Naruto's Home

Jiraiya immediately burst into laughter, turned around, leaped up, and struck what he thought was his signature cool pose.

"Ha ha ha, kid, how could you possibly scare me? I'm the legendary white-haired Toad Sage from Mount Myōboku! The great Jiraiya, known as one of the 'Three Ninja'! How could I be scared by a little brat like you? It was just the wasabi stinging my eyes."

Naruto leaned against the doorstep, looking at the odd white-haired uncle with nerves of steel before him. He picked his nose, his gaze filled with disdain.

"Huh? Even the legendary Toad Sage gets his eyes stung by wasabi?"

Jiraiya looked at the little fellow in front of him. He seemed to have inherited Minato's appearance, but his personality was more like Kushina's.

"This was merely an accident. Now I'll let you see how formidable the legendary Toad Sage is."

"What's so formidable about you? Hmph."

Naruto pouted. Though his words were dismissive, the anticipation in his eyes gave him away.

"Teuchi, another extra-large deluxe chashu ramen for this kid. I'll treat him to a bowl too."

Jiraiya raised his right thumb toward Naruto, flashing eight teeth as a confident smile appeared on the Toad Sage's face, as if he were saying, "See how amazing I am? Hurry up and sing this sage's praises."

Naruto immediately jumped up in delight.

"Yay! Just as expected of the Toad Sage! You're amazing!"

Then he promptly sat down in the empty seat beside Jiraiya.

With his back to Jiraiya and Naruto, Uncle Teuchi added another large portion of ramen to the boiling pot, the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifting.

Before long, the two bowls of ramen were ready and placed in front of Jiraiya and Naruto.

"Two extra-large deluxe chashu ramens, ready! Today's special: one braised egg each, on the house."

As he spoke, Teuchi also gave the two of them a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Uncle Teuchi!"

Naruto looked at the lavish bowl of ramen before him, swallowing his saliva with an eager expression.

Jiraiya watched Naruto from the side, his heart filled with indescribably complicated emotions.

"Hmph, kid, why aren't you thanking me, the Toad Sage?"

Naruto picked up his chopsticks and pressed his palms together. Turning his head, he looked at Jiraiya with a delighted expression.

"Thank you too, Toad Sage! Let's eat!"

Then, without caring about how hot the freshly cooked ramen was, he began wolfing down the noodles.

He slurped up the noodles bite after bite, occasionally taking a cautious sip of broth from the edge of the bowl, followed by a piece of chashu.

Watching Naruto eat ramen, Jiraiya's mood improved considerably.

"Naruto, the noodles are still hot. Eat slowly. If it's not enough, you can have another bowl."

However, by the time those words reached Naruto's ears, only the latter half remained.

He bit through the noodles in his mouth, swallowed them with effort, and looked at Jiraiya excitedly.

"Really, Toad Sage? Then I'll have another bowl!"

Then he immediately sped up his eating.

Jiraiya also began using his chopsticks.

Before long, by the time Jiraiya had finished one bowl, Naruto had already polished off two extra-large deluxe chashu ramens.

Naruto rubbed his round, full belly.

"Whew, I'm so full. That was satisfying. It's been so long since I ate this much. As expected, Ichiraku Ramen is still the best!"

Jiraiya echoed his agreement.

"That's right. As expected, Ichiraku's ramen is the best."

Naruto gave Jiraiya a thumbs-up as well.

"That's right! Ichiraku Ramen is the best! Anyone who likes Ichiraku Ramen can't be a bad person! Toad Uncle, you're a good person, just like Grandpa Hokage!"

Naruto's words made Jiraiya fall into deep thought. Why had Naruto mentioned the old man?

Feigning composure, Jiraiya walked over to Naruto.

"Naruto, I just got back to the village and have nowhere to stay. You don't mind if I spend the night at your place, do you?"

Hearing Jiraiya say that, Naruto's face lit up with excitement. He was practically about to jump for joy, though his words said otherwise.

"All right, since you bought me ramen, I'll let you stay at my place for one night."

Under the moonlight, Naruto led Jiraiya to the second floor of a gray-green apartment building.

With an excited expression, Naruto used his little hand to pull Jiraiya's broad palm, pointing at the door ahead.

"We're here! That's my home! Other than Grandpa Hokage, you're the first person to visit my home!"

After opening the door, Naruto reached up along the wall and flipped on the light switch.

Under the glow of the incandescent bulb, the blue-gray cement ceiling and reddish wooden floor were surrounded by empty instant noodle cups. On the table before them sat opened, unfinished milk and more instant noodle cups with leftover broth.

Naruto looked embarrassed. His hand unconsciously reached to the back of his head as he gave an awkward laugh.

"Ha, haha, I think I forgot to clean up..."

Looking at Naruto's cramped, dirty, messy living conditions, Jiraiya's heart was once again filled with mixed emotions.

"Naruto, now I'll let you see how formidable the Toad Sage is!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A burst of white smoke appeared, followed by four Shadow Clones appearing beside Jiraiya.

Naruto was instantly stunned by the sight.

"Wow! Five Toad Sage uncles!"

The Jiraiyas wiped their noses and spoke in unison.

"Now leave it to us!" ×5

In just a few minutes, the Jiraiyas had cleaned the room until it was spotless. Then Jiraiya dispelled the clones.

He walked over to the bed, sat down, and patted the sheets.

"Alright, come on. Tonight, the two of us men will sleep together!"

After waiting a while longer for Naruto to fall asleep, Jiraiya left a Shadow Clone on the bed, then got up and immediately headed for the office in the Hokage Building.

Jiraiya jumped onto the office windowsill. Seeing that the lights inside were still on, he knew the old man had to be waiting for him.

He crouched on the windowsill and greeted his long-unseen teacher.

"Long time no see, old man."

However, from this angle, he happened to see Hiruzen Sarutobi holding an adult magazine in his hands and leisurely reading it.

Hearing Jiraiya's voice from behind him, Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly put away the magazine and coughed twice, his tone carrying reproach.

"Why did you come so late? Didn't I send the Anbu to notify you this afternoon?"

Jiraiya simply waved a hand. He was not falling for Hiruzen Sarutobi's act.

"Old man, don't lecture me. Weren't you reading a porn magazine too? I was only delayed by something else."

"Enough small talk. I already know what's been happening in the village lately. What did you call me back for this time?"

Jiraiya's expression shifted from casual dismissal to seriousness as he looked sternly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen picked up the pipe on the desk, lit it, took several deep puffs, and began exhaling clouds of smoke.

"The Uchiha. Although their relationship with the village has eased considerably compared to before, the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Attack back then was undoubtedly the Uchiha clan. Go and investigate the Uchiha's true movements for me."