Jiraiya Arrives in the Land of Snow

There was no need for any special measures.

Nor was there any need to hide himself.

Jiraiya had simply walked openly into the Land of Snow. His movements were impossible to miss, and his distinctive outfit made him stand out even more. Almost the moment he set foot in the Land of Snow, the Snow Ninja monitoring the border recognized him. Yet not one of them came forward to stop him. The reason was simple: before Jiraiya had even left Konoha and set out for the Land of Snow,

orders had already been issued from within Snow Ninja Village.

Several orders, in fact.

One of them

was about Jiraiya.

His appearance and presence were impossible to imitate easily.

That made it easy for the Snow Ninja to identify him. Besides, he was walking straight in through the "front gate," so there was even less cause for concern. Not a single Snow Ninja intercepted him along the way. They simply relayed news of his arrival back to the village as quickly as they could. Jiraiya had easily sensed the Snow Ninja who had been lying in wait around him from the start, and understood what was going on, but he paid them no mind.

Instead, he continued straight ahead.

From the moment he landed in Lin City,

he traveled in a straight line,

passing right by the outskirts of Kazahana Castle

and heading directly toward Snow Ninja Village.

His destination was plain to see.

His pace was unhurried.

By the time Jiraiya reached the main gate of Snow Ninja Village,

someone was already waiting for him there.

Jiraiya took a closer look.

"So it's you. You're from the Hyuga Clan, aren't you? Neji, was it?"

The person who had come to meet him was Neji, who had defected alongside Naruto two