Across Thousands of Miles, Even a Voice Could Stir the Heart; Jiraiya Willingly Accepted the Title of Archbishop

"You—" Jiraiya sobered up instantly, breaking out in a cold sweat. "Is that really what you think?"

What are your thoughts?

"Immortality?" Jiraiya asked solemnly.

"Not interested." Naruto waved his hand. "I'm only a few years old, I was just saying that casually. Oh, by the way, I'm not very interested in Ninjutsu either."

What's the point of using cheat codes? You'll get bored after a while.

Not to mention immortality; he was originally a stranger in a foreign land, and death was already a thing of the past for him. Having died once before, he had nothing to fear.

Moreover, he knew that the origin of Ninjutsu in this world was the Otsutsuki. Orochimaru's pursuit of immortality did not exist unless he possessed Otsutsuki and repeatedly resurrected them using the Karma Reincarnation technique.

Sasori's puppet core and Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation also prove that a ninja's consciousness can actually be transferred continuously, just like the Karma seal of the Otsutsuki.

The path to immortality is the process of abandoning the human body and continuously refining oneself into Otsutsuki. But even Otsutsuki are not immortal; at the end of the Otsutsuki lies a god.

Asura and Indra were merely Otsutsuki; the ultimate goal of their Ninjutsu was to become a different kind of Otsutsuki and journey to the void of space.

He could see the end of Ninjutsu at a glance, and with the system constantly adding points to his Deep Blue cultivation, he naturally transcended worldly concerns. Forget immortality; he had little interest in Ninjutsu unless absolutely necessary.

As the saying goes, at the end of Ninjutsu, who stands at the peak? Once you see the system, all your efforts are in vain. No matter how strong you are, the system will allocate points to you in the deep blue realm, and it will crush all the messy things in the future.

Jiraiya: "Although I want to remind you not to follow in Orochimaru's footsteps, you're being far too pessimistic."

"There's nothing wrong with being a little negative. Not everyone is focused on constantly getting stronger. Pervy Sage, if I were truly positive, you probably wouldn't be here today."

Naruto paused deliberately and lowered his voice.

"Whether you seek out the Child of Prophecy or take on a new apprentice, I don't care, but don't drag me into it. To be honest, you Pervy Sage, I don't really believe what the Toad Sage says."

"You don't believe me? Do you know how long the Toad Sage has lived?" Jiraiya took a sip of sake. "His predictions have never been wrong."

"Is living a long life necessarily a good thing?" Naruto looked disdainfully at him, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then lowered his voice, "I'll believe it if you let it live a second life."

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Jiraiya flicked Naruto. "Don't let the Toad Sage's seemingly impending death fool you; he might outlive you."

"Tch, what's the point of comparing humans to Toad?"

As Naruto stood up, he looked at the sliding shoji door and spoke.

"The Pervy Sage might actually live a second life. There's still plenty of time, so don't make any premature statements. However, some people are destined not to live to see that day."

"Let's go, Land of Rain."

He called out, but seeing that Jiraiya remained silent behind him, he couldn't help but turn around and glance at him. Jiraiya looked hesitant, as if he were having an internal struggle.

"What? You've changed your mind again?" he said, frowning.

"No, are you hungry? Do you want to go out and find a place to eat first?" Jiraiya asked.

"I don't... um?" He sensed something was wrong and stroked his chin. "You didn't order something weird, did you? Two hours?"

"How... how could this be?"

In the end, Naruto, with a cold smile, Jiraiya dragged Jiraiya away. What a joke! Wait another day because of something like that? He couldn't wait a second longer; he wanted nothing more than to rip Nagato's oxygen tube out right then and there.

An old man and a young boy, master and apprentice, hurriedly set off.

Jiraiya sighed repeatedly, and Naruto was thoroughly annoyed. He thought to himself, "Damn, this old man is so annoying! All I did was interrupt his research! Was it really necessary?"

"You Pervy Sage, I can accept your choice of subjects, but targeting Love Hotel owners is going too far," he said, finally losing his temper. "Your behavior would be outrageous no matter when it happens."

"What does a little kid like you know?" Jiraiya muttered. "Mind your own business."

"Putting everything else aside, Pervy Sage. We are now nominally master and disciple, but given that my strength is no less than yours, you'd better show me some respect."

Naruto sneered and said without any politeness.

