A/N: Revised as of 2/5/2024

"Ero… Senin?"

Naruto said softly as he stared up at the man that was all too familiar to him.

Jiraiya the Gallant. The great toad sage of Konoha, one of the legendary Sanin. Mentor of Minato Namikaze, Nagato, and then Naruto himself.

They had gone on a three-year training trip to hone his basic skills, making countless many memories along the way. Good and bad.

Naruto had been devastated when Jiraiya died, it almost killed him. But in his mentor's death, Naruto had managed to pull through his inner turmoil and his resolve grew as a result.

But in the end, he had died as well.

"I-"

Naruto began to say, but his words died in his throat.

He died. Naruto died and couldn't keep his promise to Jiraiya of living out his dream of creating a world where everyone could understand one another.

What would Jiraiya say after learning about this? Surely, he would be disappointed.

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when the crowd began to mutter amongst themselves.

"Uahhh… Look at that guy. Just seeing Ero-Senin brought him to tears?"

"Does he like Ero-Senin's books that much? I love them too, but to cry over it is a little…"

"Hey, that's Naruto Uzumaki! The delinquent boss and one of the Panty and Bra Thief Brothers."

Hearing that last comment, Naruto's temper flared and he sprung up to his feet.

"Alright, who said that!? I'm not a delinquent or an underwear thief, damn it!"

Naruto raged while glaring at all the men in the crowd who were all holding a copy of Icha Icha Paradise. They dared call him a pervert when they were litterally holding porn in their hands in the middle of town!? Also, why were they calling Jiraiya Ero-Senin as well?

"Buahahaha!"

"Ero-Senin" bellowed with laughter, catching everyone's attention.

Even while fuming, Naruto couldn't help but crack a smile. God, he had missed that obnoxiously loud laugh.

After he regained control of himself, Jiraiya grinned widely.

"So, you finally came around and saw the true genius of my novels? So much in fact, that death itself couldn't stop you from getting my new book? Here, I'll sign one for you! Buahaha!"

"Wha-No! I didn't come here for one of your stupid books you perverted geezer!"

Naruto shouted and slapped the book Jiraiya held out to him to the floor, and people in the crowd immediately pounced on the thing to fight for its possession.

"Grrrr… I see you haven't changed a bit since I last saw you, you little brat. You're still just a kid who can't appreciate true art!"

Jiraiya growled, but he was rather pleased to see the people fighting over his signed novel off to the side.

"Art? Who calls porn art? A pervert, that's who!"

"Guh…! W-who are you calling a pervert in the middle of town!?"

"The one who calls himself a 'Super Pervert' to children! I'm beginning to think if I should have called the police instead of coming over here…"

Naruto concluded and crossed his arms while looking away in a huff, prompting Jiraiya to choke on his spit when the woman across the street began to look at him with cold eyes.

"Sh-shut you stupid brat! I-Is that any way to talk to someone you haven't seen for so long!?"

"I wouldn't be saying these things if you hadn't ruined the moment with that stupid book of yours!"

As the two continued to argue, the crowd looked between the two rather awkwardly.

"Um… Ero-Senin? Who is this kid to you?"

Someone stepped forward and asked.

Jiraiya and Naruto, who were at each other's throats, paused and looked at the man who had voiced the crowd's thoughts.

Letting go of the teenager, Jiraiya placed a hand on top of Naruto's head and grinned widely.

"This brat is my prized disciple! Now if you'll all excuse me, I got some catching up to do with my old student. No more books will be signed for now."

"Ehhh!?"

The crowd of men waiting to get their books to be signed all shouted in surprise at the revelation. Partially because of the notorious Naruto being their favorite author's student, but mostly because Jiraiya was done signing books.

Jiraiya chuckled at their reaction and began to walk down the street, the crowd splitting so he could walk through.

"Where are we going?"

Naruto asked as he followed his mentor, laughing nervously when he noticed the glares of those who hadn't gotten their books signed yet.

"I know a place… Hehehe…!"

Jiraiya said and smiled lecherously, a few giggles escaping his throat.

'He's not seriously going to take me to a brothel for us to catch up, is he?'

