Jiraiya's Lecherous Hands

When he woke up, it was already the next morning.

Shiraishi Yoshijo felt weak the moment he opened his eyes. He hurriedly pulled back his clothes, only to find that the bite mark from the larva on his chest had faded into a tiny scar.

He slumped onto the bed, feeling like a cat that had just been neutered.

If he could turn back time, Shiraishi Yoshijo would never learn any secret technique. To think that a perfectly normal person could suddenly end up with something inside them—and a bug at that.

He got dressed and climbed out of bed, opening the door only to see his "dear" uncle.

He wanted to say something tough, but his dear uncle reached out and grabbed him by the ear.

"Did you want to curse me out last night?"

"Ouch, let go! Shiraishi Eizawa, I'm not done with you! You lied to me about some family secret technique, and now I've got a bug inside me. Are you even human?"

"That is how the family secret technique is passed down. Are you even a man? You couldn't handle a little pain and even fainted. If this were in the past, you'd be the laughingstock of the clan, mocked for a lifetime."

"Don't talk to me about the clan. What kind of clan is it when there are only two people left?"

As soon as he said it, Shiraishi Yoshijo felt a pang of regret.

He didn't care about the clan, but his uncle cared about it deeply.

Strangely, Shiraishi Eizawa didn't react much to this remark; instead, he smiled and let go of his ear.

"Indeed, a clan of two can hardly be called a clan. But you're still here, aren't you? Once you grow up and work hard to have a few more children, we can revitalize the clan soon enough."

Shiraishi Yoshijo was stunned. He looked at him in surprise, only to realize that his dear uncle was wearing the traditional clan robes, the kind only worn during clan meetings.

It was a rather gaudy outfit, colorful and adorned with several butterflies, making him look quite effeminate.

He held another set in his hand, and it was obvious who it was for.

"I am absolutely not wearing that. This is my one request for the rest of my life, Uncle Eizawa."

"Is that so? Actually, one can raise more than one bug, you know. Let me tell you—"

Before Shiraishi Eizawa could finish, Shiraishi Yoshijo took the clothes and bowed. "Please, I insist on wearing it. This is the glory of our clan, and my own honor as well."

Some people say they don't want something, but once they actually put it on, there are only two words for it: truly satisfying.

In his room, Shiraishi Yoshijo pulled at his hair in front of the mirror and muttered, "I can't keep my hair long anymore, or people will really mistake me for a girl."

He was quite satisfied with his appearance; it was far better than in his previous life, a textbook protagonist's face.

Hmm, but how does one go from a background character to a protagonist?

That was a question worth pondering.

After changing his clothes, he went out to find Shiraishi Eizawa already waiting for him at the dining table.

He felt a bit strange; today, his uncle actually felt like a real uncle.

"What kind of day is it that requires wearing these clothes? And you actually cooked breakfast for us to eat together?"

"Have you forgotten that today is the entrance ceremony?"

"Fine, but what does that have to do with you? I can go to the entrance ceremony by myself."

"According to tradition, a guardian must accompany the student."

Does Konoha really have such a tradition?

He had been in this world for too long and had forgotten many things, and he didn't have any friends anyway.

There were some children who wanted to play with him, but his noble soul didn't allow him to engage in such low-level, childish games.

After eating, Shiraishi Eizawa took a bottle of pills from his robe and tossed it to him. "From now on, take one after every meal."

"What kind of medicine is this? What does it do?"

"A family secret medicine. It stops the pain."

"I don't feel any pain, so why do I need to take this?"

Shiraishi Eizawa's expression turned odd, and he smiled with his eyes narrowed.

"You have to eat, but do you think others don't need to eat as well?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo looked around. There were only the two of them in the room; where could anyone else be?

His dear uncle pointed at his chest, and Shiraishi Yoshijo gasped. "It needs to eat too? It eats my flesh and blood?"

"It eats your chakra. If your chakra isn't enough, it will eat your flesh and blood. You don't want it to die and stay inside you as a dead bug, do you?"

As the pill hit his tongue, a strange taste dissolved in his mouth.

Shiraishi Yoshijo turned pale. "Do I have to take this medicine for the rest of my life?"

"Not for your whole life. Two or three years at most. Once it turns into a pupa, you won't need to take it anymore."

"And after it turns into a pupa, does it turn into a butterfly?"

Shiraishi Eizawa didn't answer the question. He stood up and said, "It's getting late. We should be going."

On the way to the ninja academy, Shiraishi Eizawa held his hand and walked in silence, saying nothing, lost in his own thoughts.

Shiraishi Yoshijo had intended to ask some questions about his clan's secret techniques, but the crowded street forced him to swallow his words.

Upon arriving at the academy, the newly enrolled children stood in neat rows, waiting for the arrival of the village leader, the Third Hokage.

Shiraishi Eizawa let go of his hand, signaling him to join the line, and turned to walk into the crowd of parents.

Standing in a random spot, Shiraishi Yoshijo began to look around, hoping to spot a familiar face, but the results were disappointing.

