Malphegor
patreon
Naruto: IHCS Ch. 104
🕑 Added 2025-08-24 00:24:13 +0000 UTCThat familiar voice made Jiraiya's whole body tremble. He immediately turned around. All he saw was a figure running toward him along the coastline.
It was Shiratori. He waved his hand while running toward them.
[Reminiscence detected]
[Multiple sources: +3000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 12,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Choso]
[Development progress: 58.9%]
Nagato's red hair partly covered his eyes, but they widened slightly. He stared unblinkingly at Shiratori running toward them.
"...Shiratori!"
Konan's crying voice carried deep joy within it. Tears of happiness sparkled in her eyes, and a radiant smile bloomed on her face.
Seeing him rushing toward them, Jiraiya's lips curved into a gentle smile as well. Being able to properly say goodbye to these four before leaving, he was already satisfied.
Only Yahiko's expression was odd, caught between wanting to look and not wanting to look. He turned his face slightly to the side, but his pupils still couldn't help drifting toward Shiratori.
Seeing his figure coming closer and closer, Nagato couldn't resist stepping forward.
The next second, Shiratori pulled him into a deep embrace.
Nagato's pupils widened again, as he felt warmth that he hadn't felt in a long time.
"Nagato!"
"It's been so long!"
"I missed you so much!"
He patted Nagato's back.
[Affection detected: Nagato +5000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 23.5%]
The smile on his face grew even brighter. He released Nagato, then turned and hugged Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
"I missed you so much!"
He generously patted Jiraiya's back as well.
Jiraiya beamed, his eyes narrowing into slits from joy.
"I missed you too!"
"And I've heard quite a lot about you lately!"
Jiraiya gave him a mischievous wink.
Shiratori scratched his head shyly, lowering his gaze with embarrassment.
"Don't listen to rumors, Jiraiya-sensei. They're all fake!"
[Reminiscence detected: Jiraiya +3000 points]
[Energy transferred to Choso]
[Development progress: 59.2%]
Jiraiya just smiled without saying anything.
Rumors couldn't all be trusted, that much was true, but that didn't mean every rumor was false.
Some of them, he still chose to believe.
"Konan!"
Shiratori stretched his arms out toward her.
Konan let out a sob and hugged him tightly.
"It's so good..."
"You're back!"
"I was so worried about you!"
Konan's tears soaked into his clothes.
[Affection detected: Konan +5000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 24%]
His eyes curved into crescent shapes as he smiled.
Perfect. They were all steady sources to harvest from.
He gently wiped away Konan's tears.
Sweet words like these, he never grew tired of saying them.
"Konan, I missed you too."
She smiled back at him. As long as he came back safe and sound, that was enough.
Finally, he turned his gaze toward Yahiko.
"Yahiko..."
The moment he spoke, Yahiko immediately turned his back.
"D-Don't think that I... that I missed you!"
Yahiko shouted loudly, clearly trying to cover up his true feelings.
"..."
He stared at Yahiko's ears, which were turning redder and redder. It was hard to imagine what Yahiko's face must look like now.
"I know..."
He fixed his eyes on the back of Yahiko's head.
"I just want to say, whether or not you missed me, I really missed you."
Under the watchful eyes of Jiraiya, Konan, and Nagato, Yahiko's whole body flushed red to the point of turning purple.
[Affection detected: Yahiko +5000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 24.5%]
"Do you... want a hug?"
Shiratori kept staring at the back of Yahiko's head.
What a sight! Yahiko's head was practically steaming.
Jiraiya's face carried a kind and gentle smile.
"Uuuh..."
Yahiko let out a sob he couldn't suppress, then spun around and hugged him tightly.
The truth was, when he fought with Shiratori, his heart ached terribly. He had never actually wanted to fight. He had once been the one who understood him the best.
Why... why did he have to side with Hanzō?
But now, the old Shiratori was back. He didn't want to fight anymore, it hurt too much.
