Chapter 15:
– Blake –
By the time we wrapped up training, I was sweating buckets, and my muscles felt heavy.
Lee and Neji were sprawled on the ground. Even with how eager they'd been, I'd probably pushed them harder than they'd expected. Getting zapped over and over was obviously not easy for them.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, breathing heavily myself. "You two alright?" I asked, watching Neji slowly sit up.
Neji nodded, his face serious as always, though I caught the slight wince when he stood. "Fine. Your lightning hits harder than I anticipated. I'll have to adjust my rotation more to block all of it. I need to spin even faster...."
Lee, however, sprang up energetically—despite being singed from my attacks—and pumped his fist. "That was amazing, Blake-san! Next time, I swear I'll dodge every strike!"
I chuckled, shaking my head. Lee's spirit really was endless. "Good luck with that."
Guy stepped forward, clapping Lee on the shoulder and giving me an approving thumbs-up. "Excellent work today, Blake! Your youthful lightning truly ignited the flames in my team's hearts!" he said that line with a completely straight face.
"Thanks, Guy-sensei," I said, still breathing a bit heavily. I glanced down at my clothes, grimacing. They were soaked in sweat, dirt, and bits of grass clinging everywhere. I couldn't exactly walk around the village looking like this. "Any good places around here I can clean up?"
Guy's grin grew wider, and he shot me another enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Of course! Konoha has the finest hot springs in all the shinobi nations! It's the perfect place to rejuvenate after training!"
Lee immediately perked up, eyes practically sparkling. "Sensei! May we go too? Experiencing a youthful soak with Blake-san would surely inspire us!"
Guy crossed his arms, shaking his head firmly. "No, my precious pupil! Your training isn't done yet! You still have five hundred laps around the village left!"
Lee deflated instantly, shoulders slumping in defeat. Neji closed his eyes, sighing deeply, while Tenten quietly groaned behind them.
I laughed softly, almost feeling bad for the poor kids. Almost. "Good luck with those laps," I teased lightly.
Lee straightened again, renewed determination filling his expression. "Yes! We'll complete our laps with youthful vigor! Enjoy your soak, Blake-san!"
I waved at them and then leaped onto a rooftop, heading in the direction Guy had pointed. Moving at a more leisurely pace across the rooftops was surprisingly relaxing. I took in the sights of the bustling streets below, full of merchants setting up stalls for the Chunin Exams, and ninjas moving quickly on various errands. It felt peaceful in its own way.
Eventually, I spotted the hot springs, marked by tall wooden walls and a big sign.
Inside, an older woman behind the reception desk greeted me with a warm smile. Her gaze lingered briefly, clearly appreciating the view my sweaty clothes gave her. "Good afternoon, dear. One bath?"
"Yes, please," I replied politely, sliding a few coins Tsunade gave me across the counter.
She nodded, handing me a towel and motioning toward the changing area. "Men's baths are through that door. Take your time and enjoy."
I gave her a grateful nod and headed into the changing room, quickly stripping off my clothes. The air felt cool against my bare skin as I wrapped the towel around my waist and stepped into the main bath area.
The sight alone made me sigh in relief. It was quiet except for the soft trickle of water, and thankfully, empty. Having some peace was exactly what I needed.
I discarded my towel, setting it on a nearby rock, and stepped slowly into the steaming hot water. My muscles instantly relaxed, tension melting away with each passing second. I closed my eyes, leaning back against the warm stones, letting out a long, satisfied groan.
"Now this," I murmured to myself, "is nice."
The warmth enveloped me completely, washing away stress, fatigue, and worries. For a little while, I could just forget about everything.
After several blissful minutes, my thoughts drifted lazily back to Tsunade and Shizune. I hoped their day at the hospital wasn't too rough. Knowing Tsunade, she'd probably punched at least one incompetent doctor by now.
And then there was Konan. I had no idea what she and her old teacher Jiraiya might be discussing, but hopefully, nothing troublesome came from it. At least she'd seemed genuinely happy for the reunion, despite her nervousness.
I smiled to myself, sinking deeper into the soothing heat, letting it wash over me. Whatever came next, I'd handle it. But for now, this was all that mattered. Just me, a hot bath, and the silence of a peaceful afternoon.
