Watching Jiraiya laughing uncontrollably while slapping the table, Sakumo Hatake's lips twitched awkwardly.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
Before running into Jiraiya, he had indeed seen Tsunade walking down the street with Dan Kato.
Could it be...
The well-read Sakumo suddenly felt that the situation might not be as simple as he initially thought!
Was this guy, Jiraiya, inviting him for drinks because... he was jealous?!
At that moment, Sakumo straightened up, his back as rigid as a board.
He could smell it!
The unmistakable scent of a dramatic love triangle!
Holy crap! If this is the topic, I'm all ears now!
Even though this might not be the kind of love triangle Doggo (a gossip-loving friend) would enjoy most;
Still!
A love triangle is better than no drama at all!
As a passionate bystander, Sakumo had to know if this "melon" (gossip) was sweet or not.
With that thought, Sakumo's eyes narrowed mischievously, and he smiled with ill intent, leading with a suggestive question:
"Jiraiya, you must like Princess Tsunade, right? Why don't you go after her?"
Hearing this, the drunken Jiraiya immediately shouted:
"What do you mean I didn't chase her?! I did! But Tsunade... she seems to think of me as just a brother!
Seriously, that flat-chested, washboard princess!"
Hearing this, Sakumo's grin widened.
"Jiraiya, if you ask me, you're just not persistent enough!
You need to stick with it! Use your title as Konoha's number one... uh, second most shameless ninja, and pester her relentlessly!
Just like in that book, when Hashirama pursued Madara, he relied on..."
As he passionately delivered his speech, Sakumo suddenly felt a chilling sensation down his back.
Looking up, squinting his eyes, he scanned his surroundings.
The patrons in the izakaya were all staring at him with peculiar expressions.
A cold bead of sweat slowly trickled down his temple.
Crap, it's my first time witnessing a real-life love triangle, and I got too excited.
This is bad. Am I about to suffer another social death?!
...
Wait, why did I use the word "another"?
Just as Sakumo's toes were metaphorically digging into the ground, ready to deploy Wood Release: Four Pillars Home Technique,
Jiraiya suddenly let out a long sigh, completely ignoring the strange looks from those around him, and began speaking to himself.
"Honestly, I know. Even without Dan Kato in the picture, I still couldn't give Tsunade a future."
As he spoke, Jiraiya stared at the ripples in his sake cup, his thoughts drifting to the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage.
"In my heart, even someone as perverted and useless as you will one day become a formidable ninja;
And you will also have your own disciples!
Your disciple will be the one to bring about a great revolution in the ninja world.
This revolution will either bring unprecedented peace or destruction—a transformation of one extreme or the other.
And you, Jiraiya, are the one destined to guide this revolutionary figure!"
Because of this prophecy, Jiraiya felt an overwhelming pressure that could crush everything.
After all, the Great Toad Sage's predictions had never been wrong, and his own knowledge, actions, words, experiences, and character...
All of it would influence the revolutionary's choices.
All of it weighed on him like a towering mountain, suffocating him.
Thinking about this, Jiraiya sobered up a bit, smiled bitterly, and shook his head. He patted Sakumo on the shoulder and said in a low voice:
"Enough about me. Let's talk about you. Why did you step down from the ANBU?"
Hearing this, the awkward expression on Sakumo's face gradually faded, and his gaze dimmed.
"There's... no big reason. I just didn't want to stay in the ANBU anymore.
Growing up, I didn't have many friends. The only person I could really talk to was that guy Rinjin.
And honestly, I've had enough of wearing masks every day."
Hearing this, Jiraiya was slightly taken aback.
Masks?
You haven't needed to wear a mask since becoming the deputy commander of the ANBU.
Besides, you're currently the commander of the ANBU—a position with great prospects!
At that moment, a flash of realization struck Jiraiya, and he understood.
The eldest son of Hiruzen-sensei is about the right age now...
With that thought, Jiraiya sighed silently and patted Sakumo's shoulder in a comforting manner.
"It's not easy for anyone, huh.
What about the future? What are your plans?"
"The future?" Sakumo echoed with a hint of self-deprecation before answering:
"I'll probably just be an ordinary Jonin, take on some students, complete missions, and marry a woman who's neither too ugly nor too beautiful.
Then I'll stay home and raise kids."
Hearing this, Jiraiya suddenly sat up straight, rubbing his rough hands together with a sly grin:
"Since you're planning to get married, why don't you give me that treasured set of Forbidden Love you've been keeping?
You won't need it anymore anyway, so let me study it for research purposes.
To be honest, I'm planning to write a book, but I haven't decided on the theme yet. I need to study some high-value literature!"
Hearing this, Sakumo was instantly speechless.
Good grief, this guy is shameless enough to beg for my books!
What kind of book requires studying the deluxe, full-color illustrated edition of Forbidden Love?
Doesn't he know about the national anti-fraud app?!
While Jiraiya and Sakumo Hatake were bantering, three dejected little figures suddenly appeared at the gates of Konoha Village.
Upon closer inspection, it was Chōza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shikaku Nara.
Their large packs from before departure were nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but their clothes were tattered, and they bore signs of battle, looking no better than beggars.
At that moment, the rotund Chōza Akimichi spoke in his deep voice:
"Shikaku, Inoichi, I think we failed!"
Glancing at his slow-to-realize friend, Shikaku Nara rubbed his temples in exasperation and nodded:
"Let's move out again. This time, we can't make the same mistakes."
With that, he took the lead and walked out of the village.
The gate guards, already accustomed to their antics thanks to Rinjin, watched the three boys leave without surprise.
Then, one of the guards pulled out a kunai and drew a horizontal line across four vertical marks on the wall.
The fifth time. These three kids had already "reloaded the save" five times.
The first time, they even went home briefly.
But starting from the second time, despite the lack of supplies and the dangers outside the village, the three kids left resolutely each time.
It was harsh.
The gate guard didn't know what mission they were on, but his instincts told him it was extremely dangerous.
He remembered that on their fourth return, the chubby boy had a gaping chest wound, deep enough to expose bone.
As for the other two, their injuries were even more numerous and frightening.
Yet, from their initial confusion to their current composure, the three kids were visibly growing at an astonishing rate.
The middle-aged gate guard, a veteran of the battlefield, knew that such rapid growth could only be seen in those who survived the horrors of war.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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