Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

"Oh dear~"

Orochimaru licked his lips, eyes half-lidded as he stared at the small scrap of paper that had flown into his hand earlier that morning. A cold glint flickered in his gaze.

"So… I've been rejected?"

The three little brats from back then… had already grown to this point?

Should he say they were overestimating themselves—or should he applaud their boldness?

Or perhaps…

That idiot Jiraiya just had freakishly good luck to end up with such exceptional students.

Orochimaru chuckled, a dark smile creeping over his face. He let the slip of paper turn to ash between his fingers and lifted his gaze in the direction of Amegakure.

The Rinnegan… it was real. That kid had used those eyes to defeat the so-called "Demi-God of the Shinobi World."

Of course, Orochimaru didn't think his own strength was any lower than that of Hanzo. After all, true battle required intellect.

Still, to defeat Hanzo of the Salamander—this Rinnegan brat was definitely no pushover.

"How fascinating…"

His long, snake-like tongue slithered out, licking the corner of his lips.

"But if I can't even beat Jiraiya's student… wouldn't that be pathetic?"

That fool Jiraiya was probably scouring the Shinobi World looking for him right now.

Typical.

That guy always made everything sound too simple.

But Orochimaru had made up his mind—he would never return. Konoha had become a shackle on his ambitions.

Especially that old man…

Konoha had long since rotted from the inside. The Third Hokage—Hiruzen—watched his own comrades run wild in the village and, despite his anger, never did a thing. He had grown too old—so old he had learned to compromise and tolerate.

The once-famed "Professor of Shinobi" was now nothing but an old man puffing on a pipe, playing the role of everyone's kindly grandpa.

Disgusting.

Orochimaru had no desire to return.

Even if Jiraiya showed up right now, dropped to his knees, sobbing, clinging to his legs begging him to come home—he still wouldn't go back.

Only out here, free from the Leaf's grip, could he truly pursue his research and uncover the secrets of the Shinobi World.

"So I'm sorry, Jiraiya… but I may have to lay a hand on your student."

...

"Ahh, damn… those bastards really went for it, huh?"

Jiraiya winced as he clutched his aching lower back, face contorted in pain as he sucked in a breath.

"They should know… I'm one of the Legendary Sannin! The Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku! The future literary genius of the shinobi world! Of course I was going to pay! I told them to go collect from the Hokage! Why didn't they believe me?!"

And that damn brat…

He remembered now—so generous, so eager, treating him to the finest pleasure district in the Fire Capital. Brought out girls, poured drinks, toasted again and again like he was some bigshot.

All to lower his guard.

Now it made sense.

He could overlook that.

But what he couldn't forgive—was that as he left the brothel in a drunken haze, they had sent in nine guys after him.

Nine. Guys.

What the hell was that?!

He, the great Jiraiya the Gallant, only ever gathered material from women! If he needed to see guys… he could just look in the mirror!

His entire reputation… ruined in a single night!

He was the dream of countless girls across the Shinobi World!

A flower among women, yet untouched by even a single petal!

And now?

After a lifetime of chasing the geese, the goose had finally bitten him in the ass?!

"Fine!" Jiraiya muttered through gritted teeth. "This… this grudge…"

Just as Jiraiya was muttering his grudge under his breath—

"Found you!" a shrill voice rang out. "That white-haired porcupine's hiding here after all!"

The sound startled Jiraiya. He shivered on instinct.

Then he saw it.

Not far off stood a heavily made-up man, with powder-white foundation, blush, lipstick—and fingers curved in an unmistakable pose.

Jiraiya gagged slightly. He leapt out of the nearby garbage pile like a ninja escaping death.

"This place… this capital… is hell!"

He tried to turn the corner and escape this nightmare when—

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

A flurry of shadows flickered, and a squad of Konoha shinobi suddenly surrounded him.

"Jiraiya-sama?!"

Leading the group was a young man with two red, fang-shaped markings on his cheeks. He wore a blue Konoha cap and a flak jacket — Inuzuka Gaku. Beside him stood a silver-haired teen with a mask covering his face and a bored look in his eyes — Hatake Kakashi.

At Kakashi's feet sat a small ninja hound, panting quietly with its tongue hanging out.

The team froze in place.

That really was one of the Legendary Sannin.

"…Hehehe…" Jiraiya forced a laugh, his back dripping with cold sweat.

No wonder they tracked him so fast.

An Inuzuka and a Hatake—complete with ninken. He should have expected this.

Grinning awkwardly, he asked, "Inuzuka Gaku… w-what are you doing here?"

So many of them, too…

"If there's nothing else, I'll just—"

But before he could finish, Inuzuka Gaku pinched his brow.

"Never thought our A-rank mission target would be you, Jiraiya-sama. We were doing a mission nearby when we got word from the Fourth Hokage that someone had been defaming Konoha's reputation. So we came to check it out, but…"

His eyes scanned the older man from head to toe.

You were going way too hard.

Men and women, both?!

No wonder Lady Tsunade found him disgusting.

"A-rank mission?! Isn't that a bit much?!"

"You booked the entire place. Men, women—you didn't care. Then you ran without paying. The debt… it's big enough to issue an S-rank mission."

"…."

Jiraiya fell silent. His face turned slightly green.

He didn't want to remember that night.

Not the nine guys, not the panic, not the ruined reputation.

He looked like he'd aged a decade overnight.

"…It was a setup," he muttered. "A honeytrap. No more words. I'll get my revenge."

"In that case—"

But before Inuzuka Gaku could finish, Jiraiya bit his thumb and began forming hand seals.

Boar – Dog – Rooster – Monkey – Ram.

Before anyone could react—

"BOOM!"

A massive puff of smoke exploded in the alley, and a giant toad appeared.

Jiraiya leapt onto its back and shouted, "Gamabunta! RUN!"

"...???"

Gamabunta blinked, pipe in mouth, baffled at the scene.

He glanced down at the stunned Leaf ninja, then back up at the flustered Jiraiya on his head.

With a sigh, he followed the order and launched them both into the sky—vanishing over the rooftops in seconds.

"…"

The remaining Leaf shinobi stared blankly at where their 'target' had vanished.

"What now, Captain Gaku?"

"…We report everything to the Hokage."

"And the... uh, the brothel tab?"

"We'll have to cover it. File it for reimbursement later."

"…Guess we have no choice."

One by one, the four ninja begrudgingly reached into their wallets and fished out small bills.

As for Kakashi—

He was still technically a kid. The others didn't have the heart to make him pay for something like this.

What a disgrace.

Later that day…

In the red-light district of the Fire Capital.

A certain establishment dominated the area, becoming the most famous brothel in the entire city.

Above its lavish entrance hung a grand gold-lettered sign that read:

"A Century-Old Establishment. Genuine Goods. Trusted Reputation. Even the Hokage's Sensei Says It's Good!"

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin