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Naruto: IY Ch. 14
🕑 Added 2025-07-24 01:12:37 +0000 UTC"Um... how should I say this, I've come here..."
Jiraiya looked at the faces of his three students, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, his expression becoming more and more awkward and even a little flushed as he spoke.
He couldn't possibly say he came all this way... to push Pain to update his works.
"Let's not talk about me. Let's talk about you guys."
"Yahiko, Konan, well..." He decisively changed the subject, rubbing the heads of Nagato and Yahiko with both hands.
They had grown stronger. And taller.
He imagined that after being separated from them for so long, and once any misunderstandings were cleared, the four of them would go find a place to drink and catch up.
He'd ask them if their ninjutsu had improved, if they missed him. And they would ask where he had gone all this time, what he'd been doing, because they missed him a lot.
But the reality was nothing like what he imagined.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I don't understand what you're saying. Please come with us first."
Yahiko took the handcuffs from his waist and, with righteousness in his tone, firmly placed them on Jiraiya's wrists.
"Where are you taking me? I might be on an important mission, you know."
With both wrists cuffed in dark restraints, Jiraiya had no choice but to follow the three.
As they walked, the trio explained to the frightened villagers and panicked merchants around them: It was all a misunderstanding. There was no enemy.
This white-haired man was their naive teacher who, for some reason, chose to sneak into the village.
"So he's Yahiko-sama's teacher?"
"Your teacher is actually Jiraiya?"
"Since he's Yahiko-sama's teacher, then he must be a good guy. That means Jiraiya-sama came to help him?"
Hearing this, the construction workers returned to their work.
Villagers and merchants broke into animated discussions. Who would have thought, Yoake was actually connected to Konoha?
Truly flourishing.
Truly on the rise.
---
A short while later, they reached the inner part of the prison.
Jiraiya, whose chakra had been sealed with a sealing technique, was locked up in the deepest part by Yahiko.
"If anyone threatens the village, even if it's my friend, or even my teacher, they will not be forgiven."
Jiraiya looked at the unexpectedly imposing Yahiko outside the cell. At this moment, if Yahiko picked up a microphone and said a few words, the entire village, no, the entire prison, would shake with his voice.
At that moment, he understood. After observing everything along the way, he keenly realized: Yahiko had indeed followed the path of peace that he had taught.
He had founded a village at the junction of the Land of Fire, Land of Rain, and Land of Grass.
It had structure and order, and Yahiko had truly earned the respect of the people here.
But a family had its rules, and so did a village. His sneaking into the village had caused widespread panic and economic losses. He had broken the village's laws, and even Yahiko couldn't just turn a blind eye. So, to set an example, he locked up his own teacher in the deepest prison, a warning to those hiding in the shadows.
Looks like this brat was using him, to make an example out of him.
In the end, they'd probably let him go easy.
He got it.
Just like Hiruzen indulging that Danzō...
"Yahiko..." Jiraiya winked meaningfully at Yahiko.
"Sorry, sensei," Nagato murmured.
Recently, the village had been rapidly developing, and some signs of corruption had begun to surface.
Yahiko had already caught and disciplined several people. Now was a period of strict enforcement, and as a leader, he absolutely couldn't play favorites, meaning Jiraiya might be locked up for quite a while.
"We'll make sure your treatment is top-tier. Everything is for the sake of the village," Konan said guiltily. She viewed Jiraiya as a father figure, how could she not feel heartbroken about sending him to prison?
"I'll bring you whatever you want," Yahiko said teasingly. Considering how Jiraiya had gone silent with his writing lately, then suddenly turned up in the village... one look at his behavior, and he already guessed what Jiraiya wanted.
If he wanted to see them, why didn't he just come straight out and say so?
Why sneak in? If he'd just said something, of course they would've welcomed him.
Jiraiya looked at the backs of the three kids as they walked away, full of comfort and pride.
If these three kids had shown favoritism just because he was their teacher, turned a blind eye for his sake, that would have been the real disappointment.
"What did Yahiko say he was going to bring me again?"
Jiraiya sat casually on the ground, feeling a hint of anticipation. Could it be something new from Pain? No way, right? No way it's actually that...?
"Hahahaha..."
His perverted laughter echoed through the depths of the prison.
---
The next morning, on a straw mat, Jiraiya, wearing prison clothes, was snoring loudly in his sleep.
A continuous ringing of bells echoed.
Ding ding ding...
Ding ding ding...
He slowly opened his bleary eyes, confused, as two prison guards opened the door and walked in.
"What? They're letting me out after just one night? Yahiko is just like Hiruzen-sensei spoiling..."
Sitting on the ground with two dark circles under his eyes, Jirheiya looked up at the two men.
"Alright, since they are being so nice, I can't disappoint them."
He stood up and casually brushed off the bits of straw stuck to his backside.
"Is breakfast included?" He slung his arms around the guards' shoulders with a grin.
"Yes."
The two guards exchanged glances and led him to the prison cafeteria.
The cafeteria wasn't big, but it could easily seat all the inmates.
"The food's not bad today. Put the thermal containers over there. And remember, inmates are people too. Once they're out, they'll be citizens of Yoake. Make sure they eat well."
Genno directed workers to bring in the food, curiously glancing at the Yahiko's teacher before walking off.
Inside the cafeteria, Jiraiya looked at the steel trays and the long line of prisoners waiting to get food.
"There are this many guards here?"
He turned to the two who brought him in, confused.
"Huh? Other than the people serving the food, there are only about two or three guards."
Now that they knew this was Yahiko's teacher, the two answered all questions openly.
"Two or three? Then who are all those people in line over there?" Jiraiya pointed toward the window, puzzled again.
"Oh, those are the prisoners."
"What?!" Jiraiya widened his eyes in disbelief.
The prisoners were this obedient?
What kind of prison has inmates who, after getting food, say 'thank you'?
"I really like this dish, could you give me a bit more?"
"That's enough, that's enough, the others still need to eat. Thanks, thanks..."
At that moment, a big, burly man was at the window getting his food. Behind him was a steady stream of other men. With the current security situation in the shinobi world, just stepping out meant you could easily arrest two or three people.
After getting his breakfast, the big man held his tray with satisfaction and found a seat to chow down.
Once a person reformed and served their sentence, they could become citizens of Yoake.
They could contribute to the village, and enjoy the support of its policies. After all, if it wasn't for desperate circumstances, who would willingly become an outlaw and be reviled by others?
Here, even labor came with wages. Honestly speaking, many of them didn't even want to leave.
Jiraiya compared the inmates here with those in Konoha's prison.
All he could say was: the prisoners in Konoha were just... individuals.
Intrigued, he got in line with the others.
After getting his food, he found an empty seat and sat down with his tray full of food.
Even during meals, the prisoners observed strict etiquette, perfectly embodying the saying "do not speak while eating."