Naruto thought with a bead of sweat falling down his cheek as he was led by the giggling adult with a skip in his step.

Naruto was surprised when Jiraiya had not only brought him to a café, but a seemingly normal café. They were sitting at one of the corner tables, so they could talk without being disturbed.

"You seemed excited about this place, do they have a special food here or something?"

Naruto asked as he looked through the café's menu. There were simple dishes and sandwiches, but nothing that particularly caught the blonde's eye.

"Oh, their menu's special alright… Hehehe…"

Jiraiya said while ogling at one of the waitresses with a look befitting that of the title "Ero-Senin".

Naruto noticed the pink haired curvy waitress Jiraiya was drooling over, and when she winked at them the teen sighed. He wanted to catch up with his sensei, but how was he supposed to do that with a waitress like that in the same room?

Ah. She was walking over to them.

"Welcome~! How may I serve you?"

The curvaceous woman asked in a sultry voice, bending over slightly with a notepad in her hands to take their orders.

"I doubt you're on the menu, so I'll start with some tea."

Jiraiya said while obviously staring at the woman's full chest, but the waitress surprisingly didn't seem to mind at all and even laughed at his crude joke that one normally would consider as sexual harassment.

"Maybe in your dreams~! Now, what can I get you, sir~?"

The pink haired waitress asked and leaned closer to Naruto's face, her breasts bouncing slightly when she leaned on the table. She was clearly not wearing a bra underneath that tight shirt. It was clearly intentional.

"Geheheh!"

Jiraiya giggled, steam blowing out of his nose as he began to feverously write something into a notepad. It seemed the man still did "research" wherever he went. But he sure seemed happy for someone that just got told off.

"U-um…"

Naruto stuttered and felt his face heating up when the waitress was right in front of his face, staring deep into his eyes as though she were looking for something.

"You have a certain aura to you that radiates power. But it is compressed and hidden away... Here."

The woman suddenly said with a serious expression, her finger trailing down Naruto's chest until her hand rested on the boy's stomach. This enticed a silent yelp from the blushing blonde.

'Oh? This feeling… It may be weak, but this woman is giving off a demonic signature.'

Kurama noted in an amused tone. The tailed beast found this revelation to be rather interesting. What could a demon be doing in a town of beginners? Kurama decided to spike a bit of his chakra to see what the lesser devil's reaction would be.

'She's a devil? Then she must have sensed you… Eh!?'

Naruto almost shouted in surprise when the waitress's expression suddenly turned lustful, and her hands started moving up and down her body rather suggestively.

"Blurgh!"

Jiraiya's eyes bulged out of their sockets from the surprise show before he flew back out of his chair, leaving two streams of blood from a severe nosebleed.

"Ngh~! Y-yes! This intense feeling of power dormant in you… I want it… I NEED it!"

The lady all but shouted and pounced on the Jinchuuriki, sitting on his lap and firmly pressing his face in between her breasts.

"Mffu mufffuf(What is going on)!?"

Naruto's muffled voice came from the chest of the squealing woman.

'Heh! Just as I thought. This woman is a Succubus, a lower leveled devil that feeds off of men's lustful emotions. She must have sensed my superior power and grew excited from it. Enjoy the free show, brat. You can thank me later. Hahaha!'

Kurama said as he roared with laughter at Naruto's flustered state.

'Ehhhh!?'

Naruto thought when more of the café's employees ran over, and began to fight over the blonde. They were pulling on him from every direction, his arms, legs, even his hair. He looked to Jiraiya for help, but the man was out cold from his nosebleed. He also tried looking at the other customers(all male), only to find every single one of them glaring at him with a burning jealously.

'I need to get out of here before they pull me apart!'

Naruto thought when he started hearing the stitches in his jacket tearing.

Poof!

"Ah!"

The Succubus all gasped when Naruto's body exploded into vapor, leaving behind a log in his seat with a note that read "See ya!". They turned to see that Jiraiya was gone as well, indicating Naruto had taken the man and escaped.

As the employees moaned in despair, a couple of the male customers, who happened to be adventurers, grumbled to themselves.

"Why is it always that guy?"

"First Luna-chan, now this?"