[Reminiscence detected: Yahiko +10,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Choso]
[Development progress: 60.2%]
Shiratori was almost strangled to death by Yahiko's hug.
What was worse, Yahiko didn't seem to have any intention of letting go.
Was this Yahiko's way of revenge?
Shiratori's eyes rolled back. He finally managed to wriggle free from Yahiko's grip. He sucked in a deep breath, filling his dried-up lungs with air again.
Yahiko, his head as red as a tomato, lightly patted his back.
"You okay?" he asked stiffly.
Shiratori took two deep breaths, then grinned, showing a row of white teeth.
"I'm fine. What could possibly be wrong? I was just drowned by your love, that's all. I could even go for another round."
He stretched out his arms toward Yahiko again.
The last bits of awkwardness in Yahiko's heart instantly vanished.
He couldn't help but smile, then punched Shiratori lightly on the shoulder.
"Who'd want to hug you a second time?"
Konan let out a laugh, "pfft," unable to hold it back.
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes as she watched them reconcile.
This was wonderful.
Truly wonderful!
He had come back. He and Yahiko had made peace. Everything was just so, so good.
"Now that you're back, I have something to tell you."
Jiraiya's hand landed gently on Shiratori's head.
He looked up at him and pressed his lips together.
"Jiraiya-sensei... are you leaving?"
Jiraiya raised his eyebrows in surprise, then quickly realized his growth. After all, he had been with Hanzō for nearly a year.
How could he not have matured?
Even if he had once been their enemy, Jiraiya had to admit, Hanzō truly was a formidable man.
"...Yes."
He nodded.
"Being able to say goodbye properly to you, it makes me very happy."
He spoke sincerely.
"Don't go making such gloomy faces!"
He ruffled the hair of both Shiratori and Yahiko.
"We'll have chances to meet again."
"Before I leave for real, though, let me test the results of your training!"
Jiraiya turned his eyes toward Shiratori.
"I'm especially curious to see your strength now."
Then he thought for a moment and added:
"But just to be clear, your cursed spirits aren't allowed to join in."
Hearing Jiraiya's reminder, Shiratori barely held back a smile and agreed with him: "Alright!"
He looked at Jiraiya.
"I would never use the power of cursed spirits against you."
Jiraiya's heart softened, and he smiled helplessly.
He was still just as kind as ever.
[Reminiscence detected: Jiraiya +2000 points]
[Energy transferred to Choso]
[Development progress: 60.4%]
Jiraiya created some distance between himself and the four students.
Looking at the four standing shoulder to shoulder, a smile rose at the corner of his lips:
"Attack me with all you've got! Pay attention to your coordination with each other!"
The damp sea breeze lifted the hem of Shiratori's clothes.
The grass, no higher than his ankles, swayed like ocean waves.
Compared with the tense, battle-ready Yahiko and the others, Jiraiya appeared far more relaxed.
He stood in place, arms folded, an easy smile on his face, yet his gaze was sharp as an eagle's.
Jiraiya knew both Shiratori and Nagato had extraordinary talent, but in just this short time, he believed they already possessed the potential to surpass him.
"Come on!"
"Attack me as if you intend to kill me! Let me see the extent of your combined strength!"
He had to push them into unleashing their true power.
Yahiko's nature destined him to be the first to act, seizing the initiative ahead of the others. He rushed toward Jiraiya, his hands flying through seals:
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A powerful stream shot out like a high-pressure water cannon straight at Jiraiya.
At the same time, Konan leapt lightly back, countless sheets of paper floating automatically around her. With her command, the paper instantly transformed into weapons sharper than kunai, whistling toward Jiraiya.
Meanwhile, Shiratori decided it was the perfect time to test out a technique he had long wanted to use.
His body moved.
His figure blurred in Jiraiya's sight, it was the Body Flicker Technique.
No, faster than that.
So fast it was nearly teleportation.
In a flash, he appeared at Jiraiya's rear flank.
Jiraiya was slightly startled, a flood of questions flashing through his mind.
