Chapter 305
Naruto Time Control
Whew!
Black symbols surged from Yeruashi's palm, enveloping the chakra before compressing it tightly.
The Yin and Yang power of the Six Paths was temporarily sealed, transforming into two strands of black hair that coiled around Yeruashi's index finger.
Then.
Yeruashi took a few steps and returned to the hot springs.
He shed his white robe and sank back into the water, stretching his body with a sigh of relief.
He would leave the task of hunting down Urashiki to the Sage of Six Paths while he enjoyed his soak.
After a moment, Yeruashi glanced at the high partition dividing the springs and smirked.
In truth, when he had granted Orochimaru an immortal body earlier, he had also employed another ability—he had used a technique called Life Reincarnation on Jiraiya.
Its effect was quite simple.
The creation of life.
For instance, if applied to the water in these hot springs, the liquid would come alive, becoming a sentient creature with a body made of water.
This ability was designed for inanimate objects that possessed no soul.
It breathed a soul into the lifeless.
While this technique normally couldn't be used on beings that already had their own souls, from Yeruashi's perspective, Jiraiya's soul was far too weak. It made no difference to him whether the Sannin possessed a soul or not.
Therefore...
Jiraiya would soon discover that a certain part of his body had 'developed a mind of its own.'
Did Jiraiya really expect to get away with just a few broken ribs after daring to peep on the girls?
Especially since Hinata was there! Such a light punishment was far from enough.
'With his abilities, there should be no way to remove that soul, unless he seals it or simply detaches "it" entirely.'
Yeruashi gazed up at the night sky, lost in thought.
It had been an experiment of sorts.
As Yeruashi contemplated Jiraiya's likely reaction to the changes in his 'little friend,' the sound of approaching footsteps suddenly drifted over.
"Yeruashi, would you like a massage?"
It was Rin's voice.
Wrapped in a small white towel, Rin stepped into Yeruashi's hot spring.
The white towel, soaked through with hot water, clung tightly to her curves. Rin was perfectly aware that the damp fabric made her look far more alluring.
"..."
Yeruashi sighed helplessly, sensing Kurenai heading his way as well.
Sitting in the water, he looked at Rin standing beside him. "What about Hinata? Did you leave her alone?"
Rin chuckled softly. "She's a qualified shinobi; she should be able to take care of herself."
"And what about you?"
Yeruashi raised an eyebrow at her.
Rin gave him a sweet smile. "It seems I'm not qualified enough, so you'll just have to look after me..."
Yeruashi: "..."
Just as Yeruashi lapsed into silence, Kurenai entered from behind, casting a wary glance at Rin before approaching him. "Did something happen?"
Yeruashi looked at Kurenai standing by the edge of the spring and said lazily, "Ah, Jiraiya just tried to take a peek, so I sent him 'flying' for a bit..."
"Senior Jiraiya?"
Kurenai was stunned. "How could he..."
She didn't doubt Yeruashi's words for a second, but she felt the prestigious image of the legendary Sannin crumble in her mind.
It made her feel slightly awkward. "Then we..."
"Rest assured, he didn't see anything."
Yeruashi looked back at the sky and said cryptically, "Besides, I don't think he'll be interested in anything like that in the future."
...
Mount Myoboku.
Inside one of the chambers.
After Shima performed a rapid series of hand seals and pressed her palm to the floor, black symbols radiated outward. In a sudden puff of white smoke, Jiraiya's figure appeared.
"Jiraiya? Why are you in such a terrible state..."
Fukasaku, standing nearby, was visibly shocked. "What kind of enemy did you encounter?"
"Cough... cough..."
Jiraiya's face was still pale. He coughed heavily and managed to say, "It wasn't an enemy. Just... help me set my bones first..."
"Right."
Fukasaku nodded and funneled senjutsu chakra into Jiraiya's body.
After assessing Jiraiya's condition, he quickly stripped away the man's torn clothing and began the process of mending the broken ribs.
But a moment later, Shima let out a piercing scream. "Aaaah! What on earth is that?!"
"What's wrong?"
Jiraiya was startled at first, but then he felt something bizarre. It seemed that one part of his body was no longer obeying his commands.
More importantly, he could clearly sense the fluctuations of an entirely different soul residing there!
What the hell?!
Jiraiya froze in shock, and then he felt that specific part of his body begin to strike him. Fortunately, Shima and Fukasaku were quick to act and managed to restrain 'him.'
"This is..."
"The Inorganic Reincarnation from Ryuchi Cave?"
"No, Inorganic Reincarnation can't be used on another person. This isn't Inorganic Reincarnation; it's a far more sophisticated technique..."
The Toad Sages were deeply troubled.
Jiraiya's face turned even paler, if such a thing were possible.
After a detailed examination by Fukasaku and Shima, they concluded that the only way to get rid of this rogue soul was to either seal it or amputate the 'afflicted' part of his body.
Jiraiya lay there with a hollow gaze, feeling as though he were trapped in a living nightmare.
A few years later.
A book titled 'What Trials Has My Little Friend Endured?' was published and immediately became a bestseller.
However, the author, Jiraiya, always avoided questions during interviews about where he had drawn the inspiration for the book, his face darkening at the mere mention of it.
But returning to the present.
While Yeruashi was meeting with the Sage of Six Paths, Urashiki Otsutsuki appeared within a dark, void-like space.
'There is no information regarding the traitor... how is this possible...'
Urashiki reviewed the data gathered from Orochimaru's base and frowned. 'The Juubi was divided? How could that have happened? Was the traitor defeated by someone?'
The whole situation seemed incredibly strange to Urashiki.
Even he wouldn't have dared to confront Kaguya after she stole the Chakra Fruit. So what exactly happened to her? Was there some sort of accident?
On the other hand, if the Juubi had truly been divided into several entities, there would be no threat to him in this world. He could gather the power of the Chakra Fruit without much trouble.
"Ah, it looks like I'll have to collect it piece by piece."
Urashiki was surprised at first, but then he let out a cold chuckle. "First, I should gather a bit more information to confirm this once and for all."