In the afternoon in Konoha, the sunlight filtered through the dense leaves of the Ninja Academy training ground, scattering like broken gold across the clearing.
Hoshi was sitting on a smooth, flat green stone, his eyes tightly shut as he sensed his surroundings, seemingly waiting for someone to arrive.
The surrounding students were gathered in small groups, eating their bento boxes, with the sole exceptions of Naruto and Sasuke.
One had found a hidden spot to eat, terrified of being spotted by his fangirls, while the other sat off to the side all alone, gnawing on a piece of bread.
Hoshi muttered to himself, *Ah, I was in such a rush today that I forgot to bring instant ramen.
If Ino doesn’t show up soon, I’ll just go buy some bread to gnaw on once there are fewer people around.* *Growl.* Hoshi’s stomach betrayed him with a loud rumble.
He looked around awkwardly.
Just then, Ino walked over holding two bento boxes and handed one to Hoshi.
“I knew you wouldn’t bring a bento again.
Here.
There’s teriyaki saury inside.
I don’t know if you’ll like it.” “Ino, you’re the best!
Thank you so much.
Down the hatch!” Hoshi snatched the bento, opened it without ceremony, and began to scarf it down.
“Mmm, delicious!
You made this yourself, didn’t you, Ino?
If I could eat food like this every day, I might actually tolerate these classes.” “Mm, eat as much as you like if you enjoy it.” Ino’s face flushed red as she sat down next to Hoshi and opened her own bento.
As Hoshi shoveled down his last bite of rice, he suddenly sensed a powerful Chakra rapidly approaching him.
*A Chakra of this scale…
in Konoha, aside from the Third Hokage, there’s probably only that person.* Hoshi’s eyes flickered, but he maintained his eating posture, acting as if he hadn’t noticed a thing.
“My, my, are the youngsters nowadays really so lacking in alertness?
If I were an enemy, your head would already be severed from your shoulders!” A gruff voice with a hint of levity echoed from the canopy above.
Immediately after, a tall man with cascading white hair, wearing geta sandals and carrying a massive scroll on his back, dropped down from the sky.
Landing on one foot, he struck an incredibly embarrassing pose, his expression exceptionally arrogant.
“Listen up!
I am the Toad Spirit Sage of Mount Myoboku, known to all as the ‘Toad Sage’—Jiraiya!” Hoshi calmly swallowed his last bite of rice, closed his bento box, and looked askance at this man, one of the legendary Sannin who shook the Ninja World.
“Lord Jiraiya, if you are looking for subjects to ‘research,’ take a left outside and go two kilometers.
The women’s hot spring is currently holding its afternoon session.
But if you’re here to see me, please untangle your sleeve from that branch first.
It looks rather awkward.” Jiraiya’s old face flushed red.
He hastily yanked his sleeve free and coughed twice in embarrassment.
“Cough, cough!
Kids these days have absolutely no sense of humor.
So, you’re the disciple Tsunade took in outside the village?
Name’s…
Hoshi?” “That’s me.” Hoshi stood up, his black hair fluttering in the breeze as his lips curved into his signature sunny smile.
“Master often mentions you, saying you’re a rare ‘hero’ of the Ninja World.
However, she also warned me that if I ever met a white-haired, nose-bleeding, suspicious-looking old man, I should clutch my wallet tightly, because he’s highly likely to be a freeloading scoundrel.” Jiraiya looked as though he had been struck by lightning.
Clutching his chest, he stumbled back two steps.
“That violent woman Tsunade…
actually talks about me like that?
I am a world-famous author, for goodness’ sake!” “What?!
Lord Jiraiya?
And Hoshi is…
Lady Tsunade’s disciple?!” Ino was thoroughly shocked by their conversation.
To think Hoshi’s background was so extraordinary!
“An author?” Hoshi raised an eyebrow, his mischievous side instantly taking over.
“Oh—now I remember.
You’re the author of *Make-Out Paradise*, aren’t you?
Honestly, the prose is delicate and the emotion is rich, but the logical plot holes are too numerous, and the depiction of female characters is far too rigid.
It’s clearly a ‘work of pure imagination’ from someone lacking real-world experience.” “Nonsense!
I traveled the entire Ninja World to do my research!” Tail stepped on, Jiraiya was about to argue fiercely when he suddenly froze.
“Wait, no!
You’re just a kid, how could you have read that kind of book?” “Master used it to prop up a table leg, so I decided to help her write some literary annotations.” Hoshi shrugged with an innocent look.
“By the way, Master’s review of you was: decent writing, bankrupt morals.” Jiraiya let out a long sigh, dropping his playful demeanor.
His hawkish eyes locked onto Hoshi.
“Kid, a sharp tongue won’t protect Tsunade.
I returned to the village this time because I received a secret letter from the old man.
I heard…
not only are you Tsunade’s successor, but you also have the blood of *that* clan flowing in your veins?” The air froze in an instant.
Hoshi’s gaze grew cold.
His right hand instinctively drifted toward the shinobi tool pouch at his lower back.
He knew that trying to hide anything from a powerhouse of Jiraiya’s level was completely pointless.
“Lord Jiraiya, are you interrogating me on behalf of the village?” “Don’t be so tense.” Jiraiya waved his hand and pulled a crumpled photograph from his robes.
It was a silhouette of Hoshi being rescued from the ruins as a child.
“I have no interest in those eyes.
I only want to know why a stubborn woman like Tsunade was willing to take you as a disciple.
Was it because of your talent, or because your face…
looks so much like *his*?” “Master took me in because I can help her win money.” Hoshi’s sunny smile returned, though it carried an indisputable resolve.
He shook his right fist.
“As for this face, it was given to me by my parents, so there’s nothing I can do about it.
But these fists of mine were forged punch by punch by my Master herself.” Jiraiya remained silent for a moment before bursting into loud laughter, his booming voice scattering the birds in the forest.
“Hahaha!
What a brilliant ‘winning money’!
You’ve got character!
You’re much more pleasing to the eye than that gloomy bastard Orochimaru.” Jiraiya leaped, landing back on the tree branch.
Looking down at Hoshi, he said, “Hoshi, although the old man shielded you, that old codger Danzo is no pushover.
You’d better behave like a ‘normal student’ in Konoha.
Tonight at eight, at the Yamato-ya tavern on the west side of the village, my treat.
I’ll show you what the ‘adult world’ is really like.” “Your treat?
Lord Jiraiya, are you sure you still have money in your wallet?” Hoshi shouted after him.
“Shut up!
I am a bestselling author!” Jiraiya’s figure vanished into the depths of the forest.
Looking at the empty branch, Hoshi’s lips curled upward.
“Damn.
If Master finds out I went to a place like that, she’ll break at least eight or ten of my ribs.
But still…
if I want to get information on Master, I have to pay a little ‘price.'” Hoshi summoned a miniature Katsuyu in the palm of his hand, gently touching its antenna.
“Lady Katsuyu, tell Master: the big fish has bitten.
Tonight, I will find a way to charge all of Master’s long-standing debts at Yamato-ya to Lord Jiraiya.” “Lord Hoshi, you are getting more and more…
mischievous,” Katsuyu replied gently.
“It’s called making the most of one’s resources.” Hoshi stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and a clever, star-like gleam flashed in his eyes.