"When we reach the Land of Rain and I come to your rescue, we'll settle things separately. If necessary, you'll have to address me as Bishop Naruto."

"Dream on! I, the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, haven't even used one ten-thousandth of my abilities yet. How could you, a mere Genin, possibly have the chance? Genin or Chunin?"

"He's already Chunin."

"Oh, oh, who gave you, a mere Chunin such nonsense!"

"I've already taken down four Akatsuki Organization members," Naruto added. "By the time you, an old man in your fifties, get involved, it'll be too late."

Whether the Shinobi World is in chaos or not still depends on me.

"Arrogant!" Jiraiya felt a chill run down his spine.

"Don't worry about whether I'm arrogant or not. Just watch whether I kill the leader of Akatsuki Organization. Don't stop me when I make my move."

"Why would I stop you? What nonsense are you spouting?" Jiraiya said, a slight smile playing on his lips, feeling inexplicably relaxed.

Over the decades, he has taken on many disciples. Some were as stunningly talented as the Fourth Hokage, while others were as tenacious as Nagato Konan Yahiko.

But this annoying disciple in front of him, who was good at all kinds of joking and banter, was the one who won his heart the most. Minato Nagato, Yahiko, Konan were all too serious.

Naruto is quite similar to him; the two are more like friends than master and disciple. The older you get, the fewer people you can talk to.

The journey from the Land of Hot Water to the Land of Rain takes approximately two days.

Unlike the methodical Yamato, Jiraiya wasn't in a hurry to travel. Jiraiya the sun had even set, he found a small market town to stay in.

"Gathering intelligence is also a very important part of completing a mission, so don't underestimate these details." Jiraiya tidied himself up and prepared to go out with a beaming smile.

"Go ahead, I'm too lazy to go." Naruto lay on the sofa in the hotel, looking listless. He already had enough information.

"You're really boring." Jiraiya closed the door.

The light in the room went out, and a corner of the sofa was swallowed by darkness. Naruto covered his eyes with his hands and lay there for about ten minutes before reaching for his waist.

There was a rustling sound coming from the sofa. He took out a simple gadget that looked like a miniature communication device, about half the size of his palm.

A simple box covered the electronic components inside, with thick, haphazardly connected red and green wires that were utterly devoid of any aesthetic appeal.

Even so, he still held it carefully and pressed the only red button. The single tiny red light on the surface of the device blinked rhythmically, as if it were breathing.

In the dark living room, the red light flashed continuously for several minutes. Naruto stared at the red light without moving, and time passed slowly, as if an eternity had elapsed.

Five minutes later, the flashing red light suddenly stopped, then quickly turned green a second later. A hoarse, crackling sound came through, echoing in the empty living room.

The static lasted for half a minute, then suddenly stopped. His breathing could be heard throughout the living room; his jawline was smooth, and his chest rose and fell slightly with each breath.

According to Jiraiya's assessment, when he's not talking, he looks like a handsome blond guy. Of course, that's assuming he's not even a fraction as handsome as the Sage of Mount Myōboku back in the day.

The small town has a humid climate, and in April, moisture clung to the walls. Water droplets condensed and dripped down the exquisitely decorated tiles of the hotel, leaving tiny streaks of water on the walls.

In the center of the living room, on a red sofa, a slender, clean-cut young man held a very simple little device. He opened his mouth, cleared his throat, and asked.

"Ino?"

With a crackling sound, another crackling of electricity followed. Then silence fell as he waited patiently, wondering if the thing had malfunctioned.

Another crackling sound of electricity came through, followed by a clear, bright, and cautious sound.

"Yes, it's me."

Ino was home alone. The living room lights were off, and she was curled up in her room upstairs. A small pile of electronic components lay scattered to one side, and she was writing and drawing under the lamp.

Father was busy with work, and lately he'd been even busier. Mother was also busy managing the flower shop, and sometimes she'd go to the Intelligence Department to keep Father company, as if Ino was the only one who was superfluous.

It's supposed to be a movie with three people, but she never gets a name.

In her eyes, her parents were busy but loving; at least her father never volunteered to work overtime. She also occasionally learned from her mother that her father worked overtime only for the sake of the family.

After her vacation ended, she basically stayed in the Hokage's Office. Most of the time she didn't have to go to work; she certainly couldn't go back to the Intelligence Department, so she stayed home and focused on researching new technologies.

