Fueled by the awe-inspiring sight of the Kong family and the echo of power he felt near the mountains, Jiraiya continued his journey across the rugged terrain. The biomes continued to shift, transitioning from rocky slopes to wetter, densely forested valleys that wound between the peaks. The air, though cool from the altitude, was charged with the primal intensity of the island's energy.
For several days, he traveled alone, applying the survival lessons he had learned from the Olwatu and the Aethel, adapting them to new threats. He avoided the obvious paths of the larger beasts, moving through the undergrowth with a mix of shinobi stealth and the arboreal agility of the Aethel. He practiced his control of wild energy in secret, finding that in higher elevations, closer to rock formations that resonated with power, the energy felt more... accessible, if also more volatile. He managed, with great effort, to make small boulders levitate for longer periods of time and to make the energy sphere in his hand (his adapted Rasengan) hold its shape for almost a full minute before dissipating with a hiss.
It was while following the course of a river that wound its way into a deep canyon that he found the guardians of those lands. It was not a village, but a small group of natives who lived in caves carved into the cliff. They were fewer in number than the Olwatu or the Aethel, but their presence exuded a stillness and hardness that suggested a deep adaptation to an unforgiving environment. Their skin was tanned like old leather, and their bodies were lean but incredibly strong. They wore rudimentary armor made of the bones and chitinous plates of giant beasts. They were the "Koshun"—the people of the Canyon.
He approached them with the same caution he had learned, silently demonstrating his tracking skills by pointing out a nearby danger they had overlooked (a nest of venomous reptilian creatures). His proficiency in stealth and his ability to detect beast energy gained their attention. The leader of the Koshun, an elderly, muscular man named 'Gron', with scars that told tales of countless battles, regarded him with an inscrutable gaze before nodding in acceptance.
The Koshun didn't talk much, but they taught through action. They were hunters of the larger beasts that inhabited the canyons and mountain slopes, creatures the Olwatu and the Aethel actively avoided. Their training wasn't for children; it was for warriors who lived on the edge.
Jiraiya, now a young adult by his body count, joined them on their hunts. It was training far more rigorous than anything he'd experienced with the Olwatu. They taught him to read the Lesser Titans' signs on the terrain with chilling accuracy: the way the rocks wore away, the scent of their breath in the air, the echo of their footsteps in the valleys. They showed him how to use rock formations and caves to set ambushes, how to move across the vertical terrain to gain an advantage, and how to exploit the few weaknesses of armored beasts.
"Brute strength isn't enough against these things, Wanderer," Gron growled once, as they watched a "Rockbreaker," a gigantic rhinoceros-like creature with stone skin, tear down trees with ease. "You must be the wind. The shadow. Finding the chink in their armor."
Jiraiya absorbed each lesson, weighing it against his own knowledge. Koshun stealth wasn't just about hiding; it was about becoming part of the rocky environment. Their ambush tactics were reminiscent of ANBU infiltration operations, but on a much larger scale and against brutally powerful opponents. He applied his knowledge of anatomy (both human and toad summoning) to identify the vital spots of the beasts of this world, guided by the experience of the Koshun.
In combat, he learned to utilize wild energy in more practical ways rather than just attempting jutsus. Gron taught him to infuse the energy into his weapons (primitive, but incredibly sharp spears and axes), causing them to glow with an amber aura and strike with destructive force. Jiraiya adapted this, infusing the energy directly into his fists and legs to power his taijutsu strikes. A punch charged with wild energy could splinter the armored hide of a lesser beast.
He also learned to use energy defensively. The Koshun had a ritual that seemed to create a temporary barrier by infusing energy into bone shields. Jiraiya experimented, trying to concentrate the energy around his own body to harden his skin or deflect attacks. It was incredibly difficult and required total concentration, but in moments of desperation, he managed to create a tenuous force field that mitigated the impact of a blow or a lunge.
Hunts with the Koshun were brutal. They faced large beasts that would have required a squad of jōnin back in their world. There were moments of intense danger, where lives hung in the balance. Jiraiya used his speed and agility to dodge massive attacks, his intelligence to predict the beasts' movements, and his budding energy abilities to land critical hits or create diversions.
It was during the hunt for a "Cave Eater," a massive, sightless creature that inhabited the depths of the canyon, that Jiraiya decisively proved his worth. The beast ambushed them in a dark tunnel, its jaws equipped with rows of dagger-like teeth. As the Koshun struggled to contain it in the cramped space, Jiraiya, utilizing his ability to sense the creature's energy and applying an adapted form of Hermit Mode (absorbing and channeling the energy of the rocky canyon itself), focused all of his strength and energy into a single blow. With a youthful roar yet filled with primal power, he launched an energy-infused punch directly into an exposed weak spot he had noticed in the beast's anatomy. The impact echoed through the canyon, and the creature fell, defeated.
Gron and the other Koshun looked at him with a mixture of awe and something close to respect. They had never seen anyone channel the earth's energy in this way, not without the shamanic rituals of other tribes. Jiraiya had done it through sheer will and an intuitive understanding forged through experimentation.
"The Wanderer... isn't just shadow and wind," Gron said slowly, his voice raspy. "He has the strength of rock as well."
This experience solidified his place among the Koshun for a time. They taught him more, sharing their intimate knowledge of the mountainous terrain and the dangers it held. They spoke less of spirits and legends, and more of practical tactics and the behavior of the beasts, including subtle signs that indicated the proximity of the Great Apes.
His "perverted research" found fewer direct opportunities among the austere Koshun, but Jiraiya, ever adaptable, focused on "documenting" the tribe's social dynamics and the complex (and often brutal) mating interactions between the mountain beasts, further expanding his mental catalog of "material."
Jiraiya had spent considerable time with the Koshun, honing his combat and survival skills against formidable opponents. He had fused shinobi discipline with the brutal efficiency of the mountain hunters, and his control over the island's wild energy had improved significantly, especially in its direct, physical application. He was better equipped to face the challenges of the core regions and, more importantly, to seek out the being that resonated with the power of the mountain itself: Father Mountain. The lessons in hunting and advanced survival had transformed him from a castaway into a formidable warrior of this world.
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