After visiting his injured comrades, Uzumaki Naruto began to "stroll" through the streets of Konoha. Of course, this "stroll" needed to be put in quotation marks.
He deliberately chose to wander down streets with hot spring inns, but his purpose wasn't to soak in the springs, but to search for someone who might be... hiding in a corner, peeping.
Sure enough, perhaps due to some destined fate, Uzumaki Naruto soon spotted a suspicious figure by the wall outside a hot spring inn.
"Hehehe... hehehe..."
It was a tall, burly man, hunched in a very undignified posture, peering through a gap in the wooden fence. His long white hair hung down to his waist, and he looked quite old... To be honest, Uzumaki Naruto found this behavior a bit distasteful. Uzumaki Naruto, seizing the moment while Jiraiya's attention was completely engrossed in "research," quietly picked up a small pebble from the ground, flicked his wrist, and precisely threw it at the wooden board Jiraiya was peeping through.
"Bang."
A tapping sound clearly reached inside the wall.
"Who's out there!"
"It sounds like a pervert!"
"Wait a minute! Surround him! Someone was peeping just now!"
Inside the wall, the panicked and angry clamor of women immediately erupted.
"What?!" Jiraiya was shocked, his perfect "research" atmosphere completely shattered. He abruptly turned his head, looking angrily in the direction the pebble had come from—only to see a blond boy, still toying with another small pebble in his hand, a seemingly harmless smile on his face, standing there.
Jiraiya was so angry he wanted to rush over and grab the boy's collar to demand what he was doing, but the rustling of clothes and the increasingly close, angry footsteps from inside the hot spring clearly told him that if he didn't leave now, it would be too late!
Jiraiya could only immediately abandon the argument, turn, and flee the scene with an agility that belied his large frame.
Finally, after a frantic run, hiding behind a thick bush in the distance, Jiraiya cautiously dared to peek out.
Listening to the startled inn staff and several hot-tempered women loudly chasing in the opposite direction, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What the... that brat..." He wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, muttering with lingering fear and indignation.
"Oh, sir, may I ask what you were doing lurking outside the women's bathhouse just now? Are you lost?"
A clear voice suddenly came from behind him, startling Jiraiya almost to a jump. He spun around and found that standing there was precisely the blond boy who had interrupted his "research"—Uzumaki Naruto.
Wait a minute... When did this kid get behind him? He hadn't even noticed his approach? So fast! Jiraiya was startled. Although it was indeed this kid who had ruined his good deed, if his actions were confirmed, he would be arrested by Konoha's Ninja. And... this kid, he felt a bit familiar... "Ahem!" Jiraiya quickly straightened up, cleared his throat, and instantly switched to a stern, sanctimonious expression. He crossed his arms and explained in a serious tone.
"Hmph! Ignorant brat, what do you know? I was conducting serious literary creation research!"
"I see, so you were gathering material for literary creation."
Uzumaki Naruto nodded, maintaining that calm demeanor unsuited for his age. "However,'seeking inspiration' in this way, wouldn't it cause unnecessary misunderstandings? And it would also bring trouble and unease to others."
"As a writer, you wouldn't want your artistic pursuit to be mistaken for despicable behavior, would you? Please consider a more appropriate method."
...
Jiraiya was momentarily speechless, somewhat surprised as he re-examined the blond youth before him. This kid... isn't his reaction a bit too mature?
Moreover, that inexplicable sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger... Only now did Jiraiya suddenly realize where this familiarity came from—it was just like his proud disciple who became Hokage but died young... "However, may I ask who you are? Looking at your forehead protector..." Uzumaki Naruto seized the opportunity to ask, finding a way to enter the conversation, "Aren't you a Ninja of Konoha?"
Hearing the other party ask about his identity, Jiraiya seemed to have a switch flipped. The awkwardness and reminiscence from just now were immediately cast aside.
With a soft "bang!" accompanied by a puff of white smoke, a large toad was summoned. Uzumaki Naruto vaguely remembered this toad was called Gamakichi.
Next, Jiraiya stood on Gamakichi's head and began his trademark performance. He swayed his long white hair, his movements as exaggerated as a Kabuki actor.
"You ask well! I am the wandering, legend-recording, Sage of Mount Myōboku, the Toad Hermit! Commonly known as the Toad Sage! One of the legendary Sannin—Lord Jiraiya! That's me!"
Finally, he struck a classic, dynamic pose.
For some reason, watching this scene unfold, Uzumaki Naruto suddenly felt his heart clench, and an indescribable pang of bitterness welled up... How strange, this feeling... He subconsciously raised his hand and began to applaud the performance, his face perfectly displaying the appropriate surprise and admiration.
Oh? Jiraiya looked at the boy in the audience who was so earnestly supporting him. The resentment he had felt earlier from his "research" being interrupted largely dissipated. He found this kid quite to his liking.
Uzumaki Naruto forcefully suppressed the title "Pervy Sage" that almost slipped out, and said in the most formal tone possible.
"I never expected to meet the legendary Sannin, Lord Jiraiya. My apologies. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I am currently a Genin of Konoha."
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than the summoning jutsu beneath Jiraiya ended. White smoke rose again, and Gamakichi's figure instantly vanished.
"Whoa!" Losing his support, Jiraiya was caught off guard and fell from mid-air.
"Are you okay?!" Uzumaki Naruto reacted extremely quickly, stepping forward in a flash and steadily supporting Jiraiya, who almost fell flat on his face.
Jiraiya, however, completely disregarded his disheveled state. He suddenly widened his eyes, staring incredulously at the blond youth who was holding him.
Naruto?! Is he Minato's child?!
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