For Jiraiya, writing a book is even more sacred than being a ninja.
After being attacked by Yami, he now felt like dying.
"Let's go, don't worry about this old pervert."
"Yeah."
Ignoring Jiraiya's antics, Yami let Yugao hold his hand and prepared to leave.
"Wait a minute!"
Jiraiya, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, suddenly grabbed Yami's ankle and said incredulously, "You little brat, are you really so heartless?"
"I'm a legendary Sannin, aren't you afraid I'll teach you a lesson?"
"So what?" Yami replied indifferently. "Wasn't there a Sannin in the village before? Didn't my grandfather drive him out?"
"If you peek at the women's bathhouse again, I'll report you to the Police Department and let those red-eyed guys come catch you."
Jiraiya fell silent.
Whether it was the arrogance of driving out Orochimaru or the childish threat of calling the Police Department, he didn't even know how to respond.
"Kid, Orochimaru is my friend. You said in front of me that Danzō drove him away. Aren't you afraid I'll get angry?"
Jiraiya slowly stood up, shedding his usual lazy and carefree attitude.
A powerful pressure belonging to the legendary Sannin radiated from his body. Yugao, who was standing beside Yami, couldn't withstand it. With a muffled groan, she staggered back a few steps before finally regaining control of her body.
"Did my grandfather do something wrong?" Yami asked calmly, completely unaffected, as he looked straight at Jiraiya.
"Your friend hurt people in the village, so he was driven out. Instead of blaming him, you come after my grandfather? Is that how adults act?"
Jiraiya was stunned.
The anger that had just surged within him was dispersed by this line of questioning.
That's right.
Even if Danzō betrayed Orochimaru for his own goals, at least in this matter, he hadn't done anything wrong.
The one at fault was Orochimaru.
"Hahaha." Jiraiya suddenly burst out laughing and returned to his usual cheeky demeanor. "Your grandfather is Danzō? Then you must be... Shimura Yami, right? The old man mentioned you to me."
"The genius who crushed the Uchiha clan, and even dares to call the Third Hokage 'Old Monkey to his face. Not bad, I like you."
"Yes, that's me." Yami nodded slightly, but deep down he was starting to feel uneasy.
He had a hunch that Jiraiya had come here specifically because of him.
Jiraiya released the Summoning Technique, sending the toad back to Mount Myōboku. Then, he placed a large hand on Yami's head and gave it a hard rub.
Yami tried to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough and could only take the loss silently.
"Kid, you're right. Danzō didn't do anything wrong. Orochimaru and I were the ones at fault."
Jiraiya's gaze turned serious. "I'll definitely catch him and make him realize his mistakes."
"Then are you still going to peek at the women's bathhouse?"
"Of course not!" Jiraiya waved his hand, but then his expression instantly shifted to a shameless grin. "Hehe, everyone in the village is like family. What's wrong with sneaking a little peek?"
As he spoke, he stomped the ground hard. The sound of his wooden clogs clashing with the floor echoed, and a puff of smoke erupted beneath his feet.
When the smoke cleared, Jiraiya was gone.
At the same time, Yami heard a prompt from the system in his mind.
[Host and Jiraiya have formed an appreciation bond. Reward: Special Talent – 'Sage Arts Affinity (Primary)']
Hmm?
Good stuff...
Sage Arts is a super-tier power. In a way, it's the energy of the Six Paths level.
But Jiraiya's talent in Sage Mode wasn't that great. Even after decades of training, he still needed the assistance of the Two Great Sage Toads to fully tap into its power.
Unlike Hashirama or the future Naruto, who could activate Sage Mode with a simple hand clap.
Yami's mood immediately improved.
"Phew... he's finally gone."
Yugao let out a breath of relief and looked at Yami with lingering fear. "You were really brave just now. You actually dared to talk back to Lord Jiraiya like that."
"So what?" The two resumed walking toward the Shimura residence. "My grandfather is Danzō. Who in Konoha dares to bully me?"
"Lord Jiraiya isn't afraid of Elder Danzō."
"But he's afraid of the Third Hokage. And the Third Hokage doesn't allow him to bully me. Otherwise, my grandfather would slam his door in his face."
...
Hokage Building
After a long day of exhausting duties, Hiruzen dragged his tired body out of the office and slowly made his way home.
Hearing the ghost-like howling from inside, he immediately knew what was going on.
He pushed open the door with a frown—and sure enough, there was Jiraiya sitting in the living room, drinking... crap!
That was his treasured liquor!
"You bastard!" Hiruzen moved with Kage-level speed, snatched the bottle from Jiraiya's hand, and looked at the empty bottles on the floor, heart aching with pain.
"This was a fine vintage I've been collecting for over ten years!"
"Don't be so stingy, old man." Jiraiya grinned drunkenly, throwing an arm over Hiruzen's shoulder. "I helped you finish a mission today. Isn't it fine to drink a little as a reward?"
"Mission?" Hiruzen was taken aback, but quickly caught on. "Did you contact Yami?"
"Yeah, just came back."
Taking advantage of Hiruzen's distraction, Jiraiya took back the bottle and took another swig. "That kid's not bad. Really not bad."
"What's so good about him?" Hiruzen asked, intrigued. It was rare for Jiraiya to praise someone like that.
"Just the fact that he sees everyone in the village as his own people—isn't that enough?"
Hiruzen frowned. "What happened? Tell me everything from the start."
Jiraiya had no choice but to recount the events roughly—conveniently skipping the part where Yami used his book as a hypnotic sleep aid.
The more Hiruzen listened, the wider his smile grew, the wrinkles on his face folding together.
"Good kid."
"That's right. He's Danzō's grandson. Even if their methods differ, he still has Konoha in his heart."
A weight lifted from his heart, and Hiruzen felt more at ease. He snatched the bottle back from Jiraiya and poured himself a glass.
"What? You planning to take him as a disciple now?"
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Forget it. He's an interesting little guy, but he doesn't suit my style. Besides, Danzō wouldn't agree. I don't want to deal with that old man."
"Well, it's up to you." Hiruzen didn't push the matter but started thinking about when he might try to rope Yami in himself.
After all, Hyūga Hizashi isn't exactly one of us... and his strength isn't quite enough...
(To be continued.)
***
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