After leaving the cinema, the group continued strolling down the street.
Jiraiya thought about the actress and his new book, while the three Ninja Academy students discussed the novelty that was film.
Time slipped by.
They were approaching the end of the shopping street.
A sense of urgency rose in Moonlight Ruyun.
I can't wait any longer!
Too bad it isn't a manuscript. That would make this so much easier.
After an entire evening of discussing the plot and coming up with a title, asking for the manuscript would hardly seem out of place.
But it had to be Hiruzen Sarutobi's Pipe... Finding a way to ask for a pipe was just too bizarre.
He still hadn't come up with a good approach, but if he missed this opportunity, his second piece of equipment would slip out of reach.
He had a match against Minato Namikaze coming up soon, and another piece of equipment hinged on it.
Then there was the brewing Second Shinobi World War, which put his very survival at stake.
Equipment materials were hard to come by. Every piece of equipment could transform his strength, so he had to seize every hard-earned opportunity.
Making up his mind, he stretched and took a deep breath.
"Sir, do you smell like smoke?"
"Hmm?"
Jiraiya snapped out of his thoughts about the actress and scratched his head.
He took a dark brown wooden pipe from his pocket and hefted it in his hand.
"This is probably what you're smelling."
Kushina rubbed her eyes and took a closer look. "...Why does that look so much like Lord Hokage's? Am I seeing things?"
Moonlight Ruyun froze for a moment. How had he forgotten about Kushina?
As the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she could see the Hokage whenever she wanted, while ordinary people struggled to meet him even once.
"That's right. It's the old man's."
Jiraiya grinned smugly. "I bet you're all dying to ask why I have the Hokage's pipe, aren't you?"
All three nodded in unison.
"Hahaha! I'm not telling!"
Minato: "..."
Kushina: "..."
Moonlight Ruyun's mouth twitched. Jiraiya's personality... lived up to the stereotype.
"Won't Lord Hokage blame you when he finds out his pipe is missing?"
Looking at his puzzled expression, Jiraiya couldn't stop grinning, like a fox that had stolen a chicken.
"The old man will never know I took it. Besides, he'll never see this pipe again."
Even the normally composed Minato grew curious at that.
"Sir, is that really all right?"
Kushina could no longer contain herself, her face lighting up with interest. "Mister, you've got some nerve!"
Jiraiya shushed them and smiled mysteriously.
Moonlight Ruyun asked, "Sir, why do you say Lord Hokage will never see this pipe again?"
Jiraiya clasped his hands behind his back. "There's a certain wealthy lady with remarkable connections... Well, let's leave that out. Anyway, unless the old man can get to Mount Myōboku, he can forget about getting his pipe back."
Feeling more confident, Moonlight Ruyun ventured, "If that's the case, sir, could you give me the pipe?"
It was a jaw-dropping request.
Right up there with, "I'm a student, so give it to me for free-and throw in another two hundred while you're at it."
Minato and Kushina turned to stare at him blankly.
Someone's even better at this?
Late that night.
Moonlight Ruyun returned home, carrying a boxed meal in one hand and clutching the pipe tightly in the other.
He greeted his aunt, who had been waiting for him, then went back to his room and shut the door.
"I finally got it!"
As he recalled what had just happened, the corners of his mouth curled up despite himself.
He had won Jiraiya over with just one sentence: "This pipe is a precious memento of Lord Hokage."
Konoha was all about the Will of Fire.
Nine out of ten people wanted to become Hokage. The tenth was a rogue ninja.
As a Ninja Academy student, wanting the Hokage's pipe as a keepsake fit his image perfectly.
After all, Lord Hokage was the one and only sun!
After Jiraiya handed him the pipe with a strange look on his face, Minato stared at it, his eyes filled with envy.
That color, that patina-it had clearly seen years of use.
In other words, it was one of a kind!
To get another, they would have to wait for the Hokage to spend several more years breaking one in...
[Hiruzen Sarutobi's Pipe] [Estimated quality: green] [Refining cost: 30,000 ryō/attempt] [Special condition: personally gifted by Jiraiya] [Condition fulfilled. Begin refining?]
He forced down his eagerness, took a bath, and lit a stick of incense.
He stared intently at the light screen.
"Begin refining!"
[Refining started] [Estimated time remaining: 10, 9, 8...]
"Four attempts. I only have four attempts!"
He had 25,000 ryō left in his private savings and had borrowed 100,000 ryō from Kushina.
[Refining successful]
Huh?
For a moment, he couldn't process it. Another first-attempt success?
Was Kushina's [Luck] trait working its magic?
Without stopping to dwell on it, he opened his inventory, eager to see his new equipment's traits.
[Hiruzen Sarutobi's Pipe] [Quality: green] [Trait 1: Fire Release enhancement] [Effect: increases the power of Fire Release Ninjutsu by 60%] [Trait 2: secondhand smoke] [Effect: marks enemies with chakra. Marks cannot be detected. Senses the marked targets' locations and conditions regardless of distance.] [Current marks: 0/3] [Note: an old pipe with a well-aged patina]
He glanced at the note, then focused on the two traits.
The first trait's effect was straightforward: a 60% increase in the power of Fire Release Ninjutsu.
Another premium percentage bonus.
"A good trait. Percentage bonuses are never weak."
As for the second trait's effect, an interested look crossed his face.
Taken literally, it let him mark enemies with chakra and sense them regardless of distance.
It was practically a nightmare for anyone skilled at stealth and concealment.
With this ability, no one could escape his tracking.
Following that train of thought, a flash of inspiration struck him, and his eyes widened.
Who was the best at concealment in the entire shinobi world-and also the "wealthiest"?
What a tough guess.
"Mayfly Technique, White Zetsu, Madara Uchiha..."
"Hashirama Cells, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the Rinnegan!"
Deep underground, in the Root Base.
"What did you say? Jiraiya warned you?"
Danzo sat behind a long table, his gaze dark as he looked down at the Root members kneeling on the floor.
"What did you discover?"
"This afternoon, an explosion occurred in the forest near the Hayate Clan. Traces of an A-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu were left at the scene.
In the evening, Jiraiya took Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and Moonlight Ruyun to eat at Yakiniku Q.
After they parted ways, Jiraiya found us."
The Root member's voice held no emotion as he delivered his report mechanically, like a cold machine.
"An A-rank ninjutsu, Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Moonlight Ruyun..."
Danzo frowned. Kushina Uzumaki... She involved two troublesome figures, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mito Uzumaki. Even if he wanted to act, his hands were tied.
But how had Minato Namikaze become involved with Jiraiya?
And why was Moonlight Ruyun, whom he had deemed "mediocre," among them as well?
"Find out exactly what connection Minato Namikaze has to Jiraiya. And... verify Moonlight Ruyun's grades again."
"Yes." The Root member paused briefly. "What about our surveillance of Minato Namikaze?"
"Suspend it for now. What's the situation with Yakushi Nonō?"
"Everything is normal. She helps out at a ramen shop every day after school and uses her earnings to buy food for the children at the orphanage."
"So her weakness is the orphanage?" Danzo's voice was icy.
Before you continue