The Rising Power of Hidden Rain

"The newly risen warlord of the Land of Rain is a thoroughgoing militant.

He has led Hidden Rain Village in armed expansion abroad. Hidden Sand Village and the Land of Iron have already begun clashing with them, and Konoha will not be far behind."

Jiraiya swallowed his bitter drink, lightly swirling the tiny cup in his large hand.

Orochimaru occasionally glanced at Jiraiya, then surveyed the surroundings from time to time.

"Actually..."

Jiraiya reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a wrinkled sheet of letter paper.

The black writing on the white paper was clear, without a single yellow stain. It looked like he had received it not long ago.

"A month ago, the old man sent me a letter.

He told me to return and prepare for war..."

At that point, Jiraiya suddenly paused, his gaze drifting toward Xuanhui.

"My student is a very smart child."

Orochimaru saw through his concern.

But in his view, Xuanhui was far more mature than children his age, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Since you put it that way..."

Jiraiya sighed and continued the topic from before.

"He hopes that if Hidden Rain Village truly intends to use force against Konoha, the three of us can lead teams to the front lines."

"Besides us, there will be Sakumo Hatake. Beyond that, there will only be elites from the various clans.

I estimate that in two months at most, Hidden Rain Village will definitely attack."

"So..."

"Jiraiya, you know war cannot be avoided. Put this Child of Prophecy business aside for now."

Jiraiya fell silent for once. It made Xuanhui realize that even someone as formidable as one of the Three Ninja could hesitate and consider running away when they were young.

"Lord Jiraiya, I heard you can write? May I see your work?"

Xuanhui suddenly asked this, drawing both of their attention.

Orochimaru had no idea what Xuanhui was planning and merely watched him silently.

A trace of curiosity appeared on Jiraiya's face, and his fingers instinctively brushed over his pocket.

"Did Orochimaru tell you? But my debut work isn't finished yet!"

"That is such a shame. I thought I might get to see your writing today."

Now Jiraiya was somewhat baffled.

"How can you be so certain that my work is worth reading?"

Xuanhui glanced at Orochimaru. This time, Orochimaru did not understand what he meant.

"Teacher Orochimaru told me that you are an especially strong ninja. Though you are an idiot, you are actually someone with great resolve!

I believe anything you write will surely take the whole world by storm!"

That was not a lie. As for how that reputation had spread, there was no need to ask.

Orochimaru understood this time, because he had never said any of that.

When Jiraiya looked over with gratified eyes, he could only stiffly turn his head aside and pretend to be stubborn.

"You're right, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru's eyes were hidden behind his long hair, making his current expression impossible to see.

Jiraiya gently placed his large hand on Xuanhui's head.

"This child truly is a smart child...

I'll go back with you, and I'll help you finish your mission while I'm at it."

The corner of Orochimaru's mouth lifted slightly. He straightened his posture, and the muscles in his face relaxed considerably.

"Then, Lord Jiraiya..."

Xuanhui leaned close to Jiraiya's ear and gave him a detailed explanation of the mission briefing.

"So, do you have any intelligence about this place?"

"Ah! This hardly counts as intelligence. Head south from this town and travel about three kilometers. You'll come across a group of bandits.

Their leader seems to be a rogue ninja who knows a little ninjutsu. He has been taking advantage of the border conflicts to commit robbery.

That merchant caravan of yours has probably been stuck here all this time for that very reason!"

Without even thinking, Jiraiya immediately gave them the information.

He had only arrived yesterday. The reason he had gotten completely drunk in the tavern was also to gather information about the area.

As for why he had come to this tavern and gotten so drunk.

Orochimaru and Xuanhui both knew the answer, so neither exposed him.

"Then, Teacher Orochimaru, let's set out now."

"I have no objections."

Orochimaru looked toward Jiraiya's lower body.

"Jiraiya, you've been sitting all day. Aren't your legs numb?"

"Huh?"

Jiraiya hesitated, then tried to move. Sure enough, his legs felt somewhat weak.

He braced both hands against the table and pressed down slightly, struggling to lift his lower body by a single centimeter.

"This... how could this happen?"

"Then keep yourself busy. Xuanhui and I will go ahead."

Orochimaru stood up directly, took Xuanhui's hand, and started toward the door.

"W-Wait for me!"

An anxious expression appeared on Jiraiya's face. In a muddle, he slammed both hands down on the tabletop.

The loud crash drew everyone's attention.

The customers who had been engrossed in enjoying the women and were suddenly disturbed shouted outright.

"Get up!"

Jiraiya abruptly exerted force with both hands, but the powerful rise he imagined did not happen. His backside did not budge an inch.

Instead, the table flipped over from the force applied to one side.

As the table spun, Jiraiya immediately lost his balance. His body pitched forward, and he fell to the floor together with the table.

Before Xuanhui had seen enough, Orochimaru scooped him up around the waist and ran out of the tavern.

By the time Jiraiya emerged from the tavern looking disheveled.

The two were crouching by the wall across the street, chatting as they waited for him.

Furious, Jiraiya covered the distance to Orochimaru in a few quick steps, his eyes wide and round.

"Orochimaru! How could you abandon me and run off on your own?!"

"What does that have to do with us... I don't want to be treated like an idiot..."

"Huh? Are you looking down on me?"

Jiraiya angrily opened the wallet in his hand. Several bills lay peacefully inside.

"I spent all my allowance at once! Under normal circumstances, this much money would last me ten days!"

"Are you asking us to share some money with you? Keep dreaming. We took this mission to let Xuanhui earn money and build up contributions."

"Fine, then don't give me any!"

The moment Jiraiya heard that, he immediately changed his target.

He crouched down and looked at Xuanhui's slightly bulging little pouch.

"Xuanhui..."

"No way, Lord Jiraiya. I need to keep this money for myself."

"You're just a child. Do you even know how to spend money? Why not give it to me and let me keep it safe for you?"

"I'm not a child, Lord Jiraiya. Those little tricks of yours might fool a seven-year-old, but if you want my money, you have to teach me ninjutsu."

"Teach you ninjutsu? Easy, easy! My ninjutsu is much stronger than Orochimaru's!"

Orochimaru watched Jiraiya's grinning face, sighed, and could not resist kicking him.

Jiraiya once again toppled straight down, the back of his head facing the sky.

"Orochimaru! You bastard..."

"Enough. Stop fooling around. The mission comes first."