Stepping into a new field is not as difficult as one might imagine. After putting in some effort, she still achieved some considerable success.

This includes the rudimentary communicator she gave to Naruto, which used Chakra technology to maintain communication and had a delay of about ten seconds.

She had already finished showering and was sitting in her chair, intending to continue studying, her wet hair hanging down. Suddenly, she noticed the communicator, which was placed in the most conspicuous spot on her desk, light up, and her breathing quickened.

She pressed the button cautiously, and after another long wait, a voice finally came from the other end amidst the crackling of electricity.

"Ino?"

So sweet! Does a guy's voice change after going out for a while?

Actually, his voice and tone hadn't changed. It's just that Naruto wasn't sure if the junk Ino had made was even useful, so his tone was cautious.

It seemed as if raising the volume even slightly would shatter this contraption, which was even more rudimentary than an old car. In reality, it was far more sturdy than the old man's wheelchair.

Just by looking at his voice, she could picture what he looked like. Knowing Naruto as she did, he was the kind of person who would rather lie down than stand up.

At this moment, he is probably wearing loose clothes, lying comfortably somewhere, in a small, private space, and pressing the communicator button.

Her head was resting against something, her jawline clearly defined, and her Adam's apple, where she had bitten it, protruded. Her eyes were indifferent, seemingly unfocused, and she looked somewhat cold and indifferent.

With just one sentence, Ino visualized Naruto's entire manner of speaking in her mind. It was as if he were right in front of her, separated only by a thin membrane.

"Can you hear me?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, that's fine."

"I'm in a small town, and I'll be going on a mission soon. I can't feel at ease without hearing your voice."

"Huh?" Ino was still thinking of a topic to talk about, but she didn't expect the other party to go straight to the point. The words she had prepared in her mind immediately collapsed, and another chaotic battle ensued.

"I... I don't know what to say," she said, then immediately regretted it.

At times like this, she becomes tongue-tied. Isn't she usually very talkative? She's always polite to every customer, and even the most taciturn flower buyer can strike up a conversation.

But as the words were about to come out, Ino realized that some people were just special. Just hearing his voice, or even a single thought from him, was enough to make her completely lose her composure.

"Let's start with something simple."

The voice on the other end became languid again, unhurried, and with a hint of a smile.

"Okay." Ino gripped the communicator, her heart pounding. This was something she and Naruto had agreed on: testing the communicator's stability.

That night, more than two weeks ago, Naruto told her to focus on making the communicator. He told her not to worry about the higher-ups; he would do the testing for her.

The two agreed that Naruto would contact her from a distance far from Konohagakure using a communicator to test its functionality and identify any defects.

Can you hear me?

". able."

"Then I'll begin."

"Um."

Do you miss me?

"Huh?" Ino was startled, and her palms became sweaty.

From that moment on, she knew she could never outsmart him.

Jiraiya returned late at night reeking of alcohol. He didn't complain, quickly washed up, and collapsed onto the bed, sleeping soundly until noon the next day.

The next day.

When Jiraiya excitedly told Naruto how much information he had gathered about the Land of Rain, he noticed Naruto's dismissive and indifferent gaze.

What kind of look is that?

"Pervy Sage, is this all the information you've gathered?"

"What brilliant idea do you have, Archbishop Naruto?" Jiraiya's face twitched, wishing he could hang him up and give him a good beating.

"We can't touch the rain in the Land of Rain. It would be best to find Ninjutsu that can block our senses," Naruto said. "The leader of the Akatsuki Organization is named Pain."

"The Six Paths of Pain each possess different abilities."

"Oh, by the way, I heard that it only rains on Sundays in the Land of Rain. If there's no way to block it, it's best to enter the Land of Rain on a Sunday."

Jiraiya stunned. Such detailed information didn't seem fabricated.

"You already investigated this?"

"More or less." Naruto neither admitted nor denied it, looking like a seasoned fisherman sitting calmly on the sidelines, with a smile on his face. "I have even more detailed information."

He didn't reveal any information such as the Rinnegan or Nagato, just waiting for Jiraiya to take the bait.

Jiraiya had a vague feeling that something was amiss, but he couldn't help asking anyway.

"Naruto, what news?"

"Um?"

"Archbishop Naruto."

"Um."