"Hey! It was fifteen meals! You bastard, Yuta! You're trying to add extra ones again, aren't you?!"
Jiraiya yelled in immediate protest, his face a mask of exaggerated indignation as if he'd seen a ghost. It was a familiar dance. Every time he managed to squirrel away enough money for a limited-edition, "special interest" magazine, Yuta would sniff it out with uncanny timing and drag him to a barbecue joint to bleed his wallet dry.
The predictable result was a painfully light wallet, forcing him back to his old, desperate habit: peeping into the women's bathhouse.
And he absolutely could not let Yuta catch him at it, or he'd be in for a world of hurt.
'You bastard, Yuta! Just you wait until this great me can finally beat you. You're gonna suffer!'
"Is that so? Was it fifteen?" Yuta replied, his tone light. "I might have miscounted. Anyway, after the Jonin Meeting, you're treating us to barbecue."
"Did you really miscount?" Jiraiya squinted at him, suspicion etched on his face.
He wasn't buying it for a second. This guy wasn't forgetful; he was a calculating extortionist trying to sneak in a few extra free meals!
'Good thing my genius saw right through you!'
"By the way, Jiraiya," Yuta added casually, "you haven't been peeping into the women's bathhouse again have you?"
The moment the words left his mouth, twin waves of murderous intent slammed into Jiraiya from Tsunade and Meyuri.
While both kunoichi bathed in the secure privacy of their own clan compounds, safe from Jiraiya's prying eyes, the mere thought of other Konoha women being subjected to his lechery made their fists clench and their teeth grind.
"Cough, cough... Of course not! That kind of thing..." Jiraiya forced out a couple of awkward, dry laughs. "Haha, how could I possibly do that?"
"If I catch you peeping again," Yuta said, his voice dropping to a conversational, almost friendly tone, "I'll really kill you, you know."
That simple, quiet statement sent an icy shiver racing down Jiraiya's spine, conjuring up a flood of unpleasant memories.
Just from the look on Jiraiya's face, Yuta knew he was lying. Of course, he also knew expecting Jiraiya to truly reform was a fantasy. Short of a permanent, magical "cure" for his perversion, there was no reliable way to keep him in check.
It looked like he'd have to make more frequent use of his Sage Mode's enhanced senses in the future.
If he caught Jiraiya just one more time, he'd guarantee the experience would be permanently branded into the idiot's soul.
For now, though, he couldn't be bothered to call out the obvious lie.
"Let's go. The Jonin Meeting is about to start."
——
Even though Yuta had earned his Jonin rank four years prior, this was his first time attending a formal Jonin Council Meeting. Konoha rarely convened such assemblies, reserving them for moments of critical decision-making when major events were unfolding.
This meeting, of course, was also a stage. An opportunity for the Third Hokage and Danzo to formally present their protégés to the village's upper echelons.
The seating arrangement made that abundantly clear.
Newly minted Jonin like their group, fresh to the rank, would typically have no place here. Yet, not only were they in attendance, they were seated prominently in a row right beside Danzo himself.
The opposing row held the two village elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, alongside the heads of Konoha's major ninja clans and other seasoned veteran Elite Jonin.
Yuta barely recognized any of the current clan heads. The faces he knew from the future—Uchiha Fugaku, the Hyuga twins Hiashi and Hizashi, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza—were all still children. The men attending today were mostly their fathers.
However, one familiar face stood out among the row of clan leaders.
'Sakumo Hatake.'
The Hatake clan was small, and Sakumo, at only twenty years old, already bore the weight of leading it. Noticing Yuta's gaze, Sakumo paused for a fraction of a second, then gave a slight, acknowledging nod.
He remembered Yuta quite vividly. After all, it's not every day you see a Jutsu of that monstrous size detonate right in front of you, instantly obliterating a threat as formidable as Kakuzu. The impression Yuta left on him was a lasting one.
"Most of you are here. The meeting will now begin."
The hoarse voice of the Third Hokage cut gently through the murmur of the room, commanding instant silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was in full regalia today, wearing his formal Hokage robes and—notably—without his ever-present pipe.
"I have gathered you all today to discuss a matter concerning Uzushiogakure, in the Hidden Whirlpools."
The Hokage's gaze swept the room, lingering for an extra moment on Yuta before he continued.
"Some of you may be aware; others may not… Four years ago, Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village, plotted an assault on Uzushiogakure. That attempt was unsuccessful."
"But Kirigakure did not abandon its ambition. They still covet the Uzumaki clan's Sealing Jutsu."
"Just yesterday, we received a missive from Uzushiogakure. They are requesting Konoha's support. This time, the threat is not from Kirigakure alone. They have conspired with Kumogakure and Sunagakure. The three villages intend to move with swift, decisive force to seize the Uzumaki's sealing arts."
He let the gravity of the statement settle over the assembled Jonin.
"What are your thoughts on this matter?"
A dead silence fell upon the chamber. Most present hadn't even known about the previous attack, let alone that they now faced the prospect of a coalition of three Great Shinobi Villages. The situation demanded careful, serious consideration.
Danzo, who had sat with his eyes closed, finally opened them. He cast an unconcerned glance around the room.
He had long ago squeezed every last secret of the Uzumaki's sealing arts from Uzumaki Ninren and Uzumaki Hidehito. This matter held no urgency for him.
Of course, if he chose to speak, he wouldn't hesitate to help.
'Just three Great Villages? What is there to fear? Is Konoha afraid?!'
'Even if this sparks a war, Konoha does not fear it in the slightest! What are four great villages? They are merely the first obstacles Konoha must crush on its path to conquering the shinobi world!'
'As for whether we can win... what a joke! How could Konoha possibly lose?'
'I have my student, Yuta too!'
Danzo turned his head to look at Yuta, seated beside him. The corners of his mouth twitched upward almost imperceptibly, forming a smile of smug satisfaction.
Yuta, feeling the gaze, could only feel a wave of bafflement.
'What's with this old geezer looking at me with that... motherly smile all of a sudden?'
'Changed your tactics, have you? Not content with scheming in the shadows anymore, now you're going for straight-up psychological warfare with this disgusting act?'
'Though... I suppose it tracks. The method is different, but the core objective—being utterly revolting—remains the same.'
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