The pink haired Succubus couldn't help but overhear the men's words and walked over to their table with a gentle smile.

"Excuse me, but do you fine men happen to know what that boy's name was? He left without paying for his tea you see…"

The adventurers blushed when the beautiful waitress turned her attention towards them.

"Y-yes, of course!"

"That guy's name is Naruto! But you ladies should stay away from him, he's…"

The men started talking about Naruto and all the rumors surrounding him, but the Succubus tuned them out and licked her lips.

'Naruto-sama… Huh?'

Naruto placed Jiraiya's unconscious form on a park bench before letting out a tired breath.

"That was close… Huh? This kinda reminds me of when Ero-Senin used to get drunk during my training trip, and I had to carry his drunk-ass back to the inn we were staying at."

Naruto reminisced with a laugh, but his laughter died out when Jiraiya snorted in his sleep.

'Maybe I should have just left this guy back there…'

The blonde shinobi thought as he stared at his mentor with distasteful eyes. Shaking the thought out of his head, Naruto sat down on the bench and closed his eyes in thought.

Why were there Succubus in a town of beginner adventurers? Were they here because the town was full of easy pickings? Were they planning an attack and were using that café as their base of operation?

Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts when Jiraiya stirred in his sleep and eventually opened his eyes.

"Geh-Huh? Where am I? Where did the pretty lady go?"

Jiraiya wondered aloud while looking around the mostly empty park until his eyes fell on his pupil.

"What are you looking at me like that for?"

"Nothing. Can we finally talk now?"

Naruto asked with a twitching eyebrow.

Jiraiya blinked before he leaned back on the bench and smiled sadly.

"It's been about half a year since I came here, huh? When I arrived, I didn't really know what to do. So I joined the adventurer's guild and started traveling. As you already saw, I've been re-selling my books for money. They're selling like hotcakes, as expected!"

Jiraiya said with a chuckle before turning to Naruto.

"I'm guessing the first thing you did was become an adventurer too, right? That desire to help others was always your strongest trait."

"Y-yeah, I did… You're an adventurer too?"

Naruto asked with a grin. Of course Jiraiya had become an adventurer. After all, he was a man with a dream of achieving world piece! Plus, he was probably sent here by a god or goddess with the mission to defeat the Demon King in this world as well! Naruto wondered how many battles against the Demon King his master had already fought.

"Retired adventurer."

Jiraiya corrected.

"…Eh?"

Naruto dumbly said and tilted his head.

"I retired from adventuring the moment my books started selling. After all, why bother risking my life killing monsters for money if I can get rich off my precious Icha Icha Paradise? Gahaha!"

Jiraiya revealed with a shrug before bellowing with laughter.

"You mean to tell me you've been lazing around this whole time!? Give back my thoughts of respect!"

Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet and pointing an accusing finger.

Jiraiya looked offended.

"Hey now! I wasn't lazing around at all! I've been doing research when I wasn't translating my books-"

"So you were peeping in the girl's bath instead of defeating the Demon King… I guess I should have expected that from Ero-Senin. Once an Ero-Senin, always an Ero-Senin."

'D-damn it Naruto…!'

Jiraiya thought while grinding his teeth. He wanted to say that he had been researching information on the Demon King's army, but with the way Naruto was right now, the blonde just wouldn't take anything he said seriously.

Wasn't Naruto the one who wanted to talk?

"Fine, then what are you doing to defeat the Demon King's army? What are you still doing in the town of beginners?"

Jiraiya pointed out, prompting the teen to stiffen. The last time he had seen his student, Naruto was training to perfect the Rasengan. Knowing his prized pupil, Naruto had probably not only completed that training, but also became much stronger than that. What was someone that strong doing here?

"W-well… I've been here for a couple weeks now, but I haven't been able to form a party with people to complete this quest I want to do."

Naruto responded lamely while scratching at his whisker marks, purposely leaving out the fact that he stayed in town to help Wiz. Jiraiya would never let that one go if he found out about Naruto helping a girl.

"What quest in a town for beginners doesn't allow someone to solo?"

The toad sage asked skeptically, suspicion growing in his eyes.

