A few days later, while Obito was busy training Yugao, Jiraiya one of the Legendary Sannin returned to Konoha Village.
And the first thing he did?
Not the Hokage's office.
Not even his beloved bathhouse.
He went straight to a widow's house.
"I'm sorry, Kushina. It's been so long since I came to see you," Jiraiya said, sitting across from her on the sofa, eyes slightly apologetic.
"You don't have to apologize. You've got your own stuff going on." Kushina shook her head gently.
She didn't bring up the masked man. Not a word about him returning, or... doing that to her.
That was the kind of truth that could put both her and Naruto's life in danger. She wasn't about to gamble it away.
"This is Naruto, huh..." Jiraiya looked over at the peacefully sleeping baby in the cradle beside them.
"Minato, he..."
The two sat and talked quietly for a while, then eventually said goodbye.
"Naruto..."
After Jiraiya left, Kushina looked down at her son. A tinge of sorrow flickered in her eyes.
Ever since that night, her mind had been spinning.
The time and location of her childbirth, only the higher-ups of Konoha knew. So how the hell did the enemy know?
Something was rotten in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
But what could she do? Escape was impossible.
So she held onto one thing — hope.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office
"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama has left the house of the Fourth Hokage. He's headed... to the bathhouse."
Sarutobi took a drag of his pipe and sighed.
"...Of course he is."
"Got it. You're dismissed."
"Yes!" The ANBU disappeared.
Sarutobi stared out the window as the day dimmed and night began to fall. All across Konoha, lights flickered on. Streets bustled. Life continued.
Inside the Hokage's Office, the light stayed on.
"Hokage-sama," another ANBU whispered, "Jiraiya-sama is now in... an izakaya."
Sarutobi exhaled deeply.
"Wonderful..."
At a Tavern Somewhere in Konoha
Jiraiya sat alone in a private booth, casually drinking sake with a few side dishes in front of him.
Smack~
Another bottle suddenly landed on his table.
He looked up.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was already seated across from him, pipe in hand like he'd never left.
"...Old man."
"You came back, but didn't come see me first," Sarutobi said, casually pouring himself a drink.
"You blaming me for not saving Minato?"
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes slightly. "You always say the Will of Fire guides the village and nurtures new leaves..."
"Then why are all the young ones the first to die?"
Sarutobi didn't reply. He just silently sipped his sake.
"Minato was Hokage. He carried that weight. But even with Flying Thunder God... it wasn't enough."
Sarutobi let out a deep sigh. "I wasn't fast enough, either."
"I've already heard about what happened that night," Jiraiya muttered.
"Now I want to know... how the hell did the enemy know everything? The time, the place, even the chakra barriers."
His eyes narrowed.
"That kind of intel doesn't come from outside the village."
"You think... we have a rat," Sarutobi said quietly.
"I think it's damn obvious."
"...We're still investigating."
Jiraiya's lips twitched in disappointment. He downed his cup and refilled it.
"Alright, forget that for now. Why'd you call me back so urgently?"
"I need you at the front lines. Commanding the war against Cloud."
"...Isn't Danzo already there?"
"Danzo's needed elsewhere. That's why we need you to replace him."
"What about Orochimaru? He's in the village."
Sarutobi hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "He's... not in the right condition to go to war."
Another shot of disappointment flashed through Jiraiya's eyes.
"Got it. I'll leave tomorrow. Anything else?"
"Yes." Sarutobi took a long pull from his pipe.
"You heard what Kushina said about that night. You know about the masked man. Sharingan. Wood Release. After the war, I want you to investigate him."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed. "...You checked with Fugaku and the Uchiha?"
"Yes. Nothing. There's no such person among them."
Jiraiya leaned back. "Weird... but he said he was repaying a favor, didn't he? Doesn't sound like a hostile enemy."
"Don't be so sure," Sarutobi said grimly. "He's got both the Sharingan and the Wood Release. That's two founding bloodlines of this village in one body. That kind of power doesn't just walk around without a plan."
"Alright, fine. I'll look into it," Jiraiya muttered. "Not like I'm not swamped already."
Sarutobi stood up, ready to leave.
But before he walked off, Jiraiya called out:
"Hey old man... about Kushina. You can chill out with all those ANBU watching her house. She's not a criminal. She's a grieving mother."
Sarutobi paused, then nodded.
"...I'll take care of it."
After Sarutobi left, Jiraiya stared at the bottle on the table, deep in thought.
Last year, the Great Toad Sage had summoned him.
A new prophecy had been made:
The balance of the ninja world would crumble.
All five great nations... destroyed.
And at the center of it all... a man with evil eyes.
At first, Jiraiya thought it had to be Nagato.
But then... he heard Nagato and his students were dead.
After that, he wandered. Bathhouse to bathhouse. Clue to clue.
But now?
Now he had a new mystery to chase.
"Wood Release and Sharingan... could it be you?"
"And the Child of Prophecy..."
He used to believe it was Nagato. Or maybe Minato.
Now, both were gone.
The Toad Sage hadn't said anything new since.
So all Jiraiya could do... was keep searching.
And with the war against Cloud approaching?
Yeah.
He was gonna be real damn busy.
---
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