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  Jiraiya left the publishing house and strolled dowreets of the new ercial district.

  All sorts of novel shops were open for business.

  As he took in the ges that had occurred in Konoha over the years, everythi both familiar and fn.

  The Konoha he remembered, shrouded in the dark clouds of war, seemed to have bee a tale from a history book.

  Several magnifit buildings stood tall in the new ercial district.

  Many out-of-tathered there, hiring photographers to capture their visit.

  There were even ordinary people who had traveled on foot from small nations to Konoha. Konoha, with its benevole, had implemented many policies beneficial to tourists from other vilges.

  For example, they could exge slogans for a free photo opportunity.

  From afar, Jiraiya heard:

  “Reag the stro vilge in the shinobi world-Konoha! So beautiful, Konoha!”

  “Oh my, isn’t that... Look at the Hokage Ro the distance, everyone!”

  Such peculiar slogans… yet, as Jiraiya listeo the out-of-towners’ ts, he couldn’t help but straighten his back with pride.

  Jiraiya sighed, “It feels like ninjas like me have bee behind by the times.”

  “Where should I go ? It’s rare for me to return to Konoha. Should I visit the old man?”

  As he walked, Jiraiya’s footsteps suddenly halted.

  His eyes lit up as he spotted a foot massage parlor tucked away in a er of the street!

  A foot massage parlor.

  Jiraiya had entered one during his travels to a small nation.

  Beautiful young women, ordinary people with massage skills rivaling those of ninjas, had provided him with a truly fantastic experience.

  He never imagined he’d find su establishment in Konoha.

  Now, seeing the shapely figures of the women at the entrance of the foot massage parlor, Jiraiya’s desires stirred.

  “Should I go in and rex for a bit?”

  Jiraiya was about to take a step but hesitated, his expression flicted.

  Konoha was, after all, his hometown.

  A gentleman didn’t dip his pen in the pany ink, and besides… he still harbored a romanti, and somewhat age-inappropriate infatuation for Tsunade.

  If word of him visiting a foot massage parlor reached Tsunade’s ears… he could kiss that i fantasy goodbye.

  Jiraiya couldn’t bear the thought.

  “I’ll just e. I always visit the women’s bathhouse tonight…”

  Jiraiya clicked his torying to force himself to leave.

  His gaze involuntarily drifted downwards, nding on the mysterious pouch attached to his waist.

  “Ah, look at me, I pletely fot to open it.”

  As he spoke, Jiraiya’s eyes lingered on the fair legs of the women at the entrance of the foot massage parlor.

  Every gnce was a blessing.

  Ihe pouch, as expected, was a he handwriting was clear, veying the message the mysterious author intended for Jiraiya.

  “Oh, great author I’ve never met, you must have something to say to the great Jiraiya-sama.”

  Jiraiya focused his gaze oe-

  [Don’t uimate my intelligework. As you open this pouch, you’re standiantly in front of a foot massage parlor, aren’t you?]

  Jiraiya’s pupils stricted. He couldn’t prehend how the author knew his current state.

  Was it the old man’s Telescope Teique?!

  [Remember:]

  [You’re not just washi; you’re washing away the grime of your jourhrough the shinobi world. You’re kneading away the rough edges and misfortunes carved by time. The pain you feel is their fate.]

  [They don’t seek your ninjutsu or your chakra, yet they offer you the geouch.]

  [At first, you thought today was an ordinary day, but wheand before you with their cases, they’re like flowers nurtured by a mountain spring. The autumn wind knows your tender and affeate heart.]

  [Love arises with the chime of the clock, and when the clock stops, love lingers.]

  [If you don’t go today, you’ll appear to be a man who doesn’t uand romance.]

  Jiraiya was utterly shaken. His chakra felt drained as he instinctively straightened his back, a sihought ing his mind:

  “This… is this what a literary master is like?”

  “How I, the galnt Jiraiya, be someone who doesn’t uand romance?!”

