Just as Kyo was pondering,
Jiraiya still maintained a simple smile on his face, saying:
"Ah..."
"I didn't expect,"
"Unexpected that you'd recognize me the moment I arrived in Amegakure. It's quite surprising!"
Jiraiya said with a very honest smile.
Seeing this,
Kyo similarly looked sideways, then smiled warmly:
"One of the famously renowned Legendary Sannin of Konoha, and the author of the bestseller 'Icha-Icha Paradise,' I couldn't possibly not recognize you."
"Rather,"
"To be able to accurately state my name upon our first meeting... I'm truly flattered."
"I'm practically unknown in the Shinobi World, after all."
"Could it be... that you came to Amegakure specifically to find me?"
"—???"
At these words,
Jiraiya's expression stiffened again, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat!
Not good!
I was careless!
It was our first meeting, yet I had accurately called out his name...
It indeed went against common sense!
Originally,
Jiraiya had just wanted to shift Kyo's attention and had deliberately said that.
Unexpectedly, it instead aroused the other party's suspicion!
And,
He had almost directly guessed his purpose for coming here!
No way! I absolutely couldn't admit it!
Jiraiya's mind was made up. He swallowed imperceptibly, then squeezed out that familiar smile again, while scratching his head in a simple manner, laughing as he explained:
"Ahaha..."
"Ho-how could you say you're unknown?"
"Kyo-san left a vivid mark in Konoha back in the day..."
"Not to mention these golden eyes,"
"I happened to hear about them from my disciple's disciple, Hatake Kakashi, which is why I recognized you immediately..."
"You understand, right?"
Jiraiya said with a smile.
This posture was like casual small talk after meeting an acquaintance in a tavern, his attitude quite friendly.
However, after hearing this, Kyo was already amused inside.
If Jiraiya hadn't explained, it might have been okay.
But this explanation had instead further proved his speculation just now —
Jiraiya's visit to Amegakure this time was definitely not just to investigate the Akatsuki, but also... to investigate him personally.
The more he denied it, the more it proved this point.
However,
Kyo naturally wouldn't casually expose it.
After all,
In this deterrence plan,
Kyo was the upright and honorable righteous character.
Next, it was naturally time to start competing in acting skills.
Akatsuki's reputation would start to turn around from here with Jiraiya...
Thinking this,
The acting master Kyo naturally immediately put on an expression of sudden realization, then warmly smiled and nodded, saying:
"Oh oh, so that's how it is..."
"That's not surprising. I did have an acquaintance with your disciple's disciple, Hatake Fifty-Fifty."
Kyo said with a smile.
As the words fell.
Jiraiya subconsciously paused.
Huh?
Hatake Fifty-Fifty?
Was he talking about Kakashi...
When did he get this nickname...
Hmm…
It seemed, just as he said,
They did have some acquaintance between them...
But,
If I remember correctly...
Kakashi said their first meeting was because Kyo traded information with him for my book...
"..."
Thinking this, Jiraiya coughed,
Then looked at Kyo and chuckled lightly:
"Kyo-san, I heard from Kakashi..."
"That you seem quite keen on my 'Icha-Icha' series, and even traded information with him for one of the volumes... is that right?"
Jiraiya inquired, appearing harmless.
But in reality,
He had already begun probing Kyo's background, while also trying to bridge the distance between them.
However, Kyo was an old hand at this.
He naturally saw through his purpose at a glance.
So,
He immediately revealed a gentle expression and smiled:
"That's right."
"To be honest, I was quite ashamed... Back then, I was considered one of your fans."
As he spoke,
Kyo pulled two books out of his system space.
They were Jiraiya's two major works
The bestseller "Icha-Icha Paradise", and the unsellable "Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi".
"???"
Whoa?!
The moment he saw these two books,
Jiraiya was suddenly stunned, dumbfounded on the spot.
Unexpected, truly unexpected,
This golden-eyed Kyo... actually really was his fan?!
Not only did he collect Icha-Icha Paradise, but he even had a copy of that obscure "Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi"?!?
Jiraiya's gaze towards Kyo instantly shifted slightly.
One must know,
This "Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi",
Although it could barely be considered a novel,
In reality, it was an inspirational story he had adapted based on himself.
Even he himself knew its readability wasn't strong.
In terms of entertainment value, it absolutely couldn't compare to the "Icha-Icha Paradise" series.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be that, with the same author, one broke sales records while the other languished unsold and piled up in bookstores year after year...
Therefore,
Under such circumstances, there's very few people buying this book, let alone collecting and reading it.
Even his loyal fan like Kakashi was actually just an pervert who only liked reading the Icha-Icha Paradise series; he almost completely ignored "Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi"...
And in Jiraiya's memory,
Only a righteous idiot like that sunny boy Minato would probably like this kind of book...
Unexpectedly,
Kyo would actually carry this special book with him...
Thinking this, a helpless wry smile involuntarily appeared in Jiraiya's heart.
Could it be...
Were my and Shikaku-san's previous guesses wrong?
This Kyo... was actually the same type of person as Minato...?
Just as Jiraiya was pondering,
At this moment,
On top of a certain building in the distance,
Nagato and Konan were watching the situation from afar.
They naturally also wanted to know how Kyo would deal with the infiltrator Jiraiya.
However,
Contrary to their expectations,
Kyo, instead of making a move directly as usual, had started... chatting???
What was going on here???
He suddenly took out those two books...???
Although they were far away,
The moment they saw the covers of those two books, Nagato and Konan immediately recognized them.
That's right.
They were definitely the "Icha-Icha Paradise" that Kyo had secretly bought back during a mission, and the "Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi" that he often recommended to others...
Back then,
Almost all Akatsuki's members had been recommended by him.
But not a single one could understand the meaning behind his action.
Even Nagato and Konan themselves couldn't understand it either.
And at this moment,
When they saw Kyo pull out these two books for Jiraiya,
The two were suddenly stunned.
Because at that moment,
They suddenly realized...
The original author of those two books... seemed to be the very Jiraiya before them!!
"..."
Realizing this,
Nagato and Konan immediately exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.
Could it be...
As early as many years ago,
Kyo had already been preparing for today's plan...?!
That's too amazing...
When they looked back at Kyo in the distance, Nagato and Konan's eyes no longer held doubt, only admiration.