"The current situation in Amegakure has become too deeply troubled to fix easily. Leader Hanzo has been confirmed dead. The village has lost its backbone. The people live in hardship, and the various factions fight frequently.
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. I believe they have the potential to change Amegakure. But they are still young. They need more training and protection. So, I may still need some time here."
Hearing this, Chiya nodded.
It seemed Jiraiya was not going to leave this place anytime soon.
'He remembered that in the original story, Jiraiya taught them for three years. But it seems that with his own butterfly effect, it probably would not take three years.'
With Jiraiya's guidance, the three would grow strong very quickly.
Jiraiya looked at Chiya, and a hint of complexity showed in his gaze.
"The Toad Sage once gave me some hints and told me to pay attention to certain people. Nagato in particular."
Jiraiya paused for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully.
But he did not say that Uchiha Chiya was also one of the people mentioned in the prophecy.
Instead, he brought up Nagato.
After all, Nagato had a very special pair of eyes, the Rinnegan.
"Those eyes of his. If I am not mistaken, they are the same eyes once held by the Sage of Six Paths, who is revered as the ancestor of the ninja world.
A person who possesses these eyes may have a tremendous influence on the ninja world in the future."
'Tremendous influence?'
'That was certainly true.'
'One who fought against the powerful, but whose eyes were not even originally his own. He almost wiped out Konoha entirely.'
'The one who later used the Rinnegan, if not for having his heart torn out by that schemer, would have already achieved his goal.'
Chiya looked at Jiraiya. From his appearance, it was clear he had already received hints from the Toad Sage.
The Toad Sage, as a prophet, always spoke words that carried deep meaning.
Jiraiya believed this without doubt.
Chiya smiled slightly. His tone was calm.
"No one can say for certain what the future holds. Nagato does have the Rinnegan, but that is only one part of his potential. Whether he can truly change Amegakure, or even influence the entire ninja world, still depends on his own choices and efforts."
Jiraiya looked at Chiya thoughtfully. He felt that what Chiya said made sense.
The Rinnegan was certainly powerful, but a person who possessed it was not necessarily destined to become a great ninja.
Suddenly, a trace of doubt rose in Jiraiya's heart.
'Uchiha Chiya. Why was he able to stay so calm about this?'
'That was the Rinnegan.'
'Could it be that he had already known Nagato's eyes were the Rinnegan?'
"Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato are still only children right now. With Jiraiya-sama accompanying them, giving them proper guidance and support, and letting them make fewer mistakes on the road of growth, their future will surely be limitless."
After hearing this, Jiraiya looked at Chiya with a sharp and focused gaze.
"I will do my best to help them."
Just then, a sharp cry came from high above.
Chiya looked up.
A ninja hawk was circling in the sky.
Then it dove down.
"Clan Head."
A moment later, an Uchiha came to this side and handed a report to Chiya.
Chiya opened it directly.
The report was written by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The content was roughly that the case of the stolen children had been entirely pinned on the Iwagakure ninja.
A smile tugged at the corner of Chiya's mouth.
'He was not surprised at all by the village's choice.'
'After all, this was a commission issued by the Land of Fire. Hiruzen would certainly not want to hand Danzo over.'
'Handing Danzo over would be an insult to Konoha's face.'
'That left only one option.'
'Iwagakure.'
'Naturally, they would have to carry this blame.'
'He had not expected that after coming to this world, he would actually see someone making Iwagakure take the blame. That was quite something.'
"Are you leaving now?"
Jiraiya looked at Chiya.
"Yes, we have stayed long enough."
Chiya smiled.
He glanced back in the direction of the wooden house once, then turned away without any hesitation.
"Let's go."
He gave a quiet order to the Uchiha members who had gathered nearby.
The moment his words fell, the Uchiha members followed Chiya and disappeared quickly from sight.
Jiraiya stood in place, watching their departing figures with his arms crossed.
"The dark-haired, dark-eyed one prophesied by the Toad Sage. Is it really Uchiha Chiya?"
Jiraiya murmured quietly.
He stood still for a long while, then finally turned and walked back into the wooden house.
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
All three bowed toward Jiraiya at the same time.
"Ha ha ha!"
Jiraiya laughed openly at the sight of the three serious faces.
"No need for that. Let's just be relaxed."
Hearing this, Yahiko was the first to smile. He pushed the grilled meat in front of him over toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei, Chiya-nii's cooking is really good. Please try some."
Faced with the three pairs of expectant eyes, Jiraiya did not stand on ceremony.
He picked up a piece directly and tossed it into his mouth.
His eyes lit up right away.
"The flavor is really good!"
"You all eat too. Konan, especially you. You are still a girl. You need to eat more."
Jiraiya finished speaking and handed Konan a piece of grilled meat.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei!"
Konan smiled warmly.
But her gaze drifted toward the direction of the door from time to time.
Jiraiya looked at the grilled meat on the table and then said to the two boys.
"The grilled meat on the table today needs to be finished. Nagato, Yahiko, you two need to work hard."
"After we finish eating, tomorrow I will take you fishing."
"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei!"
Hearing this, the two said nothing more. Their eyes turned to the grilled meat.
Jiraiya and the three.
After the meal, Konan came to Jiraiya's side.
"Konan, is something the matter?"
Jiraiya was slightly surprised.
"Chiya-nii has left."
Hearing her ask about Chiya, Jiraiya looked at the undisguised sadness on Konan's face.
"Uchiha Chiya has completed his task. This visit here was probably done quietly without official permission.
A message just arrived from the village. It seems he was called back."
Hearing this answer, Konan had prepared herself for it, but a dim flicker still passed through her eyes.
"Konan, train hard. In the future, you will meet him again. I think by then, you will be able to stand a little closer to him."
A new light rekindled in Konan's eyes.
"I will work hard, Jiraiya-sensei!"
Konan finished speaking, bowed to Jiraiya, then turned and walked out of the wooden house.
Hearing the sound of kunai hitting wooden posts outside, Jiraiya knew she had gone to train. He smiled and paid it no more mind.
Jiraiya tidied up the table simply. He took out a brand new notebook from inside his robe and placed it on the table. He leaned back and let out a sigh.
"I just cannot think of any good ideas for the novel."
Listening to the sounds outside, Jiraiya looked toward the door and recalled Nagato's words from earlier, words that had left a strong impression on him.
"I only want to protect those two.
No matter what kind of pain I feel."
A serious expression settled on Jiraiya's face.
"Nagato."
Jiraiya had just found inspiration and was about to start writing, when he suddenly recalled what Chiya had said before leaving. His brush tip paused.
"With Jiraiya-sama accompanying them, giving them proper guidance and support, and letting them make fewer mistakes on the road of growth, their future will surely be limitless."
'Proper guidance and support?'
Inspiration surged. He began to write.
"The Tale of Perseverance." Written by Jiraiya.
Jiraiya wrote furiously, his gaze focused as he began.
"The main character's name. I will just call him Naruto."