Watching countless villagers cheer and shout Orochimaru's name, treating him like a hero, Jiraiya felt a little jealous.
What the hell? That damned Orochimaru deserved everyone's admiration and cheers?
Meanwhile, the most, most, most handsome Toad Sage, Lord Jiraiya, did not get so much as a glance.
At that moment, Jiraiya was jealous.
Seeing the displeased look on his teacher's face, Nawaki, whose relationship with him had somewhat improved, said quietly, "While Orochimaru was fighting hard for the village, someone ran off to hide in another country—for two whole years."
"..."
Could you just treat me like I don't exist?
Jiraiya, who had just been envying and resenting Orochimaru, was instantly silenced by his student's words.
If things had gone according to the usual script, if he had not spent those two years hiding in the Land of Rain, he could have earned plenty of merits on the battlefield and been revered as a hero by the villagers too.
Unfortunately, he had hidden.
"Ahaha..."
Little Blondie laughed awkwardly and kept scratching his head, wanting to find a topic to divert the teacher and student's attention but having no idea what to say.
Ever since he had started taking missions with Jiraiya, this sort of thing had happened repeatedly. Minato Namikaze felt awkward every time.
"Well, if it isn't Jiraiya. You finally decided to come back from the Land of Rain?"
Orochimaru stepped out of the crowd and looked at Jiraiya with a smile, casually stabbing him twice in the heart.
"The old man didn't even deal with you as a rogue ninja. That's truly surprising."
"You smug bastard, Orochimaru! Just because your heart is black doesn't mean everyone else's is too!"
Jiraiya could accept Nawaki's complaints and dissatisfaction, but Orochimaru poking him where it hurt was absolutely unacceptable.
Faced with