16 Chapter 16: The Problem with Curly Hair

"That, uh-ha, is..."

Tatsuma absentmindedly scratched his stylishly explosive curls and remarked, "I heard that Jiraiya-sama developed Ninjutsu involving hair."

Upon catching wind of this, Jiraiya paused, casting a somewhat eager yet shy glance at Tatsuma. He queried, "Yes, are you interested in learning?"

"Cough, well, can I?"

Tatsuma felt a twinge of embarrassment. Given the limited interactions between him and Jiraiya, it felt audacious to be requesting Ninjutsu on their very first encounter. Tatsuma couldn't help but acknowledge the slight shamelessness and presumption in his request.

Jiraiya, however, didn't mind. He just laughed heartily. After all, the Ninjutsu he created for hair applications had not yet received much recognition, and he had even been criticized by Orochimaru in various ways.

"Haha, of course you can. It's not some profound or dangerous Ninjutsu. But... I'd like to ask, why do you want to learn my Ninjutsu?"

After the laughter, Jiraiya looked at Tatsuma seriously, hoping to hear words like "admiration," "powerful," and "handsome" from him. However, Tatsuma scratched his temple and said:

"Well, I've always struggled with my unruly curls. If I could use Ninjutsu to keep them in check, it would save me a lot of trouble in the mornings, you know?"

"Because of these natural curls, I'm interested in learning Ninjutsu related to hair to see if I can straighten them out."

Jiraiya's face, initially serious and filled with anticipation, suddenly stiffened. After a brief pause, he asked, "Is that the sole reason you want to learn my Ninjutsu?"

Worried that he might have given the wrong impression, Tatsuma hastily added, "Jiraiya-sama, you may not fully grasp how terrifying and troublesome natural curls can be. Take washing hair, for instance. If you don't wash it, the hair will expand the next day, just like mine now. But if you wash it and don't dry it in time, the hair will collapse and shine the next day, just like seaweed in seaweed soup."

"Even if you dry it in time, if you accidentally use the hairdryer with hot air, sharp corners will emerge from the hair, like hiding Shuriken in the hair. You have no idea how much I wish for smooth straight hair."

As Tatsuma spoke, Jiraiya began to feel increasingly sorrowful, as if Tatsuma was not describing his natural curls, but rather some incurable condition. However, Jiraiya quickly snapped back to reality, shook his head, and said, "It doesn't matter why you want to learn my Ninjutsu, but there's one thing I need to clarify upfront. My Ninjutsu may not straighten your hair, let alone make it smooth. Are you sure you still want to learn?"

Tatsuma chuckled, "Even if it doesn't give me smooth straight hair, if it can at least prevent my curls from turning into a ninja arsenal, I'd consider it a win. So, yeah, I'm in!"

Tatsuma contemplated his already achieved 15% Ninjutsu Development talent. Now, with a newfound willingness to put in the effort, he could already develop some E-rank Ninjutsu. Drawing inspiration from Jiraiya's Needle Jizo and Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu as a foundation, he believed that creating a Jutsu for smooth hair had a good chance of success. So, he nodded and said, "Yes, Jiraiya-sama, I want to learn your Ninjutsu for hair applications."

Jiraiya nodded and turned to Minato, asking, "Minato, why don't you learn it too?"

Originally intending to gauge the Ninjutsu learning talents of these two youngsters, Jiraiya was met with a momentary stun from Minato, followed by an excited response, "Jiraiya-sama, really? Thank you so much."

Jiraiya was pleased with the reactions of both, and he also understood why Minato was so excited. For Ninja from commoner backgrounds, any Ninjutsu, as long as it wasn't a joke or prank "Ninjutsu," was immensely precious.

"Ah-ha, the ramen is here. Let's eat first, and later we'll head to the training ground. I'll demonstrate for you, but when it comes to learning, you'll need to put in your own effort. I'll leave some scrolls with the principles and my insights for you, but I don't have much time to personally instruct you."

Tatsuma shook his head, saying, "We're already grateful that you're willing to teach us Ninjutsu."

Jiraiya accepted the ramen handed by the shop owner, smiled at the two, and remarked, "Ouch, it's really hot!"

In an instant, as Jiraiya flashed a smile, he accidentally got splashed by the hot noodle soup. Witnessing this, Tatsuma's eyes lit up, and he said, "Jiraiya-sama, even such a powerful ninja like you is afraid of getting burned? Let's have a little competition to see who can finish the ramen faster!"

Minato sighed, recognizing that his friend's peculiar competitive spirit had kicked in again. Jiraiya, still a bit dazed, didn't have time to recover before Tatsuma picked up the large bowl and started eating heartily.

"Careful, don't burn yourself, kid!"

Jiraiya warned, then used chopsticks to pick up the noodles, saying, "And besides, this old man won't lose to anyone! Ninja Art! Ramen Cooling Jutsu!"

Minato looked at Jiraiya in surprise. Could it be that this Jonin-sama also had a peculiar competitive spirit? However, Minato understood in the next moment that Jiraiya's so-called Ninja Art was simply blowing air toward the ramen to cool it down faster.

Before long, Tatsuma finished his ramen, let out a burp, and without even wiping his mouth, he looked at Jiraiya. Seeing Jiraiya still eating, Tatsuma breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"I must say, Jiraiya-sama, you're amazing. You can even practice Ninjutsu while eating ramen. However, I won this round!"

"Ding~ Talent[Ninjutsu+10], Special Talents[Emotional Expert (Jiraiya Limited Edition) 100%]"

Observing the popped-up information, Tatsuma got excited, especially with the appearance of Special Talents. However, after examining the Special Talents, he smirked and thought, "Pick up the Talent [Ninjutsu+10], skip the Special Talent."

Well, Jiraiya's romantic journey was truly hard to describe. In his prime, the young Jiraiya might not have known that for the next thirty-five years, he would never successfully pursue Tsunade. Perhaps the most likely instance was when, for the sake of the village and his disciples, he gave up the opportunity to escape from an adversary.

Such a Jiraiya was indeed touching, but Tatsuma didn't want his own romantic journey to mirror Jiraiya's. Therefore, even though they were limited Special Talents, Tatsuma chose to forgo them.

Moreover, being able to pick up a regular Talent with a ten-point limit already made Tatsuma happy. After all, their interaction was just a ramen-eating competition.

Indeed, Jiraiya was a good sensei, so generous even to two kids who hadn't officially become his students.

"Boss, the bill!"

After Minato finished eating, Jiraiya, in a grand gesture, covered the bill. Fortunately, ramen wasn't expensive, and the average cost per person was only sixty Ryo.

After settling the bill, Jiraiya stood up, stretched his body, and looked at the two excited kids with dark circles under their eyes. He smiled and said, "Let's go! I'll teach you Ninjutsu next!"

---- 

Check out my patreon for more advanced chapters patreon.com/HellGolt