The news of Jiraiya's arrest quickly reached Hiruzen's ears.
When he received the message, Hiruzen was diligently fulfilling his duties as Hokage, conscientiously processing documents while simultaneously enjoying the scenic views of the bathhouse through his crystal ball.
Upon hearing the news, he slammed his pipe down on the desk with a sharp "clack."
"That foolish disciple!"
Learning that his student had been sent to the Military Police Force headquarters for the shameful crime of peeping, Hiruzen couldn't help but curse aloud: "How could such a thing be discovered?!"
Is that really the main concern here?
The ANBU member reporting the situation was completely bewildered.
Of course, Jiraiya, notorious throughout Konoha for his lecherous ways, wasn't committing this type of offense for the first time. However, as the Third Hokage's direct disciple and a member of the Hokage's inner circle, combined with his exceptional abilities, no one except Tsunade had ever actually punished him for such crimes.
But this time was different. Not only was he caught red-handed with witnesses, but the identities of those who identified him were all people Jiraiya couldn't smooth things over with.
Uchiha clan member Uchiha Obito, the Hokage's advisor's son Shimura Feng Bai, Hatake Kakashi—son of Hatake Sakumo, who had just been promoted back to jōnin rank for his merits in fighting infiltrating ninjas—and a certain Root ninja who preferred to remain anonymous...
Knowing he was truly in deep trouble this time, Jiraiya immediately sought help from his mentor.
After all, he absolutely didn't want the villagers—especially that particular villager he knew—to learn about this incident.
Rumors were one thing, but if he were actually disciplined by the Military Police Force and word spread throughout the village...
Forget pursuing Tsunade—upon hearing the news, she'd probably come swinging her fists to beat him to death in prison.
Meanwhile, Danzō also received a message from Shimura Ikku, learning about Feng Bai being invited to the Military Police Force headquarters for "tea."
Of course, this tea was legitimate tea—they were invited as witnesses. Although the Military Police Force members harbored some dissatisfaction toward Danzō himself, they restrained themselves and tried their best to treat this adorable-looking little boy—so completely different from the wrinkled, stern-faced Danzō—with gentle expressions.
Seeing Feng Bai receive proper treatment from the Military Police Force, Shimura Ikku, who had witnessed the entire peeping incident, sent his report to Danzō while also identifying Jiraiya as a witness.
This explained why Feng Bai had suddenly stopped moving when Jiraiya was about to apprehend him—Ikku, who had been secretly protecting Feng Bai, was just about to intervene against Jiraiya when the latter detected his presence.
One had to admit, this seemingly lecherous fellow truly lived up to his reputation as one of the Sannin.
Ikku was a specially trained assassination expert—this was the first time an enemy had detected him just as he was about to act.
Standing respectfully behind Feng Bai, Shimura Ikku unconsciously began observing the Military Police Force's lighting arrangements.
Hmm, so this was the Uchiha clan's aesthetic sense?
Very minimalist indeed.
...
"I shouldn't intervene in this matter. Inform Minato of this news and let Minato handle it." Picking up his pipe again, Hiruzen was unwilling to leave himself open to accusations of favoritism and decided to ignore Jiraiya's plea for help.
However, he couldn't simply let Jiraiya be imprisoned by the Military Police Force—after all, he still needed to rely on him for missions in the Hidden Rock Village direction. Therefore, Hiruzen came up with a brilliant idea: have Minato rescue him.
It was said that Minato had a decent relationship with Fugaku, his senior by several years. Having Minato step forward wouldn't create gossip, wouldn't delay missions, and would preserve his dignity as Hokage. Perfect—a complete victory!
The ANBU immediately departed for Minato's residence, while Hiruzen also dispatched a ninja to deliver an ultimatum to the Military Police Force, demanding they handle this matter with utmost seriousness.
After handling everything and confirming the surroundings had returned to tranquility, Hiruzen verified no one was around before once again performing the Telescope Technique, occasionally emitting strange laughter completely unbefitting his status as Hokage.
At the Military Police Force headquarters, inside the detention room:
Fugaku: "..."
Jiraiya: "..."
After dismissing everyone else and sitting alone across from Jiraiya, Fugaku sighed.
Being this captain was truly thrilling.
First, one of his subordinates accidentally offended Danzō's son, leaving him anxious for quite some time.
Then a child from his clan was struck by someone from the Hyūga clan, causing the hawks within his clan to nag in his ear for days.
Just when things had finally quieted down for a few days, his most trusted Yashiro and Inabi informed him they had apprehended a peeping tom named Jiraiya.
Although he was both the Military Police Force captain and the Uchiha clan leader, Fugaku was still young—he had just gotten married not long ago and was only a few years older than his wife. Due to all these clan affairs, when he stood with his wife, they looked exactly like an old husband with a young wife.
People who didn't know the situation whispered behind his back that he was an old bull eating tender grass.
You're the old bull—your whole family are old bulls!
Once again looking at Jiraiya across from him with helpless eyes, Fugaku closed his eyes and shook his head.
The Uchiha clan already had tensions with Konoha's leadership, and now these two had brought the Hokage's personal disciple to the Military Police Force headquarters. Speaking of which, this Jiraiya—one of the Sannin—how did he end up getting taken down by a group of children?
"Yo, Fugaku, when did you become Military Police Force captain? I had no idea about this..." Jiraiya looked cautiously at the person who could determine his fate, forcing an ingratiating smile.
"Just something that happened a couple years ago. Let's not discuss that for now. Lord Jiraiya, really, you return to the village and immediately..." Fugaku, having no idea how to handle Jiraiya, looked completely exasperated.
"Misunderstanding, it's completely a misunderstanding! Just let me explain—oh wait, let me clarify." Jiraiya was preparing to use his eloquence and silver tongue to persuade Fugaku when the detention room door was gently knocked.
"I'll step out for a moment, please wait." Fugaku gestured for Jiraiya to temporarily stop talking, got up, opened the door, and went outside.
After a brief, quiet exchange with his subordinate at the door, Fugaku returned to the room with a complex expression.
Just now, he had received two pieces of news.
First, the Third Hokage was already aware of this matter and demanded that Fugaku enforce the law impartially, handling Jiraiya according to Konoha's regulations.
Second, Minato had arrived at the rear entrance of the Military Police Force, hoping to meet with him.
Truly worthy of being a veteran politician—the Third's approach of playing both sides was indeed shrewd.
Fugaku quickly understood the intricacies involved and grasped the Third Hokage's true intentions.
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