"Nagato, you're outstanding, and you're on a path to surpass me." Jiraiya placed a hand on Nagato's shoulder, showing a comforting smile.
Even though Nagato wasn't as enthusiastic as Yahiko and lacked Konan's attention to detail, Jiraiya knew it wasn't due to Nagato's lack of affection for him, but rather his inherent personality.
If Nagato were as cheerful and open as Yahiko, Jiraiya would suspect that it wasn't the real Nagato.
"I'm not as excellent as you say; I'm just following behind you." Nagato shook his head humbly.
"You're now recognized as the number one genius in the Ninja World by many people; being overly humble isn't a good thing either." Jiraiya encouraged Nagato to be more confident.
If Jiraiya had the same momentum as Nagato back in the day, he would've been challenging Sarutobi Hiruzen three times a day, let alone anything else.
"It's just some empty fame; there are still many areas I need to work on." Nagato hadn't thought that Jiraiya was talking about the recent rumors spreading in the Ninja World.
Nagato assumed the path Jiraiya was referring to was the path towards world peace.
On this path, Nagato had just begun, still striving to absorb the knowledge taught to him by Mokgetsu.
"Winning first place is great, as it earns praise." Yahiko exaggeratedly sighed.
"Unlike you and me, Konan, I guess Jiraiya-sensei doesn't even know we participated in the competition."
Konan caught Yahiko's hinting look, but unable to lie skillfully, she could only earnestly nod, "Uh, yes."
Jiraiya displayed a slightly awkward expression, although he had collected information and knew about the rankings of Konan and Yahiko, initially, he did return to the Land of Rain primarily because of Nagato.
"Ahem, actually, I do know. Yahiko, you were eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage, and Konan in the second round," Jiraiya explained briefly.
"After all, it's the Martial Arts Tournament gathering the youth geniuses; it's normal to be eliminated early due to bad luck. But entering the knockout stage is still worth celebrating, today I'm treating and you can eat to your heart's content!"
Jiraiya decided to treat them to a full meal as a bit of compensation for not seeing his three disciples in a long time.
"Hehe, Jiraiya-sensei, I'm just kidding. Of course, I know you're not like that. You don't have to treat us. Now that we can earn money independently, let us treat you." Yahiko said with a cheerful grin.
Jiraiya was his guide on the path of a ninja. Without Jiraiya, Yahiko might have long been dead in some random corner of the chaotic Land of Rain.
Even if he survived, he would likely be an aimless ordinary person, unable to realize his inner aspirations.
So Yahiko was very grateful to Jiraiya and certainly couldn't bear to let his long-lost sensei treat them.
"Let us treat Jiraiya-sensei this time." Konan agreed with Yahiko's proposal.
Jiraiya had taken care of them for three years; this time, it should be their turn to take care of Jiraiya.
"How about we cook ourselves?" Nagato suggested after thinking for a moment.
Although treating out is a good choice, Nagato thought it would be better to cook together.
It wasn't that Nagato was too frugal; he just felt it matched the old atmosphere better.
"Nagato, you're indeed a genius. Let's go fishing together like before!" Yahiko, filled with excitement, wrapped his arm around Nagato's neck.
After joining the Ninja Sect, Yahiko was busy studying and cultivating, tied up with various affairs of the sect.
Thinking carefully, Yahiko realized it had really been a long time since he last went fishing with Nagato and the others and then had a barbecue.
Since Jiraiya's arrival, and because the affairs of the Ninja Sect were relatively light recently, Yahiko found today to be the perfect time for fishing.
Nagato had no objections and nodded.
"Let me check if you still remember the fishing skills I taught you." Jiraiya found Yahiko's idea quite appealing.
Konan observed the laughing Jiraiya and Yahiko, who quickly assembled the fishing gear, and felt a sense of reminiscing.
"Jiraiya-sensei, don't underestimate me; my fishing skills have become superb now!" Yahiko proudly declared.
Yahiko wasn't exaggerating; during their time in the Akatsuki, the fish he caught saved the organization a lot in food costs.
He truly had considerable experience in fishing.
"Then let's have a competition to see who catches more fish." A curious spirit of competition emerged within Jiraiya.
Thus, the four of them found a small river nearby to start fishing.
Whether it was due to having not fished for too long or simply bad luck today, Jiraiya could only watch as Yahiko reeled in catch after catch, eventually filling his bucket.
"A teacher who brings forth more outstanding disciples is the best kind of teacher," Jiraiya comforted himself as he looked at the few small fish in his bucket.
But when Jiraiya saw what Nagato and Konan caught, he burst into laughter.
At least he had some fish hooked; Konan and Nagato mostly caught strange items, even a shoe.
"No worries, it's better than catching nothing at all." Jiraiya suppressed a smile at the corners of his mouth as he tried to comfort them.
"Heavenly Attraction!"
Nagato focused on a fish in the river, using his left hand to release a force that pulled the fish towards him, and then his right hand dexterously cast the hook into the controlled fish's mouth.
Finally, Nagato let the fish swim into the water, then reeled it in, calmly saying, "I caught one too."
"Well done." Jiraiya gave Nagato a thumbs up.
Of course, he wasn't praising Nagato's fishing skills but his control.
"In that case, I caught one too." Konan folded a paper fish in her palms, using Chakra to disguise it, making it look like a real fish.
"Well done, Konan." Jiraiya complimented her as well.
Though not as exceptional as Nagato, Konan and Yahiko were among the outstanding ones in their age group.
"Nagato and the others have changed significantly." Jiraiya mused while strolling around.
Though still not talkative, Nagato had become somewhat more open than before.
If it were the old Nagato, he wouldn't have attempted using ninja techniques to jokingly catch a fish after failing to actually catch one.
Konan, though not as apparent, also appeared more generous and optimistic to Jiraiya.
"I really want to know what they've been through." Jiraiya felt a twinge of regret.
His disciples had become so outstanding, yet as their teacher, he didn't even know what led to their transformation.
In the end, the fishing competition concluded with Yahiko as the overwhelming winner.
Nagato's use of Heavenly Attraction was merely playful banter, not genuinely intended to count as catching fish.
"I can only say it's barely okay, just that there were no big fish. I suppose there aren't any big ones in this river." Yahiko expressed a regretful look, lamenting over the lack of large fish for their reunion.
Hearing Yahiko, Nagato scanned the river, extended his hand toward a spot, and said,
"Heavenly Attraction!"
A fish large enough to fill a big barrel was drawn to the shore by Nagato.
Yahiko looked at this scene wide-eyed, feeling a bit frustrated. Why did this darned fish have to get so fat?
"This way of catching fish lacks soul!" declared Yahiko.
After the full fish feast...
"Indeed, the bigger the fish, the more enjoyable it is to eat. Jiraiya-sensei, your cooking is still so good!" Yahiko couldn't stop helping himself, one chopstickful after another.
Jiraiya chuckled.
He often roamed around and frequently had no place to spend money, so he wasn't bad at cooking.
Of course, compared to Mokgetsu, it was nothing; after tasting Mokgetsu's cooking, whenever Mokgetsu was within sensory range, Jiraiya couldn't find any motivation to cook and just wanted to follow Mokgetsu for meals.
"Could you tell me about your experiences after I left? It might even get written into a best-selling novel." Jiraiya said with a smile.
He was genuinely curious about what Yahiko and the others had done after his departure, how they spent their days, and why they joined the Ninja Sect.
"Of course, you don't have to tell everything, just share what you want to." Jiraiya added.
In life, there are inevitably some things that are hard to talk about.