Then, unexpectedly, I heard a man's voice giggling from nearby…
For fuck's sake…
I opened my eyes, irritated. Who giggled like that in a public bath? I stood up slowly, water dripping down my skin as I wrapped the towel securely around my waist. I stepped carefully out of the water, heading toward the far end of the hot spring to investigate.
As I reached the other side, the sight before me stopped me dead in my tracks. A fully clothed man with long, spiky white hair stood atop a giant red-and-orange toad. He was peering shamelessly through a hole in the wall into the women's baths.
Something inside me snapped. Before meeting Tsunade, Shizune, and Konan, I wasn't exactly a master of relationships—but even at my lowest point in my old shitty life, I would never stoop so low as this creep.
"Hey!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the quiet hot spring. "Knock it off, you perverted bastard!"
The older man spun lazily around on top of the toad, clearly annoyed by my interruption. He eyed me up and down dismissively. "Piss off, brat. Can't you see I'm conducting very important research here?"
I scowled, feeling disgusted. "Research? You mean peeping at women who don't even know you're there? That's disgusting."
He rolled his eyes dramatically, muttering under his breath, "Freaking white knights always ruining the mood."
With a dismissive wave, the man snapped his fingers. "Get rid of him, Gama."
The giant toad beneath him opened its enormous mouth, launching a massive tongue straight at me. Pure instinct kicked in. My hands shot up, lightning sparking from my fingertips despite my exhaustion.
"Back off!" I shouted, firing a burst of electricity at the toad's tongue.
The creature let out a loud yelp of pain, the crackling electricity zapping its tongue and making its entire body twitch violently. With a puff of white smoke, the toad vanished entirely, leaving the perverted old man suspended comically in midair.
"Wha—?!" the man yelped, suddenly realizing there was nothing supporting him. He crashed to the ground, landing squarely on his ass with a loud grunt.
I took a step closer, glaring down at him with anger and disgust. "Serves you right, creep."
He sat up slowly, rubbing his lower back with a grimace. He glared up at me, annoyance clear in his expression. "You little punk! Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Nope," I replied flatly. "And honestly, I don't care."
His jaw dropped dramatically, as if he'd never heard something more offensive in his entire life. "Unbelievable! I'm Jiraiya, the great Toad Sage! Legendary Sannin of Konoha!"
I folded my arms, completely unimpressed. "Well, Jiraiya, legendary or not, that doesn't give you the right to spy on women."
He stood, dusting himself off, still glaring at me indignantly. "It's research for my novels, brat! And they sell thousands of copies!"
I stared at him, realization dawning on me. This was Konan's old teacher—the pervert Tsunade had warned me about. Suddenly, I understood why Tsunade always rolled her eyes whenever she talked about him…
"Wait a second," I muttered, annoyance rising even higher. "You're Konan's old teacher, aren't you?"
His eyes widened in surprise. "You know Konan?"
"Yeah, I know Konan," I said sharply, feeling my annoyance spike. "The question is, why aren't you with her right now? She's been waiting nervously for you back at the Senju compound!"
Jiraiya blinked at me, looking genuinely confused for a second. "She is? Well, I mean—I was gonna head over there eventually." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "But first things first. Who the hell are you, anyway?"
I glared at him, irritation rising even more. Konan had been on edge all morning, anxiously pacing around the compound. She hadn't said much about what she'd done in her past, but it was obvious she was worried about Jiraiya's reaction. Tsunade, Shizune, and I had carefully avoided prying into her personal business, figuring it was something Konan needed to face on her own. Yet here this so-called "legendary teacher" was, wasting his time spying on women instead of checking in on his long-lost student.
I folded my arms, meeting Jiraiya's stare head-on. "My name is Blake Himejima. I'm Konan's friend. Oh, and by the way—I'm also dating Tsunade and Shizune."
Jiraiya's jaw dropped, his eyes going wide in disbelief.
…Then he threw back his head and burst out laughing, the sound echoing obnoxiously through the bath. "Yeah, sure you are, kid!" he said, still laughing. "I'll admit Tsunade has always been a sucker for a pretty face, but even she wouldn't stoop so low as to date someone like you!"
I felt my pride take a hit, anger simmering under my skin. "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means," Jiraiya sneered, his laughter fading into an arrogant smirk, "that Tsunade would never waste her time with a weakling who isn't even a ninja."
