Chapter 63: Return to the Land of Rain
Since it was a meeting, Jiraiya brought his Konoha forehead protector and wore a green ninja vest.
His long white hair, tied casually behind his head, reached his waist, and the red mark under his eye had not yet extended to his mouth.
"Hello, Kawakaze," Jiraiya greeted with a warm smile. Even as a young man, he was undeniably handsome.
Easygoing by nature, Jiraiya was happy as long as Tsunade was content, willing to send his heartfelt blessings.
"Don't be polite; you'll get to know each other better soon," Tsunade said with a cheerful grin as she led the group to the Hatake Clan.
The reason was simple—the Hatake Clan had excellent food.
"Then I'll trouble you," Jiraiya replied, eager to learn more about Kawakaze, the man who had even managed to win over his goddess.
"No trouble at all. We'll be fighting together soon, so it's good to familiarize ourselves," Kawakaze said as the group gradually grew more comfortable with one another. Most of the conversation, however, was between Kawakaze, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, with Orochimaru, Sakumo, and Duy only occasionally joining in. This dynamic highlighted the different personalities in the group.
The food and sake from the Hatake Clan earned high praise from Jiraiya, who had a particular fondness for sake. Inevitably, the conversation during the meal turned to the war. Kawakaze confidently declared that if the six of them couldn't defeat Hanzō of the Salamander, they might as well go home and become farmers.
Over sake, Jiraiya found himself forming mixed impressions of Kawakaze but ultimately thought him agreeable enough to work with. Orochimaru, meanwhile, discussed the lack of qualified medical ninja with Tsunade in earnest. It was evident that Tsunade would have her hands full, as medical-nin were scarce.
As the sake flowed and the atmosphere grew livelier, the younger members of the group diligently poured sake. No one at the table was easy to provoke.