Jiraiya was a little panicked. He had always maintained a pretty good image in front of his students... but this diary written by Orochimaru had severely damaged his reputation.
Although Orochimaru's notebook recorded nothing but trivial incidents from the Konoha Sannin's youth... most of it was Jiraiya's embarrassing history.
"This..."
Itachi felt that claiming he had not read it would be an insult to his teacher's intelligence. After all, the crow on his shoulder was hopping around far too happily.
Seeing that Itachi would not even insult his intelligence to give him an out and preserve his dignity, Jiraiya was briefly disheartened. "I should go find Orochimaru..."
What a joke...
Of the Konoha Sannin, Jiraiya valued friendship the most. If he could remain indifferent after seeing the notebook and photo frame Orochimaru had treasured... then he would not call himself a hero.
"Itachi, stay in the village and keep training for the Chunin Exams. I'll come back to check on you whenever I can!"
"...Master Jiraiya..."
Uchiha Itachi stood there in a daze, unable to understand their relationship at all. He could only turn an imploring gaze toward the Third Hokage.
It was not until Jiraiya pushed open the door that Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly spoke to stop him. "Jiraiya!"
"Orochimaru has already strayed down the wrong path. The village cannot tolerate the mistakes he has committed... Jiraiya..."
"He'll never come back!"
Jiraiya suddenly raised a thumb and laughed boldly. "I'm the White-Haired Boy of the Konoha Sannin! As long as I persevere, I'll definitely persuade him to come back!"
"..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless for a moment. He, too, was deeply pained by his student's mistakes... He had raised them like both a teacher and a father. If Jiraiya truly could bring Orochimaru back...
As the Third Hokage, he might