"Xin, I may have expressed myself poorly, but I had no intention of forcing you into retirement."
Xin said nothing, simply turning and leaving the office.
Of course, you didn't want me to retire-you just wanted to target me while still hoping I'd keep working myself to death for the village.
It seems this misunderstanding will be hard to clear up!
The Third Hokage shook his head, filing the application away with the rest of the documents.
As for reviewing and approving it? That was out of the question.
"Go and summon Orochimaru and Jiraiya for me."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
An Anbu operative swiftly left to find Jiraiya and Orochimaru and deliver the message that the Hokage wanted to see them.
Orochimaru was in decent shape, despite having stayed up all night for his research, still looking sharp.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. His hair was a mess, dark circles under his eyes showing he hadn't slept well at all.
After sending Nawaki back to the village, Jiraiya had gone to certain places that weren't appropriate for children, looking for some fun.
Since he couldn't gather research by peeping, he figured it was fine to pay for entertainment, right?
During his downtime, Jiraiya lived the high life-though it was hard on his wallet and his stamina.
Before he could fully enjoy himself, Minato had shown up. The events from yesterday had kept Jiraiya awake all night, leaving him half-dead by morning.
"Even when you're having fun, you should take care of yourself. You're going to end up dead because of women at this rate," Orochimaru commented dryly, glancing at Jiraiya.
"Shut up! I couldn't sleep because of that brat Xin's situation, alright?" Jiraiya snapped, clearly annoyed.
Orochimaru smirked but didn't bother responding.
Look at you, all worn out, and you're trying to blame it on Xin? I didn't sleep either, and I'm perfectly fine.
When they arrived at the Hokage's office, Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the exhausted Third Hokage and Jiraiya, who looked like he had no energy left.
"Ahem, Jiraiya, you really should take it easy-you're still young," Third Hokage said with concern, seeing how worse off Jiraiya looked than himself.
How many women did you entertain to end up like this?
It was too late for excuses. Jiraiya sighed in frustration, yawning as he asked, "Old man, let's keep this short. I didn't sleep a wink last night-I'm exhausted. What do you need from us?"
"Orochimaru, did Danzo give you any chakra metal?"
The Hokage's first question was directed at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru opened his hands and shook his head slightly.
So they found out about Danzo moving supplies around. No wonder the old man looks so haggard- there must have been quite the stir.