In the mountains behind Konoha.
Though the clouds of war had dispersed over Konoha, the pain the war had brought its people had yet to fade.
But those who survived still had to live. They could not remain trapped in the past forever.
As the village gradually grew lively again, smiles began returning to people's faces.
In the mountains behind Konoha, a group of people was camping.
Beautiful women played freely in a clear stream.
"Heh heh heh..."
Hidden in the dense undergrowth, Jiraiya wore a lecherous grin as he eagerly peeped at them.
Just then, a hand reached out from somewhere and shoved Jiraiya in the back.
Caught completely off guard, Jiraiya yelped as the shove sent him tumbling out of the dense undergrowth, exposing his whereabouts.
"Ah! Someone's peeping!"
"Beat him to death! He was hiding here peeping at us!"
"Where is he? Where?"
"Is he an enemy? Kill him!"
"Hurry! He might be an enemy in hiding!"
All sorts of things rained down on Jiraiya. A smooth pebble struck him squarely on the forehead, and a large lump immediately swelled up.
"Ow..."
Clutching his head, Jiraiya fled in a flash.
A while later, at Hokage Rock.
Jiraiya groaned and moaned, paper stuffed into his nostrils and a large lump on his forehead. He looked utterly bedraggled and miserable.
"Was that necessary? Was that really necessary..."
"If you needed me for something, you could've just said so! Did you have to set me up like that?"
Jiraiya sat on a boulder, clutching his head and occasionally sucking in a sharp breath.
Shihōin Naraku stood atop Hokage Rock, looking down over Konoha, which was still recovering.
Clanging sounds drifted over from afar, the noise of buildings being repaired.
Scaffolding had been erected, and villagers bustled up and down it.