After hearing the Third's account, Jiraiya took a closer look at the two ninjas before him.
They had distinctive looks, and both were handsome boys.
The younger one still had a boyish expression, with a cold edge between his brows.
The older one exuded a faint but keen sharpness, like a blade hidden in its sheath, ready at any moment to strike a fatal blow. His whole body seemed to blend with the surrounding environment.
"Perfectly natural... Are young people really this impressive these days?"
Jiraiya marveled to himself. It was astonishing to see this kind of aura in a boy.
Only an experienced jonin could reach such a state—blending perfectly with the surroundings and carrying himself like an assassin. It was something ninjas could only dream of achieving.
This was a state Baiyu had attained while sensing the paths of the wind.
"Lord Jiraiya."
Itachi bowed slightly. From the conversation between Jiraiya and the Third, he had guessed who the man before him was.
Jiraiya had begun wandering the world before the Third Shinobi World War and hadn't taken part in Konoha's battles. The younger generation of ninjas had rarely seen him.
Jiraiya had returned this time solely because Orochimaru had defected. His goal was to bring Orochimaru back!
He couldn't let Orochimaru reveal the village's secrets. And besides, after all the years they'd spent together...
No matter what, Jiraiya couldn't accept Orochimaru's defection.
"Did they see Orochimaru?"
Jiraiya asked again.
Two boys around ten years old had faced Orochimaru and survived. That was practically impossible.
Was Orochimaru really that badly injured?
Or had Orochimaru started eating vegetables and sworn off killing?
Jiraiya would sooner believe the Five Great Nations had made peace than that Orochimaru had gone vegetarian and given up killing.
Wait... They were Uchiha?
Jiraiya noticed the clan crests on their clothes and realized who they were.
Orochimaru was highly talented. Even when badly injured, ordinary ninjas would be no match for him.
Orochimaru was skilled in genjutsu, Taijutsu, and ninjutsu.
But the Uchiha were specifically equipped to counter genjutsu and Taijutsu specialists.
If the Uchiha had injured Orochimaru, that would make sense.
"I am the Toad Sage, Jiraiya! You must be pretty capable to have survived Orochimaru."
Jiraiya praised them, his eyes full of scrutiny.
"Lord Jiraiya, that's not quite what happened. Baiyu once cut off one of Orochimaru's arms. But because of me, he couldn't finish him off."
Itachi replied, recounting Baiyu's feat.
"Itachi held off four guards by himself, buying me plenty of time and creating an opening for me to get close to Orochimaru. I was lucky enough to cut off one of his arms."
Baiyu said modestly, giving Itachi a little extra credit while leaving Kabuto out of the story.
The Third watched the three of them with an amused smile, saying nothing.
When they showed no sign of stopping, he waved them away. "I still have work to do. If you want to talk, go outside. Leave me some peace and quiet so I can get on with it!"
Jiraiya laughed and led the two boys out.
The Third watched them leave, a faint smile curling his lips.
The two Uchiha boys could spend some time with Jiraiya, and he'd get a sense of their character.
The Third trusted Jiraiya's judgment. His student, Minato Namikaze, had once shouldered the burden of the entire Third Shinobi World War by himself.
The Fourth Hokage.
He had fought the two Fourth Raikage brothers alone...
Led an army to bring the Iwagakure campaign to an end...
And forced two villages to sign peace agreements.
His legendary feats were many, yet he'd died such a wretched death.
"Could that Nine-Tails thing really kill him?"
As a certain big shot once put it.
Outside the Hokage Building.
As soon as Jiraiya stepped outside, he turned and said, "You two little Uchiha, how about I treat you to a hot spring? Want to go?"
Itachi hesitated. From the time he'd entered the Ninja Academy until now, nearly all his time had been spent training.
He'd never done anything relaxing like this and didn't know what to make of it. No matter how mature he was, he was still a boy barely over ten, still a fledgling...
Baiyu said nothing, following behind them like an invisible presence.
Itachi was no match for Jiraiya's lewd jokes.
He was completely at Jiraiya's mercy, often left blushing furiously.
If Itachi had already been the way he'd be three years later, he probably would've glared at Jiraiya with Amaterasu.
As Itachi gradually got to know Jiraiya, he grew used to some of his more explicit remarks.
Before long, Jiraiya led them to a hot spring establishment called Tama no Yu.
A lovely young woman in a light purple kimono sat behind the counter.
When she saw Jiraiya and the two boys, she smiled.
The beautiful proprietress greeted them warmly. "Welcome. How many of you?"
"Three. Somewhere a little quiet, please."
Jiraiya said casually, giving the pretty young woman a lovestruck look as he spoke.
He couldn't take his eyes off beautiful women... It was in his nature.
Baiyu sat down at a booth nearby, poured himself a glass of water, and watched Jiraiya's antics.
Jiraiya was crude but clever. While talking to Itachi, he kept trying to pry information out of Baiyu.
But Baiyu never answered, meeting everything with silence.
Against a prickly fellow like him, even Jiraiya's silver tongue was useless.
While speaking with Jiraiya, the young woman kept glancing at Baiyu and flashing him coy smiles.
Every stolen glance made her heart race.
The more she looked at him, the more she liked him. It was as if her heart might leap right out of her chest.
Jiraiya noticed it all and kept an eye on Baiyu.
"Not interested in beautiful women?"
Jiraiya sighed, feeling it was a shame. This young woman had curves in all the right places.
(Not daring to use "front and back.")
It was just that she wasn't into older men.
Jiraiya was sorely disappointed. Whenever he left the village, countless young beauties flocked to him. He was "Lord Ninja," and always had his pick.
But the moment he returned to the village, his status changed. He'd get thrown out for trying to enjoy a hot spring or gather material for his writing.
"Damn it! Those wretched shallow people..."
Jiraiya hated handsome guys most of all—especially handsome guys who also had talent.
And Baiyu happened to be exactly that kind of person.
Handsome, gifted, and blessed with the illustrious bloodline of the Uchiha Clan. It all made him shine even brighter.
The village always said the Uchiha were a cursed clan, but who didn't envy their Sharingan? Countless people desperately wanted to transplant Uchiha eyes, but the powerful Uchiha wouldn't let outsiders get their hands on the Sharingan.
When Jiraiya saw he had no chance, he didn't press the matter. He simply booked a hot spring room and asked the proprietress to show them the way.
Baiyu and Itachi followed together behind the proprietress.
She swayed her hips and kept turning back to smile, trying to strike up a conversation with Baiyu.
All she got in return was his cold, handsome face, but she remained undeterred.
When they reached the hot spring room, she still seemed reluctant to leave and continued making polite conversation with them.
After the proprietress left, Jiraiya leaned against a large rock by the hot spring and said with a smile, "Baiyu, I envy how popular you are! Did you notice what the proprietress was after?"
Baiyu glanced at him, a faint smile on his lips.
"You're one of the legendary Sannin. Why are you so interested in someone as insignificant as me? To spare you too much guesswork, Lord Jiraiya, let's have a match outside the village. Then you'll know what I'm capable of."
Baiyu spoke plainly. Wasn't Jiraiya trying to test how strong he and Itachi were? He might as well give him what he wanted.
He didn't want to get in the water and share a hot spring with anyone, let alone two men.
Itachi had already taken off half his clothes. He looked at Baiyu with an annoyed expression...
You knew what he was thinking, so why didn't you say so sooner!!!
Before you continue