"Easy, old man." Jiraiya waved a hand, wearing a carefree smile as he soothed his teacher. "You need to listen to me on this one."
"...It's too dangerous. There's no need for you to do it. I can go..."
"It's precisely because it's dangerous that I have to do it."
Jiraiya shook his head and offered his most persuasive argument—
"After all, I'm your student."
The Third fell silent.
Ever since my actions disappointed them all those years ago, how long has it been since any of them mentioned our bond as teacher and student to me...?
Looking at Jiraiya, who seemed no different from the scatterbrained brat he had once been, the Third felt a little dazed.
He vaguely felt that Jiraiya had changed, yet somehow hadn't.
"...When do you start?"
"On the last day of the Chunin Ninja Exams. I'm still the chief examiner, after all. I have to finish the work on my hands first."
Jiraiya smiled.
"Have you made arrangements for Orochimaru too?"
"Yes."
"...Jiraiya, be straight with me."
After a moment's hesitation, the Third finally asked, "Is this really your plan, or is it Minato's?"
Jiraiya looked into the Third's eyes. They had not grown cloudy with age, and they held both hope and worry.
Yet Jiraiya showed no hesitation whatsoever, immediately adopting a puzzled expression. "How many years has Minato been dead now? Of course it's my plan.
"Old man, you're not actually going senile, are you?"
Watching Jiraiya's utterly genuine expression, the Third didn't know whether to feel let down because he hadn't received the answer he had imagined, or disappointed at the thought that they were still keeping things from him.
But he said nothing else. Only after a long silence did he speak. "I still won't agree."
Jiraiya froze. He hadn't