Konaan looked up with tearful eyes and asked, "Teacher Jiraiya, can't you stay with us forever? Yahiko, Nagato, and I don't want you to leave."
The three children desperately wished to keep Jiraiya by their side. But deep down, they all knew it was impossible. Jiraiya had already done far more than anyone else would, staying with them in the Rain Country for over two years.
For most ninjas, losing contact for even a short time would result in a missing-nin report. A ninja like Jiraiya, staying away from Konoha for years, would be dangerously close to being labeled a traitor.
Jiraiya said nothing in response. Sometimes, silence was the best answer. Seeing this, Konaan stopped pressing him, realizing that no matter how much she begged, Jiraiya's decision would not change. They weren't family and could not remain together forever.
Yahiko and Nagato, though older and quieter, quickly sensed what was happening. They understood Jiraiya was preparing to leave. True to their suspicions, Jiraiya soon replenished their supplies, left some money, and bid them a simple farewell.
Despite their reluctance and sadness, Jiraiya remained resolute. Even when Konaan chased him through the pouring rain, he didn't waver.
Before leaving the Rain Country, Jiraiya paused and looked back toward the place where the three children lived. Worry gnawed at him. He wasn't concerned for their immediate safety—they were capable of defending themselves—but he feared for their emotional state.
Sitting in a hollowed-out tree trunk, Jiraiya stared at the falling rain and occasional snowflakes. After a while, he took out a communication puppet.
"Shinki…"
In Konoha, Shinki was seated in his Anbu office, yawning from boredom when he suddenly heard Jiraiya's voice.
"Who's calling me now?" he muttered before realizing it was Jiraiya. Sighing, he responded, "If you have something to say, say it quickly. I don't have time to chat with a missing person."
Jiraiya coughed awkwardly. "Missing person? Come on, is the village really that cruel?"
Shinki rolled his eyes. "Cruel? They didn't even label you a traitor—that's being generous. You've been off the grid for two years during a war. What did you expect?"
"Well, I had no choice," Jiraiya replied, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Give me three days, and I'll report back to the village."
"Don't tell me about reporting. Go explain yourself to the Hokage," Shinki snapped.
"I need a favor."
"Rejected. No way."
"Come on, this is important! The kids I've been teaching—they'll be fine on their own, but Nagato…"
"Sorry," Shinki interrupted firmly. "This has nothing to do with me. Those three are potential enemies of Konoha. As a senior member of the Anbu, it's already lenient of me not to target them."
Shinki refused outright. Helping the future members of Akatsuki? That wasn't just foolish—it was suicidal. Nagato, in particular, posed a dangerous threat with his Rinnegan.
"Help me this one time," Jiraiya pleaded. "I promise to stand on your side after this."
Shinki scoffed. "Stand on my side? What does that even mean? You're already taking Konoha's resources and running around as you please. I've helped you enough."
Jiraiya clenched his teeth. "Fine, if you won't help, then at least give me advice. What should I do?"
"If you really care about those kids, bring them to Konoha and make them part of the village," Shinki said. "But you know as well as I do—that's impossible. They hate Konoha, and Nagato can't risk exposure."
Shinki cut off the communication abruptly, leaving Jiraiya to deal with the situation on his own. The Akatsuki trio wasn't his concern.
In the Anbu office, Shinki sighed as Nara Shikaku walked in. "Was that Jiraiya? Is he coming back?"
"Yeah, he'll be back soon. The Hokage will have to deal with him," Shinki replied, shaking his head.
Shikaku chuckled. "Our Hokage must be pulling his hair out. Jiraiya's behavior is borderline defection."
"It's a headache, that's for sure."
Shikaku smirked. "And to think, I used to feel like we lost out by siding with Tsunade. Now, I'm glad we don't have to deal with this mess."
Back at home, Shinki returned to his kitchen. With Nawaki, Minato, and even Kushina pushing their limits in training, their nutritional needs were massive. Tsunade was busy working overtime, leaving Shinki to prepare meals and medicinal baths for the group.
Amid his daily tasks, Shinki also made time for one other responsibility: taunting the Nine-Tails. His relentless teasing kept the beast motivated to assist Kushina.
"Come on, Kyuubi," Shinki muttered under his breath with a sly grin. "The more I irritate you, the more seriously you'll take this."
Sure enough, the Nine-Tails had grown increasingly determined to make Kushina stronger, ensuring she could master its chakra mode. Shinki's plan was working perfectly—he was confident that soon, Kushina would surpass even his expectations.
>>>>>
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A/N: Hey Guys,
I was going over the discount code and saw that it wasn't toggled on for all the tiers. I fixed it now, sorry about that. ;)