While Hyūga Hizashi was beginning his rebellion, Uchiha Rokuro and his family had already arrived in the Land of Hot Springs.
Because he had once carried out border patrol missions there, Rokuro had left Flying Thunder God markers all along the route—each one crafted from chakra-infused metal. They were practically ninja tools now—permanent unless discovered and removed.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique, the family of three reached the Land of Hot Springs within a single day and checked into the largest inn in the region.
Soaking in the steaming hot spring, Rokuro finally allowed himself to relax completely.
"Ahh… this is the life~~"
"This is how people are meant to live. That last half-year was worse than being a corporate drone. Good thing it all paid off, or it would've been a total loss."
He washed his face, grabbed a chilled bottle of yogurt drink, and prepared to enjoy it as he bathed
until he spotted a white-haired man at the far edge of the hot spring, crouched near the partition wall… apparently digging a hole.
Rokuro was in an outdoor bath. Though it wasn't technically mixed-gender, the men's and women's sides were only separated by a bamboo wall—thin enough for voices to carry through. And if someone poked a hole through it… they could easily see the other side.
His mother and girlfriend were bathing there. There was no way Rokuro would tolerate a peeping tom.
"You dare peek? I'll beat the peach blossoms out of your face—take this!"
He lunged forward and threw a punch, only for his blow to be blocked—by hair.
That was all it took for Rokuro to recognize him.
"So it's you, Jiraiya-sama. Researching 'materials' again, are we?"
The white-haired man turned around. It was indeed Jiraiya.
He had noticed another ninja entering the springs and had been keeping an eye out. Now that the kid recognized him, he sheepishly gave up on his "research."
"You from Konoha?"
"Nice to meet you, Jiraiya-sama. I'm Uchiha Rokuro. Just call me Rokuro."
As he spoke, Rokuro activated his two-tomoe Sharingan.
Jiraiya's expression lit up in recognition. "Ah, so you're that Uchiha genius—the one who used the Adamantine Sealing Chains against Kakuzu!"
"Being remembered by one of the Legendary Sannin is truly an honor."
Jiraiya frowned. "You're what, not even ten? Why do you talk like some old man? Don't you kids have any innocence these days?"
He reached over to the tray floating beside Rokuro, grabbed another bottle of chilled yogurt, and downed it.
"Cold and crisp—nice. You've got good taste for a brat. So, what brings you to the Land of Hot Springs? A mission?"
"No, we're just here on vacation. Family trip."
"Family… trip?"
Rokuro gestured toward the other side of the wall. Jiraiya blinked, realization dawning, then looked embarrassed.
Trying to steer away from the awkwardness, he began chatting about sealing techniques instead. Rokuro answered casually, but his explanations quickly caught Jiraiya's full attention.
Despite his clownish persona, Jiraiya was a polymath—proficient in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and especially sealing arts.
After the Third Hokage's death, when he trained Naruto, he had once sealed both Itachi and Kisame inside the belly of a giant toad from Mount Myōboku. Itachi escaped using Amaterasu, a fire that couldn't be extinguished until its target was completely incinerated. Jiraiya had managed to contain that black flame on the spot with a self-written sealing formation—proof of his mastery.
But even someone like Jiraiya was thoroughly outmatched after talking with Rokuro.
"Rokuro… no wonder you could defeat Kakuzu and wield the Uzumaki clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains. Your understanding of fūinjutsu even surpasses Kushina's—maybe even close to Minato's level."
He no longer called him "kid," but "Rokuro."
Rokuro smiled modestly. "You flatter me, Jiraiya-sama. My mother taught me the basics, but the rest came from studying the Uzumaki clan's sealing scrolls. I've only scratched the surface—there's still a long way to go before I can compare to true masters like Minato or Kushina."
"You're too humble. At this rate, you'll surpass them both sooner or later."
"Haha, that's certainly the goal."
By the time they left the bath and sat down for dinner, the two had already developed a good rapport.
Soon, Uchiha Ashikaga and Rokuro's fiancée, Uchiha Izumi, joined them.
The four chatted warmly over food and drinks. When Jiraiya learned that Izumi wasn't Rokuro's sister but his future wife, he silently gave Rokuro a thumbs-up.
"Kids these days sure know how to live! Starting wife training that early—if I'd been half that smart, I'd have grandkids by now."
He tipped back a cup of sake and sighed wistfully at his lost youth.
Rokuro leaned closer. "Jiraiya-sama, there's something I wanted to ask you… about Mount Myōboku."
"Oh? You know about Myōboku?"
Rokuro nodded. "I've read about the Three Great Sage Lands—Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and the Shikkotsu Forest. I also apprenticed under Orochimaru-sensei for half a year before he defected. Before leaving, he entrusted me with Ryūchi Cave's summoning contract."
At the mention of Orochimaru, Jiraiya's expression darkened.
"That bastard… I'll drag him back someday, even if I have to make him atone before every single one of his victims."
Rokuro offered a few words of comfort, then quickly shifted the topic.
"I know Mount Myōboku is home to Sage Arts, but I've heard that all three sanctuaries have deep knowledge of sealing arts too. Is that true?"
"Fūinjutsu, huh? I see—you're hoping to study further."
Rokuro nodded. Jiraiya looked genuinely impressed—and, for a fleeting moment, a little envious. Such intelligence, curiosity, and humility… he hadn't met a student like that since Minato.
He brushed away the melancholy and said, "Myōboku does have knowledge of seals, yes—but I don't know much myself. I went there mainly to learn Sage Techniques."
He hesitated, then added quietly, "That said, Rokuro… I'm afraid you won't get the chance to study Myōboku's sealing arts."
END OF CHAPTER
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