Next Time, I Hope We Won't Have to Travel on Foot but Can Ride a Yamato-class Aircraft

"The Pervy Sage has taken on another disciple?" Naruto was taken aback. "If we're on different paths, then I'll have to betray my master."

"What utter nonsense."

Tsunade up on her hands and said, feeling a sudden ache in her back from his joking around, and almost forgot what serious business she was going to discuss.

"Jiraiya has sent word that he is currently unable to leave. His approximate location is in the Land of Hot Water. He wants you to meet up with him to prepare for the investigation mission in the Land of Rain."

"The Land of Hot Water? Isn't that where cute girls soak in hot springs?" Naruto's expression was complicated. "He can't get away? Could it be..."

He thought to himself that this old comrade was of mixed backgrounds. Could it be that he had fallen into depravity and wanted to drag his apprentice down with him? That wouldn't do; he had principles.

Tsunade couldn't listen anymore, mainly because she felt Jiraiya really seemed like the kind of person who would do such a thing. However, she didn't believe either of the master and disciple could be a good person, and said impatiently.

"Should I send someone to take you there? Or will you go yourself?"

"I don't know the way," he said, spreading his hands.

"Then I'll send someone to take you there." Tsunade the decision, then frowned and added, "Jiraiya is always so indecent, but you'd better behave yourself."

Upon hearing this, Sakura stood behind Tsunade and chuckled, making a lip-licking gesture towards Naruto.

Naruto's lips twitched. He thought to himself that Tsunade was really meddling. His current strength had already surpassed that of the Pervy Sage. The sages of Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest should both be replaced.

When you see Jiraiya again, you should make him call you Naruto Sage.

"Yes, Lord Tsunade," he replied readily.

"Naruto, I'll be in charge of your escort mission. Just call me Yamato," said a Jonin wearing a mask similar to that of the Tobirama Senju.

"What are you doing here?" He looked the Yamato- going Captain Yamato up and down.

He has short brown hair and wears a face mask similar to Tobirama Senju's. He wears a black combat uniform Jonin green vest. He Jonin Yamato, a Jonin known for his Wood Release techniques.

"You know me?"

Yamato was completely bewildered; he had only recently been given this codename by Lord Tsunade. Not long ago, he had been working in the Hokage's direct Anbu under the codename Tenzo.

"Ah, I've mistaken you for someone else. You look too much like Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, trying to fool him.

"Really? Haha, you're the first person to say I look like Kakashi- senpai." Yamato was clearly pleased. "We'll see each other often from now on."

"Okay." He smiled.

After making some preparations, the two set off without much fanfare, heading straight for their destination, the Land of Land of Hot Water. Yamato was easygoing, but a man of few words.

Naruto didn't say much along the way; he had originally intended to extort a bodyguard. Yamato's appearance didn't surprise him; in fact, it made his journey several times easier.

Even in the wilderness, they would fall asleep the moment their heads hit the pillow in the wooden cabin built by Yamato. With Yamato around, who would want to sleep in the middle of nowhere?

After meeting Jiraiya, who knows what kind of ditch he'll end up sleeping on missions. Naruto is a very pragmatic person; he enjoys life to the fullest.

Although he didn't talk much along the way, he never hesitated to praise Yamato whenever he could find an opportunity. It was just a matter of using his words; he didn't lose any money.

As night fell, a sudden downpour hit the mountains and forests.

Outside the window, wind and rain raged, lightning flashed and thunder roared, the sounds like the wailing of a hundred ghosts. He saw trees as thick as a dozen people snapped and collapsed with a crash in the thunderstorm.

Only the wooden house stood firm like a pillar stabilizing the sea, making Yamato's strength even more apparent.

I fell asleep hastily the next day.

The rain stopped, and the mountains and forests, washed clean by the downpour, were lush and verdant. The dazzling green stretched as far as the eye could see, and the air was filled with the earthy scent of freshly washed soil.

"Yamato, how far is the Land of Hot Water?" he asked.

"It's not far now. If we don't rest, it'll probably be another day's journey," Yamato said after a moment's thought, assuming he was in a hurry to meet up with Jiraiya.

In reality, Naruto simply didn't want to leave Yamato's cabin.

"No need, let's just keep going as usual, I'm not in a hurry." He shook his head like a rattle-drum. "Yamato, once you reach the Land of Hot Water, how about we soak in a hot spring together before we continue?"

"After finding Lord Jiraiya, I must return to report." Yamato thought Naruto was just being polite. "There are other tasks in the village that I can't delay."

