The Olwatu camp didn't have a "Ninja Academy," but it did have a rigorous training system designed to ensure the tribe's survival in a brutal world. Children learned from an early age how to navigate the jungle, identify trails, use rudimentary weapons, and understand the dangers around them. For Jiraiya, this "training" was a golden opportunity. Although the basic content was simple by shinobi standards, applying it with a child's body and in this unique environment was the perfect challenge.
He threw himself into his training activities with the seriousness of a veteran preparing for war, not the carelessness of a child playing. While other children practiced throwing small spears at stationary targets, Jiraiya studied the wind, the weight of the spear, and body posture, applying basic principles of physics and biomechanics he had learned (and taught) countless times. When the children climbed vines, he analyzed their footholds, weight distribution, and timing, recalling Konoha's agility and strength drills.
The results were soon evident. Jiraiya, the "Wanderer," despite having arrived seemingly inexperienced, was learning at an alarming rate. He quickly surpassed children his age in almost every discipline. His tracking ability was instinctive, combining Olwatu knowledge of local tracks and scents with his own techniques of terrain reading and sensory perception. His stealth was exceptional; he could slip through vegetation soundlessly, almost disappearing from view, something that even some adult hunters noted with surprise.
"The Wanderer moves like a shadow," a hunter commented to Kael one morning, after Jiraiya surprised them by silently appearing next to them during tracking practice.
Kael, watching Jiraiya's progress with a mixture of pride and bewilderment, just smiled. There was something in that boy's eyes, a depth and intelligence beyond his years. He saw the seriousness in his play, the concentration on his tasks, the way his body, though small, moved with an efficiency reminiscent of the tribe's most experienced warriors. It was as if he had the muscle memory of an ancient fighter trapped in a child's form.
Jiraiya, for his part, felt his body responding. The constant training, combined with the tribal diet and, perhaps, the world's own latent energy, was accelerating his physical growth and strengthening his muscles at an unusual rate. He felt a vitality that went beyond simple childhood energy. It was as if the "mold" of his adult shinobi body was imprinted in his cells, guiding his development.
He actively combined his knowledge. During hunting practice, he used camouflage and shinobi stalking techniques to approach wooden targets undetected. When throwing spears, he applied the rotation and momentum he used with a kunai or shuriken. When climbing, he used pressure points and balancing movements reminiscent of tree-walking training.
"Your way of moving... is different," Kael told Jiraiya one afternoon, as they practiced using a tribal weapon resembling a heavy boomerang. "Efficient. Like water that finds the easiest path."
"I learn from beasts, Kael-san," Jiraiya replied with a smile, a convenient excuse. "I watch how they move, how they attack." The truth was far more complex. He was applying an otherworldly martial art to the realities of this one.
While developing his physical and tribal survival skills, Jiraiya continued his secret experiments with the energy of this world. In his moments of solitude, he continued trying to sense it, to channel it. He noticed that physical training seemed to facilitate the connection. Constant exercise, awareness of his own body and surroundings, seemed to make the energy more accessible. He could feel its flow more clearly, differentiate the vibrations of different types of flora or rock formations.
His attempts at manipulation were still rudimentary, but no longer as chaotic. With concentration, he could make a small rock vibrate slightly or a leaf move without wind. It was minimal control, but it was progress. It confirmed his hypothesis that his native body was compatible with this energy and that the training was helping to unlock that potential.
The real test of the game came during controlled hunting trips, where the children accompanied the adults to learn. Jiraiya demonstrated exceptional skill in tracking small prey and leading the group (of children) toward it without alerting larger threats. On one occasion, they came across a nest of the aggressive insectoid creatures that had pursued him days before. While the other children panicked, Jiraiya, remaining calm, used his knowledge of the terrain and his enhanced agility to create a diversion that allowed the group (and himself) to retreat unharmed, without the need for direct combat. Kael, watching from afar, noticed him.
The tribe's admiration for the little Wanderer grew. He was no longer just the lost boy they had taken in; he was a valued member, one who showed unusual promise. Kael began to spend more time with him personally, teaching him the tribe's deepest secrets: how to predict Titan behavior based on subtle signs of nature, how to find the weak spots of certain large beasts, and how to harness the island's natural energy in ways the tribe understood spiritually, but which Jiraiya was beginning to interpret practically.
"The world speaks, Wanderer," Kael taught him, touching the earth. "You must learn to hear its voice, to feel its power."
Jiraiya listened, feeling the vibration beneath his feet, a vibration he now recognized as the wild energy of this world. He was learning to listen. He was taking the first steps toward mastering it. His childlike body was becoming that of a warrior, forged by two realities. The merging of their lives was underway. He was still a small warrior in a world of giants, but each day he became a little less fragile and a little more formidable. The next stage of his growth was ready to begin.
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