Back in Konoha, Jingyi paused for a moment before taking out a key and heading toward Tsunade's residence.
Tsunade's place was easy to spot.
It wasn't a massive estate but had a commanding location and a dignified, old-world feel. It was actually the former home of the Senju Clan once belonging to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Though not extravagant, it held deep historical weight.
Jingyi stood at the doorstep.
He inserted the key and turned it click. The door opened.
Only for him to hear a voice behind him:
"Who are you? And why do you have a key to this place?"
"Huh?"
Jingyi turned around and froze. Standing there was a white-haired man with a spiky mane, a large scroll on his back, and a forehead protector etched with the kanji for "oil"
There was no mistaking him.
Jiraiya. One of the Legendary Sannin.
What a coincidence.
Jingyi gave a polite bow. "Jiraiya. My name is Jingyi. The key was given to me by Lady Tsunade herself."
"...Tsunade gave it to you?" Jiraiya blinked, his face a mix of suspicion and surprise.
He hadn't expected to find anyone here especially not someone with a key to Tsunade's old home. After all, she hadn't returned to Konoha yet. He'd just come back from Sunagakure and hadn't even stopped by Tanzaku Town where she was last seen.
"Yes, I encountered her while on a mission near Tanzaku Town," Jingyi explained, calmly.
"Tanzaku Town…" Jiraiya muttered. So he had just missed her.
Still… who was this kid?
He squinted. "… Jingyi? I don't remember her mentioning any relative named that."
"Well…" Jingyi scratched his cheek. "We're distant cousins. Distant enough that it's not on most records, I suppose."
"Cousin, huh?" Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly. "That explains it. Heh… well, I'll be going. Got a few… urgent matters to handle."
With a flash of awkward laughter and an abrupt pivot, Jiraiya left though he threw one last look over his shoulder, clearly still curious.
"Thought the kid was a thief," he muttered to himself. "Turns out, he's got Senju blood. Lucky for me Tsunade didn't catch me lurking around she'd have knocked me into next week."
As for the truth of the "cousin" claim well, considering the Senju bloodline had intermarried widely across Konoha over the generations, a distant cousin wasn't unbelievable. Not to mention, the kid was wearing a legitimate Konoha forehead protector. Who'd risk impersonating a Senju relative?
---
Inside, Jingyi shut the door behind him and looked around.
The courtyard was sizable but modest unexpected for a home tied to the First Hokage. Still, it reflected the ideals of Hashirama and Tobirama: power with humility.
The place was coated in dust.
He moved through the rooms, uncovering furniture and shelving hidden beneath protective cloths. The layout was simple and functional clearly influenced by Tobirama's practicality.
He stopped in front of a study.
This was the room Tsunade had mentioned.
She'd given him a second, smaller key just for this door.
Inside were shelves upon shelves of scrolls and notebooks some pristine, others fraying with age. Much of it was research left behind by Tobirama Senju. His notes were famously chaotic more the spontaneous bursts of genius than organized documentation.
Tsunade's own materials were here too. A wealth of advanced medical knowledge, her personal annotations on Yin Healing Wound Destruction, and even early ideas that would later influence Sakura Haruno's training.
Then something caught his eye.
High on the top shelf, wrapped tightly in cloth, was a long cylinder.
He pulled it down.
Unwrapping it revealed something astonishing: a summoning scroll.
Specifically the Shikkotsu Forest (also called the Shikkotsurin) summoning contract. The one tied to the legendary slug, Katsuyu.
"No way…" Jingyi muttered. "Why would she just leave this here?"
But thinking again Tsunade probably had no reason to fear it falling into the wrong hands. The Slug Contract wasn't just a tool you could steal. It was bonded by chakra and recognized only chosen contractors.
And beside shikkotsu Forest wasn't like Mount Myōboku or Ryūchi Cave. It wasn't full of many creatures. There was only one Katsuyu, a massive and ancient being.
As he hesitated, the contract scroll pulsed faintly.
And then
A miniature slug crawled out of the paper and onto his hand.
It spoke in a soft, chiming voice:
"You must have found the contract. This message is from Lady Tsunade. If you're interested, sign it. If not, leave it be."
Jingyi stood frozen.
Even Tsunade's voice, channeled through the summoning seal, had an off-hand tone, as though it were just some minor errand. But this was no small thing.
Still… what an opportunity.
With a determined nod, he bit his thumb and signed.
His chakra pulsed, and in that moment, a connection formed.
The slug lifted its head.
"I am Katsuyu's fragment. You may call me a Lesser Katsuyu. If you need aid, call me and when you're strong enough, come visit Shikkotsu Forest."
"I… Yes. Thank you, Katsuyu-sama."
The slug vanished.
Jingyi stood alone, hand still warm from the contact.
Did this mean he might someday learn Sage Mode? From Shikkotsu Forest?
He carefully rewrapped the scroll and returned it to its place.
Then returned to the books.
He read Tobirama's notes on genjutsu, and compared them with his own studies on visual illusions and the Hiding in Light technique he'd recently earned through mission work.
An idea took shape.
"If I channel chakra at the moment of the slash…"
A new style emerged in his mind a genjutsu technique tied to swordplay. By syncing a blinding light illusion with the flash of a sword slash, he could disorient enemies in the moment of impact.
"Sword Light," he whispered.
A technique that blurred the line between kenjutsu and illusion.
Konoha had similar ideas, especially with Willow Dance which used fluid motion to manipulate perception. He could develop both in parallel.
With the theory complete, all that was left… was practice.