Grandpa Is Coming to Join You

The ruined streets, crumbling walls everywhere, and gaunt old men poking their heads out from the rubble, fear and hatred in their eyes...

These formed Jiraiya's first impression of the town.

The miserable sight stirred a trace of irritation in his heart.

Because he knew that Konoha was absolutely implicated in the Land of Rain's decline into its current state.

Yet from the village's standpoint, he had no way to stop this war.

He could only watch helplessly as despair and hatred continued to spread throughout the world.

At that thought, Jiraiya's desire to find the Child of Prophecy grew even more urgent.

According to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, only by finding the Child of Prophecy could this world of hatred be brought to an end once and for all.

And Jiraiya was the guide who would lead the Child of Prophecy.

For that reason, he had repeatedly asked the higher-ups for permission to travel the world.

Unfortunately, every request had been rejected on the grounds that the war situation was too tense...

Tsunade seemed to see the frustration in her old friend's heart and comforted him, saying:

"Don't worry. This war will be over soon."

"Besides, if that Amegakure Leader hadn't ordered everyone to retreat with the food, the people left here wouldn't have ended up like this."

Tsunade looked at the old men in the ruins on either side, nearly emaciated into dried corpses, and shook her head uneasily.

Jiraiya could not bear it either. Gritting his teeth, he said:

"We still have some food left. How about..."

"Jiraiya!"

Before he could finish, Tsunade cut him off.

She fixed him with a sharp gaze and reminded him:

"This is a battlefield!"

"You are responsible for the lives of every Konoha ninja. Put away those naive thoughts of yours."

Faced with Tsunade's rebuke, Jiraiya unusually did not argue back. He merely nodded helplessly.

Soon, the scouting squad reported in once more.

"Lord Jiraiya, although we found no trace of Amegakure Ninja in the town, the people here seem to hold deep hostility toward us."

"To be safe, perhaps we should..."

Hyuga Mae made a throat-slitting gesture.

Although the five great nations constantly emphasized that wars between ninja must not involve civilians, much less permit the wanton slaughter of civilians.

Once they were truly on the battlefield, though, who treated civilians as human beings?

Slaughter, looting, and pillaging—there was nothing they would not do!

And no one had ever seemed to receive any punishment for such things...

So, if they wanted to be absolutely safe, they should simply kill all the residents of Graystone Town.

That way, they could eliminate any future trouble and turn this place into a secure transfer base for logistical supplies.

"Absolutely not!"

Jiraiya rejected the proposal without a moment's thought.

He already found this invasion war deeply repulsive, and now he was supposed to slaughter civilians?

That was something he could never do.

Not just him—even Tsunade could not bring herself to be that ruthless.

Seeing this, Hyuga Mae sighed inwardly.

These two were certainly powerful, but their hearts were too soft.

Jiraiya seemed to see through his thoughts. He stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said:

"I know you're worried that something might happen, but they're only civilians."

"They have no ability to fight back against ninja at all. There's no need to stir up more trouble."

"Yes, sir."

Since the commander had made his decision, Hyuga Mae, as the scouting squad captain, naturally would not oppose him.

"Since nothing unusual was found, have the troops enter the town and rest."

"Also, convey my order to the civilians—"

"Anyone who provides intelligence on Amegakure Ninja will be rewarded with one month's worth of rations!"

Under Jiraiya's orders, Konoha's main force officially entered the town.

Meanwhile, several Konoha ninja carried loudspeakers around and shouted everywhere, hoping the locals could provide some useful information.

The facts proved that Jiraiya's strategy was quite effective.

Before long, an old man claimed that he had a clue!

"You're saying that when the Amegakure Ninja left, they buried a great many things in a basement beneath the town?"

Jiraiya looked at the hunched old man before him, who was holding a baby girl in his arms, with surprise.

The man nodded, then trembled as he clutched the child and knelt before Jiraiya, crying in a hoarse voice:

"As long as you, Lord Ninja, can cure my granddaughter, I'm willing to take you to that basement."

Only then did Jiraiya notice that the baby girl in his arms was already at death's door. He did not know what illness she had contracted.

At once, he hurriedly summoned Tsunade to examine her.

After examining her, Tsunade shook her head.

"This child is already beyond saving. Combined with prolonged malnutrition, she can't be cured."

"In fact, this disease isn't difficult to treat in its early stages, provided there is the appropriate medicine."

Tsunade's words plunged Jiraiya into silence.

Because it was Konoha that had imposed a strict blockade on medical supplies entering the Land of Rain...

After a while, Jiraiya rubbed between his brows.

"No matter what, we can't let the old man know the truth for now."

Gritting his teeth, he made a decision that went against his conscience.

"We'll talk after we find that basement..."

"Jiraiya..."

Tsunade looked at her old friend, as though she could feel the torment in his heart.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

Jiraiya let out a weary breath and slowly rose to his feet.

Returning to the tent, Jiraiya forced a smile under the old man's expectant gaze and said:

"Don't worry. As long as you can lead us to that basement, we guarantee that we'll cure the child."

At his answer, life seemed to return to the old man's withered face.

"Really? Good! I'll take you there right now!"

With that, he hurriedly got to his feet, leaning on a wooden cane.

Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a glance before silently following behind him.

Led by the old man, they soon arrived at a half-collapsed ruin.

Beneath a broken stone slab, a pitch-black passageway was revealed.

"It's here!"

The old man beckoned them over and crawled straight into the passage.

Jiraiya was about to follow when a Konoha ninja beside him stopped him.

"Lord Jiraiya, let us go down first, in case anything happens."

Facing his goodwill, Jiraiya shook his head.

"Don't worry. Even if something does happen, I'm strong enough to protect myself. I can't let you take the risk."

With that, ignoring the others' attempts to stop him, he jumped straight down into the passage.

Dim candlelight flickered through the corridor, while footsteps echoed softly...

"It's here, Lord Ninja."

The passage was not long. After walking several dozen meters, the old man stopped at its end.

As he struggled to pull away a waterproof tarp, stacked iron barrels appeared before Jiraiya.

A sharp, pungent odor rushed into his nostrils, immediately setting off alarm bells in Jiraiya's mind.

"What is this?"

"Nitroglycerin."

The old man answered.

"How do you know?"

Jiraiya frowned. Something about this man seemed off...

Faced with the question, the old man smiled.

Firelight shone across his face, the rises and dips of his wrinkles casting broad, fractured shadows.

"Not only do I know what this is, I also know..."

"My granddaughter can't be saved."

Those words made Jiraiya, who had been preparing to act, freeze for a moment.

And in that brief lapse, the old man had already tossed the tinder in his hand into the pile of iron barrels.

"Grandpa is coming to join you."

A desolate voice rang out.

Then came a deafening explosion.