Daily Life

Under Jiraiya's questioning, Naruto stammered, "Ahem, well, Pervy Sage, listen. I was trying out a newly learned secret technique just now, but I couldn't control it properly and it affected you. Um, go back to sleep. I won't bother you."

Jiraiya gave Naruto a look that said, "Do you think I'm an idiot?" and said, "What secret technique? Show me."

Hearing that, Naruto hurried over and gestured for Jiraiya to crouch down. Then he touched Jiraiya's forehead with a finger and passed Aura Burst on to him.

Jiraiya closed his eyes and examined the Aura Burst imprinted in his mind.

When Jiraiya opened his eyes, he saw Naruto standing beside him. Gritting his teeth, he rushed over, grabbed Naruto by the head, and ruffled his hair roughly. "You little brat, are you sure you just couldn't control it properly?"

Naruto, who was being manhandled by Jiraiya, didn't say anything. He just giggled.

Seeing that, Jiraiya let him go. He wanted to try out Aura Burst for himself, too.

He then crossed his arms, but the moment Naruto saw him take that pose, he hurriedly tried to stop him. "Don't, Pervy Sage..."

But it was already too late. Before Naruto could finish speaking, an aura even more powerful than the one Naruto had unleashed burst out of Jiraiya, along with a scorching heat.

Unlike Naruto, Jiraiya didn't control his aura to keep it from touching the floor. As it burst out, the surrounding walls and floor groaned under the strain.

Only then did Jiraiya understand what Naruto hadn't had time to finish saying. But it was already too late. Even though he immediately withdrew his aura, the floor and walls had cracked, and the cracks were growing wider.

The house Naruto lived in was on the verge of collapsing. Jiraiya hurriedly grabbed the dazed Naruto and his backpack, then flashed outside.

After they got out, the entire building collapsed. The rumbling jolted Naruto back to his senses, and he turned to look at Jiraiya, who wore an awkward expression.

"Ahem, well, sorry about that. I didn't expect the aura to be so powerful. Don't worry, I'll pay you back," Jiraiya said, then handed Naruto the backpack he was holding.

Naruto took the backpack and didn't say anything. He was a little reluctant to lose the house, but apart from a few cups of instant noodles and some milk, there wasn't anything else inside.

Jiraiya's backpack was the one he had carried when he left the village. All of his belongings were in it.

There were his savings book, the little gifts he'd bought while shopping with Hinata, and the two sets of clothes Jiraiya had given him. As long as the backpack was safe, that was all that mattered, Naruto reassured himself.

Then Naruto turned to Jiraiya, his face expressionless. "Pervy Sage, you owe me a new place."

Jiraiya quickly nodded. "I'll pay you back. Don't worry, I promise."

"Hehe, good. Now I want to go eat ramen," Naruto said with a smile.

Jiraiya nodded and agreed. Naruto led him to Ichiraku Ramen.

It wasn't mealtime yet, so Ichiraku Ramen didn't have any customers. Teuchi was getting things ready for business.

Hearing someone come in, he looked up and said, "Welcome!"

When he saw that it was Naruto, he added, "Oh, Naruto. In the mood for ramen again?"

Then he looked at Jiraiya behind Naruto. Jiraiya seemed familiar, but Teuchi couldn't quite remember who he was.

"Hey, Teuchi. Long time no see," Jiraiya said, stepping forward.

Teuchi's face lit up in recognition. "Isn't that Jiraiya? It's been a long time. You look younger than ever!"

Naruto looked at Teuchi in confusion. "You know Pervy Sage too, Teuchi?"

Teuchi laughed. "Of course. Jiraiya came by when I first opened the shop. He was with a beautiful girl with golden hair back then."

Jiraiya nodded, then smiled. "I've been away from Konoha for many years. I just got back."

"No wonder I haven't seen you in years. You really do look younger and younger. You look only about twenty now," Teuchi went on.

Jiraiya laughed. "It's not that exaggerated."

"Teuchi, I'm hungry. I'll have a bowl of ramen first, with every topping you've got. Pervy Sage is paying!" Naruto cut in.

Teuchi immediately smiled. "Coming right up! Jiraiya, the usual for you?"

Jiraiya nodded. Then he and Naruto sat down, and before long Teuchi set two steaming bowls of ramen in front of them. He stood nearby and chatted with Jiraiya.

Naruto focused on eating. When he finished, Jiraiya went to pay, but Teuchi refused, saying it had been so many years since he'd seen Jiraiya that this meal was on the house.

Jiraiya didn't insist. He left a three-hundred-ryo bill, then quickly led Naruto away.

After they left Ichiraku Ramen, Jiraiya asked Naruto, "What else should I do to make it up to you?"

