"Akashō!!"
Jiraiya rushed forward to Akashō's side. Just as he was about to reach out and help him up, he noticed Akashō's left arm—twisted at an unnatural angle.
That alone made him freeze, not daring to touch it recklessly.
"Wh-what… what happened here!?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened. He simply couldn't make sense of the situation in front of him. He had only asked the ANBU to keep an eye on Akashō—how did he end up at the Konoha orphanage?
And even if he came here, how did he end up this badly injured!?
At that moment, a staff member from the Konoha orphanage walked into the boys' dormitory.
"Jiraiya-sama, why have you come here—"
But the moment he stepped inside, he froze in place, stunned by the scene before him.
"Akashō…"
Jiraiya's hands hovered helplessly in the air. Despite being a seasoned ninja, he looked as panicked as a child.
"Ji… rai… ya…"
Suddenly, Akashō coughed up a mouthful of blood. With what little strength he had left, his intact right hand clutched onto Jiraiya's clothes, tugging desperately. Because of the difference in their size, it almost looked like he was trying to burrow into Jiraiya's embrace.
"It hurts… it hurts so much, Jiraiya…"
"I'm scared…"
Akashō slightly raised his head. His face, pale from pain and blood loss, came into Jiraiya's view.
He muttered unconsciously about the pain and fear, but the moment his lifeless, hollow eyes met Jiraiya's, they changed instantly. Grievance and terror flooded in at once. His eyes reddened, and large tears began to roll down his cheeks.
"Why did you come so late…"
Seeing this up close, Jiraiya felt as if his vision was splitting apart. His head spun.
At that moment, what echoed in his mind were the words he had said to Akashō before bringing him to Konoha.
"When we get there, you'll have a new family…"
"The Konoha ninja will protect you and your family…"
"Konoha is a fun place. Once you arrive, you'll definitely come to like it…"
This child had trusted him so completely.
And yet, on the very first day in Konoha, everything he had said… had turned into lies.
Guilt, remorse, anguish—countless emotions surged through Jiraiya's heart all at once.
What… am I even doing?
Why wasn't I by his side when something like this happened? Why!?
Jiraiya's breathing grew ragged, his fury nearly bursting out through his eyes.
No. Now isn't the time to dwell on that.
Jiraiya formed hand seals. "Shadow Clone Technique!"
A puff of white smoke rose, and an identical copy of him appeared instantly at his side.
"Go to the Konoha Hospital immediately. Inform the medical ninja of the situation and have them come here at once!"
"Got it."
After doing everything he could, Jiraiya quickly grabbed Akashō's uninjured right hand. Whether he was comforting Akashō or himself, even he didn't know.
"It'll be fine… you'll be fine. I'm here. Nothing will happen…"
But at that moment, Akashō weakly released his grip on Jiraiya's clothes. His swollen, reddened eyes slowly closed.
"Akashō!?"
Jiraiya jolted in shock and hurriedly reached out to check his breathing.
"He's still breathing… he just fainted…"
Jiraiya let out a long breath of relief. The violent swing of his emotions nearly made his brain go numb.
Right!
Jiraiya suddenly turned his head, his gaze turning ice-cold as it locked onto the two people standing tensely in the dorm.
"Who did this?"
"Th-this…"
The orphanage staff member froze. How would he know what happened? He still hadn't figured anything out himself.
But Jiraiya wasn't looking at him.
His eyes were fixed on Kabuto—the one who had brought him here.
Kabuto had been wondering whether something had happened after he left, but now he couldn't do anything except continue following the plan Akashō had set beforehand.
"It was three other children from the orphanage!"
Kabuto took a deep breath. At this point, there was no turning back.
"Bring them here."
Jiraiya's icy voice made both the adult and the child shudder involuntarily.
"J-Jiraiya-sama, please calm down. Maybe we should wait for the security team to arrive first…"
The staff member tried to persuade him. He understood all too well what kind of consequences the anger of someone like Jiraiya could bring. If those three children were brought here and things turned out differently, it would already be too late.
"I said, bring them here!"
Jiraiya glared viciously at him. The killing intent forged through countless battles erupted instantly. Even Akashō, who was half-lying in his arms pretending to be unconscious, trembled slightly.
"Y-yes! I'll bring them right away!"
The staff member was just an ordinary person—how could he withstand Jiraiya's killing intent? Terrified out of his wits, he grabbed the stiff, unmoving Kabuto and hurried out of the dorm.