The moment Jiraiya turned around, Naruto's recognition was instant and absolute.
Long white hair hanging past his shoulders. The kanji for "oil" (油) written prominently on his forehead protector. And most damning of all, that particular expression: a lecherous smile that could only belong to someone caught in the act.
This matched his mother Kushina's description perfectly.
Jiraiya of the Sannin. My father's teacher. And apparently an unrepentant pervert.
Anger flared hot in Naruto's chest, but he suppressed it immediately. His mother's chakra remnant had warned him explicitly: "Stay away from people like Jiraiya. He's a bad influence."
She hadn't said to kill him, though.
Naruto pulled back his strength, reducing the force of his kick to only ninety percent of his full power. At full strength, this attack would have killed Jiraiya outright, turned him into paste against the hotel wall.
But capital crimes could be avoided. Living crimes could not.
This was punishment for disrespecting the women Naruto cared about. Nothing more, nothing less.
Jiraiya, being a legendary ninja with decades of combat experience, immediately recognized the danger. His instincts screamed at him to move, to dodge, to do literally anything except take that kick head-on.
I can't block this, he realized with perfect clarity. If I try to tank it, I'm going to the hospital for months.
His hands flew through seals faster than most ninja could track.
"Summoning Jutsu: Mount Myoboku Toad! (Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Myobokuzan Gama!)"
Massive chakra surged outward in visible waves. Space distorted, and a large purple toad materialized in mid-air between Jiraiya and the incoming kick.
The toad had distinctive features: a "U"-shaped black tattoo on its face, a pot-shaped shield strapped to its back, and in its hands... a weapon that was distinctly adult in nature. Phallic, even. Something that had absolutely no business being in polite company.
The purple toad opened its mouth to greet Jiraiya.
Then it saw the foot.
Oh no.
Naruto's eyes widened as he registered what the toad was holding. Even his summons are perverted?!
His anger spiked. The kick that had been ninety percent strength suddenly became one hundred and ten percent.
His foot connected with the purple toad's jaw with devastating precision.
"CROOOAA—" The sound cut off abruptly as the toad launched into the sky like a rocket, spinning end over end. It disappeared into the distance with a pop, forcibly returned to Mount Myoboku by the sheer trauma of impact.
Naruto's other foot was already in motion, aiming for Jiraiya's face.
"Not done yet?!" Jiraiya's hands blurred through seals again, desperation lending him speed. "Summoning Jutsu!"
This time, a massive green toad appeared, easily three times the size of the purple one. Two swords crossed on its back, the blades gleaming in the evening light. At least this one looked properly equipped for combat, even if its coloring was questionable.
The green toad had approximately half a second to assess the situation before Naruto's foot crashed into its skull.
WHAM!
The green toad vanished even faster than its purple companion, dismissed back to Mount Myoboku with extreme prejudice.
Jiraiya tried to summon again, his hands already moving.
Too slow.
Naruto closed the distance in a blur of movement that even a Sannin couldn't track properly. His foot landed squarely on Jiraiya's face with the full force of his Iron Body technique behind it.
The impact was catastrophic.
Jiraiya's head snapped back, his entire body lifting off the ground. Blood sprayed from his nose and mouth as he rocketed backward, tumbling through the air in an ungraceful spiral.
My bones, Jiraiya thought dimly as he flew. I can feel them breaking. My cheekbones are definitely displaced. Maybe some teeth too. Definitely the jaw.
He hit the ground three blocks away from the hot spring hotel, bouncing twice before sliding to a stop in the middle of a street.
A wooden sandal fell from the sky and landed beside him with a gentle clack. His sandal, knocked clean off during the flight.
"Someone fell from the sky!" a passing chunin shouted, running over to check on the crumpled figure. After a quick assessment, he and two other helpful ninja carried the unconscious Jiraiya toward Konoha Hospital at speed.
Back at the hotel, Naruto stood outside the female bath window, breathing steadily, his anger cooling to embers.
He knew exactly how much force he'd used. Knew exactly what kind of injuries Jiraiya would sustain. Painful, certainly. Extensive, definitely. But survivable with proper medical treatment.
He'll live, Naruto thought. He'll just hurt for a while. Maybe learn a lesson.
He turned and headed back toward the male bath, water still dripping from his hair and bathrobe.
