Jiraiya's Visit

At night, moonlight shrouded Konoha. As autumn gave way to winter, Jiraiya took advantage of the darkness and used the Toad Hidden Technique to sneak into the Konoha Police Force.

No, the Konoha Police Force might be a more fitting name for it now.

He had spent the day taking Naruto shopping for new clothes, treating him to Konoha snacks, and having him do some basic training in the afternoon.

Jiraiya had devoted the entire day to Naruto, hoping to make up for some of the boy's childhood.

He knew that, for some time to come, he would probably often have to use Shadow Clones to keep Naruto company in his place. After all, although the village seemed much more peaceful than before, there were likely still undercurrents swirling beneath the surface. What was more, given what he knew about Root and Danzo, there was no way they would simply stand by and let the Uchiha continue like this.

It wasn't until nightfall, after Naruto had gone to sleep, that Jiraiya finally had time to leave a Shadow Clone at home and slip over to the Police Force to look through the Uchiha's intelligence.

After avoiding the Police Force members guarding the entrance at night, Jiraiya successfully sneaked into the office where Senya worked every day.

"Ninja Art: Heavenly Canopy Formation."

To keep the Police Force members from noticing his presence, Jiraiya set up a sensory barrier centered on himself, enclosing the entire office.

That way, if anything happened outside the door, he would sense it through the barrier right away and could immediately use the Reverse Summoning Technique to get out of there.

With the concealment in place, Jiraiya began leafing through the thick stacks of documents on Senya's desk.

At first, Jiraiya read through the documents carefully. He had to admit that Uchiha Senya, the Uchiha Clan's new Vice Clan Head and the Police Force's new deputy chief, had done an excellent job reforming the Police Force.

But it wasn't until nearly an hour had passed that Jiraiya finally finished skimming the documents.

They were all about village security, coordinating Police Force personnel, and rules for members of the Police Force, among other things.

The only one that caught his interest was an article titled "Why Female Police Force Shinobi Complete Their Duties More Smoothly Than Male Shinobi."

What was more, by the end, Jiraiya felt as if he'd found a kindred spirit, as though he'd finally met someone who understood him. Senya had left this note at the end:

[There's no need to question it. It's a fact. It's only natural that cases go more smoothly when handled by a beautiful, capable, and cool-headed female member of the Police Force. No one would turn down a chance to talk to a beauty, especially since most of the village's crimes these days are committed by men who've been drinking.]

That note gave Jiraiya an overwhelming urge to see the "Uchiha kunoichi" mentioned in the document. Ah, no, no.

He wanted to meet Uchiha Senya, the man who could write down such a philosophical truth.

After confirming that there really wasn't any important intelligence in the Police Force, Jiraiya dispelled the barrier and once again used the Toad Hidden Technique to leave.

Seeing that the moon had not yet reached its zenith, he decided on the spot to sneak into the Uchiha Clan compound and meet Uchiha Senya in person, paying him a late-night visit to sound him out.

The countless ninja missions he'd undertaken, the two Ninja World Wars, and his later travels had honed Jiraiya's infiltration skills to the point of perfection. He easily evaded the night patrols and slipped into the Uchiha Clan compound.

It wasn't until he reached the courtyard of Senya's new home and sensed a powerful barrier that Jiraiya stopped.

Inside the house, the bedroom was dimly lit. The light from a single bedside lamp barely illuminated the room.

Senya suddenly sat up, startling Anko, who had been resting her head on his arm.

Anko stayed lying in bed, unwilling to get up, murmuring something under her breath.

"I... can't take it anymore... let me..."

Hearing Anko's sleepy mumbling, Senya simply stroked her glossy black hair, which fell over her smooth, fair skin, then made sure to cover her properly with the blanket.

In the blink of an eye, Senya had put on his combat clothes and stepped out into the courtyard.

The moment he spotted the intruder, Senya didn't waste any time. He grabbed Spirit Blade Qianyue, sealed around his wrist.

"Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame."

Scorching orange-red flames sheathed the blade. Moving too fast for the eye to follow, Senya used the Body Flicker Technique to appear right beside Jiraiya and slashed at him with two strikes that crossed in a star-shaped pattern.

"Wait! I'm not here to cause trouble!"

Jiraiya was startled by Senya's sudden attack, but he reacted in time. The flames only burned through the red cloak over his chest.

Only after Jiraiya hurriedly explained did Senya stop. He flicked his right hand, putting Qianyue away.

Seeing Senya lower his guard, Jiraiya continued.

"I never expected the young Vice Clan Head who's recently made a name for himself in the Uchiha Clan to be this powerful. But why did you suddenly attack me?"

As he spoke, Jiraiya's expression shifted from a cheeky grin to a stern, serious look.

"Hmph."

"If someone disturbed you in the middle of the night while you were sleeping with your girlfriend, would you be happy about it?"

Senya gave Jiraiya that answer, sounding less than pleased.

In an instant, it was as if the air had frozen. Those few short words had dealt Jiraiya an unknown amount of damage.

Jiraiya stood rooted to the spot, his confidence gone in an instant.

From the perspective of an ordinary man in the Ninja World, it was perfectly reasonable for sixteen- or seventeen-year-old Senya to already have a girlfriend.

But then there was Jiraiya: a man in his forties who had never been in a relationship. He went to bars and places like that all the time, but never let himself get attached. Over all those years, Tsunade was the only one in his heart.

True, when he'd been traveling some time ago, the head of Nadeshiko Village had pursued him for a while. But in the end, he'd simply passed the buck and left the wager to his future student. Now that he thought about it, he'd even left Naruto a chance at a future romance.

Unfortunately, his love was unrequited. Jiraiya had hinted at his feelings to Tsunade countless times, but she had never responded. He had even watched her fall in love with Dan Katō back then, which broke his heart all the more.

Without realizing it, Jiraiya compared the two of them, then looked at Senya again.

He'd already lost. Whether it was looks or life experience, he'd lost completely.

Taking Senya's words to heart, he found himself imagining what it would be like if someone interrupted him and his lover in the middle of the night. That would be...

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I'm really sorry for coming by in the middle of the night. But the Uchiha have been making quite a few moves lately, and I was worried, so I came without an invitation. I hope you don't mind, Vice Clan Head Senya."

Senya formed a hand seal.

"Release."

He opened the barrier around the courtyard and pushed open the reddish-brown door.

"Since you've come to visit, come inside and we can talk. It wouldn't do to leave a guest waiting outside, especially when the guest is Lord Jiraiya, one of the renowned Konoha Sannin."

Senya glanced back at Jiraiya and added something that made Jiraiya's heart jump.

"Also, there's no need to be so polite, Lord Jiraiya. I'm guessing the Third sent you here this time."