Chapter 109: It's Normal to Sell Jerky to Help Widows, Right?
"Comrade! I'm handing over all the materials I've collected over the past week to you!"
Before Kenichi could even enjoy watching Jiraiya finally escape, the old man flung a sealing scroll at him and bolted at full speed, vanishing into the crowd like his life depended on it.
Kenichi froze on the spot.
For a moment, it felt like his brain's CPU had overheated. What was this? Since when did he become Jiraiya's ally?
Then it clicked.
That bastard was dumping the blame on him.
Unfortunately, the realization came a second too late.
The furious women had already surrounded him.
The leading female ninja's fists were clenched so tight they cracked. Kenichi swept his gaze across them and felt his scalp go numb. There were middle aged women in their forties and fifties, and there were also young women in their twenties.
It was all here. Every age bracket. The full lineup.
Jiraiya, oh Jiraiya. You truly were a genius.
"Um… if I said I was just passing by and got framed, would you believe me?" Kenichi asked, lips twitching.
The answer was a storm of yelling.
They surged forward as one, but their punches only smashed into a chunk of wood.
Kenichi had already used the Substitution Jutsu.
He was not a masochist. He was not about to stand there and get beaten into minced meat just because Jiraiya felt like doing improv comedy.
In the next instant, Kenichi used the Body Flicker Technique and slipped away.
"This is troublesome…" He steadied his breath, then glanced at the sealing scroll in his hand. "But what's inside this thing?"
Just as he was about to open it, a figure dropped in front of him.
"Long time no see."
Jiraiya sat perched on a toad, staring at Kenichi with an uncharacteristically serious look.
Kenichi's eyes narrowed. He immediately put on a confused expression. "Jiraiya sama? Have we met before?"
Impossible. He had changed his face. There was no reason Jiraiya should recognize him.
Jiraiya smiled, then held out a hand, silently asking for the scroll.
Kenichi opened it on the spot.
There was nothing inside.
Just soldier rations.
"…What?" Kenichi blinked.
"Your curiosity is just as intense as your teacher's." Jiraiya shrugged, sounding equal parts helpless and amused. Then he hopped off the toad and strolled toward Kenichi, slow and casual, like he was taking a walk after dinner.
Kenichi knew it was pointless now. His identity had been exposed completely.
So he reached up and tore off the disguise on his face, revealing his real appearance.
"Jiraiya sama," Kenichi said, watching him carefully, "how did you recognize me?"
The Disguise Technique was not some cheap trick. Most people could not see through it. Kenichi genuinely could not figure out how Jiraiya had done it.
Jiraiya threw back his head and laughed. "Secrets make men more manly, kid."
Kenichi's lips twitched. As expected of Jiraiya.
Still, even as he kept his expression steady, Kenichi stayed tense.
Jiraiya remained three meters away, but Kenichi did not relax for even a second. Jiraiya's strength was no joke. He was a Legendary Sannin, and he had been one of the people responsible for pushing Kenichi and Orochimaru into defection. Even now, he was still tracking them.
Being cautious was only reasonable.
The only pity was that Kenichi had failed to extract the method from him. He still had no idea how Jiraiya had distinguished him.
"Don't be so nervous, Kenichi." Jiraiya noticed the wariness and waved a hand. "You should know I mean you no harm."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a bag of jerky, and tossed it over.
Kenichi caught it and examined the simple packaging. The aroma was surprisingly rich. He could not even tell what kind of meat it was, but it smelled good.
"This is jerky made by a widow in a hot spring town in the Land of Fire." Jiraiya pulled out another bag and bit into it, chewing happily. "It tastes great. I patronize her business often."
Then he paused, eyes brightening in a very dangerous way, as if he wanted to "explain" the widow part in detail.
"You'd better be talking about the jerky business," Kenichi said flatly.
This old scoundrel had just tried to dump an entire mob onto him. Kenichi was still young and had already been branded a scoundrel by association. Truly outrageous.
"What are you thinking?" Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Of course it's legitimate business."
His smile turned lewd halfway through the sentence, immediately making Kenichi question how Jiraiya defined "legitimate."
Kenichi said nothing. He understood Jiraiya's personality well enough. Arguing would only make it worse.
"Ahem." Jiraiya coughed twice, suddenly looking oddly embarrassed. His eyes darted around like a guilty man. "I have a question for you."
Kenichi blinked.
A question?
And Jiraiya was actually hesitating?
Then Kenichi remembered the book Jiraiya had shown him before, the one involving their teacher. In an instant, Kenichi had a strong feeling he knew exactly what was coming.
"What?" Kenichi asked anyway.
"…Do you know your teacher is a woman?" Jiraiya asked.
Kenichi took a deep breath.
As expected.
Silence hung in the air for a heartbeat.
How was he supposed to answer this? If he said yes, and Orochimaru later decided to "visit" Jiraiya, would Kenichi get dragged into it too? If he said no, would Jiraiya believe him?
And worst of all, Kenichi's mind flashed an image he really did not want: waking up in the lab, strapped to an operating table, with Orochimaru standing over him wearing that same calm expression, smiling gently and saying the experiment was about to begin.
No. Absolutely not.
Kenichi hesitated, then shoved the problem away with both hands. "Why don't you ask my teacher directly? I don't know either. Personally, I don't think so."
"I see…" Jiraiya unexpectedly fell into deep thought, his expression turning serious in a way that made it impossible to tell what was going on in his head.
Kenichi did not want to be anywhere near whatever conclusion Jiraiya was about to reach.
"Then I'll be going, Jiraiya sama." He turned to head back into the black market.
"Wait." Jiraiya lifted a hand. "I'll give you a copy of my new book."
He tossed a book over.
Kenichi nearly incinerated it on reflex with Fire Release.
How could he not know what that was? And Jiraiya wanted to hand it to him?
Thank you so much. Truly.
If Kenichi brought that back and Orochimaru found it, Kenichi would be hunted to the ends of the earth.
Still, he forced himself to take it.
Refusing too hard would only prove he had already seen it before.
The moment it landed in his hands, Kenichi confirmed it.
It was the same book as last time.
The Story I Had to Tell with Orochi Princess.
Kenichi originally intended to throw it away immediately.
But after glancing at the cover, he hesitated.
It was annoyingly well made. He had to admit it, Jiraiya had found an excellent publisher. The illustration was so striking it practically demanded you keep looking.
Unfortunately, that was exactly why it was dangerous.
With great effort, Kenichi shoved the book into storage, sealing it away like it was a live explosive.
If he was careful, there should not be any problems.
…Probably.
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