Inside Naruto's home,
Knock, knock, knock!
The crisp sound of knocking carried into the room from outside.
Naruto, asleep in bed, did not react. The person outside knocked harder.
Knock, knock, knock!!!
"Huh?"
The loud knocking finally woke Naruto. He sat up in bed and yawned.
"Haah..."
"Who is it?"
Naruto Uzumaki lowered his head and muttered under his breath.
"Isn't today a day off?"
Yesterday had practically worn him to death, and he had fallen into the water several times. Thank goodness it hadn't been the sea. If he'd been by the coast, the wind would have turned him into seafood.
He finally had a day off and could sleep in, only for someone to come disturb him. What a pain...
After a faint rustle, the knocking came again.
Knock, knock, knock.
"I need to talk to you. Open the door. Hurry up."
The voice wasn't familiar. Naruto had only just woken up and was still groggy, so he couldn't recognize it at all. Still, with the visitor urging him so insistently, he had little choice. Anyone coming to see him must have liked him. If he kept them waiting, he might lose a friend.
"Coming, coming!"
Click!
"What took you so long to open the door, kid?"
"Huh?"
Looking at the white-haired old man who barged straight in, Naruto Uzumaki suddenly remembered him and pointed at him accusingly.
"It's you, Creepy Old Man!"
Jiraiya was not pleased to hear that. He turned and struck a pose.
"I am Jiraiya the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku!"
"Oh, okay. So what are you here for?"
Naruto Uzumaki had never heard that name before. After all, the only things he usually heard were people mocking him as a demon fox or expressing their disgust. He hardly ever got to hear any