"As expected of Minato Namikaze… No wonder it took him three years to develop this technique. It's truly an art."
Jingyi had stayed up all night, studying.
A rare event since he arrived in this world.
But the gains were worth it.
Minato Namikaze had developed the Rasengan after observing the Tailed Beast Bomb. Inspired by its chakra compression principles, he began experimenting with similar compression techniques.
Of course, the famous balloon training came later.
The path from concept to completion wasn't simple every step had been carefully recorded in this scroll. Not only did it detail the Rasengan, but it also included insights into chakra control, compression, and preliminary sealing methods Minato had considered to stabilize the technique.
While incomplete, it was still a priceless resource.
Jingyi carefully stored the scroll.
It wasn't just a collection of jutsu.
It was a legacy.
Most importantly, Minato had personally permitted its transmission, he'd allowed Jingyi to pass on the technique.
Of course, it was Jiraiya who had truly made that possible.
Jingyii understood. Minato had never met Yahiko or the others directly. Jiraiya had been the bridge. That bond was what convinced him to share even fragments of the Rasengan's original development notes.
Once he'd finished reading, Jingyi let the scroll float up and shelve itself with a whisper of rustling paper.
The Dance of the Shikigami.
A versatile jutsu, simple in theory, but complex in application.
Still, it had its flaws.
Konan, in the future, refined it extensively her paper became resistant to water and fire to some degree, only weak to oil. But such resilience required time and chakra-intensive preparation.
For now, Jingyi used temporary paper.
It worked but the difference was noticeable.
The paper was more fragile, vulnerable to elements, and harder to control under pressure.
He sighed. No technique was perfect.
Even Gaara carried that massive gourd around just to wield his sand effectively.
In the days that followed, he experimented with enhancing the paper using fūinjutsu and chakra infusion. The results were promising especially when paired with explosive tags. The potential in combat was... devastating.
Had Konan possessed such tactical variety during the confrontation in the Land of Rivers, she might've ended that encounter much sooner.
"Xiaoli really doesn't hold back."
Yahiko was another story.
He was smart Jingyi was curious to see what path Yahiko would choose now that he'd returned to Amegakure.
Unfortunately, long-distance intel in this world wasn't fast.
Konoha had no way of knowing what was happening in Amegakure in real time.
Beyond studying paper techniques, Jingyi also made progress with chakra compression. His earlier experiments with Water Release: Water Severing Wave had shown promise, but now, integrating the Rasengan's compression theory into Wind Release gave him a breakthrough.
The result?
Vacuum Wave and Vacuum Blade had become significantly more potent.
However, such compression required extremely refined chakra control. Even a small miscalculation could injure the user. Asuma and the others weren't quite there yet.
Still, she didn't neglect his students.
Yesterday, Shisui had finally succeeded in altering the nature of his chakra to wind.
Now, alongside Asuma, he, too, needed Wind Release instruction.
Fortunately, Jingyi had plenty of new material to teach.
"Sensei, we haven't taken on a mission in a week…"
"No money?" Jingyi raised an eyebrow at Asuma.
The boy had been spending freely lately even treating friends to yakiniku.
Asuma flushed. "…A little."
The Third Hokage had cut off his allowance, insisting he earn his own ryo. Without missions, his wallet was drying up fast.
"Don't get cocky after completing one B-rank mission," Jingyi said flatly. "You're not ready for another yet. Use this time to train."
Despite his tone, the truth was that Jingyii had simply been too busy researching to lead a mission.
"Kurenai, did you finish that book I gave you?"
"Yes, Sensei. I've been practicing the Mystical Palm Technique. I tried it on a fish yesterday…"
"Are your parents sick of eating fish yet?" he teased, smirking.
Kurenai blushed and stared at her sleeves.
Her father, Yuhi Shinku, had indeed started looking weary at the sight of grilled trout. The whole team laughed.
Medical ninjutsu it always began with fish.
"Alright, let's check the mission board."
They headed to the Hokage Building. Just as they reached the door
"Jingyi-sensei, the Hokage wants to see you."
A Chūnin waited at the entrance.
Jingyi told his students to wait and stepped inside.
The scent of tobacco filled the air. The Third Hokage sat at his desk, pipe in hand.
"I was going to call you earlier, but heard you were busy. You've given me quite the situation."
"What do you mean, Hokage-sama?" Jingyi asked, already guessing.
"Yahiko has returned to Amegakure. It looks like he sought out Hanzo of the Salamander."
Sarutobi handed over a scroll.
Jingtlyi read it quickly.
Interesting.
Yahiko going to Hanzo wasn't a bad idea.
Amegakure had only survived the wars by standing its ground between giants. If Hanzo could be convinced to expand again and ally with Konohabit could create a buffer against Iwagakure.
From a strategic viewpoint, it was ideal.
"I think it's a good move," Jingyi said. "If Amegakure becomes strong and leans toward Konoha, it limits Onoki's options."
"Jiraiya said the same," Sarutobi replied with a nod. "We'll wait and watch. If Yahiko influences Hanzo positively, it could benefit us."
He reached into a drawer and pulled out another scroll.
Jingyi accepted it and unrolled it.
"A breakdown of the Hidden Mist's combat techniques?"
Why was he being given this?
Surely not…
"You want us to fight them?"
"Not yet," Sarutobi said. "But the Land of Water is stirring. Just study it for now we may need your support soon."
"We're low on shinobi, aren't we?"
Jingti sighed.
He wasn't afraid but his students? Sending genin or fresh chūnin to deal with Kirigakure's assassin corps was tantamount to suicide.
He'd fought Mist shinobi before.
Silent Killing, Mist Clone Technique those weren't things a rookie could handle.
"I trust your judgment, Jingti."
"Sure you do…" Jingyu muttered. "Alright. I'll take the scroll. But I'm telling you this is pushing it."
He left the office and smiled faintly.
It was clear Sarutobi had known about Yahiko's mission for some time.
And Jiraiya…
Jiraiya likely didn't share everything. Especially not about Nagato. He'd kept that part close to the chest.
Typical of him to hide a trump card.
Jingti didn't mind.
The Rinnegan was no small matter.
And if what he suspected was true…
Well, the real storm hadn't even begun.