Chapter 15: Jiraiya-san, the Cherry Blossoms Are Blooming in the Village
"Sorry, there's not much I can do in this situation."
Inside a small inn in the Land of Waves, an old man had just finished examining Kakashi. With a helpless look, he shook his head.
"After all, I'm not a shinobi… and this isn't something as simple as a surface wound."
"It's alright. Thanks for your help," Jiraiya replied, nodding as he escorted the old man out of the room. He had clearly anticipated this.
"Looks like you'll need to return to the Leaf Village for proper treatment. What a shame Tsunade's gone off who-knows-where… If she were here, it would've been a lot easier."
Back in the room, Jiraiya returned to his usual carefree demeanor as he glanced over at Kakashi lying on the bed.
"Still, it's not as bad as it could've been. You'll be fine once we get back."
"Thank you, Lord Jiraiya…"
Kakashi's voice was weak. He'd taken a hit from Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi—even though it had been interrupted halfway by Gen Kitagawa, it had still left a heavy toll on his psyche. This wasn't something that could be healed on the road. He really did need to get back to Konoha. After all, when it came to medical ninja, the Leaf was unmatched in the shinobi world.
More importantly, now that Jiraiya was here, Kakashi could finally let down his guard a little.
Itachi and Jūzō Biwa may have left, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't return. Having Jiraiya around changed the equation entirely.
"Alright, enough with the gratitude. Just get some rest."
Jiraiya shrugged casually.
"You guys sure are lucky. I happened to be nearby, tracking Orochimaru, when I spotted your signal flare. But you, kid…"
He turned to Gen with a sharp look.
"You've got guts. Using a bluff like that to trick them—weren't you afraid they'd see through it?"
Not with Itachi on our side… Gen thought silently. Instead, he shook his head and answered, "Lord Jiraiya, they're missing-nin. Of course they wouldn't want to run into ANBU. Figured it was worth a shot."
"Well, you're not wrong… but that was still a pretty risky move."
Jiraiya clicked his tongue. This kid reminded him a little too much of Tsunade—both of them were gamblers at heart. Still, Gen had been lucky enough to win.
"Whatever. You pulled it off. Just remember, you've only got one life. Don't go betting it so easily."
"Yessir, understood."
Gen nodded quickly—he had no intention of arguing with Jiraiya. And he didn't want to hear a long lecture, either. So, he quickly changed the subject.
"So what's your next move, Lord Jiraiya?"
"Me? I'm going to keep tracking Orochimaru, of course."
Jiraiya didn't bother hiding his intentions. His mission was no secret, especially not to Kakashi's student.
He rubbed his chin, clearly thinking deeply.
"Strange, though. I've been following Orochimaru's trail, and I got some odd intel… It seems he's joined some kind of organization."
He frowned.
"It's hard to believe, really. That guy's always been a lone wolf. I never thought he'd sign up for something like that…"
What's so unbelievable about that? Gen thought. After all, Itachi and Jūzō had once been part of the same group as Orochimaru.
Though… Orochimaru had been kicked out of it by now.
Gen held back a smirk. He understood the power of inertia in one's thinking.
Strong missing-nin weren't the type to team up easily. Many had grudges from previous wars. And even if they didn't, shinobi were a competitive, prideful bunch. Especially someone like Orochimaru—there's no way he'd play second fiddle to anyone.
Unless… there was a power strong enough to keep them all in check.
That's exactly why the Akatsuki could exist.
Jiraiya's intel was outdated, understandably. Gen remembered him once saying to Kakashi that "Orochimaru only recently left the Akatsuki." That alone said a lot.
And it made sense. The Akatsuki members were powerful. They hadn't yet started openly capturing Tailed Beasts, so staying hidden wasn't hard for them.
As for why Orochimaru was in the Land of Waves… Gen guessed he was passing through—either returning from or heading to the Land of Water. His likely target? Kimimaro.
[New Side Quest Unlocked]
"Jiraiya-san, the Cherry Blossoms Are Blooming in the Village"
Objective: Bring Jiraiya back to the Hidden Leaf.
"…Seriously?"
Gen stared blankly at the sudden system prompt, feeling a sudden headache.
Well, at least it wasn't something like "Make Jiraiya and Pain share a smoke on the ruins of Konoha." But getting Jiraiya to willingly return to the village wouldn't be easy.
Especially when he still had a personal mission chasing after Orochimaru…
But if the reward comes from Jiraiya…
Gen fell into thought. After a moment of silence, he made up his mind—it was worth trying.
After all, he did have some… "exclusive intel."
He carefully began planning how to proceed.
"…Is that so? I thought you were going to head back to Konoha with us," he said, deliberately letting his voice droop and his face fall.
"Wha—hey now, don't try to get me killed!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened. In a way, Konoha was his land of heartbreak. He avoided going back unless absolutely necessary. Who knew if he'd even be allowed to leave again?
"But with Kakashi-sensei in this state… If we run into another rogue ninja like Uchiha Itachi again, we might not be so lucky…"
Gen glanced toward Kakashi, then back at Jiraiya with a pitiful look.
"Of course, your mission is more important. We wouldn't dare impose. We'll just pray nothing goes wrong along the way. And if something does… Well, it's not your fault. Just bad luck on our part…"
"…"
Jiraiya's expression froze. He felt like he'd just been emotionally blackmailed. This brat's words were cutting deep!
"Enough, Gen. I'm alright."
Thankfully, Kakashi jumped in to defuse the situation and change the subject.
"Lord Jiraiya, could you tell us more about Orochimaru? I'll need to report it when we get back."
"Of course."
Gen didn't speak—just raised an eyebrow slightly as Jiraiya finally relaxed.
After a thoughtful pause, Jiraiya replied seriously, "There's not much more I can tell you, really. The biggest concern is that organization."
"They're extremely secretive. I have no idea who their members are, or even what they call themselves. But if Orochimaru was willing to join them, they must be a serious threat. Just recently, someone claimed to have seen him near the port in the Land of Waves. That's all I've got."
"That serious, huh?" Kakashi frowned. If even Jiraiya had no leads, things really were complicated.
"The Land of Waves again, huh…"
At that moment, Gen chimed in just at the right time.
"Uchiha Itachi and Jūzō Biwa were there too. And if I recall correctly, during the Third Great Ninja War, the Uchiha clan fought against Kirigakure in the Land of Whirlpools…"
"Hm?"
His words made both Kakashi and Jiraiya pause. Then, a strange look crossed both their faces.
"The fact that those two could work together is shocking on its own."
Seeing their reactions, Gen decided to drop the act.
"They're both ruthless, prideful warriors. One's a fallen prodigy who killed his entire clan. The other's one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist…"
"If they can team up… doesn't that mean others could too?"
…