After finishing his workload for this morning, Kakashi was getting ready to go home, but he spotted a suspicious figure near Konoha bathhouse.
Kakashi stopped. In addition to being the leader of First Team, he himself was against this perverted behavior.
Just as the figure was about to peek into the girls' bath, Kakashi decided to teach him a lesson.
Kakashi clasped his hands together, intertwining his pinkie and ring fingers, while his index and middle fingers remained straight and merged.
"Konoha Secret Art: One Thousand Years of Death!"
Swoosh!
Kakashi instantly vanished from his original position, transforming into a streak of light as he instantly reappeared behind the mysterious figure.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya stood beneath the window, voluptuous bodies behind the wooden wall. His perverted smirk showed how much he looked forward to seeing what was beyond this wall.
Just as Jiraiya sniffed the bewitching scent of bathhouse filled with beautiful women, he faintly sensed a chill on his back. Subconsciously, he turned around to check.
He then witnessed Kakashi, who was swiftly closing in on him.
"No!" Watching Kakashi's raised fingers, Jiraiya seemed to sense the excruciating pain he was about to feel.
It was only at this moment that Kakashi realized that this suspicious figure was none other than Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin and his teacher's teacher.
However, it was too late. Kakashi could no longer stop his finger that was stabbing Jiraiya's ass.
An indescribable pain immediately coursed through Jiraiya's entire body like an electric current. Jiraiya's face turned green, and he leaped ten meters high before crashing painfully onto the ground.
As he fell, instead of protecting his head, Jiraiya covered the part that suffered the inhuman blow earlier.
Jiraiya could say for certain that he had never felt anything more painful than this, and he sincerely wished he wouldn't go through this again.
"Ahem." Kakashi cleared his throat awkwardly, then placed his hands behind his back, and asked with a sheepish look on his face.
"Lord Jiraiya, why were you sneaking around the women's bathhouse in that shady gray robe? Anyone would mistake you for a peeping tom."
Hadn't Jiraiya worn that oversized gray bathrobe, Kakashi would have recognized him. Considering his attire and the look on his face, anyone would think he was a peeping tom at the women's bathhouse.
"What peeping? It's called gathering inspiration!" Jiraiya retorted instinctively upon hearing the word "peeping."
Kakashi: ...
Perhaps he didn't target the wrong person.
"Ahem." Realizing that he might have unintentionally revealed too much, Jiraiya cleared his throat and explained, "Actually, I just returned to Konoha and felt exhausted, so I thought of taking a bath to relax."
"By the way, you're Kakashi, right? You're Minato's disciple if I'm not mistaken, right? Why are you loitering near the women's bathhouse? Peeping is not a good habit." Jiraiya put on a serious expression, as if he were a righteous mentor advising a naive youth not to fall into the wrong path.
Kakashi remained silent. Peeping at the women's bathhouse? Why would he do it if his wife was undeniably one of the most beautiful women in Konoha.
Nevertheless, Jiraiya was a well-known Shinobi who had contributed significantly to Konoha. Considering what he just did, Kakashi decided to let this one slide out of guilt and changed the conversation.
"Lord Jiraiya, it's been a while since you came back. I can inform Minato-sensei about your return; he'll be delighted to know. Also, Lady Tsunade has returned during your absence," Kakashi said, adding the last part after some thought.
"Haha, I already knew about Tsunade's return. No need to bother Minato; he's busy as the current Hokage. I'll go find him myself; I have something to discuss with him." Jiraiya laughed as he stood up.
Although Kakashi had given Jiraiya a painful "One Thousand Years of Death," Jiraiya quickly forgave him. Getting a beating for peeping was something Jiraiya had grown accustomed to; he didn't see any problem with it. Risk and reward were proportional, after all.
Kakashi's technique might be painful, but compared to the incident with Tsunade, it was nothing. That time, he nearly got killed, literally.
