“You’re kidding...” Basu said, holding the white ceramic tea cup aloft. He’d been about to partake in a sip of the refreshment stand’s special green tea and ginseng blend when his white-haired ‘business partner’ dropped this proverbial explosive tag. While he’d been surprised the man had returned to see him in person so soon, the young musician hadn’t been prepared for this. “Your publisher wants A SEQUEL to, “Ninja Mouse: Wanderer’s Rest”!?”
Nodding his head in confirmation to his artist’s inquiry, the thirty-seven-year-old Sannin replied, “I know it’s only been three months, but the book hit one million copies just last week.”
His hands shaking, the young brunette placed the cup back down onto the counter before his shaking hands lost their grip on it. “You’re kidding...” he whispered. The man had written quite a few children’s books before meeting the Konoha Nin but never had he worked on a project that reached a million copies. “And that’s copies sold?” he squeaked out.
Grinning wider, the Jiraiya calmly told him as he reached inside a vest pocket, “Yep, and that’s despite places like Ame, Kiri, Iwa, and others banning it...” he moved his hand about inside the pocket, the man grinning as the motions stopped. By the way, here’s your cut, Teruka-san...” so saying, he withdrew his hand from the garment to withdraw a check. “The publisher made it out but had no way of getting ahold of you... fortunately, I was more than willing to make my way here to make sure you got your fair share.”
Taking the slip of paper from the man twice his age, Basu just stared at the paycheck. He looked it over with an expression that was an equal mix of shock and awe. “That...” he gulped, feeling his mouth go dry. “That’s a LOT of zeroes...”
Watching as the man pocketed his check, the Toad Sage couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, you deserve it, Basu...” he told the man who was now practically gulping his tea despite how hot it would be. “I may be good with my fuuinjutsu but I’m not exactly someone you go to for drawing something... well... cute.” he shrugged his shoulders, awaiting the man to lower his cup. “You on the other hand, have a real gift for it... which is why I just HAD to come back to you when the publisher demanded a sequel.”
Nodding his head, Basu could only shake his head. “I... I will, Jiraya-san, but...” he took a deep breath. “By the kami... I can’t believe a children’s story has sold SO well...”
“You’d be surprised just how varied the fan-base is,” the Nin told the man sitting on the stool to his right. “This may shock you, but it wasn’t just children I was aiming at with my book...” he admitted softly. “The first thing is that while it’s good to teach kids life-lessons they’ll need, reality is too much for children... so much has to be left out or distorted to give them a basic understanding. By using a cartoonish characters like Abukunai the Ninja Mouse, Dobe Duck, and the Cats Pajamas Ninjas, I can show people that love is the path to peace; love, belief, and friendship can give people the will to fight for their homes and loved ones’ sake, as previous generations had done before them.”
The brunette artist/musician couldn’t help but smirk. “Odd how the idea of love bringing peace is also the reason to fight,” he countered his partner.
Nodding his head, the white-tressed individual garbed in red replied, “I know. All too well, I’m afraid. But it is the second truth I’m trying to teach. For too long, the path to peace has only found at the end of the kunai. Instead of using passion to enflame rage and war, that the passion be used for love and the betterment and protection of one’s home...” a small smile made its way across Jiraiya’s lips. “Needless to say, it’s struck a chord with many people: farmers, merchants, ninja, samurai, nobility. The message breaks through all barriers of the caste structure... speaking of which,” he mumbled a she reached over to his side for a satchel he left on the floor. Picking it up, he brought it to the counter-top and rummaged through it, before removing a hard-cover copy of the Ninja Mouse story with his right hand, and a black marker in the other. “Would you mind singing this? The Daimyo’s wife is a huge fan and I think she’d appreciate a copy signed by both the writer and artist.”
And once more, poor Basu was awe-struck. Holding out his hands and accepting the book and writing utensil, the male opened the cover and began to comprise a note on the interior. “This really is all too much, Jiraiya. I had no idea we’d be onto something so huge when I agreed to collaborate with you...”
“Tell me about it,” the ninja replied with a firm nod of his head. “My mind was blown when I first got word that even the Daimyo and his court had become avid readers. Hell, the Daimyo one step away from decreeing a law that a sequel come forth.”
The younger man paused in his writing for a moment, looking at his fellow artisan with a raised eyebrow. “You’re kidding...”
