Jiraiya: Damn It, I Fell for It Again

After a tender moment together, Hinata's inner turmoil dissipated considerably. When Neji came in at noon, he found that the guy had said something that made Hinata laugh.

He couldn't help but marvel at how absurd reality was compared to movies; he'd managed to win this back.

"Ahem." Neji stopped at the doorway and looked at the beautiful couple in the hall. "Well... it's getting late, let's eat first."

"Ah!" Hinata awkwardly released Naruto, her face slightly flushed.

Naruto, however, remained calm and showed no embarrassment whatsoever on their turf. He first nodded in agreement, and then asked a question.

"Neji, where did you go? Why did you take so long?"

Neji: "."

He thought to himself, "This guy is really shameless. His excuse for bringing Hinata over is to handle some tedious paperwork. Now that Hinata is by your side, someone has to shoulder the burden."

"I'm dealing with some documents, it's not too much trouble," Neji said with a gentle smile, emphasizing the word "troublesome."

Naruto ignored him, as if he hadn't understood anything, and walked over to pat Neji on the shoulder.

"Since things have come to this, let's eat first."

Neji: "."

Neji was too lazy to argue with Naruto's shameless excuse. He knew perfectly well what he'd been busy with, yet he still had to ask that cheeky question.

The three of them had a simple lunch, nothing too fancy. During the meal, Hinata and Neji looked at Naruto, but Hinata's gaze was sweet.

Neji remained calm, revealing a deep-seated resentment in his eyes, glancing at Naruto every now and then. In his view, Naruto's growth was rapid, essentially perfectly matching or even surpassing the developmental trajectory of Konohagakure's past geniuses.

For example, the Fourth Hokage, or the Konoha Sannin. However, this significant increase in strength didn't make him more mature; instead, he became more emotionally immature.

After dinner, Naruto and Hinata spent some more time together, sitting on the shady steps in the backyard, whispering sweet nothings. They were close, their laughter filling the air under the green shade.

Ahead lies Bamboo Forest swaying gently in the wind, a refreshing breeze blowing.

The two were very close, Naruto could smell the refreshing fragrance emanating from Hinata in the air, which made him a little distracted.

Fortunately, he had a strong mental fortitude and knew that now was not the time to let his mind wander.

Hinata glanced at Naruto furtively, a faint blush rising to her ears. She nervously brushed her hair aside and asked anxiously.

"What are you sniffing?"

The slight shaking made the faint fragrance even stronger, Naruto asked with some curiosity.

"Didn't you wear perfume?"

"Without"

"Really? Let me see."

The next day.

Naruto opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, feeling a bit annoyed. He had spent the whole day yesterday trying to soothe Hinata, and the results were clearly visible.

Even the brief, intimate moments kept him awake at night, tossing and turning. He kept thinking about the first time he connected with Hinata, and his heart felt like it was on fire.

He slumped to his feet, almost instinctively adjusting the position of the ferocious little Naruto, and went into the living room to get a drink of water. Anyway, Hinata was appeased.

Now it's time to think about how to appease Ino, and also to deal with Ino's parents once and for all. This is something he can't do on his own.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but frown. He had always relied on Uchiha Sasuke to escape danger. Now it had become a dependency; when faced with a problem, he would subconsciously think, "Why isn't Sasuke here to Sasuke?"

The sound of wind chimes came from the balcony Uzuki Yugao stood outside the French windows, opening one ajar and looking at him expressionlessly. Two seconds later, she spoke.

"The Lord Hokage is looking for you."

Before he could even respond, Uzuki Yugao hurriedly made a move to leave.

Naruto: "."

He didn't know what he had done to offend Uzuki Yugao, or maybe it was because her period had started. Her attitude these past few days had been lukewarm, which was incredibly frustrating to watch.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Naruto reached out and grabbed the French window. "What do you mean by this?"

"What do you mean?" Uzuki Yugao turned around.

"Do I owe you money?" he asked.

"No." Uzuki Yugao shook her head, her face still cold.

"Then if you keep looking at me like that, I'd think I owe you money." Naruto wasn't going to put up with her. He slammed the glass window shut with a bang and then pulled the curtains shut.

On the balcony, Uzuki Yugao stared at the tightly closed French windows, somewhat speechless. She hadn't done anything; she'd just been preoccupied with some worries these past few days.

