Jiraiya's somewhat gruff voice rang out:
"Ye Feng, that's not very nice of you. You're cooking and didn't even invite me? I've been looking forward to this meal for ages."
As he spoke, Jiraiya headed inside without waiting for an invitation.
But the moment he walked in, he froze. Among the people sitting together, he saw a face that was familiar yet belonged to the distant past.
Dan Katō smiled and greeted Jiraiya:
"Long time no see, Jiraiya!"
Only then did Jiraiya recover a little, staring at Dan Katō in disbelief.
"You... you're... Dan?"
Dan nodded.
"How is this possible? Huh?"
Then Jiraiya noticed a man and a woman beside Dan Katō, their appearances both somewhat familiar and a little unfamiliar.
Jiraiya immediately frowned, searching his memories of the past.
The next second, his expression changed again.
"You're Nawaki? And you're Rin Nohara?"
Nawaki grinned.
"You still remember me, Big Brother Jiraiya? Not bad, not bad!"
Rin Nohara was a little more reserved, smiling and nodding.
"It's me, Lord Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya felt as though his brain could no longer keep up, his fingers trembling slightly as he pointed at them.
Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he immediately turned to Ye Feng.
"You really brought them back to life? Didn't you say the Reanimation Technique cost you your lifespan?"
Only upon hearing Jiraiya's question did Dan Katō and the other two learn what Ye Feng had paid to resurrect them.
They had known the Reanimation Technique must have some side effects, but seeing Ye Feng resurrect several people in succession, they had assumed those side effects were minor and had not given them much thought. They had never imagined that Ye Feng had traded his own lifespan for their rebirth.
The way the three of them looked at Ye Feng