Naruto: The King Behind the Curtain

The candlelight flickered, and drowsy voices floated out.

"Huh? That you, Master Jiraiya?"

"There's something important. I'd like to ask Lord Jiraiya for help."

"That does sound troublesome. Ever since the teacher finished his *Comeback Ninja Tale*..."

"Wait, didn't you say last time it was only halfway done?"

"It seems after Lady Tsunade found out about certain plot points in the book, she chased the teacher across ten city blocks! The teacher got so scared he finished the book immediately!"

Listening to their pointless conversation, Kushina's voice drifted over quietly from the side, "If you two don't play your cards soon, Kurama will really lose his temper!"

Minato squinted sleepily, smiling bitterly, "We really still doing this now?"

Even Seiki felt trapped by circumstances, thinking to himself that maybe he should quickly develop a couple of two-player games and shift the blame onto Minato.

Kushina added with an odd look, "Kurama says it can share chakra with you both, ensuring you stay energetic all night long without feeling tired at all."

"It also says: 'You two aren't genius ninja or something? Hurry up and develop a ninjutsu that doesn't require sleep, or a Clone Jutsu with independent consciousness just to keep me company playing cards!'"

After speaking, the Nine-Tails actually extended one of its tails and gave both Seiki and Minato a pat each.

Instantly, a massive surge of power blasted through their bodies.

For the Nine-Tails whose chakra was practically limitless, this amount of chakra naturally meant nothing special. But for the two of them—who definitely weren't known for huge chakra reserves—this energy was almost too much to handle!

"This power..." Even Seiki couldn't remain calm. He had originally been thinking about how he might pluck some more fox hairs from Kurama, but unexpectedly, Kurama just gave them something valuable without him doing anything!

"What a shame I haven't mastered Yin Seal yet. Otherwise I could store all this energy away. Still, being able to expand my chakra capacity ceiling alone is already quite surprising!" After detecting his body's increased chakra capacity, Seiki felt intense delight rising within his heart.

Besides those rare individuals blessed with naturally massive chakra reservoirs, ordinary people could only increase their chakra limits through daily cultivation—like slowly carving a path through thick jungle brush, one swing at a time.

But the power Kurama bestowed upon him was like a bulldozer rampaging through those jungles, opening new roads and then repairing sections that might collapse under pressure.

For most people, that kind of sudden boost would be super dangerous—it could easily cause minor damage to their inner energy channels if not handled carefully.

Yet for Seiki, the benefits far outweighed the risks. After all, even injuries as severe as Mizuki's nearly severed meridians were now within his capability to heal, making such simple meridian damage even easier to handle.

"Although this dramatic effect happened mainly because my original chakra reserves were too low, this alone is already sufficient. Compared to techniques that can be developed through talent and methods, my physical limitations have always been my greatest obstacle."

With a pang of guilt, Seiki gave up on his earlier plan to create a couple of two-player games.

"Tomorrow we'll start preparing for a new three-player game... Yeah, it all begins with me showing care for a lonely old fox!"

Meanwhile, Minato's face was flushed from the sudden surge of enormous power. It took him a while to get a grip on himself.

Seeing that Nine-Tails kept wagging his tail stubbornly without stopping, Minato had no choice but to give in.

"I'll go with six." While playing his card, Minato explained to Seiki, "Our teacher plans to write a new book, but he's been gathering materials on the street lately because he hasn't found inspiration yet."

"I call ten." Upon hearing this, an ominous premonition arose in Seiki's heart. "Gathering materials?"

"JOKER BOMB!" After Kushina played her card, she froze momentarily, then exploded angrily, "Idiot! Who plays a joker bomb right at the beginning of the game?!"

Seeing Kushina and Nine-Tails arguing again, Minato hurriedly explained to Seiki, "Apparently Tsunade-sama said our teacher's books were unsalable trash, so our teacher swore he'd write a bestseller that everyone would love!"

"So these days, our teacher has been living like a commoner, trying to figure out which theme is most popular among people. If you want to find him, your only chance is to go look for him on the street."

Seiki sighed helplessly. He probably hadn't accidentally sped up some event's timeline, had he?

Now that would be a total disaster!

But the good news was, he roughly knew where to look for Jiraiya.

...

The next day, outside Konoha's female bathhouse.

A handsome ninja with a conflicted expression squatted in the bushes, mentally battling himself.

"As a great literary master, it's perfectly reasonable for me to seek inspiration with a writer's keen eye for beauty!"

"Jiraiya, wait a second—don't you remember what happened last time you peeped into the women's bathhouse? You nearly got yourself killed at the hands of Tsunade!"

"No! I must dedicate myself to art—nothing can stop an author's determination to create!"

"But if you get caught again, doesn't that ruin your love life for good?"

"Forget it! If that happens, then so be it! Women would just slow me down during hand seals anyway!"

Thinking thus, the handsome ninja strode forward bravely toward the battlefield of art!

However, just at this moment, a questioning voice came from beside the bushes.

"Jiraiya-sama, why are you disguised as Orochimaru-sama?"

The ninja's steps halted abruptly. His body stiffened as he slowly turned his head around. "Yahaha! I am Orochimaru indeed. Listen—heheh!"

Seeing "Orochimaru" sticking out his tongue like a despicable snake, Seiki sighed helplessly, "Jiraiya-sama, one may change his face and body, but one cannot hide their true presence or gaze."

"Haha! Indeed, even Orochimaru's ugly face couldn't conceal my noble gaze and refined demeanor!"

Laughing loudly, "Orochimaru" transformed back into Jiraiya's original form.

"Jiraiya-sama, are you peeping into others' bathing?" Seiki calmly watched his performance before delivering a final blow.

"Cough cough..." Laughing hard, Jiraiya suddenly choked, coughing violently as if about to cough up his lungs. After a while, he finally calmed down and shouted, red-eyed, "Peeping doesn't count—it's research! Can what writers do really be called peeping?" 

"Doesn't count, huh?"

Seiki scratched his head in confusion. "Then I'll go ask Master Tsunade for advice!"

Seeing Seiki turn to leave, Jiraiya nearly stumbled in panic and quickly pulled him back. "Haha, no need to bother Lady Tsunade over something so small."

Quickly changing topics, he continued, "By the way, what brings you here?"

Bluntly, Seiki replied, "I came looking for you, Lord Jiraiya."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "How did you find me here?"

Could it be that the old man's Telescope Jutsu has gotten even stronger... Jiraiya thought gloomily, wondering if he'd have to set up a Chakra Barrier every time he went to the bathroom from now on?

Seiki blinked and said, "Lady Tsunade told me. She said to just hang around near bathhouses and I'd find you."

That hot-tempered Tsunade knows me too well! Jiraiya exclaimed in alarm, but quickly his mind started wandering, "Heh heh, she pays this much attention to me... Could it mean she actually likes me?"

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