UK:GSW Chapter 337 – Jiraiya's Exchange — The Not-So-Serious Version
At the younger version of his own self's attitude, the older Jiraiya was momentarily taken aback—then his thoughts turned to Minato Namikaze.
Once, he had believed that this most-proud disciple of his was the Child of the Prophecy. Minato's strength was truly formidable—he was a super-genius. In the face of Minato, any other genius seemed ordinary.
Yet, such a "Little Sun" had died in the Nine-Tails' Attack, sacrificing himself to protect the Hidden Leaf. This was the greatest pain of Jiraiya's life. Many times, he would wonder—if he had been in the village instead of away at the time, the disaster might still have happened, but it would never have developed into the complete collapse of Konoha's younger generation, led by Minato, with the older generation also dead or crippled—plunging the Hidden Leaf into its weakest state in history.
In the end, the Fourth Hokage and his wife perished, the village suffered grievous losses, Orochimaru defected soon after, and because the Sharingan had been seen so clearly in the Nine-Tails' eyes that night, nearly everyone involved believed the Uchiha Clan had caused the attack. The Uchiha could not clear their name, leading to complete estrangement between the Uchiha and the Hidden Leaf—and ultimately, their destruction.
All of it, everything, traced back to that cruel night. And many times Jiraiya thought—if he had been in the Hidden Leaf then, such a tragedy would never have occurred.
Unfortunately, there are no "what-ifs" in this world. And the development of the other world was entirely different—there, Minato Namikaze was more mature, younger, and stronger, and his counterpart clearly chose to stay in the village upon confirming his disciple as the Child of the Prophecy, instead of wandering the world as Jiraiya had. That alone ensured many tragedies would never happen.
At this thought, the older Jiraiya looked at his "younger self" with envy. "You're really lucky—so lucky I can't help but feel a little jealous."
The younger Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, quickly understanding the meaning, then chuckled. "I am indeed lucky. After all, someone like Kei—a man with heavenly talent but no grand ambition, who instead chooses to help those around him—is one of a kind. Thanks to him, even after finding the Child of the Prophecy and fulfilling the prophecy, I also found a great cause worth dedicating my life to."
Hearing his younger self once again praise Uchiha Kei, the older Jiraiya felt even more curious about Kei—but quickly picked up on a key phrase: a great cause worth dedicating his life to.
What could be worth dedicating one's life to? Finding the Child of the Prophecy? But wasn't that already accomplished?
So what exactly was this "cause"?
Thinking along the lines of his own personality, the older Jiraiya quickly arrived at a possibility—and the smile on his face slowly turned lecherous.
He didn't bother hiding it—he knew himself too well. And clearly, this younger, parallel-world version of himself might be even more… dedicated in certain aspects. The faint trace of sage-like aura when he'd first seen his younger self today already said it all. He had experienced that state himself back in the day—only now, older and with his kidneys no longer holding up, he wasn't as indulgent.
Still, the pursuit of great art in his heart had never wavered, never changed. It was something Jiraiya gripped tightly, the supreme resolve he would never relinquish!
Yes—this was the "great cause" worth dedicating his life to!
As these thoughts spun, the older Jiraiya looked at his younger self with a knowing smile and asked with a chuckle, "Oh? You've found a cause worth dedicating your life to as well? What a coincidence—so have I! My Icha Icha series is now up to my latest work, Icha Icha Tactics. Well? Want to sample it?"
The younger Jiraiya tilted his head curiously. "The Icha Icha series? What's that?"
The older Jiraiya was briefly taken aback. "You don't know? Oh, right—since you've only just found your calling, you probably haven't named your work yet. Heh. This is the novel series I created—it's an artistic masterpiece that's taken the entire ninja world by storm!"
The younger Jiraiya scratched his head. "So it's a novel… Ah, so after The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi failed, you started a new series?"
The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi was Jiraiya's early work—an idealistic tale embodying his ninja way and longing for peace in the ninja world. But it had flopped, becoming a book no one in the ninja world had heard of.
Still, in the world of Naruto, it held great significance—Naruto's name came from its protagonist "Naruto," a character Minato admired and loved.
The younger Jiraiya now understood exactly why Minato's son was named Naruto—and could guess it was tied to that flop of a novel.
But that didn't matter right now—what mattered was that the older Jiraiya took great pride in his Icha Icha works. This alone piqued the younger's curiosity. While novels were far less impressive than illusion games in his view, if it was the great work his other self had created without such a tool, then surely it had merit worth sampling.
Yes—the younger Jiraiya truly had no idea about the Icha Icha series. Even though Kakashi had brought them when traveling between worlds, at first Kakashi was addicted to illusion games, then he "traveled" to Warhammer 40K, and when he returned, he trained daily with his father. By the time he reconnected with Jiraiya, there was no chance for him to introduce the series.
Thus, the younger Jiraiya only learned now of this "artistic masterpiece" his older self had created.
Soon, the older Jiraiya quietly brought the younger back to his home and took out his treasured author's collection of the Icha Icha series to share.
The younger Jiraiya picked up Icha Icha Paradise first and flipped through it—then frowned, wearing the expression of an old man on the subway reading something on his phone.
The plot was far too cliché. The prose was decent enough, but in novels, story and engaging content mattered most—prose was secondary.
