Jiraiya's Disappearance, Neji's Marriage, and the Entrance to the Underground River

In an instant, within a few short minutes, the middle-aged fat man from the Fukama family felt the wickedness of human nature. The sun and human hearts are unbearable to look at; the Scroll King and the Silver Coin both deserve to die!

But he knew he couldn't deny it, even if it was true. However, the head of the family had instructed him before he arrived not to make enemies, and not to mess things up no matter what happened.

"The gifts... the gifts are still on their way, there are too many, they're stuck in transit." He was sent to represent the Fukama family in public, and apart from being a little dim-witted, he was no mediocre person.

"Okay, I understand." Naruto's gaze swept over the three of them. "So, shall we get down to business?"

"No, the Son Kazu Family's spying on the Intelligence Department and their reckless behavior are truly deserving of punishment," suggested the young man from the Egawa family. "It's early, let's eat first."

"How about we eat and chat?"

"Good."

"They really said that?" Kakashi muttered to himself, rubbing his chin with a look of disbelief. "Strange, what's wrong with these nobles?"

"I don't know either. I didn't do anything. I just sat down after I got back and this is how it is." Naruto said lazily, nestled in his chair.

"They might also be scared, after all, you eliminated a great noble family. They wanted to divide the Son Kazu Family, and they must have gained a lot of benefits as well."

"Those nobles are really despicable, but their attitude was quite nice," Naruto said.

"Then let's not worry about it. Since they're the ones who showed goodwill first, let's just accept it all," Kakashi said. "That's good too, the Intelligence Department's projects can proceed smoothly."

"Huh? Kakashi-sensei, you're still paying attention to the Intelligence Department's projects?" he asked in surprise.

"What kind of talk is that? I'm the Hokage, how could I not be concerned about the important matters of the Intelligence Department?" Kakashi coughed. "It's just that, as you know, there's been too much going on these past few months."

"So, Hokage is indeed a troublesome job," Naruto said.

"Hmm, there's one more thing," Kakashi suddenly said, then started rummaging through the documents on the table. "Wait, they're suddenly gone. They were just here a moment ago."

Kakashi scratched his head, looking sullen.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing, just a small matter. The Daimyo of the Land of Birds, Toki, recently visited." Kakashi was still looking down at his documents. "She asked if you're an adult and seemed to want to see you."

"Toki?" Naruto searched his memory for a while and recalled a mission experience where he slapped her a few times. How could this person still remember him?

Is he a masochist? He's so cute.

"Forget it, don't bother looking for her. I can't be bothered to see her," Naruto said. "This woman's sudden kindness is never for nothing. What if she's trying to conceive? That would be troublesome."

"That's true. If that's the case, it would indeed be quite troublesome," Kakashi muttered to himself, his one exposed dead fish eye drooping.

Just then, there was a rapid knocking on the office door.

"There's someone there," Naruto said.

"Come in." Kakashi looked up at the doorway.

After receiving permission, the door was hurriedly pushed open. Izumo Kamizuki pushed the door open and stepped aside to make room for him, only then did the two see that a slender, dark orange Toad was following behind him.

Naruto immediately realized that this was not the Scroll Toad.

"Lord Hokage, the Scroll Toad has something important to tell you." After saying that, Izumo Kamizuki immediately slipped away.

After Tsunade left the village, the newly appointed Sixth Hokage, Kakashi, faced the awkward situation of having no one to rely on, so he simply inherited the team left by the Fifth Hokage.

This includes the Anbu Captain, Uzuki Yugao, as well as two secretaries who were promoted from gatekeepers to errand runners, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki.

"Gamatora? What are you doing in Konohagakure? What new news has the Pervy Sage had?" Naruto asked, looking lazy with a smile on his face.

It's been so long since Jiraiya heard from Jiraiya. I wonder where he's gone and lost contact. Seeing Gamatora now feels kind of familiar; Jiraiya often used Gamatora to deliver messages.

"Kakashi, Naruto." The Scroll Toad jumped over and said with a serious expression, "Jiraiya is in trouble. He disappeared underground during a mission and seems to be missing."

"Missing?" He stared at Gamatora in astonishment, then sat up straight and asked seriously, "Is the information reliable?"

"Yes, when I was summoned, Jiraiya seemed to be on an underground river with a very strong current. He was caught in an Uzumaki and sank down, Chakra disappeared instantly," Gamatora said.

"Did the Chakra just disappear?" Kakashi noticed this. "Logically speaking, even if someone is caught in Uzumaki, it's impossible for their Chakra to disappear in an instant."

"Perhaps there's another dimension down there? Or maybe some other mystery. In any case, we still have to go and see for ourselves. After all, Lord Jiraiya summoned the Scroll Toad, probably to send some message outwards."

Hearing this, Naruto frowned, but he wasn't too worried. He knew Jiraiya was very capable and had a lot of ways to protect himself.

Aside from the Scroll Toad used specifically for delivering messages, Jiraiya summon Gourd Toad, which would burrow into his body to maintain long-term underwater survival.

