Jiraiya

"Hmm... this pose..."

"Ohoho... what a perfect view..."

"Hehehe... you can get a little more intense..."

Behind a rock by the hot spring, a middle-aged man with long white hair poked his head out. He stared at the girls playing in the pool, the smile never leaving his lips...

Holy light gleamed in his eyes.

He was clearly a man of faith.

Beyond that, he held many identities, and every entry on his résumé was impressive enough: a Toad Sage from Mount Myōboku, one of Konoha's legendary Sannin.

Of course, what the man liked most was his identity as an author.

Unfortunately, the serious ninja dramas he painstakingly wrote received little attention. Instead, the little unspeakable stories he casually scribbled down had won over quite a few readers.

This guy was rather interesting.

A blond boy suddenly appeared behind the middle-aged man. His childish voice reached the man's ears. "Doesn't seem all that good-looking to me..."

"Now, now... you're still young. You don't know how to appreciate the scenery..."

The middle-aged man brushed him off. He turned, intending to scold the boy who had suddenly appeared behind him, but when he saw the Forehead Protector on the boy's head, he frowned. "Hmm? A ninja from the village?"

Naruto Uzumaki rubbed his forehead, covered his face with one hand, and murmured, "...Jiraiya... Pervy Sage..."

Ever since hearing the names Jiraiya and Make-Out Paradise for the first time, the Konoha boy had been intensely curious about him. The feeling those names gave him was simply too unique.

Even his mind involuntarily began searching for memories of Jiraiya. Scene after scene from history flashed past rapidly, then vanished just as quickly.

A man who neglected his proper duties all day...

A man who had traveled across the ninja world while training with him...

A man who had inadvertently brought him warmth and joy...

Then cruelly left his world...

Like a dream he did not want to let go of, yet did not dare remember.

At last, this path through memory reached its end. Naruto Uzumaki's mind sounded a warning and sealed those memories away again, leaving only the sorrowful boy shedding tears alone...

"Hey, hey, hey, kid, that's far too rude! Who's your Jonin instructor? What do you mean, Pervy Sage? I'm a Toad Sage from Mount Myōboku!"

Jiraiya, standing nearby, was still hopping mad, dissatisfied with what Naruto had called him. He angrily lowered his head, only to see Naruto Uzumaki's tear-streaked face. He could not help taking half a step back. "Hey, hey, hey, kid, I haven't even lectured you yet!"

"Oh, it has nothing to do with you."

Naruto Uzumaki wiped his cheeks dry, looked at the middle-aged man before him, brought his fingers together, and shouted in a low voice, "Shadow Clone—Release!"

His body instantly turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished!

Jiraiya stood there in confusion, rubbing his chin as he pondered, "Shadow Clone? Judging by his age, that kid should only be a Genin who just graduated from the village, right? He's already mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

But something else at the scene caught his curiosity more easily.

After that kid disappeared, Jiraiya shook his head and lay back down behind the rock, looking toward the hot spring pool again. "Oho, are there new beautiful girls now?"

Naruto Uzumaki's Shadow Clone had disappeared only to report in...

Sure enough, not long after.

Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki appeared behind Jiraiya. Just as Naruto was about to grab him, Kakashi stopped him.

The Jonin instructor solemnly adjusted his Forehead Protector and carefully asked, "Jiraiya-sama, you must have worked hard gathering material for so long. About how long until the sequel to Make-Out Violence comes out...?"

"Hmm, didn't the second book only come out recently?"

Jiraiya answered casually, then suddenly spun around. He saw Kakashi Hatake smiling brightly, then looked at Naruto Uzumaki beside him...

"Hey, Kakashi!"

The middle-aged man could not help waving his hand irritably. "So that kid released his Shadow Clone to inform you of my whereabouts!"

Kakashi Hatake said seriously, "My apologies, Jiraiya-sama. We've run into a rather troublesome problem, and we may need your assistance..."

