After leaving the cinema, the group continued strolling down the street.
Jiraiya was thinking about the actress and his new book, while the three Ninja Academy students discussed the novelty of the film.
Time passed bit by bit.
They were nearing the end of the commercial street.
A sense of urgency grew in Gekko Ryun’s heart.
‘I can’t wait any longer!’
‘Too bad it’s not a manuscript; otherwise, this wouldn’t be so troublesome.’
After a whole evening of discussing the plot and naming characters, asking for a manuscript wouldn’t seem out of place at all.
But it’s Hiruzen Sarutobi’s pipe…
Trying to come up with a way to ask for a pipe is just too abstract.
Although he hadn’t thought of a perfect approach, if he missed this opportunity, his second piece of equipment would slip away.
Soon, there would be the arranged duel with Minato Namikaze, which was related to another piece of equipment.
And in the future, the brewing Second Great Ninja War loomed, a matter of life and death.
Equipment materials were hard to come by.
Each piece of equipment could potentially transform his strength, so he had to seize every rare opportunity that came his way.
He made up his mind, stretched, and took a deep breath.
“Senior, do you have the smell of smoke on you?”
“Huh?”
Jiraiya, who had been thinking about the actress, snapped back to reality and scratched his head.
He took a dark brown wooden pipe from his pocket and weighed it in his hand.
“You’re probably smelling this.”
Kushina rubbed her eyes and looked closely.
“…Why does it look so much like the Hokage’s?
Am I seeing things?”
Gekko Ryun was taken aback.
How could he have forgotten about Kushina?
As the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she could see the Hokage whenever she wanted, while ordinary people rarely got the chance.
“That’s right, it’s the old man’s.”
Jiraiya smiled proudly.
“I bet you’re all wondering how the Hokage’s pipe ended up in my hands, right?”
The three of them nodded in unison.
“Hahaha!
I’m not telling you!”
Minato: “…”
Kushina: “…”
Gekko Ryun’s mouth twitched.
Jiraiya’s personality…
fit the stereotype perfectly.
“Won’t the Hokage blame you when he finds out his pipe is missing?”
Jiraiya looked at his puzzled expression and couldn’t stop grinning, like a fox that had stolen a chicken.
“The old man could never know I took it, and besides, he’ll never see this pipe again.”
Hearing this, even the usually calm Minato grew very curious.
“Senior, is that really okay?”
Kushina, who had long been unable to hold back, showed an interested expression.
“Uncle, you’re that bold?”
Jiraiya put a finger to his lips and smiled mysteriously.
Gekko Ryun asked, “Senior, why do you say the Hokage will never see this pipe again?”
Jiraiya clasped his hands behind his back.
“There’s a powerful noblewoman…
Well, never mind that.
Anyway, unless the old man can go to Mount Myoboku, he can forget about getting this pipe back.”
Gekko Ryun felt more confident and probed further.
“If that’s the case, senior, could you give me the pipe?”
His words were shocking.
Comparable to saying, “I’m a student, give me the stuff for free, and throw in two hundred bucks while you’re at it.”
Minato and Kushina turned their heads, staring at him in disbelief.
There’s an even bigger mastermind here?
……
Late at night.
Gekko Ryun returned home, carrying a lunchbox in one hand and tightly clutching a tobacco pipe in the other.
After greeting his aunt, who had been waiting for him, he returned to his room and closed the door.
‘Finally got it!’
Recalling the recent events, he couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.
He had convinced Jiraiya with just one sentence: “This tobacco pipe is a precious memento from the Hokage.”
Konoha upheld the Will of Fire.
Out of ten people, nine dreamed of becoming Hokage, while the remaining one was a rogue ninja.
As a Ninja Academy student, wanting the Hokage’s tobacco pipe as a keepsake fit his persona perfectly.
After all, the Hokage was the one and only sun!
Just as Jiraiya handed him the pipe with a peculiar expression, Minato stared intently at it, his eyes filled with envy.
The color, the patina—it was clearly the result of years of use.
In other words, it was one of a kind!
To get another one like it, they’d have to wait for the Hokage to use a new pipe for several more years…
[Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Tobacco Pipe]
[Estimated Quality: Green]
[Refinement Cost: 30,000 ryo per attempt]
[Special Condition: Must be personally gifted by Jiraiya]
[Condition Met.
Begin Refinement?]
Suppressing his eagerness, he took a bath and lit a stick of incense.
His gaze burned intently at the screen.
“Begin refinement!”
[Refinement Started]
[Estimated Time: 10, 9, 8…]
‘Four attempts—only four chances!’
His savings amounted to 25,000 ryo, and he had borrowed 100,000 ryo from Kushina.
[Refinement Successful]
Huh?
For a moment, he didn’t react.
Had it succeeded on the first try?
Was Kushina’s [Luck] trait at work?
Before he could dwell on it further, he opened the inventory and eagerly examined the new equipment’s traits.
[Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Tobacco Pipe]
[Quality: Green]
[Trait One: Fire Release Enhancement]
[Effect: Increases Fire Style Ninjutsu power by 60%]
[Trait Two: Secondhand Smoke]
[Effect: Use Chakra to mark enemies.
The mark cannot be detected and allows the user to perceive the marked target’s location and condition regardless of distance.]
[Current Mark Count: 0/3]
[Note: An old tobacco pipe with a well-aged patina]
He glanced at the note, but his attention was drawn to the two traits.
The effect of Trait One was straightforward—a 60% increase in Fire Style Ninjutsu power.
Still, it was a valuable percentage-based boost.
‘A good trait.
Percentage-based boosts are never weak.’
As for Trait Two’s effect, he showed keen interest.
Literally, it meant marking enemies with Chakra and perceiving them regardless of distance.
It was the nightmare of anyone skilled in stealth and concealment.
With this ability, no one could escape his tracking.
Following this line of thought, a flash of inspiration struck him, and his eyes widened abruptly.
Who in the entire Ninja World was the most skilled in concealment techniques and also the “wealthiest”?
What a difficult question.
‘Mayfly Technique, White Zetsu, Uchiha Madara…’
‘Hashirama Cells, Gedo Mazo, Rinnegan!’
…..
Deep within the underground Root base.
“What did you say?
You were warned by Jiraiya?”
Danzo sat behind a long table, his gaze dark and oppressive as he looked down at the Root member kneeling on the floor.
“What did you discover?”
“This afternoon, an explosion occurred in the forest near the Gekko residence.
Traces of an A-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu were left at the scene.
In the evening, Jiraiya took Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and Gekko Ryun to Yakiniku Q for dinner.
After they parted ways, Jiraiya found us.”
The Root member’s voice held no emotion, like a cold machine, mechanically reporting the situation.
『A-rank Ninjutsu, Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Gekko Ryun…』
Danzo frowned.
Kushina Uzumaki…
involving both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mito Uzumaki—two troublesome individuals—he felt powerless despite his intentions.
But how did Minato Namikaze get involved with Jiraiya?
And that Gekko Ryun, whom he had assessed as “mediocre”—why was he also among them?
“Investigate the relationship between Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya, and…
verify Gekko Ryun’s records once more.”
“Yes.” The Root member paused briefly.
“What about the surveillance on Minato Namikaze?”
“Suspend it for now.
What is Nonō Yakushi’s situation?”
“Everything is normal.
She goes to help at the ramen shop every day after school, using the pay to buy food for the children at the orphanage.”
“So her weakness is the orphanage?” Danzo’s voice was icy.