No, no, that wasn't right.
Jiraiya shook his head. He really did feel like he was getting senile.
How could Nagato possibly have changed genders?
How old was Nagato now, anyway?
Nagato had been ten when Jiraiya left Amegakure, but that didn't mean he was still that age now.
"That person's voice just now really did sound like Konan... But who was the man with her? And who was that little girl from the Uzumaki Clan...?"
Jiraiya stroked his chin, leaning against the wooden wall outside the women's hot spring bath as he began to ponder and piece things together.
"Let's assume the owner of that voice really was Konan. Then the question is..."
If the person who'd appeared had been Nagato, Jiraiya wouldn't have found it strange. But instead, there'd been another man he didn't know. And based on the emotional insight he'd accumulated over years of researching material for his novels, the two of them were definitely close.
So that child from the Uzumaki Clan definitely had nothing to do with Konan.
Eliminate all the wrong answers, and the one that remained—no matter how outrageous—had to be the truth.
"That was Nagato and Yahiko's child."
Jiraiya clenched his fist, gazed diagonally up at the sky, and stated his conclusion with a straight face.
Yahiko was definitely a boy; Jiraiya was sure of that. They'd peed together.
But Nagato was shy and had never used the bathroom in front of anyone.
Besides, when they were children, it was hard to tell boys and girls apart, whether by their bodies or their voices...
And even if Nagato really was a boy, that didn't mean he couldn't have a child.
It was even recorded in the popular novel Jingman Paradise, written by one of the younger authors who'd followed in the footsteps of the great novelist Jiraiya.
With that thought, Jiraiya didn't chase after them to investigate.
He'd returned to Konoha because the Third Hokage, his teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi, had told him that the Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and Kazekage had all gathered there. The first two had even brought a large number of Genin with them. To prevent anything from going wrong, Hiruzen had specifically invited him back to keep watch.
If that had really been Konan just now, he could reunite with her after the Chunin Ninja Exams were over.
"The Third Hokage of Konoha often uses the Telescope Technique—the same jutsu we just saw monitoring the exam site—to peep into the women's bathhouse.
"And your teacher Jiraiya, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, has the same hobby.
"What's more, he doesn't like using jutsu. He enjoys the thrill of being caught and chased."
Elsewhere, Shirozumi explained to Konan why they couldn't go to Konoha's public bathhouse or hot springs.
"What?!"
Konan hadn't even reacted yet when Karin, walking behind them, jumped in fright.
She'd been a little upset that Shirozumi wouldn't let her go take a bath.
Now that she'd heard Konoha was home to two major perverts, she no longer wanted to visit the bathhouse at all.
How could anyone enjoy watching people of the opposite sex bathe? That was so perverted!
Karin inwardly looked down on them with utter disdain.
"Then we'll just have to put up with it for a few more days. We can bathe once we're back in the village."
Konan could tell Shirozumi was probably telling the truth, so she could only comfort Karin.
The three of them wandered around for a while, ate a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen, Konoha's signature dish, then joined the crowd leaving the exam site and headed to the second exam arena.
The matches were over. Now it was time for the second round's elimination test.
The Forest of Death, also known as Orochimaru's "fry-the-little-fish" contest.
Since he'd just warned Konan not to bathe in Konoha, Shirozumi decided he should warn Mei Terumi and Kurotsuchi, too.
"Mizukage, Tsuchikage, I forgot to tell you something yesterday. Here in Konoha—and even throughout the Land of Fire—you'd better stay away from women's bathhouses and hot springs."
Shirozumi approached the two and got straight to the point.
He ignored the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi walking beside them, as well as Orochimaru, who was disguised as the Fourth Kazekage.
"Hmm? Why? Is the service here terrible?"
"Or is the water bad?"
Mei Terumi and Kurotsuchi looked puzzled.
"I heard that ever since the Third Hokage lost his wife many years ago, he's been a little pent up. Every day, he uses that Telescope Technique from earlier to peep—"
"Cough, cough, cough! My friend from Amegakure, you can't make baseless accusations against my good name!"
Hiruzen's face turned red as soon as he heard that, and he hurriedly interrupted to protest.
"Jiraiya, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, spends every day hanging around outside women's bathhouses, peeking in for material so he can write smutty novels."
Shirozumi paid no heed to the Third Hokage's protest and continued.
"That part's true."
Hiruzen gave a slight nod of confirmation.
He had no choice but to confirm it.
If he denied both claims, the Mizukage and Tsuchikage would definitely become suspicious.
But if he confirmed the latter, it would show that he, the Third Hokage, wasn't ignoring the facts just to protect Konoha's image. Even when one of his own students did something wrong, he was willing to admit it.
Then they naturally wouldn't believe the first claim.
Sorry, Jiraiya. Better the toad than the monkey.
Hiruzen silently apologized to Jiraiya.
As for whether Jiraiya's reputation would spread to Iwagakure and Kirigakure, that was beyond his control.
"Konoha is just so... You know? Yesterday, we even ran into two perverted women who harassed him."
Kurotsuchi was young, and she was embarrassed to say certain words out loud.
"Huh?"
Hiruzen froze for a moment.
They'd already encountered a harassment incident?
And it had been perverted women harassing someone?
Hiruzen was dumbfounded. He'd lived in Konoha for decades. How had he never had the good fortune to be harassed by a perverted woman?
"Third Hokage, with Konoha being this perverted, why not just rename it White Turbidity Village?"
Mei Terumi spoke calmly.
"Mizukage! What kind of indecent thing are you saying?!"
Kurotsuchi stared at Mei Terumi in shock.
"Little Kurotsuchi, what are you thinking?"
Mei Terumi raised a hand and coated it with Chakra. Then she spat a mouthful of viscous white fluid onto her palm...
The fluid slid off her hand and dripped to the ground.
It made a sizzling sound as it corroded the earth.
"I'm talking about Boil Release. I mean Konoha should be absorbed into our Kirigakure. May I ask who just had their mind in the gutter?"
Mei Terumi retorted.
"..."
Kurotsuchi's mouth twitched.
"N-no one. Heh."
Hiruzen could see that these two young Kage had rather nasty personalities. Was he the one who'd fallen behind the times?
The Kazekage was better.
He was a father who'd had children, after all, so he was steady and mature. He hadn't said a word this whole time.
"...As long as you know."
Shirozumi was also at a loss for words at Mei Terumi's antics.
"Lord Hokage, would it be all right if I watched from above the exam arena later, as long as it doesn't interfere with the exams?"
Shirozumi asked Hiruzen.
"Hm? That's fine. Just don't interfere with the exams."
Hiruzen had been caught so off guard by the sudden return to the topic at hand that he'd nearly failed to react.
"I'll pass."
The Kazekage spoke up.
The second round's elimination match, with multiple participants, still didn't attract much attention.
Most of the spectators were waiting for the one-on-one elite matches.
When the Kazekage said he was leaving, Hiruzen didn't think anything of it.
Only Shirozumi knew that Orochimaru was going off to torment the weak.
Before you continue