk a bottle of ice-cold water on a hot summer day.

Kids are so easy to fool.

After baiting the hook, Hagawa asked, "Can you tell me about it?"

"Sure!" In his excitement, Asuma agreed without a second thought.

As Hagawa listened, he recalled the episode in the original series where Naruto learned the Wind Release chakra nature transformation. The content was more or less the same, divided into three steps.

First step: Master the most important property of wind, which is cutting, starting with cutting a leaf.

Second step: Increase the chakra input, with the goal of cutting a waterfall.

Third step: Combine it with ninjutsu to bring out the maximum power of a Wind Release technique.

"Thanks." Hagawa planned to try it when he had the time. Even if he was discovered, it wouldn't matter. He had friends in high places, after all.

"It's nothing!" Asuma waved his hand. "If there's anything you don't understand in the future, you can just ask me!" He discovered that lecturing someone was truly satisfying, especially since Hagawa listened so intently. No wonder that old coot was always nagging him.

"Staying for dinner?" Hagawa asked, glancing at the sky.

"Another time," Asuma said, shaking his head. "I didn't tell my family beforehand."

"Alright then, see you next time." Hagawa stood up and walked towards the bathroom. He needed to take a shower and then make dinner.

Asuma returned home in a good mood.

"Why are you so happy today? Did you beat Hagawa?" Sarutobi Hiruzen heard the door open and turned to see his son's smiling face.

"No," Asuma said, shaking his head.

"Then what is it?" Hiruzen asked, curious.

"Hagawa and I became friends, and we even trained together," Asuma said with a smile.

"Huh?" Hiruzen looked surprised. "What happened?"

"It was like this." Asuma recounted the events of the afternoon.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his beard. Is Hagawa's awareness really that high? But a six-year-old child wouldn't have the cunning to put on such a facade. As for Hagawa asking about Wind Release, it was a trivial matter. If he really wanted to learn, he could just ask Tsunade for help and get a mountain of related knowledge. In Hiruzen's view, the most important thing was Asuma's growth. My son has the makings of a Hokage.

"Excellent," Hiruzen said with a smile. "Hagawa is indeed someone worth befriending."

"Yeah," Asuma nodded. "I'm going to take a shower."

Not long after, the door opened again.

"Jiraiya?" Hiruzen looked at the man walking in. "When did you get back?"

"Just now," Jiraiya explained. "I used the Reverse Summoning Jutsu."

"That's one convenient thing about the three great sage regions," Hiruzen paused, then asked, "What's that in your hand?"

"Raikaken's new book!" Jiraiya became instantly excited.

"I..." Hiruzen suddenly noticed Sarutobi Biwako emerging from the kitchen nearby.

"Did you read his last book? It was great, wasn't it? The world-building in this one is just as good as the last one, you can't miss it!" Jiraiya eagerly promoted.

"I didn't read it. Why would I read that kind of book? I read..." Hiruzen coughed and said.

"Stop pretending, old man." Jiraiya gave a disdainful smile, cutting him off. "You think I don't know you?"

"What book?" Sarutobi Biwako asked coolly.

Jiraiya's expression froze. He quickly hid A Guide to Reviewing Interspecies Ninja Girls. He let out a couple of hearty laughs and said, "We were discussing the Will of Fire."

"I'm happy to have you as a guest, but I don't like your tone just now. You're clearly lying," Sarutobi Biwako said with a stern face.

"I have something to do, I'll be leaving now!" Jiraiya got up and fled without a moment's hesitation.

He ran until Hiruzen's house was out of sight before stopping. "Good luck, old man. You're on your own," Jiraiya said with a hint of schadenfreude.

He caught his breath, looked around, climbed a tree, and sat on a branch, eagerly taking out Raikaken's new book.

"Raikaken is a god!" After finishing it, Jiraiya couldn't help but exclaim. "I really don't know how he comes up with this stuff. Elves, demons, angels, lamias..."

He suddenly paused. Lamias... he had actually heard of them. In the Ryuchi Cave, there were three Snake Princesses whose true forms were snakes but could transform into humans.

Jiraiya's thoughts began to wander. Do Mount Myoboku and the Shikkotsu Forest have beings that can transform into humans? What about the Tailed Beasts? He remembered the Nine-Tails was a fox.

"Stop! Stop!" Jiraiya shook his head vigorously.

A man cannot, or at least, should not.

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