"Did Jiraiya say anything when he summoned you?" he asked.

"No." Gamatora shook his head. "It was a steep rock face, and the light was very dim. It seemed to be an Underground Dark River with a large drop in elevation."

"When I appeared, Jiraiya one hand above the water, and he was swallowed up in an instant."

"An underground Uzumaki?" Kakashi remained calm as always, analyzing, "Lord Jiraiya's Summoning Beast is Toad from Mount Myōboku. If it's just been swept underwater, it will always be able to get out."

"Besides, with Lord Jiraiya and find a way out. Is it possible that Lord Jiraiya was simply swept into the Underground Dark River and taken to a more distant place?"

"That's possible." Naruto nodded, but then added, "However, under normal circumstances, Jiraiya wouldn't be in such a hurry to summon Gamatora. Perhaps he's really in trouble."

"Gamatora, do you remember where Lord Jiraiya disappeared to?" Kakashi asked.

"I can only give it a try, I walked a long way to find the exit. The location... maybe we can find it. If we set off now, maybe we can," Gamatora said.

Upon hearing this, Naruto looked at Kakashi.

"You guys shouldn't go alone either. Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee are still in the village. You should form a team and go together," Kakashi immediately and decisively gave the order.

"Anyway, you've done missions together before, so you work together quite well."

"Okay," Naruto readily agreed.

About half an hour later, Team 3, having received the Hokage's emergency summons, immediately assembled. Of the Konoha 12, Team 3 still on a mission in the village.

Only Choji remains unassigned in Team 10, but he cannot possibly carry out a mission alone. After getting married, he has already begun learning how to handle clan affairs.

Most ninja clans have ties with noble families, and the relationships between them are quite complex. Managing these relationships is no easy task; one must calmly and diligently study.

Team Seven. The entire Team Seven is full of villains; not a single one is easy to deal with. Kakashi is frustrated; none of his students are any good.

Of Team Eight, only Shino Aburame is still on missions, while Kiba Inuzuka has been busy helping with clan affairs. As for Hinata, the changes in the Hinata have forced her to stay in the clan and assist Neji.

Neji didn't have much time to take on missions originally, but after more than a month, the conflict between the Hyuga Branch Family and the Main Family has eased a lot.

With guidance from Hyuga Hiashi and the help of Hinata and Hanabi, Neji quickly became familiar with clan affairs and handled them efficiently.

That alone wouldn't be enough to give him real time to take on missions. The most crucial reason is that Neji took the initiative to resolve the conflict Branch Family Main Family.

"You got married?" Naruto was stunned, then turned sharply to Neji. "When?"

"Seven days ago," Neji said calmly, nodding. "It was just a very simple wedding, not even a formal one, just a rehearsal beforehand."

"What?!" Tenten reacted even more strongly, rushing to Neji. "Marriage? Neji, you... you must be joking! We're right here in the village, you didn't even tell me or Rock Lee!"

"It's just a rehearsal, it's more like an engagement," Neji said. "We'll be officially getting married next month, and I'll invite you to the wedding."

"With whom?" Tenten asked with a complicated expression.

"A girl from the Main Family, someone I knew before, but I never expected to marry her." Neji Hyuga's voice was devoid of emotion, as if marriage was no different from eating or sleeping to him.

Although marriage includes sleeping together, he seems to think that marriage is just a very mundane thing.

"You got married so soon?" Rock Lee blinked, his thick eyebrows twitching. "Wow, Neji, I didn't expect you to be the first of the four of us to get married!"

Although Rock Lee sometimes speaks without thinking, he has one redeeming quality: he is sincere.

He subconsciously accepted Naruto as a member of Team 3, even though Naruto was just a temporary addition during that time, but Rock Lee always remembered his kindness.

"I thought Naruto would be the first to get married, but I didn't expect that," Rock Lee said with a smile.

Tenten pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. She felt a sense of loss, but not exactly distress, as she had been mentally prepared for it.

The Hyuga Clan primarily unites its members internally and rarely intermarries with outsiders. She was aware of this; she knew long ago that Neji would eventually marry a Hinata girl.

"I see. Is this to ease the conflict between the Main Family and the branch Branch Family?" Naruto said without looking up after packing up his climbing gear.

"No wonder you have time to come out and do missions. Have you taken care of things in the clan?"

"Yes, that's about it," Neji Hyuga said. "The marriage has indeed eased the conflict between the Main Family and the Branch Family, and things are moving in a positive direction."

"Congratulations, Neji." Tenten stepped forward, smiling with her lips pursed. "Wishing you a happy marriage."

"Thank you, Tenten." Neji nodded.

The mission begins, and the four of them embark on a high-speed journey.

Although Naruto was anxious this time, he didn't speed up the process, and Neji still led the team. Team 3 was equally experienced in rescue and investigation missions.

Two days later.

Above a deep underground valley, the group found the entrance. The Scroll Toad carefully examined its surroundings and pointed to the crack below.

"This is it."