The man scowled in Naruto's direction, before wading out into the water. "Bah! Something like that won't stop me . . . I'll just get in a good soak first . . . "
When his usually obnoxiously loud student suddenly got quiet, Jiraiya glanced over to him. The whiskered guy was looking somber now, head down, and he hadn't even gotten into the water yet. Jiraiya had a feeling he knew why, too. For the couple years it'd always been about Sasuke, but since the training accident Naruto had also added Jiraiya's new scar to his list of concerns.
The man touched his chest, briefly. It still ached occasionally, and was none too pretty to look at. But it hadn't been Naruto's fault and no matter how many times he told the kid that it never seemed to sink in.
"Oi, you think this is bad, brat?" he suddenly grinned at the guy in an effort to cheer him up. He sunk in to his waist and propped his elbows behind him. "You should've seen me after the one time I tried to peep on Tsunade . . . I was in the hospital for much longer that time, heheh . . . "
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