Jiraiya's Question

To be honest, when Genye heard the name "Jiraiya," he was completely stunned.

Could it be a coincidence?

That couldn't be right!

How could such a non-mainstream name be shared by two people?

Thinking this, Genye looked at Shimura Hofu and asked with some uncertainty:

"Hofu-sensei, the great author Jiraiya you mentioned—could he be the Jiraiya known as one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, the one who has completed over a hundred S-rank missions?"

"...Yes," Shimura Hofu replied with an expressionless face.

"You've got to be kidding me," Asuma said, a toothpick dangling from his mouth as he asked the very question that was on Genye and Kurenai's minds. "Even my old man might not be a match for him right now. Does he really need the protection of three genin?"

"..."

Facing the questioning gazes of his three students, Shimura Hofu felt a headache coming on.

It was true; one of the legendary Sannin needing three newly graduated genin as escorts sounded like complete nonsense to anyone who heard it.

Yet, that was exactly what had happened!

Hofu had originally intended to pick a more challenging mission for his squad.

He hadn't expected Jiraiya to post such a whimsical request, specifically naming Team 8 as his escorts.

Could there be some hidden meaning behind this?

Hofu didn't know; he just felt like his head was going to explode.

"Maybe Jiraiya-sama is just bored on the road and wants someone to chat with?" Genye speculated.

"Perhaps," Asuma shrugged. "If that's the case, then this mission will be pretty easy."

That's not necessarily true, Genye thought, shaking his head inwardly.

This was a C-rank mission, and until it was successfully completed, no one knew if it might escalate into an S-rank one.

Outside the Konoha mission hall, Genye and his two teammates, fully prepared, finally met the legendary figure—Jiraiya.

He wore a black casual outfit, possessed an imposing, muscular build, and had messy silver hair that reached his waist. With red markings under his eyes, he certainly looked... different from the average person!

"As expected of a legendary figure; this presence is truly enviable," Asuma exclaimed, unable to help himself.

He admired heroes, especially great men like Jiraiya who were unrestrained and unconventional.

"You are...!"

At that moment, Yuhi Kurenai pointed at Jiraiya, her expression one of shock, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

Jiraiya waved his arms, his wooden sandals clattering against the ground as he said triumphantly:

"That's right, I am the one known from east to west, famous to all, so handsome that I can make crying children instantly fall silent—"

"You're that creepy old man who was lurking outside the hot springs yesterday!" Kurenai said with absolute certainty.

(ÒωÓױ)! Wha... What?!

Jiraiya's pose stiffened, he nearly threw out his back, and his entire demeanor instantly lost its color.

Crack!

The sound of shattering glass echoed—it was the sound of Asuma's dreams being crushed.

The great hero he admired had suddenly turned into a creepy old man; Asuma felt his conviction wavering!

Genye wasn't particularly surprised; after all, in the Naruto series, Jiraiya was frequently seen spawning near the women's hot springs.

It was just like how Zhang Wei always seemed to appear at the entrance of a restroom.

"A misunderstanding, it's just a misunderstanding! Everything I do is for the sake of my creative work, haha, hahahaha!"

Jiraiya scratched his messy hair, trying to use laughter to ease the awkwardness.

However, it wasn't very effective; the three of them were still looking at him with very strange expressions.

Seeing this, Jiraiya coughed twice and feigned seriousness to change the subject: "Ahem, so you three are the ninja responsible for escorting me on this trip?"

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama," Genye stepped forward two paces, gesturing to himself and his companions. "I am Hyuga Genye, and these two are my teammates, Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai."

Jiraiya's gaze lingered on Asuma for a moment before falling on Genye, and he laughed heartily as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Yosh, you've got spirit! Let's get moving, then."

The Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water were adjacent, meaning the majority of the journey would be spent within the Land of Fire.

The trip couldn't be called eventful; in fact, it was entirely uneventful.

Out of boredom, Genye tried to strike up a conversation with Jiraiya. When he had watched Naruto in the past, he had quite liked this character.

Jiraiya didn't stand on ceremony either, answering every question asked of him, and the two of them hit it off unexpectedly well.

"Lord Jiraiya, since you're so strong, why do you need to hire us to escort you?" Genye asked curiously.

Jiraiya burst into laughter. "Naturally, because traveling alone is too dull. I wanted to find a few people to liven things up."

"Genye-kun, you really guessed it right." Yuhi Kurenai looked at Genye with admiration, and Genye returned a shy gaze.

"Tch." Asuma, standing to the side, curled his lip and silently put some distance between himself and the pair.

"Speaking of which, I'm currently working on a new piece of writing. Perhaps you could give me some inspiration, kid with the Byakugan."

Jiraiya casually draped an arm over Genye's shoulder, shook him, and said boisterously.

"Let me ask you: if one day you suddenly possessed the power to change the world, what would you do?"

"Hmm." Genye tilted his head, falling into deep thought.

After a long while, he shook his head. "I don't know. I've never thought about it like that. If such a day really came, perhaps..."

Seeing that Jiraiya was still looking at him with an expectant expression, Genye had no choice but to continue.

"Perhaps... I would put an end to war in this world, then find a secluded paradise to settle down with a wife and children, and enjoy a warm hearth?"

"Sorry, Lord Jiraiya, to disappoint you. I'm really not a very imaginative person," Genye said with a wry smile.

Back in school, he couldn't even scrape together an 800-word essay; asking him to provide inspiration was truly asking too much of him.

Jiraiya ruffled Genye's hair, leaving it in a messy state.

"Haha, who says? Your thoughts have actually given me a unique kind of inspiration!"

Genye hated it when others messed with his hair, but if the person was Jiraiya, that was a different matter entirely.

"Eh, really?" Genye looked at Jiraiya in surprise.

Jiraiya nodded. "Well, naturally it's true. To show my gratitude, once we reach the Land of Hot Water, I'll give you two copies of my new book with my personal autograph."

"Whoa, Lord Jiraiya, you're too kind... do you think you could give me a few more?" Genye asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Hahaha, no problem!"

Jiraiya laughed heartily and patted the boy's shoulder, though a strange glint flashed in his smiling eyes.

"The morning mist is about to clear, apes and birds cry out in confusion. The setting sun is about to sink, fish leap from the depths..."

"The child of prophecy bathed in the setting sun—could it be him?"

After a moment, Jiraiya shook his head slightly.

In his view, the boy before him had nothing special about him at all; he was even... somewhat mediocre.

Compared to him, Jiraiya still felt that Nagato, who possessed the legendary eyes, was more likely to be the child of prophecy.

Not sure yet. I'll keep watching, Jiraiya thought to himself.