Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

"Orochimaru, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Jiraiya, caught off guard by Mikoto's words, covered his nose and apologized sheepishly to the victim who had endured his icy American-style attack.
"It's okay, it's not me who got wet anyway."

Orochimaru, whose clothes were completely dry, didn't seem to mind Jiraiya's rude behavior.
He shook his head and casually put the rope tree he had been holding in front of him back in its original place.
The wet, green rope tree: Feed me peanuts.
"Ahem. Rope Tree, don't tell your sister about this. I'll treat you to sundaes later, as many as you want."

Seeing the pitiful state of Nawaki, Jiraiya's expression tightened slightly. If Tsunade, that brother-obsessed girl, found out how he had treated her brother, the upcoming gathering would probably turn into a funeral.

"Keep your word?"

"This is a man's promise!"

Jiraiya, with a serious expression, extended his fist and bumped it against Nawaki's sticky little hand.
With the contract concluded, Rope Tree happily went to the restroom to tidy himself up.
Undeterred by the lack of a direct response, Mikoto remained somewhat resolute, her large, dark eyes furrowing as she wavered between Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Jiraiya scratched his head, feeling a bit of a toothache. He never imagined he'd one day hear a suggestive song between himself and Orochimaru.
"Don't look at me like that. My relationship with him isn't what you think."

Considering her youth and ignorance, Jiraiya decided not to argue with her. Instead, he adopted a serious expression and gave an explanation that, in Mikoto's eyes, seemed utterly weak.
"Scumbag!"

Mikoto puffed out her cheeks and scolded in a childish voice,
"what?"

"So you were just playing around with this older sister after all, huh?"

"No, where did you hear such lewd words at such a young age?"

Noticing the strange looks around him, Jiraiya panicked a little.

He's still a young, unmarried man. If word gets out, how will he ever be able to stay in this village again?

"Grandpa Yin taught me this! He told me to stay away from men like you with messy private lives."

Grandpa Silver?
Jiraiya's face turned ashen the moment he saw Mikoto wearing the Uchiha attire.
Could it be that guy?

"I'm not a scumbag, and I haven't been messing around with other women. You have to believe me!"

Noticing an increasing number of people pointing and whispering about him, Jiraiya quickly straightened his neck and loudly defended himself.

"Haha~"

Compared to Jiraiya, who was being condemned by everyone, Orochimaru, who was currently uninvolved, wore a playful expression, his eyes full of mocking laughter, clearly indicating that he was quite happy.
Orochimaru, say something!

Sweating profusely, Jiraiya turned his head, his eyes full of pleading.
Orochimaru leisurely swirled the half-full glass of iced Americano, showing no intention of testifying for his old classmate whatsoever; he practically had "watching the show" written all over his face.

"Damn it! Can't you tell he's a man?"

Jiraiya, who was being stared at by Mikoto with an aggressive gaze, finally dropped his most compelling piece of evidence.
"what?"

Mikoto was taken aback by what she heard, her large eyes filled with confusion.

"call"

Seeing that Mikoto had calmed down, Jiraiya finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just when he thought the matter was coming to an end, Mikoto's expression changed repeatedly, her eyes shifting from resentment to deep disgust.

"You're so mean! How could you make a move on a cute boy?"

"I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"

Jiraiya was completely taken aback by this unexpected turn of events, his head spinning. It seemed his nemesis was indeed the Uchiha clan, regardless of age.

"I, Jiraiya, swear to God, I will never mess with Nantong!"

Bang——!
The words had barely left his mouth when a figure burst through the door and rushed in. The instant he saw Jiraiya, he threw himself into his arms like a swallow.

"Waaaaah, Jiraiya! I thought you were never coming back~"

Before Jiraiya, who had been hit squarely in the chest, could react, the woman holding him cried out softly and weakly,
Her voice sounded like a sweet, soft little cake.

The entire shop was eerily quiet, except for the sobbing of the little girl in her arms.
Feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, Jiraiya stiffly raised his head, looked at the piercing gazes of the onlookers, and forced a smile that was more like a grimace.
"Uh, if I said he was my brother, you guys would believe me, right?"

With a righteous expression, Mikoto shook her head and slowly raised the summoning device used to summon the security team to protect the safety of young children.

"If you have something to say, go talk to the security team!"

"Tonic medicine~"

Beep beep beep beep.
The Konoha Police Force was incredibly efficient. Within a minute of Mikoto pressing the alarm, patrolling members of the force arrived swiftly and presented a bewildered Jiraiya with a pair of silver bracelets.