"This is the only time when Yugakure has the most visitors."

Jiraiya reluctantly glanced at the hot spring pool. "As you can see, I'm very busy right now."

Kakashi Hatake patted his forehead. "After we talk, you'll probably feel that you're incredibly idle right now..."

A small tavern.

Kakashi Hatake briefly described the attack they had encountered at the Bandit hideout, focusing on how someone had used the Mind Body Switch Technique to control Sasuke. Jiraiya's expression gradually became much less relaxed.

When he had chosen to leave Konoha, aside from wanting to search for the Child of Prophecy, it was also because Konoha's internal struggles never ceased, with conflicts emerging one after another.

For example, the struggle over the position of Hokage...

For example, the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan...

If Jiraiya had been facing ninja from an enemy nation, no matter who the enemy was, he would not have batted an eye and would certainly have obeyed orders.

But when it came to Konoha's internal conflicts, Jiraiya had no desire to get involved at all. He had refused the position of Hokage because he did not like arguing with those old men...

Konoha looked prosperous, but in truth, it was a complete mess.

None of this was something Jiraiya could solve. Not only might he come into conflict with his own teacher, he might even be forced to personally suppress comrades who had fought beside him on the battlefield.

Jiraiya chose to believe in the Child of Prophecy mentioned by the Great Toad Sage.

At first, he believed his disciple Minato Namikaze was the Child of Prophecy, someone who could change the state of conflict in the ninja world. The Yellow Flash, who had dominated the ninja world, truly was his pride.

Later, during the Nine-Tails' attack, Minato Namikaze sacrificed himself to save Konoha. Jiraiya's hopes were completely shattered, and he even became somewhat disheartened.

During that time, his friend Orochimaru defected.

In the time that followed, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned a blind eye to the conflict between the Uchiha Clan, Shimura Danzō, and others, while his actions became increasingly indecisive.

Jiraiya finally became utterly disappointed in his teacher. He could see no hope in the decaying Konoha, so he simply began another journey to search for the Child of Prophecy.

During this time, many things happened in Konoha.

They had originally thought that after the Uchiha Clan was destroyed, the conflicts would gradually fade away. They had not expected the situation to grow increasingly severe, to the point that someone dared to directly ambush ninja from the village.

Jiraiya glanced at Naruto Uzumaki, his eyelids lowering slightly as his voice gradually deepened. "Kakashi, do you want me to escort you back to Konoha?"

"There's no better way!"

Kakashi Hatake raised his head and sighed. "Those people are all ninja skilled in assassination and ambushes. I'm not confident I can bring them back by myself..."

Jiraiya lightly tapped the table with his fingers and asked in a deep voice, "Has the old man not noticed this yet? He should protect you, shouldn't he?"

"We found Elder Kosuke in the Land of Waves and asked him to deliver a message to the Third Hokage." Kakashi Hatake shook his head and said gravely, "But until we know the outcome, we have to prepare for the worst."

"Tch, he's really gotten old. Even his reactions have become sluggish..."

Jiraiya silently grumbled about his teacher, then looked at them. "Perfect. I was planning to return to the village and take a look anyway. I'll travel with you."

"Then thank you..."

"Wait a moment..."

Jiraiya waved his hand and looked at Naruto Uzumaki, who was quietly writing notes beside them. "I need to test this kid first, so he doesn't cause trouble in battle!"

Second update

Jiraiya: Let's test Minato's son...

Kakashi: Jiraiya-sama, I advise you to be careful...

Jiraiya: Don't worry, don't worry. I know my limits...

Kakashi: But I can't guarantee Naruto knows his limits...

Jiraiya: Heh heh, it's just a little test! If this kid qualifies, perhaps I can teach him a very powerful ninjutsu...

Kakashi: What ninjutsu?

Jiraiya: The ninjutsu his father left behind—the Rasengan!

Kakashi: Hehehehe... I hope you don't end up traumatized...