And though this was supposed to be risqué, the related descriptions were simple and bland. For a man who had sampled countless mods in the illusion game and had his horizons expanded through private discussions with Uchiha Kei, the younger Jiraiya found it utterly plain—so plain he had no desire to keep reading after a brief glance.
His reaction was obvious, letting the older Jiraiya see it clearly. The proud, lecherous grin on the elder's face froze. With a cough, he didn't wait for a review before producing his latest masterpiece, Icha Icha Tactics. This was his most prized work, the pinnacle of the Icha Icha series—the undisputed champion.
The older Jiraiya was certain this one would win his younger self's admiration.
The younger Jiraiya didn't comment—he just started reading.
After a while, he nodded—admitting that this work was indeed good. Compared to Icha Icha Paradise, its writing, content, plot, and character construction had improved greatly. Even he felt the urge to keep reading.
That was already impressive—because the younger Jiraiya's standards were not something World No. 2's ninja world could compare to.
He then closed the book and said it was "not bad—something I could take back and read slowly." From his perspective, that was already high praise. But to the older Jiraiya, it felt arrogant. In this world, the book had been showered with acclaim, yet his younger self's review was so mild—how could he accept that?
So, with some annoyance, the older Jiraiya said, "If my work only gets an 'ordinary' rating from you, then I suppose you've got something better—or at least, you've seen something better?"
The younger Jiraiya raised an eyebrow—recognizing that his older self was irritated—and smiled meaningfully. "When it comes to novels, I haven't created new works. But as for the pursuit of art, I've taken a completely different path than you."
"Oh? A different path? And what's your art?"
"Illusion games. Have you tried them?"
The older Jiraiya blinked, then answered, "Of course. When Naruto and the others came back yesterday, they brought some illusion games. I tried one called Homecoming. It was really good."
Then his eyes widened. "Wait—you put your passion for creating artistic works into illusion games? Illusion games can be used for that?"
The younger Jiraiya's grin turned both confident and lecherous. He produced a sealing scroll and summoned from it his own artistic masterpieces—three works he had prepared specifically.
He invited his older self to experience them, recommending starting from the first game. In a voice full of meaning, he said, "Come—'me'—this is the destiny of Jiraiya."
The older Jiraiya took the game scroll in trembling hands and looked at his younger self. "And the price?"
At that moment, the younger Jiraiya seemed to look down upon him from above. "Once you start this illusion game, the things you once pursued and enjoyed will drift away from you. Ordinary pleasures will no longer satisfy you. The pleasure houses and indulgences you loved will become meaningless."
"You will open the door to a new world—the door to true art!"
Hearing this, the older Jiraiya felt the scroll in his hands grow heavy—as if it would crush all the materials and works he had cherished before. A voice in his heart seemed to warn him not to open it—for once he entered, there would be no going back.
Should he refuse?
Refuse a work that might be a superlative masterpiece unlike anything before?
No—he couldn't refuse. He wouldn't refuse.
This kind of artistic creation, in a way, was his life's pursuit. The Icha Icha series was the result of his blood, sweat, and tears—a dream to turn his fantasies into reality.
Before, such dreams could only remain fantasies. But with the advent of illusion games, that impossible dream might actually come true.
Could he refuse that?
Of course not!
He had to consider—this might be the only chance in his life!
So the older Jiraiya took a deep breath and opened the illusion game scroll, his consciousness drawn into the game.
Before entering, he heard only the younger Jiraiya's grand, booming words:
"Welcome to the world of true great art, my older self. And welcome—join me in making this great art even greater in the future!"
And thus, the older Jiraiya stepped onto a road of no return. After tonight, he was destined to feel disdain and contempt for the art he had once pursued—for after witnessing a broader, greater stage, the old traditional craft would feel too weak.
The younger Jiraiya cheerfully watched his older self immerse himself in the masterpieces, then picked up Icha Icha Tactics again. Though it was "just a novel," its content was genuinely good—worth savoring. Many parts even gave him inspiration, filling him with new ideas and expectations for his next artistic work.
And so, the two Jiraiyas completed their exchange, as time quietly passed.
Meanwhile, behind the Hokage Rock in World No. 2's Hidden Leaf, inside Root's headquarters, Shimura Danzo was listening to his subordinates' report.
The report concerned the investigation into Sai's memories. To Danzo, excuses like "I lost my memory" and "I don't know what happened" were far too grating—he had to investigate thoroughly. And Root certainly had the means for it—memory-reading techniques and other thorough internal measures.
But the results left Danzo dissatisfied. Nothing was found—Sai's memories contained no relevant content, as if they had been completely erased. This proved Sai was telling the truth—he truly knew nothing.
Yes—the concealment seal placed jointly by Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki was not something Root could detect. This memory-obscuring fūinjutsu had been designed specifically after studying all of Root's memory-probing techniques.
One could say that World No. 2's Shimura Danzo had just been backstabbed across time—by his own self from twenty years ago.
Still, a lack of findings could not satisfy him. It might clear Sai of suspicion, but it only made him more concerned about the forces behind the matter.
After some thought, Danzo sent six elite Root operatives to the ruins of Rōran, intending to investigate the site of the incident directly.
But all of this was detected by the White Zetsu—and they didn't even need to report to Uchiha Kei first. The White Zetsu had long since received their orders, and immediately moved to alert those stationed in Rōran.
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