Uchiha's personal opinion

How long did you go?

The person who was having fun asked a question casually.

It's been over a month~

Jiraiya answered calmly.

"Oh~ so you missed the excitement from a month ago~"

It's clear that people who enjoy sharing have a strong desire to do so.

"Tell me about it!"

Jiraiya immediately adopted a gossipy expression.

"You know Jiraiya, right? He's the Third Hokage's disciple."

The man immediately started gesturing excitedly, clearly finding great satisfaction in sharing gossip about a high-ranking ninja: "He escaped before being sentenced!"

"Is that so... I've heard about it, but I don't know the specifics..."

When the gossip got to his head, Jiraiya immediately sensed something was wrong.

Moreover, the fact that the outcome was known without any analysis indicates that the matter had already been circulating in the village for some time.

"Luckily, I did some research myself... Greninja is an anomaly after all; it's not very good at gathering intelligence!"

Jiraiya felt a little nervous, but he was also proud of his "foresight".

However, after listening to the villagers' sharing, although Jiraiya appeared to be extremely happy, his heart was already churning with emotions.

"It's come to this! And that's not all!"

On the surface, Jiraiya seemed quite satisfied with what he had just learned, so he found an excuse to say goodbye to the villagers and leave, though his inner hatred was almost overflowing.

Although he doesn't care much about his reputation, it doesn't mean he wants his public image to change from "romantic" to "vulgar," especially since he's also burdened with charges of "fleeing the courtroom" and "suspected loyalty."

"That Orochimaru brat!"

Jiraiya had initially intended to confront Orochimaru and demand an explanation for why he hadn't helped him resolve the matter. However, upon reflection, he realized that he had actually inadvertently tricked Orochimaru, so he stopped in his tracks.

Ultimately, Konoha today is not the Konoha of the past... After the fall of the Third Hokage, it's a miracle that his direct disciples weren't wiped out; Orochimaru didn't have the power to deal with the powerful police department...

"Konoha..."

Standing on the street, Jiraiya felt a sense of bewilderment. The bustling commercial street was filled with people coming and going, and villagers strolled past him without stopping or even glancing at him. It seemed that this lively and prosperous scene had nothing to do with him.

"Is this still my Konoha...?"

Jiraiya was filled with mixed feelings.

……

"Notify the police department! An abnormal chakra has been detected within the surveillance barrier!"

Inside the Konoha Sealing Team, a Uzumaki ninja calmly gave instructions to his subordinates.

The other Uzumaki ninja, having received the instructions, nodded slightly, made an excuse to leave, and then headed straight for the police headquarters.

Although Jiraiya was very careful to conceal his whereabouts, his chakra characteristics had already been recorded, and once the monitoring barrier sensed them, his location would be revealed.

"So what if you ran away? Lord Deguang doesn't intend to label you a rogue ninja anyway. But if you dare to come back, don't blame me..."

The first ninja to notice sighed inwardly.

However, he only sighed briefly before starting to coordinate the surveillance facilities deployed on the main streets of Konoha to closely monitor Jiraiya's movements.

"...Huh! This location...is this the residence of Orochimaru, the Jonin?"

Subsequently, the Uzumaki ninja used Jiraiya's movements and the network of relationships within the ninja villages to determine his destination.

"This is a bit tricky..."

The ninja immediately got up and instructed another person to go to the police headquarters to make a supplementary report.

……

After much deliberation, Jiraiya finally decided to make a trip to Orochimaru's residence.

He planned to say goodbye to his friends who had helped him a lot recently, and then leave the village to wander the ninja world. He would return after the three-year trial period was over to see if there were any junior ninjas in the village who possessed the characteristics of a "savior".

However, in a small alleyway one street away from Orochimaru's residence, a group of police ninja blocked his way.

"Jiraiya, Jonin, please come with us!"

The leading Uchiha Jonin brandished his three-tomoe jade pendant and spoke in a sinister tone.

It seems my identity has been exposed...

Jiraiya sighed inwardly.

Although he maintained his disguised appearance, he made no attempt to explain himself, instead taking a step back with his right foot and adopting a confrontational stance.

As a ninja, once your identity is exposed, there's really no point in continuing to pretend and complain.

"...If you resist arrest, it could implicate those who bailed you out."

The Uchiha Jonin waved his hand, and his subordinates immediately spread out and surrounded Jiraiya.

Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Kurama... so the easy target is a genjutsu ninja from the Kurama clan...

Jiraiya lowered his head slightly to avoid the three-tomoe gaze and took a quick look at the composition of the police department ninja personnel blocking his way.

"The village has already shown you some decency... If you still don't know what's good for you, then don't blame the police department for their ruthless iron fist!"

The Uchiha Jonin slowly drew his katana and spoke in a chilling tone.

Jiraiya simply twisted his neck and didn't reply.

