"..."
Jiraiya stood frozen before the tightly closed door, as if a desolate night wind had blown past, swirling a few fallen leaves that slapped against his petrified body.
——————————
My na is Jiraiya, and I never would have expected that in the end, I would still take Uzumaki Naruto as my apprentice.
The sunlight was just right, warmly spilling onto the porch of that familiar little house in Hidden Leaf Village.
That kid Naruto had finally shed his prickly defenses and was sitting properly on his knees before , holding a steaming cup of tea respectfully above his head with both hands.
His dazzling golden hair looked much more docile in the light, and his azure eyes no longer held their usual wariness and disdain, replaced instead by a heartfelt reverence for a powerful Senior.
"I didn't know how formidable you were before, and I had many misunderstandings about you. Please forgive ."
"Jiraiya-sensei, please have so tea."
His voice was clear, and his attitude was upright.
Sakura and Karin stood nearby, watching this scene of Naruto's apprenticeship, feeling happy for him as well.
Jiraiya nodded with a smile, the sense of accomplishnt in his chest nearly overflowing.
See? Sincerity can move even mountains. No matter how terrible the starting point, as long as one shows true strength and charm, they can eventually win over this stubborn kid.
This is more like it; this is the prestige the Toad Immortal, the Heroic Jiraiya-sama, should have!
"Ah hahahahaha!"
He nodded with satisfaction, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably into a perfect "as it should be" and "everything is under control" smile.
He reached out, ready to take the tea that symbolized the establishnt of their master-disciple relationship.
And then... he woke up from the dream.
Before the arc of his grin could even be retracted, it froze in mid-air.
There was no respectful Naruto, no warm sunlight, and no fragrant tea.
There was only the slightly unfamiliar ceiling of a ho he hadn't lived in for a long ti, and the deep, somber indigo light of the pre-dawn filtering through the window.
In the silent air, a trace of the dream's warmth remained, followed by an incredibly clear and icy reality.
His arm was still held in the position of reaching for the teacup, his fingertips empty, touching nothing.
"..."
Jiraiya silently withdrew his hand and rubbed his face.
So it was a dream!
Dammit!
How could the great Jiraiya-sama be so pathetic as to have a dream like that? How embarrassing.
I'll ignore that kid for a while. Once he realizes what a precious opportunity he's missed, I'll reappear and magnanimously forgive him.
I shouldn't go looking for him during this ti. After I collect my royalties, I'll go pay off so of Tsunade's gambling debts and then look for news about Orochimaru.
Both of my old friends are so troubleso.
One hour later.
Jiraiya, carrying two ultra-deluxe portions of Miso Chashu Ran packed from Ichiraku Ran, kept convincing himself: This is just a Senior's routine care for a junior, definitely not a sign of backing down, and certainly not because I'm concerned about that kid!
This is the poise of the Toad Immortal, the magnanimity of a hero!
He arrived at Naruto's doorstep, cleared his throat, put on a smile he thought was kind but probably looked more like a creepy uncle's, and knocked on the door.
The door opened a crack, revealing Karin's wary red hair and her eyes behind her glasses.
"Yo! Little Karin, morning! I'm just here to bring you and Naruto so breakfast!"
Jiraiya held up the fragrant ran, trying to prove his "harmlessness."
"You again!"
Karin's brow furrowed, and she imdiately tried to close the door.
"Wait! Wait! I really an well—"
Quick as a flash, Jiraiya jamd his foot into the door crack while bracing the door with his hand.
"Old Pervert, get lost!"
"What? Old Pervert?"
Koyuki Kazahana, who happened to be visiting, also ca over to help hold the door shut.
"I am the Feudal Lord of the Land of Snow, Koyuki Kazahana."
She looked at the white-haired man in the ridiculous pose holding ran, her tone calm but carrying an undeniable pressure.
"Old man, if you don't leave imdiately and explain your harassnt of my friend..."
"I will, in my capacity as the Feudal Lord of the Land of Snow, formally initiate negotiations with the Sandai Hokage of Hidden Leaf Village and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, accusing you of disrespect and harassnt toward a national sovereign."
Wait, did she call herself a Feudal Lord? The Feudal Lord of the Land of Snow?
Living in Naruto's house? And blocking the door with Karin?
Jiraiya's brain stalled for a tenth of a second.
The force he was using to hold the door suddenly slackened.
"Ah!"
Jiraiya abruptly pulled back his foot, which had been stepped on hard.
Luckily he was wearing Geta; otherwise, it would have definitely hurt much more.
Thud!
The door slamd shut again.
Jiraiya looked down at the carefully prepared ran in his hand, then at the door that seed to separate two different worlds.
Not far away, on the top floor of a seemingly ordinary residence, a window was open just a tiny, unnoticeable crack.
A pale, slender figure stood quietly in the shadows behind the window.
Originally, she had planned to leave after seeing Naruto depart.
But seeing Jiraiya arrive, Orochimaru stopped.
Her golden snake-like pupils watched the little "cold shoulder" farce nearby through the crack with great interest.
When she saw Jiraiya standing frozen at the door with his ran, balanced on one leg with a look of bewildernt and lancholy, the corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled into a derisive arc she couldn't suppress.
"Heh..."
A very faint, breathy chuckle escaped her throat.
Truly... what abstract behavior.
Still so clumsy, so blunt, so... easy to predict.
Decades have passed, yet in so ways, this fellow is like soone who has never grown up.
A fool and a pervert since childhood.
Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils constricted slightly, her gaze seeming to pierce through space to land on that closed door, and then seemingly tracing back through ti to see a certain dazzling golden figure from years ago.
Jiraiya... she silently mouthed that familiar yet distant na.
He must have... recognized him the mont he saw that little fellow nad Uzumaki Naruto.
That overly dazzling golden hair, those azure eyes like a clear sky, and the faintly discernible shadows of Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina in his features.
Given Jiraiya's feelings for Minato, how could he not recognize him?
Recognizing the child of an old friend, yet only able to approach in this ridiculous, guarded, and rejected manner.
Holding that absurd ran like a clumsy sycophant rather than a renowned ntor.
The mockery in Orochimaru's eyes gradually settled, transforming into a more complex, almost icy indifference.
She shook her head slightly, as if brushing away so boring thoughts or delivering a final verdict on a stagnant Soul, her voice so low only she could hear.
"A good-for-nothing fool, a coward who hasn't improved at all."
If Jiraiya had returned to Hidden Leaf Village even once in these thirteen years to look after Minato's son, it wouldn't have co to this.
Regarding Jiraiya's plight, Orochimaru had only two words.
Take it!
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