Jiraiya left.
Unlike when he had arrived, his back now carried nothing but confusion and loss.
This… shouldn't have happened.
When he first came, he had already decided in his heart—he stood on the side of justice, and the Uchiha Kai under his scrutiny was the villain.
But now?
After being thoroughly rebuked by Kai, he realized—he had been rendered completely speechless.
Yes.
He couldn't even argue back.
After all, he wasn't Danzo, nor was he Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He couldn't bring himself to lie with his eyes wide open.
What Jiraiya didn't realize was that the more someone claimed righteousness, the easier they were to manipulate.
The reason was simple.
In any world, "good people" were not allowed to have flaws.
A butcher could become a Buddha the moment he laid down his knife.
But a good man?
The moment he wavered, he fell straight into contradiction.
And that was precisely why Kai had respected Jiraiya from the very beginning.
You're a good person.
So tell me—if Sarutobi Hiruzen has done so many wrong things, how can you still help bad people bully the Uchiha?
Where, then, is the justice you speak of?
Yes.
This, too, was a trap.
A method Kai had already seen countless times in his previous life.
Raise someone high first—
So high that they could no longer climb down.
This was called moral execution.
"Heh… naïve."
"Using that Jiraiya brain of yours to test me?"
"Who are you looking down on?"
Kai muttered softly.
Watching Jiraiya's retreating figure, his eyes held nothing but indifference.
Among the so-called Three Sannin of Konoha, only Orochimaru was worth any real regard.
As for Tsunade and Jiraiya?
Forget it.
A pure-hearted good person like that was destined to end poorly.
Good people were the easiest to bully.
Tsunade was slightly better—under Senju Tobirama's influence, she still had brains and decisiveness.
Knowing there was no place for her in the current village, she simply chose not to return.
But Jiraiya?
If you couldn't stand the darkness, you should never have come back.
Wandering freely through the ninja world—no one controlling you, no one binding you.
How perfect was that?
Yet he insisted on stepping back into this filthy vortex, transforming himself from an outsider into an insider.
Didn't he understand?
The moment he returned to Konoha—
He had already entered the game.
But whatever.
What did that have to do with him?
Shaking his head, Kai couldn't be bothered to think further.
After finishing his tea, he lay back down on the recliner.
Ah… bliss.
…
On the other side.
After leaving the Uchiha compound, Jiraiya felt deeply unsettled.
And at the same time, something felt very wrong.
Wait.
Hadn't he gone there to test Kai?
The key point was strength.
Yes—strength.
The confrontation between the Uchiha and Konoha's upper echelons had already been laid bare.
He didn't need to test that.
The real purpose of this visit had always been simple—
To fight.
Only through combat could he truly gauge Kai's strength, compare it against the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, and determine whether Kai was truly the so-called son of the devil.
But now?
From beginning to end, Kai had completely controlled the rhythm of the conversation.
Without ever drawing a blade, he had dragged Jiraiya straight into a pit.
Damn it.
The more Jiraiya thought about it, the uglier his expression became.
Had he been played?
Maybe… maybe not.
After all, Kai couldn't foresee the future.
How could he possibly know Jiraiya's true objective?
So had this test amounted to nothing?
Thinking of that, black lines filled Jiraiya's forehead.
For a moment, he even wanted to turn back.
But—
After a long, helpless sigh, he shook his head.
Forget it.
He wasn't in the mood anymore.
Kai's words had thoroughly shattered the fantasies he clung to.
The Senju's decline.
The destruction of the Uzumaki clan.
Hatake Sakumo's suicide…
These were all things he had witnessed personally.
Though he had been young at the time and hadn't fully understood them, as he grew older and gradually gained influence in Konoha, he had inevitably come into contact with the village's darkness.
So he knew.
Kai hadn't been lying.
And that was exactly what made it hurt even more.
Because he knew it was wrong—
Yet lacked the ability to change it.
Heartache.
"Tch, you little bastard!"
"You got lucky this time!"
"But there will be another chance!"
"No rush—I'll get you back sooner or later!"
"I, Jiraiya, am not someone to mess with!"
Jiraiya gritted his teeth.
And in the end, all he could do was return dejectedly to Namikaze Minato's home.
Why not his own?
Ha.
He had been away from Konoha for years.
His place was probably nothing but dust by now.
Even thinking about cleaning it killed his mood.
So—
Why not stay with his precious disciple a little longer?
A place to sleep, food ready at hand.
Perfect.
Thinking that, Jiraiya suddenly laughed.
His mentality shifted quickly.
Though the discussion earlier had been heavy and suffocating, he recovered in the blink of an eye.
Simply put—
Thick-skinned.
Of course, if he didn't have such an outlook, he'd have collapsed into depression long ago.
By the time he returned to Minato's house, Obito, Rin, and Kakashi were training in the small courtyard.
Jiraiya glanced at them briefly, but showed no intention of offering guidance.
He vaulted straight through the window and landed in Minato's study.
Minato was reading.
When he saw Jiraiya return, he stood up with a smile.
"Sensei, you're back."
"Did you manage to test Kai?"
"What do you think of him?"
"I was right, wasn't I?"
"Kai really is a very good person."
Minato's eyes were full of curiosity.
He genuinely wanted to know—
What kind of Uchiha Kai was, in his teacher's eyes.
But Jiraiya's smile froze instantly.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
He looked at Minato helplessly, then couldn't hold back anymore—rolling his eyes as his whole face sagged.
Truly—
Opening the wrong pot at the wrong time.
Crossing his arms, Jiraiya immediately exploded into complaints.
"A good person?"
"Minato, do you have a fever?!"
"That treacherous little brat—do you honestly think he's a good person?"
"He's shameless!"
"Absolutely shameless!"
"Bullying an old man like me!"
"Argh!"
"This Toad Sage is furious!"
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