Chiriku: I'm Just the Perfectly Ordinary Top Man of Fire Temple
"Please follow me." Chiriku stepped aside, gesturing for Naruto to follow.
The two passed through the front hall, walked along the vermilion corridor, and finally stopped in front of a long row of side rooms in the rear hall. Chiriku made a gesture of invitation, turned around, and pushed open the door of the third side room.
Naruto casually sat down, Chiriku had already picked up the kettle and begun to demonstrate his simple and unpretentious tea-making skills.
"Master's tea-brewing technique is truly the epitome of simplicity," Naruto complimented.
Chiriku laughed heartily as he poured tea.
"We don't need to flatter each other anymore. I'll call you Naruto, and you can call me Chiriku."
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Naruto said with an awkward smile.
He could roughly guess why Chiriku was so kind to him; the Fire Temple, as a well-known ninja temple in the Land of Fire, had always had a close relationship with Konohagakure.
Naruto had always maintained a close relationship with Tsunade, Yamanaka Clan he was completely oblivious to the immense influence of the legendary Legendary Sannin.
Putting aside their combat prowess, their record and experience mean they're practically the next big thing in the village. Jiraiya isn't just a great writer in the 404 world, but also a master of Senjutsu.
There are only a few ways to inherit the Sage's legacy, and Konohagakure has taken them all.
Naruto, favored by such a vast pool of resources, would be considered a second-generation immortal in a fantasy novel – the holy son of Konohagakure's Naruto Uzumaki, has arrived!
While ninjas from other villages are still struggling to learn basic Ninjutsu, Konohagakure has already prepared various Forbidden Jutsu for him to learn.
Tsunade's letter wasn't the main point; her intention was simply for Naruto to become acquainted with Chiriku Fire Temple. Chiriku, young and capable, naturally understood Tsunade's purpose.
The Fifth Hokage was paving the way for this young man, and he was just going along with it, both accumulating favor with the Fifth Hokage and forming a good relationship with Naruto.
"I'm not much older than you, so it's really hard for me to accept that you call me Lord Chiriku," Chiriku said cheerfully. "Tea is like people; expensive teaware and elegant techniques all come down to just a bowl and a splash of hot water."
"In the end, I am no different from the other monks of the Fire Temple, or you; we are all just human beings."
Upon hearing this, Naruto was slightly taken aback. The tone sounded somewhat familiar, and he couldn't help but smile.
"What the master said doesn't make much sense, but adding that drinking tea is like drinking people makes it seem a bit twisted. Is it the same as casually saying something and then adding 'love' to it?"
"What do you mean?" Chiriku asked with a smile.
"You can't drink boiling water right away, and the same goes for love," Naruto casually remarked. "Anyway, that's roughly the idea."
Steam rose from the teacup, and time flowed by, bit by bit.
Naruto was surprised to find that Chiriku was surprisingly talkative in private, contrary to his cold exterior. The two chatted about some Tsunade.
As they talked, the topic turned to the Akatsuki Organization.
Chiriku was quite surprised that Naruto knew about the Akatsuki Organization, but when he thought about how Naruto's teacher was Jiraiya, he wasn't surprised at all.
After thinking for a moment, Chiriku said.
"I know very little about the Akatsuki Organization. I only know that it is a group of S-rank wanted rogue ninjas who wear black cloaks with red auspicious clouds and usually appear in pairs."
"We still need to be careful, Master Jiraiya. The Fire Temple has made too many enemies, and Master Jiraiya is one of their targets as well," Naruto warned.
Upon hearing this, Chiriku laughed.
He looked calmly at Naruto and said, "I grew up in a Buddhist temple, Fire Temple is my home. Some troubles are unavoidable. Whether it's the Akatsuki Organization or anyone else, we should just face them calmly."
"Alright." Naruto sighed. Since Chiriku didn't want to hide, they could only leave it to fate. "However, since I've given you a heads-up, shouldn't Master Jiraiya be prepared?"
"I understand. If there is any unusual activity, I will inform Konohagakure," Chiriku said, his face still calm, like a withered leaf in autumn.
