Chapter 71 Jiraiya, the Toad
Sage Uchiha Touhuan hadn't expected his first formal meeting with Jiraiya to be like this.
After being arrested, Jiraiya was relatively cooperative, his hands cuffed as he hunched over in the interrogation room chair, a few awkward smiles on his face. His posture was exactly like the village's habitual thieves; no wonder the patrolling team didn't recognize him—after all, who knew that one of the legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage Jiraiya, was like this?
Uchiha Touhuan entered the interrogation room where Jiraiya was being held alone, waved for the guards to leave,
and went inside. Hearing someone enter, Jiraiya looked up.
"Lord Jiraiya, this makes things difficult for our security department," Uchiha Touhuan said, stepping forward and unlocking Jiraiya's handcuffs. After all, if the other man really wanted to escape, the handcuffs were practically useless.
"Hehe," Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly, looking at Uchiha Touhuan and asking curiously, "Um, who are you?"
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Uchiha Touhuan, the current head of the Uchiha clan, and I just recently took over as captain of the village's security force," Uchiha Touhuan said.
"You're Uchiha Touhuan? I've heard of you before, but we weren't on the same battlefield during the Third Shinobi World War. Nice to meet you," Jiraiya said with a smile.
"I never expected my first meeting with Lord Jiraiya to be like this," Uchiha Touhuan said with a half-smile.
"Hehe, unexpected, unexpected," Jiraiya chuckled, scratching his head.
"Come with me. With Lord Jiraiya's status, we can't just lock him up here," Uchiha Touhuan said, getting up and walking towards the door, gesturing for Jiraiya to follow.
Jiraiya quickly got up and followed.
"Shouldn't you use the Transformation Technique to conceal your identity a little?" Uchiha Touhuan reminded him before opening the door.
"You're right." Jiraiya nodded awkwardly, then formed hand seals, instantly transforming himself.
Uchiha Touhuan, with Jiraiya concealed by the Transformation Technique, left the Security Department building through the back door and went straight to the new prison by the Naka River. Once inside, Uchiha Touhuan led Jiraiya to a fully furnished room before saying, "Please wait here, Lord Jiraiya. I'll come with Kakashi after my meeting."
"Of course, of course," Jiraiya said with a smile. After being taken out of the Security Department by Uchiha Touhuan, he thought the matter was over, and that he was only brought here to entertain him.
"Besides not letting him leave, try to fulfill any requests the people inside have," Uchiha Touhuan instructed the clansmen responsible for guarding the place before leaving.
After settling Jiraiya in, Uchiha Touhuan returned to his meeting.
After formally finalizing the joint investigation team's operational plan, Touhuan instructed his men to pack a feast and two bottles of fine wine from the village before taking Kakashi to Jiraiya's place.
During the few hours of the meeting, Jiraiya remained quietly in the house, causing no trouble. Feeling bored, he simply lay down on the bed. Only after Touhuan and Kakashi entered the room did Jiraiya suddenly spring up from the bed.
"Clan Chief Touhuan, this place is quite nice. Is this where the security department entertains guests?" Jiraiya's eyes lit up upon seeing the two, and he greeted them with a grin. "In a way, yes," Uchiha Touhuan chuckled, then moved a tatami table from the room and laid out the dishes.
Seeing the exquisite food and two bottles of fine wine, Jiraiya's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together, saying, "This is too much, Clan Chief Touhuan, you've gone to so much trouble."
"Not at all, it's my honor to drink with one of the legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage Jiraiya," Uchiha Touhuan said. "I've heard that Lord Jiraiya is a veteran of the pleasure quarters. I should have gone to Kabukicho to invite some geishas to entertain you, but the Security Department is the village's law enforcement agency, and doing so wouldn't be appropriate. Please forgive me, Lord Jiraiya."
"No problem, no problem," Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively. "Next time, I'll treat you to a good drink at the best Kabukicho in the village."
After the three sat down, each drank a cup of wine and then began chatting.
"Lord Jiraiya, what brings you back to the village all of a sudden? Is your new work about to be released?" Kakashi asked knowingly.
"The new work is already being written, but it will take some time." Jiraiya, encountering readers urging him to update at the dinner table, smiled awkwardly. "As for why I came back, I don't know what's gotten into the old man. He sends me eight letters a day urging me to return to the village, so I just came back to check things out."
"However, it's quite nice to be able to meet a young talent like Clan Chief Touhuan after coming back, and to see you, Kakashi, getting back on your feet." Jiraiya said, slightly tipsy after finishing a glass of wine. "Compared to a village hero like Lord Jiraiya, who has been famous for a long time, I can hardly be considered a young talent." Uchiha Touhuan said with a smile after refilling Jiraiya's glass.
"Clan Chief Touhuan, you are the legendary Azure Thunder Touhuan who is renowned throughout Kirigakure. You will definitely be much stronger than this old man in the future." Jiraiya laughed.
"By the way, Kakashi, I heard you took Naruto in and are taking care of him, is that right?" Jiraiya asked Kakashi suddenly after drinking with the two for a while.
Kakashi nodded: "That's right. I've retired from the ANBU, so I have time to take care of that kid."
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya sighed and said: "That's good. With you taking care of Naruto, I can rest assured."
At this moment, Uchiha Touhuan suddenly spoke up: "Speaking of which, what has Lord Jiraiya been away from the village for all these years? It can't really be because of some vague prophecy, as the rumors say."
"Touhuan, this is not some vague prophecy." Hearing this, Jiraiya's expression changed, and he said seriously, "The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku is a very ancient sage. He once told me that a chosen one will be born in the ninja world to determine its future. He will decide whether the future of the ninja world will be peaceful or destroyed, and all I can do is guide him onto the right path."
"So there's more to this story than meets the eye?" Uchiha Touhuan said with a half-smile. "So it turns out Lord Jiraiya carries such an important mission. I misspoke; I'll punish myself with a drink."
Uchiha Touhuan poured himself a full cup of sake and downed it in one gulp.
"So, Lord Jiraiya, have you found this prophesied child?" Kakashi asked.
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(End of Chapter)