Jiraiya, who was tracking Orochimaru's whereabouts, didn't expect to encounter Ryosuke and Sasuke here.
The enormous Ruin Greatsword on Ryosuke's back was simply too eye-catching. Plus, with Sasuke and Rei at his side, anyone with a bit of awareness could guess his identity with a little thought.
But guessing was one thing, being willing to provoke him was another matter entirely.
After time and distance fermented the tale, Ryosuke's feat of killing two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had turned into him, all alone, defeating the elite of Kirigakure, slaying multiple members of the Seven Swordsmen, even repelling the Mizukage, Yagura, before leaving gracefully.
Jiraiya had heard of the Uchiha clan's tragedy, and he knew a bit about Danzo's shady dealings behind the scenes, that was one reason he was unwilling to return to the village.
With his temperament, once he saw it, he couldn't tolerate it.
So, he chose not to see or be bothered, using the search for Orochimaru as an excuse to leave the village.
Jiraiya had heard of Ryosuke early on, one of the last bloodlines of the Uchiha clan.
Some said he was a ruthless god of slaughter; others saw him as a savior. Jiraiya wanted to use his own eyes to take a good look at what kind of person Ryosuke truly was.
"Toad Sage?"
Before Ryosuke could speak, little Sasuke tilted his head and noticed that today's special at the tavern behind them was bullfrog sushi.
"Uncle, are you here to pull in customers?"
Jiraiya's eyelid twitched slightly. "This Uchiha brat really isn't cute."
"I'm just trying to warn you, that bounty is very dangerous."
Ryosuke looked the man up and down, "Are you a broker?"
"You could say that."
Jiraiya gestured politely, "How about we talk over drinks? I know a place, the hostess is beautiful, and the sake is decent too."
Ryosuke thought for a moment and decided to chat with this so-called "Toad Sage" broker.
Although he was from Konoha, due to fragmented memories from his past self, Ryosuke probably knew less about Konoha and the Land of Fire than he did about Kirigakure and the Land of Water.
He needed local intelligence.
The group arrived at the tavern Jiraiya mentioned.
Jiraiya wasn't lying.
The hostess was indeed beautiful, with the collar of her kimono slightly parted. As she bent forward to pour drinks, one could even spot a small mole on her chest.
However, when the hostess tried to pour for Ryosuke, Mayuri gently but firmly stopped her, taking the bottle from her hands and pouring for Ryosuke herself.
Ryosuke thanked her, then asked Jiraiya, "Why do you say the bounty is very dangerous?"
Jiraiya took a sip of sake and let out a satisfied sigh, sitting back with one leg crossed and a skewer in hand, "You've heard of the name Orochimaru, right?"
Ryosuke nodded slightly.
Since meeting Hayato Kamihara, Ryosuke had entrusted him with a long-term intelligence mission, to investigate Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi was a complete lunatic, and people like that usually had intense obsessions.
His instincts told him, as long as he and Sasuke were alive, one day, they'd face Uchiha Itachi again.
While investigating Itachi, they also picked up some intel on Orochimaru.
A missing-nin from Konoha, one of the legendary Sannin. After Uchiha Itachi joined the Akatsuki, he became Itachi's teammate. Later, he betrayed Akatsuki and disappeared.
"So, you're saying that the madman who's killed so many, is Orochimaru?" Ryosuke asked.
"No. The killer, is one of Orochimaru's creations."
"You mean… like an artificial human or something?"
"Artificial human?"
Jiraiya paused slightly, vaguely understanding what Ryosuke meant, and nodded.
"So that's how it is."
Ryosuke recalled the bounty's description of the killer, fierce, brawny, able to transform into monsters, and skilled at manipulating bones as weapons.
Based on what Ryosuke knew of ninjutsu, he hadn't heard of any lineage that possessed this ability.
If it were an artificial human, then everything made sense.
Jiraiya quietly observed the pondering Ryosuke.
Now, Konoha was in a generational gap. The mid-generation stars like Minato and Kushina were dead.
The Uchiha clan was gone. Jiraiya and Tsunade were roaming outside… only the clan heads and people like Kakashi and Guy remained.
Jiraiya, as someone with worldly experience, had seen much.
Aside from Kirigakure charging down the path of self-destruction, the other major villages were either boosting their military like Kumogakure or lying low like Iwagakure.
Everyone was growing stronger, except Konoha, once the strongest, now increasingly in decline.
With Jiraiya's influence in Konoha, he could easily protect Ryosuke and Sasuke, even persuade them to return to the village.
But… that was only if Ryosuke wasn't truly a villain.
Jiraiya needed to probe him. "Once you make a move on that… 'artificial human,' you'll likely provoke Orochimaru. The money from the Fire Country government isn't much. Rather than taking that huge risk, why not..."
Jiraiya pulled out a gold bar and a photograph.
The gold bar was as thick as two fingers and weighed nearly half a pound.
The photo showed a girl with a radiant smile.
"She's the daughter of the Daimyo of the Land of Iron. Kidnap her for me."
He tapped the gold bar.
"This is just the down payment. Once it's done, you'll get five more."
Six gold bars, in the economy of the Naruto world, could fund wild luxury and partying for a whole year.
By comparison, the government's bounty didn't even match the down payment.
The Land of Iron had no ninja, only samurai, which fit Ryosuke's combat style. This mission would be simple, easy, and pay fast.
Jiraiya observed Ryosuke and those around him.
But the more he watched, the more he felt something was wrong.
Ryosuke turned his head and looked at the moonlight rising outside the window, never glancing at the gold on the table, no longer acknowledging Jiraiya.
The remaining Sasuke, Rei, and the others also didn't look at the gold. They simply gave Jiraiya contemptuous looks.
Not a single one of them, not even for a second, was tempted by the gold on the table.
Not even hesitation. No one looked toward Ryosuke to seek his opinion. As if without needing words, they already clearly knew that Ryosuke would never accept such a dirty job.
'Unbelievable! Just what kind of charisma is this?!'
Compared to the middle-aged Jiraiya, Ryosuke was still just a young man. Yet his calm, wine-sipping posture gave Jiraiya a kind of psychological pressure.
This pressure didn't come from "power", but from something more elusive and undefined.
Ryosuke finished his drink, pulled out two banknotes, and placed them under his glass.
"Sake's not that expensive," Jiraiya said.
"The rest is your fee for information."
Jiraiya realized, Ryosuke meant the info about the bounty criminal's link to Orochimaru.
"You know you'll provoke Orochimaru, and you still want to go?"
Ryosuke picked up the Ruin Greatsword beside him and strapped it onto his back, "Of course. Also, I'm not the one provoking him."
"He provoked me."
Jiraiya was stunned. Then he slammed a fist on the table and burst into hearty laughter.
"Ryosuke! You… you really are interesting! Sorry, I tricked you. Let's get to know each other properly."
Jiraiya stood, walked to Ryosuke, and seriously extended his hand.
"I'm the Toad Sage. Or, you can just call me, Jiraiya."
Ryosuke glanced at his outstretched hand.
"How do you prove that?"
How to prove "I am me." Someone else might be stumped by that question, but Jiraiya smiled.
"Just hold my hand, and you'll know."
In his palm, a greenish-blue energy appeared.
It was sage chakra.
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