Since Jiraiya had been away for three years, most of the things in his house had become damp and moldy, and were no longer usable. The two of them spent the entire afternoon cleaning. By the time they had cleared out all the junk, it was nearly evening.
The rooms were clean, but they had run out of time to buy furniture and other household necessities. So after taking Yuehua Ai out for dinner, Jiraiya took him on a quick tour of Konoha, introducing him to the village and reminding him of a few things to watch out for.
After eating their fill, the two returned home and chatted. Yuehua Ai occasionally asked questions about training, while Jiraiya, reminded of the past, spent the whole evening recounting his glorious deeds in the village. When it grew late, they said good night and went to their respective rooms. The house was still a little damp, but it was far better than their accommodations in Amegakure.
After his bedtime physical training and a little chakra practice, Yuehua Ai made do with sleeping in his room. Tomorrow, he had to sort out the problems with the house, as well as his identity and enrollment in Konoha...
Ugh, what a pain. I hate dealing with this kind of stuff!
Yuehua Ai stared at the ceiling and muttered. He had the least patience for situations where so many things piled up at once.
"Xiao Ai, get up! How can you lie in bed when you're a ninja? A young man like you should be as bright and full of energy as the morning sun, not as listless as some old man on his deathbed!"
With dark circles under his eyes, Yuehua Ai shuffled out of his room with his head bowed, looking like a walking corpse. The sudden change of surroundings had put him on edge. He knew that beneath Konoha's seemingly calm surface, turbulent currents ran deep. All night, he had been planning how to develop himself in the village without attracting attention. After coming up with several strategies and deciding to adapt as circumstances changed, Xiao Ai had finally tried to sleep—only to discover that, after missing the part of the night when he was most likely to feel drowsy, he couldn't sleep at all. In the end, he had no choice but to accept the fact that he was suffering from insomnia!
"Pfft..."
Cool water splashed against his face, and Yuehua Ai's heavy eyelids flew open as he jolted awake.
After washing up, Yuehua Ai looked a little tired, but otherwise seemed fine.
"What's wrong, couldn't sleep? Still not used to Konoha?"
Jiraiya asked as he stuffed bread into his mouth.
"I'm a little unaccustomed to it, but I'm fine!"
Yuehua Ai picked up the carton of milk and poured himself a glass, then filled Jiraiya's as well.
Jiraiya lifted his glass and took a relaxed sip. "Konoha is a friendly village. Don't feel pressured here. You're my student, so you're one of us."
"Oh..." Yuehua Ai raised his eyelids and gave a half-hearted reply. At the same time, he grumbled inwardly, Even if I consider myself part of Konoha, aside from you, Teacher Jiraiya, how many people here would see me that way?
Jiraiya shook his head and sighed. He knew his student's personality. It would be hard to win him over with a lecture or a few reassuring words.
There was no point going on about it. Once Xiao Ai had spent more time in Konoha, his perspective would naturally change.
Jiraiya didn't dwell on the subject. He finished his breakfast and drained his glass of milk, then said:
"I have to go to the Hokage Office Building in a bit. You don't need to come with me this time. I showed you the shopping district last night, so you should know your way around. I left some money in my room; take what you need. Once you've eaten, go buy some daily necessities. It'd be great if you could replace some of the furniture, too!"
"That's everything I needed to say. I'll be off!"
"Goodbye, Teacher Jiraiya!"
Yuehua Ai called after him. He might not have much patience for other things, but he knew basic manners.
Jiraiya stood and nodded, then changed his shoes. With his back to Yuehua Ai, he waved and left through the door.
As soon as Jiraiya was gone, Yuehua Ai stuffed the bread into his mouth in a few quick bites. Not wanting to waste anything, he drained the carton of milk, then eagerly slipped into Jiraiya's room.
He knew it was the room of a lecherous old man, but he was still curious! After all, it belonged to Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. Yuehua Ai rarely showed Jiraiya any respect, but, like Naruto, he kept his gratitude and admiration for him hidden in his heart. Naturally, that made him curious about everything to do with his teacher.
He opened the door. The room looked much like Yuehua Ai's, and was just as spartan. The only difference was that Jiraiya had a desk. The money he had left for Yuehua Ai lay neatly stacked on it.
Rather than taking the money right away, Yuehua Ai wandered around the room curiously. Before long, he noticed signs that the tatami mat on the floor had been moved.
Yuehua Ai chuckled to himself and rubbed his hands together. But when he carefully lifted the mat, his expression darkened at once.
All he found was an ordinary piece of paper covered in doodles. It wasn't the kind of magazine he'd imagined, full of scantily clad beauties. That wasn't what made Xiao Ai feel glum, though. What really made him feel foolish was the drawing on the paper.
After examining it, Yuehua Ai recognized it as a pig drawn by Jiraiya. Aside from its snout, the creature looked more like a frog. What really made Yuehua Ai want to tear his hair out were the characters written above its head: "Yuehua Ai." His name was written right there on top of the pig-frog—or frog-pig...
After putting the tatami mat back in place, Yuehua Ai winced.
No wonder he told me to get the money myself. He left that there just to mock me!
Yuehua Ai laughed in disbelief, then cursed himself for being careless. He really had forgotten that his teacher was a mischievous kid at heart! There was nothing he could do but take the taunt. After all, he was the one in the wrong for snooping around in someone else's private space...
Teacher Jiraiya really has a childlike spirit... But that's exactly what makes him so charismatic!
Yuehua Ai counted the money on the desk as he mused.
"20,000 ryo?! Impressive!"
Yuehua Ai clicked his tongue. He hadn't expected Jiraiya to give him such a huge sum. By this world's standards, 20,000 ryo was enough to let an ordinary family live comfortably for several months!
Having money in your pocket put your mind at ease. That was true in every world!
Feeling the weight in his pocket, Yuehua Ai stood a little taller.
Following Jiraiya's instructions, Yuehua Ai headed straight for Konoha's shopping district after leaving the house. He browsed from shop to shop, and when it came to daily necessities, he didn't even ask the prices. He simply waved for the shopkeepers to prepare what he wanted, gave them his address, paid a deposit, and went on his way.
Yuehua Ai wasn't being particularly extravagant. He had noticed that when he gave the shopkeepers his address, they would look at him with respect. Even without haggling, most of them offered him the lowest price. It was then that Yuehua Ai finally understood what Jiraiya's residence represented, and grasped the place of honor that Jiraiya called the heroes' district held in the villagers' hearts.
After wandering around the district a few times, Yuehua Ai felt a strange surge of pride. Just as he snapped out of it and began to wonder why he felt that way, his vision suddenly went dark—a delicate figure had collided with him head-on!
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