Chapter 30: The Power of Space-Time, and Making Orochimaru Suffer Again
"So you're giving me something even you can't use?"
The next day, at the training ground near Konoha's central district—
Kitagawa Gen stared at Jiraiya with an expression that mimicked Kakashi's signature dead-fish eyes, while Jiraiya scratched his head, looking sheepish.
Truth be told, Jiraiya had never wanted to take on this job. But the old man—Hiruzen Sarutobi—had dumped it on him and washed his hands of the matter. The reason? "I need to focus on Konoha."
Jiraiya had no choice but to comply. As much as he constantly grumbled and called Sarutobi "old geezer," when it came down to it, he always followed through.
Rubbing his spiky white hair, Jiraiya forced out a few awkward laughs to lighten the mood before finally saying,
"It's not that big a deal. Just give it a try. When Minato was learning this jutsu, I wasn't much help either… but he still managed to pull it off. Oh right—Minato was the Fourth Hokage."
"…But this really makes you look irresponsible," Gen replied with exasperation. "You said you'd teach me, and now you're just throwing this at me like it's some kind of hand-me-down…"
"Alright, alright! Enough already!" Jiraiya grumbled, clearly getting annoyed. After a pause, he added,
"Just study the scroll carefully. Whether you manage to learn it or not, I'll still teach you something special afterward."
Special?
Gen raised a brow. The first thing that came to mind was Senjutsu—Sage Techniques.
No doubt about it, Senjutsu was powerful. He'd even tried it against Uchiha Obito once using a shadow clone, and the result had been impressive. If Obito hadn't dodged in time with his Sharingan, that attack might've taken his head clean off.
Still, he was worried. The Great Toads of Mount Myōboku weren't exactly clueless… what if they sensed something off?
But for now, it was best not to overthink it.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama," Gen said, keeping things polite for now. He had no desire to be pestered later with a "Did you even thank me?"
"Do your best, kid," Jiraiya said with a satisfied nod. Then his expression dimmed a little.
"This jutsu was created by the Second Hokage. So far, only he and the Fourth have been able to truly master it. As for the others…" he trailed off with a shake of his head.
He didn't want to burden Gen with unnecessary pressure, so he didn't say more.
"Don't force yourself. Just go at your own pace."
"Got it," Gen nodded, eyeing the scroll with some confusion. So this is how little faith he has in me…
"If there's nothing else, I'll head out," Jiraiya said, patting Gen on the shoulder. He lowered his voice a bit.
"Pay close attention. The scroll will self-destruct after reading—don't try to copy it. If you really can't remember something, go find the old man. Got it?"
"Yeah."
Gen knew the rules. That much was simple.
"Oh right—how's Kakashi doing?" he asked suddenly.
"He's much better. Honestly, he's more clear-headed than I am at this point," Jiraiya replied, shaking his head with a self-deprecating laugh.
"But hey, every generation outshines the last. Anyway, this sage is off."
With a wave of his hand, Jiraiya turned and walked off with his usual flair. Gen tucked the scroll away and murmured to himself:
Looks like just passing information second-hand won't cut it. I'll have to go a step further.
Trying to get someone else to explain Obito's situation to Kakashi was a good experiment—but ultimately a failure. The system didn't recognize it as complete. Or maybe, Kakashi needed to confirm it for himself.
Which made sense. Anyone would have a hard time believing something so outrageous unless they saw it with their own eyes.
"Whatever. Focus on this for now. This is space-time ninjutsu we're talking about!"
Space-Time Jutsu.
No one in their right mind would pass on that.
Sure, the Flying Thunder God had its flaws—like requiring seals to teleport to—but let's be real: elite opponents weren't stupid. Top-tier ninjas had absurd reaction speeds. Just look at Minato almost getting countered by Ay and Killer Bee.
Still, the technique wasn't something you choose to use or not. It was purely a matter of whether you could learn it.
Also… aren't the Ōtsutsuki naturally tied to space-time powers?
As he walked home, Gen thought back.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, of course, was all about dimensions.
Momoshiki had space-jumping abilities—even if he didn't use them much.
Urashiki had the Yomotsu Hirasaka, not to mention time-reversal techniques.
And the strongest of them, Isshiki—his entire personal dimension held a Ten-Tails beast!
So… do these space-time powers come with evolution, or are they part of the Ōtsutsuki's Kekkei Mōra?
Gen wasn't entirely sure. But either way, he was definitely going to give it a shot.
---
Meanwhile, at Konoha's Root Base—
Shimura Danzō sat in the shadows, going over intel his agents had recently sent back. With some of his authority restored, he couldn't deny the pleasure he felt. Losing his position had been a bitter pill to swallow.
Not that it had stopped him from acting in secret anyway…
But mere scraps of power weren't enough for him.
His ambition had never changed. He still wanted to be Hokage.
"The Mist is becoming more and more fractured—could break into civil war at any moment?" he muttered, reviewing a scroll.
Say what you will about Danzō—he might've been a bastard, but he was effective. His intel network spanned the entire ninja world. Even after trying to assassinate Hiruzen, the Third Hokage still chose to let him live—likely due to their long-standing bond.
But it could've also been because of Danzō's usefulness.
"So, Obito and his organization are being hired by one of the Mist's factions to strike the other?" Danzō theorized aloud.
He didn't care about internal conflict in the Mist Village. In fact, he hoped it tore itself apart.
"Hmph. And Uchiha Itachi… always claiming to be a Konoha spy, yet never bringing back a shred of useful intel!"
He scoffed again.
"Hiruzen really is old… soft-hearted to the core. That kind of threat should've been dealt with long ago. And that Obito…"
Danzō's visible eye gleamed with greed as he muttered the name.
Uchiha Obito.
The truth behind the Nine-Tails attack ten years ago.
A Sharingan user… possibly with a Mangekyō.
And that made Danzō's desire burn even brighter.
He'd already received some of Hashirama Senju's cells from Orochimaru, and he knew those cells were hard to control. But Sharingan… Sharingan could help suppress them.
He didn't know the science behind it—Orochimaru hadn't shared that much—but the results were undeniable.
And that made him want Obito's eye even more.
"If I could just get my hands on that Mangekyō…"
Danzō stared at the intel for a long while, deep in thought.
Then a new idea crept into his mind.
"What if I helped the Mist spiral further into chaos? That might give my people a chance to strike…"
A Mangekyō Sharingan like Obito's was too valuable to ignore. Even though that night, he'd seen Obito's terrifying abilities with his own eyes, he was still willing to take the risk.
Exposure?
The Root operatives wouldn't expose anything. And framing the Mist was child's play.
At worst, they'd just gather more intel and prepare for the future.
"If that's the case, I need to get Jiraiya out of the picture. He'd definitely head for the Mist if something big happens…"
A chilling glint appeared in Danzō's eye.
"Which means… it's time to make Orochimaru suffer a bit more."