  …

  …

  “Eh? You’re saying Jiraiya and Orochimaru want to treat me to dinner?”

  “Really?”

  Gojo Kaigetsu, sitting in his office at the publishing house, looked at Kakashi with surprise.

  Since Samui’s departure for Tanzaku Quarters, Gojo Kaigetsu had practically been living at the publishing house, relut to eveurn home.

  “It’s… defirue.” Kakashi nodded solemnly. “After all, Jiraiya-sama personally approached me about it.”

  “Oh, in that case, I’ll have to prepare a prift.”

  “You’re dismissed, Kakashi.”

  “Yes, Gojo-sama. Also… the iigatios regarding Specialist Koyama’s accusations of embezzlement against you are out.”

  “Hmm? And?”

  Kakashi cleared his throat. “Acc to the iigation, Gojo-sama, your duct is exempry, and you are undoubtedly i! Specialist Koyama’s accusations are pure fabrication.”

  “Haha, Kakashi, you’re quite the ftterer… quite skilled at providiional support.”

  “Tell you what, I’ll let you in on a secret.” Gojo Kaigetsu covered his mouth and whispered, “Actually… I’m a time-traveling ninja who came back through the dragon vein.”

  Kakashi: “...”

  “This afternoon, Specialist Koyama will be severely beaten by a masked assaint. And you, Kakashi, will be promoted within the ANBU thanks to your abilities.”

  “Ah…? Then you really are a time traveler!”

  “Right? You ’t go around telling people I’m a time-traveling ninja. It won’t work if you spread it around.” Gojo Kaigetsu waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, go get to work.”

  After Kakashi left, Gojo Kaigetsu was alone again in the empty office.

  He closed his eyes, pting Orochimaru.

  That guy’s resolve was far to. Gojo Kaigetsu had attempted various Talk-no-Jutsu tactics to sway him, hoping to keep him in Konoha.

  However, his Talk-no-Jutsu level was clearly insuffit, mostly elig ambiguous responses.

  Furthermore, subsequent system logs had pletely shattered Gojo Kaigetsu’s hopes.

  Orochimaru’s defe from the vilge was a fone clusion. The tig time bomb of “human experimentation,” pnted who knows when, was a stant threat.

  Some argued that Orochimaru defected because he lost the petition for the Fourth Hokage position against Minato, portraying him as a sore loser in a political power struggle. This was a gross uatement of Orochimaru’s character.

  Before defeg, Orochimaru had pleted 521 B-rank missions, 491 A-rank missions, and 108 S-rank missions for Konoha.

  Even Minato’s S-rank mission t was less than a third of his, his A-rank t was only two-thirds, and his B and k ts were less than half.

  Such a distinguished figure, whose tributions could be sidered on par with a Konoha military ander, chose to defect for the sake of pursuing immortality and dug bloody human experiments in the name of stific adva…

  As long as a ninja’s energy was eled in the right dire, they wouldn’t be bothered by such trivial matters.

  He o let the lower-ranking ninjas and civilians know that Konoha was still Konoha, capable of thriving even without him, Gojo Kaigetsu, or anyone else!

  “Since I ’t keep him, and I ’t kill him at this stage, and prolonging the timeline might even increase Konoha’s prosperity…”

  Faced with this predit, Konoha’s chief physi, Gojo Kaigetsu, thought-

  “I might as well make things unpleasant for you, Orochimaru.”

  “At this stage, has Orochimaru already developed and refihe Edo Tensei?” Gojo Kaigetsu stroked his . He didn’t remember maails about Orochimaru’s current progress.

  Gojo Kaigetsu took out a pen and paper and swiftly wrote doassage resembling an intation.

  An average person might scoff at its tents, but for Orochimaru, who was already obsessed with his research… it was just the right bait.

  “Snake demon, I want you…”

  “Oh, wait.”

  “Basilisk, I want to help you!”

  ━━━━━

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