In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uchiha Kagami stood in silence.
Just then, a knock came at the door, followed by a familiar voice.
"Uncle Hiruzen, may I come in?"
"Enter," Hiruzen responded.
The door creaked open, and Rinjin walked in with a playful smile.
His eyes quickly scanned the room, and his lips curved slightly upward.
"Well, well... long time no see, Kagami."
"Long time no see, Rinjin," Kagami replied weakly, head lowered.
Seeing that Kagami wasn't in the mood to share his troubles, Rinjin stuck to his principle of not prying and stated his purpose.
"Uncle Hiruzen, is Jiraiya in the village?"
Hiruzen's brow furrowed as he thought for a moment before nodding:
"He should be. He returned a few days ago, but I can't guarantee you'll find him."
"Why's that?"
"Sigh..." Hiruzen exhaled, speaking softly, "That boy's always running off to Mount Myōboku. Hardly ever see him around."
"Could I ask you for a favor?"
"Go on."
"Could you use the Telescope Technique to find him for me?" Rinjin asked shamelessly.
Hiruzen's face twitched. How did Rinjin know about his Telescope Technique?!
Damn it, must've been Jiraiya's big mouth;
Of course, those two had been thick as thieves since childhood!
With this thought, Hiruzen irritably pulled out his crystal ball from a drawer and carefully placed it on the desk.
Telescope Technique.
As he instinctively looked into the crystal ball at Jiraiya's usual haunts, Hiruzen's face immediately contorted.
Good grief, that rascal was peeping at the women's bathhouse again!
As Hiruzen was about to comment, a delicate fist suddenly appeared in the crystal ball, landing squarely on Jiraiya's stomach. A screaming figure went flying.
...
Silence...
After what seemed like an eternity, Hiruzen wiped the cold sweat from his brow and withdrew his gaze from the crystal ball, saying nervously:
"Jiraiya... uh... you can find him at Konoha Hospital..."
"What's wrong? Did he get injured on a mission?" Rinjin's eyebrows shot up, filled with confusion.
That shouldn't be! Ever since mastering Sage Mode, he should be quite resilient!
Could it be a cold?
Or am I overthinking this?
Worried about Jiraiya's condition, Rinjin hurried out of the Hokage's office without even saying goodbye to Hiruzen.
At Konoha Hospital, Rinjin found Jiraiya's room.
Peeking in, he saw Jiraiya lying on the bed with a blissful expression, surrounded by two pretty nurses wrapping bandages around him.
Grabbing a passing doctor, Rinjin whispered:
"Doctor, what's up with Jiraiya? Why is he all bandaged up?"
The ninja doctor rolled his eyes impatiently.
"Heh, peeping at the women's bathhouse and got caught by Lady Tsunade. She beat him up good.
Lady Tsunade did a grea... uh... I mean, went a bit overboard.
Six broken ribs, he'll be bedridden for at least three months!"
The doctor then smacked his forehead and turned to the two young nurses:
"Hey, you two, out with me! Chattering away like that!
This is a serious patient; get someone more experienced in here!"
With that, the doctor ushered the nurses out, and soon a robust matronly nurse entered the room.
Instantly, Jiraiya's pitiful and weak cries echoed from the room.
"Ouch, ma'am, please be gentle! Ouch! I want the pretty nurses back!
Ouch, damn it! Be gentle!"
Outside the door, Rinjin involuntarily shrank back, both amused and exasperated.
This guy is hopeless.
Shaking his head, Rinjin pushed open the door and walked in.
Inside, the robust nurse was expertly cutting away excess bandages with scissors.
Gotta hand it to her, the young nurses struggled for ages and couldn't get it right.
Yet, this nurse finished bandaging in just a couple of minutes.
Matrons are indeed legendary.
Hearing the door, Jiraiya turned his head with difficulty, a tear of grievance in his eye.
"Rinjin, look at her, she's abusing me!"
Rinjin glanced at the intimidating nurse and instinctively shrank back, chuckling awkwardly:
"Ma'am, please don't mind him. He's just all talk, no harm meant."
Saying this, Rinjin swiftly pulled out a bulging pouch of money, discreetly handing it to the nurse, whispering:
"Please bear with him. If he doesn't cooperate, just let me know.
By the way, my name's Rinjin Sokuho, I live at 66 Tea Street."
The nurse nonchalantly weighed the pouch, then nodded with a smile and left.
The door closed with a creak, leaving only Jiraiya and Rinjin in the room.
Making himself comfortable, Rinjin pulled up a chair next to the bed, looking at the mummy-like Jiraiya with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Goodness, peeping at the women's bathhouse in broad daylight, with Tsunade inside no less—you're really asking for it.
Stifling laughter, Rinjin cleared his throat, feigning seriousness:
"Jiraiya, seriously, can't you use your head a bit?
Hiruzen'sTelescope Technique? Couldn't you learn it?
Or use Shadow Clone and Transformation Jutsu to scout ahead?
If all else fails, why not transform into a frog and hide in the pool beforehand?"
Jiraiya turned his head away defiantly, muttering:
"Excitement, you know? I'm after the thrill;
It's that sense of yearning, that elusive feeling, that fuels my creative drive."
Hearing this, Rinjin couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Wow, the first time I've heard someone describe being a pervert so eloquently.
The last guy as creative as you is still buried in Konoha Cemetery. If I didn't visit regularly, the grass on his grave would be three meters tall by now.
Thinking this, Rinjin chuckled and nodded.
"Exactly, exactly, you're absolutely right. Indeed, you're the perfect candidate for the next Hokage!"
Hearing this, Jiraiya rolled his eyes.
Rinjin's theory of a perverted Hokage, spread by Ippongi, had already circulated throughout the village.
Many kids aspiring to be Hokage no longer dared to boast about it.
Imagine proudly declaring, "I will become Hokage!" only to be met with smirks and knowing looks—who could stand that?
Jiraiya knew Rinjin was teasing him about his lecherous ways!
But as for becoming Hokage, he genuinely had no interest anymore.
Thinking this, Jiraiya's expression turned serious, sighing:
"As Hokage, Orochimaru is far more suitable than I am."
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