The lone loyal Sannin to Konoha just snorted. “I wish. Thank the kami Minato is pretty tight with the Daimyo and was able to get the man to understand that a sequel will be on the way and that there’s no need to make it the law of the land...” he shuddered for a moment. “I can only imagine the influx of trouble it would cause it the lord of the Fire Country decreed that more of a book that’s already been banned in a number of villages and countries be made. I wanted Abukunai to promote peace, not start a war!”
“...Weird...” was all the teenager could say before turning his attention back to his writing.
Jiraiya grunted in agreement. “Tell me about it. And even if we evaded trouble with the Elemental Countries, there’s a clan back home that’s now rather upset with me over Dobe Duck...”
Again, the artisan had to stop in his writing. “...What’s wrong with Dobe Duck!?” he demanded to know, staring at his partner incredulously.
“Well, you know how Dobe’s main personality traits were his kekkei genkai and his short temper?” Jiraiya inquired of the civilian who was quickly becoming a friend.
In response, the youthful musician nodded his head. “Yeah. He was to be to the polar opposite of Abukunai; a gifted prodigy instead of someone who decided to follow the path of the ninja... but that it wouldn’t matter that he had special eyes his anger would get in the way, becoming a great cause of suffering while the love and care of the mouse would diffuse situations. It WAS a major set-up for his running jokes...”
“Yeah... what inspired me was a clan back where I lived. They picked up on the nuances almost instantly...” Jiraiya cringed. “They were NOT pleased—I should’ve known they’d associate duck butts with their haircuts. Hell, their Clan Leader, who also happens to be the head of Konoha’s police, has outlawed copies of the book in the Uchiha Dstrict and is demanding I make reparations to his people with the NEXT volume...”
“...Reparations in what way?” Basu carefully asked.
Jiraiya looked like he swallowed something bitter. “They want me to give Dobe Duck a rich uncle who travels the elemental countries with the story eventually culminating in them going to the moon.”
Dropping the book for a moment, the young man just stared at his senior. “Please say we’re NOT writing a story about some crazy duck in space.”
“You’re damn right we aren’t!” Jiraiya snarled. “No, instead I’m gonna give Dobe Duck a break for the next couple volumes and instead, work on pushing the aspects of caring: love and friendship. I think the best way to go about his would be by introducing a new character of another sort... in fact, I’m kind of leaning into a semi-love interest for Abukunai.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, the musician went back to writing his note within the cover. “Oh? Another mouse?” he artist asked curiously.
“Nah! Too predictable,” Jiraiya grumbled. “I just need some inspiration. The kind of personality that would suit Abukunai. He doesn’t need a clone, but someone strong-willed and—”
“MY PRETTIES!!” came a heart-broken wail of despair from overhead as a certain diminutive pervert went sailing along the skyline, women’s undergarments wafting downward.
Jiraiya twitched irritably. “That old goat’s still around?”
Finishing up his small note to the Daimyo’s wife with a flick of his wrist to mark the final stroke to his signature, Basu turned his attention to the older man once more. “Yep. He’s been hanging around Nigori for the past year. We can’t get the guy to move on.”
“It’s been a real pain,” the chef running the stall interrupted. “The local girls are keeping him in line for the most part but if he keeps this up the hot spring is going to start losing business. If that happens this whole village may fold.”
Jiraiya frowned. It was little things like this that made he realize that, yes, perversion had its place but too much would ruin you and your standing in the world if you let it run rampant. Oh yes, in a way, the Toad Sage was very pleased to have run across this living monument to perversion and uncontrolled lust. If it wasn’t for the fact he was writing children’s books, the old pervert would make for a fine example of life-lesson.
So deep into his introspection was he, that the Ninja didn’t even notice as a busty redhead took the seat to his right. “Heya, Hoshin!” she called out to the stall vendor. “Can you make me a bowl of pork ramen? Pounding that creep works up an appetite.”
The man behind the counter laughed. “Whatever you say, dearie.” He turned about and started to prepare the meal within the confines of the cramped kitchen area.
Blinking his eyes, Jiraiya turned his head... and had to smile. Before he ever came to Lake Nigori, he would’ve hit on this woman the moment he laid eyes on her... instead, he took stock of the fact that the old creep had gone sailing and realized that this girl was probably the source of that. She seems strong enough and well-suited for combat, despite a bust that would likely give Tsunade a run for her gambled money once she was older. “That was your work, I take it?”
“Huh?” she blinked her blue eyes and turned to stare at the older man. “Uh, yeah. Old goat got into the women’s dressing rooms again. Someone had to friggin’ put the old freak in his place, you know?”