Inside the male bath, everyone had felt Naruto's sudden departure. The water had literally exploded upward when he'd vanished.
Kakashi and Guy, both experienced jonin, had immediately sensed the massive chakra fluctuations coming from the direction of the female bath. The distinctive signature was unmistakable.
Guy looked at Kakashi uncertainly. "That was... was that Jiraiya-sama? The chakra felt very familiar..."
He'd felt that particular chakra signature appear, then vanish almost instantly. Did Naruto just... kill Jiraiya-sama?
Kakashi's visible eye was grave. "Yes. That was definitely Jiraiya-sama. The summoning technique he used is unique to him."
A pause.
"I hope Naruto didn't beat him to death," Kakashi said quietly. "Jiraiya-sama has contributed immensely to Konoha over the years. And he was Naruto's father's teacher. It would be... unfortunate if that relationship ended before it could begin."
Naruto's strength was genuinely terrifying. Beating Jiraiya wasn't the question. The question was whether Jiraiya could survive the encounter.
Guy touched his own bruised face, wincing at the memory of his last "friendly discussion" with Naruto. "I hope so too."
The other bathers, having overheard Kakashi and Guy's conversation, could piece together what had happened easily enough. Jiraiya had attempted to peep at the female bath. Naruto had detected him. Violence had ensued.
Lee's eyes were shining with excitement. "That was really Jiraiya-sama? One of the Legendary Sannin? The savior of Konoha's men?"
He'd studied the village's history extensively. Jiraiya's contributions were documented in the Academy textbooks, his achievements listed in detail.
Kakashi nodded slowly. "Yes, that was him."
Though "savior of Konoha's men" is technically accurate, Kakashi thought, it should really be "savior of Konoha's single men." Because without Jiraiya's novels, we'd have nothing to distract us from our lonely existence.
Jiraiya had given Konoha's bachelor population hope. Entertainment. A reason to keep living despite romantic failures.
"I hope Jiraiya-sama can still move his hands after this," Kakashi thought desperately. "As long as his hands work, he can keep writing. That's what matters."
The village needed those books more than it needed another legendary warrior.
In the female bath, the five girls had heard some strange noises outside but hadn't thought much of it. With Naruto present at the hotel, they felt completely safe. Whatever the commotion was, he would handle it.
Orochimaru, however, had sensed everything.
As one of the Sannin himself, he'd recognized Jiraiya's chakra signature the moment it appeared. The summoning technique was unmistakable.
That idiot, Orochimaru thought with irritation. Still peeping at women's baths like a common pervert. Some things never change.
He'd never liked Jiraiya's hobbies. Just as Jiraiya had always hated Orochimaru's obsession with snakes and forbidden jutsu, the feeling was mutual regarding the white-haired fool's voyeuristic tendencies.
When Orochimaru had sensed Jiraiya's presence, his first instinct had been to stand and intervene. But then he'd remembered Naruto's monstrous strength and relaxed.
Jiraiya's going to get exactly what he deserves, Orochimaru thought with satisfaction.
Sure enough, less than a second later, the situation had resolved itself. Jiraiya's chakra signature had vanished, moving rapidly away from the hotel at high speed.
Airborne trajectory, Orochimaru noted clinically. Naruto kicked him clear across several city blocks. Impressive.
"Tsukisha-san?" Hinata's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Why did you stand up?"
Orochimaru realized he was standing in the middle of the bath, water streaming off his borrowed female form. He smiled quickly, covering his distraction.
"Oh, I thought I'd come sit with you girls instead," he said warmly. "It's more fun to chat together, don't you think?"
He moved through the water toward Hinata and the others, settling down beside the Hyūga heiress with perhaps a bit too much force.
SPLASH! SPLASH!
The sound of his rather generous borrowed anatomy hitting the water surface was distinctive. Loud. Undeniable.
Like dropping two papayas into a pool.
Four pairs of eyes immediately turned to stare at Orochimaru's chest with naked envy.
Orochimaru caught the looks and had to suppress a smirk.
At least this body has some advantages, he thought. Even if I can't use them the way I'd hoped.
The evening continued peacefully, the incident with Jiraiya already fading into background noise for everyone except the man himself, who was being rushed into emergency surgery three miles away.