Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 236 Jiraiya

After visiting his injured comrades, Naruto began to "stroll" around the streets of Konoha. Of course, this "stroll" needs to be put in quotes.

He deliberately chose to stroll along streets with hot spring inns, but his purpose was not to soak in the hot springs, but to find someone who might be... hiding in some corner and spying.

Sure enough, perhaps due to some kind of predestined fate, Naruto soon spotted a suspicious figure near the wall outside a hot spring inn.

"Hehe...hehehe..."

It was a tall, burly man clinging to a crack in the wooden wall in an extremely ungraceful posture. His long white hair reached down to his waist, and he looked quite old.

...To be honest, Naruto thought this behavior was a bit bad. While Jiraiya was completely absorbed in "gathering materials", Naruto quietly picked up a small stone from the ground, flicked his wrist, and accurately threw it at the wooden board that Jiraiya was peeping at.

"Bang."

A knocking sound clearly reached inside the wall.

"Who's outside!"

"There seems to be a pervert!"

"Wait! Quick, surround them! It looks like someone was spying on us!"

Immediately, a cacophony of panic and anger erupted from inside the walls.

"What?!" Jiraiya was shocked, the perfect atmosphere for "gathering material" was completely shattered. He turned his head sharply and looked angrily in the direction from which the pebble had come—there stood a blond brat who was still playing with another pebble in his hand and had a seemingly harmless smile on his face.

Jiraiya was so angry that he wanted to rush up and grab the brat by the collar to question him about what he was doing. However, the rustling sound of clothes being put on and the increasingly close, angry footsteps coming from the hot spring clearly told him that if he didn't leave now, it would be too late!

Jiraiya had no choice but to immediately abandon his theory and turn around, fleeing the scene with an agility that belied his massive size.

Finally, after running all the way and hiding behind a dense thicket of bushes in the distance, Jiraiya dared to cautiously peek out.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to the alarmed hotel staff and several hot-tempered women arguing and chasing after them in the opposite direction.

"What the hell... that brat..." He wiped non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, muttering with lingering fear and indignation.

"Hey sir, what were you doing acting so suspiciously outside the women's bathhouse? Were you lost?"

A clear voice suddenly came from behind, startling Jiraiya so much he almost jumped. He turned around abruptly and found that standing there was none other than the blond brat who had interrupted his "material gathering"—Naruto Uzumaki.

Wait a minute… when did this kid get behind me? I didn’t even notice him approaching? He’s so fast! Jiraiya was startled. Although this brat had indeed ruined his plans, if his actions were proven true, he could be arrested by the Konoha security ninja. And… this kid… he looks kind of familiar…

"Ahem!" Jiraiya quickly straightened up, cleared his throat, and instantly switched to a serious expression. He crossed his arms and explained in a solemn manner.

"Hmph! Ignorant brat, what do you know? I was gathering material for a serious literary creation!"

"I see, it's for gathering material for literary creation."

Naruto nodded, his face still showing a calmness beyond his years. "However, wouldn't using this method to 'find inspiration' cause unnecessary misunderstandings? And wouldn't it also bring trouble and unease to others?"

"As a writer, you wouldn't want your artistic pursuits to be misunderstood as despicable behavior, would you? Please consider a more appropriate approach."

"..."

Jiraiya was momentarily speechless, and looked at the blond boy in front of him with some surprise. This kid... isn't his reaction a little too mature?

Moreover, that inexplicable sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger... Only at this moment did Jiraiya suddenly realize where this sense of familiarity came from—it was almost like his prized disciple who had become Hokage but died young...

"But, may I ask who you are? Judging from your headband..." Naruto asked at the opportune moment, finding an opportunity to start the conversation, "Aren't you a Konoha ninja?"

Upon hearing the question about his identity, Jiraiya seemed to have a switch flipped instantly, and the embarrassment and reminiscence from before were immediately forgotten.

With a soft "bang!" accompanied by a puff of white smoke, a huge toad was summoned. Naruto vaguely remembered that this toad seemed to be called Gama-chū.

Immediately afterwards, Jiraiya stood on Gamachu's head and began his signature performance. He twirled his long white hair, his movements exaggerated like a Kabuki actor.

"Good question! I am none other than the Toad Sage, the one who travels far and wide, records legends, and resides on Mount Myōboku! Commonly known as the Toad Sage! One of the legendary Sannin—Lord Jiraiya! That's me!"

Finally, he struck a classic, dynamic pose.

For some reason, seeing this scene before him, Naruto suddenly felt a pang in his heart, a strange, indescribable bittersweet feeling welling up inside him… How strange, this feeling…

He subconsciously raised his hand and began to applaud the performance, his face displaying a perfectly timed expression of surprise and admiration.

Oh? Jiraiya looked at the earnest kid in the audience, and most of the resentment he felt from being interrupted during his "source gathering" dissipated. He thought this kid was actually quite to his liking.

Naruto forcibly suppressed the "perverted sage" title that was about to slip out, and spoke in as formal a tone as possible.

"I never expected you to be one of the legendary Sannin, Lord Jiraiya. My apologies. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I am currently a genin in Konoha."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the summoning jutsu under Jiraiya's feet ended, white smoke rose again, and Gamachu's figure disappeared instantly.

"Whoa!" Jiraiya, having lost his support, was caught off guard and fell from mid-air.

"Are you alright?!" Naruto reacted quickly, stepping forward to steady Jiraiya who was about to fall flat on his face.

Jiraiya, however, was completely oblivious to his own disheveled state. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared intently at the blond boy who was supporting him.

Naruto?! He's Minato's child?!