Naruto was speechless. He couldn't very well keep Yamato around like a mere accessory. Even if Yamato was easy to fool, Jiraiya would see through him.

After resting for an hour, the two continued their journey.

On the road.

"Captain Yamato, can you make a flying machine?" he suddenly asked, throwing out a nonsensical question.

"An aircraft?" Yamato dumbfounded. Did you think this was a wishing well?

"That's right. Since Yamato's Wood Release can transform into all sorts of things, it shouldn't be a problem to replicate a flying machine," Naruto said.

"Well... if you're familiar with the structure, there shouldn't be any problem. The main issue is the power source." Although Yamato thought Naruto's words were absurd, he still analyzed it seriously.

"We could develop that, after all. What era are we living in? Ninjas still have to travel on foot." Naruto sighed. "Next time, I hope to ride the Yamato-class Aircraft."

"Alright, I'll give it a try." The ever-helpful Yamato, always ready to help, said, forcing himself to be firm.

While finding it absurd, Yamato still took Naruto's words to heart to some extent. More importantly, it seemed that Lord Tsunade had said something similar.

While ninjas need to upgrade their equipment and maintain their austere lifestyle, this doesn't mean they have to remain conservative forever. Even ninjas can enjoy a higher quality of life.

For example, improving the individual combat capabilities and long-range raiding abilities of Anbu requires the introduction of auxiliary equipment. The biggest advantage of doing so is preserving the fighting strength of weaker ninjas and avoiding pointless deaths.

In other words, the future era will be the era of ninja tools. Even if Shinobi World war breaks out, there won't be any outrageous events like one person annihilating tens of thousands.

If an incredibly powerful being appears, simply blast them to death with super-powerful ninja tools.

Shaking his head, Yamato cleared his mind of the jumbled thoughts. He could think about those things later; for now, he needed to complete the escort mission first.

Two days later, Naruto and Yamato arrived safely in the Land of Hot Water.

Clearly, Yamato didn't regard him as a Chunin either. He left Naruto to search for Jiraiya Yamato returned to the village ahead of him.

Watching Yamato's departing figure, Naruto was also thinking about the flying machine. It wasn't just a pipe dream; it was still possible to squeeze Captain Yamato a little harder.

It's not impossible for him to even create a Wood Release version of Iron Man Suit; scientific research is something that will cost him millions of hairs.

Captain Yamato was already on his way back, was unaware that his thick brown hair had been targeted. He just felt a chill run down his spine and shivered for no reason.

The Land of Hot Water a place of outstanding people and abundant resources.

The local specialties include various hot springs and beautiful, fair-skinned girls. There are also a few themed streets, often bundled with the hot springs.

Naruto didn't know Jiraiya brothel Jiraiya had persuaded the prostitutes to reform, so he could only search one brothel after another. Like a fledgling bird entering a mudflat, he startled a flock of gulls and egrets.

Seeing a boy like Naruto, their eyes practically lit up, and they all swayed their slender waists. They pulled down their clothes, revealing smooth skin, and didn't even charge them.

"Come here, I'll take good care of you."

"Men at this age are the most delicious. The scent of a man mixed with sweat is an absolute delight. One bite and you'll be hooked."

"Come in and play a game with your sister, rock-paper-scissors. The loser has to **."

"Yes, yes, it must be very **."

As the successor of the new era, the archbishop of the Konoha Pure Love Church, his will was as hard as iron, completely ignoring the women who fawned over him.

"Madam, please have some self-respect!"

"Don't come any closer! I'm all about pure love! You veiled minotaur!"

With a bang, Naruto finally found Jiraiya drinking and carousing in a shop. Seeing him drunkenly making lewd remarks to a woman, Naruto's face immediately darkened.

"Pervy Sage, you deserve to die! You've been using my name to fool around in this brothel? How shameless!!"

Jiraiya was startled by the commotion at the door, but quickly regained his composure upon seeing Naruto. He waved the woman away, a familiar smile appearing on Jiraiya's face.

"Yo, Naruto, long time no see."

"Stop changing the subject!" Naruto said irritably, walking over and clearing the table of snacks from the drinks. "How do you explain this?"

"I didn't use your name." Jiraiya pulled out Make-Out Paradise and pointed to the protagonist's name, saying, "The protagonist in my story is named Naruto."

Upon hearing this, Naruto's face twitched, completely stunned by the old man's obvious rhetoric.