My jaw clenched, and I scoffed at his arrogance.
This attitude again.
It seemed like most shinobi I'd met thought themselves superior to regular people, conveniently forgetting that without civilians, they wouldn't even have jobs. Still, arguing with this perverted jerk wasn't worth my time.
"Whatever," I said sharply, turning my back to him. "I don't owe you an explanation or proof. Just get your ass over to the Senju compound already and meet up with Konan. She's been anxiously waiting all day."
Jiraiya clicked his tongue, sounding annoyed. "I'll get around to it later. And who the hell are you to give me orders, brat?"
I scoffed again, shaking my head in disgust as I started walking away. There was no point in reasoning with this guy. My relaxing bath was ruined anyway, so I figured I might as well go hang out with Konan and let her know exactly what had been keeping her old sensei busy all this time.
'I'm sure she'll be thrilled…' I thought sarcastically.
I barely took two steps when my instincts suddenly screamed at me to move. Tsunade's relentless training sessions had paid off—I was finally developing a sense for danger. And right now, it felt like alarm bells ringing in my head.
"I didn't say you could leave, brat!" Jiraiya shouted furiously. "You need to be punished for telling stupid lies about Tsunade!"
Before I could turn around, I sensed a powerful rush of chakra behind me. I knew immediately that dodging on foot was impossible, this was one of the strongest ninjas in the world coming straight at me.
My body moved on instinct, and my four black fallen-angel wings burst from my back, flaring out with a powerful gust of wind as I rocketed upward, narrowly avoiding Jiraiya's fist.
The Sannin stumbled forward, eyes wide in shock, staring up at me hovering in midair. He blinked, clearly stunned by my wings popping out of nowhere.
"What the hell!?" he shouted, pointing at my wings. "What kind of bloodline is that supposed to be?"
"None of your damn business!" I shouted back down at Jiraiya, hovering in midair with my four wings spread wide.
He glared up at me suspiciously, eyes narrowed. "I've never heard of anyone from our village with black wings! That's exactly the kind of weird crap Orochimaru would come up with. You're some kind of spy, aren't you?"
I stared at him flatly, almost in disbelief. "Are you an idiot?"
"Nice try, spy!" Jiraiya shouted, quickly weaving hand signs. My eyes widened as he drew in a deep breath and unleashed a massive fireball directly toward me.
I immediately shot upward, the flames roaring past where I had just been floating. Heat scorched my skin, but just when I thought I'd cleared the attack, sudden sharp pain flared through my thigh. I cursed loudly, glancing down to see a kunai lodged deeply in my leg. Blood ran freely down my skin, staining the towel wrapped around my waist.
Part of me screamed that I should just flee, find Tsunade, and sort this whole mess out, but my pride wouldn't allow it.
This idiot had attacked first and humiliated me enough already. Anger and adrenaline surged through my veins, and I extended my palm, summoning a dark-blue Lightspear that crackled aggressively with holy lightning.
"Eat this, asshole!" I yelled, hurling the spear toward Jiraiya with all the force I could muster.
The toad sage dodged easily, leaping out of the way and giving me a cocky smirk—but I had anticipated his move. The spear exploded the moment he passed it, sending violent arcs of lightning ripping through the air. Jiraiya yelped, diving frantically to the side. The attack narrowly missed him, but his spiky white hair got singed at the ends, smoking lightly.
"Damn, kid!" Jiraiya growled, eyes narrowing further as he rose back to his feet. "Looks like Orochimaru juiced you up even more than his usual freaky experiments. I'll enjoy interrogating you thoroughly about everything you know!"
He started weaving another set of rapid hand signs, preparing another attack, when a sudden flicker of movement caught my eye. A paper talisman flew through the air, landing directly at Jiraiya's feet. His eyes widened, and he dove backward just as it exploded violently, releasing powerful arcs of lightning.
My heart skipped a beat. That technique looked exactly like Onmyoujutsu—something I hadn't seen since my mother had been alive. My gaze shot downward just in time to see a figure land gracefully on the ground below me.
It was Anbu Raven.
I couldn't see her face but I could feel the anger leaking off of her. Two more glowing talismans appeared between her fingers.
"If you continue to threaten him," she warned coldly, "I will be forced to kill you, Jiraiya-sama."
