Hearing Jiraiya’s offer, Shingen was genuinely tempted for a moment, but after careful consideration, he ultimately refused.
Setting aside the fact that his Check-In System was directly bound to the Police Force precinct, the current political climate of the shinobi world was far from optimistic.
It had been several years since the end of the Second Great Ninja War.
The major nations had gradually recovered their breath, and their suppressed ambitions were growing increasingly restless.
The outbreak of another war was only a matter of time.
Jiraiya’s return to Konoha at this specific juncture was the perfect proof of that.
Leaving Konoha right now while bearing the identity of an Uchiha was simply too eye-catching.
Hardly any ambitious faction in the shinobi world would willingly pass up the chance to snatch a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Ironically, staying right here in the Police Force was significantly safer.
Furthermore, with the Third Hokage actively demonstrating his stance on the matter last night, even with Danzo’s extreme operating style, he likely wouldn’t dare make another move against him for the time being.
This was the absolute perfect window of opportunity for rapid, explosive growth.
His ninjutsu training had to be put on the schedule immediately!
At this thought, Shingen looked at Jiraiya, and an idea sparked in his mind:
“I can void the demand for a twenty percent increase in royalties from last night.
However, I have another request.”
“What is it?!”
“I want you to aid me in my training!”
“Me?!”
Jiraiya pointed a finger at himself:
“I genuinely thought that given your personality, after what happened last night, you’d try to avoid making contact with me entirely.”
“How could I do that?!
It involves hundreds of millions of Ryo in royalties, after all~”
Shingen shook his head, dropping his joking tone.
He understood perfectly well that, at least until he fully developed his strength and possessed the absolute capability to protect himself, he had to secure the backing and protection of a true powerhouse.
Last night’s incident was blood-stained proof that simply bearing the name “Uchiha” in Konoha was entirely insufficient.
But if he layered the identity of “Jiraiya’s direct disciple” on top of that, even Danzo would be forced to hesitate out of fear of the consequences.
“Just tell me if you’re willing or not!”
“You’re certainly being overly blunt about your intentions, aren’t you!”
Jiraiya let out a laugh.
With his sharp insight, he could naturally see the political calculations going on in Shingen’s head; the kid was practically shoving his abacus right in his face.
But he actually didn’t dislike this kind of pragmatic honesty.
“Then call me ‘Teacher’ first, just so I can hear how it sounds.”
“Old…
geezer!”
Shingen clicked his tongue.
He glanced at the pile of discarded drafts on the table, and a wicked smirk curled onto his lips:
“Sigh…
Honestly, I suffered from severe insomnia last night, and as a result, my inspiration completely exploded.
I came up with an entirely new, groundbreaking concept. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
But since certain people aren’t interested, I guess I’ll just have to…”
“Wait!”
Jiraiya hurriedly shouted to stop him.
The moment he saw that wicked smirk on Shingen’s face, he knew he had fallen right into a trap.
But when it came to securing prime inspiration for a new book, he completely threw his pride out the window:
“I’ll teach you!
But the absolute prerequisite is that it cannot interfere with our creative writing process!”
“That’s a given!
After all, I’m still banking on those royalties to buy a massive new estate.”
Right now, Jiraiya’s entire mind was entirely captivated by the prospect of a new plotline.
He urged eagerly:
“Enough idle chatter!
Tell me about this inspiration of yours!”
Shingen promptly sat down.
After taking a slow, dramatic sip of tea, he began to speak with eloquent confidence:
“It goes like this.
I feel like your previous concept featuring the hot spring landlady can be salvaged and heavily reworked.
I’ve even already decided on the title.”
“What is it?!”
“Shirako’s Married Life is Not Happy.”
“Using Shirako, a beautiful landlady running a hot spring inn all by herself, as the primary focal point.
The core of the narrative will revolve entirely around the complex, ambiguous, and deeply intimate relationships she develops with all sorts of different patrons…”
“Hiss—!”
Jiraiya inhaled sharply, his eyes lighting up brilliantly.
As a professional, top-tier pervert, the moment the character archetype of a “lonely, widowed hot spring landlady” was established, an incredibly vivid image instantly manifested in his brain:
A beautiful, mature woman dressed in a pure white yukata, kneeling gracefully on a tatami mat with her eyes slightly downcast.
A hair tie held between her soft lips as she raises her arms, gently tying up her long, silky black hair behind her head.
