Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya slowly walked into the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. The two gate guards, who had been idly sitting, immediately stood up in surprise.
Kamizuki Izumo exclaimed, "That is—?"
Kotetsu Hagane followed up, "No mistake."
The two watched as Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya entered the village. Izumo tilted his head slightly.
"Although Naruto seems to have grown, compared to that guy… he's still lacking in social awareness."
Kotetsu snapped out of it and nodded silently, both of them recalling the souvenirs Rorin had brought them last time he returned to the village.
"Yeah… definitely lacking a bit."
...
Meanwhile, Rorin was at home training his body, drenched in sweat. After completing his daily training quota, he stood up, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to head out for a meal.
By now, Rorin had already been exceptionally promoted to jonin by Tsunade. Surprisingly, none of the higher-ups of the Hidden Leaf Village voiced any objections this time. His attire had also undergone slight changes—he no longer wore his forehead protector on his head, instead having his employee in the Land of Mountain Streams embed the Hidden Leaf symbol onto the clothing on his right shoulder.
Originally, Tsunade intended for Rorin to serve as a jonin instructor leading a genin squad, but he declined, so he currently enjoyed considerable freedom within the village.
As Rorin strolled along the street, he saw a cloud of dust rise ahead. Focusing his gaze, he recognized Haruno Sakura and the Konohamaru trio, with Jiraiya standing nearby.
When the dust settled, Rorin saw a pair of legs sticking out of the ground—someone was planted headfirst into it. A slight smile appeared on his lips.
Uzumaki Naruto… you've finally returned.
With the intention of getting acquainted with Naruto, Rorin used Body Flicker to rush forward, beating Sakura to it. He pulled Naruto out of the ground and asked with concern,
"Are you okay?"
Sakura was slightly stunned by Rorin's sudden appearance, while Jiraiya, standing nearby, looked at him with confusion.
Who is this kid? Why do I have no impression of him at all?
After a moment, Naruto regained his senses, rubbed his head, and thanked him.
"Thanks! By the way… who are you?"
Rorin narrowed his eyes with a smile and extended his hand.
"Hello, my name is Kaguya Rorin. Like you, I'm also a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village."
Naruto paused for a moment, then smiled brightly.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Uzumaki Naruto—I just finished my training and got back."
As he spoke, Naruto reached out to shake hands. However, a sudden weight pressed down on him. He felt like he couldn't support Rorin's right hand and looked at him in confusion.
At first, Rorin didn't realize what was happening. Then he noticed Naruto's expression darken and quickly withdrew his hand, saying awkwardly,
"Sorry—I forgot I have weights on my arm."
He swiftly removed the bandages from his right arm, holding them in his left, and extended his hand again. Naruto didn't mind and shook it, then asked curiously,
"By the way… how heavy are those bandages?"
Rorin lifted the bandages casually. "These? Not much—just about 750 kg."
"750 kg… just?" Naruto's lips twitched. He looked at Rorin again and sighed.
"So that means you wear 1,500 kg every day? That's about the same as that thick-brow guy… no, actually, probably even heavier than his."
Rorin shook his head calmly.
"No, the total weight I carry is 6,000 kg, not three thousand. As for Rock Lee, mine should be heavier, though I heard he recently increased his weights too."
Naruto's jaw nearly dropped. 6,000 kg?!
Even Jiraiya, standing nearby, was genuinely shocked by Rorin's words.
Sakura, however, who was already familiar with Rorin, wasn't surprised at all. She had long heard about his abnormal physique, so she showed no reaction.
Rorin rewrapped the bandages and looked at Naruto again. Naruto then asked,
"So, Rorin, do you specialize in taijutsu too?"
Rorin nodded. "Yeah. Actually, Guy-sensei is also my teacher."
Naruto tapped his chin, nodding to himself.
"No wonder—you're a student of that thick-brow teacher."
After that, Naruto stopped dwelling on Rorin's weights. His first impression of Rorin was quite good.
Sakura stepped forward and reminded him,
"Naruto, you haven't gone to see Tsunade-sama yet, right?"
Naruto nodded with a grin.
"Oh right—I haven't seen Granny Tsunade since I got back. Pervy Sage, let's go together."
Jiraiya nodded and stepped forward, his gaze lingering on Rorin for a moment.
Naruto waved goodbye.
"Rorin, sorry—we need to go see Granny Tsunade first. See you next time!"
Rorin nodded lightly, then headed off alone toward Ichiraku Ramen for dinner.
...
Inside the Hokage's office.
After learning that he would be facing Kakashi next, Naruto left the office with Nara Shikamaru and the others, while Jiraiya stayed behind.
Jiraiya walked to the window, leaned against the sill, and looked out over the Hidden Leaf Village before asking,
"Tsunade, that young man named Kaguya Rorin… did he join the village after I left?"
Tsunade glanced at him and replied softly,
"No, he joined during the time before you left. He kept a low profile back then, so you didn't know about it. Besides, you weren't attending the higher-up meetings. I brought up his case during one of them."
Jiraiya's gaze turned serious.
"Is his identity reliable? Could he be from the Akatsuki?"
Tsunade shook her head.
"Probably not. I already had the Anbu investigate him. After the Kaguya clan was massacred by the higher-ups of the Village Hidden in the Mist, he wandered alone. He only came to the Hidden Leaf Village seeking treatment because he fell ill. From my interactions with him, I don't think he's with the Akatsuki."
Jiraiya responded calmly, "I see…"
He then quietly left the Hokage's office, still frowning as he thought to himself: Looks like I'll have to get in touch with that kid myself.
...
Night had fallen. Rorin was walking home alone when he sensed someone following him. He activated his Byakugan to investigate.
Seeing Jiraiya trailing behind him, he felt puzzled.
Why is Jiraiya following me?
He then walked toward an open area in the village and sat down on a bench. Before long, Jiraiya's figure appeared.
"Hello. Is there something you need?" Rorin asked with a smile.
"Can we talk?" Jiraiya sat down beside him and asked softly.
"Sure." Rorin nodded, but then suddenly sensed information from a Flying Thunder God mark. He shook his head apologetically.
"Sorry, something urgent just came up. Next time."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished instantly. Jiraiya supported himself on the bench with one hand, remaining silent for a long time before looking up at the sky.
"Flying Thunder God… what an interesting kid."