Jiraiya Denied

Jiraiya lay on his back, looking utterly dejected. "Perhaps."

A mocking curve tugged at Shamu's lips.

"Wouldn't it be better to wish for her to find true happiness, surrounded by transcendent, selfless love?"

Jiraiya's entire body jolted at those words. "How did you...?!"

What Shamu had said was something Jiraiya had told the former village chief of Nadeshiko Village many years ago.

Back then, the former village chief of Nadeshiko had demanded a battle with Jiraiya, with marriage as the wager.

In the end, Jiraiya had held back and fought her to a draw, then said those words.

He had roughly said that his heart already belonged to someone, though it was unrequited love.

Clearly, Jiraiya himself had failed to measure up, yet he insisted on dressing it up, making it sound as though she would agree if only he pursued her.

Shamu leaned against a tree.

He said leisurely, "Honestly, I think your love is rather cheap."

"You claim to like Tsunade, but you've never done a single thing with her best interests in mind."

"After Dan Katō died, when she needed comfort the most, you ran off to search for the Child of Prophecy."

"That means you placed Tsunade beneath your ideals."

"Sarutobi Hiruzen shared a blood feud with Tsunade, yet you stopped her from taking revenge."

"That means you placed Tsunade beneath your master-disciple bond."

"For twenty-eight years after Dan Katō's death, Tsunade remained alone."

"Other than peeping, you frequented brothels. Those were exactly the things Tsunade hated most, yet you kept doing them."

"That means you placed Tsunade beneath your own hobbies and interests."

With every sentence Shamu spoke, Jiraiya's expression worsened.

"Wake up. The love you speak of is nothing but a boast you tell yourself."

"The things you said back then could only fool