Within Konoha Village…
Having finished his afternoon training, Naruto dragged his exhausted body homeward. Jiraiya had only checked Naruto's basic abilities and corrected some minor errors in his jutsu execution, but even that had left Naruto completely drained. A ninja truly needed a solid foundation.
"Sakura, wait a moment," Jiraiya called out, noticing that Sakura was also about to leave.
"Hm? Is there something else, Jiraiya-sama?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"There are a few things I wanted to ask you about," Jiraiya said, his tone serious.
"Then, Naruto, you go on ahead. I'll talk with Jiraiya-sama for a bit," Sakura told Naruto.
"Ugh~~~" Naruto replied weakly, turning and leaving.
"What did you want to ask, Jiraiya-sama...?" Sakura inquired once Naruto was gone.
"Let's go somewhere else," Jiraiya said, gesturing towards the izakaya up ahead.
"Ugh~~~~~~" Ebisu, who had been knocked unconscious earlier, finally woke up.
"You're awake," Jiraiya said, looking at Ebisu with a "kind" expression.
"You...you...you are Jiraiya-sama!" Ebisu exclaimed, overjoyed to see that the person in front of him was none other than Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.
"Ebisu, you've grown so much. I'm sorry, I seem to have stolen your student," Jiraiya said. He'd naturally seen Ebisu before, but only when Ebisu was a child.
"Not at all... But it's truly surprising. You've actually returned..." Ebisu's earlier displeasure vanished completely at the sight of Jiraiya, and he felt a sense of relief.
The Third Hokage had held several meetings regarding the Orochimaru problem. The Jonin of Konoha were all carrying a heavy burden; besides the Third Hokage, there was no one in the village who could truly subdue Orochimaru. At this critical juncture, Jiraiya's return instantly eased Ebisu's worries.
"Come on, it's my treat. Consider it a small apology," Jiraiya said, gesturing towards the nearby izakaya.
"Not at all... It's my honor, Jiraiya-sama," Ebisu quickly replied.
Once the three of them were seated inside the izakaya…
"Why did you tag along, kid...? This isn't a place for children..." Ebisu grumbled, noticing that Sakura had followed them into the establishment. Despite his poor impression of Sakura, Ebisu still had a sense of responsibility as a teacher.
"I'm eating with Jiraiya-sama. This place isn't just for drinking, you know! Hmph!" Sakura retorted, sticking her nose in the air.
"Uh..." Ebisu had merely been trying to offer some responsible advice to Sakura, but he was taken aback by her response. His opinion of her worsened.
"Haha... I'm the one who wanted to ask Sakura some things," Jiraiya interjected, not holding back.
Ebisu felt a wave of disappointment. He'd thought he was fortunate enough to have drinks with Jiraiya-sama, but it turned out he was just a tag-along...
"She's also Tsunade's disciple," Jiraiya added with a sigh. "I heard from the old man that she encountered Orochimaru first."
"Wh...what... Tsunade-sama's disciple? Then...is Tsunade-sama in the village?" Ebisu asked excitedly. "That's great! If you and Tsunade-sama are here, Orochimaru is nothing to fear..."
If only Jiraiya was there, Ebisu felt a bit relieved; but If Tsunade was there too, Ebisu would be completely reassured.
"No...Tsunade isn't in the village. It's just me, and I'm not here because of Orochimaru," Jiraiya replied, ordering some grilled skewers for Sakura and two jugs of sake.
"Jiraiya-sama, you must be aware... Orochimaru is one of the Legendary Sannin. To stop him, we need the strength of another Sannin... your strength, Jiraiya-sama!!" Ebisu said passionately. It wasn't surprising that Ebisu was so agitated; if Jiraiya didn't intervene, even if Konoha managed to stop Orochimaru, the losses would likely be substantial.
"..." Jiraiya poured himself a cup of the freshly served sake and said, "That's why I need to ask this kid about what happened... She was the first person to encounter Orochimaru..."
Hearing Jiraiya's words, Ebisu felt like his emotions were on a rollercoaster.
"Jiraiya-sama, do you want to know about Orochimaru?" Sakura guessed the reason Jiraiya had stopped her.
"That's right. Although I heard the story from the old man, I want to hear it from you as well," Jiraiya said, taking a sip of his sake.
"Okay, this is what happened..." Sakura, munching on the grilled skewers Jiraiya had bought her (Mebuki Haruno, Sakura's mother, wouldn't usually allow her to eat such things), recounted the same story she had told the Third Hokage in the Forest of Death.
Mebuki was very particular about Sakura's diet, never allowing her to eat anything unhealthy. Sakura's mission earnings were usually kept by Mebuki, who would give her a small allowance when needed, saying the rest would be given to Sakura when she became an adult. Sakura was quite frustrated by this; her mother had been much more generous with money when she was younger. Why was she becoming more stingy as Sakura got older?
After Sakura finished retelling the events of that day, Jiraiya remained silent for a moment.
"Hmm, it's the same as what the old man said," Jiraiya finally said. "It seems Orochimaru has completed that forbidden jutsu. There's no trace of Orochimaru in the village."
"What forbidden jutsu...?" Ebisu asked curiously.
"Immortality..." Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and glanced at Ebisu.
"Im...Immortality?!" Ebisu exclaimed in shock.
This was considered enemy intelligence, but it wouldn't hurt to tell a Konoha ninja. Jiraiya hadn't expected Orochimaru to attack Konoha when he returned to the village. He'd only come back at the Third Hokage's request to help Naruto control the Nine-Tails' power.
But he hadn't anticipated encountering Orochimaru's invasion. Jiraiya had searched the village for days, but he couldn't find any trace of Orochimaru. Given this, Jiraiya could only assume that Orochimaru was either using a special method to conceal himself or had already left Konoha.
From Sakura's account, it seemed Orochimaru hadn't achieved his objective this time. Knowing Orochimaru as well as he did, Jiraiya believed he would return. Since he couldn't find Orochimaru, he might as well stay in Konoha until the Chunin Exams were over, as the available information suggested Orochimaru was using the exams as his entry point.
"Jiraiya-sama, have you seen Tsunade-sensei recently...? Is she doing well...?" Sakura took the opportunity to ask about her master.
"Tch... You know her. She's living it up even more than I am..." Jiraiya said, waving his hand dismissively with a hint of annoyance.
"Hahaha... That sounds about right... Hahaha..." Sakura laughed awkwardly.
After they'd had their fill of food and drink, Sakura excused herself. Jiraiya seemed to have gotten drunk and was clinging to Ebisu, insisting on continuing to drink. Sakura gave Ebisu a look of helpless sympathy and turned to leave.
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