The Shimura Actually Has Ice Release

The news of Jiraiya's arrest quickly reached Hiruzen's ears.

At the time, Hiruzen was diligently fulfilling his duties as Hokage, processing documents while casually enjoying the view of the women's bathhouse through his crystal ball.

Upon receiving the report, he slammed his pipe down onto the desk with a loud clack.

"That foolish disciple!"

When he heard that Jiraiya had been sent to the Police Force Headquarters for the shameful crime of peeping, Hiruzen couldn't help but curse out loud:

"How could something like this be discovered?!"

...Was that really the main issue here?

The ANBU who came to report was full of confusion.

But then again, Jiraiya was famous in Konoha for being a pervert, and this wasn't his first offense. As the student of the Third Hokage, a direct successor, and with his outstanding strength, no one had really punished him for it—aside from Tsunade.

This time, however, things were different. Not only was he caught red-handed, but those who identified him were people Jiraiya couldn't easily smooth things over with.

Uchiha Obito, a member of the Uchiha clan.

Shimura Takeshi, the son of the Hokage's advisor.

Hatake Kakashi.

And… a certain Root ninja who refused to reveal his name.

Realizing he was truly in trouble this time, Jiraiya's first instinct was to seek help from his mentor.

After all, he didn't want people in the village—especially certain acquaintances—to hear about this incident.

Rumors were one thing, but if he were officially punished by the Police Force and the news spread...

Forget chasing after Tsunade—just hearing about it would probably send her storming into the prison to punch him to death.

...

Elsewhere, Danzo also received a message from Shimura Ikku and learned that Takeshi had been invited to the Police Force Headquarters for "conversation."

Of course, this "conversation" was just a formal euphemism. They were being invited as witnesses. Though many members of the Police Force were dissatisfied with Danzo, they restrained themselves and tried to maintain polite expressions toward the young boy, who looked cute and innocent—completely unlike the wrinkled, sinister-faced Danzo.

Watching Takeshi being treated kindly by the Police Force, Shimura Ikku—who had witnessed the entire scene of Jiraiya being caught—sent a report to Danzo, and while doing so, also identified Jiraiya as the perpetrator.

This explained why Takeshi suddenly froze when he was about to be caught by Jiraiya—it was because Shimura Ikku, who had been secretly guarding him from the shadows, was just about to make a move against Jiraiya when the latter noticed.

One had to admit, that lecherous guy truly lived up to the name of one of the Legendary Sannin.

Ikku had received special training as an assassination specialist, and this was the first time he'd ever been detected by his target right before making a move.

Standing respectfully behind Takeshi, Shimura Ikku subconsciously studied the lighting setup in the Police Force Headquarters.

Hmm… so this was the Uchiha clan's aesthetic?

Very minimalist indeed.

...

"This isn't something I should get involved in. Go inform Minato and let him handle it."

Hiruzen, picking his pipe back up, didn't want to be accused of favoring his disciple and decided to ignore Jiraiya's plea for help.

However, he couldn't just let Jiraiya be imprisoned by the Police Force either. He still needed Jiraiya for certain missions in the direction of Iwagakure.

So Hiruzen came up with a good idea—send Minato to handle it.

Reportedly, Minato had a decent relationship with Fugaku, who was a few years his senior. If Minato stepped in, it wouldn't raise suspicions of favoritism, wouldn't delay the mission, and would maintain Hiruzen's image as Hokage. Win-win!

The ANBU promptly set out for Minato's residence.

At the same time, Hiruzen dispatched another ninja to deliver a warning to the Police Force, demanding that they handle the matter seriously.

Having dealt with everything, and sensing the area was once again calm, Hiruzen confirmed that no one was around. He activated his Telescope Jutsu once more and occasionally let out strange giggles—completely unbefitting of a Hokage.

...

At the Police Force Headquarters, in the detention room.

Fugaku: "..."

Jiraiya: "..."

After dismissing everyone else, Fugaku sat alone across from Jiraiya and sighed.

Being the captain sure was stressful.

First, one of his subordinates accidentally offended Danzo's son, which left him nervous for days.

Then, one of the Uchiha children got beaten up by a Hyūga using the Byakugan, prompting the hardliners in the clan to grumble in his ear for a while.

Just when things finally quieted down, the ever-reliable Inaho came to him, saying they had caught a peeping offender named Jiraiya.

Fugaku was not only the Police Force Captain but also the Uchiha clan head. He was still quite young, only a few years older than his wife, and they had just recently married.

But all these clan matters made it seem like he was much older than her, making them look like a mismatched "old man and young wife" couple whenever they were together.

People even whispered behind his back.

Shooting another helpless look at the man sitting opposite him, Fugaku closed his eyes and shook his head.

There was already friction between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership. And now these two idiots had brought the Hokage's personal disciple straight to Police Force HQ.

And Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin—how could he let a bunch of kids get the better of him?

"Yo, Fugaku! Since when did you become Captain of the Police Force? I didn't even know..."

Jiraiya gave a cautious, flattering smile to the man who now held his fate in his hands.

"Just in the last couple of years. Anyway, let's not talk about that now. Jiraiya-sama, seriously, you came back to the village, fine—but why did you have to..."

Fugaku didn't even know how to begin dealing with this situation and looked at Jiraiya like a disappointed parent.

"Misunderstanding! It's a total misunderstanding! Just hear me out—uh, I mean, let me explain."

Jiraiya was about to unleash his silver tongue in an attempt to talk his way out of the situation, when the door to the detention room was gently knocked.

"I'll step out for a moment. Please wait here."

Fugaku motioned for Jiraiya to remain silent, then got up and exited the room.

He exchanged a few quiet words with the subordinate at the door, then returned with a complicated expression.

He had just received two pieces of news.

First, the Third Hokage was aware of the situation and had instructed Fugaku to handle it in accordance with Konoha law.

Second, Minato had arrived at the rear gate of the Police Force Headquarters and wished to speak with him.

No wonder the Third was a seasoned politician—this move of playing both sides was quite tactful.

Fugaku immediately understood the implications and grasped Hiruzen's true intentions.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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