Jiraiya couldn't remember how long it had been since he returned to the village.
Since the end of the Second Ninja World War, after the dream lover Tsunade and Kato Dan officially confirmed their relationship, Jiraiya, who seemed indifferent on the surface, found an excuse to stay in the Land of Rain, and taught him how to accept it. Two apprentices.
He originally wanted to find an opportunity to bring the two of them back to the village to join Konoha, but with the civil war in Konoha and the death of their teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi at the hands of Uchiha Tokko, he had no choice but to give up.
After being verbally output by Uchiha Tokumitsu, he suddenly felt a little homesick, so he came up with the idea of returning to the village to visit.
It's just human nature to be timid near home.
Standing on a small hill about three kilometers away from Konoha, Jiraiya looked at the shadowy Konoha city wall in the distance, with mixed feelings in his heart.
In what state will he return to Konoha?
A disciple of the Sandaime Sarutobi Hiruzen?
One of the so-called "Three Ninjas" given to him after his defeat at the hands of Hanzo Sanshouyu?
Or an ordinary Jounin of Konoha?
Just when Jiraiya was at a loss, a patrol roared over.
The leading Uchiha ninja obviously knew Jiraiya, a former big shot, so he just asked a few casual questions and then roared away with the team.
Jiraiya touched the forehead protector with the word "oil" on his forehead, feeling even more confused.
Although he was somewhat mentally prepared for his current embarrassing status, being so ignored still made Jiraiya a little overwhelmed.
Although Jiraiya appeared to be approachable in the past, it was just his performance. In fact, most Konoha ninjas were in awe of him because of their identity and strength.
Jiraiya was a little uncomfortable with being suddenly treated like a normal person.
But then Jiraiya adjusted his mood and walked towards Konoha.
…
Konoha is still so prosperous.
The central business district of Konoha, which looks like a street full of illegal buildings, is still bustling with people coming and going.
Jiraiya calmed down his breath and walked silently on the street.
It's like a solitary person who suddenly walks into a bustling city, looking a little out of place.
Konoha is more prosperous than before.
Jiraiya looked around, seeing the crowds coming and going. Whether they were rich merchants and nobles wearing gold and silver, simple but neat Konoha villagers, or Konoha teenagers running back and forth, all of them were full of energy and high spirits.
This seems to be a little different from the Konoha in Jiraiya's impression.
He originally thought that Konoha might experience a period of martial law after the civil war, and the streets of the village would be somewhat depressed, but he did not expect that they would be even more prosperous and lively than before.
So what exactly is the problem?
Jiraiya stood there and observed carefully, but still couldn't figure out why.
If we were to say the biggest change in Konoha, it would be that there were more police officers patrolling the streets.
Although most of them were genin with average strength, their number was countless times greater than before.
Jiraiya stood in a corner and observed that two teams of police officers had already passed by on the street in about ten minutes.
"Even the density of patrols has increased a lot compared to before..."
Jiraiya was calculating silently.
He didn't know what he was planning, he just subconsciously noticed the differences from the Konoha of the past.
Moreover, through the various hair colors and body shapes of the police officers patrolling the streets, it is not difficult to see that many of them are not Uchiha people; this also shows that in today's police department, there is no longer a The Uchiha clan regards it as a forbidden area to isolate outsiders.
According to the intelligence analysis that Jiraiya had learned, he should be a so-called police academy student who graduated from the Uchiha clan's police preparatory school.
After silently sensing for a while, Jiraiya found that the strength of the police academy students was pretty good, both in terms of chakra fluctuations and vigilance levels. They were at least much stronger than those graduates of the Ninja School who only knew the Three Body Techniques.
The sharp-eyed Jiraiya also noticed various notices posted on a bulletin board on the opposite side of the road.
Although the flow of people was somewhat blocked, he still saw a few titles on the notice board.
"Resolution on strengthening Konoha's public security and health management..."
"Notice of the Police Department on Strictly Combating Counterfeiting and Selling Counterfeiting..."
"Konoha Ninja Beast Breeding and Management Treaty..."
