Chapter 236: Jiraiya
After visiting his injured companions, Naruto began "wandering" through Konoha's streets. Of course, this "wandering" needed quotation marks.
He deliberately chose streets with hot spring inns to stroll through, though his purpose wasn't to bathe in hot springs, but to search for someone who might be... hiding in some corner engaging in peeping behavior.
Sure enough, perhaps due to some destined connection, it wasn't long before Naruto spotted such a furtive figure beside the outer wall of a hot spring inn.
"Hehe... hehehehe..."
It was a tall, burly man currently in an extremely undignified posture, pressed against a gap in the wooden fence. White hair hung down to his waist—he looked quite old.
...Honestly, Naruto felt this behavior was rather despicable. Taking advantage of Jiraiya's attention being completely absorbed in "research," Naruto silently picked up a small pebble from the ground. With a flick of his wrist, he precisely threw it at the wooden plank Jiraiya was peeping through.
"Bang."
A knocking sound clearly transmitted inside the wall.
"Who's out there!"
"There seems to be a pervert!"
"Wait! Surround the area quickly! Someone was just peeping!"
Panicked and angry female voices immediately erupted from within the wall.
"What?!" Jiraiya was shocked. His perfect "research" atmosphere was completely shattered. He whipped his head around angrily, looking toward where the pebble came from—only to see a blonde brat with a seemingly harmless smile playing with another small pebble in his hand, standing right there.
Jiraiya was angry enough to immediately rush forward and grab this brat's collar to demand what the hell he was doing. However, the rustling sounds of dressing and increasingly close, angry footsteps from inside the hot spring clearly told him—if he didn't leave now, it would be too late!
Jiraiya could only immediately abandon confrontation and turn to flee the scene with agility that didn't match his massive frame.
Finally, after running wildly and hiding behind a distant dense shrub, Jiraiya dared to cautiously poke his head out.
Hearing the disturbed inn workers and several hot-tempered women noisily chase in the opposite direction, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What the... that damn brat..." He wiped nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead, muttering with lingering fear and indignant resentment.
"Yo, excuse me sir, what were you doing lurking outside the women's bath just now? Did you get lost?"
A clear voice suddenly came from behind, nearly making Jiraiya jump. He whipped around to discover standing there was precisely that blonde brat who'd interrupted his "research"—Uzumaki Naruto.
Wait... when did this kid get behind me? I didn't sense his approach at all? Such fast speed! Jiraiya's heart jolted. Though this brat had indeed ruined his good deed, if his behavior was confirmed, he'd be arrested by Konoha's security ninja. And... this kid somehow looks familiar...
"Ahem!" Jiraiya quickly straightened up, cleared his throat, his face instantly switching to a righteous, serious expression. He crossed his arms, explaining with complete earnestness:
"Hmph! Ignorant brat, what do you know? That was serious research for literary creation!"
"I see, research for literary creation."
Naruto nodded, his face still maintaining that composure beyond his years. "However, using this method to 'seek inspiration'—wouldn't that cause unnecessary misunderstandings? And it also brings trouble and unease to others."
"As a writer, surely you wouldn't want your artistic pursuit misunderstood as base behavior? Please consider a more appropriate method."
"..."
Jiraiya was momentarily speechless, somewhat surprised as he re-examined the blonde youth before him. This kid... isn't his reaction a bit too mature?
Moreover, that inexplicable sense of familiarity grew stronger... Only now did Jiraiya suddenly realize where this familiarity came from—it was almost exactly like his talented disciple who became Hokage but died young...
"However, may I ask who you are? Looking at your headband..." Naruto timely raised his question, finding an opportunity to engage. "Are you a Konoha ninja?"
Hearing the other person inquire about his identity, Jiraiya seemed like someone had pressed a switch. That bit of awkwardness and reminiscence was immediately cast aside.
"Bang!" With a light sound accompanied by white smoke, a massive toad was summoned. Naruto vaguely remembered this toad seemed to be called Gamatatsu.
Next, standing atop Gamatatsu's head, Jiraiya began his signature performance. He waved his white hair with movements as exaggerated as a kabuki actor.
"Excellent question! I am the one who travels far and wide, recording legends, dwelling at Mount Myoboku— Commonly known as the Toad Sage! One of the legendary Sannin—Lord Jiraiya! That's me!"
Finally, he struck a classic pose full of dramatic tension.
For some reason, watching this scene, Naruto suddenly felt his heart seized by something, an indescribable sourness surging up... How strange, this feeling...
He instinctively raised his hand and began applauding this performance, his face cooperatively showing just the right amount of surprise and admiration.
Oh? Seeing this kid seriously playing along below, Jiraiya's resentment from having his "research" interrupted mostly dissipated. He found this brat quite to his liking.
Naruto forcibly suppressed the "Pervy Sage" epithet that almost escaped his lips, speaking in as formal a tone as possible:
"I never expected to meet the legendary Sannin, Lord Jiraiya. My apologies. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, currently a genin of Konoha."
However, the moment he finished speaking, the summoning jutsu beneath Jiraiya's feet ended. White smoke rose again, and Gamatatsu's figure instantly disappeared.
"Whoa!" Losing his support, Jiraiya fell unprepared from midair.
"Are you alright?!" Naruto reacted extremely quickly, stepping forward in a flash to steadily catch Jiraiya who'd nearly fallen flat on his back.
But Jiraiya at this moment couldn't care about his embarrassment at all. He stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the blonde youth supporting him.
Naruto?! Minato's child?!