The Land of Grass was a nation rebuilt from ruins. Jiraiya gazed at it with curiosity, noting the warm spring air around him. But the place before him was nothing like the Land of Grass he'd heard of in the shinobi world. Everyone knew this village as infamous for stealing jutsu from other countries and skillfully playing stronger nations against each other through clever diplomacy.
They earned the nickname "Fence-sitters" because they always switched sides when it suited them, never loyal for long. Even though Konoha had a decent relationship with the Grass Village, everyone knew it wouldn't be surprising if by the next morning they had pledged allegiance to Iwagakure instead.
The Land of Grass collapsed at the end of the First Great shinobi War because they had no scruples, selling false intel to Konoha one day, Iwagakure the next, then Sunagakure, and even the distant Kumogakure. This small shinobi village supplied most of the intel during the war, but most of it was fake, which only fueled the chaos and brutality of the conflict.
Jiraiya thought that pile of false information was the root of the war's madness. So, it was no surprise that the Land of Grass was wiped out in the end.Reflecting on this, Jiraiya felt a pang of regret.
Those Grass shinobi were truly fearless. No one would have guessed that, while all the nations were still embroiled in the Second Great shinobi War, the destroyed Land of Grass was quietly rebuilding itself.
As for why Jiraiya had come here this time, he had only been passing through, planning to visit Mr.Inevitable, but then something unexpected happened.
Thinking of the kindred spirit he'd recently met, now locked away in prison, Jiraiya felt a deep sadness. If he hadn't been careful, if he'd tried to buy any Land of Grass secrets instead of just a book, he might already be wanted by the village. Then he'd have to flee, missing his chance to meet Mr.Inevitable forever. Fate was cruel indeed.
That morning, Jiraiya made a special trip to visit his friend again, after all, a signed copy of Mr.Inevitable's work was impossible to find anywhere in the Land of Fire.
But what did he find? Only a few days had passed, yet his like-minded friend was now sitting upright at a desk, pen in hand, mumbling some confusing classical phrases.
Then, sternly, he told Jiraiya, "I'm not that kind of person. I don't have what you want. Please don't bother me while I'm studying."
Jiraiya had already planned the exchange carefully. Once his friend was free, they would meet outside the Land of Grass to make the deal.
Until then, they shouldn't meet at all to avoid being spotted by the Grass shinobis. When the agreed time finally came...
On a dark, windy night, with clear skies and spring in full bloom, a gentle breeze blowing, after everyone had gone to sleep, Jiraiya, dressed completely in black with a matching cap and glasses to blend into the darkness, quietly placed the securely wrapped book in a small forest just east of the Land of Grass border.
Later, at the right moment, Jiraiya himself showed up at the spot, also dressed in black with cap and glasses, carrying a box full of cash. Without ever meeting face to face, they exchanged the wrapped book for the money silently and smoothly.
Surely, the Land of Grass wouldn't arrest someone over this! The plan was flawless. But then...
His friend suddenly refused to trade, claiming he had reached a spiritual awakening and wasn't that kind of person anymore.
'Yeah, right! It had only been a few days! Brainwashing through genjutsu doesn't work that fast, and since both were fans of Mr.Inevitable, everyone knew who was who.' Jiraiya guessed his friend must have gotten scared.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, deciding to ask again in a few days. Then he wandered the streets of the Land of Grass, observing how different it was from the rumors.
A calm smile spread across his face, his eyes warm and hopeful. You wouldn't see that during wartime. It made the corners of his mouth twitch into a small smile.
At that moment, Jiraiya felt peace settle in his heart once again. This was the first year of peace after the war ended; all the villages and nations were surely rebuilding their lives.
Probably Konoha was doing the same. But then...
'Was that a Grass shinobi? Why were shinobi wandering through the civilian district?'
Just as Jiraiya was caught off guard and confused, not far away a Grass shinobi suddenly formed hand seals, his expression growing tense, he was about to use a jutsu!
'Using jutsu on ordinary civilians? Could this be some dishonorable shinobi?' Jiraiya's face darkened instantly, reminded of the bad reputation Grass shinobis had in the shinobi world.
'They really were a bunch of dishonorable shinobi! Just think of the guy he'd met when he first arrived, openly defying his village's orders and dealing in illegal goods, now rotting in jail. Grass shinobis ignoring shinobi ethics? That sounded about right.'
But since Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, was here to witness this, he couldn't just turn a blind eye. The Grass shinobi's face hardened as he growled, "Earth Release: Tilling Earth…"
Anger flashing in his eyes, Jiraiya leapt forward and shouted, "Stop! How can you treat your people like this? How can you betray the trust of the people of the Land of Grass, "
Before he could finish, the jutsu in front of him was abruptly interrupted. But something felt off, this wasn't what he expected.
Everyone glared at him, even the elderly civilians he was supposed to protect stared him down. "...Tru...st...?" The last four words came out quietly, each one deliberate as if finishing his own sentence. Feeling the weight of their stares, Jiraiya wasn't sure what to say. After a pause, he finally said, "I am the Toad Sage…"
But before he could finish introducing himself, an angry old man slammed a hammer down and yelled, "Hey, you idiot! Why are you disturbing the shinobis while they're helping us till the fields?"
Then someone else shouted, "Someone's interrupting the spring plowing! Quick, help!"
Suddenly, Jiraiya found himself surrounded by a group of shinobis with crimson eyes, just like that night, they closed in tightly around him.
Hesitating, Jiraiya forced a smile. "If I said this was a misunderstanding, would you believe me?"
***
"Who would?" Charlie rolled his eyes as he looked over some documents, sneering. "It's only been a few days, less than half a month, and this guy claims he's changed? Says he truly understands the spirit of the Land of Grass? Lock him up for a full month!"
"No less than a month, no exceptions!" Charlie declared firmly, then scribbled two large characters across the page: [Denied].
Honestly, did they not realize how much work was piling up in the Land of Grass right now? Winter had just ended, spring had arrived, and it was time to kick off a new round of infrastructure projects. Spring in the Land of Grass warmed up quickly, and to get the planting season back on track and reclaim the fields early,