Perhaps because he had finally escaped the suffocating tension of the front lines, Hagoromo did something he hadn't dared in a long time: he slept until the sun was high in the sky. It was a luxury he had almost forgotten existed.
By the time he finally dragged himself out of bed and out of the house, evening was beginning to settle over the village. His face still carried a trace of lingering fatigue.
He had ditched his Battle gear for casual clothes, wandering aimlessly through the streets. First, he found something to fill the void in his stomach. Then, after a moment's thought, he steered himself toward the Hokage Administration Building.
He wasn't there for a private audience with the Kage; he was there for the paperwork. He needed to register his return and submit his mission log.
Ninja Registration No. 009887: Chunin Hagoromo Kamishiro. Status: On standby within the Hidden Leaf.
Once he signed his name on the ledger, his official business was done. When his next mission would come was entirely up to the bureaucracy.
His future path was a bit of a question mark. First, there was zero chance of him heading back to the front with Kushina; until the Great War ended, she likely wouldn't be allowed to step foot outside the village gates.
Second, he couldn't exactly go back to doing D-rank chores and studying in the library like he had a few months ago. He had proven his worth as a high-tier combat asset on the battlefield; eventually, the machine would spit him back out into the fray.
As he finished his registration, Hagoromo realized something somewhat depressing: even though he was back in the Hidden Leaf, he had nowhere to go.
Go home? It was empty.
Maybe I'll go see what Kushina-sensei is up to, he thought. Is she still in a state of perpetual frenzy?
As he left the building, the sky began to bruise into twilight. He had time to kill, so he took the long way around, treating the walk to Kushina's place as a leisurely stroll.
His destination was clear, but his route was haphazard. Without really meaning to, he found himself wandering into the Leaf's Hot Springs District.
Thanks to the lingering afterglow of the victory celebration, the lanterns were already lit even though the sun hadn't fully set. The streets were packed with people.
To Hagoromo's annoyance, he didn't see a single person he knew...
Wait. Not a single person?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he spotted a familiar figure.
To be precise, they had never actually met, and the man certainly didn't know him, but Hagoromo recognized him instantly.
Even in a safe zone, a ninja's habits are hard to break. When walking down a street, a ninja instinctively avoids the densest crowds and sticks to open spaces. Their eyes might seem like they're just browsing, but they're habitually scanning specific points: buildings that could hide a sniper, heights that offer a tactical advantage, the hand positions and gaits of passersby, the rhythm of footsteps...
Ninjas live in a state of perpetual low-level paranoia, as if someone is going to jump out from behind a corner with a pair of butcher knives at any second.
Hagoromo wasn't that high-strung—he considered the Hidden Leaf the safest place on earth, and his guard was at its lowest. He hadn't even brought his kunai pouch with him. But habits are habits.
The Hot Springs District was built along both banks of a shallow, picturesque river. And there, in the thick canopy of a tree on the opposite bank—a tree perfectly positioned to hide a human silhouette—sat a man with long white hair.
Hagoromo hadn't been looking for him. It was just a subconscious ninja reflex. And frankly, the man in the tree wasn't trying very hard to stay hidden.
Recognizing the target, Hagoromo immediately changed course and walked onto the wooden bridge connecting the two banks. From the highest point of the arch, he confirmed he wasn't mistaken.
Tall stature. Long white hair cascading down his back. Standard front-line battle gear.
That boisterous aura coupled with such incredibly sleazy behavior... who else could it be?
The Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku. The teacher of the Yellow flash, the Sannin. Jiraiya.
Jiraiya had his back to the bridge, so Hagoromo couldn't see his face, but the appearance was unmistakable.
Still, wasn't Jiraiya the commander of the Hidden Cloud front? During this strategic recalibration period, shouldn't he be glued to the border, monitoring the enemy's every move? Why was he back in the village? Desertion? Unlikely.
"Could it be because..."
Hagoromo quickly deduced a reason. Had Jiraiya rushed back because of Tsunade's departure from the village? It made sense, but it probably wasn't the whole story. The Hokage wouldn't recall a front-line commander just for personal drama.
As Hagoromo knew from both the rumors of this world and the memories of his past life, Jiraiya was a man of... specific tastes. He didn't know how long the man had been back, but he'd bet his last Ryo that Jiraiya had headed straight for the hot springs to "collect material."
If the Hidden Leaf had a red-light district, the hot springs wouldn't have been his first stop. But as it stood, the nickname "Pervy Sage" was well-earned.
Currently, Jiraiya was hiding in a highly (read: extremely) suspicious manner. Directly across from his tree was the second-story window of the women's bath. Not only was he peeping, but he was fully equipped—Hagoromo could clearly see a pair of binoculars in his hands.
Hagoromo could practically imagine the look of pure, blissful perversion on the man's face.
In order to protect the glorious image and reputation of the Great Sannin, Hagoromo felt he had a moral obligation to intervene. It was the duty of every Leaf shinobi to uphold the village's honor.
Standing at the center of the bridge, he took a deep, centering breath, relaxed his vocal cords, and cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone. He aimed his voice straight at the opposite bank and roared:
"HEY! THERE'S A CREEP HIDING IN THE TREE PEEPING INTO THE WOMEN'S BATH!"
The decibel level definitely broke 120.
Without waiting to see if Jiraiya fell out of the tree, and ignoring the immediate chorus of high-pitched screams and panicked splashes from the bathhouse, Hagoromo calmly turned around and melted into the crowd.
Deeply conceal your deeds and your name.
"Don't thank me, ladies," he muttered to himself. "I'm just a humble, neighborhood do-gooder."
No fame, no fortune. Life was simply about being a good person and doing good deeds.
-------------------------------------------------------
If you liked the chapter, drop power stones to push the story forward!
Drop a review! We are just 1 review away from getting an rating!