"Don't be angry," Minato said. "Lord Jiraiya didn't mean any harm!" Samui nodded to show she understood. After another brief exchange, the two went back to work.
After leaving the Hokage Office, Jiraiya headed straight for ANBU headquarters. It was still where he remembered it, but the people inside were no longer the familiar faces of years past.
Someone stopped him when he arrived. Wearing a strictly professional expression, the guard asked, "Lord Jiraiya, you're back? Who are you looking for?"
The words sounded like a warm greeting, but with the guard's entire face hidden behind a mask, Jiraiya found it hard to feel any warmth.
Still, he answered honestly. "I'm here to see Lord Hokage. Is he in?" The ANBU guard paused, closed his eyes to sense the area, then said awkwardly, "Lord Yin is here!"
He stepped aside to let Jiraiya through. Uchiha Yin always used Space-Time Ninjutsu when he came to ANBU headquarters. No one there could sense his arrival, so they had no idea when he had come in.
Jiraiya nodded and headed inside. If Uchiha Yin was here, he could only be in the ANBU commander's office. On the way, Jiraiya passed quite a few people who stared at him in astonishment. After all, they had not seen him in years.
Uchiha Yin was discussing something with Kakashi in the office when he suddenly paused. His expression turned grave, then puzzled, before settling into a grin. "An old friend's come to see us!"
Kakashi still looked baffled. Just then, the office door swung open, and Jiraiya stood in the doorway with a broad smile. "Lord Yin, you certainly made me work to find you!"
Uchiha Yin was unmoved. "You came back without telling anyone. How was I supposed to know?" His smile faded slightly. "And