Hokage's Office.
The afternoon sun shines through the large windows, illuminating the interior brightly and warmly.
The air is filled with the smell of old paper, ink and wooden furniture.
There are piles of documents on the huge desk.
Jiraiya was immersed in it, his brows slightly furrowed, and the pen in his hand quickly crossed over the document, leaving instructions.
He did not wear the Hokage Robe that symbolized the authority of Hokage, but casually wore the iconic brown lining and Red Eyes sleeveless gown, with the white Long Hair simply tied behind his head with a hair rope.
Even though he is in this position, he still maintains a little bit of the looseness that belongs to "Toad Sage".
"Jiraiya brother!"
A voice, clear and familiar, with the unique vitality of Young Naruto people and a hint of excitement of reunion after a long absence, penetrated the subtle sound of paper friction and the rustle of pen tip without warning, and passed clearly into his ears.
Jiraiya's hand that was reviewing the document suddenly stopped. The tip of the pen drew an abrupt ink mark on the paper.
He kept his head lowered, but his pupils shrank almost imperceptibly.
Did I just... hear a hallucination?
The voice of Nawaki?
That Young Naruto who always had a bright smile and longing eyes, but died early on the cruel battlefield?
Jiraiya slowly raised his head, the annoyance on his face was replaced by confusion and surprise.
He put down his pen and stood up from the large chair with his tall body. His eyes were uncertain and he slowly swept across the empty Office.
The sun casts bright spots on the smooth floor, the bookshelves are neat and solemn, and the five wooden Hokage reliefs on the wall have solemn faces, as if they are silently watching every moment of the changes in this room.
Other than that, there's no one around.
Sure enough... are you too tired?
Jiraiya rubbed his eyebrows and smiled to himself. Also, since I took over this stall, the paperwork for reconstruction, diplomacy, comfort, and mediation has been endless. It doesn't seem strange to have auditory hallucinations.
However, just when he was about to sit back down and continue fighting with the pile of "heavenly books" -
"Jiraiya brother!"
Office The heavy wooden door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, making a not too loud but clear enough impact sound.
A figure, carrying a gust of wind, rushed in like a small cannonball.
The person coming is Young Naruto.
Her short hair was a little messy, with Konoha and Forehead Protector tied on her forehead. She had an excited smile that almost overflowed from her face. Her bright eyes burst into pure brilliance the moment they saw Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's pupils suddenly dilated, and his body instantly stiffened, as if being nailed to the spot by an invisible force.
"Rope... tree?"
His voice was dry and trembling in disbelief.
How Young Naruto has he not called this name in reality?
Corner, which only exists in memory, occasionally brings a dull pain when flipping through it.
Nawaki rushed to the desk in a few steps and looked up at Jiraiya, who was much taller than him. The smile on his face was as bright as if he had never experienced the haze before, "Long time no see! Brother Jiraiya!"
His tone was excited, his eyes roamed over Jiraiya's face, and then he said naturally, "You have aged a lot!"
This familiar, somewhat straightforward tone...
"Hahaha!" Jiraiya came back to his senses and let out a loud, but faintly trembling laugh, as if he wanted to use laughter to dispel the turbulent waves in his heart, "It's not that I'm getting older, it's that you left us too early, kid!"
While smiling, he walked around the large desk and walked to Nawaki.
He stretched out his generous and powerful right hand, just like he did many years ago, with a brother-like gentleness and kindness, and gently landed on the top of Nawaki's hair.
The touch from the palm... is warm, soft, and the hair has the unique vitality of Young Naruto people.
This is by no means the cold, rough, dusty and grainy false touch of Impure World Reincarnation!
This is... living, elastic and vital reality!
Jiraiya's heartbeat skipped a few beats at this moment, and then started beating crazily.
An indescribable torrent, mixed with huge surprise, endless sorrow and deep comfort, instantly broke down all his psychological defenses.
The hand he placed on Nawaki's head was shaking slightly, almost imperceptibly.
He lowered his head and looked at the lively, young and energetic face in front of him. His throat was a little tight, and his voice involuntarily deepened. With an almost pious and careful prayer, he said softly:
"This time... don't be so anxious to leave us..."
Nawaki seemed to feel the unusual weight and emotion in Jiraiya's words. The smile on his face faded slightly and he nodded vigorously, "Well! This time, I will become stronger! I will never fall down easily again!"
Jiraiya patted his shoulder heavily and said nothing. He just put his big hand on his shoulder for a moment, as if to confirm the truth again.
Office's door was not completely closed after Nawaki rushed in, leaving a gap.
Outside the door, in the slightly dim shadow of the corridor, a figure wearing a large white Lab Coat stood there quietly.
Sure enough, a hot-blooded idiot like Nawaki and a madman like Jiraiya have the best compatibility as master and disciple.
After seeing this scene through the crack in the door, Orochimaru was like a silent shadow, trying to blend into the darkness and go to his underground research institute.
As soon as I reached the corner of the stairs, I met two people.
Tsunade, Golden and Long Hair were tied into neat ponytails on the back of their heads, with the iconic diamond-shaped mark on their foreheads. At this moment, there was a rare blush on their faces that was mixed with anticipation and unnoticeable nervousness.
Standing next to her was Dan Katō. He had put on a simple pair of dark casual clothes, his eyes were bright and gentle. He was holding Tsunade's hand tightly at the moment. The atmosphere between the two was intimate and natural.
After meeting Orochimaru, Tsunade took the initiative to say hello to her.
"You are here too, Orochimaru."
Dan Katō also nodded to Orochimaru, with gratitude in his eyes.
"You two are here to find Jiraiya?" This is not a question, but an almost certain statement. At this time and at this place, the two of them appeared together, and the target direction is too obvious.
"Well," Tsunade nodded, rarely appearing too forceful, and his tone was even a little awkward, "I have something to talk to him about."
Dan Katō was standing aside, his expression slightly unnatural.
Seeing the two people's appearance, Orochimaru chuckled.
She didn't ask any more questions, but very naturally put her hand into the inner pocket of her large white Lab Coat, fumbled around, and then pulled out two neatly folded papers.
After unfolding it, it was the "Konohagakure Resident Marriage Application Form" that had been stamped.
"Is this what happened?"
Orochimaru handed over the form with a calm tone, as if what he handed over were just two ordinary notes.
"That guy has already prepared it for you. I think you should not provoke him.
Tsunade and Dan Katō looked at each other, and then both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Orochimaru."
There is no way, Hokage was too centralized during the Third period, so when Ninja got married, he still needed Hokage to stamp and congratulate him.
I was too busy during this period and there were no major reforms.
If they want to register their marriage, they must come to Hokage's Office to get the official seal.
"Then, I won't bother you."
Orochimaru turned sideways and made way for the path leading to Hokage's Office. The corners of his white robe flickered gently in the dim light.
"Congratulations."
This "congratulations" was said so plainly that there was almost no emotion.