Jiraiya clicked his tongue, glaring furiously at Raven. "Another spy for Orochimaru? Fine by me! I'll root out every single one of you bastards!"
Anbu Raven didn't hesitate. The moment Jiraiya finished speaking, she flicked two more paper talismans directly at him.
He jumped back quickly as they exploded, electricity crackling through the air. Without missing a beat, he launched another volley of shuriken toward her, each blade obviously infused with chakra and flying faster than I could follow.
Raven gracefully leaped sideways, dodging easily before retaliating with another sharp wave of her hand. Three more talismans shot forward.
Jiraiya quickly countered by summoning a wall of earth from the ground, shielding himself as lightning erupted violently around him. "Damn spies!" he yelled furiously, leaping atop his makeshift barrier. "I'll drag both of you back to Ibiki myself!"
I gritted my teeth, anger simmering as pain shot through my thigh. The kunai was embedded deep, blood running freely down my leg and onto the stone ground. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing while Raven fought to protect me.
Summoning another Lightspear into my palm, I hurled it at Jiraiya with as much strength as I could muster. "Hey, asshole! Stop ignoring me!"
He glanced toward me, eyes widening briefly before leaping clear of my attack.
As expected, the spear exploded, lightning sparking wildly in every direction, forcing him further away from Raven. But the recoil of throwing the spear made me stumble, the pain in my leg intensifying so badly that I nearly collapsed. "Fuck!"
Raven glanced back at me briefly, worry evident even through her mask. "Aki–I mean Blake, don't push yourself! I'll handle this!"
"I can't let you fight alone," I growled through clenched teeth, forcing myself upright despite the pain. I wasn't about to stand by while someone else took risks for me.
Around us, the hot spring guests had clearly noticed the chaos unfolding. Panicked voices rang through the air, mingled with the sound of hurried footsteps and shouts for help.
"What the hell is going on!?" a man yelled from somewhere nearby. "Someone call the ANBU!"
"Isn't that the pervert Jiraiya!?" a woman shrieked. "Why is he attacking people here!?"
Raven cursed quietly, clearly aware that things were escalating quickly. She moved swiftly, flinging another powerful talisman toward Jiraiya. He responded by launching a massive water dragon toward her, roaring as it crashed violently into the spot she'd just occupied. She narrowly avoided the strike, landing gracefully beside me.
"This is getting out of control," she said sharply, quickly assessing my injury. "We need to get you out of here now."
"I'm fine," I lied, wincing as my leg throbbed. "We can beat this old pervert if we—"
A sudden burst of flame narrowly missed us, scorching the ground nearby and interrupting my bravado. Raven immediately pushed me behind her, shielding me from Jiraiya's attack. She whipped another handful of talismans forward, creating a protective barrier that absorbed the fiery jutsu easily.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Jiraiya shouted angrily, leaping into the air. "I'm taking you both down!"
Raven met his gaze calmly, but her body was tense, ready for whatever came next. "If you harm him, you'll regret it deeply," she warned.
He scoffed dismissively, weaving rapid hand signs for another powerful attack.
Before I could react, Raven grabbed my arm firmly. "Forgive me, Blake-sama. But we need backup immediately."
Raven was just about to drag me out of there when backup arrived by itself.
Dozens of paper bombs sliced through the air, forming a tight circle around Jiraiya and hovering dangerously close to his body. His eyes widened, recognition dawning instantly.
"Sensei," came a familiar, firm voice from above, filled with barely-contained anger.
I looked up in surprise as Konan gracefully descended toward us on pure white paper wings. Her expression softened when she glanced at me, worry clear in her amber eyes, but quickly hardened into fury as she turned to face Jiraiya.
XXX
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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters on there:
The Fallen Gamer ch 326-330
The Fox Hole 74
The Blood Queen 42
(New Worm Story) A Systematic Tale: The Hero 3
The Fox Hole 74
(New Worm Story) A Systematic Tale: The Hero 2
(New Worm Story) A Systematic Tale: The Hero 1
Thunder and Black Wings 17
The Fox Hole 73
The Fox Hole 72
The Blood Queen 41
The Fox Hole 71
Thunder and Black Wings 16
The Fox Hole 70
The Blood Queen 40