Chapter 453 — Jiraiya, Full of Doubts
Jiraiya felt his head spinning—like he'd just taken a solid punch to the skull.
…No.
His thoughts snapped into focus.
That wasn't "like"—he had been punched.
And the one who did it was Uchiha Kei.
The same Kei who was hailed as the strongest of Konoha's younger generation. The same man who held immense authority within the village, whose influence was both vast and deeply entrenched.
Jiraiya couldn't understand it.
Why would someone like that do something like this?
He already had power, status—everything.
"This has to be reported back," Jiraiya thought grimly. "I don't know why he didn't kill me… but that gives me a chance."
He tried to move—
and immediately realized something was wrong.
His chakra wouldn't respond.
It felt completely sealed.
"…Tch."
Jiraiya frowned. These people had come prepared.
He was no stranger to sealing techniques himself—but without knowing the method or structure of the seal, breaking it would take time.
A lot of time.
Just as he started to sit up and inspect it—
his ears twitched.
Footsteps.
Not light. Not hidden.
Whoever it was made no effort to conceal their presence.
That alone made Jiraiya hesitate.
"Did they notice I'm awake? Or are they deliberately showing goodwill?"
Given his current state, he couldn't afford to guess wrong.
He could assume the worst—but Kei hadn't killed him.
Aside from knocking him out, nothing else had been done.
And with everything involving Orochimaru still unclear in his mind…
Jiraiya chose restraint.
He closed his eyes again.
Still.
Silent.
If he couldn't determine their intent—
he'd gather information first.
That was a shinobi's instinct.
Within seconds, his breathing slowed, his body relaxed completely—like someone still unconscious.
Jiraiya's experience wasn't just in combat.
His acting skills were just as refined.
"Stop pretending. It's pointless in front of me, Jiraiya-sama."
A lazy voice drifted into his ears.
"I'm a sensory-type. I've been tracking your every move. Besides, I'm the one who placed the seal on you. Get up—you've been out for a day. Eat something."
…A bluff? Or the truth?
Jiraiya didn't move.
Still lying there like a corpse.
"Suit yourself," the voice continued casually. "The door's open. We're outside. Oh—and the room and food? Paid with your money. Eat or don't, your call."
"…My money?"
Jiraiya's expression almost twitched—but he held still.
A moment later, footsteps receded.
No further attempts to provoke him.
That… was unexpected.
He waited.
One minute.
Two.
Five.
Still nothing.
Slowly, Jiraiya opened his eyes.
The first thing he did—
was check his pockets.
And immediately, his face turned green.
"…Gone."
No wallet.
They hadn't lied.
"But why take my money…?"
He couldn't figure it out.
It wasn't a small amount.
And more importantly—
none of this made sense.
The fight with Kei replayed vividly in his mind.
That overwhelming control.
That terrifying strength.
And yet—
no killing intent.
No follow-up.
Had he… misunderstood him?
Jiraiya hesitated.
Then made a decision.
Probe further.
In his current state, he couldn't do much anyway.
Better to gather information.
"If things are dangerous… I'll need to send intel back immediately."
With that resolve, he stood up, rubbing his still-aching neck, and stepped outside.
"I thought you weren't coming out," the same lazy voice greeted him again. "But seriously, Jiraiya-sama—you're tough. Took a punch from Susanoo and your neck didn't snap. That's impressive."
Jiraiya froze.
Because now he could see clearly—
who was speaking.
Imai Kenta.
A core figure of the Senju lineage, even if he hadn't formally reclaimed the name. The current head of Konoha's Mission Department.
A man with real power.
And beside him—
another familiar face.
Kakashi.
Silver-haired, just like Jiraiya.
Current ANBU commander.
And—
his own student's student.
"…You…?"
Jiraiya stared at them, utterly stunned.
Kenta, he could understand.
His bond with Kei ran deep—battle-tested, unshakable.
But Kakashi?
Why was he here?
Was there something he didn't know?
"Kakashi…" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "What's going on?"
Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh… Jiraiya-sama. Are you okay?"
"Does it look like I'm okay?" Jiraiya dropped into a seat, glaring between the two. "Start explaining. Now."
"And Kei? And that other one—I don't know who he is, but there were four of you. Where are they?"
"They went to meet Orochimaru-sama," Kenta replied lazily. "Your sudden appearance messed up our operation. We had to change the meeting time to avoid exposure."
He glanced at Jiraiya with a smirk.
"Honestly, Jiraiya-sama… you're pretty good at getting in the way."
"…Getting in the way?"
Jiraiya blinked.
Then his expression darkened.
Bonds.
In this world, they mattered more than anything.
Even if war had eroded much of that sentiment, it never truly disappeared.
