Nobunaga packed his bundle, turned around, and walked in another direction.
The Hot Spring Street.
To find Jiraiya.
He remembered Jiraiya's habits.
That Pervy Sage would go to the Hot Spring Street every morning to "collect material." He called it collecting material, but in reality, he was just crouching outside the Women's Bathhouse to peek. For so many years, everyone in Konoha knew about it, but they could do nothing about him.
By the time Nobunaga reached the Hot Spring Street, the sun had already risen.
There weren't many people on the street. A few early-rising old men were sunning themselves at their doorsteps. A cat crouched on a wall, lazily licking its paws.
Then he saw him.
At the end of the Hot Spring Street, outside the Women's Bathhouse, crouched a man with long white hair.
That back view was too recognizable. Long white hair, a red haori, wooden clogs on the ground, and he was even holding a small notebook, seriously recording something.
A blond-haired youth was crouching beside him.
Naruto.
"Pervy Sage, what on earth are you writing?" Naruto's voice drifted over from that direction.
"Shh—keep it down!" Jiraiya lowered his voice. "This is collecting material! Do you understand material? Great works need real-life inspiration!"
"But you're clearly peeking into the Women's Bathhouse..."
"This is called observing life!"
Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Can't you do something productive? The old man had a mission for you when you came back!"
"The mission can wait!" Jiraiya waved his hand. "Inspiration can't be stopped when it strikes!"
Nobunaga stood there, watching the scene.
Then he walked over.
The sound of footsteps made Jiraiya turn his head.
He glanced at Nobunaga, startled for a moment, and then squinted his eyes.
"You are..." He thought for a moment, "That... who was it again?"
"Nobunaga," Naruto interjected. "The one who defeated Lee before. The strong one."
Nobunaga glanced at Naruto.
Naruto scratched his head and gave a couple of sheepish laughs.
"Why are you here?" he asked. "Also here to take a bath?"
"No," Nobunaga said. "I'm here to find Lord Jiraiya."
Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched.
"Find me?"
"Yes." Nobunaga nodded. "I am a reader of yours."
Jiraiya's expression changed instantly.
That lewd peeping expression vanished, replaced by a smug, floating, 'I've-been-flattered-quite-nicely' look.
"Oh?" He stroked his long hair. "You've read 'icha icha paradise' too? Young man, you have good taste!"
Naruto rolled his eyes from the side.
"Pervy Sage, don't get ahead of yourself—"
"Shut up!" Jiraiya glared at him, then looked back at Nobunaga. "Which part do you think was well-written?"
Nobunaga was well-prepared.
"The characterization is very vivid," he said. "The plot is tight, and the emotions are real. Especially the psychological descriptions of the protagonist; they are very delicate."
Jiraiya's eyes lit up.
"Good taste! Truly good taste!" He stood up and patted Nobunaga on the shoulder. "Come, come, sit down and tell me more!"
Nobunaga crouched down beside him.
Naruto watched this scene, looking completely speechless.
"Pervy Sage, weren't you supposed to be collecting material?"
"Material can wait!" Jiraiya waved his hand. "It's rare to encounter a kindred spirit!"
Nobunaga looked at him.
Then he pulled a stack of manuscripts from his robe.
"Lord Jiraiya," he said, "actually, I have one more thing I came for today."
Jiraiya looked at the stack of papers.
"What is this?"
"Something I wrote." Nobunaga handed the manuscript over. "I wanted to ask for your guidance."
Jiraiya took it and began to read.
Page one. Page two. Page three.
His expression began to shift.
His eyebrows rose, his eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
By the time he turned to the fourth page, he let out a laugh.
"Interesting," he said. "Very interesting."
Nobunaga watched him.
Jiraiya looked up at him.
"'small story after the rain'..." He read the title. "This name is quite good."
He shook the manuscript in his hand.
"The writing style is a bit immature. It's your first time writing, after all, so that's understandable," he said. "But its strength lies in its realism."
He paused.
"Especially this part—" He pointed to one of the pages. "The part where the two youths meet in the rain is written with a great sense of imagery. How did you think of it?"
Nobunaga was silent for a second.
How did he think of it?
He had seen too many tropes like this in his previous life.
But he couldn't say that.
"I just... thought of it randomly," he said.
Jiraiya nodded.
"You have talent," he said. "Though it's still unpolished, you have talent."
Nobunaga looked at him.
"Lord Jiraiya," he spoke up, "actually, I have a presumptuous request."
Jiraiya looked at him.
"Speak."
Nobunaga took a deep breath.
"I want to follow you," he said. "To learn writing."
Jiraiya was taken aback for a moment.
"Follow me?"
"Yes." Nobunaga nodded. "You are a great author with rich experience. If I can learn by your side, I will surely make rapid progress."
He paused, then added another sentence.
"And I also want to learn more about... the techniques of collecting material."
Jiraiya's eyes lit up.
It was the light of finding a fellow traveler on the same path.
"Collecting material?" He lowered his voice. "You're interested in that too?"
Nobunaga kept a straight face.
"Creation requires realism," he said. "As you said."
Jiraiya looked at him.
Then he laughed.
He laughed very happily.
"Interesting," he said. "Very interesting."
He patted Nobunaga on the shoulder.
"Alright. You can follow me then."
Naruto's mouth hung wide open on the side.
"Pervy Sage, you—"
"What?" Jiraiya glared at him. "What's wrong with taking a junior under my wing? I'm fostering new talent!"
Naruto was speechless.
He looked at Nobunaga, then at Jiraiya, and finally muttered a sentence.
"Whatever you say..."
Nobunaga stood up.
"Thank you, Teacher Jiraiya."
Jiraiya waved his hand.
"Don't mention it." He put away the manuscript and stood up. "Let's go, we'll get something to eat first. We can talk while we eat."
He turned and walked out of the Hot Spring Street.
Naruto followed, muttering as he walked.
"Nobunaga, don't regret this later. This Pervy Sage doesn't really have any skill..."
...
The second week.
Nobunaga was in his room revising the second chapter of "small story after the rain" when a "croak" suddenly came from outside the window.
He turned his head.
A small toad, orange-yellow in color, was crouching on the windowsill with a letter in its mouth.
Nobunaga was startled for a moment, then walked over and took the letter from the toad's mouth.
He opened it.
"The weather is nice today, suitable for gathering inspiration. Meet at the usual place. — Jiraiya"
Nobunaga looked at the note, his lips twitching slightly.
The usual place. The Hot Spring Street.
That Pervy Sage was truly persistent.
He put the letter away, put on his coat, and pushed the door open to leave.
The sunlight was pleasant. People were coming and going on the streets of Konoha—vendors selling vegetables, people walking dogs, and Ninjas rushing to the mission assembly point. Everything was as usual.
Nobunaga crossed a few streets and headed toward the Hot Spring Street.
Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something.
The "usual place" Jiraiya mentioned should be outside the Women's Bathhouse, right?
He was silent for a second.
Then he continued walking forward.
Arriving at the Hot Spring Street, he glanced toward the Women's Bathhouse.
No one was there.
Jiraiya wasn't there.
Nobunaga stood at the street corner and looked around.
Then he saw two figures by the small river not far away.
One with long white hair, and one with blond hair.