The gears of time turned back fifteen minutes.
At the gates of Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood there with some of Konoha's senior officials and several of his students, waiting idly.
Since the Shadow Organization Leader was willing to accompany Danzo into Konoha on foot, Konoha had to show the same courtesy and arrive early to wait. Anything less would have been far too arrogant.
The two sides were meeting as equals. There was no need to deliberately throw their weight around, nor to be overly enthusiastic.
Jiraiya stood to one side, suppressing his presence and resting with his eyes closed. Having learned Perfect Sage Mode, his five senses had been enhanced by natural energy, leaving him exceptionally sensitive to his surroundings. He needed some time to adjust.
Perception that was too detailed was just as bad as a lack of awareness. As the saying went, too much was as bad as too little.
With his senses so finely tuned, Jiraiya was forced to take in excessive amounts of information. He had to spend more time separating what was useful from what was not, wasting more stamina and mental energy.
It felt a little like playing a game with an eight-times scope. Everything was clear, excessively detailed. Without some training, an ordinary person would struggle to immediately find what they wanted and would more likely end up skimming aimlessly over everything.
But this required gradual adjustment and adaptation. Getting impatient was useless. Once he had learned it, he had learned it; there was no way to undo it.
Jiraiya had been truly miserable lately, his nerves worn thin. He could not even sleep properly.
Never mind the voices of people talking next door-he could instantly sense even ants moving through the shallow soil outside his door.
What to include in his