"Hm?"
Jiraiya froze, unable to process it for a moment. He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in confusion, thinking he had misheard what Hiruzen Sarutobi had just said.
Knowing what he was thinking, Hiruzen Sarutobi repeated himself. "I said, now that you're back, take Naruto with you for training from now on. Haven't you always wanted to train Naruto?"
Although Jiraiya had not returned to Konoha for many years, he had expressed his wish to train Naruto in the intelligence reports he sent back. Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi had never agreed.
That was also one of the reasons Jiraiya had been unwilling to return to Konoha.
Now that he had confirmed Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Jiraiya stared at his face, trying to tell from his expression whether he was joking. Seeing how serious he looked, clearly not joking, Jiraiya finally gave a bitter smile. "Didn't you always refuse to let me train Naruto?"
"Times have changed. Naruto has grown up now, so I can finally trust you with him. If I had let you raise him from childhood, what do you think you would have turned him into? Don't you know yourself?" Hiruzen Sarutobi teased mercilessly.
"Yes, twelve years have passed in the blink of an eye. Time really flies. By the way, how has Naruto been these past twelve years?" Jiraiya pretended not to hear Hiruzen Sarutobi's jab. Instead, he sighed over the passage of time and asked about Naruto's circumstances.
"Mm, Naruto has been doing very well. He's outstanding. He even opened a Breeding Farm in the Back Mountain. He has many friends too, and now he's become a qualified Chunin," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
"That sounds pretty good." Jiraiya nodded.
"Well? Are you going to train Naruto or not?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Jiraiya with a faint smile. Though he knew