Jiraiya pressed one hand to the ground mid-air to right himself. His wooden clogs clattered rhythmically as they struck the ground.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Two Jiraiyas glanced at each other and split up to flee.
Makiya took a moment to distinguish them before pursuing one, while the Anbu followed closely behind the other.
The three Uchiha team members hesitated for an instant; two followed Makiya, while the other reluctantly went to assist the Anbu.
Jiraiya traversed the rooftops, his scalp tingling as he noticed Makiya steadily closing the gap out of the corner of his eye.
'What sharp insight. He saw through my real body in an instant, and he's incredibly fast.'
Swish!
Makiya appeared at Jiraiya's side with a Body Flicker, his tone solemn. "Lord Jiraiya, you have violated Article 42 of the Konoha Public Order Management Law. Please come with me to the Police Force."
"What Public Order Management Law? This Sage has never heard of such a thing!" Jiraiya laughed loudly. His long white hair suddenly surged and swept toward Makiya.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu!"
The flexible hair moved like tentacles, but Makiya drew his blade and slashed, severing the white locks with a single strike.
Taking advantage of the opening, Jiraiya accelerated, widening the distance between himself and Makiya.
One pursued while the other fled. They leaped across the commercial district, through residential areas, and over training grounds, heading straight for the Ninja Academy.
The two Uchiha members trailing behind ran out of stamina and were forced to stop on a rooftop water tower, gasping for breath.
Makiya and Jiraiya were simply too fast. Even at full effort, the two could only eat their dust. They figured it was better to turn back and help the Anbu.
"Captain Makiya is so strong... huff... huff... he's so young, yet he can keep up with Lord Jiraiya!" one of them said, leaning on his knees and watching Makiya's departing back with a dejected expression. Compared to a genius, his own efforts felt like a joke.
"Flattery is useless now; Captain Makiya can't hear you."
"I was just speaking from the heart."
The two rested for a moment before heading back to find the Anbu.
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"Summoning Jutsu!"
Jiraiya pressed his palm against the air, and countless frogs appeared out of nowhere, falling like raindrops.
This move had zero lethality, but it was incredibly annoying!
Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit...
Makiya moved as nimble as a swallow, gracefully dodging all the frogs. He looked up to see Jiraiya vaulting over a fence and running into the Konoha Ninja Academy.
Makiya followed him into the school. Since classes were in session, the campus was empty. Looking around, he saw only a gatekeeping ninja with a missing arm dozing off in a corner.
"Hey, uncle, wake up. Have you seen Lord Jiraiya?"
Makiya shook the one-armed man awake, catching a glimpse of the man's shadow out of the corner of his eye.
This ninja had lost an arm in the war and could no longer weave signs, ending his life as an active shinobi. Because of his background as a sensory ninja, Konoha had arranged for him to guard the gate of the Ninja Academy.
After all, not everyone could weave signs with their feet like Jiraiya.
The man was shaken awake by Makiya, his eyes bleary with sleep. "Young man, what's the matter?"
"Uncle, have you seen Lord Jiraiya?" Makiya asked, slowly and inconspicuously moving closer.
"Jirai-what?"
"It's Lord Jiraiya," Makiya said, getting within ten paces of the man.
"Jira-what-ya?"
"...Jiraiya," Makiya said, closing within five paces.
"What-ya?"
"Lord Jiraiya, come out!" Within three paces, chakra surged beneath Makiya's feet, cracking the ground.
"Hadō #11: Tsuzuri Raiden."
His blade stabbed into the shadow of the one-armed man. Golden lightning manifested around his body and surged down the length of the blade.
The one-armed man jumped in fright, thinking Makiya was an enemy ninja attempting to assassinate a vital academy guard. His bleary eyes instantly cleared as the chakra fluctuations reminded him of his days on the battlefield, making his gaze turn sharp.
Then, he saw his own shadow writhing and deforming wildly. One of Konoha's legends, Lord Jiraiya, actually crawled out from his shadow.
'To see through the Toad Flatness — Shadow Manipulation Technique... are the kids these days all this formidable?'
Bathed in lightning, Jiraiya felt his muscles go numb and lay on the ground, staring speechlessly at the sky.
"Lord Jiraiya, please cease your resistance and return to the Police Force with me to accept your punishment."
"This Sage can't move anymore. Do whatever you want."
The intensity of the lightning was perfectly calculated—just enough to paralyze the muscles and nerves without causing injury. This showed the user's mastery over the technique.
If he wasn't mistaken, the kid hadn't used any hand signs just now. It was the kind of signless ninjutsu mentioned in the intelligence reports. The youth of today were terrifying, each one more monstrous than the last.
Jiraiya couldn't help but think of Shisui Uchiha, who was active on the front lines. It seemed Makiya was also incredibly fast, possessed top-tier insight, could release signless ninjutsu instantly, and had superb specialized Fire Style. Since all the rising geniuses were from the Uchiha clan, the old man must be having a real headache.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi silently covered his face, though he was relieved that both knew when to stop and kept things within bounds without causing a scene.
However, Jiraiya's dignity was completely gone. Hiruzen had participated in drafting the management laws and knew that the punishment for voyeurism included a clause about being retrieved by a relative—a total social death.
'I called him back from the front lines in such a hurry, and instead of seeing me, he goes peeping for research? Hmph, it's good for that brat to learn a lesson this time.'
Hiruzen summoned an Anbu and instructed them that if anyone from the Police Force came looking for him, they were to say he wasn't in and they didn't know when he would return.
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"What? Notify a relative to pick me up?"
In the Police Force detention center, Jiraiya was shocked, his face full of disbelief.
"Can't I just pay a fine? Why notify a relative?"
"Because only that leaves a lasting impression!" Makiya said with a stern face. "Paying a little money is painless. For you, it's just one mission's worth of earnings. Only notifying a relative will make you remember this lesson. Otherwise, I guarantee you'd be outside the bathhouse again tonight the moment I let you go!"
Jiraiya looked sheepish; that was exactly what he had been thinking.
As a ninja and commander, Jiraiya was undeniably qualified. His love for his soldiers wasn't just talk; he was approachable, responsible, and dedicated to his missions, willing to risk his life for the village. He was a man of responsibility.
But there was no defending his peeping habits. He was morally flawed in his private life, so it was no wonder Tsunade rejected him; such a man was truly not an ideal partner.
Makiya found it incomprehensible. "There's a major city not far from the village. Don't tell me you've never been to a brothel. If it's something money can solve, why must you peep?"
Jiraiya glanced at Makiya. The kid looked like his hair hadn't even finished growing in yet; he couldn't possibly understand the joy of a man. "You don't understand. It's not the same."
'Hilarious. Is this not just the spirit of Cao Wei?'
Makiya shook his head, no longer arguing with Jiraiya. "Anyway, name a relative so we can arrange for someone to notify them."
Jiraiya hesitated for a long time, scratching his head. "Does a teacher count as a relative?"
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