Jiraiya, who had been playful and teasing all this time, froze with his wine cup suspended in midair. For the first time, bewilderment crossed his face.
Minato was still alive?
How was that possible?
He had refused to believe it back then, too. The moment he heard the news, he returned to the village, only to see the truth with his own eyes: the couple's bodies.
That was an indisputable fact. No amount of self-deception could change it. The bloody reality told him it had all been real.
He had once believed that his student, Minato Namikaze, was the Child of Prophecy the Great Toad Sage had spoken of, the one who would change the shinobi world and save it.
He had also believed he would witness the day Minato fulfilled that mission.
He had eagerly awaited the day their child would be born, too.
Yet in the end, all he received was devastating news that plunged him into grief...
What happened to Minato and Kushina was also one of the reasons Jiraiya left the village once more.
He was not only seeking the Child of Prophecy again, but also avoiding the familiar sights that stirred his grief.
Even now, the despair and sorrow he had felt then still lingered in his heart.
"That's impossible. I wasn't the only one who confirmed it."
Jiraiya gathered himself, keeping his voice calm.
"I know how unbelievable it sounds. I saw Sensei's funeral with my own eyes, too..."
"But I met someone I can't explain."
Kakashi looked at Jiraiya. "Lord Jiraiya, do you know Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Naruto..."
How could Jiraiya not know that name? The name Minato had given his child had come from Jiraiya's own novel.
He could still picture the couple holding his novel, smiling as they discussed their child's name.