Chapter 302 Jiraiya, the traitor to the ninja!

Orochimaru knelt expressionlessly in the main hall of his mansion, surrounded by nine seemingly casual but actually subtly positioned Jonin of the Uchiha clan.

In the courtyard, a group of fully armed police ninjas stood in formation on guard. One of them, a red-haired Uzumaki ninja, was looking at a rockery in the dry landscape garden with great interest. As his eyes moved up and down, Orochimaru's heart was filled with unease.

That was the entrance to his private laboratory.

Although there was nothing illegal, he still refused to allow anyone to enter and search the premises.

Fortunately, the ninja only glanced at it and did not attempt to break the spell.

"Orochimaru, Jonin, are you really unwilling to try and stop them?"

Inside the hall, the Uchiha Jonin saw a signal flare rising in the distance and turned to the silent Orochimaru, saying, "After all, Jiraiya Jonin is your fellow disciple and friend. You can't just stand by and watch him go astray!"

Orochimaru remained steadfast in his principle that silence is golden, and did not utter a single word.

"After Jiraiya returned to the village, the first person he looked for was you..."

The Uchiha Jonin sighed, "Now that we're only a street apart, aren't you willing to go and see him?"

The cat cries for the mouse...

Orochimaru remained indifferent, unmoved by the Uchiha Jonin's verbal attacks.

He was supposed to stay home quietly today, figuring out the secrets of ninjutsu, but suddenly a group of police ninjas rushed in and, without saying a word, put him under control, even using a barrier to block his external senses. After a bewildered Orochimaru was placed under house arrest in the reception room, he learned that the police department had received intelligence that Jiraiya had returned to the village and was heading towards his house, so the police department's elite forces came directly to infiltrate and control him.

Moreover, it seems the police department thinks highly of him, as more people came to his home to control him than they intercepted him outside.

But no matter what the police department says, Orochimaru is simply uncooperative, mainly highlighting that there's nothing that can be done about him under legal circumstances.

"Humph!"

Sensing the surging chakra fluctuations outside, clearly indicating an impending direct confrontation, the Uchiha Jonin disregarded Orochimaru's non-violent non-cooperation strategy, waved his hand, and signaled the police ninjas in the courtyard to provide support.

He boasted of his superior strength, believing that even if Orochimaru was incredibly powerful, the eight Uchiha Jonin in the hall wouldn't be unable to defeat him.

……

"Magic Illusion: The Shackles Technique!"

The Uchiha Jonin leading the encirclement lowered his body, activated a genjutsu to meet Jiraiya's slightly lowered head, and then swung his sword and pounced on him.

"Uchiha Style: Sword Flame Slash!"

The surrounding police ninja immediately pounced on them.

Jiraiya's strength was well known, so the police ninjas were on high alert and did not let their guard down at all, unleashing their killing moves as soon as they made their move.

"Ninja Technique: Three-Party Seal!"

The three Uzumaki ninjas immediately took action, using sealing techniques to summon a triangular three-dimensional barrier, trapping the police department's Jonin and Jiraiya together.

Although this barrier's defensive effect is rather average, considering the limited space in the alley...

Other police department ninjas, whose strength was slightly inferior, began to prepare to unleash a combined ninjutsu.

"Illusion - Release!"

Jiraiya first activated a genjutsu to dispel the illusion, then pinched himself to break free from the Uchiha Jonin's genjutsu. Afterward, he flicked his hair and activated his own secret technique.

"Ninjutsu: Needle Jizo!"

Jiraiya tossed his head, and his full head of silver hair instantly grew back, completely enveloping his body and blocking the first wave of attacks from the Jonin of the Police Department.

Although his silver hair, infused with chakra, was torn apart piece by piece by the ninja swords of the Jonin, it bought Jiraiya the most precious time to react.

"Immortal Technique: Thousand Needles!"

Jiraiya crouched down, lowering his stance, his hands forming hand seals, and with another flick of his head, his hair grew wildly again, shooting out a dense barrage of hair like a torrential rain, forcing all the Jonin back.

"Clang clang clang clang!"

The Jonin retreated while swinging their swords to deflect the oncoming hairy senbon.

"This is really troublesome..."

The Uchiha Jonin stood back, his face extremely grim.

Although they were familiar with Jiraiya's secret technique, they did not know that it would be so swift and powerful once activated. Caught off guard, the Jonin who had joined forces to attack had already suffered minor injuries.

However, he also noticed out of the corner of his eye that a group of fully armed police ninjas had arrived from the direction of Orochimaru's residence and quickly spread out to set up a perimeter.

"...You can't escape the police department's inescapable net."

The Uchiha Jonin signaled the Uzumaki ninjas to release the limitations of the three-way seal and maximize their numerical advantage. "And... Jiraiya Jonin, you really did something wrong this time. Don't you have the courage to accept your punishment?"