In the early morning of the next day, it was not bright yet, and everything inside and outside the inn was quiet. Only a few roosters crow occasionally and the gentle sound of wind blowing through the eaves could be heard in the distance.
A tall figure quietly walked out of Guest Room on the third floor.
It is Jiraiya.
He was wearing the iconic Red Eyes coat with dark tights underneath, and his white hair looked a little messy in the faint morning light.
He first listened attentively and glanced sharply at the closed door of the next door room Sasuke. After confirming that there was no movement inside, he nodded with satisfaction.
Immediately, his body swayed, and he jumped from the railing on the third floor as if he was weightless.
The moment he landed, his toes just touched the handrail of the wooden staircase, and with the help of the force of the buffer, he quietly stepped onto the floor of the lobby on the first floor. His movements were as light as a cat walking at night, without making any unnecessary noise.
He straightened his clothes, looked up at the door of the inn, and started to walk out.
"What are you going to do?"
A cold and calm voice suddenly came from the direction of the stairs on the second floor.
Jiraiya paused in his steps and looked up in surprise.
I saw Sasuke Uchiha already dressed neatly, with Kusanagi Sword on his back, arms crossed in front of his chest, leaning against the railing on the second floor, a pair of black eyes looking at him quietly, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's Sasuke."
Jiraiya instantly put on a lazy and embarrassed smile on his face and scratched his messy white hair.
"Wake up so early? Why don't you rest more? Although Tsunade's treatment is effective, it consumes a lot of money."
Sasuke didn't answer his question about rest, but kept his eyes locked on him. He repeated the question with a more affirmative tone, "I heard the conversation between you and Tsunade last night. You... took on a very difficult task?"
Last night, Tsunade and Jiraiya stayed in the operating room to talk after giving Sasuke stable treatment.
Tsunade is not proficient in Sealing Jutsu. It was Jiraiya who used Evil Sealing Method to temporarily suppress Cursed Seal of Heaven on Sasuke's shoulders.
Although Sasuke is tired, as Ninja, especially after experiencing cruel training and the edge of life and death, he is extremely vigilant and his five senses are far more sensitive than ordinary people.
He vaguely heard words like "Tricky" and "Are you looking for death" outside?
Combined with Jiraiya's intention to leave without saying goodbye, he could easily deduce that Jiraiya might have taken on a dangerous and urgent mission and was preparing to go alone.
The smile on Jiraiya's face faded a bit, replaced by an elder-like helplessness and a hint of appreciation. "I didn't expect your hearing to be so sharp...
But, Kid, it's not a good habit to eavesdrop on other people's conversations."
Sasuke heard this, his eyes drifted to the side unconsciously, and he coughed slightly, which seemed a little unnatural, but he quickly returned to his stern look and found an excuse. "I just... don't want to owe you any favors.
I want to hear how much Tsunade's medical expenses are and see if I have enough money to pay for it."
He had indeed thought about this problem. After all, Tsunade took action because of Jiraiya's face. The cost of treatment must be expensive.
"Haha, you don't have to worry about that."
Jiraiya waved his hand, and his smile became bright again, even a little narrow.
"I have saved all the money in your hand for you. The consultation fee I planned to give to Tsunade last night was taken from your wallet.
How can I, an old man who has traveled far and wide, find so much money on me to pay Tsunade?"
"What?"
Sasuke's face froze, and he subconsciously reached out to touch the place where his wallet was stored on his waist.
The leather wallet is indeed still there, but it feels obviously shrunken in the hand.
He hurriedly took out his wallet and opened it. Instead of the bulging banknotes inside, there were only a few scattered small-denomination banknotes and some copper plates.
Most of the money is gone!
"You!"
Sasuke suddenly raised his head and stared at Jiraiya, a trace of embarrassment flashed in his eyes.
He was actually robbed of money by this old guy without anyone noticing. When did it happen?
Jiraiya seemed not to notice his ugly expression, and continued to explain with a smile, "Before, at Snow Moon Castle, after you had fought with Naruto and Kid and exited that 'Cursed Seal transformation', didn't you faint from exhaustion?
I saw you fell to the ground with your wallet exposed. How unsafe is it in this wilderness?
What a pity it would be if it were touched by a passing Xiaoxiao, or destroyed by the aftermath of the battle?
So, I kindly helped you keep it temporarily."
He paused, with an "I'm thinking about you" expression on his face. "Look, isn't this useful? You may have heard of Tsunade's charging standard, right?"
That is a master who even Daimyo may not dare to take credit easily.
If I use my own money to pay for your medical bills...
Hehe, then I'm afraid I'll have to perform on the streets to pay off my debts."
Sasuke held the empty wallet and looked at Jiraiya's "righteous" look. He didn't know what to say for a moment.
Angry?
It seems a little bit, after all, the money he had on him was taken away.
Grateful?
It seems that there is a point, after all, the other party brought him from Snow Moon Castle to Land of Fire, and also found a name to treat him.
But more importantly, it is an extremely complicated and depressing feeling of being calculated but not completely calculated.
This old guy's... behavior style is indeed the same as Naruto's, making people unpredictable.
"You..."
Sasuke took a deep breath and tried to calm down, "That mission is dangerous?"
Jiraiya put away his joking expression, his eyes became deeper, and he looked at the gradually brightening sky outside the inn door. "Ah, it is a bit troublesome. However, I have been walking Jianghu for so many years, what kind of wind and waves have I not seen?
Don't worry, you won't die. Just rest here and recuperate, and don't get involved in this incident.
Don't you still have a mission to complete? This mission can be completed by my hero Lord Jiraiya."
After saying that, he stopped staying, waved to Sasuke, turned around and pushed open the door of the inn. The tall figure quickly blended into the thin mist of the morning and disappeared.
Sasuke stood by the railing on the second floor, looking at the direction in which Jiraiya disappeared, then looked down at the shriveled wallet in his hand, and remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he stuffed his wallet back into his waist, turned around and walked back to his room. But there seemed to be something else in the depths of his black eyes.
This white-haired old pervert... maybe not as innocent as he appears.
And the task he took on was probably not as simple as "a little troublesome".
He was right, he had a mission of revenge, he needed to avenge his dead tribesmen and kill that guy.
Sasuke clenched his fists, feeling burning pain in his eyes.
He must recover as soon as possible and become stronger.