Torifu was currently staying in the most unique apartment in the apartment complex. Torifu had said they would know his home as soon as they saw it. Jiraiya was initially confused, but when he saw the apartment's exterior wall covered with densely packed writing, he immediately walked up and knocked on the door. "Big Brother Torifu, open up, we're here."
A moment later, it was indeed Torifu who opened the door. "Haha, I told you! You'd definitely find it. After all, I'm the only one who did this in the entire Central City."
Jiraiya gave a hollow laugh. He didn't know what to say, as he couldn't understand the writing on the wall at all. He could only recognize a few characters; the rest were completely unfamiliar to him. "Big Brother, what kind of writing is this? I've never seen it before."
Torifu waved his hand, signaling him not to worry about it. "This is the script of our Kumotsuru Clan. Just treat it as an art exhibit; don't take it too seriously."
Jiraiya scratched his head, but ultimately walked inside. Once he entered, he was truly stunned. Naori was sitting on the sofa watching TV, and Tsunade was peeling and eating an orange. They were all wearing the clothes of the Kumotsuru Clan. Only Jiraiya was wearing the Konoha style, and the oldest version at that, seemingly influenced by his father. No one in Konoha wore clothes like him anymore; they were purely a product of a past era.
"You arrived quite fast. We haven't started cooking yet. Come on in and chat," Torifu greeted them warmly. Tsunade also got up and handed the orange to Jiraiya. Tsunade had spoken a few words to Jiraiya while treating Kuroōkami, but they didn't particularly hit it off. She hadn't expected to see him again at home, which made her feel a little awkward.
Jiraiya offered a carefree smile, accepted the orange, and sat down on the sofa.
"Tell me, what are your feelings about today's mission?"
Feelings? Minato thought for a moment. If he had any feelings, it was realizing the power of the Kage-level. Jiraiya being able to hold his own against four newly promoted Kage-level opponents was already a significant achievement. Yahiko and Konan felt that life was simply too fragile; a person could be killed with just a gentle poke. They had killed countless people these past few days, which gave them this feeling.
After hearing the three children's answers, Torifu could only say that their minds were sharp, but there was nothing more to it. The praise he had intended to give vanished before it left his mouth.
"Never mind. Let's not talk about this topic. What do you want for dinner? I'll ask your Mistress to make it for you."
Minato was the first to raise his hand. "Sweet and Sour Fish! I love the Sweet and Sour Fish that Mistress makes!" Yahiko and Konan quickly followed. "We want Sweet and Sour Fish too!"
Although she hadn't started cooking yet, Naori was immediately delighted to see the children were so fond of her Sweet and Sour Fish. "Wait here! It's Sweet and Sour Fish tonight."
However, she couldn't just make Sweet and Sour Fish; she had to make some other dishes. Naori opened the refrigerator, which was, as expected, completely empty—cleaner than a whistle. Forget fish; there wasn't even a single fish scale. The refrigerator was brand new and had never been used.
"Sigh, looks like I need to go grocery shopping. Wait for me at home for a while."
"OK!"
"Alright, Mistress. Please hurry back."
After Naori left, the room fell into a brief silence. Minato, Yahiko, and Konan didn't know what to talk about, so they just sat there awkwardly. Finally, Jiraiya was the one to break the silence. "Big Brother, did you assign the missions to the other two nations this afternoon?"
Torifu nodded upon hearing the question. "Of course. I'm in charge of everything in the Rain Province. Until the other Kage arrive, I'm the highest authority here."
"That's good. It looks like our mission will be completed quickly once the Kage-level enemies in the jurisdiction of those two nations are eliminated tomorrow!" The only obstacle blocking their path right now was the Kage-level enemies. Once all of them were killed, the remaining red dots on the map could be completely cleared out in about a day.
Torifu also looked at the map. "Yes, the speed is about what I expected. Once all the camps are wiped out, I'm eager to see what they plan to do next." The system would inform him of the conspiracy behind the Chaos Event, so Torifu wasn't worried about their planning or anything similar. Once the second mission was unlocked, everyone would know the next step to take. This second mission had piqued Torifu's interest for a long time, but it still hadn't opened yet. It seemed the new mission would only unlock after all the camps were cleared out.
Everyone in the apartment sat around, chatting about many things. Tsunade had been quietly listening on the sofa at first, but after she became a little more comfortable, she joined in the conversation.
"Once the mission is over, you can all go back. Are you feeling homesick?"
Minato shook his head. "No. I'm used to frequently going on missions, and with my companions around, I don't feel homesick anymore." Yahiko and Konan also shook their heads, saying they didn't miss home much.
Only Tsunade felt that this place was a bit boring, and after only a short time, she already missed Dan. This was entirely reasonable, as their relationship was still in the early, passionate stages. It was normal for them to miss each other. Children were more playful and didn't think about home. The unique scenery of the Land of Rain and the daily missions were enough to make them completely forget about home.
As for Jiraiya, he considered the entire world his home. If it weren't for his mother and father still being in Konoha, he might not return to the village for over a decade. He was naturally free-spirited, loved to explore, discover, and experience new things. Through this process, he grew. Furthermore, he had the prophecy left by the Great Toad Sage to fulfill, which made him even more restless. Whenever he had free time, he would go out to search for the Child of Prophecy.
The result was that after all these years, he hadn't found anything, but he had written quite a few smut novels, one of which accidentally became a massive hit. It was now a bestseller throughout the Ninja World, even outselling some older appliances. He had completely achieved financial freedom. If it hadn't been for the current situation in the Rain Province, where Torifu made him stay and assigned him a few tasks to complete, he likely would have gone out traveling long ago to search for the Child of Prophecy. Prophecy was a vague and elusive matter. If you chased it, you might never find it in your lifetime. If you let nature take its course, one day you might realize that the prophecy had already been fulfilled, and you just hadn't realized it at the time. Jiraiya took the prophecy too seriously, as it concerned him. For the sake of a vague prediction, Jiraiya had taken on countless apprentices while traveling.