Chapter 21
The farce of Jiraiya being chased by the furious aunties after peeping at the bathhouse lasted a full half hour.
In the end, the idiot only realized he was a shinobi at the very last second. With a desperate Body Flicker Technique, he finally escaped.
From his vantage point on a rooftop, Ling Yu watched the entire chaotic spectacle with great amusement. Once the show ended, he used his Space Power and instantly teleported to where Jiraiya was hiding.
"Hey, Pervy Uncle. What are you doing hiding here?"
Pretending it was a chance encounter, Ling Yu kicked the trash can Jiraiya was crouched behind.
"Shh! Keep it down! If they find me, I'm done for!"
Jiraiya cracked the lid slightly, scanned the surroundings, saw no one, then quickly crawled out and hushed Ling Yu urgently.
Seeing Jiraiya in this pathetic state made Ling Yu inwardly gleeful. Thinking of the plan he had next, the corners of his mouth curled upward.
"What did you do? Commit some crime? Why are you so scared of being found?"
Ling Yu continued acting innocent.
Jiraiya double-checked the area once more. Finding it clear, he immediately started posturing.
"Tch, me doing something bad? Impossible."
He flicked his hair dramatically, striking a cool pose.
"Really?"
Seeing Ling Yu's skeptical look, Jiraiya grew indignant. Raising his chin arrogantly, he boasted:
"It's because my charm is just too overwhelming. My fans are chasing me like crazy for autographs. To avoid disrupting everyone's lives, I had to hide."
"For real?"
Ling Yu asked, feigning doubt.
"Absolutely."
Jiraiya nodded with utmost confidence.
Ling Yu's inner contempt deepened. His resolve to prank Jiraiya one more time solidified.
"Hey, Pervy Uncle, come here. I've got something good to show you."
Ling Yu clenched his right fist as if holding something, then crooked his left index finger, beckoning Jiraiya closer.
"What is it? Acting all mysterious."
Jiraiya grumbled, giving up on posturing. He obediently leaned in.
"Hurry up."
Ling Yu urged.
"Don't rush me."
Jiraiya muttered, inching closer.
Just as Jiraiya nearly reached him, Ling Yu's lips curved into a wicked, victorious grin.
In a flash, he grabbed Jiraiya's hand and bellowed at the top of his lungs:
"The peeping pervert is here! I caught him!"
"Peeping pervert? Where?!"
"That voice came from over there!"
"Hurry! Don't let him escape!"
In an instant, furious shouts erupted from the nearby streets.
"Damn it! You little brat—you set me up!"
Jiraiya's face filled with horror. Realizing he'd been tricked, he frantically tried to shake free.
But Ling Yu's grip was iron-tight. No matter how hard Jiraiya pulled, he couldn't break loose.
Left with no choice, Jiraiya scooped Ling Yu up and bolted.
"Pervy Uncle, didn't you say you were hiding from fans? Those 'fans' don't sound like they want your autograph."
Being carried as he ran, Ling Yu wore an interested expression and teased.
"You damn brat! Once they're gone, I'm beating you senseless!"
Jiraiya had no time for banter. He leaped across rooftops in a frantic escape, terrified of being caught.
At this point, even an idiot would know Ling Yu was behind it. Jiraiya's mind was already racing with thoughts of how to pin the kid down and give him a thrashing.
Jiraiya ran for several minutes, fleeing from central Konoha all the way to the outskirts before finally stopping. Ling Yu jumped down from his arms.
"Haa… haa… huff… should… should be safe now…"
Jiraiya collapsed onto the ground, gasping desperately.
"Wow, wow. Isn't this the great Jonin Jiraiya? Haven't seen you in a few days—how'd you get so weak? You carried me that short distance and you're already dying?"
Ling Yu stood over him, breathing normally, looking down with a smirk.
"Damn it, what ninjutsu did you use? Why did carrying you feel so heavy?!"
Jiraiya finally asked the question that had been bugging him.
"No idea. Maybe you're just kidney-deficient."
Ling Yu had simply applied Tenfold Weight to himself. To Jiraiya, it felt like hauling a boulder across half the village—hence the exhaustion.
"You're deliberately messing with me, aren't you? Fine—fight me if you've got the guts!"
Jiraiya finally recovered enough to stand. Provoked beyond endurance, he challenged.
"Sure."
Ling Yu nodded.
"Huh? For real? …Maybe we shouldn't."
Jiraiya blinked, then compared their heights. He didn't want to bully a kid.
"You've always wanted to beat me up, right? Here's your chance—and you're chickening out. Pathetic."
Ling Yu goaded him, worried he might back down.
"Fine! You asked for it! Don't cry when I make you bawl!"
Provoked again, Jiraiya finally snapped.
"OK. Bring it!"
Both stepped back, creating distance, and faced each other warily.
"Watch carefully, Pervy Uncle."
Ling Yu drew Kyōka Suigetsu from the system inventory, eyes blazing with battle intent.
"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."
"Hm? What are you doing?"
Jiraiya watched Ling Yu draw a ninja sword and shout some chuuni line, assuming the kid had lost his mind.
"Nothing. Just my victory chant. Your move first."
Ling Yu brushed it off casually.
"Alright then. Be careful—I'm coming!"
Jiraiya still held back, not wanting to hurt the child. He rushed forward at reduced strength.
Ling Yu watched with amusement as Jiraiya began flailing at empty air.
He knew the hypnosis had taken effect.
Using Space Power, Ling Yu instantly appeared before the ANBU who had been secretly monitoring him.
He wove a quick illusion for the operative, then relaxed.
In the illusion, a fake Ling Yu fought Jiraiya. Ling Yu deliberately adjusted the phantom's strength to chunin level—matching what Jiraiya expected—and let the "battle" play out for a bit.
Soon, the fake Ling Yu pretended to run out of stamina and surrendered.
Jiraiya, having "lightly" dominated in the illusion, felt extremely satisfied. After a few perfunctory words of comfort, he left.
"Sorry about that."
Ending the illusion, Ling Yu narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya's retreating figure and murmured.
Truthfully, Ling Yu felt a certain wariness toward Jiraiya.
Though unreliable, Jiraiya was genuinely a good teacher—he'd mentored many legendary figures and held the deepest loyalty to Konoha.
That was exactly why Ling Yu chose to hypnotize him first.
If the day ever came when he had to stand against Konoha, Jiraiya would remain blissfully ignorant and live peacefully.
This was his small compensation for constantly tormenting the man.
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