Ninja Ice House

Chapter 548 Breaking point

When Kosugi Bokusui used his influence to rescue Jiraiya, he never expected things to turn out so complicated.

If it were the original, normal Jiraiya, this kind of minor setback wouldn't be worth mentioning at all.

The problem is, things are not normal now!

A severe emotional wound can be healed and reborn through the "snake shedding technique," just as a potted plant can be pruned by removing diseased and weak branches and leaves, accumulating strength to sprout new buds. The flower is still the same flower, but its appearance will definitely be different from before.

As for the degree, the severity can be controlled to a certain extent, but how similar it is to the original and how much it deviates from it depends on fate.

"To what extent can we know the upper limit of our output?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, in Tailed Beast Chakra Mode, with five tails in a semi-out-of-control state, is roughly on par with Jiraiya's maximum fighting power in a non-death struggle..."

Originally, in the timeline, Jiraiya subdued Naruto Uzumaki, who had sprouted four tails and gone out of control, at the cost of serious injury to himself, but that was not his true limit.

Naruto Uzumaki in his berserk state is in an uncontrollable state of "overloading" his power, while Jiraiya, without activating Sage Mode, still has to be careful and can't use too insidious techniques.

Subduing someone is far more difficult than defeating or even killing them.

By the same token, the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode with five tails would be roughly on the same level as Jiraiya's if he didn't use Sage Mode and didn't summon the various toads of Mount Myōboku for assistance.

"Young Commander, please rest assured, if it's just that, I'm very confident."

"It's not about you winning the battle or even killing him, but about making Jiraiya realize, within the dream space, the illogical flaws in his past experiences and the world's 'setting,' thus generating the idea of ​​escaping and waking up in the normal world."

"Not to kill, but to wake up?"

Upon hearing this, Kaguya Kimimaro looked slightly puzzled and embarrassed, but fortunately, she was still very confident in her own strength and didn't say anything more.

If it's a pure combat mission that doesn't require much attention, then it's much more convenient. But if you have to use your brain and maintain a sense of proportion in a "wholehearted" battle, then it's a bit difficult to unleash your full potential.

"Konoha Village still has quite a few talented people. Wisdom is a luxury, and the chances of it appearing are not high. A clever mind is a scarce resource everywhere. The high intelligence inherited by the Nara family is truly not an exaggeration. Nara Shikaku was able to find a breakthrough from this angle, and his insight is indeed sharp. His son, Nara Shikamaru, is also a very interesting character. After you go to Konoha Village, you can talk to him more; you might gain some insights..."

"Nara... Shikamaru, I understand."

Initially, Tsunade's idea was to use brute force to overcome skill, forcibly subdue Jiraiya in the dream space, and awaken him with advanced genjutsu.

However, doing so is extremely difficult. It's like trying to fight an elephant in a paper house; the house is likely to collapse and everything will be in chaos.

Ultimately, it all comes down to Jiraiya's sheer strength. With Kurama Yakumo's abilities, he simply couldn't "perfectly simulate" how a fighter of that caliber would battle.

Even if Tsunade mobilized the power of Konoha to make up for the deficiency, it wouldn't work, because the "shortcoming" wasn't just Kurama Yakumo.

The supply of chakra energy is also of paramount importance. The biggest problem is not the quantity, but the need for stability and purity.

This thing is like a blood transfusion; it requires blood type matching. It's not something that can be maintained simply by the Hokage gathering the Konoha ninjas, refining their chakra, and giving it to Karin and Yakumo Kurama for free.

That's right. In terms of energy level, Jiraiya essentially cast an "infinite Tsukuyomi" on himself, or you could call it a "limited Tsukuyomi".

External forces to awaken him are actually a counterproductive approach. The truly effective method is to let Jiraiya in his dream realize that the world he is in is just a false plaything, and that is enough.

External simulations and internal pressure are both less effective than letting Jiraiya step out of the seemingly real but ultimately illusory virtual world.

To achieve your goal, you don't necessarily need to defeat or subdue Jiraiya; it's enough to make him doubt you.

There's a phrase from his previous life, "having a strong foundation and a promising future," which is quite fitting to describe Jiraiya. Even though he was pruned and regrown because of the damage to his branches, the soil in which his roots are planted hasn't changed. If the external sunlight environment also doesn't change much, it's foreseeable that the "new seedling" might look different from the original, but its general mindset will remain similar.

Given this, it was only a matter of time before Jiraiya, who seemed carefree but was actually diligent, meticulous, and tenacious in matters of importance, realized that the "incongruity" was inevitable.

Therefore, Tsunade's concern was not that Jiraiya might have some problems and not wake up, but that he should wake up as soon as possible so that the village would not appear so weak and unnecessary internal strife and external wars could be avoided.

"I understand your meaning. I will depart immediately!"

"Go ahead, don't be late. Konoha paid us. They were quick this time, no haggling. Good."

They probably realized that, as a unique business, the price is entirely determined by the seller.

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Silence returned to the room. After Kaguya and Kimimaro's group disappeared from sight, Kaguya, who had been silent until now, exclaimed in admiration:

"What a natural-born combat genius! If the other protected members of the clan discovered such a young man with outstanding combat power and even greater potential, they would probably all be tempted to take him down..."

The origins of the Otsutsuki clan were largely "planned" along the way. People like Kosugi Bokusui were not simply guided onto this path, but rather they drew upon the original power system to create their own future.

"Sometimes I wonder, when the ninja world... or rather, when the Sage of Six Paths made his great prophecies, did he foresee any unusual situations? Or perhaps, when the 'Chosen One' seemed most promising and certain, there were times when they would turn out unreliable? Shouldn't we prepare one or two 'backup plans'?"

When the topic of her son came up, Kaguya Otsutsuki's initially relaxed mood changed again.

"That guy... isn't really someone who plans things out carefully. In terms of combat, he might be a genius, but if we're being precise, in terms of awakening his Sharingan and advancing in rank, Hagoromo is undoubtedly stronger because his bloodline is purer. However, in a power level of the same rank, Indra might actually be on par with the Sage of Six Paths, and might even have a slight advantage..."

As for whether there are any other backup plans besides Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, Kimimaro Kaguya is the first choice and a very good "emergency backup" option.