The Shopkeeper of Konoha

The women and kids were too preoccupied to notice a white haired man leeching on the attractive women while grinning ominously. When Aoto first saw the familiar face in person, he initially became a little emotional. Jiraya appeared a little younger than he did in the actual series, but his happy demeanor and expression remained.

Jiraya was one of the characters who most affected Aoto. But when he noticed this middle-aged man skulking among the women, all of his good feelings towards him quickly faded. Aoto was incredibly tempted to use the strength of the system that covered the shop to give this guy a lesson. All he wanted to do was beat him up and throw him out.

He was also quite furious because this man was enjoying himself instead of taking care of his apprentice's son, who had just lost his parents a few days earlier. John had observed Aoto become agitated and knew right away why he was making that grimace. He approached Jiraya and inquired.

"Can I be of any help to you?"

John and Arya had been receiving instruction from Aoto on how to provide for others and carry out their jobs all these days. Aoto was fairly skilled at this profession because he had previously worked as a waiter in many places to make ends meet. John and Arya both picked up new skills quickly and picked up on their duties rapidly.

"Ahh.. No... Nothing.. eh! Hey young man you are quite the handsome one.. Though not as handsome as me.. What is your name?" Jiraya was startled by John's lovely and attractive features when she was otherwise preoccupied.

"John Stark. Do you want to order some food here." John was unconcerned with the compliments from this middle-aged man and was more interested in learning about his motivations.

"Stark? Never heard of them. What a weird name. Food.. Ah yes.. Totally forgot that this is a restaurant. Young man, I have never seen these food items in my travel. Can you tell me more about these? You see I am writing a book while I am travelling and want to get new ideas."

John wanted to yell at him and claim that he was just ogling the women, but he had to act as politely as he could given that technically he had done nothing wrong and that in the culture he came from, such behavior was common. John only realized those things might be accusatory for many people at this point.

John continued by telling him about  the novel food. John was taken aback by the fact that the man with the white hair appeared to be really curious about the new foods. Finally, after hearing what John had to say, he placed his order for chicken wings and french fries.

For him, John took the order and got to work. Aoto had been watching him during the entire ordeal. After ordering the food he sat at the most corner table of the restaurant alone. He initially sat and preoccupied himself with observing the women and taking notes, but after a few minutes, his expression turned from delight to a little dejected.

Aoto had also observed the change.

The lunch was ready after about 10 minutes, and John called him to come get it.

"So this is chicken? Looks like some kind of fries." Jiraya declared.

"It's fried chicken, sir." Instead of John, Aoto arrived and responded.

"Oh.. So that is what the name means." Jiraya grunted. He picked up the food tray and returned to his previous seat. He pulled out the sauce and squirted it onto the dish after reading the directions. He dipped the chicken in the sauce before biting into it.

After taking a mouthful, his face immediately lit up, and he continued to devour the chicken and french fries with a voracious appetite. He genuinely adored the flavor. Aoto grinned when he noticed Jiraya's radiant face.

He felt a little self-satisfaction.

After finishing her meal, Jiraya remained at the table and continued to sit. He occasionally wrote notes and appeared a little dazed. Soon it was late at night and was time to close the shop that Aoto noticed that Jiraya was still sitting in his table.

Although Aoto had taken notice of his appearance at first, he soon became overwhelmed with work and quickly forgot about the man. Thus he was taken aback to see him there when Aoto emerged from the counter to clean and close the shop.

"Sir, it's time to close the doors. If you like our food so much, the restaurant will be open after 11 am tomorrow." formally said Aoto.

"Oh is it time already... Hahahah.. Stupid me. I failed to notice the time...Sorry." Jiraya responded, appearing to have forgotten the passing of time.

"No problem, sir. If you enjoy our meal, I hope you'll visit us again."

Jiraya gave a head nod before putting his notebook back in his bag.

"Considering that the restaurant would soon close, could you perhaps explain your dislike for me?" Jiraya spoke out of the blue while inspecting his backpack. When he asked Aoto that, Jiraya didn't even bother to look at him. This caught Aoto by surprise. He didn't expect a direct question out of nowhere.

"I apologize. I didn't understand what you are saying." Aoto answered.

"You have been viewing me as some sort of obtrusive object ever since you first laid eyes on me. I am curious. I don't remember annoying anyone of your face and your age so I want to know why you hate me?" Jiraya posed a straightforward question.

"I don't believe I have ever said anything unkind to you to make you feel hated, sir." Aoto defended himself.

"Kid, I have been a shinobi more than your current age. I can see the hatred in your eyes quite clearly for me, so I want to know why this is the case?" Jiraya enquired.