Inevitable Attention and Multiple Preparations

"So you are Jiraiya? My apologies!"

Uchiha Arashi had only been chatting with Jiraiya for a short while before "probing" out the other man's identity, and he immediately put on a look of surprise.

Jiraiya waved his hand, looking quite pleased.

"It's not important, just empty titles, not important at all. I'd much rather you treat me as an ordinary person—yes, just treat me as an ordinary writer like yourself!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Uchiha Arashi asked with a smile, "You are one of the Sannin, a disciple of the Hokage, while I am merely an ordinary man..."

"You aren't ordinary, Senya. As far as I know, there have only been three Reviewers in the entire Land of Fire before now, and you are the fourth. You have the authority to audit all publications, holding the lifeline of countless writers in your hands—that isn't something an ordinary person could achieve. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, there are traces of ninja training in this house of yours."

Jiraiya said, his expression relaxed.

Yet, the more relaxed he appeared, the more capable he was of unleashing immense combat power in an instant. To underestimate Jiraiya because of this would be a grave mistake indeed.

"I've always liked the profession of a ninja. I even tried to become one in the past, but unfortunately, I couldn't live in Konoha during my childhood. Now that I'm grown... may I ask, is there still a chance for me to become a ninja if I start training now?"

"There is."

Jiraiya nodded, "But it's difficult—very, very difficult. The probability is infinitely close to zero."

"I see... Perhaps that will be the greatest regret of my life."

Uchiha Arashi shook his head, wearing a look of helplessness.

"Hahahaha, don't make that face! There isn't much difference between being a ninja and being a writer; both are just ways to make a living."

Jiraiya laughed heartily and stopped pressing the matter.

The two chatted for a long time until the sun set and Izumi had prepared dinner, at which point Jiraiya decided to leave.

Uchiha Arashi tried to invite him to stay for the meal, but was refused.

"What kind of guest would I be, eating at your house the very first time we meet? I'm off, I'll come find you for a chat again when I have the chance!"

Jiraiya bid farewell to Uchiha Arashi, then leaped onto the roof and vanished.

Long after he had left, Izumi came to Uchiha Arashi, who was eating in silence.

He was having Mapo Tofu with rice—a dish he had taught Izumi to make. Unfortunately, without doubanjiang, it lacked its soul.

"Is it really okay? Will he truly not notice us?"

The reputation of the Sannin was so great that Izumi's heart trembled just hearing the name.

"In fact, he has already noticed us."

Uchiha Arashi shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth.

"Then what should we do? Do we need to relocate?"

Izumi had been anxious, but seeing Uchiha Arashi's current demeanor, she immediately felt at ease.

"No need. He only noticed us, he doesn't suspect us. Or rather, under the power of this eye, he will overlook many details he should have noticed. We'll be fine in the short term."

Uchiha Arashi pointed to his right eye.

He could exert a subtle influence on others without revealing his Mangekyo, though the power of this influence was much weaker; forcing a change in someone's will was nearly impossible. However, if he only slightly guided the other person's thoughts, it was achievable provided there was enough time and the target wasn't overly guarded.

This was also why he had tried to keep Jiraiya for dinner; although Jiraiya had already been influenced, who would mind deepening the impression? Uchiha Arashi certainly didn't.

As for being discovered and noticed by Jiraiya, it was simply unavoidable.

As long as he intended to remain in Konoha, he would encounter similar situations sooner or later.

Kakashi, Naruto, and now Jiraiya—theoretically, they were all the same.

Konoha wasn't small, but it wasn't exactly large either; it couldn't even compare to the fifth-tier city with a population of three million where he had lived before transmigrating.

"In short, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If we are truly discovered by Konoha, we can just abandon this identity. By the way, I haven't asked lately—how is the new tunnel coming along? Is it close to the edge of Konoha yet?"

Uchiha Arashi took a sip of water and asked.

Izumi had no choice but to set aside her worries and roll her eyes at him.

"You really don't care about such important matters at all. Don't worry, it's almost at the edge of Konoha; we can open the passage leading outside the village at any time."

"Then stop for now. Be careful not to trigger the Konoha Barrier's alarm."

Uchiha Arashi nodded, feeling quite confident in Izumi.

"What is the point of doing this? You have Kamui; you can take everyone away at any time. Why go through all this trouble?"

"It's to prepare more escape routes, of course."

Uchiha Arashi set down his bowl and chopsticks, having eaten his fill. "Don't forget, the other eye of Kamui is with Obito. He is the true master of Kamui; he can enter and exit that different space more easily and with less consumption than I can. It was pure luck that we haven't run into each other during our previous trips, but no one can guarantee how long that luck will last. What if I run into him next time? Or what if I run into him just as I'm trying to move you all?"

Izumi didn't speak, only nodded silently.

"At the same time, if we aren't discovered, this tunnel isn't meaningless. Such an obvious passage to the outside world can be used to divert Konoha's attention at a critical moment. Of course, they might suspect we are still in the village, but increasing the total amount of information and raising the cost of their judgment will always distract Konoha.

Finally, you've already learned the expansion technique for the Shadow Space. Next, you should try to open a Shadow Space of your own. Your ocular technique already has spatial attributes, which makes opening a Shadow Space even easier."

Uchiha Arashi couldn't help but smile as he finished speaking.

"I knew it! In the end, it's still just to make me do the work for you!"

Izumi rolled her eyes again.

She understood everything, of course, but she insisted on speaking this way, even though, age-wise, she was the older sister and Uchiha Arashi was the younger brother.

"The capable do more work, right? I'm very busy every day too..."

Uchiha Arashi defended himself.

"Busy with what? Busy writing books? Or busy dozing off? Let me tell you what I'm busy with every day: I have to clean, I have to teach them ninjutsu, I have to open up the Shadow Space, I have to..."

Uchiha Izumi began counting on her fingers, acting just like a nagging mother.

Uchiha Arashi immediately felt a headache coming on. He begged for mercy on the spot and promised a whole heap of benefits before he could get Izumi to stop her rambling.

At night, after tidying up the shop, the two returned to the Shadow Space.

Tonight was Uchiha Arashi's strength test.

Yes, you read that right; Uchiha Arashi was finally going to test his own strength as well.