Her exquisite, alluring curves faintly visible beneath the thin fabric, her melancholic, beautiful face inspiring a deep, primal urge to comfort her…
“I’ve got it!
I’ve got it!
I’ve got it!”
With just a few simple, masterful pointers from Shingen, the inspiration in Jiraiya’s mind erupted violently, like a dam bursting open.
The pencil in his hand flew rapidly across the paper, frantically recording the fleeting, vivid scenes flashing through his head.
By the time Jiraiya finally paused, the sun was already high in the sky.
Unable to fight off his extreme exhaustion any longer, Shingen was sleeping lightly, face down on the tea table.
His breathing was slow and even, and in his quiet slumber, his face finally displayed the soft, youthful innocence befitting his actual age.
“Hmph~”
“This brat is only somewhat cute when he’s like this.”
A warm smile touched Jiraiya’s face.
Since the days he trained Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan, he hadn’t taken on a single new disciple.
Those eyes that mirrored the Sage of Six Paths—the Rinnegan—practically cemented the likelihood that Nagato was indeed the Child of Prophecy foretold by the Great Toad Sage, the one destined to fundamentally alter the shinobi world.
Uchiha Shingen might not possess a destiny of that apocalyptic scale, but serving as the ultimate bridge between the Uchiha clan and Konoha was a monumental destiny in its own right. You are reading on novelping(.)com, the official source.
Especially given his terrifying talent, which wasn’t a whit inferior to Orochimaru’s.
It practically guaranteed that as long as Shingen didn’t die prematurely, he was absolutely destined to become the supreme leader of the Uchiha.
The future of the Uchiha and Konoha…
might genuinely end up resting squarely on Uchiha Shingen’s shoulders.
…
When Shingen finally woke up, it was already mid-afternoon.
Jiraiya was still immersed in his work, furiously organizing his drafts to the side.
The crisp sound of his pen scratching against the paper proved he was entirely in the zone.
Seeing this, Shingen didn’t disturb him.
After eating an onigiri that Shisui had brought over, he checked in with Tezuka to confirm nothing major had happened on patrol.
Finding no issues, he simply continued relaxing at the teahouse.
He began mentally organizing his upcoming training schedule.
“The Halo Dance is undoubtedly the absolute priority for offensive training.
As for Genjutsu, with the massive passive assist from the Sharingan, mastering those shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“But for right now, the true, ultimate priority is still the Shadow Clone Technique!”
“If my theory from last night holds true and is actually viable, then from now on, I can comfortably slack off at the Police Force while a clone grinds through all my brutal training!”
Thinking of this, Shingen couldn’t help but feel a surge of intense excitement.
Soon enough.
The sun dipped toward the west, and the clock struck 5:00 PM.
After seamlessly handing over his duties to the night patrol squad, Shingen left the precinct with Jiraiya, who had been patiently waiting for him all day.
They headed straight outside the village to begin their training.
…
Far outside Konoha, deep within an endless sea of ancient trees.
A gentle breeze blew past, rustling the dense canopy of leaves.
A few birds gliding low through the forest landed on a branch, only to be instantly startled into panicked flight by the terrifying, oppressive aura erupting from the ground below!
Down below, two figures—one tall, one short—stood facing each other.
Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest and said:
“Before I officially begin formulating a special training regimen for you, it is absolutely necessary that I first understand exactly what you are capable of.”
He hadn’t taken on many disciples, but every single one of them was a terrifying genius whose peers could only stare at their backs in despair.
Nagato, who possessed the legendary Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths, needed no further explanation.
And Namikaze Minato, currently the hottest rising star in all of Konoha, was an absolute monster in his own right.
His mastery over the Flying Thunder God Technique had reached a realm so utterly profound that he could arguably be mentioned in the same breath as the Second Hokage himself.
Although Jiraiya had observed the battle between Shisui and Shingen the night before, that fight was entirely a one-sided suppression by Shingen.
It hadn’t even come close to forcing Shingen to reveal his true limits.
As his teacher, Jiraiya truly wanted to see exactly how far Uchiha Shingen could push himself when facing a legendary opponent.
Jiraiya crooked a finger at Shingen, gesturing for him to attack:
“Come at me with everything you’ve got!”
“This is going to be such a drag~ If I had a choice, I genuinely wouldn’t want to engage in such an utterly meaningless battle!”