Jiraiya's Test

Jiraiya, who was investigating Orochimaru's whereabouts, hadn't expected to run into Lin Qing and Sasuke here.

The Blade of Ruin on Lin Qing's back was impossible to miss. Add Sasuke and Xiaotao at his side, and anyone with a little sense could guess who he was.

But guessing his identity was one thing. Choosing to approach and provoke him was another.

With time and distance, the story of Lin Qing killing two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had grown into a tale of him single-handedly crushing Kirigakure's elite, killing several of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, then defeating the Mizukage, Yagura, before departing in style.

Jiraiya had heard about the Uchiha Clan's tragedy. He knew a little about Danzo's underhanded dealings, too—and that was one reason he didn't want to return to the village.

With his temperament, once he saw something, he couldn't just ignore it.

So he'd decided it was better not to see it at all. Under the pretext of looking for Orochimaru, he'd left the village.

Jiraiya had heard of Lin Qing long ago, one of the last surviving members of the Uchiha Clan.

Some called him a bloodthirsty killer; others regarded him as a savior. Jiraiya wanted to see for himself what kind of person Lin Qing was.

"Toad Sage?"

Before Lin Qing could speak, Little Sasuke tilted his head and noticed that the izakaya behind them was serving frog sushi as its special today.

"Mister, are you here to drum up business?"

Jiraiya's eye twitched.

"This Uchiha brat really isn't cute."

"I wanted to warn you that this bounty is extremely dangerous."

Lin Qing looked him up and down. "Are you a broker?"

"You could say that."

Jiraiya gestured invitingly. "How about we talk over a drink? I know a place. The proprietress is beautiful and fair, and the sake is good, too."

Lin Qing considered it for a moment, then decided to talk with this broker who called himself the "Toad Sage."

Though he was from Konoha, his predecessor's memories were too hazy. Lin Qing knew less about Konoha and the Land of Fire than he did about Kirigakure and the Land of Water.

He needed information from a local.

The group went to the izakaya Jiraiya had mentioned.

Jiraiya hadn't been wrong.

The proprietress was fair and beautiful. The collar of her kimono hung slightly open, and as she leaned over to pour the sake, a small beauty mark could be seen on her chest.

But when the proprietress moved to pour Lin Qing a drink, Mayuri stopped her. Gently but firmly, she took the bottle from the woman and poured Lin Qing's sake herself.

Lin Qing thanked her, then asked Jiraiya, "Why did you say the bounty would be dangerous?"

Jiraiya took a sip of sake and sighed with satisfaction. He crossed one leg over the other, resting one hand on his knee as he picked up a skewer of grilled chicken with the other.

"You've heard of Orochimaru, right?"

Lin Qing nodded slightly.

Ever since he'd met Hayato Kamihara, Lin Qing had commissioned him to carry out an ongoing intelligence-gathering task: find out what he could about Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha was a complete lunatic, and people like that usually had powerful obsessions.

Lin Qing's intuition told him that as long as he and Sasuke were still alive, they'd eventually cross paths with Itachi Uchiha again.

While looking into Itachi, he'd also picked up a little information about Orochimaru:

A missing-nin from Konoha, one of the legendary Sannin, and Itachi Uchiha's teammate after he joined the Akatsuki. He later defected from the Akatsuki and disappeared without a trace.

"So you're saying this mass-murdering lunatic is Orochimaru?" Lin Qing asked.

"No. The killer is one of Orochimaru's creations."

"You mean... something like an artificial human?"

"An artificial human?"

Jiraiya paused. He seemed to understand what Lin Qing meant, and nodded.

"I see."

Lin Qing recalled the description of the killer on the bounty notice:

Fierce and hulking, able to transform into a monster, and skilled at using bones as weapons.

Given what Lin Qing knew about ninjutsu, he'd never heard of any style that could do something like that.

If it was an artificial human, it all made sense.

Jiraiya watched Lin Qing quietly as he pondered.

The village was short on capable younger generations. Minato and the Jinchuriki Kushina Uzumaki had died, the Uchiha Clan had vanished, and Jiraiya and Tsunade were both wandering elsewhere... Only the clan heads, along with Kakashi and Guy, remained.

Jiraiya had spent years away from home and seen plenty of the world.

Aside from Kirigakure, which was recklessly forging ahead on the path to ruin, the other great villages were either heavily building up their military, like Kumogakure, or biding their time, like Iwagakure.

Every village was growing stronger. Konoha, once the mightiest, was the one falling further and further into decline.

Given Jiraiya's influence in Konoha, he could protect Lin Qing and Sasuke and help them return to the village.

But...

That depended on Lin Qing not being a genuine villain.

Jiraiya wanted to test him.

"Once you go after that... 'artificial human,' Orochimaru may well retaliate. The Land of Fire isn't paying much for the bounty, so instead of taking such a huge risk, why not—"

Jiraiya took a gold bar and a photograph from his robes.

The gold bar was about two fingers thick and weighed roughly half a jin.

The photograph showed a girl with a bright smile.

"This is the daughter of the Daimyo of the Land of Iron. Kidnap her for me, and..."

He tapped the gold bar.

"This is just the deposit. You'll get five more when the job's done."

Six gold bars, by the Naruto World's standards of living, would be enough to spend a whole year living lavishly, with every night full of wine and song.

By comparison, the official bounty was worth less than the deposit on the table.

The Land of Iron had no ninjas, only samurai, making it the perfect match for Lin Qing's fighting style. This job would be simple, easy, and quick money for him.

Jiraiya watched Lin Qing and the others around him.

The longer he watched, the more something seemed off.

Lin Qing turned his head to watch the moonlight slowly rise outside the window. He didn't look at the gold on the table, and he paid Jiraiya no further attention.

Sasuke, Xiaotao, and the others didn't look at the gold either. They only regarded Jiraiya with contempt.

Not one of them had been tempted by the gold on the table—not even for a second.

They didn't hesitate, either. No one looked to Lin Qing for guidance, as if they all knew without a word that he would never accept such a vile job.

It was simply unbelievable!

What kind of charisma did this man have?!

Compared with Jiraiya, who was already middle-aged, Lin Qing was still young. Yet the way he sat quietly, sipping his drink, exerted a psychological pressure on Jiraiya.

It wasn't pressure from "strength." It came from something far more elusive.

Lin Qing finished the sake in his cup, then took out two banknotes and placed them beneath it.

"That drink wasn't that expensive," Jiraiya said.

"The rest is for your information."

Jiraiya realized Lin Qing meant the information about the connection between the wanted killer and Orochimaru.

"You know this will get you involved with Orochimaru, and you're still going after him?"

Lin Qing picked up the Greatsword of Ruin from beside him and slung it over his back again. "Of course. Besides, I'm not the one picking a fight with him."

"He's the one who picked a fight with me."

Jiraiya was stunned. Then he slammed a fist on the table and burst into laughter.

"Lin Qing! You... you really are interesting! Sorry, I lied to you. Let's start over."

Jiraiya stood and walked over to Lin Qing, then solemnly held out his hand.

"I'm the Toad Sage. You can also call me Jiraiya."

Lin Qing glanced at his outstretched hand.

"How can you prove it?"

How could anyone prove, "I am who I say I am"?

Someone else might have been stumped by the question, but Jiraiya smiled.

"Take my hand, and you'll know."

A flash of blue-green power appeared in his palm.

Senjutsu Chakra.