The party hosted by Kei Yamanaka had more attendees than he had expected.
Besides Nara Shikaku, Choza Akimichi, and Hatake Kakashi—along with their respective wives—there were also some unexpected guests.
Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Honoka even brought Kakashi, Obito, and Rin along just for the free food and drinks.
Of course, they claimed it was to thank Kei for helping them yesterday.
In addition to them, Shibi Aburame (invited by Hayato) came with his wife Chiyo, while Kushina invited Mikoto Uchiha and Tsume Inuzuka.
And then there was Jiraiya, who hadn't been invited at all.
Kushina dragged Honoka, Mikoto, Tsunade, and Tsume Inuzuka into a circle around the dining table, where they gossiped and laughed as they ate, clearly having the time of their lives.
Meanwhile in the living room, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio sat comfortably together chatting, joined naturally by Shibi Aburame.
Their wives, organized by Yoshino Nara, had ascended to the second floor where they indulged in delicious dishes and casual small talk, sipping wine and enjoying themselves.
Maito Gai, Genma Shiranami, and Kurenai Yuhi, together with Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, had finished cooking the large amount of semi-finished meals and set them out on the tables. Afterward, they freed themselves to join the feast.
The six of them had set up a large table on the mansion's lawn and were now feasting on an array of delicacies.
Obito, already drooling, started wolfing down the food without any regard for appearance.
Maito Gai, hyped like he'd taken some kind of energy shot, challenged Obito to an eating contest.
Kakashi and Genma Shiranami, the rare pair of "normal" ones, quietly sat side-by-side, leisurely enjoying the flavors of the dishes.
Rin and Kurenai leaned their little heads close together, whispering nonstop, occasionally bursting into a string of silvery laughter.
"This is really nice."
Kei Yamanaka leaned against the railing of the third-floor balcony, watching the six energetic kids downstairs, listening to the playful banter and laughter ringing through the air, feeling that life should truly be like this.
"Hahaha—I always thought you hated crowded places!"
Jiraiya walked over beside Kei, holding a bottle of sake in one hand. He leaned one arm on the railing and took a casual sip from his bottle.
"Jiraiya-sensei," Kei turned to face him. "I just remembered... We still have unfinished business."
"This guy actually corrupted my poor, innocent apprentices while I was away from Konoha!"
"Uh... Didn't we already split everything from that summoned beast auction?"
"You know exactly what I'm referring to. Be my sparring partner for two days, and I'll let it go."
"...Can I at least ask what I supposedly did wrong first?"
Jiraiya stiffened slightly, before quickly putting on an expression of feigned confusion.
Minato Namikaze, who had originally intended to walk over and join the conversation, performed a smooth turn on his heel. It was probably best to go have a serious heart-to-heart talk with his student right now.
Kakashi's psychological distress definitely needed more attention and support.
"What despicable things did you do?!"
"Ha～Haha～No way... Well... okay fine. I might've told your apprentices a few stories about your legendary exploits... and also..."
"What else?!"
"Ahem... Before heading back to the village, you used my face to pick a fight with someone."
"Huh? Using my face to fight? Was that even a real fight? With whom?"
"Totally legit! Well... My opponent was the headwoman of Naruko Village."
"What the hell... Jiraiya! You're such a damn dog! If the ancestors of the Inuzuka clan could see you, there'd be no need for ninja hounds at all!"
Kei Yamanaka was grinding his teeth down to dust. He honestly wanted to strangle that bastard Jiraiya.
Naruko Village had earned quite a name for itself in the ninja world—not for its strength, but for being an all-women's nation.
As a purely matriarchal village, its population depended entirely on defeating powerful men and making them marry into the village.
Defeated men would be carried straight back for the wedding night.
As for those they couldn't defeat, unless it was an overwhelming power gap with absolutely no hope, they'd just keep challenging them forever!
This guy Jiraiya actually used someone else's face to fight the headwoman of Naruko Village?!
How is that any different from catching a bouquet with your face and bolting right after?
Is this even something a human being would do?
At least he was one of the Sannin—did he have to keep setting new lows for human decency?
"Haha~ I won, didn't I? Besides, she knew I used the Transformation Jutsu. No problem, no problem at all!"
Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly.
When traveling, gathering intelligence always required changing identities to move freely.
Using Kei Yamanaka's face to extract intel was such a useful trick. Would've been a waste not to.
Who could've predicted he'd get noticed by Naruko Kayo herself, the headwoman of Naruko Village!
"Three days of sparring practice!"
Kei Yamanaka had already made up his mind—to beat the crap out of Jiraiya every session!
Not just to vent anger.
Because cleansing the ninja world was everyone's duty!
"Fine! Just don't use those perverted genjutsu techniques, and we're good!"
"This time I won't use genjutsu."
"Cough cough, well... It's not like you can't use them at all. That one called 'One for You' actually has decent tactical value."
"..."
Kei Yamanaka had to admit—he still underestimated just how shameless Jiraiya could be.
He originally developed the [One for You] technique as a prank—a joke jutsu.
Using genjutsu to stimulate the most basic desires in body and soul.
Then having legendary performers from different generations—like Aizawa, Sakura, Ishihara, Kurashige, Hashimoto, Hatano, Aragaki, and Hamasaki—take turns appearing...
How to describe it?
Against normal kunoichi, this genjutsu usually only made them blush and not much more.
But against perverts like Jiraiya—
Kei Yamanaka dared to cast it, and Jiraiya dared to enjoy it, even refusing to break the illusion himself no matter what.
Even if his nose started gushing blood uncontrollably until he needed emergency treatment at Konoha Hospital.
Even if his pants gained three taels in weight after waking up.
When it came to perversion...
Kei Yamanaka believed no one in the entire ninja world could rival him!
Name: Jiraiya
Occupation: Ninja/Author
[Heaven's Chosen Mentor] (Purple), [One of the Sannin] (Purple), [Summoner] (Purple), [Hero of the Ninja World] (Blue), [Man of Letters] (White), [Effortless] (White), [Rise with the Rooster] (White)
Strong? You bet!
[Heaven's Chosen Mentor] doesn't just greatly boost Jiraiya's teaching abilities—it also enhances his mastery of six elemental chakra natures—Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Yin, and Yang—along with secret techniques and sealing arts. It even grants Heaven's Blessing—he can go all out recklessly until his apprentices are fully trained.
[One of the Sannin] amplifies personal strength while instill fear in enemies and boosts his reputation among allies.
[Summoner] is a powerhouse skill that dramatically boosts synergy with summoned beasts, lowers chakra consumption for summoning techniques, and unlocks the full potential of his summons.
[Hero of the Ninja World] amplifies his charisma, willpower, and resolve, boosting resistance to Genjutsu and expanding his influence over others.
Based on just these skills alone...
Jiraiya is clearly an extremely powerful ninja with immense personal charm.
But who in their right mind stacks three White-Rank Skills?
White-Rank Skills typically come with both perks and drawbacks. Not because they're weak—just because the downsides are brutally inconvenient!
Take [Man of Letters]. The boost to writing talent is enough to make Jiraiya a world-famous author in the ninja world—but nobody buys it unless there's some skin involved.
Then there's [Effortless], which enhances physical prowess, boosting stamina and energy—but even minor stimulation leads to… inconvenient moments.
And [Rise with the Rooster]? It nearly wipes out depression, isolation, and fear, keeping the mind sharp and focused—as long as you regularly get to see things you like. Otherwise, your brain turns to mush.
Thiiiiis...
"Jiraiya, you'd better thank your lucky stars you became a ninja. At least sometimes you write stories that actually bring down crime rates. Otherwise, you'd be totally worthless to society."
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