The day after the hot springs, Jiraiya did not leave.
He found a casual-sounding excuse: “There’s nothing much to do anyway, let me accompany you for a section of the road,” and just like that, naturally followed along with the four of them.
He didn’t mention wanting to teach them anything, nor did he display any special intentions, acting just like a passing traveler who happened to be heading the same way as the four kids.
Things were not that simple.
Luna was observing Jiraiya, and Jiraiya was also observing them.
No, to be precise, he was observing Nagato.
The white-haired man’s gaze would fall on Nagato from time to time.
Every time Nagato turned his head, Jiraiya’s gaze would shift away, pretending to look at the distant scenery or organizing his scrolls.
Luna took all of this in.
When she played Naruto in her past life, she knew that Jiraiya was a man who possessed hidden depths beneath a rough exterior.
On the surface, he looked careless, lecherous, and lazy, but in reality, he was the best among the Sannin at gathering intelligence.
His observational skills were extremely strong, and he was immensely patient, willing to spend three years lurking in the Land of Rain just to wait for the right opportunity.
Such a person could not possibly have failed to notice Nagato’s abnormality.
As she walked, Luna calculated various possibilities in her heart.
Nagato’s Rinnegan usually looked no different from ordinary eyes, and the ripples would only appear under light from a specific angle.
But what kind of person was Jiraiya?
He was someone who had dealt with the Uchiha Clan, so it was impossible for him to know nothing about Dōjutsu.
If he recognized the Rinnegan…
Luna’s thoughts were interrupted by Yahiko’s voice.
Yahiko pointed to a patch of grass by the river where there were a few flat, large stones to sit on and rest.
Konan nodded and unloaded the bundle from her shoulder.
Nagato walked silently to the riverside and squatted down to wash his hands.
Luna also sat down, leaning her back against a stone to let her tense shoulders relax a bit.
Jiraiya found a spot not far away to sit down, put down the large scroll from his shoulder, pulled a pipe from his chest, and leisurely stuffed it with tobacco.
His movements were very casual, but Luna noticed that his seating position allowed him to see all the movements of the four people, and his hand was never more than an arm’s length away from the scroll.
An old Ninja.
Luna silently defined Jiraiya in her heart.
Yahiko couldn’t stay still, pacing around the riverside a few times, picking up a branch, and swinging it twice to make a whooshing sound.
He walked up to Luna and grinned, “Luna, want to spar a bit? Let me see how your cultivation has been going during this time.”
Luna originally wanted to refuse, but seeing Yahiko’s eager expression, she still stood up and took the other branch he handed over.
“Then let’s keep it moderate,” she said.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I know my limits.” Yahiko struck a starting stance with the branch held horizontally in front of him.
The two exchanged blows back and forth on the grass.
Yahiko’s Taijutsu was indeed progressing very fast; his movements were becoming smoother and his attack angles increasingly tricky.
Luna used Chakra to reinforce her reaction speed, barely able to keep up with his rhythm, but she was clearly at a disadvantage.
After all, she was a transmigrator who had been a shut-in in her past life; the muscle memory of this body was almost zero.
Although she had been working hard to exercise these past few months, compared to Yahiko, who had been scrambling and fighting in wars since childhood, the gap was still very obvious.
“Too slow, too slow!” Yahiko shouted while attacking, “React a bit faster!”
Luna gritted her teeth, barely parrying his sweeping strike, then quickly retreated a step to create distance.
Yahiko didn’t give her a chance to breathe, rushing forward closely with his branch tracing an arc to sweep toward her side.
At that exact moment, Yahiko’s branch cleaved down toward her shoulder; the force wasn’t big, but taking a hit would definitely hurt.
Luna’s pupils contracted slightly, instinctively raising the branch in her hand to block.
Just then, Nagato, who was standing not far away, moved.
He had no time to think more; his body instinctively rushed forward a step and extended his hand.
A burst of power erupted from around his body.
This time it was clearer and more concentrated than the last time at the shrine.
That power did not scatter in all directions like last time, but instead condensed into a directional pushing force that accurately slammed into Yahiko’s side.
Yahiko was sent flying sideways by the push, doing more than half a rotation in the air before heavily slamming onto the grass five meters away, the branch in his hand flying off as well.
He lay prone on the ground, stunned for several seconds, before raising his head with a blank expression:
“… Huh?”
Konan was also stunned, the paper flower in her hand dropping to the ground.
Luna stood in place.
The Rinnegan, Nagato had used its ability again.
Standing a few steps away, Nagato still maintained the posture of extending his hands forward, his entire body frozen.
His pupils dilated slightly, and that pair of originally purple eyes…
Circles upon circles of purple ripples clearly emerged on his irises.
The ripples were slowly spinning, like a deep vortex, carrying a strange beauty and a heart-palpitating sense of power, as if they were an existence from another dimension.
Luna’s peripheral vision swept toward Jiraiya; Jiraiya’s body froze at that exact instant.
His pupils contracted, his breathing stopped for half a second, and his fingers resting on the scroll curled up slightly.