69novels Chapter 234: Jiraiya: My memories are becoming confused.
Chapter 234: Jiraiya: My memories are becoming confused.
"You don't seem to be in any hurry at all."
Sakumo Hatake glanced helplessly at Manji beside him.
The two were known as the Twin Jewels of Konoha.
Konoha's Two Geniuses!
One whose swordsmanship was unparalleled among his peers.
He became famous throughout the ninja world for his unparalleled escaping techniques.
Manji was one of the few ninjas in Konoha who, apart from the Fifth Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was proficient in all five elemental ninjas.
Having just finished their training for the day, the two strolled side by side through the streets of Konoha.
"How about we grab a bite at Ichiraku Ramen later, it's on me?"
Sakumo Hatake waved the two free ramen coupons in his hand, grinning smugly.
"it is good."
A fleeting, almost imperceptible longing crossed Wanci's eyes.
Perfect timing, it's time to go and see how the hand-pulled ramen shop is doing.
As soon as the two arrived at the ramen shop, they saw Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade sitting by the window.
"Oh, what a coincidence, everyone's here?"
Sakumo Hatake and Manji entered with smiles.
The three turned their heads at the same time upon hearing the sound. Tsunade and Orochimaru both had faint smiles on their faces, while Jiraiya blinked blankly.
"Hey, isn't this Sakumo and Manji? What brings these two geniuses from Konoha here?"
Tsunade smiled and gestured with her chin toward Manji.
He seems to know Wanci very well.
Orochimaru also curled the corners of his lips into a smile: "Sit down, let's eat together."
"You guys come to this shop quite often. I heard that your adoptive father was the former owner of this ramen shop?"
Sakumo Hatake pulled up a chair and sat down, casually asking a question.
Orochimaru's eyes showed a rare hint of genuine nostalgia, and he nodded gently: "Yes. That's why we've always come here to eat noodles all these years."
"Two servings of char siu ramen, with an extra serving of char siu."
Wanci called out loudly to the hand behind the counter.
"Hey! It's Manji and Sakumo! You two have grown taller again. It's been a while since you've been here. Okay!"
He nodded with a smile, as if he had known her for a long time.
The four of them then started chatting enthusiastically, from the bottlenecks in their ninjutsu training to interesting anecdotes from their recent missions, as familiar as old friends who had known each other for many years.
Only when he came alone did he act as if he had seen a ghost the whole time, his chopsticks hanging in mid-air, his eyes fixed on Wanci without blinking.
who is he!?
Jiraiya searched his memory thoroughly, going through every Konoha ninja he knew from childhood to adulthood, and every genius junior he had heard of, but he still couldn't remember who this person was.
who is he?!
Ten thousand times? How come I've never heard of that name before?
When did Konoha produce such a genius who can rival Sakumo Hatake?
Moreover, judging from the way Tsunade and Orochimaru acted, they were clearly very familiar with him!
But why don't I know?
Logically speaking, I know everyone that Tsunade and Orochimaru know.
Jiraiya's inner alarm bells rang, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
He was certain that his memory was absolutely correct—there was no such person in Konoha!
Wanci glanced down and noticed Jiraiya's strange behavior. He gently stirred the char siu in his bowl with his chopsticks, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.
He remembered.
When the Eight-Foot Illusion Technique was used to alter the perception of the entire village, Jiraiya was training with the hermit Fukasaku at Mount Myōboku and was not affected by the illusion.
Wanci didn't pay much attention; it was just a fish that slipped through the net.
"Who are you?"
Jiraiya looked directly at Manji and asked in a cold voice.
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.
Tsunade immediately burst into laughter and patted Jiraiya on the shoulder, saying, "Hahaha, you idiot Jiraiya, you've gone mad from training in the Summoning World! This is the 10,000th time! We've done many missions together. Remember in the Land of Rain, she even saved your life!"
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru with a puzzled expression.
Want Orochimaru to confirm
Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya with a puzzled expression and nodded, "Yeah, that's right, Jiraiya. Stop pretending you don't know anything to attract attention."
Orochimaru thought Jiraiya was just being silly to liven things up, so he pretended not to know.
"Jiraiya, you seem to have forgotten, I entered school around the same time as you."
Manji smiled and nodded at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya still couldn't recall anything about this person, but he saw Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Manji looking very happy together.
Jiraiya suppressed his doubts.
He chuckled twice and then pretended to be serious.
"Hahaha, oh dear, just kidding! Hahaha, please don't mind!"
Jiraiya smiled and put his hand on Manji's shoulder.
Wanci laughed and said, "Haha, it's nothing, we're all friends."
During the meal
Tsunade talked to Manji almost the entire time, excitedly recounting the interesting things that had happened over the years.
Her eyes, brimming with feminine charm, shone with an undisguised brilliance, and even the way she looked at him carried a hint of a young girl's secret crush.
Wanci gave a perfunctory reply, but the smile on his lips slowly froze.
Not right.
The way Tsunade looked at him... how come it was exactly the same as Kaguya's back then?
Wan Ci's mind was incredibly sharp; he reacted instantly.
It's likely that the illusion technique that implanted the memories earlier has caused "side effects."
His illusions can only fabricate a false past in the other person's mind, but cannot alter a person's true nature and will.
Those shared memories he meticulously crafted, filled with "heroic rescue" and "fighting side by side," actually made Tsunade fall for him.
After experiencing those memories, Tsunade might actually fall in love with herself.
Jiraiya watched Tsunade chatting and laughing with Manji, feeling slightly displeased, but he knew he needed to investigate the matter himself.
After dinner
"Ahem, you guys continue eating, I'm leaving now."
Manji immediately wiped his mouth, preparing to leave, not wanting to get entangled with Tsunade any further.
However, Tsunade showed no intention of ending the conversation.
"Wait! Ten thousand times, I'm with you."
"Jiraiya, Orochimaru, I'm leaving now. Don't forget tomorrow's mission."
Tsunade left with Manji.
Jiraiya then left together with Orochimaru.
On the road
Jiraiya couldn't help but ask Orochimaru again, "Orochimaru, tell me the truth, do you really know that person named Manji?"
Orochimaru's face darkened upon hearing this. "BYD Jiraiya, is this never going to end? Why are you still pretending? What does this mean? Is this funny?"
"Jiraiya, stop pretending. I remember when you asked Manji to buy you those erotic novels, you didn't pretend you didn't know Manji either."
Orochimaru said calmly.
Jiraiya was taken aback, his face flushing red: "Is that so?"
"idiot!"
Orochimaru said something indifferently, then walked into the courtyard.
Jiraiya followed closely behind and went inside.
This large courtyard is the legacy left by Manager Wan to Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya have always lived here.