Jiraiya's smile froze as he stared blankly at the woman kneeling before him.
A barely perceptible slit appeared on her slender, white neck, from which blood seeped out, and her beautiful head slowly slid off.
Immediately afterwards, a large amount of blood gushed out towards Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, quickly got up, retreated, and jumped to the right, all in one fluid and incredibly agile motion.
Not a single drop of blood fell on Jiraiya.
Jiraiya then quietly left the brothel.
You're welcome?
At this moment Jiraiya felt no gratitude whatsoever, only anger, and he rushed towards Ren's location.
Inside a private room at the tavern.
Not intending to indulge Ren like Jiraiya Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tomoki closed his Mangekyō Sharingan after dealing with an insignificant person.
He was rubbing his right eye at that moment.
Even if one possesses a method to replenish eye power, it is still not Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan; the side effects will never disappear.
Ren was pondering his next move.
Having learned about Orochimaru from Jiraiya, Ren has already planned to Orochimaru with him.
After Izumi acquired the Mangekyō Sharingan and it was proven to have a significant role in research and development, Ren decided not to let Orochimaru continue his reckless ways.
The original plan was to find an opportunity to deal with Orochimaru after this trip with the Eight-Tails, but since we've run into each other now, we might as well take care of Orochimaru's problem while we're at it.
Ren could easily guess Orochimaru's purpose; it was probably very similar to his own.
As Ren pondered, a rather inconspicuous Toad hopped in through the window, and Jiraiya emerged from it.
Jiraiya, his face serious and his eyes filled with a calm yet intense anger, clasped his hands together and asked Ren.
"Why did you kill that woman? She wasn't even a ninja; she was just an innocent person!"
Ren looked at Jiraiya with astonishment. He could clearly sense the anger in Ren's words and expression without even looking closely.
What Ren found interesting was that, even so, Jiraiya's aura and eyes possessed an eerie calmness.
It gave Ren the feeling of a fierce warrior, clearly furious yet surprisingly calm.
Seeing Jiraiya's hands clasped together, Ren knew that this was probably Jiraiya's preparation before entering Sage Mode.
Without immediately answering Jiraiya's question, Ren activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and began to sense things Shinato.
Ren had tried to sense Natural Energy many times before, but each time he felt nothing.
This time, there was an extremely faint sensation. Ren could feel an extremely faint, unknown power constantly gathering towards Jiraiya.
However, that was all. Ren knew it was Natural Energy, but his perception of it was not only extremely weak but also quite vague, making it impossible to gain a deeper understanding.
It seems I don't get along with Natural Energy.
Ren deactivated his Sharingan; only two breaths had passed since Jiraiya asked his question.
"I was just doing my duty. Solving problems that my subordinates couldn't solve is what I, as Hokage, should do."
After embellishing his actions, Ren continued.
"As for you, Jiraiya, you know she wasn't a ninja, so why drag her into this? In short, that innocent woman died because of you; you're the Jonin who harmed her!"
After delivering his shameless remarks without batting an eye, Ren looked at Jiraiya with a faint smile.
That's sophistry!
As an author, Jiraiya, who isn't particularly good at writing serious novels, could still tell that Ren's statement was sophistry.
Even so, Jiraiya, who was originally filled with anger, couldn't help but feel deflated after hearing this.
He quickly lowered his hands, and a complex mix of emotions appeared on his face: anger, self-blame, regret, and dejection.
People with a "Mother Teresa" personality type, besides having an overflowing sense of compassion, also tend to take the blame for their own mistakes.
Jiraiya, a typical saint, was completely taken aback by Ren's single sentence.
Unlike before, when one Hokage was his master and the Hokage was his disciple, Jiraiya truly experienced the difference.
Having witnessed Jiraiya's transformation Jiraiya, Ren then spoke up.
"Breaking the rules always comes at a price. If Konoha is unwilling to pay the price, then it can only be someone else. Jiraiya, I hope you will remember this: the village rules are restrictions, but they are also a form of protection for ordinary people."
Regardless of Jiraiya was listening or not, Ren continued to ask.
"How much do you know about the latest information regarding Orochimaru?"