This was normal; there were only so many famous ninjas in Konoha, and with so many students enrolling in the academy every year, it would actually be quite a surprise if he ran into any of them.

More students arrived one after another, and after waiting for nearly half an hour, the Third Hokage finally made a tardy appearance.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not come alone; he was followed by a group of people.

Shiraishi Yoshijo only recognized Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, the two high-ranking advisors of Konoha; he had no idea who the others were.

High-level cannon fodder, he thought, silently mourning for them in his heart.

As for Danzo, the man who would later earn the title of the Darkness of the Shinobi, he certainly wouldn't appear in such a public and bright setting.

On the high platform, the Third began to deliver the most important speech in Konoha: the Will of Fire.

Shiraishi Yoshijo listened until he was drowsy, silently complaining that even the young Third was so long-winded; how the world had declined.

Just as Shiraishi Yoshijo was about to fall asleep, a strange commotion broke out at the back of the line.

When he turned to look, a boy with spiky white hair had already run up to him and extended his hand: "Nice to meet you, my name is Jiraiya, please take care of me."

Shiraishi Yoshijo was stunned; he hadn't even processed it when he saw Jiraiya.

By the time Jiraiya extended his hand, he still hadn't grasped the situation.

It was a surprise to be in the same year as the legendary Sannin, but it was even more surprising to find himself in this situation.

Pointing at himself, Shiraishi Yoshijo opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly realized something and was so angry he nearly exploded.

Today was an important day, and thanks to his "good" uncle, he was dressed in a flashy, girlish outfit.

So this was the reason Jiraiya had the audacity to come over and hit on him?

And he actually had the nerve to extend his grubby hand so openly?

For a moment, the opening ceremony went quiet because of Jiraiya's stunt.

On the high platform, the Third didn't seem angry at Jiraiya's antics; instead, he chuckled and said, "That outfit, he must be a child from the Shide Clan. What a pretty little girl."

Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement, but Utatane Koharu retorted irritably, "That is a boy."

The two old men began to cough violently.

What to do? Shiraishi Yoshijo's mind raced, but he couldn't think of a way out; he wanted to speak but didn't dare.

If he opened his mouth, his identity as a boy would be exposed beyond a doubt.

Although it was annoying to be mistaken for a girl, it was still better than being treated like a freak.

If a boy dressed like a girl, his reputation would likely spread throughout Konoha within a day, and his clan would become a laughingstock.

Resorting to violence? Not to mention whether he could win, the setting itself was completely inappropriate.

Starting a fight at the opening ceremony would surely lead to trouble.

His little face flushed red, which only made him look shy to the onlookers.

Unable to think of a solution, he could only glare at Jiraiya with murderous intent, swat his hand away, and stare at the Third on the platform without saying a word.

The Third coughed softly, and soon a teacher came to maintain order, taking Jiraiya to the back of the line for a lecture.

After Jiraiya's interruption, the Third lost his appetite for the speech, mumbled a few more words, and brought the embarrassing opening ceremony to an end.

Next came the class assignments; he was placed in Class 1-A, and the teacher told him to go to the classroom and wait for the homeroom teacher.

The moment he found the classroom and pushed the door open, Jiraiya's detestable face appeared before him.

"So we ended up in the same class! Let me introduce myself again, I'm Jiraiya, please take care of me from now on."

Jiraiya extended his grubby hand toward him once more.

Shiraishi Yoshijo's face turned black instantly. He scanned the classroom, and seeing that there weren't many people around, he finally reached out to shake Jiraiya's hand.

As their hands clasped, Shiraishi Yoshijo pulled with a bit of force. Jiraiya, either caught off guard or simply not resisting, was pulled into Shiraishi Yoshijo's arms.

Leaning into Jiraiya's ear, Shiraishi Yoshijo deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice that sounded eerily like Orochimaru: "Shiraishi Yoshijo, please take care of me too."

Hearing that voice for the first time, Jiraiya shuddered and then shrieked, "A guy?"

Laughter erupted in the classroom. Shiraishi Yoshijo's face turned pale with rage; not wanting to tangle with the idiot any further, he found a seat by the window and sat down.

Even after he sat down, Jiraiya couldn't believe it and took a long time to calm down.

The peace didn't last long before Jiraiya grew restless, leaning against the window and peering longingly into the hallway.

Whenever a girl walked by, he would immediately run to the door and stand ready for his "first meeting" greeting.

After repeating this a few times, he actually managed to take advantage of quite a few people. Shiraishi Yoshijo was speechless and muttered, "What an idiot."

Another girl pushed the door open; this girl was Senju Tsunade.

Jiraiya extended his grubby hand out of habit, but halfway through, he turned to look at Shiraishi Yoshijo.

He suddenly realized that the girl in front of him looked remarkably similar to Shiraishi Yoshijo in some ways.

His brain short-circuited, and he blurted out, "Are you a guy too?"

Tsunade, who had been reaching out to shake Jiraiya's hand, instantly turned her palm into a fist and smashed it into Jiraiya's forehead.

The world was finally quiet.