People like Hiruzen and Danzō—
divided between duty and personal feeling, yet still bound by deep ties—
weren't uncommon.
And Jiraiya?
He valued bonds more than most.
Part of it was his nature.
The rest came from years of fighting side by side—trusting comrades with his life.
Watching friends fall, one by one…
Only made those bonds more precious.
So when he first uncovered those clues—
he refused to believe them.
That's why he chased Orochimaru so relentlessly.
But the moment he found him—
his focus narrowed completely.
When he saw Orochimaru meeting Kei—
everything clicked in the worst possible way.
Rumors.
Uchiha identity.
Suspicious timing.
His thoughts spiraled.
And in that chaos—
he overlooked everything else.
A mistake he normally never would have made.
Now, finally calm—
he saw it clearly.
"…I screwed up."
"…You guys… working with Orochimaru…" Jiraiya swallowed. "Does Minato know?"
"He does," Kakashi answered honestly. "And to ensure Orochimaru-sama's actions are… protected, Sensei sent me along."
"This mission is led by Kei. Some things… only he can explain."
"…I see…"
Jiraiya's expression turned awkward.
"I—"
Before he could finish—
footsteps approached from outside.
The door slid open.
And in walked Uchiha Kei—
alongside a young man Jiraiya didn't recognize.
Most importantly, neither of them showed the slightest surprise at seeing Jiraiya awake. They simply gave a casual nod, then found their seats and sat down as if nothing had happened.
That made Jiraiya feel… awkward.
Because he quickly realized—
the four of them had no intention of speaking.
Or rather…
they had no intention of speaking in front of him.
The thought made his head throb.
Hey—I'm still a Konoha shinobi, you know?
Even if he'd been away for a long time, even if he wasn't holding any official position—
with his reputation, strength, and standing…
shouldn't he at least be allowed to know something?
"…Jiraiya-sama."
After a long silence, Uchiha Kei finally spoke.
"Regarding your interference with our mission—and the damage caused to that town due to our clash—I've already had the local garrison report it back to Konoha."
"I also took your wallet and handed it over as an initial compensation payment."
"I trust you have no objections?"
"…No… no objections."
Jiraiya answered almost instinctively—
but the moment the words left his mouth, something felt off.
Wait.
Why was he the only one paying?
Didn't Kei bear responsibility too?
If this guy had just explained things properly from the start, would they even have fought?
…Though, thinking back, Jiraiya knew full well how reckless he'd been at the time.
Still—
Kei had simply said "I'll handle this" and moved to fight.
Who wouldn't misunderstand that?
Letting out a helpless sigh, Jiraiya suddenly realized—
Kei's handling of the situation wasn't entirely wrong.
After all, he himself didn't hold any official position in Konoha right now.
Even if he was respected, even if he was a legendary shinobi—
if Kei chose to follow protocol strictly, there was nothing technically wrong with that.
And when he thought about it further—
Konoha had been going through a difficult period.
Yet he, for various personal reasons, hadn't been there when the village needed him most.
What did the people in Konoha think of that?
…Maybe not very highly.
"I see." Kei nodded. "Then I'll trouble you with that, Jiraiya-sama. We'll arrange another room for you. We have some matters to discuss."
"…Is it about Orochimaru?" Jiraiya hesitated, then asked.
"It is," Kei replied calmly. "I'd ask that you keep this confidential. As for the specifics… I'm afraid I can't disclose them."
"Orochimaru has always been my mission target, Head Kei."
Jiraiya's tone suddenly grew serious.
"That's an order from the Hokage himself. I know this may be inappropriate—and I know that, recently, I haven't done much for Konoha…"
"…But I'm still a Konoha shinobi."
"And I want to continue that mission."
Kei tilted his head slightly.
What does he mean—"haven't done much for Konoha"?
Then it clicked.
Jiraiya had misunderstood something.
And honestly—
it was almost amusing.
From an outsider's perspective, Konoha had indeed gone through one crisis after another in recent years.
But from Kei's point of view?
It wasn't nearly that dramatic.
The Nine-Tails incident—
he had allowed it to happen, and he had been confident from the start that everything would remain under control.
As for the current war with Kumogakure—
this wasn't even solely his plan anymore. Minato was fully involved.
And with their strength—
they had never truly regarded Kumogakure as an equal threat.
It might sound arrogant—
but the reality was, they were operating on an entirely different level.
And the results had already proven it.
Jiraiya, clearly, had drawn the wrong conclusions.
But Kei had no intention of correcting him.
If Jiraiya wanted answers—
then perhaps giving him just enough wasn't a bad idea.
Even if Kei himself had no real desire to explain anything—
letting Jiraiya prepare mentally for what lay ahead…
might be useful.