The Gnosis was being made faster than he'd expected, which put Uchiha Arashi in a much better mood. He had more energy when writing each day, and even his attitude toward minding the shop was better than before.
Konoha had never stopped searching for him. They were simply being more cautious than before, no longer sending out Anbu or other ninja. Instead, they had called Jiraiya back.
At present, if anyone in Konoha could stand against a Mangekyo, other than the Third Hokage, it was Jiraiya.
Tsunade might manage, but she had already left Konoha to travel and clear her head. Even if the Third wanted to call her back, she'd have to be willing to listen.
When all was said and done, only a fighting force that would obey orders could truly be called a fighting force. Otherwise, it was just a burden on the village. Jiraiya was unquestionably the former.
He hadn't been back in a long time. Konoha hadn't changed much since his last departure: the streets were still the same streets, and the bathhouses were still the same bathhouses.
"Huh? There's a new bookstore here? Interesting!"
Jiraiya had originally planned to visit the bathhouse for research, but while passing through an ordinary residential neighborhood, he happened to spot a little shop he'd never seen before.
He knew this road like the back of his hand. After leaving the Hokage Building, he only had to head southeast for a few hundred meters to reach the bathhouse. He could find his way there with his eyes closed.
He was certain that the last time he'd passed by, this bookstore hadn't been here.
"As a successful author, it's only natural to check out the current market!"
Jiraiya came up with an excuse, turned on his heel, and went into the bookstore.
Three minutes later.
"Hey, boss! Answer me! Why doesn't your shop have Icha Icha Paradise?"
Jiraiya slapped the counter hard and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Sir, please calm down. Our shop is small, so we can't stock every book. If we don't have what you're looking for, you could try another store."
Uchiha Arashi had of course recognized Jiraiya. He hadn't expected the man to suddenly show up in front of him, let alone get so worked up over a book.
Come to think of it, Icha Icha Paradise was a good book. Was it erotic? A lot of it was only hinted at. But was it chaste? It did contain some very explicit descriptions. It was the sort of book that left things to the imagination, with an unspoken understanding between author and reader.
Unfortunately, as he'd said, his little shop was too small to stock many books. There were children at home, too, and he didn't want his younger siblings to accidentally stumble across something they shouldn't see.
Maybe he'd consider carrying that stuff once they were nearly grown.
So when the publisher asked what kinds of books he wanted, he'd naturally crossed out that whole category, Icha Icha Paradise and all.
As a result, his little shop's business had never been very good.
It couldn't be helped. That was what happened when you didn't stock popular books.
Icha Icha Paradise was one of the most popular books around, far more popular than his own Teyvat Travelogue. Most bookstores couldn't even get it in stock. Thanks to his status as a Reviewer, the publisher treated Uchiha Arashi as a special case, so he could have stocked some copies if he'd wanted to.
But he'd declined, asking the publisher only for a complete collector's edition to keep for himself.
For all his careful planning, he'd never have guessed that his first encounter with Jiraiya would turn out like this.
Jiraiya hadn't come in looking for trouble. He'd simply entered out of curiosity, then felt a little disappointed when he didn't see what he'd hoped to find.
"Forget it. It's not your fault. I'm off."
He waved a hand and started to leave.
"Please wait, sir. If you don't mind, why not take a look at this book?"
Uchiha Arashi called after him, took a book from beneath the counter, and held it out.
Jiraiya stopped, curious. He took the book and looked down at it.
"Bleach?"
"Yes, it's my latest book. This is a publisher's proof, and it hasn't officially been released yet. They sent me a few copies to give away. We're sorry we don't have the book you wanted. Please accept this as an apology. It's free."
Uchiha Arashi smiled amiably.
"Oh? You're an author too? How interesting."
Jiraiya nodded, and his expression brightened at once.
They said authors were rivals, but it depended on the circumstances. Jiraiya didn't rely entirely on writing to make a living, and he wasn't concerned about competition between authors. It was certainly interesting to wander into a little shop and discover that the owner was an author too.
Besides, the chance to talk with a fellow author was a good thing.
"Huh? Senya Arashi? That name sounds familiar... Ah! I've got it! You wrote Teyvat Travelogue, didn't you?"
Jiraiya paused when he saw the author's name. After a moment's thought, recognition dawned on him, and he turned to Uchiha Arashi with excitement.
"That's right. It was written by yours truly."
Uchiha Arashi smiled and nodded.
"Wow, your book was so good! You have no idea. I was out doing research when I happened to come across it. The fantasy world you wrote about was incredible. It felt as though it really existed. It was a subject unlike anything the Ninja World had ever seen before..."
It was clear that Jiraiya had loved Uchiha Arashi's earlier work.
His irritation from a moment ago had vanished, replaced by the excitement of meeting an idol.
Although he was much older than Uchiha Arashi, when it came to writing novels, the two seemed evenly matched so far. They simply focused on different things.
Uchiha Arashi's stories of an imagined world were a subject Jiraiya had never encountered before. Seeing one for the first time had left him awestruck.
Even more remarkably, he'd happened to meet the author himself. What an incredible coincidence.
Jiraiya was in no hurry to leave.
Uchiha Arashi didn't try to hurry him along. The two of them chatted as if no one else were around.
A few customers came into the shop while they were talking. Uchiha Arashi couldn't serve them himself, so Izumi stepped in. He took the opportunity to bring Jiraiya to the back courtyard.
Izumi glanced at him with concern. Uchiha Arashi gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head to show her it was all right.
There were signs of ninja activity around the house, and it would be nearly impossible to hide them from an expert like Jiraiya.
But Uchiha Arashi wasn't worried. This was Konoha, after all. Places without any traces of ninja activity were harder to find.
Even if Jiraiya asked about it, he could brush him off by saying he was studying ninja techniques. More importantly, Jiraiya would never think that he was the person Konoha had been hunting, let alone suspect that he would dare to live right in the village.
So he wasn't worried at all.
Before you continue