"That day's melancholy, when melancholy strikes... Hmm?"
On the streets of Konoha, Naruto was humming a little tune from another world with a toothpick in his mouth.
At the moment, he had just finished his daily training session with Sasuke and was taking a break to grab some food.
In order to prepare for the upcoming Chunin Exam.
To prepare for the upcoming Chunin Exams, Naruto hadn't just been teaching Sasuke about Haki… he'd also crammed in a bunch of techniques he'd picked up from his 'drinking buddies', dumping everything he knew onto the Uchiha.
He believed that with Sasuke's talent, it shouldn't be difficult for him to understand, right?
"Move it, move it!"
After sidestepping some guy pushing past him, Naruto clicked his tongue at the sheer number of people flooding the streets.
The village had been packed with outsiders over the past couple of days, leaving shopkeepers too busy to even spare him any discriminatory glares.
This had given Naruto the perfect opportunity to sample all the notable food spots in Konoha.
Finally, a conclusion was drawn-
Except for Yakiniku Q and Ichiraku Ramen, the taste of food from other shops are just so-so.
…Yakiniku Q only scored slightly higher in Uzumaki-sensei's book because, well, it was all meat.
That said, Teuchi's cooking skills were genuinely impressive. Even Naruto, a die-hard carnivore, had to admit he loved the ramen.
Even without the nostalgia factor, the flavor alone was outstanding… good enough to be a main dish at the Baratie, the floating restaurant.
Considering this was the Ninja World, it was practically in a league of its own.
Speaking of personal feelings alone, Naruto also has a better impression of this good uncle, who always treats customers equally.
At that thought, a wild idea popped into Naruto's head.
'It just so happens that I have some inheritance from a 'kind-hearted person'. Why not invest in the business and let Teuchi-san open a few more branches?'
'I'll make sure the whole Ninja World gets to taste Ichiraku Ramen!'
'Hmm... not bad.'
Lost in his thoughts, Naruto eventually found himself at Konoha's public bathhouse, ready to soak in some hot water and relax.
The Chunin Exams started tomorrow. Once this was over, who knew when he'd get to come back to the village again.
…
On the other hand, Jiraiya, the legendary Toad Sage and prolific author, had been busy 'gathering material' when he suddenly received a message from the toads of Mount Myoboku.
Unfortunately, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy was as cryptic as ever, offering practically zero useful guidance.
The prophecy Jiraiya had received earlier was that his future disciple would become the [Child of Propechy], bringing great change to the Ninja World.
Out of personal reluctance, he hadn't wanted to drag those kids from the Land of Rain back to Konoha Village, where they'd inevitably get caught up in political machinations.
Because he knew that Nagato, who possesses the legendary eyes, would most likely end up being turned into a 'weapon' if he came to Konoha Village.
Nobody understood the true nature of Konoha's high-ranking people better than Jiraiya.
This is also one of the reasons why he has been reluctant to come back for many years.
It had been so long that he hadn't even contacted those three in years.
Still, he was sure they were thriving in the Land of Rain. By now, they'd probably grown into formidable Ninja in their own right.
Jiraiya had full confidence in Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan's potential.
'I'll go check on them when I get the chance.'
'For now, the most urgent task is to collect materials first~'
Apart from being one of the [Sannin], Jiraiya is also a famous best-selling author.
This trip back to Konoha wasn't just about tracking Orochimaru's movements, it was also a chance to revisit old haunts and spark some inspiration.
Just then, Naruto, wearing a yukata, tilted his head up, his gaze piercing through the displaced roof tile and locking eyes with the esteemed literary giant Jiraiya, who had mistaken the men's bath for the women's.
The air froze for a moment.
Jiraiya's face remained expressionless as he calmly slid the tile back into place. Then, he seized the opportunity and ran away before the other party could react.
Jiraiya didn't mind peeking at the men's side, but if other people in the bathhouse found out someone had been lurking on the roof, future 'research trips' would become way harder.
Not to mention the damage it'd do to Jiraiya's already shaky reputation.
…Not that he cared much about that anyway.
But before Jiraiya could get far, Naruto's voice sounded right beside him.
"Icha Icha Violence... weird title..."
Somehow, Naruto had already took the notebook Jiraiya used to jot down ideas, flipping through it with keen interest.
As a 'fake teenager' with the mental age of a thirty-seven-year-old but the body of a twelve-year-old, Naruto found himself engrossed the moment he saw the book's contents.
Unlike most young kids who would blush at the surface-level suggestive writing, Naruto could sense the delicate descriptions of emotions between men and women woven between the lines.
This was so compelling that, despite not usually enjoying reading, he didn't put the notebook down immediately.
'Icha Icha Violence… Icha Icha Violence…'
'Ah, the book that Kakashi-sensei usually reads is called Icha Icha Paradise, right? Could it be that it is written by the same author?'
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, who is standing across from him, was so startled by Naruto's ghostly speed that he nearly released a Ninjutsu.
Even though he had let his guard down completely since they were in Konoha, as one of the Sannin, he felt he shouldn't have been approached so easily. Instantly, his wariness toward Naruto shot up.
"Hey, hey, you brat! Don't just grab a man's livelihood like that!"
Though his tone was light, Jiraiya was already preparing himself internally… if Naruto turned out to be hostile, he'd strike without hesitation.
But when Jiraiya got a clear look at Naruto's face under the sunlight, which was somewhat similar to the one in his memory, his hands unconsciously relaxed.
"You… what's your name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto, who is still focused on reading line by line, answered absentmindedly.
'As expected... he's that kid Minato's son?'
'But he's grown way too fast.'
In Jiraiya's memory, Naruto should only be twelve years old at this time.
But now, looking at Naruto's current physique-
'He looked at least sixteen or seventeen.'
'Did I remember wrong?'
It wasn't entirely Jiraiya's fault.
After 'returning' to the Ninja World, Naruto's twelve-year-old body had been growing at an alarming rate… gaining height every few days.
Some of it might have been due to his own training, but based on his own analysis, it was more likely connected to his adult body from the other world.
Perhaps it was the mysterious power that allowed him to travel between worlds that was causing this.
The notebook's contents were unfinished, so Naruto quickly finished reading and solemnly returned it to Jiraiya.
Then, under Jiraiya's somewhat dumbfounded gaze, Naruto bowed slightly to him.
"That was extremely rude of me…"
"Uh, ah, no, it's fine."
For a moment, Jiraiya was left baffled, unsure what Naruto meant.
But Naruto's next words cleared things up.
"At first, I thought you were just some perverted old man peeping on little boys from the top of bathhouses, but it turns out you're actually an exceptional writer."
"This book has an incredibly high artistic value. Please, you must complete it."
As he spoke, Naruto earnestly grasped Jiraiya's hands.
Jiraiya, who was flattered by the praise for his work, originally subconsciously returned the greeting to Naruto, but when he realized what Naruto said, he immediately yanked his hands away.
"I don't peep on little boys! I only peep at-"
"Wait, no! I wasn't peeping at all! That was research! Pure research, you hear!"
In response to Jiraiya's denial, Naruto simply smiled without saying a word, his eyes filled with understanding.
'Yeah, sure. I believe you.'
If someone can write something this artistic, even if they're a pervert… it's forgivable, right?
"Oi oi! What's with that look?!"
"Didn't I just say it was researching materials?!"
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen, who had suddenly felt like observing (spying on) what Naruto was up to, witnessed this entire scene.
Listening to Naruto's words and Jiraiya's weak rebuttals, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel like he was being indirectly insulted.
'When Naruto said 'perverted old man who peeps on little boys', he couldn't have been talking about me… right?'
'Definitely not!'