Another half month passed in the blink of an eye. A full month had now elapsed since Mount Myōboku's destruction.
Disheveled and filthy, Jiraiya emerged from the woods. The sight of Konoha's emblem in the distance brought tears to his eyes.
With Mount Myōboku's Reverse Summoning Technique no longer working, he had made the entire journey back on foot.
As usual, he went to the village entrance and submitted to a Byakugan inspection.
While he waited, Jiraiya instinctively studied the Konoha guards on duty.
He had continued training in Sage Mode throughout his journey. The brutal reality of the Great Toad Sage's death had stripped away his old carefree attitude. He had become more diligent in his training, deepening his connection to natural energy.
This state heightened his perception.
Compared with before, he could now faintly sense the emotions people concealed beneath their outward appearances. These Konoha guards from the Hyuga Branch Family harbored suppressed fury, each like a powder keg ready to explode.
The discovery made Jiraiya's heart sink.
Drawing closer to Sage Mode had not revealed more of the Shinobi World's beauty. Instead, it had shown him that Konoha was no perfect paradise. Beneath its outward prosperity and peace lay the crushing frustrations of many ninja.
His own life had gone too smoothly over the years. That did not mean these darker aspects did not exist.
If even Konoha was like this, what about the rest of the Shinobi World...?
His heroic ninja way still had a long road ahead.
After passing the Byakugan security check, Jiraiya headed straight for the Senju Compound.
Studying under Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him access to excellent educational resources, but it had also left him without friends in the village. With his teacher away, his fellow student Senju Kenyu was the only