Jiraiya

Jiraiya struck a pose as he made his entrance!

Bang!

But Jiraiya's cool act did not even last three seconds before Kushina's fist came flying straight at him!

Kushina's punch instantly landed on Jiraiya's head.

"Perverted Sage! Did you suddenly show up because you wanted to scare me to death?"

Kushina instantly transformed into her Chili Pepper form, her red hair flying as she clenched her fists.

"Hiss! Ow, ow, ow! Minato, keep your girlfriend in line! There are still children here!"

Jiraiya said, clutching his head.

Minato could only smile helplessly as he looked at Kushina in her Little Chili Pepper form.

"Kushina, little Obito is still here..."

Minato reminded her with a smile.

Kushina froze slightly. Crap, the gentle teacher's-wife image I'd maintained is gone!

Turning to look at Obito, she found him staring fixedly at the table, pretending not to have seen her lose her temper.

"Damn, this table sure is... table-like!"

Obito Uchiha muttered to himself.

"Sorry, Jiraiya-sensei. I didn't know you'd already returned to the village."

Minato said apologetically.

"Hahaha, it's nothing, it's nothing. That old man Third suddenly summoned me back to the village."

"Minato, Kushina, this little fellow must be Minato's newly accepted disciple, right?"

Jiraiya stroked his chin and sized Obito up.

"He's my student, Obito Uchiha. He was the one chiefly responsible for the last Akatsuki mission."

Minato nodded as he introduced him.

"I see. He looks like a very fine student!"

Jiraiya praised him.

"Hello, Lord Jiraiya!"

Obito nodded.

"Oh, don't be so stiff."

Jiraiya plopped down beside Obito Uchiha.

"I heard you completed the intelligence-gathering and infiltration mission alone. Not bad, kid. You're quite good at gathering intel!"

Jiraiya praised.

"I still have a lot to work on!"

Obito scratched his head sheepishly.

"Ta-da! Kid, this is a new work I wrote! I'm planning to publish it, and you have the honor of reading it first."

Grinning, Jiraiya held up a novel for Obito to see.

After taking it, Obito read through it carefully. It was a little dull; to put it bluntly, it was complete garbage.

"Although my previous book, Tales of a Gutsy Ninja, was a great success, its readers were all over twenty. This time, I want to write a novel with a broad audience, something everyone from the elderly to children will enjoy."

Jiraiya said.

"So, what do you think? As a five-year-old, do you have anything to say after reading it?"

Jiraiya asked Obito with a smile.

Obito slowly closed the book and said blandly, "I couldn't understand it, but I was deeply shocked."

"Pfft!"

"Hahahahahaha..."

Kushina instantly lost it and burst out laughing.

Minato took it and began reading it as well.

"Obito really is honest."

After finishing it, Minato said with a smile.

"Alright, alright, I get it."

Jiraiya smiled helplessly and waved his hand. "Looks like I'll have to revise it again."

As Obito watched Jiraiya fall into confusion over the subject matter, an idea suddenly struck him.

At this point, Jiraiya had yet to create the masterpiece series Make-Out Paradise. Perhaps he could... point the sage in the right direction...

"Lord Jiraiya..."

Obito leaned over with a smile and whispered a few words into Jiraiya's ear.

Jiraiya's expression changed, instantly turning into a grin.

"Ohoho!!! Hehehe... Haha, that really is a good idea..."

Jiraiya said with a lecherous grin.

"But... while that sort of book is certainly eye-catching, it's a little too brainless and illogical."

As an old-fashioned novelist, Jiraiya voiced his concerns.

"It's simple, Lord Jiraiya. Just add a 'brain storage area' at the beginning of the novel."

Obito said with a sly grin.

Hearing this, Jiraiya looked as though he had received divine enlightenment. "Brilliant!"

Obito's face reddened slightly as he continued whispering.

Jiraiya nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Watching the old man and child whispering together, Minato merely kept smiling faintly.

Kushina, meanwhile, eyed Jiraiya and Obito suspiciously.

She had thought Obito was a child like Minato had been when he was young, so why did he seem a little...

Kushina grabbed Obito and pulled him over to sit beside her.

"Jiraiya, don't lead Minato's disciple astray!"

Kushina warned, pointing at Jiraiya.

"What? This kid looks like he knows more than I do..."

Jiraiya muttered under his breath.

"Sensei, what do you plan to do about your former disciples establishing Akatsuki?"

Minato asked.

Jiraiya considered it for a moment. He did not want to interfere and instead intended to let them do as they pleased.

According to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, he would sooner or later face a major choice.

He was in no hurry.

"Let them be. If I interfere again, I'd be meddling in another country's internal affairs."

Jiraiya said as he drank a cup of sake.

Minato could only nod. "Fortunately, they're a good organization. Obito has already investigated them; they aren't that kind of terrorist organization."

Jiraiya nodded. "If they were a terrorist organization, I'd personally clean house!"

After taking another drink, Jiraiya slowly rose to his feet.

"I need to head over to see the old man. I suspect his summoning me back this time is no small matter!"

Jiraiya said gravely.

"I heard that Sunagakure's Third Kazekage has mysteriously disappeared. Could it be..."

Minato also grew serious.

Jiraiya waved his hand. "Perhaps. Let's see how the old man reacts. Hopefully, we're just being paranoid."

With that, Jiraiya left.

Obito narrowed his eyes slightly.

He recalled the true root cause of the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War.

His mind was like a high-speed machine, all manner of thoughts, clues, and intelligence flashing through it.

The Third Shinobi World War, the Third Kazekage... missing?

Images flickered and shifted constantly through his mind.

As memories from his previous life gradually came flooding back, he remembered that the Third Shinobi World War had begun with the disappearance of the Third Kazekage!

The Kazekage's disappearance had triggered intricate contradictions and conflicts among the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

Thinking of this, Obito could not help frowning as he thought to himself, Sasori has probably already turned the Third Kazekage into a puppet!

Obito was sitting at the table, lifting a cup of milk for a small sip.

"Too fast! This won't do!"

Obito gritted his teeth inwardly.

"I haven't even awakened my Sharingan yet..."

Obito had wanted to make a name for himself through the Shinobi War, but he had not even awakened his Sharingan.

Bang!

At that moment, Kushina saw Obito frowning deeply and flicked him on the head.

"You little brat, why are you frowning?"

Kushina could not help asking as she looked at his worried expression.

"Oh, Teacher Kushina, I was just thinking about what consequences might follow. I hope war doesn't break out."

Obito Uchiha replied.

"Hahaha, those are matters for adults to worry about. Even if the sky falls, it won't be your turn to hold it up. Rather than worrying about that, little brat, you should think about what to eat tomorrow."

Kushina teased.

Obito was speechless inside. When the time came, wouldn't both children and adults be sent to the battlefield?