Fortunately, the guards were not from Sichuan and all possessed the ability to distinguish right from wrong, so they did not abuse their batons.
After a thorough investigation, Jiraiya was exonerated. The slightly disappointed security team members, before leaving, didn't forget to comfort the apologetic Mikoto.
"Ms. Mikoto, although this was just a misunderstanding, please be sure to contact us immediately if you encounter this situation again."

The Konoha Police Force will always be the pillar behind every resident and the protective umbrella above their heads.

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya-nii-san, I misunderstood you."

After the security team left, Mikoto, realizing she had done something wrong, pouted and went up to Jiraiya, who was stretching his wrists, and sincerely apologized.
"Haha, it's okay, it's okay, as long as the result is good."

How could the naturally magnanimous Jiraiya hold a grudge against a child of only a few years old? He simply smiled nonchalantly, showing no sign of anger. Instead, he warmly introduced the little girl, Nanami, who had just run into his arms, to the children.
"Let me introduce you. This is my closest childhood friend."

"Hello, I am Hiruko."

Perhaps due to congenital physical limitations, Hiruko, who is the same age as Jiraiya, is still less than 1.5 meters tall.
Her arms and legs were slender and soft, her white hair was tied in a simple ponytail, and her fair face was full of youthful charm.
"Jiraiya's best brother."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the tall and imposing Jiraiya beside him, a complex and subtle emotion flickering in his gray eyes.
bang-

"What just happened? Did some criminal appear?"

Just then, another person who had arrived late arrived, looking puzzled. She turned back to watch the departing members of the security team and asked the others present in a casual tone,
"Tsunade, you're too late. You missed a really great show."

Orochimaru put down his empty cup, smiled, and greeted his old classmate.

"A good show? Damn it, if it weren't for finding that kid Rope Tree, I wouldn't be so late."

Upon hearing that she had missed the year's biggest drama, Tsunade was instantly furious and decided that once she found her younger brother, she would definitely give him an unforgettable childhood trauma.

After taking her seat with a disgruntled expression, Tsunade then noticed the three little ones sitting at the same table.
"Hey? You little devils are Rope Tree's classmates?"

At first, she thought they were just elementary school students sharing a table, but upon closer inspection, they looked increasingly familiar. They seemed to be some of the children who had become closer to her younger brother recently.
"Hello, Tsunade-neechan~"

Mikoto greeted him politely, and the Hyuga brothers beside her also gave him a respectful bow.

"Do you know where that kid Rope Tree went?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and asked in a sweet voice,

It's just that I lent him five hundred taels of silver. Is it really necessary for him to get so angry that he ran away from home?

"Forehead?"

The three children looked at each other, unsure how to respond.

"that."

After hesitating for a moment, Mikoto raised her hand and pointed to the restroom not far away. Just as she was about to tell him, she saw Nawaki, looking quite relaxed, walk out of the restroom, pulling up his pants.
"Hey hey hey~ Jiraiya-nii, besides sundaes, I suddenly want to eat secret-recipe mini burgers!"

"Rope!!! Tree!!!" Upon hearing the familiar voice, Tsunade's forehead instantly creased into a deep frown, and her beautiful eyes flashed with murderous intent as she glared at her younger brother.
"what?"

"I'll teach you to skip dinner! I'll teach you to run away from home! I'll teach you to lend me a thousand taels of silver!"

Grabbing Nawaki, who was about to flee, Tsunade publicly executed her younger brother, raising her hand high and bringing it down with tremendous force, sending chills down the spines of those around her.
gudu~
"Wash clothes. No, Tsunade, if you keep fighting like this, Nawaki will be qualified to learn Hip Release."

In the end, it was the kind-hearted Jiraiya who spoke first, cautiously pleading for Nawaki, who was foaming at the mouth.

"Hmph! You're lucky, kid. Your allowance will be halved again next month. I'd like to see if you dare to run away from home again."

Tsunade, her face slightly cold, gave a cold snort and ended the inhumane family discipline.

"No, I specifically told my aunt before I left."

With his last breath, still conscious, Rope Tree defended himself, saying...
To enjoy sweet drinks with Misaka and the others today, Rope Tree, with only a little pocket money left, left without even eating dinner.

Not wanting his grandmother to worry, he made sure to tell Senju Hisa, who was packing her luggage, before leaving.
"Aunt? Aunt didn't say anything when she left."

Tsunade frowned upon hearing this. She had personally escorted Senju Hishime out of the village, yet she hadn't mentioned a word about Nawaki.
"I'm innocent!"

at the same time,

Senju Hisana, who was leading the latest batch of support troops to the border battlefield, suddenly frowned, as if sensing something.

