Jiraiya's Second Chance

Wrong Assumptions

Jiraiya can't believe what he got himself into. In his drunken stupor, he signed the marriage contract and now he is walking back to Konoha with this person, his new wife.  He eyed her secretly on the side, she was clothed in a simple blue and purple kimono and her long hair gently blowing by the wind. She didn't carry much stuff, just a bag she swung around her body. She is not very tall, about a head or two shorter than him.   She looked young too, maybe half his age but he cannot tell exactly.  There was such a gentle grace in this woman you will never expect from a woman of bad repute. What's her name again? Aikiko... or at least that's what he thinks her name was.

She walked with slight gait, tall confident and a little smile on her face.  She seems excited to start her life in Konoha.  Tsunade is going to kill me – Jiraiya mused.  I wish I can say she is jealous but more so because she thinks I'm stupid to bring a stranger in the village without knowing who she is.  Actually, the proposal was strange and he said yes without thinking through. Now he has to do a lot of explaining... come to think of it, what if she is a spy? Why is she interested in an old man like him?  Money?  She could have just sat and pretended to listen like everyone else and he would have gladly given her some money. 

With a day away from Konoha, Jiraiya has to assess the situation fast.  Is she a Nin? Doesn't seem so, her chakra network doesn't seem developed to a user level, but she does have a different aura, maybe she has a Ki but was not trained to use it? Jiraiya walked up the tree pretending to look ahead and Aikiko looked up with mouth agape, "how did you do that?"

"Oh, any ninja can climb tree this way? Can't you?" he asked nonchalantly.

There was a flicker of surprise and almost fear in her eyes... "You are a ninja? A real ninja?"

Jiraiya laugh, "What? Don't you know I'm Jiraiya the Gallant, the toad sage, one of the legendary sannin? And doing his signature posed before jumping down from the tree.  "Were you not listening to my stories of great exploit in the bar?"

"Oh... I thought... I thought, I didn't think that your stories were true... I thought you were a farmer?"....she answered almost a whisper.

"Farmer? Why do you even want me to be with a farmer? You think farmers have all the fun? Have an easy and luxurious life?" He said almost sarcastically.

"No... I thought a farmer will have a quiet life, away from the fighting... away from any power struggle." She answered again in a small voice.

Jiraiya look at her intently, she looked so fragile now when she doesn't look confident, and she almost looks beautiful. Although, despite his knack to run after beautiful woman, he has little respect for those that he ran after, there is after all only one beautiful woman that command his love and respect, his Hime, the Hokage.  But now looking at this woman, there is something different about her...

"Umm... but you said you are a hero? A good person? And you protect those you love and call your own? So maybe you can protect me too? We can protect each other?" She almost burst out with a hopeful smile.  Her big bluish grey eyes looked expectantly at the silver haired Sannin.  Her hand clasped in front of her and she stretching on tip toe meeting his face.

Jiraiya stared, then he looks away and scratches his head "... well yeah... of course I can protect you. I'm strong and a legendary sannin after all."

"Good good. It's all good then."  And she then she walk ahead of him towards the direction of Konoha.

Jiraiya wondered who this woman is.