Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

After successfully persuading Tsunade and Orochimaru, Jiraiya was able to act alone, accompanying Kaito back to the Spark Sanctuary.

His excuse was that he needed to confirm whether Kaito's position was truly neutral and to rule out the possibility that he was actually a spy for the Rain Village.

"I'll use these sharp eyes of mine to see clearly. You guys can rest assured!" Jiraiya said confidently, giving a thumbs-up.

"Jiraiya, you'd better catch up to us quickly. There are still a lot of missions waiting for us."

"If I don't see you in two days, I'm going to have to report this to Senior Torifu."

"..." Kaito smiled silently. Orochimaru's words were also a warning to him not to act rashly. He was still a person with a warm heart beneath a cold exterior.

"Relax!" Jiraiya patted his chest confidently. "I'll catch up to you in no time."

After seeing Tsunade and Orochimaru off, Kaito and Jiraiya turned and headed in the direction of the sanctuary.

"You three are really close, aren't you?" Kaito said, lightly leaping from a tree branch, crossing more than ten meters to land on another, and continuing to use them as springboards.

Behind him, Jiraiya moved in the same manner, his movements even more practiced. "Of course. We've been comrades since we were kids. Don't you have comrades like that?"

"Naturally. They're far away right now, waiting for me."

"Haha, having comrades who are thinking of you, no matter where you are, you'll never be lonely in your heart."

"Indeed." Kaito glanced up at the sky and couldn't help but pick up his pace. "Let's get to the sanctuary quickly. Otherwise, they'll be getting anxious."

"Oh, oh, right."

"Chief, is it true that Lord Kaito was captured by the Konoha ninja?"

Many villagers, holding torches, had gathered in front of the tower, their expressions panicked.

"That's not true! Those Konoha ninja are no match for Lord Kaito. He'll be back soon," Kono Taisei tried his best to explain.

But the villagers weren't buying it. "It's so late now, and Lord Kaito still hasn't returned. Something must have happened."

"Then what about the sanctuary? Is all our hard work over these past few days going to be for nothing?"

"Heh, I told you so. That young brat isn't reliable at all!"

"..."

Inside the tower, Shiori held Konan, her face etched with worry.

"Mommy, why isn't Big Brother Kaito back yet?" Konan asked, looking up. In her small hands, she tightly clutched a lifelike paper crane. By now, she could skillfully fold a paper crane identical to the one Kaito had made.

"Your Big Brother Kaito has things to attend to. He'll be back later," Shiori said, gently stroking her hair.

"Oh," Konan replied softly.

Standing on the other side, Yamabiko Yuto listened to the villagers' increasingly harsh words, his heart twisting in agony.

'It's all because of me that Lord Kaito... I've implicated Lord Kaito. Even though Mr. Kono told me not to show myself, how can I hide here peacefully in this situation?'

Recalling Kaito's words and actions, Yuto's gaze gradually sharpened. He placed a hand on the door and turned his head. "Mrs. Shiori, you stay here and take care of Konan. I'm going out for a moment."

"Eh? But..."

"It's alright. Nothing will happen to Lord Kaito." Yuto pulled the door open forcefully and walked out.

"Lord Yamabiko, why are you out here?" Kono Taisei asked, surprised.

"It's nothing. I came to explain things to the villagers." Yuto stood at the very front and said loudly, "I can guarantee that nothing has happened to Lord Kaito. He will definitely return!"

"You guarantee it? What good is your guarantee?"

"You're the one with the thick eyebrows who brought the Konoha ninja here, aren't you?"

"Lord Kaito only stayed behind to deal with those enemies because of him!"

"Speak! Was this all your scheme?! Does Konoha hate to see us doing well that much?"

BOOM!

A loud explosion silenced the agitated villagers.

Yuto pulled back the fist he had slammed into a stone pillar, letting the blood from his knuckles flow freely. He looked coldly at the villagers before him and said in a low, firm voice, "I, Yamabiko Yuto, am a person acknowledged by Lord Kaito, the construction officer personally appointed by Lord Kaito. If you have any complaints, you can tell Lord Kaito yourselves later. As for what you just said, I will also report it to Lord Kaito, word for word."

"Remember, this is Lord Kaito's sanctuary. As long as there is no news of his death, you will obey his commands and do your jobs properly! Is that clear?!"

Awed by Yuto's presence, the villagers lowered their heads and dared not speak another word.

"Heh, I never thought that Yuto fellow would become so impressive under your command," Jiraiya commented from a tree branch not far from the village entrance, observing the situation with admiration. "Back in Konoha, he was a bit dull and didn't talk much, just like Orochimaru."

"When people find something they truly want to do, they will always shine," Kaito replied.

"Perhaps so. So, what's your plan? Are you going to just walk in there with me in tow? I can also sneak in myself if you want."

"Walking in openly is definitely not an option. I've already established a rule: no ninja are welcome, unless..."

"Unless what?"

Kaito smiled and whispered a few words in his ear. "...This way, it's a win-win."

"No, no way!" Jiraiya refused without a second thought. "If the people in Konoha find out, I'll lose all face!"

"With our friendship, I definitely won't treat you poorly." Kaito patted his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "If you agree, I'll arrange for you to have a hot bath. And, you'll be personally attended to by a beauty, with back-scrubbing service included."

"Personally attended to by a beauty? A bath?" Keenly catching these few words, a series of R-rated scenes flashed through Jiraiya's mind. A blush rose on his cheeks, and he nearly started drooling. After a long moment, he composed his face back to a serious expression. "Ahem. I'm not doing this for some back scrub, you know. It's purely to help you. I, of all people, am a man of honor!"

"Mm-hm, I understand." Kaito gave him a look that said, 'I know you know that I know,' and the two exchanged a smile, a sudden feeling of kinship blooming between them.

"Alright, this might be a bit uncomfortable for you."

"It's fine, you can be as rough as you want!"

Just as the villagers were about to disperse, a figure descended from the sky, landing in front of the tower.

"Lord Kaito!" The sharp-eyed Yamabiko Yuto immediately recognized who it was and cried out in a mixture of surprise and joy.

The rest of the crowd was also mostly overjoyed, with only two or three looking uneasy as they joined the chorus of shouts. "It's so good that you've returned safely, sir! I knew those Konoha ninja were no match for you!"

Kaito couldn't be bothered with them for the moment. After a few polite words, he heavily dropped the "unconscious" Jiraiya from his shoulder onto the ground.

"This is... Lord Jiraiya!" Yuto said, shocked. "Sir, did you capture him?"

"That's right. A mere Konoha jonin is naturally no match for me," Kaito boasted. "If the other two hadn't run so fast, I would have caught them all!"

"Lord Kaito is mighty! Lord Kaito is mighty!"

The villagers' confidence in Kaito swelled to its absolute peak.