"It's a quest to slay a Griffon and Manticore that are fighting over territory. Luna-chan said I couldn't do it unless I formed a party of at least four people…"

Naruto explained while sulking. He was still mad about it all, though it did make him happy to know that Luna was worried about him.

"Luna… Oh, I remember her! Guhehe… That figure of hers was the best! Though I don't think she liked me for some reason. Not that it matters, I was only in town for two days before I left on my journey."

Jiraiya said with a shrug.

'I wonder why?'

Naruto thought while smiling wryly. He could already imagine the pervy-sage ogling at the pretty receptionist as she filled out some paper work, her large breasts pressing against the counter looking as if they would pop out of her shirt at any given mom-Whoa! Hold on there! Down boy!

Naruto shook the picture out of his mind when it began to wonder in a strange direction.

"Recruiting beginners to take on such a difficult quest… How many people have you recruited so far?"

Jiraiya asked while crossing his arms. For the sake of keeping the conversation moving, he would act serious. For now.

"So far I've only recruited one person. He's a warrior, and I'm an adventurer, so I need to find a ranged fighter and a healer if I can help it. Preferably a mage for the ranged fighter."

Naruto responded, earning an approving nod from his elder.

"That team composition sounds good. That warrior can be the frontline with you backing them up, while a mage and a healer could support you two from a distance. With you being an adventurer, you can learn skills to fill in any gaps that your team is lacking to stay versatile. Honestly, I don't know why so many adventurers look down on the adventurer class. The stats you gain from leveling may be lower than others, but you can learn so many skills it pretty much cancels out."

Jiraiya explained while shaking his head.

"Right? I'm guessing you became an adventurer too, right Ero-Senin?"

Naruto asked, a smile growing on his face. The thought of choosing the same class as his mentor, albeit under different circumstances, surprisingly happy.

"What? No. I'm an Arch Wizard."

Jiraiya responded flatly, catching the younger boy flatfooted and causing him to fall off the park bench.

"I thought you just said the adventurer's class was good!"

Naruto jumped back to his feet and shouted. There went his happy mood again.

"It is, and I used to have that class. But then I switched to Arch Wizard when I learned all the skills I wanted from the other classes."

Jiraiya simply stated while picking at his ear.

"Oh… I guess that makes sense."

Naruto said and crossed his arms in thought. He had initially become an adventurer because the idea of learning skills from all the classes sounded like a no brainer, but he had only learned two skills so far. Should he change classes then for better stats each level?

While Naruto was thinking about his job class, Jiraiya noticed something in the distance.

"Hm? That kid looks like he's lost. Poor fellow seems frantic, like he's about to miss a chance of a life time."

Jiraiya said and stifled a yawn as he stretched out on the bench. The weather was nice, despite winter quickly approaching. Maybe he'd take a nap…

Something about Jiraiya getting comfortable on the park bench pissed Naruto off, but he ignored his lazy mentor and looked towards the direction of the frantic boy. If he wasn't mistaken it was-

"Wahhhh! The author of my new favorite book is in town! I didn't know because I barricaded myself in the stables!"

Kazuma shouted as he looked around in various directions when he spotted Naruto at a distance who was staring at him in confusion. Sprinting over to the blonde, Kazuma slid to a stop and grabbed onto Naruto's jacket.

"Naruto! You gotta help me! I remembered I needed snacks before I could lock myself in the stables all day to read this book for the third time this week when I heard from the store owner that the author to my book was in town signing autographs! Have you seen a white-haired man with red lines going down his face!?"

Kazuma wailed as he shook Naruto back and forth like a rag doll.

"There, now stop stretching my jacket! The poor thing has been through enough today…"

Naruto said and pushed Kazuma off, pointing towards the bemused Jiraiya who simply raised a hand.

"Yo."

Kazuma blinked. He blinked twice. Thrice.

"AHHH! It really is Ero-Senin in the flesh! Please sign my book!"

"Of course! Anything for a fan!"

After making sure his jacket didn't have any tears, Naruto looked at Jiraiya who signing Kazuma's copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Kazuma actually liked that garbage?

"By the way, why does everyone call you Ero-Senin? I thought you hated that name."

