"Searching for that information is like chasing shadows in the dark—you never quite catch it."
"Oi, pervert, where are we going now?" Naruto called out lazily from behind. Looking back at his rising pupil who was busy picking dirt from his ears, Jiraiya grinned.
"Training never ends!" he exclaimed. Then, with a glint in his eyes that could only mean trouble, he added shamelessly, "I hear the women of Tea Country are exceptionally beautiful."
Scowling at his mentor, Naruto dragged his feet behind him. He had learned the hard way that the sooner they satisfied Jiraiya's fickle heart, the sooner they could return home. But did he want to go along with every one of his whims? No. Did he have a choice in the matter? Absolutely not.
"Do they at least have good ramen there?"
"Well, if you squint your eyes a little, the oden might look like ramen," Jiraiya mumbled while caressing his chin.
"Ahh," Naruto whined, "You're too old for this!"
Jiraiya responded with an uncaring shrug, "Sorry, Naruto, the heart wants what it wants." Not a drop of sincerity was felt in that apology.
Tea Country, or the Land of Tea, was known for its tea houses. Most importantly, they lacked shinobis. It was mostly a civilian-run country. Though bandits ran amok, leaving a trail of trouble in their wake, it wasn't too surprising to see one or two shinobis in the country. Where they lacked in manpower, they made up for it with money, and with said money, they were the driving force behind the shinobi economy.
"Though paid for the work they were hired for, we shinobis are something akin to heroes in this land," Jiraiya exclaimed with pride. "It's also a neutral country. So, everyone is welcome."
It wasn't long before they arrived at the capital city of Tea. The bustling streets were lined with stalls selling everything from food to weapons. It seemed like any other capital city: civilians going about their daily chores, children running wild, and even the nobles attempting to blend in—though they stood out with their shinobi guards.
Eager to get a move on with his true motive, Jiraiya skilfully spun a brief tale about the evolution of ramen and managed to plant Naruto in a noodle stall that sold every variety of noodles except ramen. Naruto, convinced and ready to expand his palate, didn't dare avert his eyes from the steaming bowl of noodles that appeared in front of him.
A simple-minded fool, Jiraiya thought forlornly. Though, grateful for exactly that, he was able to roam the streets freely to do what he came here to do. Fumbling with the piece of paper delivered to him with great urgency, Jiraiya wondered what Tsunade could possibly want with information about a stranger they met decades ago.
"Kagome," he whispered, testing her name on his tongue. "To think we may cross paths once again." His grin was crooked and lecherous, his eyes glinting with playful mischief. As if his perverted thoughts were playing above his head for everyone else to see, the oncoming crowd steered clear of his path, even going as far to cover their children's innocent eyes.
As he approached the main town square, he noticed an information booth stationed right in the middle of the street. Feeling blessed that Kagome hailed from a civilian country, he could only dread what his predicament would have been if he had to undertake a recon mission in a hidden shinobi village. Shaking away any unwanted thoughts, he strolled up to the booth and took his place in the queue. Using the opportunity to look around the town square, he marvelled at the differences in this country. While home and any other shinobi village felt primitive, Tea Country was brimming with flashy lights, a fashionable society, and posters of celebrities promoting various brands and products.
"How can I help you, sir?"
Pausing to refresh his memory of the reason he was here, Jiraiya's lips spread wide.
"Ah, yes, good sir," Jiraiya leaned down to rest his elbow on the counter, "You see I'm looking for a member of my wife's family. Their relationship is estranged, but my wife is close to giving birth and it would mean a lot to have her family visit her."
Feeling proud of his story, Jiraiya continued to hold the booth officer's stare only to have his wide smile falter when he was met with a very unimpressed and uninterested face.
"Right," The officer drawled out, clearly bored out of his mind. "You want to visit the records keeper."
Not loosing hope, he continued with a tight smile. "Good golly, that does sound helpful. Where might I find that exactly?"
As if wanting the ground to open and swallow him whole, the officer shifted ever so slightly from behind the counter and slammed down a tourist map. Startled, Jiraiya was forced to take his elbow off the counter. With sharp jabs of his pen, the officer drew directions for Jiraiya to follow.
"You are here, you want to go here, so go up ahead to the fountain, turn left, turn left, turn right, right again, then left, up the stairs to level five, and you will find the records office."
Jiraiya let out a forced laugh as he folded and tucked the map away. "I appreciate your help, you have a good day now, I'll be on my way." His feet pivoted as he did exactly that – be on his way.
"They're closed." And just like that he was back in front of the very annoyed booth officer.
"Pray tell when they will open," and then he added desperately, "Please?"
"Eight in the morning."
"Good to know! I will be on my way for sure now!" Alas, Jiraiya was not.
"I suggest arriving earlier."
As if their roles were now reversed, Jiraiya prayed for strength. "Why exactly should I do that?"
"A lot of estranged family members nowadays."
"Right, and this way I can avoid traffic, yes?"
"Well…" The officer paused. Jiraiya calculated how quickly could he throw a punch and disappear without being caught.
"Well…" He mimicked, hoping it would help the other along with their unfinished sentence.
"Well…"
"Dear lord," Jiraiya mumbled, holding onto the last piece of patience he had left.
"They're only open for an hour."
Just like that, exhausted and defeated, Jiraiya found himself sitting next to Naruto, who had yet to notice his presence, as he watched him inhale his ninth bowl of noodles.
