Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 126: What the Hell! Another Asura Chakra Reincarnation?!

Shigen's judgment seemed to be correct.

After being drawn into Shigen's line of thinking, Jiraiya could no longer find any reason to refute him.

If Naruto Uzumaki truly gained enough power in the future, he would inevitably reshape the world to match his ideals.

In fact...

Anyone who attained enough power...

Would try to shape their environment into something more comfortable.

Over time, the environment would slowly change, little by little, into an ideal one.

Once Jiraiya accepted Shigen's judgment, he became even more meticulous in observing Naruto. The boy wanted to become Hokage and earn the recognition of the entire village.

But...

Would the villagers ever acknowledge a Jinchūriki?

Would Konoha, having suffered through the Nine-Tails' attack, ever willingly accept a Jinchūriki as their leader?

In other villages, Jinchūriki were met with nothing but fear...

So then...

How would Naruto earn that recognition?

Jiraiya couldn't even imagine such a scenario. He had already decided to stay in Konoha and personally guide Naruto onto the right path. Because of his connection to Naruto's father, Jiraiya hoped the boy could bring a positive change to the shinobi world.

The first step...

Was naturally to spark Naruto's interest.

For Jiraiya, this was an easy task. With just a small demonstration of skill, Naruto was immediately in awe, eagerly bowing his head in respect.

And...

It wasn't even against the rules.

After all, Konoha's shinobi clans always trained their children in secret techniques, and some even hired private tutors well in advance. Jiraiya was merely giving the still-young Naruto some extra lessons—nothing out of the ordinary.

However...

The more Jiraiya trained Naruto, the more doubts he had. Was this kid really the Child of Prophecy?

Back in Jiraiya's day, students at the academy usually graduated by the age of five or six, with eight or nine being the latest. And back then, the graduation exams were even harder.

So why was Naruto's learning ability so... terrible?

Other than having an abundant chakra pool...

Naruto wasn't even remotely talented!

Thankfully, Jiraiya had experience teaching different kinds of students. He quickly adjusted his methods, focusing first on training Naruto's chakra control.

In traditional teaching methods...

Jiraiya was an excellent instructor.

Naruto soon mastered the Three Basic Jutsu and improved his chakra control. The Nine-Tails inside him remained unusually quiet, allowing his training to progress smoothly.

This unexpected calm...

Actually made Jiraiya's job much easier.

Without the Nine-Tails' interference, Naruto advanced rapidly. But the more he learned, the more questions he had.

For example...

"Who's stronger, you or Lord Third?"

"Who's stronger, you or Tsunade?"

"Who's stronger, you or Shigen?"

"The old man is probably stronger," Jiraiya admitted honestly. He knew his teacher, the Third Hokage, had mastered all five chakra natures and possessed numerous forbidden techniques.

"Tsunade is definitely stronger," he added, shuddering as he recalled her monstrous punches and how she once fought Hanzō of the Salamander alone. He never thought he could defeat her.

Come to think of it...

Had he ever beaten Orochimaru?

Jiraiya reminisced about the days of the Three Legendary Sannin. He had never once won a direct battle against Orochimaru. Combined with the fact that he couldn't defeat Tsunade either...

Did that mean...

He was the weakest of the Sannin?

No way!

Absolutely not!

Jiraiya immediately rejected that idea!

Back then, he had merely held back during fights with Orochimaru and Tsunade because they were old comrades. He had never gone all out.

As for the last question...

Was that something a nine-year-old should be asking?!

Even though Jiraiya had confidence in his strength, he didn't believe he could defeat Shigen. But deep down, he was still curious...

How strong had Shigen been in the past for the Great Toad Sage to worry that he might change the world?

That meant...

The ancient Shigen must have possessed power capable of reshaping the entire world.

So now...

How much strength did Shigen still have?

Jiraiya wasn't the only one curious. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, also wondered. The last time Shigen made a move, he had single-handedly eliminated three Kage...

Unfortunately...

Shigen had no interest in ninja battles.

