Chapter 19: Working In Collusion

The following day, Yuto made an announcement that he was handing over the future teaching duties to Tsunade and promptly left the classroom without bothering about anyone's reactions. He headed to the back mountain and spotted a large tree with a 20-meter-tall trunk. Yuto inspected the tree and said to himself, "This tree should be tall enough for my training."

After receiving instructions from Senju Tobirama the previous day, Yuto planned to concentrate on improving his chakra control ability. He cut his physical and reaction training time in half and devoted the additional time to chakra control training.

Yuto believed that if his cell strengthening technique became successful, his body would become stronger even while he was resting. So, he found this training easy since it will enable him to learn ninjutsu if he had the required control. He was confident in his learning abilities and thought improving his control would be a piece of cake.

As he retreated more than ten meters, Yuto took a deep breath and sprinted towards the large tree. When he was about one meter away, he suddenly jumped, placed his feet firmly on the tree trunk, and then started running up the trunk. This was one of the techniques that Senju Tobirama had taught him, and it required him to generate an adsorption force on the big tree by controlling his chakra to attach to his feet. It allowed him to run on the tree trunk like a flat surface.

At the beginning, Yuto moved steadily, but his mindset gradually changed as he ascended. He became anxious as he got farther from the ground, worrying about what would happen if he slipped and fell. He estimated that he was currently about seven or eight meters above the ground. Yuto regretted not placing a cushion on the ground in case of a fall, as even if his body could withstand the impact, he would still suffer injuries.

His fear caused him to lose control of his chakra, which weakened his chakra's control. Eventually, Yuto lost control of the chakra beneath his feet. As the chakra dissipated, his body became lighter, he lost his balance, and fell straight down. With a loud thud, Yuto landed heavily on the ground.

Yuto clenched his teeth as he stood up, instinctively pounded his back, and let out a painful cry.

"Ouch! Falling from such a height really hurts. No, I need to create a cushion to protect myself."

He looked around and an idea immediately popped into his mind.

After a while, Yuto examined the simple leaf mat in front of him and smiled in satisfaction.

"Great, with this cushion, I can practice with more confidence now."

It's undeniable that Yuto seemed unburdened since he lost his fear. He made remarkable progress in just three hours. Yuto was now able to run up to a height of 19 meters, with only one meter left to complete the training.

Taking a deep breath in front of the big tree, Yuto charged towards it for the last time with all his might.

Approaching the trunk, he jumped and attached Chakra to his feet, and started running at high speed.

Feeling the wind whizzing past his ears, Yuto's heart gradually calmed down, and he only had his target in his sights.

Everything went smoothly, and when Yuto touched the treetop with his hands, it meant that he had successfully completed the training.

...

In the afternoon, after the training of the four, Yuto wrapped Orochimaru's wound while listening to Tsunade enthusiastically boasting about her teaching performance on the first day.

"Yuto, let me tell you, the students paid great attention to my lecture today, and they didn't even want to leave after class. They even urged me to keep talking. I had no choice but to continue for another two hours." She raised her head proudly, with a smug expression on her face.

Jiraiya, who was next to her, twitched.

This woman is too shameless. Are we supposed to act like we don't care? Yuto finished his lecture in an hour, but you had to talk for three hours. It's too long-winded.

Jiraiya didn't know how the others felt, but he missed the days when Yuto gave lectures.

Listening to Tsunade's boasting with a smile on his face, Yuto finally finished bandaging the wounds of the two. He clapped his hands and ended today's training.

Yuto and Jiraiya were alone after Tsunade left, and Yuto's expression suddenly changed.

Taking Jiraiya by surprise, Yuto tackled him to the ground.

Gripping Jiraiya's neck, Yuto glared at him with a serious expression. "Tell me the truth, what did you do last night?"

Jiraiya's face turned pale and he hesitated before quickly affirming Yuto's suspicions. Yuto shook his head in disappointment and yelled, "I can't believe you would do this to me. I thought we were like brothers. Buying a photo and pretending to be me? Have you lost your conscience?"

Jiraiya was horrified and asked, "How did you find out?"

Yuto explained his reasoning, "When the imposter saw me yesterday, he called me uncle. The only people who have been to my house recently are you and Tsunade. Tsunade doesn't seem like the type to buy photobooks, so that leaves you as the most likely suspect. And when I asked you, your immediate reaction confirmed it."

Jiraiya quickly caught on and exclaimed, "It was you who pretended to be Uncle Okatani last night!"

Yuto sneered, "You got that right! I'm your father"

Jiraiya was angry, "You tricked me, you jerk!"

"We're in this together."

After their scuffle, the two finally calmed down.

With their hair disheveled, the two looked at each other. Yuto glared at Jiraiya and said, "How could you do this to a friend? I wouldn't even dream of doing something like that to you!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, pursed his lips, and replied, "It's better than getting cheated on by you."

Yuto exploded in anger, yelling at Jiraiya, who continued to argue with him. "You fool! Do you realize that your actions increase the risk of exposing me? What if my dad finds out? If you want to find someone who won't talk much and doesn't have any interest in this area, then it's better not to go to the bookstore. That way, our risk of being exposed will be reduced. Do you understand, idiot?"

Jiraiya suddenly had an epiphany and realized that Yuto was speaking from experience. Yuto was relatively high-profile and had a high chance of being recognized. If someone recognized him, then the risk of exposing himself would increase. Therefore, they needed to find someone who was quiet and didn't talk much.

"Yuto...what if I use Orochimaru's face?" Jiraiya suggested.

Yuto was surprised at first, but then a sly smile appeared on his face. "I like the way you think."

The two looked at each other and let out a mischievous laugh.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru was walking towards their house when he suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. A sense of impending doom washed over him.