Nodding his head in agreement, the Sannin replied, “Of course...” he brought a chin up, studying the woman for a moment, from the kempo pants and silk shift, to the red tresses kept in a pigtail, the body language that was DEFINITELY masculine. “So, I take it you’re a Taijutsu expert...”
“Uh... yeah, you could say that...” the girl replied. She turned her attention to the counter as the chef served her a piping-hot bowl. She reached over to a thick cup on the counter and pulled free a pair of wood chopsticks breaking them apart. “Just trying to get that old freak to take us home is all...” she grumbled irritably as she stirred the contents, releasing steam from her entrée.
Now Jiraiya AND Basu each raised an eyebrow. “...You know that old goat?” the younger of the two was quick to question. It seemed like a crime that the elder lech would have such a beauty following him around.
She snorted. "Wish I didn’t... but I do... and if I’m gonna get home, I need to take that old lech with me!” darn friggin’ c-c-ca-furry things that proclaimed they were elder gods that demanded you capture an dimensionally-displaced pervert before they let you go home. And it didn’t help that the old lech kept finding ways to piss her off enough that she would send him flying... as she’d done five minutes ago. It was just SO annoying!
Nodding his head, the Toad Sage was quick to tell her, “All I can do is offer you my condolences...” he suddenly blinked his eyes as a thought came to him. “Although... I must admit, you do seem like an interesting person. May I have your name?”
“Ranma...” the redhead blurted out before pausing suddenly. Crap. She didn’t want to use her REAL name. Who knew what kind of deals and promises that could have taken place if an alternate universe version of her old man existed here. She needed to give them an alias. “Ranma... uh...” she looked down at her ramen and noticed the swirl pattern on her fishcakes. “Uzumaki.”
It was only thanks to years of training and field-work as a ninja that Jiraiya was able to keep his shock hidden. “...Ranma Uzumaki?” he repeated with a small hint of interest.
“Er, yeah...” the girl chuckled nervously. “Ranma Uzumaki. That’s name, don’t wear it out!” her laughter was more fearfully as she turned her attention away from the man completely and began consuming her noodles at a rapid pace and slurping loudly.
Nodding a head, Jiraiya decided this was a good chance to kill two birds with one stone: investigate the possibility of relatives to the scattered clan that have been Uzushiogakure’s ‘royalty’... as well as work on inspiration for his next novel.
Taking some paper and a pen out of his satchel, the ninja was quick to inquire, “So, Uzumaki-san... would you mind helping out the author of a children’s literature with an idea he’s working on?”
Standing before the desk of the Hokage, Jiraiya couldn’t keep the shit-eating grin off of his face. “So what do you think? These are just a copy of the preliminary sketches Teruka-san has done... but I really think we’re onto something here.”
Blinking his eyes, the Ninja proclaimed as the ‘Yellow Flash’ by friend and foe alike couldn’t help but appear to be a bobble-head for a moment. Again and again, his head would move up and down, looking from the pages, back up to his sensei, and then back and forth again. “...You had him draw Kushina with tails?” he finally inquired, not sure how he felt about his teacher in the ninja arts using the concept of his wife’s Jinchuuriki status to create a new character.
“...Actually, I was inspired by a redhead just like her when I created Ranko the Martial Arts Vixen,” the Toad Sage admitted. “Except she had yours eyes, was twice the tomboy, no modesty, and exceedingly violent to that taijutsu pervert that hands around the lake.”
Now Minato just openly stared at the older man. “...You mean there are TWO of her out there!?”
*Shing*!
“Now husband,” the Red-Hot Habanero of the Leaf cooed in a deceptively sweet tone as she calmly removed her kunai from the surface of her spouse’s desk. “You make that sound like it’s a bad thing...”
“...” deciding to save his ass, Minato used the ultimate of Kage Political techniques: Shift Blame no Jutsu! “Now dear, you can’t blame me for being worried. We’ve kept your status pretty much a secret and here Jiraiya goes making a redheaded kitsune girl who’s literally titled, ‘The Wild Child’. I think people are going to make connections...”
Deciding he should save his former student before he found himself on the couch, Jiraiya was quick to intervene. “Actually, I do want to bring up something about the inspiration for Ranko. When you said it’s like there’s two of your wife, you weren’t that far off the mark...” a serious gaze came over the Toad Sage’s face. “She said her name was Ranma Uzumaki...”
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(Posted Mon, 27 May 2013 20:56)
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