In Konoha: I will spread the will of conquest throughout the ninja world.

Danzo...

Isogen narrowed his eyes slightly.

Find an opportunity to wreck this old man's shop.

Lacking the strength now is one thing, but overturning the shop is another; let's keep things separate.

"That kid."

Jiraiya was surprised and suspicious.

He sensed a strong fluctuation of spiritual energy emanating from Fifty Strings.

This is incredible.

The mixture of physical energy and mental energy in the human body is physical strength, which is then transformed into chakra.

Ninjas with special talents in a certain aspect of physical or mental abilities possess unique skills.

He first thought of the Yamanaka clan and the Nara clan, both of which were Konoha clans that were extremely skilled in spiritual techniques.

However, it's not easy for an ordinary orphan to reach that level without prior experience.

"Do you know how to become a medical ninja?"

Just then, Igarashi asked curiously and handed Jiraiya a bottle of orange soda.

Jiraiya took the drink, opened it, and took a big gulp, becoming even more satisfied with Ichigen.

Jiraiya is satisfied; you're on the right track, kid.

Since you're so perceptive, then I wouldn't mind spending some time guiding you, the teacher of my future chosen one...

suddenly.

Glug glug.

My stomach is rumbling.

Minato Namikaze sensed something was wrong when Isogen handed him the soda. Isogen hadn't taken soda from anyone for the past month, so why would he give it to a complete stranger for no reason?

Listen again.

A familiar rhythm.

Jiraiya's face contorted, and before he could think further, another handful of fine white powder, like lime, came flying at him.

No! It's lime!

With a swift step, Isogen mustered all his strength and kicked Jiraiya in the abdomen.

Peng!

Jiraiya's transformation was canceled due to abdominal pain and a sudden attack.

Ninjas are an extraordinary group, and the enhancement of Yin and Yang attributes by the Fifty Strings is comprehensive, making the power of this kick far exceed that of an ordinary adult male.

Jiraiya, who was hit by this blow, had a strange sense of familiarity. This force seemed to have hit him when he was a child.

"Hiding his head and sneaking around, this guy who helped Minato is definitely a spy!"

Without needing to be reminded, Minato Namikaze had already made his move.

It's normal for a classmate he doesn't recognize to suddenly appear in a ninja academy, but to use a transformation technique to disguise himself right away, and such a sophisticated one at that, makes him seem unlike a normal ninja academy student from any angle.

The sudden commotion drew the attention of the other students in the classroom.

Under the watchful eyes of all around, Jiraiya's face turned from blue to purple, his sphincter muscles constantly emitting warning whistles, and his movements as he dodged and wedged resembled a frog opening and closing its legs.

They were just two students, both from ordinary backgrounds. Even if they were geniuses, he could easily defeat them with a single finger.

But he never expected that this year's ninja academy students would be so wild.

You're offering a bottle of drugged soda to a stranger right off the bat? Aren't you afraid of making a mistake?!

I really want to roar, I desperately want to.

But he couldn't speak.

His sphincter was working hard; he couldn't give up, even if it was just to save face in front of all the students!

Hang in there, my sphincter muscles!

Show me the same unwavering will you have on the battlefield!

Isogen didn't give him time to awaken his sphincter's will. He slammed a heavy punch into Jiraiya's outstretched arms. The force was so great that Jiraiya almost thought he had encountered a young Tsunade.

He pounded the fifty strings while shouting.

"This person is a spy disguised using shapeshifting magic, not a student!"

The shouts carried through the windows to the outside world, and were heard by students in the corridor and other classes.

These words were like hot oil poured over the heads of a group of hot-blooded young students.

spy?!

"Charge!"

"Don't try to take it from me, watch this!"

"Blue Pill, let's go!"

"Forget about fairness when dealing with spies, let's all work together!"

Where did you come from, you bandit den!

Jiraiya's face turned as red as a purplish-red as he fled in a disheveled state, covering his face with his arms. Despite his stomach constantly slowing him down, he relied on his experience in battle to dodge back and forth between the corridor walls, pillars, and ceiling.

The commotion startled the school teachers, who quickly jumped onto rooftops and balconies to get a better view of the target.

When a teacher saw a suspicious person being chased by students, she was about to take action, but was immediately stopped by Kobayashi Mika.

He saw that the people rushing to the front and surrounding the man were his own students, the commoner genius Minato Namikaze and the recently emerging prodigy, Yuuka Igarashi, whom he considered a major threat.

It wasn't for "revenge," he just thought the person he was being chased looked vaguely familiar.

He explained to his colleagues.

"Hearing you say that," the knowledgeable teacher said with a look of surprise and doubt.

"Hedgehog-like long white hair, and that figure..."

The group exchanged glances, already knowing the answer in their hearts, but unsure how to express it.

"Lord Jiraiya!" came a gasp.

They looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young female ninja who had recently retired and taken on the role of homeroom teacher.

The female teacher, startled by the gazes of her seniors, shrank back and whispered, "Isn't that right?"

"..."

"Ahem, this must be one of the few times that Jiraiya-sama has had the time to come and inspect the students at the Ninja Academy."

Kobayashi Mika holds a different view on this explanation that everyone agrees on.

The 50th string is at the very front, coupled with Jiraiya's unnatural movements.

"..."

He remained silent, quietly retreating behind the crowd and protecting them in front of him.

At this moment, another obstacle appeared in front of Jiraiya, who was being chased around by everyone.

A boy with a single tomoe appeared in his scarlet eyes.

"Hmph, you dare to cause trouble at the Ninja Academy? I'll send you to the police department!" Uchiha Sanka said coldly.

Jiraiya cursed inwardly.

As expected, they are the evil Uchiha!

"Um, that looks like Jiraiya-sama? What do we do now?" The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who had been drawn out by the commotion, stood on the periphery, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure with hesitant expressions.

Choza Akimichi strained to open his eyes wide and said in a low voice.

The Ino-Shika-Cho clan is a staunch Hokage faction, and as this generation of Ino-Shika-Cho, they have met the legendary Sannin.

The two looked at Nara Shikaku, who had the most ideas.

Nara Shikaku simply put his left hand in his pocket and decisively pulled down his blindfold with his right hand, entering the darkness.

"I didn't see anything."

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office.

About half a minute after Jiraiya left, having confirmed that his disciple was truly gone, Hiruzen Sarutobi skillfully retrieved a crystal ball from a drawer and continued his inspection of Konoha's defenses.

After experiencing the fiery temper of his youth, he thought of Jiraiya, who had just returned to the village to observe his future disciple.

I wonder how these two are getting along.

Thinking of this, he activated his telescope technique and looked towards the ninja academy.

His invented telescope technique only requires understanding the target's chakra characteristics to achieve unlimited surveillance over extremely long distances.

As the technique was activated, scenes from the Ninja Academy gradually appeared on the crystal ball.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, which initially held a slight smile, gradually turned to shock, confusion, and bewilderment. His pupils dilated, and his eyes were filled with awe.

After a long silence, a member of the secret service appeared, his knuckles lightly tapping the table.

"Go to the Ninja Academy." Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully chose his words.

"Call back Jiraiya, Gogaku, Minato Namikaze, and Kobayashi Mikaku."

歘.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

This was the first time Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen Jiraiya like this.

His face was ashen, as if he had lost all meaning in life; his newly changed trousers were very fashionable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a drag of his cigarette; the office was filled with swirling smoke, creating a man-made fairyland.

"Tell me what happened."