Chapter 19. Isn't This a Coincidence?
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Jiraiya originally thought that after being away from Konoha for a while, the village had beco much more open-minded, but he never imagined... it had beco this open?!
At that mont.
The sight of those tight training outfits, which seed to embody the Will of Fire itself, flashed before his eyes. One figure after another passed through his mind, deeply etching themselves into his mory, forcing him to ntally replay all the mories he'd gathered for "research" over the years.
He needed to cleanse his eyes.
What were the old people of Konoha even doing?!
Gathering together to dance?
Do they have too much free ti?
And wearing tight ninja outfits that are the sa style as the Third Hokage's but in different colors?!
Jiraiya tilted his head up at a 45-degree angle and sighed deeply. By now, he knew full well that he'd been tricked by that girl Kushina.
What a set-up!
It seed like tonight he'd waste more ti gathering new material just to overwrite the deeply burned images from earlier.
A fleeting mont!
Even now, with his eyes closed, he could still picture those tight-fitting Will of Fire suits!
He had originally planned to return to the village to relax a bit and rest up before the looming chaos in the ninja world, but now... as usual, plans couldn't keep up with changes. He had to get serious and "gather research" again.
Turns out...
It wasn't that he didn't want to rest; it was that he simply couldn't!
With a long, drawn-out sigh, he muttered, "I really need to have a talk with Minato about how his wife can even trick her own teacher."
He wasn't doing anything wrong, though.
All of this was for the sake of art!
He wasn't in the wrong... well, alright, maybe a little.
Now he had to wash his eyes!
Just as he finished speaking, he turned around in frustration, preparing to quietly slip away and pretend he had never been there, a green flash shot past his eyes.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, his reflexes were sharp. He imdiately crossed his arms in defense. Although the impact left his hands aching, he quickly pulled away to put so distance between himself and the attacker.
Jiraiya, a bit startled, looked at the man in front of him, who was wearing a very recognizable outfit. Then, his usual carefree smile returned, and he said, "Just a wandering sage passing by, didn't an to disturb anyone, so I'll just..."
Before he could finish.
"Lord Jiraiya?!" Might Duy's loud voice instantly grabbed everyone's attention. He stood at attention and bowed respectfully, "My apologies! I thought soone was sneaking around, so I got a little suspicious!"
"..."
Please, stop talking! Stop talking!
Jiraiya's face almost turned green with embarrassnt as he noticed the crowd of elderly n and won looking at him with curious glances. He forced an awkward laugh and tried to play it off, "I just returned to the village! I was planning to co here to practice so ninjutsu, but it looks like the place is already occupied!"
"Is that so?" Might Duy nodded seriously, "If you're going to train ninjutsu, the area by the river might be better. Also..." he hesitated for a mont before expressing concern, "Why are Lord Jiraiya's eyes so red?"
Have you been rubbing them?
Jiraiya quickly responded with another laugh, scratching his head as he said, "Oh, it's nothing. I've just been busy with too much work and not getting enough sleep, so my eyes are a little irritated. If there's nothing else, I'll just be on my way."
Without waiting for Might Duy to respond, Jiraiya turned on his heel and ran off as fast as he could, not stopping for even a mont.
Those eyes...
Too terrifying!
Jiraiya feared that if Might Duy kept talking, even if he hadn't been peeking, everyone would assu he had been!
However...
What Jiraiya didn't realize was...
With his reputation for lurking around won's bathhouses for "research," a group of gossipy old ladies and n had already started whispering...
"Isn't that one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya?"
"I heard he's not exactly an upright guy. My kid told Lord Jiraiya used to show up at the hot springs all the ti!"
"Well, your kid isn't exactly an upstanding person either!"
"He was just relaxing at the hot springs! What's so wrong with that?"
"..."
Sotis, that's how rumors get started.
...
A Few Days Later.
After completing a series of D-rank missions, Minato's team was finally assigned their first mission outside the village.
It seed like this particular mission was specifically designated for Namikaze Minato. Though it seed a bit early for a mission like this during peaceti, considering it was warti, such exceptions weren't unusual. The mission might be a bit advanced for new Genin, but with a Jonin leading them, it didn't seem like there would be any problems.
Minato glanced at Kakashi and Rin standing before him and smiled helplessly, "Obito, is he late again?"
Kakashi leaned silently against a tree, glancing up briefly without saying a word, then continued staring quietly at the sky.
He was used to it.
Lately, Obito had been receiving the most complaints about his delivery service yet Uncle Sato has ignored them.
There wasn't much that could be done about it.
After all, that guy might one day beco Uncle Sato's boss.
As for Rin... she gave a soft, sowhat apologetic smile and said gently, "Obito might have run into soone who needed help again."
"Hahaha, that's probably it!" Minato didn't mind. They still had so ti before they needed to leave the village, so it wasn't a big deal.
After laughing heartily for a mont, he looked back at the village with a slightly exasperated expression.
These past few days, rumors had been spreading...
Jiraiya-sensei must be having a hard ti!
Since that day they t, Minato hadn't seen Jiraiya-sensei for several days.
Minato sighed and murmured to himself, "I'll have to bring Kushina to apologize to him when we get back!"
Maybe by the ti they return, that new barbecue restaurant would be open?
When that happens, he could use their mission reward to treat Jiraiya-sensei to a big al!
It wasn't that Minato was worried about Jiraiya getting angry. Those rumors... to Jiraiya, they were child's play. After all, Jiraiya was one of the Legendary Sannin and the Toad Sage!
He was a renowned ninja throughout the ninja world!
Just then—
"Minato-sensei!" Obito ca rushing over, seeing the three pairs of eyes on him. He laughed sheepishly, "Haha, sorry! I'm late!"
"It's alright, we just got here ourselves." Minato smiled gently and shook his head. Then, suddenly turning serious, he looked at Obito. "But Obito! Punctuality is part of being a ninja! Look at Kakashi—no matter what, he's never late!"
"I understand, Minato-sensei."
Obito, knowing he was in the wrong, didn't argue and kept his head down, accepting the lecture, even though he'd heard it many tis before...
It wasn't like he "wanted" to be late.
It was just that lately... besides helping old ladies cross the street, he also had to make his own lunch and clean the house. It was exhausting.
Ever since his grandmother started dancing, his daily chores had increased.
But as long as his grandmother was happy, it was all worth it!
And she'd been much more energetic lately.
Seeing that Obito had already realized his mistake, Minato didn't say anything further. He simply smiled and patted Obito's head, "So, is everyone ready?"
At that, Kakashi responded with a short, "Yes."
"Ready!" Rin said softly.
Then.
The three turned to look at Obito, who wiped his nose and smirked confidently, flashing a toothy grin as he gave a thumbs-up. "I was ready last night!"
"Well then..." Minato took a deep breath, raised his hand with enthusiasm, and was about to give the signal for the team to set out when—
A luxurious carriage slowly rolled up in front of them.
As everyone looked on in confusion, a handso face peeked out from inside the carriage. Upon noticing sothing, his eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed as he gazed at the goggle-wearing boy in Minato's team.
Isn't this... a coincidence?
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