"Kurama, have I forgotten something?"

The two Nine-Tails inside the Tailed Beast Card shook their heads in unison. All they wanted now was revenge against the Four-Tails and Eight-Tails who had tricked them before.

"Oh dear! It can't be anything important. Let's hurry on our way; our claws are itching for a bite!"

Finally, Tsunade, choosing to temporarily trust her younger brother, spared Nawaki this time, leaving him to the terrified Hyuga brothers, before turning to chat with classmates she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Rope Tree, if you're still alive, make a sound."

Looking at the barely breathing Nawaki, Mikoto carefully poked his high, protruding buttocks.
"squeak"

"Phew~ It's good that I'm alive."

"Hichira, be nicer to that kid from now on."

Witnessing Nawaki's tragic state, Hiashi Hyuga swallowed hard, but out of pride, he could only express his concern in a different way.

"I know, I know."

Seeing the worry on his brother's face, Hizashi pursed his lips and replied in agreement.

When will Onii-chan be able to be a little more honest?
"Wow, it's quite lively here!"

A little while later, a young man with long, light blue hair stood before the crowd, a gentle smile on his handsome face.
"Long time no see, Broken."

Jiraiya and the others smiled and invited him to take a seat.
"Where are Dai and Shuo Mao?"

"Hey~ those two are having a match outside, it'll probably be a while before they're done."

When talking about his two teammates, Kato Dan immediately showed a helpless expression.
"Sakumo still spoils Dai too much."

Orochimaru shook his head upon hearing this, and the others also wore expressions of agreement.

"Who says it's not~"

Why does Might Guy always pick on Sakumo and never anyone else?

It wasn't because of any so-called lifelong rivalry at all; it was simply because Sakumo didn't know how to refuse. If it were anyone else, they would have impatiently rejected Dai's incessant challenges long ago.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the store door opened again, and Might Guy, sporting a watermelon-shaped haircut, walked in front, while Sakumo Hatake, looking rather lazy, followed slowly behind him.

"Sakumo, although you won by a narrow margin again this time, I will definitely win next time!"

"Could you please use someone else next time?"

"No, Sakumo, you are the only opponent I've ever truly respected in my life!"

Temporary setbacks could not defeat the resilient Might Guy. He raised his thick eyebrows and met Hatake Sakumo's lifeless eyes with unwavering certainty.
"Ah~"

Besides sighing, Sakumo Hatake couldn't find any other way to express his feelings at that moment.

The six-person team, now consisting of seven members, reassembled. Jiraiya, who had been wandering for half a year, was the first to raise his milk tea.
"Since we haven't seen each other for so long, let me start by raising a toast."

"No, no, no, it's just that you and Orochimaru, and the rest of us get together every now and then."

Seeing Jiraiya's excited expression, Sakumo Hatake, with his lifeless eyes, bluntly pointed out...

Jiraiya's expression stiffened, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his eye. Fortunately, his mental fortitude was strong, and he immediately changed his story.

"Well, shall we have a toast to welcome Orochimaru and me back?"

The group exchanged smiles and tacitly raised their small bottles of sweetened water.
"That's pretty much it~"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

"Jiraiya, let my youth test the results of your training!"

Didn't you bring any souvenirs?

"."

Bang!

"Phew, I don't want anything else over there, all I can think about is this milk tea."

After downing a cup of bubble tea, Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief, a look of pure bliss on his face. Orochimaru, standing beside him, nodded in approval.

These words immediately piqued the curiosity of the others.

"Jiraiya, what kind of place did you go to?"

Hiruko, holding the same milk tea as Jiraiya, becomes the mouth double for the group.
"Before answering this question, let me correct you. There isn't one, there are two."

Setting down his milk tea, Jiraiya's face was filled with complex emotions. He reflected on his experiences over the past six months, recognizing them as the most unforgettable memories of his life.
"two?"

"That's right. The place I went to the first time was quite nice, but it wasn't the place of my destiny. Don't you think so, Orochimaru?"

As Jiraiya spoke, he looked up at the silent Orochimaru, his eyes full of inquiry.

"Are the Three Goddesses alright?"

"They've been living quite comfortably lately, eating pig's head and roast chicken every day. But over there, has the frog population recovered?"

Orochimaru smiled slightly, picking up the conversation while also taking a jab at his former employer.
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya shook his head with a sigh.
"You, do you know what Fukasaku and the others regret most?"

"what?"

"They didn't force you to get your hair permed or dyed from the start." (End of Chapter)