Chapter 3: Drinking Buddy Jiraiya

Konoha, Women's Bathhouse.

A young man with white hair peeked through a small hole he had drilled in the wall, holding a peculiar notebook in his hand, a sly grin on his face as he observed and quickly jotted down notes.

Hanma stood behind Jiraiya with a mischievous smile, fully unleashing his predatory aura.

Just as Jiraiya was enjoying his peculiar hobby, a jolt of alarm hit him, and his entire body bristled with goosebumps.

A strange and heavy scent of blood filled his nostrils, causing his chakra to become restless, and a wave of powerlessness swept through him.

Jiraiya sighed, recognizing that familiar aura—it was that bastard again.

With a swift turn and a back-kick, he threw a string of kunai and created some distance.

He had already formed the seal for the Fire Dragon Jutsu with his left hand, ready to initiate it swiftly.

His right hand was poised with a summoning scroll, ready to call forth the toads from Mount Myoboku.

His white hair flung forward, a sign to those familiar with him that he was using his distinctive Lion's Mane Technique, a unique Yang-style defensive technique.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Hanma clicked his tongue disdainfully.

Several afterimages flashed in the air, collecting the eight kunai Jiraiya had thrown.

Hanma didn't really need to dodge, but his clothes were new and quite expensive.

"Is this the level of the Third Hokage's disciple now? Jiraiya, have you been training only in bathhouses?" Hanma, dressed in loose sportswear, teased Jiraiya with a grin.

Jiraiya angrily swung a punch at Hanma's shoulder.

"You bastard! How many times have I told you not to suddenly appear behind me with that annoying aura!"

"And why are you even tougher now? Damn it, don't you have any bottlenecks?"

Jiraiya winced in pain as he waved his hand.

The relationship between Hanma and the Sannin wasn't exactly love-hate but rather ambiguous.

Hanma's father was a teammate of the Third Hokage, Uchiha Kagami.

Kagami had sacrificed himself while covering their retreat under the Second Hokage's command, dying on the battlefield of the Land of Lightning when Hanma was just five.

So, after the Third Hokage took office, he had always supported and cared for Hanma.

Hanma, being both an Uchiha and connected to the Hokage lineage, had a complex background.

Especially since Hanma had abandoned the Sharingan and pursued Taijutsu, which had oddly pleased the Third Hokage, who granted him unrestricted access to Konoha's various Taijutsu styles.

As a transmigrator, Hanma understood the uniqueness of his path and didn't join a genin team after graduating from the academy. Instead, he became the first Uchiha to join the Anbu.

Only in the Anbu, where real killing occurred, could he swiftly gain the experience needed for his skill exchanges.

He had no interest in mundane missions like weeding or finding lost cats.

This led to Hanma becoming the "golden child" who was frequently brought up by the Third Hokage in front of the Sannin, irking Jiraiya, who often challenged him after becoming a chunin, only to be miserably defeated.

As for Tsunade, despite her Senju lineage and innate hostility towards the Uchiha, she couldn't resist Hanma's shameless persistence.

After all, who could refuse a well-built, wealthy, humorous man who could effortlessly block her monstrous punches?

Though their relationship wasn't officially confirmed.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, was a close literary friend of Hanma.

They frequently discussed the origin of life, the fate of ninjas, the existence of daimyos, and so on, making them academic friends.

But his closest relationship was with Jiraiya, for understandable reasons—brotherhood built on three things that bind men together.

Hanma often underwent grueling training and needed thorough relaxation to prevent himself from becoming a training-obsessed killer.

So, he would often visit Konoha's specialty izakayas and enjoy warm bubble baths.

Jiraiya complained loudly:

"You bastard! You took my Minato, tried to steal my Tsunade, and always sneak up on me!"

"Uchiha Hanma, you're such a pain!"

Hanma remained calm, still with a composed expression.

"Oh, I gave Minato candy when he was five."

"As for Tsunade, try catching one of her punches before thinking about dating her."

Jiraiya blushed, muttering,

"How can you slander my reputation like this?"

"Taking a few punches from Tsunade and resting for a few days, does that count as a beating?"

"Taijutsu is boring. You know, there are four ways to start a Fire-Style jutsu. Want me to teach you?"

The air was filled with a joyful atmosphere for a moment.

With a smile on his face, Hanma grabbed Jiraiya and headed toward an izakaya, one of his few moments of happiness.

After three rounds of drinks and five plates of food.

A tipsy Jiraiya, with his arm around a nearby hostess, brazenly asked:

"What are you planning this time? Are you planning to become a legion commander?"

Hanma smiled, covering the hostess's chest, eliciting a giggle, and calmly said:

"What? Underestimating a newly promoted jonin like me?"

Jiraiya clicked his tongue, grabbed a jug of sake, clinked it with Hanma's cup, and said in a deep voice:

"Anyone who underestimates you is probably dead by now. It's time for the old jonin to see your strength."

"However, your background is sensitive. All these years, you haven't aligned with the Uchiha or the Hokage faction, leaving everyone guessing your intentions."

Hanma squinted his eyes, "A legion command is nice. I need war merits now. If I can't get it, I'll apply for solo combat."

"Sigh—"

Jiraiya let out a long sigh. Over the past two years, Hanma's rapid rise in strength was accompanied by constant rumors.

With his formidable power, Hanma followed orders but had an unconventional approach. He was more of a village problem-solver than a regular Anbu.

Every time he killed an enemy ninja, it was either by slicing them in half or blowing their heads up like watermelons—gruesome deaths.

Such deaths were rare in the ninja world, as most ninjas, except those near Kage-level, focused on assassination.

Hanma's presence in the Anbu made it obvious to other villages that Konoha was responsible for certain missions.

So why was he still in the Anbu after fourteen years, having seen off two Anbu commanders?

Simply because he was too useful.

It's like if a tank was placed in a melon field—no one would dare steal the melons.

Even Danzo had once said: "Root might need Hanma, but he's doing great in the Anbu."

Receiving such praise from his teacher was no small feat, Jiraiya mused.

"Alright, Jiraiya, see you the day after tomorrow. Don't embarrass yourself in front of Minato," Hanma said as he picked up the hostess next to him and walked toward the izakaya's rest area.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'll tell Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted discontentedly.

Hanma waved nonchalantly, saying as he walked away, "We haven't even started yet." 

Jiraiya was momentarily stunned and then shook his head with a bitter smile.

(End of Chapter)