Malphegor
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IUTT: Ch. 62
🕑 Added 2025-05-15 20:08:27 +0000 UTC"Why did you hit me?" Jiraiya asked, struggling to his feet after being sent flying several meters across the ground.
Before he could fully regain his balance, another figure appeared beside him and landed a powerful punch to his face, sending him sprawling once more.
"Tsu... Tsunade?" Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock as he recognized his attacker. "What are you doing here?"
His question was met with a coordinated assault from both of them. Tsunade, especially, fought with unusual ferocity, as if determined to make him feel every ounce of her anger.
Shin, noticing her intensity, gradually stepped back and allowed her to take the lead.
He watched her carefully. Despite her apparent rage, Tsunade was actually intervening to protect Jiraiya. She had sensed Shin's killing intent.
She was genuinely furious. What Jiraiya had done was reprehensible, and the timing couldn't have been worse. They had finally been sharing a quiet moment together, only to have it ruined by Jiraiya's voyeurism, and right in front of Shin, no less.
Her disgust with Jiraiya had reached new heights.
Yet despite this, and despite years of enduring his inappropriate behavior, some part of her couldn't completely sever the bond formed through years of training and missions together. He was still her teammate, regardless of how much he disappointed her.
Several minutes later, when Jiraiya lay beaten on the ground, his body bruised and broken in multiple places, she finally stopped. She turned to see Shin still watching.
Moving quickly, she positioned herself between them, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her forehead against his chest.
"Don't," she said quietly. "Please."
Shin froze at her touch. The realization settled over him—taking a life in front of Tsunade, especially someone she knew, would cross a line he couldn't easily return from.
"He can't walk away from this without consequences."
"I know," Tsunade nodded, visibly relieved that the worst danger had passed. She made no move to stop whatever punishment Shin had in mind, Jiraiya had gone too far this time.
Her relationship with him had always been complicated. They had grown up together, trained side by side, and fought in the same battles. She valued those bonds, as she did all her connections to the people in her life.
In another timeline, one Shin knew all too well, those bonds would be severed one by one. Everyone she cared for would be taken from her, until her grief drove her from the village entirely. Years later, Jiraiya would remain one of her few living connections to the past. His eventual death would devastate her, not from romantic love, but from the crushing weight of loss and isolation.
The truth was that Tsunade had never harbored romantic feelings for him. His persistent voyeurism, his inability to take anything seriously, his refusal to respect boundaries... all of it repulsed her. What woman would be attracted to someone who repeatedly violated her privacy and treated women as objects for his entertainment?
His proclaimed "love" for her had always been suspect in Shin's eyes. It seemed more about obsession than genuine care, fixating on what he couldn't have rather than respecting her as a person. When Tsunade left Konoha in that other timeline, Jiraiya never seriously pursued her or offered the support she needed. Instead, he continued his aimless wandering, his "research," and his writing, using women he spied on as inspiration for his novels.
To Shin, this behavior was inexcusable. Using someone's image without consent, violating their privacy, these weren't the actions of a hero, regardless of whatever "greater purpose" Jiraiya believed he served.
The commotion outside the bathhouse had drawn attention. A growing crowd of curious onlookers had gathered, whispering among themselves as they saw Jiraiya's broken form on the ground, and Tsunade standing protectively near Shin.
Within minutes, Hiruzen arrived with several ANBU operatives in tow. He had received reports of the altercation: Shin and Tsunade had been at the hot springs when Jiraiya was caught spying on them, resulting in a violent confrontation.
He surveyed the scene with dismay. The recklessness of Jiraiya's actions struck him as both dangerous and profoundly stupid. To spy on a woman, who happened to be not only his teammate but also involved with someone as formidable as Shin, spoke of either exceptional arrogance or a complete disconnect from reality.
"Tsunade, Shin," Hiruzen said as he approached. "Let's discuss this matter privately in my office. I assure you, this incident will be addressed appropriately."
"No," Shin replied firmly. "We're beyond closed-door conversations."
He recognized the pattern, the village leadership's tendency to handle issues involving their favored ninjas with quiet reprimands rather than meaningful consequences. This approach had enabled Jiraiya's behavior for years, and he was determined to break the cycle.
"Hokage-sama," Shin continued, "accountability requires transparency. If Jiraiya was bold enough to commit such acts, he should be prepared to face public scrutiny for them."
The crowd had grown larger, and Shin's words drew their full attention. Hiruzen felt the weight of their gaze. As Hokage, he naturally wanted to protect his student's reputation, and by extension, his own judgment. But Shin had deliberately made the situation public, forcing him into a corner where covering for Jiraiya would only damage the village's trust in its leadership.
"Wake him," Hiruzen ordered one of the ANBU.
The medical-nin among the ANBU stepped forward, applying healing chakra to bring Jiraiya back to consciousness. As awareness returned to him, he immediately assessed his situation.
His first instinct was to flee, but his body refused to cooperate. At Hiruzen's signal, two ANBU lifted Jiraiya upright, eliciting a groan of pain from him.
"Jiraiya," Hiruzen said, "explain yourself, not just to me, but to Tsunade and Shin as well."
"Sensei, I—" Jiraiya began.
"Enough excuses," Hiruzen cut him off, acutely aware of the growing crowd. "I won't shield you from the consequences of your actions. Tell us exactly what happened today."
"I didn't know it was Tsunade and Shin specifically," Jiraiya admitted. The public nature of this confrontation was a punishment in itself, one he hadn't anticipated when he decided to visit the bathhouse earlier.
"So," Shin interjected, "you're saying it would have been acceptable if you were spying on strangers instead?"
"Spying?" The word rippled through the crowd, changing the atmosphere instantly.
Women in the gathering visibly recoiled, their expressions shifting from curiosity to disgust. Several stepped back, as if proximity to Jiraiya might somehow taint them. Men exchanged uncomfortable glances, some distancing themselves from Jiraiya as if to make it clear they didn't condone such behavior.
His reputation in the village had always been complicated. Many respected his abilities as a ninja while quietly disapproving of his personal conduct. But this public exposure threatened to permanently alter how the village perceived him.
"Is this true?" Hiruzen asked, though the answer was written clearly across his student's face.
"I was just... doing research."
"Research?" Tsunade stepped forward. "Is that what you call violating people's privacy? Using women's bodies without their knowledge or consent for your books?"
Several nodded vigorously, while others began whispering among themselves, recounting their own uncomfortable encounters with the self-proclaimed "super pervert."
"This isn't the first time," Tsunade continued, addressing the crowd now. "For years, we've treated his behavior as a harmless eccentricity. It's not harmless. It's not a joke. It's just wrong."