"Well then, I'm sorry to bother you, Lord Jiraiya. I'm heading home." Kakashi nodded, bidding farewell to Jiraiya.
He had a lovely daughter and a beautiful wife waiting for him at home. Chatting with Jiraiya by the women's bathhouse didn't seem appropriate.
"Hmm." Jiraiya nodded, but he seemed to recall something and handed out a novel to Kakashi with a perverted smile. "Consider it a gift; you'll surely like it."
"Make-Out Paradise..." Kakashi was confused as he read the title of the book and eventually accepted it.
He enjoyed reading novels, especially during his depressed days.
After expressing his gratitude, Kakashi left.
Watching Kakashi's gradually disappearing figure, Jiraiya's initially lecherous smile suddenly turned serious.
"Incredible. I never expected Minato's disciple to reach this level. Even I can sense the danger from him."
Even though Jiraiya was so immersed in peeping a moment ago, he knew that Kakashi's strength couldn't be overlooked. His lightning-fast speed and overwhelming Chakra spoke volumes about his strength.
Jiraiya himself admitted that back when he was at Kakashi's age, he probably couldn't stand toe-to-toe with the current Kakashi even with ten of him.
"Could he be the Child of Prophecy?" Jiraiya pondered for a moment and then shook his head.
Although Kakashi was powerful, Jiraiya had encountered someone even more talented—a young boy with the legendary Rinnegan.
And Jiraiya couldn't even say for sure that the boy was the Child of Prophecy, so Kakashi was even more unlikely.
Jiraiya adjusted his oversized gray robe with a painful look on his face as he covered the injured area with his hand. He walked slowly towards Konoha Hospital with constant groaning.
Jiraiya pretended like he was fine for the sake of his pride. But he was far from fine. It was a Chakra-infused stab at a delicate area!
Walking through crowded streets, Jiraiya felt countless curious gazes upon him. He picked up his pace, but it only made the pain intensify.
"I should talk to Minato and ask him to categorize that Technique as a Forbidden Technique." Jiraiya thought painfully.
How could such a cruel and terrifying technique that destroyed both one's body and soul exist?
Jiraiya finally realized why the technique was named Thousand Years of Death.
Jiraiya could no longer endure the pain and rushed towards the Konoha Hospital.
However, just as he reached the hospital's entrance, he heard the alarm for a Jonin meeting. Upon hearing this signal, all Jonin, except those with special missions or certain circumstances, had to attend a meeting at the Hokage Building.
Jiraiya was, of course, a Jonin so needed to participate in the Jonin meeting. However, considering his current situation, Jiraiya believed that he was under a certain "circumstances". So, after a brief thinking, he continued towards the hospital.
Then, Jiraiya saw Tsunade walking out of the hospital.
Konoha Hospital was affiliated with the Medical Division, an essential part of it. While Tsunade held the highest position, she was also a doctor at the hospital.
Although Tsunade was a doctor, she rarely engaged in actual operations due to her high rank. Instead, she provided guidance, a crucial role even though she was not directly involved.
Today, Tsunade had helped with a challenging surgery. She was planning to go home afterward, but she changed her mind upon hearing the Jonin meeting signal and decided to head to the Hokage Building.
While all Jonin were required to attend, Tsunade, being the head of the Medical Department, had a louder voice during the Jonin meetings and could sit closer to the Hokage.
Jiraiya missed Tsunade but didn't want to encounter her in this state. He lowered his head, hoping to slip by unnoticed and enter the Konoha Hospital without Tsunade realizing.
However, having been friends for over a decade, Tsunade recognized Jiraiya despite Jiraiya's attempt to sneak past her. Even though he wore a gray, oversized bathrobe and kept his head down, it only took Tsunade a glance to figure out that it was Jiraiya.
However, what puzzled Tsunade was why Jiraiya seemed to be avoiding her. It was as if he didn't want to look anyone in the eye, passing by without greeting her, and continued walking past her.
Jiraiya desperately kept his head down. As he walked past Tsunade, he was really nervous.
The moment Jiraiya walked past Tsunade, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he managed to slip past Tsunade.
However, just as Jiraiya was rejoicing, he felt a heavy force on his shoulder, preventing him from even taking a step.
"Jiraiya, what's going on with you? Dressing like that in your own village, being so sneaky, and not even greeting me. What are you up to?"
That familiar female voice reached his ears, extinguishing the last bit of Jiraiya's hope.
Jiraiya awkwardly turned around. "Ah, it's you, Tsunade. It's been so long, and I was in a hurry, so I didn't realize you're here."
Tsunade crossed her arms and frowned. "You've got to be kidding me. Didn't we meet once in the Land of Birds? And you can't recognize me already?"
"But why are you back? Weren't you living a good life outside? Drinking with two hostesses, spreading tales of your heroic deeds in the Great Shinobi World War where you saved bad-tempered and incompetent teammates."
Hearing Tsunade mention this, Jiraiya blushed. He had drunk quite a bit that time and got a little too tipsy. He thought that since they were in the Land of Birds, it wouldn't reach Konoha. However, he didn't expect to run into Tsunade and Nagasawa, who were going to Shikkotsu Forest, and Tsunade caught him red-handed.
"Well, it's a story. Making a few tweaks is normal, right?" Jiraiya tried to save his reputation.
"That aside, I hear that the Tsuchikage, Raikage, and Kazekage are coming to Konoha's Chunin Exams. With so many Kage coming, I was afraid something might go wrong, so I came back," Jiraiya explained his true reason for returning.
Upon hearing this news, Jiraiya was taken aback. He thought it might be a hoax. Since when did Sunagakure and Konoha get that friendly? During the Third Great Shinobi World War, Sunagakure was the most relentless village to attack Konoha.
Iwagakure was pretty shameless as well in Jiraiya's opinion by announcing that they were Konoha's ally.
When he heard the news from Kumogakure, Jiraiya was at a loss. Didn't you just fight against Konoha two years ago? How did you become such a tight-knit ally all of a sudden?
But after careful investigation and contacting Konoha, he found out that this absurd news was true.
With three Great Shinobi Countries' Kage gathering in Konoha, Jiraiya was afraid something might happen. Additionally, it had been a long time since he returned to Konoha, so he rushed back overnight.
However, the allure of the women's bathhouse was too tempting. Jiraiya couldn't resist enjoying the scenery of Konoha's bathhouse to find artistic inspiration before inquiring about the situation from Minato.
He didn't expect that he would get stabbed on the ass in this nostalgic return.
It was truly disheartening. He just wanted to savor the beauty of his hometown, yet why did he have to suffer? Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
"Nice excuse. I'll let you off this time. But you came at the right moment. You can go to the Jonin meeting," Tsunade said.
Tsunade got furious just thinking about how Jiraiya badmouthed her. Last time, when he got drunk, she didn't manage to punch him. She initially wanted to teach Jiraiya a lesson this time, but seeing him looking exhausted, probably because of his journey, Tsunade decided to let it slide.
Upon hearing that he needed to attend the Jonin meeting, Jiraiya's expression stiffened.
Could he endure the Jonin meeting that lasted for an entire afternoon?
Seeing Jiraiya's suddenly unpleasant face, Tsunade was puzzled. Since she hadn't said anything just now, she asked, "Jiraiya, what's wrong with you? You're not planning to skip the meeting, do you? The old man is one thing, but the current Hokage is Minato, you know!"
Facing Tsunade's question, Jiraiya couldn't answer. He couldn't tell Tsunade that he was stabbed in the as while peeping at the women's bathhouse.
Moreover, Jiraiya was Minato's teacher. If he didn't go, especially after returning to Konoha, it would give a bad impression.
Jiraiya found himself in a dilemma.