The Mocking Trap

Because they had been away for three years, most of the items in Jiraiya's home had grown damp and moldy, rendering them unusable. The two spent the entire afternoon cleaning, and by the time they had cleared out all the junk and debris, it was nearly evening.

Helpless, they had managed to clean the rooms, but there was no time left to purchase furniture or daily necessities. After taking Yuehua Ai out for dinner, Jiraiya took him on a tour around Konoha, introducing him to the village's basic layout while also reminding him of the things he needed to be mindful of while staying there.

After returning home with full stomachs, the two began to chat and joke around. Yuehua Ai would occasionally ask questions about his training, while Jiraiya, moved by the familiar surroundings, spent the whole night reminiscing about his past glorious deeds in the village. When the night grew a little deeper, the two said goodnight and retreated to their respective rooms. Although the house was still a bit damp, it was far better than their time in Amegakure.

After finishing his pre-sleep physical training and refining his chakra for a while, Yuehua Ai made do and went to sleep in the room. Tomorrow, he not only had to handle the issues with the house, but he also had to settle his identity and enrollment in Konoha...

Sigh, this is so annoying. I hate these troublesome things the most!

Yuehua Ai stared fixedly at the ceiling and muttered to himself. He had the least patience for situations where so many things were piled up together.

"Little Ai, get up! How can you be a slacker when you're a ninja? A youth like you should be as clear and energetic as the morning sun, not like this—look at you, you look even more decadent than an old man in his twilight years!"

With heavy dark circles under his eyes, Yuehua Ai hung his head and shuffled out of the room like a zombie. Because he had suddenly arrived in a new environment, Yuehua Ai instinctively felt a sense of crisis. Thinking of the calm surface of Konoha but the turbulent undercurrents beneath, he had spent the entire night planning how to develop himself without drawing attention. After coming up with several plans and deciding to adapt to circumstances in the future, the little guy, intending to sleep, miserably discovered that after the most drowsy period past midnight, he was completely wide awake. In the end, he had to helplessly accept the fact that he was suffering from insomnia!

"Pfft, pfft..."

Cool water splashed onto his face, giving the heavy-lidded Yuehua Ai a jolt and waking him up instantly.

After washing up, aside from still looking a bit tired, Yuehua Ai no longer seemed out of sorts.

"What, insomnia? Are you still not used to being in Konoha?"

Jiraiya asked while stuffing bread into his mouth.

"A little, but I'm fine!"

Yuehua Ai grabbed the carton of milk, poured himself a glass, and then filled Jiraiya's cup as well.

Jiraiya took a sip with great satisfaction. "Konoha is a very friendly village. Don't feel any pressure here. You are my, Jiraiya's, disciple, which means you are a part of this place too."

"Oh..." Yuehua Ai raised his eyelids and gave a perfunctory, insincere reply. Secretly, he muttered to himself, Even if I can think of myself as a part of Konoha, besides you, Master Jiraiya, there aren't many others in Konoha who would think so!

Shaking his head, Jiraiya sighed. He knew his disciple's personality; it was hard to get him to acknowledge something through preaching and words alone.

There was no point in saying more about this. Once Little Ai stayed in Konoha for a long time, his perception would naturally change.

Jiraiya didn't dwell on the issue. He finished his breakfast and, after draining the milk in his cup, said:

"I'm going to the Hokage Office Building in a bit. You don't need to follow me this time. I took you around the commercial district last night, so you should be familiar with it. I've left some money in the room for you to take. After you finish eating, you're responsible for buying some daily necessities. It would be great if you could replace the furniture as well!"

"Alright, that's all I have to say. I'm off!"

"Goodbye, Master Jiraiya!"

Yuehua Ai said to Jiraiya; he didn't lack such basic manners.

Jiraiya stood up, nodded, changed his shoes, and after waving his hand with his back to Yuehua Ai, he opened the door and left.

After Jiraiya left, Yuehua Ai stuffed the bread into his mouth in a few bites. Adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, he drank the milk in the carton and then impatiently snuck into Jiraiya's room.

Although he knew it was the room of a lecherous old man, Yuehua Ai was still curious! After all, this was the room of one of the Sannin, Jiraiya. Even though Yuehua Ai rarely showed respect to Jiraiya, his gratitude and reverence for him, much like Naruto's, were hidden deep in his heart. With this mindset, he naturally felt curious about everything belonging to his teacher.

Pushing open the door, the room that appeared before him was identical in layout to his own. Jiraiya's room was also incredibly simple; compared to his, it only had one extra desk. The money Jiraiya left for him was resting quietly on the desk.

He didn't immediately go to collect the money. After Yuehua Ai wandered around Jiraiya's room out of curiosity, he discovered traces of the tatami mats on the floor having been moved.

Yuehua Ai chuckled to himself and rubbed his hands together. When he carefully lifted the mat, the sight before him made his face turn black instantly.

What appeared before him was just an ordinary piece of paper covered in doodles, not the colorful magazines with exposed beauties he had imagined. Of course, that wasn't the reason for his frustration; what truly made him feel naive was the doodle on the paper.

After identifying the doodle, Yuehua Ai realized it was supposed to be a pig drawn by Jiraiya. Although, aside from the nose, the rest looked like a frog. What really made Yuehua Ai's balls ache was the text above the head of this creature—neither pig nor frog: Yue—Hua—Ai. His name was just so blatantly topped by this pig-frog or frog-pig...

After restoring the tatami mat to its original state, Yuehua Ai's teeth ached uncontrollably.

No wonder he told me to come to the room to get the money myself; it turns out he left this to mock and trap me!

While Yuehua Ai laughed at himself, he secretly cursed his own carelessness. He had forgotten recently that his master was also a childish person! He had no choice but to take this mockery; after all, he was the one in the wrong for secretly invading someone else's privacy...

Master Jiraiya really hasn't lost his childlike heart... but that is exactly the personal charm that makes Jiraiya different from others!

Yuehua Ai sighed while counting the money on the table.

"20,000 ryo?! Tsk tsk!"

Yuehua Ai clicked his tongue. He really hadn't expected Jiraiya to give him such a huge sum. According to the price standards of this world, 20,000 ryo was enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for several months!

Having money in your pocket means you don't panic—that really is a truth that holds up in any world!

Feeling the weight in his pocket, Yuehua Ai's back straightened even more.

Keeping Jiraiya's instructions in mind, Yuehua Ai headed straight for Konoha's commercial district after leaving the house. Lingering between various shops, Yuehua Ai didn't even ask for the prices of the daily necessities; he simply waved his hand to have the shopkeepers prepare them, left them the address, paid a deposit, and floated away.

Yuehua Ai wasn't being a spendthrift; he discovered that after he left the address, the shopkeepers' faces couldn't help but show expressions of respect. Even without him actively bargaining, most of the shopkeepers sold him items at the lowest price. Only then did Yuehua Ai truly understand the significance behind Jiraiya's residence and the status that "Land of Heroes," as Jiraiya called it, held in the hearts of the villagers.

After wandering around the district for a few laps, a sense of pride inexplicably rose in Yuehua Ai's heart. Just as he was startled by his own feelings and began to reflect, his vision suddenly went dark, and a dainty figure collided with him head-on!