Why did Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, fall victim to a group of ordinary civilians the moment he set foot back in the Hidden Leaf? The truth has been buried in the long river of history, lost to time.
However, according to a witness who claimed to see the entire event but refused to provide a real name, Lord Jiraiya seemed perfectly content being pummeled by a crowd of disheveled, angry women...
This led to a long-standing rumor among a small group of ill-intentioned individuals that "Lord Jiraiya is actually a massive masochist."
In reality, Jiraiya had been recalled to the village for official business—serious business that concerned the very livelihood of the Hidden Leaf. Hagoromo's guess was partially correct; it started with Tsunade's departure, but the ultimate goal had shifted far beyond her.
Tsunade's exit had dealt a heavy blow to the Third Hokage. Though he was loath to see her go, he was powerless to stop her. His grief wasn't just about losing a major military asset—that was secondary. More importantly, she was his prized student. To the Third, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were more than just subordinates; they were family.
Humans, no matter how disciplined, can never truly discard their emotions. Ninjas are ordered to kill their feelings, yet didn't the Hokage eventually let Orochimaru walk free even after he committed unpardonable sins?
Tsunade's departure caused the Third profound pain. And from the way she said her goodbyes, he had a haunting premonition: this wasn't a temporary parting, but a permanent severance. He didn't just feel sorrow; he felt a deep, existential ache.
He was right. The two would never see each other again.
This triggered a downward spiral of introspection for the Hokage. His helplessness over his student's departure evolved into a psychological sense of frailty. For the first time, the Third Hokage looked in the mirror and realized he was getting old. He was over fifty, after all.
Naturally, his thoughts turned toward establishing a successor. He needed to hand the village over to someone he could trust. Having led the Leaf through multiple wars, he was still the village's backbone, but the future required a new Kage.
The idea had crossed his mind before, but never with such urgency.
He thought of Jiraiya.
In the Third's heart, Jiraiya was the prime candidate for the Fourth Hokage. Of his three legendary students, Tsunade—the granddaughter of the First and Second—had the perfect pedigree, but she was gone. That left the other two.
Orochimaru was brilliant but somber, obsessed with ninjutsu to a point that bordered on extremism. Jiraiya, on the other hand, was fundamentally sound on big-picture issues, even if his daily personality was a bit... erratic.
The Hokage favored Jiraiya because he believed Jiraiya truly inherited his soul—the famous Will of Fire.
Of course, in terms of temperament, strength, and contribution to the village, Jiraiya's student, Minato Namikaze, was technically the most "perfect" fit. But to the Third, Minato was the "third generation" (with himself as the first and the Sannin as the second). Minato would be Kage eventually, but the Third envisioned him as the Fifth. Minato was brilliant and powerful, but he was still too young to command the respect of the village Elders.
Jiraiya didn't have that problem. As for his minor character flaws? They could be fixed.
One has to admit, the Hokage was being a bit naive. Can you really "fix" perversion when it's written into a man's DNA? By the time Jiraiya stops climbing trees to peep, pigs will be flying.
Hagoromo, completely unaware of these high-level political machinations, continued his slow, self-satisfied stroll toward Kushina's house after his "good deed" of the day.
When he pushed open the door, he found three people inside.
He realized then that something big was happening. Not only was Jiraiya back from the front, but Minato was here too. Was the Hidden Leaf preparing for a massive shift? He kept the thought to himself; he might speculate wildly in his head, but he knew better than to pry into things above his pay grade.
Currently, Jiraiya was sporting a magnificent black eye and several fresh scratches across his face. Kushina was "cleaning" his wounds with alarming brutality.
Hagoromo had taken his sweet time getting here, yet Jiraiya had clearly sprinted back. Unfortunately, the Sannin had made some very poor life choices:
He could have cleaned his own wounds.
He could have asked his student, Minato, for help.
Under no circumstances should he have let Kushina "help."
Watching his expression, it was hard to tell if he was being treated or tortured. Jiraiya was clearly miserable—partly because of the "anonymous whistleblower" from earlier, and partly because of Kushina's heavy-handed medical style.
But mostly, he was miserable because of the domestic bliss radiating from Kushina and Minato. The two of them seemed completely oblivious to the psychic damage they were dealing to a man who had been single for thirty years and was rapidly evolving toward a forty-year streak.
"Kushina-sensei, Minato-senpai," Hagoromo greeted them.
"Hagoromo! You're back?" Kushina replied without turning around. She was busy with the final step of the "treatment."
Minato and Jiraiya both turned to look at him.
As Kushina spoke, she took a glob of some suspicious black paste and splatted it right onto Jiraiya's face. The sound alone made Hagoromo's skin crawl.
To be honest, Jiraiya's injuries were trivial—just a few scratches from the civilians he'd been peeping on. But now, under Kushina's care, he looked like he was suffering from a serious medical emergency.
Kushina inspected Jiraiya's face, then clapped her hands with satisfaction. "Done!"
"Kushina-sensei, who is this... uncle?" Hagoromo asked, feigning ignorance.
He hadn't even finished playing dumb when Jiraiya suddenly bolted upright.
Hagoromo had been a bit too naive. He thought that because Jiraiya hadn't seen his face in the tree, he could act like a total stranger. He forgot one thing: just because the man didn't see him, doesn't mean he didn't hear him.
Did he really think an elite ninja wouldn't remember the exact voice that shouted his crimes to the whole neighborhood?
Doing "good deeds" is a dangerous business. Sometimes, karma catches up to you faster than you think.
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