"It is prohibited to beat or scold foreign merchants at will..."
Although I know every word, when put together, it is a little different from Konoha's past grammatical habits, and even reading it is a bit awkward and unfamiliar.
All of this is somewhat different from the Konoha he remembered...
Jiraiya became even more confused.
What happened to the village?
"...How long do you plan to stand here, you idiot?"
A sudden voice came from behind Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's neck tightened, and he immediately shrank his head and ran forward, trying to escape from the range of the ordinary ninja sword swing.
"it's me!"
A cold, pale hand pressed on Jiraiya's shoulder, stopping his movements.
Although the calculation was done mentally and unintentionally, it can be seen from this that the person's strength is still higher than that of Jiraiya.
"It's you……"
Feeling the familiar touch of cold palms, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his tense nerves: "Orochimaru... Why are you still so elusive!"
Jiraiya turned around and punched the thin Orochimaru on the shoulder.
Orochimaru remained motionless, just looking at him as if he were a fool.
"Hey! How did you know I was back?"
Jiraiya pretended to be vicious and said, "Have you been paying attention to me?"
"Also...doesn't the village have regulations on psychic beasts? How dare you let snakes everywhere in the village?"
Jiraiya pointed to the public notice board on the opposite side of the road.
"Don't deliberately change the subject..."
Orochimaru frowned and said, "You have been wandering outside for too long and you have lost touch with the village!"
Although the punch Jiraiya just punched on the shoulder didn't move his body, he still felt some pain.
"This idiot's strength has increased again..."
Orochimaru thought silently in his heart.
Maybe, there is still a chance for my plan...
But then I thought about it, even my own teacher fell into the hands of Uchiha Tokumitsu. With his own strength, even with the idiot Jiraiya, how could he defeat Uchiha Tokumitsu?
"Let's go..."
Orochimaru turned and left.
"Hey! You haven't told me how you found me yet!"
Jiraiya quickly followed up, hooked Orochimaru's neck, and said carelessly: "That brat Uchiha Tokumitsu is not allowed to let psychics in the village..."
Before he finished speaking, Orochimaru covered his mouth.
"You are really stupid!"
Orochimaru cursed angrily: "If you curse people in the village, do you want to go to the police prison to eat free prison meals?"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
Jiraiya struggled a bit, and Orochimaru released his hand. By the way, I wiped it on my white clothes without leaving any trace.
"This idiot is really greasy..."
Orochimaru cursed in his mind.
"Hey! You still didn't tell me how you knew me~"
Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru expectantly.
Konoha is still Konoha.
People are still the same people.
But Konoha is no longer the same Konoha it used to be.
After returning to the village full of trepidation, Jiraiya finally met an acquaintance he cared about, and naturally his mood was very different.
"Did you encounter a police patrol outside the village?"
Orochimaru said angrily.
"Yes~"
Jiraiya looked like he suddenly understood, "They told you?"
"You really are a bitch!"
"It doesn't look like a cold Uchiha at all with such a foul mouth."
"By the way, what about the security patrol force? Is it a newly established organization in the village?"
"Then the power of the Uchiha clan is boundless, isn't it?"
"I heard that Sakumo-senpai and the head of the Uchiha clan serve as the so-called Speakers of the Two Houses. Why does it seem that the Uchiha clan is responsible?"
Jiraiya kept talking non-stop, not caring whether Orochimaru replied or not, he just poured out his own words.
Orochimaru stopped.
"...You live here? Don't you?"
Jiraiya asked confused.
"...If you don't say a few words, you will die!"
Orochimaru said helplessly: "Besides, don't be too unscrupulous, the village is different from before..."
"By the way, there are eyes everywhere now, so don't go peeking at women's baths anymore!"
After saying that, Orochimaru continued to walk forward.
"Eye of Heaven? What is Eye of Heaven?"
Jiraiya quickly followed Orochimaru's footsteps.
"...Let's talk after you come back with me!"
Orochimaru, who was so upset that he couldn't help but feel angry, finally got angry.
(End of chapter)
