The Way of the Ninja (Part 1)

Whether Jiraiya was present or not was something the youths would usually pay little mind to, but unfortunately, they were currently on edge, feeling a mix of longing and anxiety over whether he would return.

On the front wall of the room, a palm-sized wooden plaque hung quietly, bearing a cute frog icon. On the side wall hung four smaller wooden plaques, each currently showing a solid red face.

These plaques had been set up after Jiraiya took the youths as his disciples. Each plaque represented one person; the independent one represented Jiraiya, and the other four smaller ones represented the youths.

The front and back of the plaques featured different patterns, each carrying a specific meaning. The front was solid red with no other patterns or colors, serving as a sign that the youths had returned to the base and were staying indoors.

The back of the plaque featured a frog icon. Jiraiya had a penchant for frogs, and he had designated this pattern himself to mean "returning soon," indicating that the owner of the plaque was not currently on the premises.

The purpose of hanging these plaques was to guard against enemies and, incidentally, to cultivate a habit of vigilance among the group. Whether it was Jiraiya or the youths, the first thing they did when leaving or returning was to flip their respective plaques, as the state of the plaques reflected the status of the personnel within the base.

Although the war in the Land of Rivers had ended, the situation was far from stable. A group of youths living here could easily be targeted at any moment. When they gathered at the base, it was their most vulnerable time—not only was their location obvious, but they were also susceptible to ambushes, especially since their vigilance was at its lowest then.

Therefore, to guard against sudden changes, Jiraiya had specifically crafted these plaques to represent everyone's status.

In other words, if a plaque was flipped to the red side but there was no one in the base, it meant a companion might have been captured by the enemy. Conversely, if the plaque showed the frog icon but a companion was present inside, it meant the person in the room might be an enemy in disguise. Having such a secret code allowed them to avoid many dangers.

Yuehua Ai looked at the frog icon on the independent plaque, having no idea where the man had gone off to fool around.

As for Jiraiya's safety, he wasn't worried in the slightest. If the remnants of ninjas lurking in such a backwater could give Jiraiya trouble, then he would hardly be worthy of the title of Sannin.

"It's just as well that Master Jiraiya isn't here; we can just..." Yahiko had just begun to suggest preparing a countermeasure, but halfway through his sentence, a burst of loud laughter erupted from outside.

"Haha, I could smell the grilled fish from a mile away! That's a sure way to attract enemies, you know!"

Jiraiya laughed as he took off his rain gear and hung his raincoat on the rack by the door.

Sitting down with a bold, unrestrained posture, Jiraiya leaned in to sniff the grilled fish on the table, a look of intoxication appearing on his face.

Reaching out to grab a skewer, Jiraiya didn't stand on ceremony; he took a large bite and nodded in satisfaction.

"This fish must have been grilled by Ai. No one else could reach this level of quality. Setting aside ninjutsu, Ai has already surpassed his master when it comes to the culinary arts!"

Jiraiya shook his head in delight, sighing with emotion. He then turned his gaze toward Yahiko and the others, who were standing frozen to the side.

"Hey, Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, why haven't you started eating yet? Don't tell me you were waiting for me to come back to eat together?!"

"Ah... no... not at all, Master Jiraiya..." Konan stammered in response.

"No, ha... ha... we've already eaten..." Yahiko said, rubbing his head with a forced smile.

"Oh~~~~" Jiraiya drew out the sound, tilting his head and eyeing them with a look full of suspicion.

"Really... we... we really..." Nagato stuttered, unable to get a coherent sentence out for a long time.

Turning his head back to focus on the grilled fish, Jiraiya said nothing more. He seemed completely oblivious to their strange behavior, simply nodding as he ate.

The atmosphere remained stagnant, with only the sound of Yuehua Ai and Jiraiya chewing filling the room. Once Yuehua Ai finished eating and Jiraiya had polished off most of the fish in his hand, Jiraiya suddenly tapped his forehead as if struck by a sudden realization, then turned to face the three youths.

"Right, I remember giving you a mission this morning. Since you've all returned, I assume the mission is complete. Tell me how it went!"

"Er..." The youths exchanged glances, unable to stop themselves from swallowing hard.

"What's wrong?" Jiraiya tilted his head, resting his chin on his hand.

"Nothing..." Yahiko ultimately didn't dare to directly admit what they had done. He was just about to say it was nothing, but the moment he opened his mouth, Yuehua Ai's voice rang out.

"Master Jiraiya, those bandits you told us about have already been found and dealt with!"

Youths always like to overcomplicate simple matters. Rather than being evasive like you all, it's better if I just lay it out clearly.

That was what Yuehua Ai thought.

"Ah!!!" The expressions of Yahiko and the others changed drastically. They hadn't expected Yuehua Ai to be so blunt, without even a hint of a lead-in. Yuehua Ai's directness caught them off guard, and Jiraiya's reaction was equally unexpected.

"Oh." Jiraiya nodded calmly, seemingly unfazed by Yuehua Ai's words. He even had the leisure to pull out a flask and slowly pour himself a cup of wine.

Jiraiya took a delightful sip of wine, watching the expressions of panic and confusion shifting across the faces of Yahiko and the others. He could no longer maintain his serious, indifferent facade.

"You foolish youths. Yahiko, you actually tried to hide it? I've known about your little affair for a long time—I've been following right behind you!"

Jiraiya pointed his finger at them, looking quite pleased with himself. He only mentioned following them, without clarifying whether he had been close behind or otherwise.

"Ah!" Jiraiya's words hit the youths like a thunderclap. So Master Jiraiya had been following them the whole time! It was laughable that they had spent all that time trying to keep it a secret.

Thinking back to how he hadn't detected Jiraiya when using his sensory perception, Yuehua Ai felt a flicker of surprise, but he didn't harbor any doubts, assuming Jiraiya had simply kept a distance beyond his sensory range.

"Ma... Master Jiraiya..." The group couldn't help but bite their lips. Although they saw the smile on Jiraiya's face, they were still worried about what he thought of their actions.