On this special episode is showed the beginning of Jiraiya's path. Starts with him and the team trained by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Sadly, nothing is mentioned about Jiraiya's parents or family. On the first day, he meets Tsunade, and it's love at first sight for him. When Hiruzen proposes the bell test, Jiraiya makes a bet with Tsunade, if he gets a bell he can have a date with her, but she says that if not, he will stop bothering her. Unfortunately, he falls in the same trap Naruto fell, and at the end, he gets tied to the post. Tsunade and Orochimaru have their bells, and she enjoys having won the bet. Jiraiya fights back, but then they leave, so Hiruzen realizes that his pupil has no life's goal. To guide him, he invokes Enma the ape, to show Jiraiya that he can summon through a space time ninjutsu, an animal connected to him if he trains hard. So, this way, he starts focusing in order to become stronger and impress Tsunade, and later, thinks about getting any pretty girl. In time, he progresses, but one day tries to summon an animal without signing a contract, disobeying his sensei. This way, Jiraiya ends up in Mount Myoboku, where the toads live. He meets Gamabunta and Fukasaku, who guide him to the Great Sage Toad. The Sage predicted his arrival in a prophecy, so the kid is allowed to stay there and train. Jiraiya doubts at first, but he finally agrees and during the next years, he alternates his training with Fukasaku, and with Hiruzen at Konoha. He signs the contract with toads and trains. It takes time, but he grows up and becomes a young ninja adult. The problem is, Tsunade still rejects him. He starts questioning his goal of impressing girls, and so the Great Old Sage calls him for the definitive prophecy: Jiraiya is going to be the sensei of a ninja who will change the shinobi world. He's going to travel, become a "pervert" and all, write novels, and one day he'll take a decision that may lead the world to peace or destruction. His pupil is going to be key in that. With a new goal, Jiraiya abandons the land of the Toads to travel the world. On his road, he meets a puppeteer, who is trying to sell his services for a Lord. Then, while spending time with a woman in a bar, he finds a ninja who lost everything and wants a change in the world. He also meets there a shinobi from the Hidden Waterfall village (the one Kakuzu deserted from), who teaches young ninjas to survive in these difficult times. Then, he travels to a small town, where a man intends to bring peace to the world, but the man thinks that only praying such goal will be achieved. Later, after visiting a town in fire, Jiraiya fights a shinobi. The ninja says that the town was burned because enemy got infiltrated. Jiraiya is stunned, and dodges every attack. He fights back and then cuts him in the forehead. Before leaving, the shinobi says that as long there's war and hate on this world, nothing's going to change. Tired of trying to find the pupil of the prophecy, Jiraiya decides to return to Konoha. But the time of the 2nd great ninja war has already started, and he learns of Nawaki's death. He's obviously there for Tsunade, and promises himself to find the kid of the prophecy, to bring peace for the world once and for all. Still, the now known as the Sannin, are forced to enter the war.
The storyline wasn't as great as in Kakashi gaiden. Like I said, the missing part about Jiraiya's parents leaves in the dark his background. Anyway, I liked how he met Tsunade. He obviously fell in love with the blonde since he met her, and sadly she always rejected him. But this mirrors well the beginning of the relationship between Naruto and Sakura, and team 7. The difference is that though Orochimaru was talented, an a bit like a rival to Jiraiya, the rivalry was never intense or important. To Tsunade and Jiraiya, Orochimaru was just their teammate. Then, the way Hiruzen showed a possible goal to Jiraiya was also good. The 3rd Hokage was no fool, he wanted for his pupil to get a target, and to find an animal to help is interesting for any kid ninja. Still, the first real goal on Jiraiya's mind was impressing Tsunade, that's how his ninja road started. Then, all his time training with the toads has the same target, becoming stronger and impressing girls. But considering where he lived, between those two worlds, looks like he was lost in life. Parents are always important, yet seemed that Fukasaku and Hiruzen had a parental role to him. The prophecy is not really clear, and raises some questions. Naruto is indeed the child the Sage talked about, but it's weird to think that Jiraiya spent so much time looking for someone like him. Anyway, not every story can be perfect.
The storyline wasn't as great as in Kakashi gaiden. Like I said, the missing part about Jiraiya's parents leaves in the dark his background. Anyway, I liked how he met Tsunade. He obviously fell in love with the blonde since he met her, and sadly she always rejected him. But this mirrors well the beginning of the relationship between Naruto and Sakura, and team 7. The difference is that though Orochimaru was talented, an a bit like a rival to Jiraiya, the rivalry was never intense or important. To Tsunade and Jiraiya, Orochimaru was just their teammate. Then, the way Hiruzen showed a possible goal to Jiraiya was also good. The 3rd Hokage was no fool, he wanted for his pupil to get a target, and to find an animal to help is interesting for any kid ninja. Still, the first real goal on Jiraiya's mind was impressing Tsunade, that's how his ninja road started. Then, all his time training with the toads has the same target, becoming stronger and impressing girls. But considering where he lived, between those two worlds, looks like he was lost in life. Parents are always important, yet seemed that Fukasaku and Hiruzen had a parental role to him. The prophecy is not really clear, and raises some questions. Naruto is indeed the child the Sage talked about, but it's weird to think that Jiraiya spent so much time looking for someone like him. Anyway, not every story can be perfect.