Naruto couldn't persuade the monk, so he simply changed the subject; he wasn't just there for idle chatter.
"Does Master Jiraiya know that gods exist in this world?"
"This..." Chiriku frowned, giving Naruto a deep look. "Ahem, I'm a monk. Is it appropriate for you to ask me this question?"
Naruto felt slightly embarrassed, as if he were going to a temple to ask for Buddhist teachings and would likely be thrown out. What's more, he was asking about something even more blasphemous: the Evil God and the Death Reaper.
"I certainly wouldn't dare ask others, but if it's the learned Master Jiraiya, I think it shouldn't be a problem," Naruto said with a sheepish smile.
Chiriku remained silent for a moment, his expression solemn, before lowering his voice.
"You shouldn't say things like that carelessly, but you've come to the right person."
Upon hearing this, Naruto raised an eyebrow. He thought to himself, "It has to be you again, Master Jiraiya. No wonder you're Asuma's best buddy, the brooding, manly guy; you can't even be serious for three seconds."
"I have a history with Asuma, you should know that, right?" Chiriku asked.
"I don't know." Naruto shook his head, his lie now completely flawless.
"It's normal that he doesn't tell anyone; Asuma wasn't always like this." Chiriku laughed and slowly drifted into his memories.
In general, Chiriku only wants to express a few core ideas.
He regretted joining the Twelve Guardian Ninja. He hadn't done anything, yet he got involved in the stupid and pathetic business of the Daimyo, and was suddenly given a bounty of 30 million.
As the top dog of the Fire Temple, with the abbot away, he is second only to the head monk and above thousands of others. He spends his free time training himself and the monks, living a comfortable and sophisticated life.
I'm really unlucky. When I was young, I acted impulsively and got into trouble by taking on a part-time job.
Finally, Daimyo is such an idiot!
"Those are all things from my youth, let's not talk about them." Chiriku sighed, picked up the tea that had long since gone cold, and took a sip.
Naruto blinked, thinking to himself that he hadn't asked about his past. He had clearly asked if gods really existed, but Chiriku had automatically pulled him into memories.
After listening to Chiriku's rambling, Naruto felt a bit overwhelmed, wondering where the aloofness of the monk had gone.
"Is Master Jiraiya worth 30 million? I'm a little curious, how much is the bounty on Kakashi-sensei's body?" he suddenly asked.
Chiriku gave Naruto a very strange look and asked.
Do you want to hear what you're saying?
"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto was a little confused.
"A bounty on Kakashi's head? Does his head even need a bounty?" Chiriku looked at Naruto. "Kakashi has offended too many people, so many that there's no need for a bounty. If he could be killed, he would have been killed long ago."
"Given Kakashi's current status, even if he were to have a bounty on his head, no one would dare to take the job. The Exchange Place is a place where people hire hitmen out of personal grudges, but making money doesn't mean courting death."
After Chiriku finished speaking, he finally started talking about the gods.
"The gods you asked about, I did know a little about them when I was young. Some of the more prominent ones are the Evil God Cult that have been active in the Land of Rivers, and the followers of the God of Death Reaper."
"So... do they exist?" Naruto asked cautiously.
"Do you believe they exist?" Chiriku asked rhetorically.
"Me?" Naruto was a little confused. "I think that's probably impossible. This world only has Ninjutsu."
Chiriku reached out and patted Naruto on the shoulder a few times across a tea table.
"Where did Ninjutsu come from in this world? There were no records of Ninjutsu a thousand years ago, but believers have always existed."
Naruto was tempted. He remembered the twenty-seven masks stored in the Sealing Space, and his heart warmed. Dealing with a heretic like Hidan would be quite troublesome, but if he could defeat magic with magic...
"But haven't they fallen on hard times?" he asked.
"I don't know about that," Chiriku said casually, taking a sip of tea. "I'm just a monk; I don't understand those messy heretical things."
"However, if you really want to know, you might as well ask Lord Tsunade."
"Ask her?"
"Don't underestimate Lord Tsunade, she is an extraordinary woman in the Shinobi World."