The hot spring Jiraiya spoke of was even better than he had described.
It was hidden in a small, rock-encircled valley upstream of the river; it wasn’t large, about three or four meters square, but the water was natural hot spring water, steaming with misty heat, looking like a warm crack torn open in the earth amidst the gloomy tones of the Land of Rain.
The spring water gushed out from the gaps in the rocks, carrying a faint scent of sulfur, overflowing along the depression and merging into the nearby stream.
Luna stood by the hot spring, watching the rising steam on the water’s surface, and fell into a momentary trance.
A hot spring.
How long had it been since she last soaked in a hot spring?
No, no, no, or rather, as a shut-in who used to hole up in her rented apartment playing games every day in her past life, she hadn’t soaked in hot springs many times to begin with.
But in this world, amidst the endless gloomy rain of the Land of Rain, this pool of steaming water felt as unreal as an illusion.
Yahiko eagerly took off his jacket, stepped one foot into the water, and was scalded so badly that he let out a yelp of “So hot, so hot, so hot!”
“Serves you right.” Konan squatted by the bank, tested the water temperature with her hand, and said, “Of course it’s hot when you first get in, you have to get used to it slowly.”
Yahiko grimaced as he adjusted for a bit, and finally immersed his entire body, letting out a comfortable sigh: “This is amazing… I can’t believe the Land of Rain has a place like this…”
Nagato did not go into the water immediately.
He sat on a rock by the bank, took off his shoes, immersed his feet in the water, and quietly felt the warm sensation.
His gaze was lowered, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Luna also went into the water.
The warm spring water enveloped her small body, driving away the chill that had seeped into her bones over the past few days.
She leaned against the rock at the edge of the hot spring, let out a long breath, and felt her shoulders finally relax a little.
Jiraiya sat on the other side of the hot spring, with a towel draped over his shoulder, leaning lazily against the rock.
He looked just like a large white toad soaking in hot water.
He kept his eyes closed with a cozy expression, completely unconcerned about sharing a hot spring bath with four strange children.
Luna knew that he wasn’t relaxed at all.
He seemed to lean casually, but that position allowed him to see all the movements of the four people.
He had his eyes closed, but his ears were perked up all the time.
Every time he changed posture, he made sure that his hands were no more than an arm’s length away from the scroll on the bank.
This was a Ninja who would not lower his guard even while soaking in a hot spring.
Luna silently withdrew her gaze, not letting her observation last too long.
After a good while, Jiraiya opened one eye, looked at the four of them, and then spoke in a casual tone:
“You kids have always lived in the Land of Rain?” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
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Luna’s nerves tightened slightly, but her expression didn’t change.
Yahiko answered the fastest, and his tone was the most natural: “Yeah, I’ve been here since I was little.”
“What about your family?”
“They’re gone.”
Jiraiya was silent for two seconds, didn’t press further, just nodded, and changed the subject: “Then how do you guys usually make a living?”
“Finding food, finding a place to stay.” Yahiko’s answer remained brief, but he wasn’t lying.
“Sometimes we can steal a little something, sometimes we get lucky and catch fish.”
“Stealing is no good.” Jiraiya said casually, without any tone of accusation, just mentioning it in passing.
“If we don’t steal, we’ll starve to death.” Yahiko answered righteously.
Jiraiya glanced at him without refuting.
After a brief silence, his gaze shifted to Konan: “What about you? What’s your name?”
“Konan.” Konan’s answer was very concise, carrying a cautious politeness.
“Konan…” Jiraiya repeated the name, then swept his gaze between her and Luna.
“You two look so much alike. Are you biological sisters?”
Konan was silent for a split second, then said: “…She is my younger sister.”
Konan didn’t say “Yes,” nor did she say “No.” Her answer of “She is my younger sister” neither lied nor avoided the issue of blood ties.
Luna lowered her eyes, pretending not to notice the flash of pensive thought in Jiraiya’s eyes.
“And you?” Jiraiya’s gaze fell on Luna.
“What’s your name?”
“Luna.”
“Luna…” Jiraiya recited it once, then smiled.
“That’s a good name too.”
Luna didn’t respond.
Jiraiya’s gaze shifted away from her and finally landed on Nagato.
Nagato sat at the edge of the hot spring, his feet immersed in the water, his body leaning slightly forward, his red hair hanging down to cover half of his face. Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
He didn’t look at Jiraiya, his gaze falling on the water’s surface.
“And you?” Jiraiya asked, “What’s your name?”
Nagato was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice: “…Nagato.”
“Nagato.” Jiraiya repeated the name, then paused.
Luna noticed that this pause was a bit longer than the previous ones.
Jiraiya’s gaze lingered on Nagato for a few more seconds.
Nagato didn’t raise his head, didn’t avoid it, and didn’t respond, just sitting quietly there, as if he was already used to being the ignored presence in a crowd.
Jiraiya did not ignore him.
“Nagato…” He recited the name again, this time with a hint of something Luna couldn’t quite understand in his tone.
“How old are you?”
“Eight years old.”
“Eight years old…” Jiraiya murmured in repetition, asking no further.
He leaned back against the rock, closed his eyes, and returned to that cozy state.
Before closing his eyes, his gaze lingered on Nagato’s eyes for an extra half second.
That half second made Luna’s heart skip a beat.
Did he find out?
Nagato’s Rinnegan usually didn’t look much different from ordinary eyes, and the ripples would only appear under specific lighting angles.
But Jiraiya was one of the Sannin, and his observation skills far exceeded ordinary people…
Luna lowered her head, letting the hot spring water submerge her chin, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed above the water’s surface.
She was also observing.
Observing Jiraiya.
This white-haired man looked like nothing more than an easygoing, somewhat lecherous middle-aged traveler at the moment, but he was certainly no ordinary person.
Was his appearance here really just passing by?
Or had he already noticed something?
The air by the hot spring fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of flowing water and occasional bird calls from afar.
Luna leaned against the rock, feeling the warm spring water wrap around her body, but her mind didn’t stop turning for a single second.
She was trying to figure out what Jiraiya was thinking at this moment.