Jiraiya had paid a visit to Ino’s house, meeting with the Yamanaka couple under the guise of a social call. This surprised the couple, as someone of Jiraiya’s stature rarely made personal visits.

His seniority and reputation meant he didn’t need to curry favor with anyone. However, he still chose to visit openly, and for no other reason than because he had promised Naruto.

The Yamanaka couple were naturally flustered by the honor, as such a scene was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Jiraiya spent most of his time outside the village and rarely interacted with the people in the village.

The Sannin had all emerged from war, and they actually had some complaints about the village's ways. Having faced setbacks in their youth, they knew change was impossible, and as they grew older, they simply learned to accept it.

The attitude of the Sannin's generation towards the conflicts in the village can be more clearly seen. They were unwilling to meddle yet unable to fully let go. So most of the time, they simply wandered far from the village.

The Yamanaka Clan has always kept a low profile. They have worked in the Intelligence Department for many years and usually identify themselves as the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Since they are low-key to begin with, they saw no reason to avoid suspicion now.

"Jiraiya-sama, I'm sorry for not welcoming you properly." Inoichi’s hand trembled slightly, and even though his face looked calm, he could not hide his excitement.

"No need for formalities. I just returned to the village not long ago and thought I’d drop by for a visit." Jiraiya didn't mention Naruto or Ino at all, and instead started chatting with the Yamanaka couple.

The tea steamed gently in their cups, filling the room with a warm, amiable atmosphere.

"I remember you were only this tall when you were a kid. Who would’ve thought you’d be married and have children in the blink of an eye." Jiraiya took a sip of tea and couldn't help but sigh as he looked at Rino.

"Time flies so fast. Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"That’s how it is, Jiraiya-sama." Rino chuckled softly, "Time has indeed passed quickly, but Jiraiya-sama is still as charming as ever."

"Hahaha, of course! Back in the day, I was one of Konoha’s most handsome men!" Jiraiya laughed heartily.

Although he hadn’t been in the village much, he seemed surprisingly familiar with the couple. However, the two of them didn’t dwell on it too much on it. Perhaps in their minds, this was just how legendary figures like the Sannin behaved.

In truth, it was simply because Jiraiya had done his homework. In order to prevent the sudden visit from being awkward, he had spent a day gathering information.

It was the first time for Jiraiya to prepare for such a thing, and this feeling made him feel strange. But then he remembered that Naruto had essentially tricked him into this, and it suddenly wasn't strange anymore.

"Speaking of which…"

Ino made a brief appearance at one point, greeting Jiraiya politely before excusing herself. She didn’t linger and just exchanged a few words before slipping away again.

Ino was not stupid, and she could roughly guess why Jiraiya had suddenly shown up at her home. The thought almost made her laugh, as only that guy would pull such a stunt.

The anger she had been feeling for so many days had long since subsided, and now, she just found the whole thing amusing, as if they were interacting with each other from a distance.

Jiraiya didn’t react much either, just chatting and laughing with the Yamanaka couple, as if he had truly just dropped by casually. He talked about many things, but didn't mention Naruto at all.

As the sun was setting, Jiraiya politely declined the Yamanaka couple's offer to keep him for dinner, and left.

…

At Yamanaka Flower Shop, the couple exchanged glances after seeing Jiraiya off.

"What should we do?" Rino asked.

"I didn't expect that brat could even get Jiraiya-sama to be involved. But I’m not sure what Lord Jiraiya’s intentions are." Inoichi sighed.

"We'll just see what happens, but that brat did go too far this time." He added with another sigh, "Even with Jiraiya-sama backing him, we can’t just forgive him so easily."

"Mm."

…

"You really went?"

"Of course."

The sound of clinking cups rang out, and at the table in the tavern, Jiraiya smirked as he looked at Naruto. He pointed at him and grinned slightly.

"Stop scheming so much. Other things aside, you can’t be this casual with matters of the heart."

"I know.

"I helped you this time, but I might not be able to next time." Jiraiya took a sip of sake, "But this matter is pretty much settled now, so you can relax."

"There won’t be a next time." Naruto replied, "This time, it's all that Uchiha Obito's fault. Next time, if you meet that idiot, remember to stay away from him, Pervy Sage."

"Uchiha Obito? Is he really that dangerous?"

"No, he's mentally retarded and won't live long." Naruto raised his head and retorted, "What I’m saying is, if you don't want to be affected by his bad luck, stay away from him."

Hearing this, Jiraiya looked at Naruto thoughtfully, thinking that this guy still had such a strong desire for revenge.

"What is Uchiha Obito's ability?"

"Something about Space-Time Ninjutsu, I think." Naruto hesitated for a moment and said, "Anyway, it's quite troublesome. Pervy Sage, just avoid him if you can."

Jiraiya thought about it and nodded in agreement.

"Fine."

Naruto didn't expect Jiraiya to agree so easily. With his personality, he usually wouldn't agree so easily. His reaction made Jiraiya burst into laughter.

"What’s with that look?" Jiraiya asked with a smile.

"Nothing, I just find it a little strange that you agreed so readily?" Naruto shrugged and said, "Aren’t you supposed to spout some nonsense and ignore my advice?"

"If it were in the past, I might have done that." Jiraiya held the sake cup without drinking it. He looked at Naruto with a drunken gaze and said with a grin.

"But right now, I'm kind of looking forward to your wedding with Ino, and I don't feel like taking unnecessary risks."

Hearing this, a touched expression appeared on Naruto’s face, and he was stunned for a long time. Then, he looked up at the ceiling, as if he was trying to hold back the tears of emotion.

Jiraiya smiled slightly at the sight and was about to take a sip of his sake when he heard Naruto suddenly say something, "How dare you assume my wedding won’t have three people?"

Jiraiya: “…”

He stared at Naruto with a complicated expression, and suddenly felt the urge to kick him.

‘This kid really had no shame, and his audacity only grew by the day.’

"Naruto!"

"Hmm? What’s up, Pervy Sage?" Naruto leaned forward, looking confused.

"You’re not seriously planning to have them all, are you?" Jiraiya glared at him, "You are basically playing with fire. Can’t you just settle down properly?"

"I am settled!" Naruto was puzzled, "Even though I’m already this strong, I haven't brought harm to the village or done anything evil. Isn’t that settled enough?"

"Pervy Sage, don’t slander me out of nowhere. My feelings for them are genuine. What, am I not allowed to love two people at once?"

"The nobles in the Land of Fire throw orgies all the time and no one bats an eye. Do I have to become a noble to be allowed two loves?"

"Stop twisting my words. I'm just advising you to be more careful." Jiraiya was a little helpless.

"Fine." Naruto smiled and drank the sake in the cup, "I promise there won’t be another mess like this. Absolutely not."

At the same time, he silently added in his heart, ‘Well, it would not be long before everything would be open and aboveboard.’