"Come on, no need to be nervous."
Rasa poured a glass of water and handed it to the awkward-looking Jiraiya, smiling as he spoke.
"While it's true that you caused a... highly inappropriate incident by taking one of our village's young geniuses to a place that corrupts minors, fortunately, no real harm was done. You see, children raised in Sunagakure are quite remarkable—they know what they should and shouldn't do."
"You don't need to worry. In the end, he remembered the teachings of his school, his parents, and—of course—his Kazekage. He realized he absolutely should not be in a place like that. So, he chose to leave. That's why you didn't see him the next morning."
Rasa took a sip of his own water and continued, still calm.
"So there's no need to fear that Sunagakure will hold you responsible."
"...Is that really what happened?"
Jiraiya sat frozen, stunned. He couldn't even find the words.
The Fourth Hokage's teacher… took a minor to a brothel?!
I'm ruined!
If this gets out, how will the great Toad Sage face the world?!
Suddenly jolting upright, he turned toward the Fourth Kazekage with a flustered expression. "I didn't—"
But—
"I know it wasn't intentional," Rasa cut him off smoothly, still smiling. "There's no need to apologize."
He gave a small shrug.
"To be fair, part of the blame lies with the child. He simply wasn't worldly enough to realize what kind of place it was. If anything… our schools may need to step up their civic education."
"…"
Jiraiya fell silent. It was clear now—Sunagakure was pinning this mess entirely on him.
He thought back to this afternoon. He'd been planning to quietly slip away as the workday ended. After all, he was a wandering author, always chasing inspiration across the shinobi world. Someone like him couldn't stay in one place too long.
But then—
That damn brat showed up.
In that moment, Jiraiya's face had practically twisted with rage.
He'd spotted the kid picking out glass trinkets for who-knew-what and instantly remembered that morning—men, women, pink, white, big, small…
The fury surged.
Without hesitation, he charged over, grabbed the kid by the collar from behind, and was just about to summon Gamabunta to deliver the "full service"—a proper lesson...
When—
He was surrounded.
A dozen Sand Shinobi encircled him in an instant.
Clearly, in his blind rage, he'd forgotten where he was—still within Sunagakure's jurisdiction. And he'd snuck in on top of that.
And now that he'd used his signature summoning jutsu, his identity was completely blown.
In the end, it was only thanks to that brat's intervention that things didn't escalate. But Jiraiya was still "escorted" straight to the Kazekage's office.
He sighed in defeat, lifting his chin at a 45-degree angle and wearing a face of noble resignation.
This loss… this Sage will endure.
Lowering his gaze, he looked once more at the man seated before him.
"This Sage came here by accident. The sealing technique on those so-called [Gold Panner] pouches bore clear traces of Uzumaki Clan fuinjutsu.
You should know—the Uzumaki have been close allies of Konoha since the First Hokage's time. They're practically family. If any Uzumaki survivors are still out there, it's our duty to bring them back to Konoha and give them a proper home."
"I'm afraid you're too late," Rasa replied with a smile. "Kana Uzumaki is already one of our own here in Sunagakure."
He poured another glass of cool water and pushed it toward Jiraiya.
"And I doubt she's willing to return with you. Besides… are you even aware of what's going on in the Land of Rain?"
At that moment, the door behind Jiraiya opened. Rasa's tone shifted slightly.
"Looks like the person in question has arrived. I don't need to explain further."
"???"
Jiraiya turned toward the door, frowning slightly as a red-haired woman walked in.
"You're… from the Uzumaki Clan?"
"Hello, Jiraiya-sama."
Kana Uzumaki gave a polite bow, a warm smile on her face. "Thank you for looking after Nagato Uzumaki."
"Hahaha, no need for thanks~"
Jiraiya laughed awkwardly, scratching his head. "Nagato has amazing talent. And…" He paused, eyes growing more serious. "Since you've met him… you must've seen his eyes."
His voice lowered slightly.
"I truly believe he'll bring peace to the shinobi world with them."
Maybe… he really is the Child of Prophecy the Great Toad Sage spoke of.
"We've seen them. They're truly astonishing," Kana replied with a hint of wonder. "I never imagined someone from the Uzumaki Clan could awaken the legendary Rinnegan."
But her tone shifted sharply.
"However… you shouldn't have taken Kabuto to a place like that. He's still a child!"
"…"
Silence fell across the office.
Rasa rolled his eyes. Kabuto, who had trailed in behind Kana, also rolled his eyes.
And Jiraiya—watching her wag her finger in familiar outrage—froze in place.
A moment later, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"So nostalgic… Back then, when Kushina found out about me and Minato—cough, cough."
He stopped himself immediately.
"Kushina…" Kana's expression softened at the name. She sighed quietly. "I've heard of her. Maybe… she was lucky."
Compared to Kana's own experience being raised in Kusagakure, Kushina—sheltered by Konoha from a young age—had truly lived a blessed life.
She looked at Jiraiya and smiled gently.
"She found someone she loved. Had a child of her own. I'm sure she passed away peacefully."
"Yeah…"
Jiraiya's eyes reddened, but a small smile lingered on his lips. "Minato and Kushina were definitely happy. After all… that was the day their child was born."
He looked at Kana again.
"The Uzumaki Clan formed an alliance with Konoha long ago—witnessed by the First Hokage himself. When the Land of Whirlpools fell, Konoha grieved deeply. But what's done is done. Would you… consider coming back to Konoha with me?"
But—
"Sorry, Jiraiya-sama."
Kana shook her head with a smile, reaching over to ruffle the eye-rolling Kabuto's hair. Then she glanced at Rasa, who had been smiling quietly the entire time.
"I'm doing great here. In Sunagakure, I have family, friends, and teachers I trust. This is my home now. I won't return to Konoha."
"And as for Nagato…"
"???"
Jiraiya had more or less guessed she wouldn't come back with him, but—
"Nagato? What happened to him?"
"Why don't you ask Konoha that?"
Kana's eyes turned cold as she stared at him. "Why did your village send shinobi to kill Nagato?"
"You should know—Nagato and Yahiko nearly died at the hands of Konoha."
"?!"
...
Meanwhile...
"Kabuto didn't come tonight?"
Off-duty for the evening, Tobi wandered idly through Sunagakure, arms folded behind his head.
That kid used to come find him every night to talk about art.
He was young, but had an artistic soul well beyond his years. Not getting to chat tonight felt… kind of empty~
Of course… this wasn't so bad either.
Just yesterday, he'd received a spore message from White Zetsu:
"Tomorrow night. Outside Sunagakure. Meet on the weird empty building!"
Short. Simple. Easy to understand.
And that "weird empty building"…
Was probably Sunagakure's famously useless architectural marvel—the Star Gazing Platform.