The Shimura Actually Has Ice Release

"Miss... Miss, don't go... don't go..."

Lying on a hospital bed, muttering incessantly in his sleep, Jiraiya suddenly opened his eyes wide.

A white ceiling and the strong smell of disinfectant filled his nose. Strange... how did he go from the bar to a hospital?

Recognizing the layout of the room at a glance, Jiraiya tried to move his arm—only to be overwhelmed by a searing pain that shot through his entire body.

"Yo, you're awake, Jiraiya-sama."

A boy's voice rang out. With difficulty, Jiraiya turned his neck and saw a somewhat familiar face.

"You?!"

For someone like Jiraiya to be this surprised, it could only be one person—Takeshi.

At the moment, Takeshi was leisurely sitting in a chair, carefully peeling an apple with a small knife.

"Don't be so worked up. I'm already halfway through this peel—yell again and you'll mess me up."

Completely focused on the apple, Takeshi didn't even spare Jiraiya a glance, afraid he might break the peel.

"It hurts... damn, it really hurts. Why are you here? No—why am I here?!"

Unable to control his body and somewhat panicked, Jiraiya was baffled to see this brat nearby. He struggled, trying to turn over.

"Ah! Don't move! My apple peel!"

Due to Jiraiya's thrashing, Takeshi ultimately did snap the peel. He was so annoyed, he nearly threw the knife at Jiraiya on impulse.

...

"So you're awake, Jiraiya."

Hearing the noise inside, Tsunade pushed the door open. When she saw that Jiraiya was really awake, she let out a subtle sigh of relief.

"Tsunade? You're here too? Wait—what the hell happened?!"

Jiraiya was completely lost, unable to make sense of anything.

"You don't remember? Well, let me refresh your memory. Three nights ago, you broke out of the detention center of the police force and went to peep at bathhouse. Tsunade-sama nearly beat you to death with a single punch..."

Seeing that the apple peel was broken, Takeshi lost interest in being careful and casually dealt with the rest while explaining what had happened three days ago.

"Thanks to you, I had to take a trip to the police station in the middle of the night and explain the whole incident."

After slicing the apple into neat pieces and placing them on a plate, Takeshi used Ice Release to craft a senbon and stuck it into one of the apple chunks.

Just when Jiraiya thought this was meant for him—and was about to calculate whether or not to forgive this little brat—Takeshi popped the apple directly into his own mouth.

Jiraiya: ???

Damn it! I'm the patient here!

Who just waltzes into a hospital room and eats fruit right in front of the patient?

...

"What? Jiraiya-sama, is that the look you give your life-saving benefactor?"

Frowning at the overly sweet apple, Takeshi casually grabbed a piece and shoved it into Jiraiya's mouth.

"Mm! Cough cough! Could you not be so rough?! And when the hell did you become my savior?!"

Choking and coughing like crazy, Jiraiya barely managed to swallow the apple before glaring angrily at the brat's smug face.

"Don't believe me? Ask Tsunade-sama."

Whether Jiraiya wanted it or not, Takeshi shoved another piece of apple into his mouth.

"He's right, Jiraiya. If this kid hadn't used Medical Ninjutsu to stabilize you, you wouldn't have made it halfway here."

Under Jiraiya's suspicious gaze, Tsunade nodded, confirming Takeshi's words.

"Is that so? Well, I guess I owe him then. No—wait! If it hadn't been for that loudmouth Uchiha brat next to you, how would I have ended up like this?!"

Hearing Tsunade's words, Jiraiya first nodded, then immediately realized something was off and roared angrily at Takeshi.

"Jiraiya!"

Seeing that he still hadn't repented at all, Tsunade's lingering guilt instantly vanished. She stormed up to the bed, ready to drag him up by the collar.

"You bastard! Do you ever reflect on your voyeuristic behavior?!"

"I was wrong, Tsunade-sama!"

Sensing her genuine fury, Jiraiya immediately dropped to his knees—or at least tried to. If his arms weren't injured, he probably would've kowtowed on the spot.

"Hmph. You say that every time, and I've never seen you actually change."

Seeing Jiraiya finally behave, Tsunade let him off—for now.

"Anyway, be sincere and thank this little guy named Takeshi. Got it?"

With Tsunade's "gentle and caring" persuasion, Jiraiya managed to squeeze out an awkward smile and muttered a reluctant thanks in Takeshi's direction.

...

"In that case, I'll accept your apology, Jiraiya-sama."

Although Jiraiya's expression was a bit twisted, it was a sincere thank-you from one of the Legendary Sannin. Takeshi accepted it without guilt, already thinking about whether he could use this to ask Jiraiya to take him to Mount Myōboku to learn Sage Mode.

But realizing it might be too abrupt to bring up now, Takeshi gave Tsunade a sweet smile, then turned and left the hospital room.

...

"This kid's got talent. So young, and he's already mastered Ice Release and Medical Ninjutsu."

Watching Takeshi's back as he walked away, Tsunade crossed her arms, praising his abilities.

"Hmph. At least Danzō has one good son."

Knowing Takeshi's background, Jiraiya rolled his eyes. Though he acknowledged the kid's talent, for some reason, the words of the Great Toad Sage echoed in his mind.

"He will bring great change to the shinobi world... and be forced to make a choice..."

If you only looked at talent and not character, this kid might even surpass Minato...

...

"What are you muttering about?"

Seeing Jiraiya suddenly mutter cryptically, Tsunade grew nervous.

She was pretty sure she hadn't hit his head. Maybe he got brain damage phasing through a wall?

"Ah, hahaha! It's nothing, just thinking about some old memories. Ah—ow ow ow—Tsunade, can I have another piece of apple?"

Snapping out of it, Jiraiya quickly shook his head at her concerned look. Then, using a tone that bordered on whining, he tried to stir up her guilt and extend their time together.

"Apple? Heh. Of course you can. But I'm not the one feeding you..."

Tsunade shot him a glare, then turned toward the door.

...

"Jiraiya-sensei, you're awake?"

As Tsunade finished speaking, Minato pushed the door open, a bit surprised but clearly pleased to see Jiraiya already awake.

"Oh, Minato! Damn... it's kinda embarrassing to let you see me like this."

Seeing his student here caught Jiraiya a bit off guard. He actually looked a little guilty.

"What are you talking about? Honestly, when I first heard about your serious injury, both Kushina and I were worried sick..."

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo