Life!
It is always full of drama.
Jiraiya originally thought that with the mission rewards, position salary, and war dividends he had saved up over the years, he would have enough funds to slowly travel around the ninja world and search for the Child of Prophecy. But he never expected...
On his very first day in the Land of Whirlpools, he became completely broke.
And...
Apart from his kidneys hurting a little, he had gained nothing.
Jiraiya wondered if he had misheard when Tsunade told him about the situation in the Land of Whirlpools because he had been sneaking glances at her.
Otherwise, why didn't he see any of the qualities she mentioned—simple, warm, hospitable, just a bit poor...?
Moreover...
The Land of Whirlpools was clearly very wealthy, and it even had a mysterious atmosphere. Some things here weren't even available in Konoha. How could it be poor?
Tsunade...
She was completely wrong about everything!
And...
They wouldn't even lend him 10,000 ryo.
It seemed the young Uchiha clan head had become stingy in the Land of Whirlpools!
So...
Jiraiya rubbed his stomach and muttered, "I should go find something to eat."
Last night, since he had no money, he had to sleep on the street. Surprisingly, the security in the Land of Whirlpools was excellent—no thieves tried to pick his pockets all night.
This disappointed Jiraiya a little.
He had originally planned to turn the tables on any thieves, but by morning...
If not for his growling stomach, he probably would have slept until the afternoon!
"I don't want to go back to Mount Myōboku to eat bugs," Jiraiya sighed. "And..."
About Gamabunta and Gamahiro...
If he went back now, he would definitely get beaten up.
This Land of Whirlpools was really something—why did summoning animals need injections?
Jiraiya shook his head. He decided to go find something to eat. Surely, he could hunt some game in the wilds of the Land of Whirlpools.
As for leaving?
He wouldn't go until he figured out what was really going on here.
If it posed a threat to Konoha...
He would immediately write a letter to inform the old man. Besides, he still had an important mission to complete.
That was...
To bring the youngest Kage to Mount Myōboku.
As for gathering material for his book...
That was just a side task.
------
"Good morning!" Uzumaki Jun stretched lazily and smiled at Chiyo in front of him. "You must have had a good night."
Chiyo looked at Uzumaki Jun with a complicated expression. After talking with Chiro last night, she confirmed that this red-haired kid had indeed saved her son. But...
This kid had also tricked Sunagakure.
If not for the strange traces found where Chiro and Hiroshi had died, along with the inexplicable rumors about Hatake Sakumo's dismemberment case, she wouldn't have gone so crazy.
However...
If not for this kid back then, Chiro and Hiroshi would have truly died. So, no matter what, she was deeply grateful to him.
It was just...
His methods were a little irritating.
"Though I am grateful to you," Chiyo frowned, "what exactly are you trying to do?"
As a former advisor of Sunagakure, even if the village had wronged her in some ways, she still wanted to know whether this Land of Whirlpools' daimyo posed any threat to Sunagakure.
If he did...
No matter what, she would take Chiro and Sasori away.
"Ah..." Hearing Chiyo's words, Uzumaki Jun gazed deeply at the sun, which had just begun to cast its warm light across the sky, and smiled faintly. "I want..."
"To bring peace to this despair-filled ninja world."
"To bring hope."
He was used to this by now.
Whenever someone asked, he would say it was for the peace of the ninja world. Who knew? He might even gain unexpected allies.
After all...
This world was never short of people who shared the same "ideals."
They just had different methods.
"Hmph!" Chiyo snorted disdainfully. "What a naive thought."
Wasn't the First Hokage just as naive back then?
And what happened?
After his death, the world descended into chaos.
But...
Chiyo suddenly smiled. "Perhaps you can actually do it?"
Last night, she had heard from Chiro about the changes in the Land of Whirlpools—its current state, laws, the relationship between ninja and civilians...
This approach...
Might truly change the ninja world.
The world was never short of people who held hope for the future.
She was already old, but Chiro, Sasori...
Perhaps they would see it in their time.
"I'll handle Sasori's matter," Chiyo said, watching the people of the Land of Whirlpool gradually heading out to work. "As for Chiro..."
"I won't tell Sunagakure about him."
"Just as he said..."
"He was already dead back then."
"So, this is fine."
Chiyo smiled faintly, basking in the warm morning sunlight.
Perhaps she still loved Sunagakure in her heart, but...
She was also a mother and a grandmother.
Deep down, she wished for Sasori and Chiro to live peaceful lives. If Chiro didn't want to return, didn't want to be a ninja, then so be it.
This was good enough.
At the very least, she...
Wouldn't have to suffer the pain of losing her child again.
"Send me back," Chiyo said with a smile. "If it's too late, Ebizō will notice my absence."
Seeing that Chiro and the others were safe was enough for her as a mother.
Besides, if she stayed too long, the village elders would find out.
After all...
She had come here secretly.
If she disappeared for too long, the higher-ups would definitely notice.
"Don't you want to say goodbye to Chiro and the others?" Uzumaki Jun asked. "It's still early."
He hadn't even eaten breakfast yet.
"No need," Chiyo shook her head. "They stayed up late last night working on puppets, so they probably won't wake up soon. I'd better go back now."
"Alright then." Uzumaki Jun thought for a moment before pulling out a specially crafted kunai from his pocket. "If you want to see them, just channel chakra into this."
It wasn't a big deal. Last night, he had secretly placed a seal in that old wooden house. Activating it would allow her to travel there, and she could return in time for breakfast.
Seeing the kunai Uzumaki Jun handed her, Chiyo was stunned for a moment before smiling. "Thank you."
Truly...
This Land of Whirlpools' daimyo...
Was a bit naive.
"Tsk tsk." Jiraiya stared at the brick wall in front of him, stroking his chin. "It should be this way, right?"
Originally, he had planned to find something to eat, but...
While passing through a street, he suddenly spotted a hot spring, especially the young women coming and going at the entrance.
Jiraiya decided that as a ninja, going hungry for a few days wouldn't be a problem. He could treat it as training.
Besides...
When he was very young, he had a dream—to become a world-famous writer. But...
In the end, being a ninja got in the way.
Still, he had never forgotten his deepest aspiration.
Whenever he saw potential material, his writer's soul would burn fiercely.
So...
To fulfill his dream, he could delay finding food a little longer.
"This wall..." Jiraiya frowned at the thick, solid wall. "Why isn't there even a single crack?"
How was he supposed to gather material like this?
And...
Jiraiya pressed his ear against the wall.
He couldn't hear anything...
With a sigh, he realized he would have to resort to ninja methods.
Then...
Slowly channeling chakra into his hand, he gently pressed it against the wall...
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind, startling him.
He turned sharply to see...
A familiar, annoying red-haired kid he really didn't want to meet, squinting at him.