The gathering that Yamanaka Shinno hosted ended up being much bigger than he had originally expected.
Aside from the usual trio of Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, and Yamanaka Inoichi, along with their wives, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Honoka also showed up. And they didn't come alone—they brought along Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin, all eager to eat and drink their fill.
Of course, according to them, this was their way of showing gratitude for Shinno's help the previous day.
Beyond that, there were even more guests. Aburame Shibi and his wife, Aburame Tsunan, had been invited by Inoichi. Uchiha Mikoto and Inuzuka Tsume came at the call of Kushina. And then, there was Jiraiya—who had invited himself.
Kushina, Honoka, Mikoto, Tsunade, and Tsume gathered around the dining table, chatting and eating merrily.
Meanwhile, in the living room, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Aburame Shibi sat comfortably together, engrossed in conversation.
Upstairs, thanks to Nara Yoshino's coordination, the wives had settled in to enjoy fine food and a bit of leisurely drinking, completely at ease.
On the other hand, Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Kurenai Yuhi, having helped Kakashi, Obito, and Rin with the final preparations for the feast, were finally free. They set up a large table on the grassy courtyard and dove into the feast themselves.
Obito, having been drooling in anticipation, wasted no time and began inhaling food like a starving beast.
Might Guy, bursting with energy, took this as a challenge and began competing with Obito in a battle of sheer appetite.
Kakashi and Genma, the rare normal ones in the group, quietly enjoyed their meals at a relaxed pace.
Meanwhile, Rin and Kurenai huddled together, whispering and giggling nonstop, their laughter ringing like silver bells.
...
"This is nice."
Leaning against the third-floor balcony railing, Shinno gazed down at the lively scene below. The playful chatter, the cheerful teasing—it all felt like life should be.
"Hahaha! And here I thought you didn't like big gatherings!"
Jiraiya strolled up beside him, a bottle of sake in hand. One arm rested on the railing, the other lifting the bottle for a sip.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I just remembered—I still have a score to settle with you."
Shinno turned to look at him.
This bastard had the nerve to corrupt his innocent little disciples while he was away from Konoha!
"Uh… Didn't we already settle the earnings from that summoning beast auction?"
"You know exactly what I mean. Spend two days as my sparring partner, and I'll let it slide."
"...Can I at least know what I did?"
Jiraiya stiffened slightly before quickly feigning innocence.
Minato, who had been about to join the conversation, smoothly turned on his heel and decided now was a great time to go have a heart-to-heart talk with his student. Kakashi's psychological issues still needed some careful attention, after all.
"???!!! Just how much crap did you pull?!"
"Hahaha… It's nothing serious… Uh… Well, alright, alright. I might've told your students some of your 'glorious achievements'… and…"
"And what else?"
"Ahem. Before returning to the village, I got into a fight… using your face."
"Excuse me? You used my face? Are we talking about an actual fight? With who?"
"Totally serious! Uh… The opponent was the chief of Nadeshiko Village."
"You absolute—Jiraiya! Are you even human?! If the ancestors of the Inuzuka clan knew you, they'd question why they ever bothered to breed ninja dogs!"
Shinno gritted his teeth so hard he nearly cracked them. He had never been so tempted to strangle someone in his life.
Nadeshiko Village was somewhat well-known in the shinobi world. Not for their combat prowess, but because it was essentially an all-female warrior society—a true matriarchal village.
Their tradition for procreation? Beating strong men in battle and taking them back to the village as husbands.
If a strong man caught their eye, he had two choices: win and be left alone, or lose and get carried off to the bridal chamber.
If they couldn't defeat their target immediately, they'd keep challenging him until they could.
And Jiraiya… had used Shinno's face to fight their leader?!
That was no different from catching a wedding bouquet and running away!
How could any self-respecting human being do this?!
He was one of the Legendary Sannin, for crying out loud! Could he not constantly push the limits of shamelessness?
"Hahaha! But I won! And besides, she knew I was using a transformation jutsu—no big deal, no big deal!"
Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly, laughing it off.
When working in the field, gathering intel sometimes required a different identity.
And well, Shinno's face was just too useful—it would've been a waste not to take advantage of it.
Who could've predicted that the Nadeshiko Village leader, Kasumi, would take an interest in him?
"Three days."
Shinno had already decided—when it came to training, he was going to beat Jiraiya into the ground.
Not out of personal spite.
Just out of a firm belief that it was his responsibility to purify the shinobi world of this kind of influence.
"Fine, fine! As long as you don't use those inhumane genjutsu, I'm game!"
"I won't use genjutsu this time."
"Ahem. Actually, maybe you could use just one? I think that 'Here's a T for You' genjutsu has some serious tactical value…"
"..."
Shinno realized he had still underestimated Jiraiya's shamelessness.
That particular genjutsu had originally been created as a prank—a way to mess with people.
It worked by triggering a person's most basic instincts and desires.
Then it would bombard them with an all-star lineup of visual illusions, featuring legendary performers across multiple generations…
Let's just say, for the average kunoichi, the jutsu was embarrassing but not particularly harmful.
But for someone like Jiraiya?
Shinno knew all too well—if he cast it, Jiraiya would absolutely enjoy himself. He wouldn't even try to break free.
Even if he ended up losing so much blood from nosebleeds that he needed emergency treatment at Konoha's hospital.
Even if, upon regaining consciousness, his pants weighed three times heavier than before.
When it came to sheer perversion…
No one in the shinobi world could surpass him.
...
Name: Jiraiya
Title: Ninja / Writer
Traits: Destined Mentor (Purple), One of the Three Sannin (Purple), Summoning Master (Purple), Shinobi Hero (Blue), Lecherous Poet (White), Easily Excited (White), Morning Enthusiast (White)
...
"Jiraiya, you're lucky you became a ninja and occasionally write those little stories that keep the crime rate down. Otherwise, you'd be completely useless to society."
Shinno looked at Jiraiya with utter sincerity.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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