Jiraiya

Naruto didn't care whether the Nine-Tails understood him or not, these things were just a whim. It just so happened that he had promised the Nine-Tails last time, so he decided to take care of it while he wasn't busy.

With a snap of his fingers, Naruto's consciousness disappeared from the sealed space.

The sky gradually darkened, and the midsummer night was stuffy.

At the entrance of a convenience store, Naruto was squatting by the roadside, licking an ice cream, when a pair of man's legs appeared in his line of sight.

"What's this?"

"You little brat, call me the Toad Sage! Also... get out of the way."

The old man, who called himself the Toad Sage, had rebellious white hair all over his head, a forehead protector with the kanji for "oil" on it, a fishnet training outfit with a brown inner lining, and a red jacket draped over him. His cheeks were painted with two vertical lines of red makeup.

"Uncle, you're so old but still acting so childish," Naruto recognized Jiraiya but had no intention of moving. He took another bite of his ice cream and glanced at Jiraiya. "What a pathetic adult."

"You brat, talking so rudely, watch out for a beating!" Jiraiya was losing his patience, his smiling expression almost breaking as he rolled up his sleeves and threatened loudly.

"Hey, Uncle, you better be careful. Last time I saw you using low-level methods to peek at a women's bath," Naruto continued to suck on his ice cream, his smooth forehead exposed. He had already gotten used to not wearing his forehead protector when not on a mission.

Since no one cared, he could do whatever he wanted.

"Low-level methods?" Jiraiya furrowed his brows. "What would a brat like you understand? That was for research."

"You hit on someone and got slapped, a pervert following a girl got chased eight blocks, and..."

"You've been spying on me?" Jiraiya was shocked. "How do you know that?"

"I have VIP access to all the hot springs in Konoha."

"You brat, how do you have so much money?" Jiraiya broke into a cold sweat, realizing something was wrong.

"Money means I can do whatever I want," Naruto said. He finished the ice cream, picked up the wooden stick, and stood up, looking at Jiraiya. "Uncle, I think you're a down-and-out writer, right?"

"Oh? How did you figure that out?" Jiraiya became interested, a smile appearing on his face.

"It's easy to tell. You look sleazy, lecherous, act suspiciously, and talk about 'research' and such strange things. If you're not a writer, you're just a pervert."

Jiraiya's smile froze as he listened to Naruto's not-so-praising words.

Naruto ignored Jiraiya's expression and continued.

"But I guess even if you're a writer, you're probably the kind who writes 18+ stuff, with no real work to show for it."

"Don't judge people by their appearance! The books I write are bestsellers and timeless classics!" Jiraiya was getting irritated by Naruto's nonchalant tone and argued back loudly.

"Timeless classics? Uncle, have you read Jin Ping Mei?"

"What... what Mei?" Jiraiya froze, his skin crawling at the mention of that book's title.

Plum blossoms hold a special place in the ninja world, considered even more elegant than cherry blossoms. Geishas wear them in February, and girls in the Fire Country say things like "My heart is like plum blossoms" to confess their feelings, similar to the phrase "The moon is beautiful" for confessions.

Such pure and elegant flowers should be stored in the most refined containers, but the vulgar "Jin Ping Mei" jars combine with plum blossoms to create an ambiguous and decadent image.

Just reading the name alone makes it clear—it's a work of genius!

"Tell me, where can I buy that book?" Jiraiya grabbed Naruto's hand, slightly excited.

"That's an old book I found in a garbage heap. I was lucky enough to see a damaged copy," Naruto casually broke the ice cream stick in half and began telling Jiraiya a story about Pan Jinlian.

Although Naruto spoke in a disjointed and casual manner, Jiraiya easily got immersed in it. A good story transcends dimensions, and Jiraiya's eyes lit up. But then the story abruptly stopped.

"That's it? Continue!" Jiraiya urged, slightly frustrated.

"I forgot," Naruto threw the broken stick into the trash. "And I'm heading home."

Jiraiya, in the middle of getting inspired by the story, wasn't about to let Naruto just leave. He hurriedly followed.

"You can't just leave halfway! At least tell me what happened after the bamboo pole was knocked over. Sounds so... No, it sounds like it has a great story."

"I said I forgot, so I forgot," Naruto didn't pay attention to Jiraiya and walked ahead without looking back.

"You brat, why are you so unreasonable?!" Jiraiya extended his hand to grab him.

But Naruto, as if he had eyes on his back, dodged his hand with a swift sidestep. Jiraiya widened his eyes, thinking that his speed wasn't slow, and that a Genin shouldn't be able to dodge it.

Jiraiya reached out again, but Naruto jumped away.

With a few quick steps, Naruto leapt up a tree, landed on a rooftop, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Jiraiya stood there for a moment, the night breeze brushing his large cloak. He was stunned for a second, then smiled. This kid had a very different temperament from his father, Minato. If Minato and Kushina were still around, they'd probably be very troubled.

Jiraiya sighed as he walked off in another direction.

He hadn't planned to return, as his ideas didn't align with those of the old men in Konoha. It was better to gather information outside than stay in this oppressive village.

---

After leaving, Naruto didn't go home. After wandering the streets for a while, he went to the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

He hadn't seen Hinata in a month, and their promised barbecue was still far away. After wandering the streets for a month, Naruto had become a qualified street kid. But this monotonous life would soon end, because tomorrow was the third round of the Chunin Exams.

Ino was bored while tending the shop, about to close when the wind chimes at the door rang.

"Welcome... Naruto?" Ino blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"Buying flowers."

"Huh? Naruto, you're buying flowers?" Ino said as she stood up, "Let me pick one for you. Who are you giving it to?"

"Please don't ask about customers' privacy," Naruto grumbled. "I want a white chrysanthemum. Please wrap it up."

"Hm?" Ino quickly wrapped the white chrysanthemum, then asked, "Are you memorializing someone?"

"Yeah," Naruto didn't want to say it was for the Third Hokage for convenience.

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