"Stop showing off, it's just an imperial edict, isn't it?" Naruto sat down, glanced at Jiraiya, and said, "You rushed to find me, has it come to your senses?"

The investigation mission in the Land of Rain was indeed dangerous. If Jiraiya went in Jiraiya without any intelligence support, he would surely die.

Before this, Jiraiya had remained stubbornly unyielding, insisting on going through the challenges alone. But for some reason, the old man changed his mind.

"What do you mean by 'understanding' or 'not understanding'? You're being disrespectful." Jiraiya took a sip of his drink, taking advantage of his drunkenness. "We'll talk about the investigation in the Land of Rain later."

"I have some big news to tell you first, but don't be surprised."

Hearing Jiraiya's familiar fishing tone, Naruto became wary, wondering what mischief this old man was up to now. Was he planning to drag him into some prophecy?

"Wait, if you think it has nothing to do with me, you don't need to leak it to me." Naruto got up to leave.

"Since you're already here," Jiraiya pulled him back. "At least listen to the whole thing before you leave."

"Pervy Sage, have some decency! Are you setting a trap for me?" Naruto frowned, looking at Jiraiya displeasure.

"I'm the only genius in the Uzumaki Clan. You can't do anything so despicable, or you'll be struck by lightning."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?" Jiraiya felt a little guilty, but quickly regained his composure. "How could I possibly harm you?"

"Most murderers will immediately try to deny their innocence." Naruto looked at him coldly and shook off Jiraiya's hand. "Don't drag me into this mess you've made."

"I just took the Nine-Tails out of my body, and I haven't even had a few good days yet. Don't try to force any strange things onto me, or I really won't acknowledge this master-disciple relationship."

"Alright." Jiraiya coughed to cover his embarrassment. "I Jiraiya the Sage, never betray my disciples. Things must go on..."

For the next half hour, Jiraiya recounted his experiences over the past six months.

"Stop." Naruto rubbed his forehead, unable to listen any longer. "So you found the Child of Prophecy, only to discover he was in Orochimaru's hands, and now Orochimaru has vanished?"

"To be precise, he was killed by Sasuke Uchiha," Jiraiya said, taking a small sip of his sake.

"So what are you planning to do?" he asked.

He knew that Jiraiya almost unquestioningly believed in the old Toad's prophecy. Even though he spent half his life searching for the Child of Prophecy without success, he never questioned the truth of the prophecy.

"The trail has gone cold, so naturally we should deal with the most pressing matters in the village first," Jiraiya said. "In a couple of days, you will come with me to the Land of Rain to investigate."

"Pervy Sage, why do I always feel like you're plotting something against me?" Naruto didn't respond.

"How could that be?" Jiraiya tactically took a sip of his drink. "You were the one who kept insisting on going to the Land of Rain, and now I've agreed, haven't I?"

"The trip to the Land of Rain is fraught with peril. My current strength is no less than yours," Naruto said slowly. "I'm only going to travel with you because I'm afraid you'll die there."

"Pervy Sage, you mustn't be ungrateful for my protection. Who knows who will be your teacher and who will be your disciple in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's face turned pale.

"No respect for elders."

"Oh."

"I also inquired about something else along the way," Jiraiya determined.

Naruto glanced at him sideways, feeling a pang of pity, but considering his promise to resolve the troubles in the Land of Rain as soon as possible, he reluctantly nodded, signaling him to continue.

Who is the disciple and who is the teacher? The seniority has been reversed. But Jiraiya didn't mind and continued.

"Over the years, I've traveled all over the country and noticed something: Ninjutsu seems to be gradually declining. Maybe ninjas will disappear in the future, as if they never existed."

"So what if it declines?" Naruto leaned back in his chair, looking up, and said nonchalantly, "It was fine before there were ninjas."

"Pervy Sage, instead of wasting your time on that, you should develop technology. To put it bluntly, Ninjutsu is inherently unstable, Kekkei Genkai."

"What do you know? Ninjutsu is irreplaceable," Jiraiya retorted.

"Tch." He leaned back in his chair and glanced at Jiraiya. "Ninjutsu is a power that appears out of thin air. It wouldn't be surprising if it disappeared one day."

"The Third Hokage was known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, but Ninjutsu is endless. No matter how many Ninjutsu you learn or how strong you become, you will still die and turn into a handful of dust."

Jiraiya was stunned, and the words of someone from his memory resurfaced.

Naruto (Orochimaru): "If Ninjutsu must have an end, then it is immortality."