"Obviously, we need to find somewhere to stay first. We'll be in Konoha for a few days. It's not like we can sleep in the street," Naruto said, sounding exasperated.

Jiraiya burst out laughing. "Don't worry about that. I was just about to take you there."

He led Naruto toward the western part of the village. After a while, Jiraiya brought him to the woods near the edge of Konoha. There was nothing there but a shabby two-story wooden house.

Seeing the little house, Jiraiya pointed to it and said, "We'll stay here for the next few days."

Looking at the house, which was even more run-down than the one Jiraiya had destroyed, Naruto immediately understood. "Is this your house, Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya nodded, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "Yeah. I haven't been back in years. It's fallen apart."

He led Naruto up to the house, took a key from his pocket, and unlocked the door.

As soon as he pushed it open, a musty smell hit them. Naruto pinched his nose with his left hand and waved his right hand in front of him.

Jiraiya shook his head with a smile, then went inside and opened all the windows. He stood in the middle of the living room and formed a hand seal.

Whirlwinds appeared around Jiraiya. At his direction, they flew through the house, sweeping up the dust, cobwebs, and other debris, then sending it out through the open windows.

Much of the musty smell went with it. Jiraiya looked up at Naruto, who was still standing in the doorway. "What are you standing there for? Come help!"

Although he'd used a jutsu to blow away the surface clutter, the inside of some of the cabinets was still filthy and messy. Those needed to be cleaned by hand.

Naruto answered and went inside. He and Jiraiya set to work cleaning together.

Meanwhile, at the Hyuga Clan Training Ground—a place where the Hyuga children trained—the two figures in the field, one large and one small, were engaged in a rapid exchange of blows. They were Hinata and her younger sister, Hanabi.

Hanabi was attacking Hinata with all her might as she said, "You're a bad big sister! Naruto's going to whisk you away again, and you're even leaving Konoha. Hmph!"

Hinata let Hanabi attack, only defending herself. Hearing what Hanabi said, she hurriedly replied, "Hanabi, I'm going away to train. Naruto-kun isn't whisking me away. You have to be good, okay? I'll come back often. Be good."

Hanabi's attacks grew even fiercer. "Hmph! I'm not a little kid. If you leave Konoha, how can you come back often?"

After Jiraiya left last night, Hyuga Hiashi had summoned all the senior members of the Hyuga Clan. He told them that Hinata's eyes could evolve, as well as everything Jiraiya had said he was allowed to tell the clan.

The clan members were astonished to hear that the Byakugan could evolve into something even more powerful. But since the clan head was the one telling them, they had no choice but to believe it.

Then they heard that Jiraiya, one of the three Sannin, had taken the clan head's eldest daughter as his student and wanted to take her out of the village to help her evolve her Byakugan.

After careful consideration, the elders decided to agree. They wanted the clan to grow stronger, and they weren't worried that Hinata's Byakugan might be stolen while she was away. Hyuga Hiashi had already told them about Mount Myoboku.

Early the next morning, Hyuga Hiashi told his wife, Hyuga Chushin, and their daughter Hanabi that Hinata would be leaving the village to train. That was how this scene had come about.

Looking at Hanabi, whose attacks were fierce but whose eyes showed nothing but reluctance, Hinata said, "Hanabi, your big sister would never lie to you."

After Hinata reassured her again and again, Hanabi said, "Hmph. I'll forgive you for now. But you've got three days left, and you have to spend all of them with me."

Hanabi had always liked sticking close to Hinata, so Hinata understood how she really felt. She nodded and agreed.

As for Hinata's mother, she was gentle and considerate. She didn't try to stop Hinata when she heard the news. After all, she was a ninja herself.

She only said she would prepare some things Hinata would need for the journey.

Seeing this, Hyuga Hiashi gave Hanabi three days off so Hinata could spend some time with her.

As a condition for forgiving Hinata, Hanabi made her promise that she would take her along everywhere she went over the next few days.

Hinata gladly agreed, then took Hanabi to the Konoha Commercial District. From her father, she knew what kind of person Jiraiya was.

She was grateful that Jiraiya had taken her as his student, so she decided to buy some gifts for him and Naruto.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Jiraiya were nearly finished cleaning. Seeing the shabby walls, Jiraiya went to the market and bought plenty of wood varnish and ingredients. Together, they painted the house inside and out.

After they finished, Jiraiya ran some distance away and circled the house to check whether they'd missed anything.

Looking up from the bottom, Jiraiya nodded in satisfaction at first. But when he saw the exit to the second-floor balcony, a few black lines rose over his head.

The exit was round, with a fan-shaped relief at the top. Now two long whiskers had appeared on either side of the entrance, and a large red circle had been painted above the relief.

Although Jiraiya was speechless, he didn't wipe them off. After all, they were Naruto's handiwork.