Jiraiya didn't dare challenge him to a fight just to gauge his strength. He feared it would annoy Shigen.

And of course...

It would definitely annoy Tsunade.

She was extremely protective of the man who had taught her medical ninjutsu.

Jiraiya sighed in disappointment and glanced at Shigen, who was fishing nearby. "Shigen is definitely stronger than me. He never fights without reason, and he avoids meaningless battles. So, I have no idea how much stronger he really is."

"Shigen... is that strong?" Naruto's eyes lit up with curiosity.

"Very strong," Jiraiya said seriously.

Having worked with Tsunade for years, Jiraiya had learned never to underestimate medical ninjas—especially not the one who had trained Tsunade herself.

"It's hard to say..."

Jiraiya thought about Shigen's past feats and murmured, "He might just be the strongest in the world."

Legends like Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, were long dead. In this era, there was likely no shinobi stronger than Shigen.

Even among the Kage...

None could rival him.

Hiruzen and Ōnoki were old and past their prime.

The Fourth Raikage and Fourth Kazekage were weaker than their predecessors.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, had been assassinated, and the Hidden Mist Village had yet to select a Fifth Mizukage...

Jiraiya suppressed his curiosity about Shigen's current strength. But as he hesitated, Naruto had already decided to take action.

If he had a question, he'd ask it directly.

"Shigen!"

"Jiraiya-sensei says you're really strong!"

Naruto plopped down beside Shigen, adjusting his goggles. "Are you really stronger than Jiraiya-sensei? Aside from Grandpa Hokage, Jiraiya-sensei is the strongest ninja I've ever met! He's even stronger than Iruka-sensei!"

"..."

Shigen's expression turned odd.

Wait—

Did Iruka know he was being used as a comparison here?

Did Jiraiya know he was being compared to Iruka?

"Do you want to see for yourself?"

Shigen ruffled Naruto's spiky blond hair. He wanted to plant a seed in the boy's heart—a seed that would push him to grow.

"Yes!"

Naruto's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Jiraiya was shocked at how much Shigen indulged Naruto. To actually demonstrate his power just to satisfy the boy's curiosity... Jiraiya saw an opportunity.

A real fight would be the best way to gauge Shigen's strength.

Jiraiya doubted Shigen truly wanted to change the world. But as a ninja, he couldn't help wanting to uncover hidden information.

However...

Tsunade might not be too happy about this.

And...

There was someone even more displeased than Tsunade.

Black Zetsu, wandering through Konoha, happened to witness how Shigen treated Naruto with such affection.

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This...

This wasn't right.

This brat, Naruto Uzumaki...

His chakra felt strangely familiar.

Wait—

Was this another reincarnation of Asura's chakra?!

Black Zetsu suddenly realized a terrifying truth.

Shigen had come to Konoha to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki... and that Jinchūriki was the reincarnation of Asura's chakra!

This was...

An incredibly frustrating situation!

The moment Black Zetsu confirmed this, unease crept into its heart. It feared that, once again, Shigen might be swayed by Asura's chakra.

Black Zetsu's voice was filled with an almost indescribable frustration.

It understood Shigen too well.

Unlike what others might think, Shigen was not truly determined to destroy the world. If he had been, there wouldn't have been a need for all these years of guiding, pushing, and manipulating.

Shigen was never born a harbinger of destruction.

From the very beginning, it had been Black Zetsu who step by step lured him down this path.

And yet—

Despite everything, despite witnessing the cruelty and betrayals of this world, Shigen had never fully abandoned his hesitation.

"That's why..." Black Zetsu murmured to itself, its form hidden in the shadows, "we must not allow even the slightest hope to rekindle in him."

"If he begins to believe in this world again..."

"If he starts to think that there is still something worth protecting..."

"Then all our efforts, all these long years, would have been for nothing."

Black Zetsu's gaze turned cold.

It had to act.

Because it understood better than anyone—

Shigen was never meant to be a destroyer by nature.

He had simply been forced into it.

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