Within the Land of Whirlpools stood a small coastal border town.
Low rooftops lined both sides of the streets, above stone paving dusted with sea salt.
The market was small, and most stalls were already empty. A handful of shops had their doors half open, with goods scattered sparsely across their storefronts, as though they had just held a clearance sale.
There were few pedestrians on the streets. Everyone hurried along with their heads lowered. No one stood by the roadside chatting, and no children chased each other around the alley entrances.
Occasionally, a merchant caravan passed through with beasts of burden carrying goods, their iron shoes clattering rapidly against the stone paving.
After spending many days at Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya entered the town to gather information, slowing his steps a little. His gaze swept over the houses and half-shut doors and windows on either side of the street.
He then turned into a somewhat narrower alley, found a tavern at its far end, and lifted the curtain to step inside.
A middle-aged man stood behind the counter, polishing a cup. He glanced up at Jiraiya, then lowered his head and continued his work.
Several tables were occupied, mostly by weary-looking merchants and travelers who spent much of the year on the road.
In a corner, two merchants chatted quietly. The younger one wiped the corner of his mouth, picked up a bean, and tossed it into his mouth.
"Hey, have you heard? The Leaf Village declared war on the four great nations."
The older merchant lifted his cup and took a sip, then set it down and nodded. "Yes. I was buying goods in the Leaf Village a little while ago. Copies of the Konoha Daily were posted everywhere along the streets.
"They really did declare war, and on