Ten days later.
Kaede and his group arrived at their destination: Taigu Town.
Originally, it was just a small village nestled in a mountain valley, home to only a few families. But a few years ago, someone accidentally discovered hot springs beneath the area. As it also happened to lie at the crossroads of several major routes, the village rapidly developed and transformed into a popular hot spring resort in just a few short years.
As for why the hot springs appeared in the first place, investigations suggested it was due to Kaede's battle with Hashirama years ago. Their clash had caused massive destruction to the terrain surrounding Konoha, triggering a chain reaction of underground collapses and seismic shifts… which, in turn, released geothermal activity in the area.
Inside one of the most luxurious inns in the town,
"So you're saying... this place exists because of me?"
Kaede raised an eyebrow as he listened to Rin's explanation, unable to hold back a wry comment.
Rin smiled sweetly and nodded. "That's one way to look at it."
Kaede rubbed his forehead. "Whatever. Let's just get to the hot springs."
He had already changed into a clean white bathrobe. Rin and Kurenai were also dressed similarly, with towels draped over their shoulders. Hinata's bathrobe was a bit oversized, making her look adorably awkward. Her blushing cheeks were too cute for Rin to resist, and she gently pinched Hinata's face again as they headed toward the hot springs.
The resort had separate male and female baths, as well as a number of private hot spring pools. The smaller ones were open to individuals, while the larger ones were reserved for nobles and feudal lords from various regions.
Thanks to Rin's arrangements, they had exclusive access to three of the larger private pools.
Kaede soon arrived at one of them, removed his robe, and sank into the hot water with a relaxed sigh.
Despite having trained in the Eight Gates technique, his body wasn't bulky or overly muscular. Because of his stabilized Six Paths physique, he had a well-balanced build: lean, fair-skinned, and lightly defined abs.
He recalled an old memory, after a shower long ago, he'd stepped into the living room wearing only a towel and accidentally ran into Rin and Kurenai. The way they had stared at him with burning eyes… he was pretty sure if he hadn't left quickly, things might've escalated.
"Better not wander into the wrong bath again..."
Kaede muttered and activated Sage Mode to enhance his sensory perception, partly to avoid being spied on, and partly to check if there were any other potential voyeurs lurking nearby.
It turned out there was someone sneaking around.
A familiar chakra signature.
Kaede's expression flattened. He activated his Tenseigan to confirm, and sure enough, a very familiar figure was creeping toward the women's bath, wearing a lecherous grin.
The next second,
From the women's side, Kurenai, Rin, and Hinata were all enjoying the hot springs when they suddenly heard a massive splash followed by a loud, fading scream.
It sounded like someone had just been launched into the sky.
"Eh?!"
Still wearing her bathrobe, Rin blinked in surprise. Then, her expression sharpened and she quickly leapt out of the bath, landing atop the wooden fence that surrounded the hot spring area.
She glanced in the direction of the scream and saw only a tiny black speck in the sky, disappearing over the horizon a moment later.
Looking down,
She saw Kaede standing just beyond the wall, still dripping wet, glaring into the sky with a blank expression.
"Ka-Kaede?"
Rin asked uncertainly.
Kaede turned to her, face calm again. "Some pervy old man was snooping around, so I threw him out. Don't worry, it's fine now. Go back to your bath."
Poof!
And with that, he vanished.
"Uh..."
Rin stood there for a few seconds, processing what had just happened. Once it clicked, she let out a small sigh of relief, then quickly grew annoyed.
This was supposed to be the most secure and high-class hot spring resort around. How could some old creep sneak in here to peep? And he even had the gall to spy on them?
If it had been Kaede, she might've forgiven him...
Then again,
That moment just now...
Rin's mind flashed back to the image of Kaede standing there, water dripping down his well-toned body. Her gaze grew dreamy, a sparkle lighting up in her eyes.
=============
Meanwhile, dozens of miles away,
A figure crashed down from the sky like a meteor, slamming into the treetops. Branches snapped as he fell, finally landing on the forest floor with a heavy thud.
It was Jiraiya.
Since Kaede had become the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya rarely returned to Konoha, instead spending most of his time traveling the world in search of inspiration for his novels. His books had become bestsellers one after another.
Today, he had simply been out looking for new ideas when,
Suddenly, he was flying.
Before he could even react, he had been kicked through the air.
"Cough…"
Jiraiya spat out blood and looked around in confusion. The sheer impact had left him dazed.
After seven or eight seconds, he finally began to regain his senses, allowing his brain to function again.
Ribs... at least a dozen broken.
Organs... shaken, heavy internal bleeding.
First, he assessed the damage to his body. Then he made a pretty good guess at what had happened.
If there was anyone in this world who could send him flying dozens of miles, severely injure him in one blow, without him even realizing it,
There was only one possibility.
The Fifth Hokage of Konoha—Hatake Kaede!
"Cough… damn it… how did I run into him, of all people…"
Jiraiya looked both frustrated and defeated.
That hit was brutal.
If he didn't get treatment within the next three minutes, he'd probably die from his injuries.
He weakly raised a hand, dipped his finger in his own blood, and tried to use the summoning jutsu to call the toads of Mount Myōboku.
But,
His face twisted. The summon failed.
His injuries were too severe, his chakra pathways were all but destroyed, making it nearly impossible to gather chakra.
This is bad.
One of the Legendary Sannin, the gallant Jiraiya, who survived the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, might actually die...
…from getting caught peeping at a hot spring.
Even worse, this would go down in the history books.
Just thinking about how future generations might record his death made his lips twitch.
No!
I can't let it end like this!
He gritted his teeth and began desperately gathering the last bits of chakra in his body, trying to force the summoning technique through.
But just as he was about to succeed,
Shing! Shing! Shing!
Several sharp white bones flew out from the nearby woods.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
They pierced through Jiraiya's hands and legs, pinning him firmly to the ground.
His barely-stabilized chakra shattered again. The summoning failed.
This is it...
The thought flashed through Jiraiya's mind.
As if being beaten half to death by Kaede wasn't enough, now he had run into another ninja while down. Some days, it really did feel like even drinking water could make you choke when your luck was bad.
But then,
Just as his vision began to blur and he felt the last threads of consciousness slipping away, a familiar voice called out:
"Jiraiya?"
The voice was raspy, weak, almost drained of strength, but unmistakably recognizable.
Jiraiya's dull eyes lit up with disbelief.
There was no mistaking that voice.
It was—Orochimaru!
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria