Reunion with Jiraiya

The Animal Path, after inquiring in the Land of Filling, learned that a ninja with silver hair, a black mask, and a forehead protector covering his left eye had been asking about the Shukaku Ridge. He immediately understood—it was Konoha's Jonin, Kakashi! I'll remember this debt! You'd better not fall into my hands!

"Huh?" Ino, who was in a small town in the Land of Waterfalls, noticed that she had gained another Pot Point. She was puzzled. Where did this pot come from? And who was it being pinned on?

She didn't have time to dwell on it, as her attention was focused on what was happening ahead.

At that moment, Jiraiya had transformed into Sasuke's appearance and was crouching behind the women's bathhouse, peeking inside.

Ino was hiding around a corner. She wasn't Naruto Uzumaki, nor was she the "Child of Prophecy" as the Toad Sage had mentioned. Jiraiya had no obligation to teach her.

What should she do?

She roughly came up with a plan, reviewed it twice in her mind, and found no flaws. Then, pretending to be in a hurry, she walked around the corner to the town entrance. She wandered along the main road, looking around as if searching for someone.

"Ah? Sasuke-kun?!" When she reached the women's bathhouse, she feigned surprise. Her expression showed a hint of joy but was mostly filled with confusion, as if she couldn't understand why Sasuke would be in the Land of Waterfalls.

Jiraiya had been caught peeking more than once or twice. Being chased by a dozen or so women and girls was practically routine for him. He wasn't ashamed—in fact, he took pride in it. Being caught while peeking wasn't a big deal to him.

The problem was that he had recently discovered how useful Sasuke's handsome face could be. He could save a third of the cost when drinking, not to mention how helpful it was for peeking. Now that he had transformed into Sasuke, it would have been fine if no one recognized him. But being seen by someone who knew Sasuke was extremely awkward.

Kakashi had mentioned to him a few days ago that Ino wanted to apprentice under Tsunade. Jiraiya had also brought it up with Tsunade seriously. He just hadn't expected Ino to arrive so quickly.

"Kid, you're always so impulsive. Do your parents know about this?" Jiraiya thought as he noticed Ino staring at him with a strange expression.

"Ah? Uh... cough... I, uh... old man, no, I mean... what was I doing?"

He racked his brain for an excuse. Seeing the confusion on Ino's face grow, he knew his transformation was about to be exposed. Suddenly, he pointed behind her.

"Look, Kakashi's here!"

"Where? Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Ino, just as he had predicted, turned to look behind her. There was no one there. When she turned back, "Sasuke" had already disappeared.

Ino stood there scratching her head. "That's so strange... Was that really Sasuke?"

After muttering to herself for a moment, she headed straight for the town's... gambling den! After all, the official reason for her trip was to apprentice under Tsunade. All the conditions were in place—she just needed to pass the final interview.

Jiraiya, hiding in the shadows, noticed that Ino was asking about Tsunade's whereabouts.

He immediately realized the problem! Tsunade was in a nearby town, not far away. If Ino found Tsunade and casually mentioned, "I saw a suspicious Sasuke in the previous town," Tsunade would surely ask, "Why was he suspicious?" Ino would reply, "That Sasuke was peeking behind the women's bathhouse."

Given Tsunade's understanding of Jiraiya, could she not guess that someone was using the Transformation Technique to peep? The relationship between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan was indeed bad, very bad, but Tsunade couldn't tolerate others tarnishing the Uchiha Clan's reputation either. If the Uchiha Clan was infamous, how much better could their old rivals, the Senju Clan, be?

The more Jiraiya thought about it, the more scared he became. He was terrified that Tsunade would find out the truth and beat him to death! He absolutely, absolutely, absolutely couldn't let Ino find Tsunade! At least not today.

He racked his brains for a solution. Targeting the younger generation of the village went against his principles, so that was definitely out of the question. His plan was to buy time, to let Tsunade get further away. In a few days, he could simply deny everything. You're looking for Sasuke the peeper, what does that have to do with me, the Sage of Mount Myōboku? Hmm, he was really clever!

An hour later, Ino got Tsunade's whereabouts from the casino owner and left the town with a smile, only to suddenly spot Jiraiya reading a book on a large rock by the roadside.

"Sage of Mount Myōboku! Do you remember me?" she asked cheerfully.

Well, well, you finally showed up.

The weather was too hot, and under the blazing sun, lying on the rock, the Sage of Mount Myōboku was almost roasted.

"Ah, yes, you're the kid from the Yamanaka Clan, right?" He didn't know how serious Ino was about the "Sasuke" matter, so he dragged out his words: "Why aren't you in the Hidden Leaf Village? What are you doing in the Land of Waterfalls? Are you alone? Where's your Jonin leader?"

Ino spoke with a serious expression: "I know you, you're Lord Jiraiya, right? I'm here to find Lady Tsunade. I want to become her disciple and learn Medical Ninja Techniques!"

Jiraiya couldn't let Ino become Tsunade's disciple, so he adopted a lofty tone: "Become Tsunade's disciple? Hahaha—little girl, you haven't even mastered the basics yet, and you already want to become a disciple? Tsunade won't teach you so easily. Listen to me, go back to the village, improve your basics, and then come back to seek her guidance."

Ino put on a stubborn expression: "No! I must become Lady Tsunade's disciple, I want to..."

She hesitated, clearly having something on her mind but unsure whether to say it.

Jiraiya encouraged her in a supportive tone: "You're a ninja now, not a child. Speak your mind boldly, I, an old man, will definitely keep your secret!"

He wore an expression that seemed to say, "Tell me your troubles, let me have a good laugh," as he waited for Ino to vent.

"Sigh, the truth is, I want to become Lady Tsunade's disciple because of Medical Ninja Techniques, but I came here in such a hurry because of the Chunin Exams. My skills are too weak, and the pressure is overwhelming, so I wanted to get some guidance from Lady Tsunade."

The Chunin Exams? That's what this is about? Although the exams were a distant memory for Jiraiya, as a high-ranking member of the village, he knew that the Hidden Leaf was preparing to host a large-scale Chunin Exam.

He was aware of the situation. Ino, being the top of her class, would definitely participate in the exam. That was perfectly normal.

In Jiraiya's eyes, a bunch of Genin fighting each other was no different from a bunch of amateurs squabbling. This was an easy problem to solve. He could just give Ino a few pointers, string her along, and buy himself a couple of days without any issue.

"Alright then, since I have nothing to do right now, I might as well give you some guidance."

"Really? Lord Jiraiya?!"

"Of course, it's true. What Ninja techniques are you good at? Water Release? Alright, let's head to the water. Show me your Water Release."

Fifteen minutes later, Jiraiya stood in the water, drenched from head to toe, looking as if he had just been fished out.

He gave Ino a strange look. "Are you really preparing for the Chunin Exams? And you're feeling pressured? Since when do Genin from the Hidden Leaf Village have this level of skill? If all the Genin in the Hidden Leaf were at this level, the village would have already unified the Shinobi World!"