"Peng~"
As the smoke ascended and the sea breeze swept it away, dissolving the ethereal walls that confined the few individuals, they found themselves back on the rain-soaked streets of Awa. Jiraiya was engrossed in securing a scroll in his hands.
With the scroll tightly fastened, Jiraiya turned his attention to the bewildered Shigeru and inquired, "I'll wipe everyone's memories of this incident right here. You needn't fret about this affecting your future. The local fishermen won't recall buying stonefish, and you can carry on with your life here as usual."
Shigeru raised his gaze and spoke, "Ninja-sama, I don't want to forget about Kincho. I promise not to mention him to anyone."
Jiraiya contemplated for a moment, shook his head, and replied, "You can't hold onto every memory of Kincho, but I'll do my best to assist you in remembering him."
Upon hearing this, Shigeru felt a twinge of disappointment but still nodded, expressing, "I appreciate your efforts, Ninja-sama."
Jiraiya shook his head, opting not to add anything more to Shigeru. Instead, he turned to Tatsuma and Minato, remarking, "Take care of yourselves; don't accidentally lose your memories."
"Yes, Jiraiya sensei." *2
Tatsuma nodded, his curiosity evident as he observed Jiraiya. He was keen to witness how Jiraiya would tackle the task of erasing the memories of the Awa fishermen.
The simplest way is to use illusions to cover them, but Jiraiya is not that good at illusions. Of course, Jiraiya is also good at basic illusions, but he is not proficient enough to erase other people's memories.
Even during Tatsuma and Minato's Genjutsu training, Jiraiya sought out another Konoha Jonin, Yuhi Shinku, borrowing his study notes. Jiraiya struggled to provide detailed explanations, not only for advanced Genjutsu but even for its basics to the two of them. Erasing the memories of such a large number of people using Genjutsu was well beyond his capabilities.
Jiraiya glanced at Tatsuma and remarked, "Want to witness your master making a fool of himself? Give it another hundred years."
Saying so, he retrieved another scroll, unfurled it on the ground, following a procedure reminiscent of the Drunk World Sealing Jutsu. As he clapped his hands onto the scroll, the sealing formula on it extended outward.
The intricate formula covered the entirety of Awa, coming to a stop at last. Tatsuma, beholding the expansive sealed barrier, couldn't mask his expression of sheer astonishment.
"Dream World Sealing Jutsu!"
In that moment, the Sealing Jutsu that blanketed Awa started emitting a luminous white glow, enveloping Tatsuma and Minato. Tatsuma immediately felt a wave of weariness rushing to his heart.
He briskly shook his head, swiftly forming hand seals to refine and gather Chakra, managing to sustain his alertness. However, this also brought to Tatsuma's attention that the potency of this Sealing Jutsu did not lie in the strength of the seal. Quite the opposite, the power of this Sealing Jutsu was low and easily resistible, yet it possessed a gentle quality.
This gentle Sealing Jutsu wasn't suited for combat or for use against ninja. Nevertheless, for civilians, it proved highly practical.
"Tap~"
Just as the white light dispersed, Shigeru suddenly slumped to the ground, peacefully succumbing to a deep sleep.
Jiraiya bent down, tightly rolling up the now blank scroll, then cast a triumphant look at Tatsuma. Tatsuma smirked and remarked,
"Both techniques are Mito-sama's methods, right? You're just a tool for injecting Chakra."
Observing Tatsuma's sharp insight, a hint of embarrassment briefly crossed Jiraiya's face. Nevertheless, he stubbornly retorted, "Do you think being a tool is easy? If there's a little less Chakra, both of these techniques won't be successfully activated. It's like you two little brats; even if all the Chakra in your bodies is drained, it wouldn't be enough to activate either of these techniques."
"Yeah, yeah, compared to two eight-year-old kids, Jiraiya sensei, your Chakra quantity is truly magnificent."
Tatsuma continued with his teasing remarks, and Jiraiya couldn't tolerate it. "Smack~ Smack~" Two knocks fell on Tatsuma and Minato's heads, he angrily exclaimed, "You ungrateful students!"
Minato: "???!!! I didn't do anything."
"I saw you smirking."
Jiraiya turned around and remarked, "It's about time to head back and report. Since neither of you did much this time, you can treat me to a barbecue!"
"You truly are something, Jiraiya sensei, always so meticulous."
"Hmm?"
"Meticulous is a compliment. You, who reads and writes every day, must know that, right sensei?"
"Humph, of course, I know."
Jiraiya raised his head, wearing a disdainful expression but resolving to check the dictionary when he got back. If Tatsuma, this little rascal, dared to deceive him, he wouldn't be lenient.
The journey back to the village was much smoother than before. Firstly, they didn't encounter anyone needing help, like on the way there. Secondly, there was no need to collect information along the way, and the three of them returned to the village the next night.
Ultimately, Jiraiya didn't coerce the two kids into treating him to a meal. However, he craftily used the excuse that it was getting late, and indulging in too much meat could disrupt their sleep, all while granting them a day off.
For Tatsuma and Minato, this mission had indeed reached its conclusion. However, for Jiraiya, numerous tasks lay ahead. Reporting, debriefing, visiting Uzumaki Mito, and handling the sealing scroll containing Kincho – these were all responsibilities befitting a team leader Jonin.
Tatsuma and Minato had yet to be exposed to such duties, and naturally, Jiraiya wouldn't burden them with these responsibilities. Even if he dared to do so, even if Tatsuma and Minato excelled, Hiruzen would undoubtedly scold him.
Of course, these tasks didn't demand an entire day for completion. After all, there were templates readily available for reports. Jiraiya gave Tatsuma and Minato a day off not just for their benefit, but also to afford himself a break.
Jiraiya was indeed a hard worker among the younger generation of Konoha, but he wasn't a workaholic. Devoting all his time to missions was simply not feasible.
Besides the immediate reports, there were also hot springs and, of course, ladies. Although it was currently late summer to early autumn, and few people indulged in the hot springs, the scarcity brought its own advantages—it allowed one to relish the little pleasures without being pulled in different directions.
"Someone come! Catch the pervert!"
The next afternoon, after completing their daytime training and getting ready to head back for dinner, Tatsuma and Minato heard a series of female voices filled with killing intent not far away.
The two exchanged glances, nodded at each other, and simultaneously reached an agreement.
Even though they hadn't approached, even though they didn't know what had happened, and even though they had previously discussed avoiding one-sided or preset mindsets when approaching situations, they both arrived at a common understanding about this matter.
Their team-leading Jonin, Jiraiya, was stirring up trouble again.
Just then, Jiraiya leaped over the rooftops above them, shouting back, "You two, meet me at the Senju clan grounds tomorrow at eight!"
"Does the pervert have partners?!"
Before Tatsuma and Minato could remark on Jiraiya's peculiar way of notifying them, a sudden chill ran down their spines. It felt as though the gazes of countless top-notch hunters had locked onto them.
"Not good! Jiraiya sensei wants to drag us into something! Run!"
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