"Kawasaki! What in the world are you playing at? How did you become a Military Police Captain?!"
Kawasaki wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"The Uchiha clan has only a few members in the Military Police. I simply wanted to observe their daily operations."
"To avoid interfering with my colleagues' duties, I specifically applied for this position."
Seeing that the Third Hokage had arrived, Kawasaki decided the time was right and raised his voice.
"Since Lord Third Hokage has personally come to shield his student, Jiraiya!"
"Then there's nothing a humble Military Police Captain like me can do!"
The Third Hokage's face darkened. When had he ever said he would shield Jiraiya?
He could already feel the unfriendly stares of the surrounding villagers.
The Hokage hastily explained, "Kawasaki, what nonsense are you spouting! I have no intention of shielding Jiraiya!"
"Oh?" Kawasaki said with an air of doubt. "Then, Lord Hokage, the Anbu discovered this long ago, yet you're only just arriving. Could it be you were intentionally letting Jiraiya go?"
The Hokage desperately wanted to have Kawasaki dragged out and executed. The man was asking a question he already knew the answer to!
"Absolutely not! I was simply delayed by official business."
Ahem. The Hokage cleared his throat. With things having come to this, he had no choice but to sacrifice Jiraiya.
"Although Jiraiya is my student, I only just learned of this... habit of his."
"Since he has done wrong, he will be punished as he deserves!"
Jiraiya's face went pale. He had never imagined such a humiliating day.
It was just peeping. The punishment wouldn't be severe, but it was incredibly embarrassing. It was one thing to be thick-skinned, but being publicly punished in front of so many fellow villagers was another matter entirely.
Kawasaki announced loudly, "In that case, it seems I have wrongly accused Lord Third!"
"We have witnesses here today accusing Jiraiya. Can Lord Hokage guarantee that they will not face retaliation?"
Jiraiya gritted his teeth and shot Kawasaki a glare. He might be a pervert, but he never resorted to revenge. This Kawasaki was truly something else.
The Third Hokage's hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched into tight fists.
"Rest assured, Kawasaki. I swear on my name as Hokage that the witnesses will not be harmed in any way. Furthermore, they will receive compensation!"
Kawasaki then turned to the crowd with a satisfied expression.
"Everyone, look! See how reasonable our Hokage is."
"Even when his own student makes a mistake, he doesn't cover for him. He even protects and compensates the witnesses. Lord Hokage is truly wise!"
"Lord Hokage is so wise!"
"Lord Hokage is a good man!"
"Lord Hokage is just and impartial."
The surrounding praise forced the Third Hokage to maintain a strained, fake smile as he nodded to the crowd.
Just then, Kawasaki nudged Yuuto Hyuga and whispered, "Hey, Yuuto, what's the penalty for peeping?"
Yuuto was stunned by Kawasaki's maneuvering. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he quietly informed him, "Lord Kawasaki, the penalty is fifteen days of detention and a public apology."
Kawasaki nodded and cleared his throat.
"Ahem! With Lord Hokage's support, Jiraiya, for the crime of peeping into the women's bathhouse, is hereby sentenced to fifteen days in detention in accordance with public order regulations!"
Kawasaki walked up to Jiraiya and gestured with his hand. "Lord Jiraiya, if you please."
Jiraiya glanced back at the Hokage's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, and could only silently follow Kawasaki out of the crowd.
Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, Kawasaki handed Jiraiya over to Yuuto Hyuga.
Yuuto was so startled he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. This was the legendary Jiraiya!
Seeing Yuuto's hesitation, Kawasaki whispered to him, "Don't worry, Jiraiya isn't going anywhere. Besides, you did well today. Go back and tell Hizashi. He'll reward you."
With Kawasaki's assurance, Yuuto felt much more at ease. He nodded firmly and led Jiraiya toward the Military Police headquarters.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage, trapped in the circle of villagers, could only stand his ground and repeatedly state that he had no knowledge of Jiraiya's actions and had certainly never covered for him.
Just then, Kawasaki shouted, "Lord Third Hokage!"
The Third Hokage shuddered. What trick was Kawasaki pulling now?
Kawasaki continued, "Lord Hokage, the detention cells at our headquarters are rather basic."
"I'm afraid they won't be able to hold someone like Jiraiya. He might just walk out on his own in a couple of days! What do you suggest we do?"
The eyes of the surrounding villagers filled with renewed suspicion. That was right. How could a small place like the Military Police station hold such a powerful figure? If he escaped, no one would even know.
The Third Hokage forced a smile. "Rest assured, Kawasaki. Jiraiya will absolutely accept his punishment. He wouldn't dare escape!"
"If he dares to escape, I, as Hokage, will immediately declare him a rogue ninja! I ask you all to be my witnesses!"
"Ooh!"
The villagers were very satisfied with the Hokage's words, breaking out in cheers and shouts of support.
"There are still many village affairs to attend to. I must take my leave." The Third Hokage squeezed through the crowd, looking rather flustered. In his heart, he once again labeled Kawasaki as the most troublesome person he had ever dealt with, bar none.
Kawasaki ignored the Third Hokage and turned to look at the publicly shamed Jiraiya, their eyes meeting.
Jiraiya's glare was a clear and furious promise of payback once he was free.
Kawasaki met his gaze, a victorious thought crossing his mind. With his reputation in tatters, Jiraiya could never become Naruto's master now.
...
In a detention cell at the Military Police headquarters, the Hokage stared at Jiraiya through the bars, his heart burning with rage. He had wanted Jiraiya to return to keep the Uchiha clan in check, but before he could even be put to use, his reputation was already in ruins.
"Jiraiya, what the hell were you thinking?! How are you supposed to get by in Konoha now?!"
Jiraiya was just as frustrated. "Who knew I'd run into that Uchiha, Kawasaki? Normally, no one can ever catch me."
The Hokage slammed his hand against the bars with a loud thud. "I don't care what you do outside the village, but in Konoha, you will curb these disgusting habits!"
Jiraiya muttered, "Don't you use the Telescope Technique to peep, too..."
"Ahem!" The Hokage gave two sharp coughs, cutting Jiraiya off. He glanced back and saw Anbu members standing guard at a distance.
The Hokage picked up his pipe and said with feigned seriousness, "In any case, you'll stay here for fifteen days. We'll talk again after this whole affair blows over."
"It will be a huge problem if you escape on your own, so just endure it for now."
Jiraiya had heard Kawasaki's public maneuvering earlier, so he knew there was no getting out of this jail time.