Yahiko hadn't said he could definitely bring Jiraiya to meet Sosuke.
Because back then Jiraiya had also been brought before them by Ninja of the Ninja Sect, which meant Sosuke knew Jiraiya had come.
Since Sosuke hadn't met Jiraiya directly, maybe it was simply because Sosuke had no interest in Jiraiya.
"That incident back then, was Konoha really the one pulling strings from the shadows?" Yahiko thought of the riddle within the Ninja Sect that still couldn't be agreed upon.
At the time, Hidden Rock had facilitated peace talks between the Ninja Sect and the Rain Village, and the reason given by the Rain Ninja and Hidden Rock was that Hanzo had been deceived by Konoha's Shimura Danzo, which was why he struck at the Ninja Sect.
Back then, because Hidden Rock and the Rain Village had presented strong evidence, many Ninja of the Ninja Sect began to resent Konoha and were extremely dissatisfied with it.
But the subsequent investigation carried out by the Ninja Sect failed to uncover more evidence linking Konoha, and combined with some of Kakuzu's analysis, there was also a faction within the Ninja Sect that maintained a different opinion.
Of course, even within that faction, opinions were not unified.
Some believed this was just the Rain Ninja's way of washing their own hands and had nothing to do with Konoha; some believed Konoha had indeed taken part, but Hanzo was no saint either; there were even those who believed Hidden Rock, Konoha, and the Rain Ninja had all had a hand in it.
Yahiko had initially been among those who hated Konoha, but after thinking it over carefully, even now Yahiko couldn't determine what the truth really was.
Sosuke had never publicly backed any one narrative; during the original meeting he had only stated the necessity of cooperating with the Rain Village.
So Yahiko didn't know what kind of view Sosuke held toward Konoha.
If Sosuke believed Konoha was one of the masterminds behind the scenes, then disliking Jiraiya out of hatred for all associated with it would make perfect sense—Yahiko could easily understand that.
After all, that incident had nearly led to the annihilation of the Ninja Sect.
"I hope not… ending up on opposite sides of Jiraiya-sensei would truly be horrifically bad news." Yahiko sighed inwardly.
Facing Jiraiya, the teacher who had led him onto the path of being a Ninja, Yahiko felt a very special affection.
But if the two sides really did end up opposing each other, meeting on the battlefield…
Before the fight, Yahiko would warmly greet Jiraiya, then tell Nagato not to hold back during the battle.
After they were dead, he would have all the time in the world to apologize to Jiraiya.
While alive, even if it was the teacher who had once guided him, if he tried to destroy the peace built by the Ninja Sect, standing in the way of peace's advance, Yahiko would never allow it.
Yahiko had some Ninja of the Ninja Sect go report the visit; after getting permission, they all headed together to the Ninja Sect's compound.
By now the sun had completely set and night had fallen.
As they walked into the Ninja Sect compound and headed for the reception hall, Jiraiya, for some reason, suddenly felt a chill.
"With this kind of weather, that shouldn't be happening." Jiraiya felt the temperature was somewhat abnormal.
The next instant, Jiraiya felt a gaze on his back.
Jiraiya whipped his head around; he and Nagato's group were walking side by side, and there were no Ninja of the Ninja Sect nearby.
"Kyeh kyeh kyeh!"
Gastly stared at Jiraiya with its big eyes, its mouth constantly emitting a weird cackle.
"What the hell is that thing?"
Jiraiya instinctively moved to shield Nagato and the others behind him, his hands rapidly forming Hand Seals.
"It's not a ghost, it's Nagato's Summoning Beast." Yahiko explained.
Gastly's body structure was rather peculiar; if it was in an open area, even a naturally forming strong wind could blow Gastly's body away or blow it apart. Although it would eventually re-form, it was still a hassle.
So Gastly usually stayed inside or near buildings, and it didn't follow Nagato out when he went to do cultivation outdoors.
"Nagato, your Summoning Beast looks a bit… unique." Jiraiya said tactfully.
He'd wandered all over and seen plenty of strange things, but a Summoning Beast as underworld-creepy as Gastly—this was his first time.
"Kokyeh!"
Gastly floated behind Nagato and let out a call of approval toward Jiraiya.
That's right, it was the most unique Gastly under the heavens.
"On first meeting, people might feel that way." Nagato nodded.
Once you got used to it, it was just like that; now, no Ninja of the Ninja Sect was going to be scared by Gastly's appearance.
When Jiraiya walked into the reception hall, he found Sosuke already seated there waiting.
"Teacher Sosuke." Yahiko, Nagato, and the others immediately greeted Mokgetsu with respectful faces.
Mokgetsu smiled and nodded in response, then turned his gaze to Jiraiya, who was currently sizing him up.
"Meeting is better than just hearing the name—no wonder you're acknowledged by so many Ninja as a Ninja Master, your bearing really is extraordinary." Jiraiya said with a cheerful grin.
With a face similar to Aizen's, plus a long white robe and the teaching presence he'd built up over time, Mokgetsu gave Jiraiya the feeling of a good teacher who excelled at reasoning things out.
"Likewise. The name of the Sannin is famous the world over; today I finally get to see the man himself." Mokgetsu said with a gentle smile.
Jiraiya's arrival was within Mokgetsu's expectations.
Nagato was not only Jiraiya's disciple, he was also the one Jiraiya had identified as the Child of Prophecy.
Now that a 'Number One Genius of the Ninja World' title had suddenly appeared, it was perfectly normal for Jiraiya to come over out of curiosity and take a look.
"I've heard that the Ninja Sect's aspiration is peace in the Ninja World. How do you think this chaotic Ninja World will develop? Can it return to peace?" Jiraiya asked.
As he spoke, Jiraiya watched Mokgetsu's expression carefully.
Whether it was information Jiraiya had picked up from rumors, or the experiences Yahiko and the others had told him, Sosuke was portrayed as someone who pursued peace.
So Jiraiya felt that, unless Sosuke had deliberately crafted some persona just to fool people, he should have some thoughts about the current state of the Ninja World—even if those thoughts weren't necessarily correct.