Chapter 37 — Jiraiya Is also a Chuunibyou
The air suddenly fell silent.
After Kinoshita Hikaru spoke, he saw Jiraiya's body stiffen as he slowly turned his head.
What came into view was a young man with painted markings on his face, flushed cheeks, and a lecherous, pig-like grin.
At twenty-two years old, Jiraiya had been traveling across the shinobi world, following the prophecy of the Toad Sage in search of the Child of Destiny.
But after years of searching, he had yet to find this destined child. Now, he had been summoned back by the Third Hokage, having only just returned to Konoha.
After several years away, Jiraiya excitedly made his way to the hot spring resort to relax.
So it was just a kid. He had almost been scared to death.
Jiraiya lowered his voice and said, "Go home quickly. Don't disturb my research."
"Research?" Kinoshita Hikaru looked confused. Following Jiraiya's line of sight through the peephole, his face reddened slightly. All he saw was a sea of pale skin, blurred by rising steam, hazy and indistinct, yet strangely alluring—enough to stir one's imagination.
"Well? Looks good, right?" Jiraiya said proudly. This was a perfect vantage point he had discovered through years of experience—a closely guarded secret. Now that a kid had seen it, he couldn't help but show off.
"Oh, I see now." Kinoshita Hikaru suddenly understood, looking exactly like an innocent child who had just learned something new.
"You see what?" Jiraiya suddenly felt a chill down his spine, a bad premonition creeping in. He had a feeling something terrible was about to happen.
His instincts were right.
Kinoshita Hikaru sneaked another glance, then straightened up with a righteous expression, his eyes shining with justice as he shouted:
"Someone! There's a peeping tom!"
His voice was loud. Every young woman soaking in the hot spring stood up at once.
A proud, breathtaking scene.
Seeing this through the peephole, Jiraiya's nose instantly started bleeding as he froze in place.
"Incredible…!"
The next moment, he snapped out of it. This was no time to admire anything—if he got caught, he would definitely be torn apart by the furious women.
That brat had been peeking just now too, yet he turned on him in an instant.
Cursing under his breath, Jiraiya grabbed Kinoshita Hikaru and bolted.
Hikaru didn't resist, only shouting, "Help! The peeping tom is running away—mmph!"
Before he could say more, Jiraiya clamped a hand over his mouth.
…
Screams erupted from the bathhouse, rising and falling one after another, followed by the frantic rustling of people getting dressed.
Some bold older women wrapped themselves in towels, grabbed wooden buckets, and rushed out, determined to catch the culprit.
But by the time they reached the roof, only a piece of camouflage cloth remained. The thief had long since fled. Furious, the women cursed loudly before reluctantly returning inside.
"Damn peeping bastard!! If I catch you, I'll make sure you're no longer a man!"
—
Elsewhere.
Jiraiya moved at incredible speed, sprinting like the wind. Having trained at Mount Myōboku, one of the Three Great Sage Regions, his strength was already terrifying—he was among Konoha's top-tier shinobi.
Although he had yet to earn the title of one of the Sannin through his battle with Hanzō of the Salamander, it didn't diminish his power in the slightest.
Kinoshita Hikaru was tucked under Jiraiya's arm. His heart sank.
Jiraiya, who had been traveling, being recalled meant one thing—the war was about to begin.
The Second Shinobi World War began in Year 32 of Konoha. It was currently Year 31.
In other words, less than a year remained before war would break out.
This war would be extremely intense, lasting four to five years. Not only that—Senju Nawaki would also die during this war, his internal organs torn out by the enemy.
Hikaru tried to piece together the timeline in his mind, but it was hazy. After all, who actually remembers the exact timeline of wars when watching Naruto?
Still, a few clues stood out.
The war was initiated by the Land of Wind. The major nations entered the conflict, and the main battlefield became the Land of Rain, which suffered devastating casualties. This provoked Hanzō's dissatisfaction, and in the name of "fairness," he boldly declared war against the three great nations—the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth.
First, Nawaki was currently seven years old. The war would last four to five years, and considering the Ninja Academy's six-year graduation system, Nawaki would likely die toward the later stages of the war—around age twelve or thirteen. The timeline matched perfectly.
Then there was Jiraiya. After earning the Sannin title in his battle with Hanzō, he would meet three war orphans—Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. Recognizing Nagato's Rinnegan, the Sage's eyes, he would believe him to be the Child of Destiny and stay behind to train the three of them for three years.
Having sorted out the timeline, Hikaru realized that in about two years, Jiraiya would earn the title of Sannin.
At that moment, another critical issue surfaced in his mind.
In the original story, Kushina was abducted by the Land of Lightning only after Konoha suffered heavy losses in its war with the Land of Wind. Most of its ninja had been deployed to the front lines, leaving the village vulnerable—allowing the enemy to seize the opportunity.
At that time, Minato was eleven or twelve years old.
But now, it had happened five years earlier.
Why?
Hikaru's expression changed.
There was only one explanation—
This had all been arranged in advance.
It was premeditated.
He replayed the details of his battle with Iruwa Yoshi in his mind.
"All of it… was fake."
He muttered under his breath, a chill shooting straight up his spine, leaving his entire body cold.
"Fake? What do you mean fake? Kid, the women in Konoha are definitely not fake."
Jiraiya smirked lecherously, clearly still thinking about what he had just seen.
"…(︶︿︶)=凸" Hikaru suddenly realized that Jiraiya had stopped covering his mouth at some point. He immediately struggled violently and shouted:
"Let me go, you perverted old man!"
"Per… verted… old… man?" Jiraiya froze on the spot, coming to an abrupt halt.
Seizing the opportunity, Hikaru broke free.
Jiraiya trembled all over, his expression dark and menacing.
"What are you trying to do?"
"What am I trying to do? Obviously, I'm going to help you properly understand who I am."
Jiraiya quickly formed hand seals.
Boar – Dog – Rooster – Monkey – Ram.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive cloud of white smoke erupted.
As it cleared, a gigantic toad appeared.
Even crouching, it stood over twenty meters tall, with a huge scar across its face and a massive pipe clenched in its mouth.
Jiraiya leapt up, landing atop its head. His wooden sandals clacked rhythmically as he stepped in a strange pattern, his hands moving in sync. His long white hair swayed dramatically.
"Listen well! 'Toad Sage' is merely a title to conceal my true identity! I, who can accomplish anything with ease, who reigns supreme across heaven and earth—"
(He flicked his flowing white hair.)
"The white-haired boy of the toads, capable of silencing even a crying child—"
(He spun in place.)
"Jiraiya-sama! That's me—the handsome one you're looking at!"
(Klomp—his wooden sandals struck the ground.)
Kinoshita Hikaru's face darkened with black lines.
He had thought he was already pretty chuunibyou—
—but clearly, there was always someone worse.
"So you're Jiraiya… do you know Tsunade-nee?"
"You know Tsunade?"
Jiraiya's expression stiffened. Thinking of that overwhelming figure, he couldn't even imagine what would happen if she found out about this.
"Mm-hmm (○^^)"