"..."
Jiraiya stood frozen in front of the closed door, as if a bleak night wind blew by, picking up a few fallen leaves and beating on his petrified body.
My name is Jiraiya. I never expected that I would eventually accept Naruto Uzumaki as my apprentice.
The sun was just right, shining warmly on the porch of Konoha's familiar cabin.
Naruto Kid finally lost all his sharpness and vigilance, and knelt down in front of him in an orderly manner, holding a cup of steaming tea in both hands and raising it respectfully above his head.
The dazzling blond hair looked much docile under the light, and the azure blue eyes no longer had the vigilance and disgust of the past, replaced by a kind of sincere admiration for the powerful Senior.
"I didn't know how powerful you are before, and I misunderstood you a lot. Please forgive me."
"Teacher Jiraiya, please use tea."
The voice is clear and the attitude is correct.
Sakura and Karin stood nearby and watched the scene of Naruto becoming a disciple, and they were also happy for Naruto.
Jiraiya smiled and nodded, the sense of accomplishment in his chest almost overflowing.
See, sincerity leads to gold and stone, no matter how bad the starting point is, as long as you show your true strength and charm, you will eventually be able to convince this stubborn Kid.
This is right, this is what Toad Sage hero Lord Jiraiya should look like!
"Ahahahahaha!"
He nodded with satisfaction and couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, revealing a perfect smile that said "this is how it should be" and "everything is under control".
He stretched out his hand, ready to take the cup of tea that symbolized the establishment of master-disciple status.
Then...
He woke up laughing.
Before he could retract his grin, he froze in mid-air.
There is no respectful Naruto in front of me, no warm sunshine, and no fragrant tea.
Only the slightly unfamiliar ceiling of a home that has been unoccupied for a long time, and what shines through the window is the most gloomy indigo light before dawn.
In the silent air, there is still a trace of the residual warmth of a beautiful dream, and the following, extremely clear and cold reality.
His arm was still stretched out to receive the tea cup, his fingertips were empty and he didn't touch anything.
"..."
Jiraiya silently took back his hand and rubbed his face.
It turned out to be a dream!
How can it be repaired!
How could my dignified Lord Jiraiya be so worthless? It's really embarrassing to even dream like this.
Leave Kid alone for a while, and wait until he realizes what a precious opportunity he missed before you can be magnanimous enough to forgive him.
It's better not to look for Kid during this period. After collecting the royalties, go and pay off the gambling debt to Tsunade, and then go and inquire about Orochimaru.
Both old friends are so troublesome.
An hour later.
Jiraiya was carrying two copies of the ultra-luxury version of Miso Chashu Ramen that had just been packaged from Ichiraku Ramen, and kept convincing himself: This is just Senior's routine care for the younger generation. It is by no means a sign of submission, let alone thinking about that Kid!
It is the demeanor of Toad Sage and the magnanimity of a hero!
He arrived at the door of Naruto's house, cleared his throat, put on a smile that he thought was amiable, but actually looked more like a weird uncle, and knocked on the door.
The door opened a crack, revealing Karin's alert red hair and eyes behind lenses.
"Hey! Good morning, little girl Karin! I'm really here to bring you and Naruto breakfast!"
Jiraiya raised the fragrant ramen in his hand, trying to prove his "harmlessness".
"It's you again!"
Karin frowned and immediately closed the door.
"Wait! Wait! I'm really good..."
Jiraiya has quick eyes and quick hands. He jammed the crack of the door with his feet and pressed against the door with his hands at the same time.
"Old pervert, get out of here!"
"What? Old pervert?"
Kazahana Koyuki, who came to visit, heard this and came over to block the door.
"I am Daimyo of the Land of Snow, Kazahana Koyuki."
She looked at the white-haired man outside the door with a funny posture and holding ramen, and his tone was calm but with an undeniable sense of oppression.
"Old man, if you don't leave immediately and explain your behavior of harassing my friend.
As Daimyo of the Land of Snow, I will formally lodge representations with Konohagakure Third Hokage and Land of Fire Daimyo, accusing you of disrespectful and nuisance behavior towards a country Daimyo."
Wait, does she call herself Daimyo? Daimyo of the Land of Snow?
Living in Naruto's house? And blocking the door with Karin?
Jiraiya's brain went down for one tenth of a second.
The pressure against the door instantly relaxed.
"Ah!"
Jiraiya jerked back the foot that was pinched severely.
Fortunately, I was wearing Geta, otherwise it would definitely hurt more.
"Touch!"
The door closed again.
Jiraiya looked down at the carefully prepared ramen in his hands, and then at the door that seemed to separate the two worlds.
Not far away, on the top floor of an ordinary-looking house, the windows were open with an imperceptible gap.
A pale and slender figure stood quietly in the shadow behind the window.
Originally, when she saw Naruto leaving, she planned to leave too.
But seeing Jiraiya coming, Orochimaru stopped again.
Golden Snake Eyes looked through the gap with great interest, taking in a panoramic view of the small "closed door" farce not far away.
When he saw Jiraiya holding ramen, golden rooster standing alone, and freezing at the door with a confused and melancholy expression, the corners of Orochimaru's mouth could not help but curve upward in a sarcastic arc.
"Huh..."
A very soft, breathy laugh escaped from his throat.
It's... such an abstract gesture.
Still so clumsy, so straightforward, so... predictable.
Decades have passed, and in some respects, this guy seems to have never grown up.
I have been a fool and a lecher since I was a child.
Orochimaru's Golden's vertical pupils shrank slightly, and his gaze seemed to penetrate the space and fall on the closed door. It was as if he could go back in time and see a figure with shining blond hair many years ago.
Jiraiya...
He silently recited this familiar yet distant name.
The other party must have recognized the little guy named Naruto Uzumaki at the first sight.
That overly dazzling blond hair, those blue eyes like the clear sky, and the vaguely discernible shadows between the eyebrows belonging to Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
With Jiraiya's feelings for Minato, how could he not recognize them?
Recognizing the son of an old friend, he can only approach him in this ridiculous, guarded, and rejected manner.
Holding ridiculous ramen in his hand, he looked like a clumsy pleaser instead of a prestigious mentor.
The sarcasm in Orochimaru's eyes gradually settled and turned into a more complex, almost cold indifference.
She shook her head slightly, as if to drive away some boring thoughts, or as if she was making a final judgment for a stagnant soul, her voice was so low that only she could hear it.
"A fool who accomplishes nothing, a coward who makes no progress."
In the past thirteen years, even if Jiraiya returned to Konoha once and took care of Minato's son once, it would not be like this.
Regarding the experience of Jiraiya, Orochimaru can be described in two words.
Bear it!