The night was as dark as ink.
Two figures, one after the other, appeared soundlessly at opposite ends of the roof ridge.
One was Uchiha Sasuke, with arms crossed, leaning against a chimney, looking down at the lit window below.
The other seemed somewhat out of place.
He was tall and imposing, with unruly white hair cascading down to his waist and a forehead protector bearing the character for 'Oil' tied around his head.
He simply crouched casually at the edge of the eaves, his back to Sasuke, also watching Naruto's room. His silhouette seemed lonely against the night sky.
The two remained silent for a long time.
Finally, Sasuke was the first to break the stillness.
"Who are you?" His voice was cold, filled with wariness.
Since Orochimaru's appearance, he had been instinctively wary of any powerful individuals suddenly showing up in the village.
'This white-haired man's Chakra was immense, and it carried a presence completely different from other Shinobi… it felt somewhat close to nature?'
'Why were such individuals appearing in the village one after another?'
Hearing the voice, the white-haired man slowly turned around.
He crossed his arms, a grin spreading across his face as he looked Sasuke up and down with an appraising gaze.
"Oh? Quite perceptive, kid. You must be the Uchiha brat the old man mentioned in his letter... Sasuke, was it?"
"Old man?" Sasuke's brow furrowed slightly.
"Yes, Sarutobi-sensei."
The white-haired man said, standing up from the eaves. His gaze swept over the two distinctly different swords at Sasuke's waist, a faint, almost imperceptible glint flashing in his eyes.
"My name is Jiraiya." He gave a simple introduction, then his tone grew more serious, "I heard that Orochimaru... that guy has returned."
"And, he even fought you."
Sasuke's eyes grew cold, 'It seemed the old fox had told him everything.'
"So?" Sasuke retorted, a hint of provocation in his tone, "Are you here to avenge him? Or to question me on why I couldn't keep him here?"
"Hahahaha!" Jiraiya burst out laughing as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Avenge Orochimaru? Kid, you've got quite the imagination."
"As for keeping him here... Hmph, forget you. Even if I were here, if that guy wanted to leave, I might not have been able to stop him."
He sobered up, his expression turning complex. "I just didn't expect... that you could emerge unscathed from a confrontation with him."
"He's just a guy who sheds his skin like a bug." Sasuke said disdainfully.
Jiraiya was slightly taken aback by the description, then laughed again.
'It was true… over the years, Orochimaru had indeed become increasingly proficient in that particular area.'
"An apt description." He conceded. He paused, steering the conversation back, "Sarutobi-sensei asked me to check on Naruto. After all, Orochimaru's target is likely him too."
"Yondaime Hokage's teacher?" Sasuke finally turned his head slowly, his gaze fixed on Jiraiya. He asked a question that caught the other completely off guard.
"Since you were his father's teacher, why have you never looked after him all these years?"
The air seemed to freeze solid in that instant.
Every expression vanished from Jiraiya's face. It stiffened, his eyes widening as he stared intently at Sasuke.
"...What did you say?" His voice was hoarse, "How do you know Naruto's father is Minato?!"
'Aside from a few higher-ups and those in the know, that information shouldn't have leaked.'
'Where did this Uchiha brat get to know this?!'
Faced with Jiraiya's shock, Sasuke's expression remained utterly unchanged, "Not only do I know his father is Namikaze Minato."
Sasuke's voice was flat, "I also know that on the day he was born, the Kyubi was controlled by a man with the Sharingan and used to attack the village."
"I also know the Yondaime Hokage sacrificed himself to protect the village, resealing the Kyubi inside him."
"Is that enough?"
Jiraiya stood utterly stunned, his mind blank.
Some of those details were things even he had only managed to piece together through investigation after the fact.
'How could he know?!'
"Just who are you?" Jiraiya's voice grew grave. He was already secretly gathering Chakra, ready to strike at any moment.
Seeing Jiraiya's reaction, as if facing a great enemy, a mocking smile curled at the corner of Sasuke's mouth.
"You don't need to know who I am." He took a step forward, meeting Jiraiya's gaze directly.
"You just need to answer my question." Sasuke's voice turned icy, "You, as the Yondaime Hokage's teacher. As one of the legendary Sannin…"
"Knowing full well Naruto is Minato's orphan, where have you been for these twelve years?"
"When he was scorned by the entire village as the 'demon fox', where were you?"
"Is your so-called 'checking on him' just swooping in now, after he's needed family the most for over a decade, only remembering you have such a grand-student now?"
Jiraiya's body trembled slightly under Sasuke's relentless questioning.
He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, to say he had been gathering intelligence for the village all these years, traveling the world to find the Child of Prophecy, to safeguard peace...
But these words felt utterly feeble and hollow in the face of Sasuke's gaze.
'What had I really been doing?'
'Minato had entrusted his most important son to the village, and I... I had forgotten about the child who needed protection the most for twelve whole years.'
He moved his mouth a final time, but no words came out. He seemed lost.
Looking at the legendary Sannin before him, Sasuke's eyes held not a trace of sympathy.
Orochimaru, that monster who discarded his dignity in pursuit of so-called immortality.
...And then he looked at the man before him, who, for the sake of so-called 'greater good', had neglected his own disciple's orphan.
'The so-called 'Sannin'... seemed to be nothing more than this.'
Sasuke snorted inwardly, no longer interested in speaking with this man.
Since he had confirmed the other's identity and that he wasn't an enemy, staying here was merely a waste of time.
He turned, preparing to leave.
"Wait."
A hoarse voice came from behind, attempting to reclaim some semblance of control.
"How did you know all this? About Minato, about the Kyubi..."
Sasuke continued walking forward without looking back.
"Does it matter?" He retorted, his figure flickering slightly before vanishing soundlessly from the rooftop.
Jiraiya's breath hitched, 'Yeah, did it really matter?'
Compared to how Sasuke obtained the information, wasn't the brutal reality revealed by the information itself more important?
Sasuke's words... had left him utterly unable to refute them.
After a long moment, Jiraiya finally let out a long sigh, forcibly suppressing the turbulent emotions within him.
He turned around, his gaze returning to the lit window below.
Inside the window, a blond head was bent over a desk, seemingly struggling with something. Faint, frustrated complaints could be heard.
"Damn it! Why is this technique so difficult?!"
Watching the vibrant figure, Jiraiya's eyes grew slightly moist.
"Sorry." He murmured in a low voice, thick with regret, "I came back too late."
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