How did he achieve this?
He couldn't believe that in such a short time, Shiratori had pushed his speed to such a terrifying level. But now wasn't the time for doubts. He quickly steadied his mind.
He had to admit, his speed only deepened his curiosity about his true strength.
Jiraiya's movements, however, did not slow down in the slightest.
He easily evaded Yahiko's Wild Water Wave.
At the same time, he exhaled blazing flames, incinerating Konan's paper weapons to ash.
A sudden gust of wind rushed from his side, black lightning burst before his eyes.
Shiratori's fist, wrapped in cursed energy, drove straight toward Jiraiya's ribs.
Seeing the black lightning exploding around that fist, Jiraiya knew at once that its power was far from ordinary. He didn't take it head-on. Instead, he instantly shifted his stance, swinging his leg in a whip-kick aimed at his chest.
But Shiratori gave him yet another surprise. He dodged Jiraiya's whip-kick.
Jiraiya's strike missed. Just as he was preparing to counter again, he suddenly saw him appear behind him, his fist driving toward his back.
This time, however, his fist carried no energy at all.
Jiraiya crossed his arms, blocking the strike head-on.
Bang!
He shook his tingling hands, a flicker of admiration flashing in his eyes.
Not bad strength.
Shiratori quickly pulled back, opening distance between himself and Jiraiya, while Yahiko and the others had already charged in.
As Jiraiya raised his hands again, a sudden sharp pain shot through his arms.
"What!"
He was taken aback.
Large bruises had already surfaced on the arm that blocked his punch. And that was after he had deliberately restrained his cursed energy.
Otherwise, to Jiraiya, who knew nothing about Divergent Fist, taking that blow head-on might well have blown his arm apart.
He immediately realized the true power behind what had looked like an ordinary punch.
It seemed he had underestimated Shiratori.
Excitement lit up in Jiraiya's eyes.
"Needle Jizō!"
In an instant, his white hair stiffened, sprouting wildly like countless sharp steel needles, forming a seamless defensive dome that wrapped around him and forced Yahiko's trio to back off.
In front of him, Shiratori's hands formed a unique seal.
Cursed energy surged through his body.
A pitch-black shadow spread out from beneath his feet, like ink spilled across the ground.
The shadow seemed to come alive, writhing violently as if something was struggling within. Suddenly, two enormous snakes lunged out of the shadow. From left and right, both opened their gaping maws and struck toward Jiraiya.
A strange light flashed in Jiraiya's eyes.
This was a summoning technique.
Could it be that he had already mastered summoning?
Jiraiya knew about his unusual aptitude with ninjutsu: even without a teacher, simply by watching, he could often learn them on his own.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
The two giant snakes cut off Jiraiya's retreat.
He formed seals.
A blazing fireball spewed from his mouth, blasting straight at the serpents.
Yahiko shouted, forming seals once more:
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A massive water dragon rose from the sea, roaring as it surged at the fireball.
Thick steam instantly filled the air.
At the same time, countless sheets of paper gathered into long spears in midair, thrusting toward Jiraiya's back. And still the two massive snakes closed in.
Faced with the pincer attack, Jiraiya laughed loudly:
"Now this looks like teamwork!"
Yet he showed not the slightest hint of panic. His hands blurred, moving so fast they left only afterimages.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A solid wall of stone erupted from the ground beneath him. The snakes' venomous fangs sank deep into the wall.
He slipped past the paper spears from behind, kicking Nagato away.
But Shiratori's figure had somehow already appeared atop the earthen wall.
He inhaled deeply, then exhaled a wave of cursed energy so frigid it stung the lungs.
Frost instantly spread under Jiraiya's feet, racing toward his legs. The moment his toes brushed the ground, a bone-chilling cold shot up through him.
The ice crept rapidly toward his ankles.
He leaped back immediately.
When had Shiratori learned Ice Release?
That was a bloodline limit!
Could he even replicate bloodline limits now?
That was far too terrifying!