The next morning almost ended in defeat. Over the time Jiraiya had come to know Naruto personally, he knew without a doubt that Naruto never woke before anyone. His internal clock naturally roused him only after noon. It was a blessing in disguise, allowing Jiraiya to make a quick visit to the records keeper and return with plenty of time to spare before Naruto woke up. So, when he was ready to leave through the window at the break of dawn, Jiraiya did not expect a sleepy Naruto behind him.
"Is it training time already?"
Growling to himself, Jiraiya dragged his hand down his face with a deep sigh. Any attempts to woo Naruto back to sleep was met with rebellious defiance.
Of all days, why today? he thought to himself, as images of suffocating Naruto with a pillow flashed through his mind.
Time moved slowly when Jiraiya had somewhere to be. Thinking he was better off ditching Naruto at the noddle stall again, he headed there immediately.
It was closed. It opened at eight.
The next two hours were spent with Jiraiya throwing Naruto round under the disguise of training. As soon as the clock struck eight, he dragged his beaten and bruised student and successfully dropped him at the noddle stall with a promise of unlimited bowls of noodles.
Without wasting any more time, he arrived at the records keeper's office in a gust of wind. To his surprise, there was no long queue of customers searching for their estranged family members. And if his eyes weren't deceiving him—which they weren't—the office was open and operating for nine hours, not just one.
"I'm going to kill that bastard."
Feeling depleted in all senses, he walked in and crossed his fingers for luck. But Jiraiya figured nothing ever came easy.
An old lady popped her head through the beaded curtains that Jiraiya could only guess it led to a room full of records. "Be right there." She called out.
Busting through the beaded curtains, it continued to rattle at the sudden attack even after she had long passed it. Wiping wrinkled hands on her skirt, she looked at Jiraiya with a kind smile.
"Hello dear, welcome, I'm Kanako the records keeper, how can I help you?"
Not feeling up to another telling tale of his pregnant wife, Jiraiya settled on simplicity. "I'm looking for a friend and I was hoping you could help."
"Of course, we keep records of anyone who was born in Tea Country, or anyone who has passed through," she exclaimed. Pulling a piece of paper and a pen, she pushed them towards Jiraiya. "Write down their name, age, occupation, and even details of their appearance. That would be helpful."
Not missing a beat, Jiraiya wrote down everything he remembered.
Kagome Higurashi, Healer, late 40s, 153cm, 49kg, dark brown/black hair, blue eyes, slim/fit.
Looking down at this quick scribble, Jiraiya was about to push the piece of paper back to Kanako but hesitated. He quickly searched his pocket for Tsunade's note and read it once again.
'Kagome Higurashi – no change. Find out everything.'
Looking between Tsunade's note and his piece of paper, he decided to make slight changes.
Kagome Higurashi, Healer, 20 years old, 153, 49kg, dark brown/black hair, blue eyes, slim/fit.
Satisfied, he handed the paper to Kanako. She quickly read over the details and hummed to herself.
"Interesting, not a lot of Kagome's in this generation, but I'll have a look." Moving towards the beaded curtains, Kanako paused and gave Jiraiya her signature smile, "Come back in the afternoon, I'll have all the information I can find."
That afternoon, Jiraiya returned and wasn't entirely shocked to discover that there was next to no information on Kagome. She had always been a mystery, even when they briefly crossed paths thirty years ago. Back then, she had been an enigma wrapped in secrecy, her past and origins as elusive as the wind. Despite their short encounter, it was evident that Kagome kept her cards close to her chest, revealing little about her true self. Jiraiya recalled how she would deftly deflect any probing questions with a charming smile, leaving him with more questions than answers. Her presence was like a fleeting shadow, one that left an indelible mark but vanished before one could fully grasp it.
Even now, decades later, it seemed that Kagome's enigmatic nature remained intact. The records held no clues, no breadcrumbs to follow. It was as if she had been a ghost, drifting through life without leaving any tangible traces behind. The lack of information was both frustrating and strangely fitting, a testament to the inscrutable woman she had always been.
Determined to uncover more about Kagome, Jiraiya continued his search across various countries and villages. He visited bustling cities and remote hamlets, hoping to find any trace of her elusive past. Yet, every lead turned out to be a dead end. The records were sparse, and the information was scarce. Whispers and rumours were all he found — tales of a skilled healer named Kagome who seemed to appear and disappear like a wisp of smoke. Locals spoke of her with reverence and mystery, recalling her healing touch and compassionate presence. However, Kagome never stayed long enough to be considered a proper resident in any of these places. She was always on the move, leaving behind only fleeting memories and fragments of her story. Despite his relentless efforts, Jiraiya realized that tracking down the enigmatic Kagome was like chasing shadows in the wind.
During this time, Jiraiya successfully kept Naruto distracted and unaware of his search. With a mix of training sessions, exciting adventures, and ramen challenges, he ensured Naruto's focus remained elsewhere. Naruto's natural curiosity and energy were skilfully channelled into activities that kept him occupied and oblivious to Jiraiya's secret quest. This allowed Jiraiya to continue his investigation without raising any suspicion, even as the mystery of Kagome deepened.
In the end, however, he had to face the truth. He knew just as much about Kagome now than he had after their first encounter.
Reflecting on the fruitless mission, Jiraiya cursed himself for not uncovering any information on Kagome. The weight of not knowing anything substantial bore down on him, heavier than he had ever imagined. He glanced at Naruto, who was sprawled lazily on his makeshift bedding. They had already turned in for the night, eager to bring this long mission to an end and finally return home. Yet, as his eyes continued to scan over his boisterous student, they lingered on the seal on Naruto's stomach, peeking out from under his shirt. Suddenly, an epiphany struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"The scar on her hip."
How was it? Hope this chapter was good read!
See you in the next chapter :)