"Hm… I decided to use it as my pen name when I started translating my books to this world's language. Here you go."

Jiraiya said and handed the signed book to a starry-eyed Kazuma.

"Uwaaaa! Thank you very much!"

Kazuma squealed when he retrieved his newly signed book and bowed, hugging the novel to his chest tightly. This was the greatest day of his life since coming to this troublesome world! Nothing could ruin this moment for him!

"Pen name, huh? Well it suits you Ero-Senin."

Naruto said with a cheeky grin before laughing when his mentor growled in annoyance. But eventually, even Jiraiya started laughing as well. It was honestly just like old times.

Kazuma, obviously noticing there was a connection between the two, pointed at Naruto and Jiraiya.

"Hey Naruto, what's your relation to Ero-Senin?"

"Oh, this guy? He's my-"

Naruto started, but was interrupted by Jiraiya who loudly stood up.

'Here we go…'

Naruto deadpanned as the sage walked to the middle of the of the walkway, taking his stance.

"Listen carefully now! The name 'Ero-Senin' is merely a pen name…"

Jiraiya began his famous introduction as he stood on one foot, arms spread out to his side and in front of him as he hopped a couple times on his wooden sandals, the sounds of drums coming from seemingly nowhere as he spoke.

"I shall tell you my true identity… I am the hermit toad sage of Mt. Myōboku, one of the legendary Sanin, feared by even the Demon King himself!"

Jiraiya grabbed his long sideburns and swung his hair around a couple times before striking a pose.

"The ladies swoon when they hear my name… The great Jiraiya-sama... That is me!"

. . .

Kazuma stared at the "great" Jiraiya blankly, not quite sure how to react to such an introduction. It was more dramatic than even Megumin's introductions, and that was saying something. Speaking of the Crimson Magic Clansman, that girl would probably worship this guy's self-introduction skills.

Naruto facepalmed.

"That guy's my mentor…"

"I-I see…"

Kazuma stuttered before shaking his face.

'Wait a minute! This guy taught Naruto how to fight, and Naruto's crazy strong! If that guy teaches me, then maybe I…'

Kazuma thought and gripped his fist, his mind full of resolve.

"Jiraiya-sensei! Please take me under your tutelage! I aim to defeat the Demon King, but I'll die instantly as it is. So please!"

This must have been a fateful encounter! It had to be! This was the man that was going to make him the hero he was destined to be-

"No way, kid. I'm no longer taking anymore pupils! What's with the kids in this world always asking me, the great Toad Sage Jiraiya-sama, to be their mentor!? Sheesh!"

Jiraiya said with a wave of his hand, causing the teen to stiffen.

"Damn this stupid world!"

Kazuma shouted and took off running. He didn't need some weird old man to make him stronger like the main protagonists in a shonen manga! He would get stronger all by himself!

'Poor guy…'

Naruto thought while scratching his whisker marks. Come to think of it, he was lucky the toad sage taught him anything at all in the past. Jiraiya was a skilled shinobi, arguably one of the best in the world, but it was difficult to learn anything from the guy. Especially when there were girls around.

"What an interesting kid. I wonder if I'll see him again?"

Jiraiya pondered before turning to Naruto and grinning mischievously.

"Hey, I think I may know of a mage who might join your party for that crazy quest of yours. Want to go on a little trip, like old times?"

A/N: Bada Boom Bada Bing! Another chapter in record time! Thank you Acidash for going beta mode and making it shine!

Sorry to those who wanted Jiraiya in Naruto's party, but that ain't happening! Also, don't worry. We'll learn more about Jiraiya's experiences in this wonderful world eventually!

Who's this mage Jiraiya's talking about?

Well, see you all in the next one!

Interlude: The Fake Ninjas of Axel

Kazuma: You said you're a toad sage, right? Does that mean you can summon toads?

Jiraiya: W-well, the thing is… I kinda lost the ability to summon toads when I came to this world-

Kazuma: Ah. Another fake ninja.

Jiraiya: H-how rude!

Naruto: *Cracks knuckles* Mind telling me about the other fake ninja? I'd really like to meet them.