At that moment, Jiraiya was soaking comfortably in the steaming hot springs of a small town.
"Hah, I truly am a genius," he said smugly to himself. "Three free laborers, and I get to relax. I'll head back in a few days."
He let out a satisfied "ahh", sinking deeper into the water.
"Hey, boss! Bring over one of those pretty ladies you've got working here!"
Time flowed quietly, and before anyone realized it, several days had passed.
Seisui watched as Konan performed her newly developed Paper Clone Technique in front of him, nodding in satisfaction.
Nagato, standing nearby, had his mouth wide open in disbelief.
"Konan, that's amazing! You actually managed to pull it off so quickly!"
Konan smiled sweetly. "It's all thanks to you, Senior. Without your guidance, I'd never have thought of doing it this way."
Seisui shook his head as he looked at the paper clone that kept dispersing and reforming. "Even without me, you would've discovered your Paper Release eventually."
He knew that for a fact—after all, that was how things went in the original timeline. At most, she'd have developed it a bit later.
"You can also try merging the papers together to form wings," Seisui suggested. "That way, you'll be able to fly."
"But…"
His hands blurred through hand seals, and a blazing Fireball Jutsu erupted from his mouth.
"You'll need to improve the paper itself," he continued seriously. "Right now, it has too many weaknesses—fire and water, in particular. Even if you harden it, flames or moisture will render your ability useless."
Konan nodded thoughtfully, her expression serious. "I understand, Senior. I won't let you down!"
"Hahaha!" Seisui chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Then I'll be waiting to see what you come up with."
She instinctively wanted to dodge his hand, but remembering that Seisui had introduced himself as someone who liked to pat heads, she held still and let him.
Just then, a cheerful voice called out—
"Nagato! Konan!"
Yahiko came running over, excitement all over his face. "I've made huge progress this time!"
Minato followed behind him, glancing at Seisui with a look of smug challenge.
"What's wrong with your eyes, Minato?" Seisui asked with feigned confusion. "Did you catch a sty or something? Why are you glaring at me like that?"
Of course, he knew exactly what Minato was thinking—but teasing him was too fun to resist.
"Damn it, Seisui!" Minato snapped, his composure finally breaking. "This time, I'll be the one who wins!"
"Yahiko's improved tremendously!"
"Oh really?" Seisui said dryly. "I don't believe it."
"You'll see soon enough! Once Jiraiya-sensei gets back, you'll know!" Minato said confidently, crossing his arms. "This time, the reward's definitely mine!"
Konan and Nagato exchanged uneasy looks.
They had improved just as much—if not more—over the past few days.
Nagato, in particular, had learned countless jutsu and gained significant combat experience through Seisui's brutal training.
He could practically crush several versions of his old self now.
In the past, he'd simply used jutsu without strategy—attack first, think later.
Now, he analyzed every situation, adapting his techniques accordingly.
The progress was immense… though the suffering was real.
Even Uchiha Haru couldn't bear to watch sometimes—Nagato's record was over forty deaths in a single hour.
Death was agonizing… but the strength he gained each time was exhilarating.
Maybe this is what they mean by "pain and growth going hand in hand," he thought silently.
"Wanna have a match?" Yahiko asked eagerly.
Nagato scratched his head. "I don't think that's necessary…"
Konan quickly added, "Nagato's really strong now." She looked at Yahiko worriedly—afraid he'd get beaten to tears again.
"One fight won't hurt," Seisui said, waving a hand. "Duel Arena—activate!"
The next moment, everyone was pulled into the training arena.
Not long after, Yahiko sat slumped on the steps outside, completely defeated. Minato sat beside him, wearing the same dejected look.
"I completely forgot Seisui has that duel field…" Minato muttered regretfully.
Sure, he'd trained Yahiko in real combat, but how could that compare to hundreds of simulated deaths a day?
Every death had made Nagato sharper, faster, stronger.
Konan wasn't spared either—her number of deaths was nothing to scoff at.
By the time afternoon rolled around, Jiraiya finally returned, carrying supplies.
He blinked when he saw Minato and Yahiko sitting gloomily by the door.
"What are you two doing out here?" he asked curiously. "Don't tell me you're here to welcome me back?"
He burst out laughing. "Hahaha! No need for that! You don't have to greet your teacher like this!"
"No," came a voice behind him.
Uchiha Haru appeared silently, glancing at the two depressed disciples. "They're not welcoming you—they're recovering from emotional damage."
"Exactly," Seisui added as he walked up beside her, nodding in agreement. "Don't flatter yourself, pervy Jiraiya-sensei."
Jiraiya's eye twitched. You were about to call me a pervy old man, weren't you?
He glared at Seisui, who glared right back.
After a long, tense moment, Seisui finally blinked first, his eyelids dry from the staring contest. Jiraiya burst out laughing, dropped his supplies, and sat down casually.
"Judging from your faces, I'm guessing Minato lost, huh?" he said with a grin. "So, who's the real winner between you two?"
He looked between Seisui and Uchiha Haru with amusement.
"I'm not much of a teacher," Haru said, shaking her head and pointing toward Seisui.
Jiraiya nodded, unsurprised. "I figured as much."
After training Nagato's group for three years, he knew all too well where their weaknesses lay.
"I asked the old man for a Forbidden Jutsu," Jiraiya said to Seisui. "When we return to Konoha, he'll hand it over to you."
He'd thought of it during the last assessment, after witnessing Seisui's devastating explosion-style technique.
It wasn't a perfect match—but with Seisui's talent, he was confident the younger man could refine it into something even better.
"Alright then," Jiraiya said, standing up. "Let's head back to Konoha!"
He looked at everyone with a satisfied smile.
Since Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan had all agreed to go, there was no reason to linger here any longer.
The three exchanged glances—Nagato lowered his head silently, Konan fidgeted nervously, while Yahiko's face shone with excitement.
Seisui's words had left a deep impression on him.
He'd let go of his old ideals, wanting now to see the kind of peace his senior had spoken of.
Seisui hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Sensei… you take Nagato and the others back first."
"Hm?" Jiraiya blinked. "You're not coming?"
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