Kuragami Uchiha had never expected that his first official meeting with Jiraiya would be like this.
Jiraiya was quite cooperative after being arrested. With his hands handcuffed, he shrank his neck on the chair in the interrogation room and showed a few awkward smiles.
This posture was exactly the same as those of habitual offenders in the village.
No wonder the patrol team didn't recognize him. After all, who knew that Jiraiya, one of the legendary three ninjas, was like this.
Kuragami Uchiha came to the interrogation room where Jiraiya was detained alone, waved his hand to signal the guards around to withdraw, and walked in himself.
Jiraiya heard someone coming in and raised his head.
"Jiraiya-sama, you are making it difficult for our Konoha Military Police Force to deal with you."
Kuragami Uchiha stepped forward and untied Jiraiya's handcuffs. Anyway, if the other party really wanted to run, there was no difference between having handcuffs and not having them.
"Hehe."
Jiraiya laughed awkwardly twice, then looked at Kuragami Uchiha and asked curiously: "Um, who are you?"
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Kuragami Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha clan and the newly appointed captain of the village's Konoha Military Police Force two days ago." Kuragami Uchiha said.
"You are Kuragami Uchiha? I have heard of you before, but we were not on the same battlefield during the Third Shinobi World War. It's a pleasure to meet you." Jiraiya said with a smile.
"I never thought our first meeting would be under these circumstances."
Kuragami replied with a smirk.
"Heh, an unexpected situation indeed." Jiraiya chuckled while scratching his head.
"Come with me. Given your status, we can't just leave you locked up here." Kuragami said as he turned toward the door, motioning for Jiraiya to follow.
Jiraiya quickly got up and followed along.
"Wouldn't it be better to use the Transformation Jutsu to conceal your identity a bit?"
Kuragami reminded him before opening the door.
"You have a point."
Jiraiya said with an embarrassed nod before quickly forming hand seals and altering his appearance.
Kuragami led the disguised Jiraiya out of the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters through the back door and took him directly to the new prison by the Naka River.
Once inside, he brought Jiraiya to a fully furnished room before speaking again.
"Please wait here for a while, Jiraiya-sama. I'll come back with Kakashi after the meeting."
"Sounds good, sounds good."
Jiraiya replied with a grin. Since Kuragami had taken him out of the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters, he assumed the matter was settled and that he was merely being accommodated.
Before leaving, Kuragami instructed the guards: "Make sure he doesn't leave, but aside from that, accommodate any reasonable requests he has."
Once Jiraiya was settled, Kuragami left to attend his meeting.
After finalizing the action plan for the joint investigation team, Kuragami instructed his subordinates to prepare a banquet and bring two bottles of fine sake before heading back to Jiraiya with Kakashi.
During the few hours of the meeting, Jiraiya stayed quietly in his room without causing any trouble. Bored, he eventually just lay down on the bed. When Kuragami and Kakashi entered, he immediately flipped up from the bed with a nimble motion.
"Clan Head Kuragami, I must say, this place is quite nice. Is this where the Konoha Military Police Force entertains guests?" Jiraiya asked cheerfully upon seeing them.
"In a way, yes."
Kuragami replied with a smile as he moved a low table into the center of the room and began setting out the dishes.
Seeing the beautifully arranged food and the two bottles of sake, Jiraiya's eyes lit up, then he rubbed his hands together and said: "Oh, you really didn't have to, Clan Head Kuragami. This is too generous of you."
"Not at all. It's an honor to share a drink with one of the legendary Sannin, the Great Toad Sage Jiraiya."
Kuragami responded. "I've heard that Jiraiya-sama is quite the connoisseur of entertainment. I would have invited some geisha from the entertainment district to enhance the evening, but given that the Konoha Military Police Force is part of the village's law enforcement, that wouldn't be appropriate. I hope you understand."
"No worries, no worries."
Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively. "Next time, I'll treat you to a night out in the best entertainment district in the village."
The three of them sat down and shared a drink before engaging in casual conversation.
"Jiraiya-sama, what brings you back to the village so suddenly? Is it to release a new book?" Kakashi asked knowingly.
"The new book is in progress, and it'll take some time."
Jiraiya said with an awkward laugh, clearly uncomfortable about being asked about his writing progress at the drinking table. "As for why I came back... I have no idea what's gotten into the old man. He's been sending letters non-stop, practically eight times a day, urging me to return. So I figured I might as well come back and see what's going on."
"But I must say, coming back has its perks. I got to meet a promising young talent like Clan Head Kuragami, and I also got to see Kakashi picking himself back up. That makes it worthwhile."
Jiraiya said with a slight buzz after downing another cup of sake.
"I'm hardly a promising young talent compared to a legendary hero of the village like you."
Kuragami said with a grin as he poured Jiraiya another drink.
"Nonsense! You're the famed Blue Thunder Kuragami. You'll surely surpass this old man one day." Jiraiya laughed.
After drinking for a while, Jiraiya suddenly turned to Kakashi and asked: "By the way, Kakashi, I heard you took Naruto in?"
Kakashi nodded. "That's right. I've retired from the Anbu, so I have the time to look after him."
Hearing this, Jiraiya sighed. "That's good. With you taking care of him, I can rest easy."
At that moment, Kuragami suddenly asked: "Jiraiya-sama, you've been away from the village all these years... What exactly have you been doing? Surely it's not just because of some vague prophecy?"
"Kuragami, this is no mere vague prophecy."
Jiraiya said, his expression turning serious. "The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku is an ancient and wise seer. He once told me that a child would be born who would determine the fate of the entire shinobi world, whether it would be peace or destruction. My mission is to guide that child onto the right path."
"So there's more to it than I thought."
Kuragami remarked with a smirk. "I didn't realize Jiraiya-sama carried such a heavy burden. That was my mistake. I'll drink a cup as punishment for my words."
He poured himself a cup and downed it in one gulp.
"So then, Jiraiya-sama."
Kakashi asked: "Have you found this child of prophecy yet?"