Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

Atop the tower, after hearing Kaito's ideas, Jiraiya was lost in thought for a long time.

Suddenly, his face fell, and he grabbed his hair in frustration. "Aaaah, this is so annoying! I can't figure it out! I'm really not suited for thinking about such complicated problems! But…"

Jiraiya stuck out a thumb, flashing his signature heroic smile, and laughed heartily. "I'm willing to believe in you, so go for it, Child of the Prophecy!"

"Child of the Prophecy? What do you mean?" Kaito feigned ignorance.

"Ah, did I say what I was thinking out loud?" Jiraiya scratched his head. "Well, whatever. It doesn't matter if I tell you. The Child of the Prophecy is the one who will bring great change to the world, and I am the guide who will lead the Child of the Prophecy down the right path! With your great power and your dedication to the ideal of peace, there's no doubt that you are the Child of the Prophecy. So, Kaito, be my student!"

"No!" Kaito refused flatly.

"Eh? Why?" Jiraiya was dumbfounded. Shouldn't this have been a natural conclusion?

"Let's not even talk about whether this 'Child of the Prophecy' you speak of is real. As the one who defeated me, what could you possibly teach me?" Kaito said with disdain. "You want to be my master? In your dreams!"

Kaito's words were like a thousand knives stabbing into Jiraiya's chest. He clutched his head, deep in thought.

"I can teach you ninjutsu! You don't know the Shadow Clone Jutsu, do you?"

"Not interested. Don't need it."

"Er, I can teach you peeping techniques! I guarantee no one will ever discover you!"

"Heh heh, are you sure you won't lead the Child of the Prophecy astray?"

"Ha, just kidding, just kidding." Jiraiya gave a sheepish laugh, then his expression turned serious. "Alright, I'm serious now. I have one more thing I can teach you, and I guarantee you'll be interested."

"Oh?"

"And that is… Sage Art!"

'Oh-ho, here it comes.' Kaito put on a timely expression of shock, curiosity, and anticipation. "Sage Art? You mean the techniques used by sages? How could you possibly know Sage Art?"

"Don't tell me you're just trying to trick me."

"Who's tricking you?!" Jiraiya struck his signature pose and declared loudly, "I am the great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku! Of course, I know Sage Art!"

"Talk is cheap. Show me."

"Er, fine! But it's too cramped here. Let's go outside."

"Alright."

The two of them leaped out of the window, ducked into the forest, and found a random clearing.

Jiraiya sat down directly on the ground and instructed, "You must not disturb me before I succeed, understand?"

After getting Kaito's promise, he closed his eyes, silently prayed for success a few times, and then emptied his mind, preparing to enter a state of complete selflessness.

Kaito carefully observed his condition and expression, noticing that his breathing gradually became steady and faint, his whole body seeming to turn into a stone statue.

About ten minutes later, Jiraiya opened his eyes again, his appearance drastically changed. Not only had his nose become larger than Jackie Chan's, but red markings had appeared at the corners of his eyes, and his pupils had transformed into the horizontal slits of a toad.

"Hmm, it makes you ugly. Is that Sage Art?" Kaito quipped without mercy.

"Shut up! It's just because I'm not very skilled at it yet. Sigh, I really don't like this look, which is why I rarely use Sage Mode." Jiraiya sighed and continued, "Kaito, you're the first person to see my Sage Mode. You should feel honored."

"Alright, let's not waste any more time. Let me show you the power of Sage Art!"

The moment he finished speaking, Jiraiya's fist was already in front of Kaito's face.

'So fast!' Kaito was shocked. He reflexively activated Extreme Speed and instantly retreated. However, he couldn't completely shake him; Jiraiya followed him like a shadow.

'Then let's try fighting head-on.' Kaito deactivated Extreme Speed and switched to his Fighting-type skills.

Detect!

A golden light flashed in his eyes. In Kaito's vision, Jiraiya's movements became slow, and he could clearly capture his next move. Seizing this momentary opening, Kaito leaped up, launching his attack after Jiraiya's had already begun. He spun his body and kicked out with a long leg.

Rolling Kick!

However, the expected impact never came.

As if he had foreseen Kaito's move, Jiraiya ducked, dodging the kick, and then punched him in the back.

Bang!

It felt like he had been punched by Tsunade. A massive force struck him, and Kaito was sent flying uncontrollably, skidding across the ground for dozens of meters before crashing into a tree trunk.

As he got up, a sea of fire was already descending from the sky.

"Sage Art: Great Flame Dragon Technique!"

"Whew, whew..." After using the Fire Release, Jiraiya had already exited Sage Mode. He looked at the sea of fire before him and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. 'Oops, I might have overdone it. I hope the Kaito kid is alright.'

Just as he was about to use a Water Release jutsu to extinguish the flames, he suddenly felt a chill. He looked down and saw a thin layer of ice had formed at his feet.

"This is..."

The chill intensified, and the great fire gradually died down. Even the ground and the bark of nearby trees were covered in ice crystals.

Kaito walked out from the scorched earth and stood before Jiraiya. He looked at his clothes, now riddled with burnt holes, and said irritably, "You bastard, were you trying to take advantage of the situation to rob and kill me?"

"Haha, I just got carried away..." Jiraiya explained awkwardly, then changed the subject. "Did you create that ice?"

"Who else?"

"To be able to extinguish flames created with sage chakra, your Ice Release is no simple matter." Jiraiya said it casually, not dwelling on it for long. In his mind, only someone this special could be qualified to be the Child of the Prophecy.

"So? So?" Jiraiya said proudly. "Sage Art is amazing, right? I can defeat you with ease!"

"Hmm, it's so-so. Not only does it make you ugly, but the duration is short. It kind of hurts my masculine pride," Kaito said, shaking his head.

"???"

Thinking about it, he wasn't really wrong. Jiraiya immediately became depressed, crouching down and drawing circles on the ground.

As for whether or not to become Jiraiya's student, Kaito had already made up his mind long ago.

Of course not!

Becoming Jiraiya's student would be like branding himself with Konoha's mark, which would be extremely detrimental to his future plans. He needed to remain neutral.

But even if he couldn't become his student, he could still fleece the sheep.

Kaito coughed twice, patted Jiraiya's shoulder, and said, "The ancients said, 'Among any three people, one of them is bound to be my teacher.' Let's not worry about such empty titles. How about we become good teachers and friends to each other?"

"Good teachers and friends to each other?" Jiraiya slowly repeated the words, his eyes gradually lighting up. "Good! Not getting caught up in formalities—that's what a true hero does!"

"Alright, then let's start by talking about how to become one with nature," Kaito said with a slight smile.