However, she could also tell that Naruto seemed just as irritable as she was. Taking a deep breath, Uzuki Yugao suppressed all the anger in her heart.

An hour later, Naruto finished washing up and leisurely went out the door.

Konohagakure is a village with a very slow pace of life. Apart from the village center, there are hardly any tall buildings, and everywhere is full of green trees.

Unremarkable alleyways are everywhere, with small stalls set up in front of breakfast shops. The green trees at the alley entrance are lush and verdant, their roots intertwined, casting large patches of green shade on the ground at noon.

The branches of the green tree were so thick that two or three people couldn't wrap their arms around it. At the end of the green tree was the more prosperous Konohagakure Street, with a stronger sense of everyday life.

The street is lined with snack shops, barbershops, and all sorts of daily necessities stores. At the end of the road, an old man with gray hair stands there, looking up at something.

Naruto was stunned for a moment, then made sure he wasn't seeing things. He quickly walked over, and the man's appearance became clearer; it was indeed Jiraiya.

His long, white hair was like needles, and he wore a red coat and wooden clogs. His flamboyant and exaggerated style made him look like a lecherous, delinquent old man.

"Yo! Naruto, long time no see!"

"Hey, you Pervy Sage, when did you get back?" Naruto was a little confused, but then his mind suddenly became active, and a flash of inspiration struck him.

"I just got back and was just about to ask Kakashi to find you," Jiraiya said with a hearty laugh. "I didn't expect you to show up on your own. That's good, saves me the trouble."

"I went out because Kakashi was looking for me." Naruto suddenly thought of something, and his expression became a little strange. He thought to himself that the Pervy Sage probably didn't know about what had happened to him recently.

"Pervy Sage, what do you want with me?" he asked.

"It's a long story. You should go find Kakashi first. I'll wait for you at the izakaya on Konohagakure Street." Jiraiya waved his hand, oblivious to the dangers of the world.

Upon hearing this, Naruto smiled and spoke.

"Alright, I'll come find you when I get back. I also need to talk to you about something."

"Go ahead." Jiraiya suspect anything and smiled happily.

After parting ways with Jiraiya, Naruto headed straight for the Hokage Building. The moment he saw Jiraiya return, an idea popped into his head.

He truly couldn't handle Ino's parents. No matter how strong he was, he couldn't help it because he liked their daughter. Their generational difference made him inherently inferior.

Even if you went to their door, you'd likely get a cold shoulder, and it might even worsen the relationship. But now, if Jiraiya is willing to pave the way for you, that's a different story.

With a jumble of thoughts in his mind, Naruto arrived at the Hokage Building and knocked on Kakashi's office door.

"Please come in." Kakashi looked up. "Oh, it's Naruto. Find a chair and sit down."

"What happened?" Naruto pulled out a chair and sat down, asking. "But what kind of mission is it? Let me make it clear, I'm not taking on missions right now."

These words made it sound like I wasn't accepting customers anymore, which immediately silenced Kakashi.

"It's not a mission. Whether you accept the mission or not is your choice. The village won't force you. Of course you have the right to refuse," Kakashi paused for a moment before continuing.

"The main reason I called you here is to talk to you about the Hyuga Clan and the Yamanaka Clan."

"Seriously? The village even interferes with free love?" Naruto was dumbfounded, and said indignantly, "This is my private matter, it's none of the village's business."

"Ah, the village intends to help you."

"The village truly values loyalty and righteousness; all my years of studying the Will of Fire have been worthwhile." Naruto's tone suddenly changed, and tears welled up in his eyes. "So, how does the village plan to help me?"

"Naruto, this matter involves harmony between two major ninja clans. What are your thoughts? The village will do its utmost to provide the necessary assistance."

"The village has to help me prove my innocence! This really has nothing to do with me!" Naruto said. "It's all the fault of those Akatsuki Organization."

"Okay." Kakashi nodded.

"You also need to help me appease Ino's parents and explain that this is all a misunderstanding. It would be best to find someone to take the blame. Just say that the person was Konohagakure rogue ninja who kidnapped Ino and Hinata mainly to take revenge on the village."

"That's going too far. It's also a stretch to say if word gets out," Kakashi said, embarrassed. "Besides, where are you going to find someone to take the blame for you?"

"Wouldn't Itachi Uchiha be a perfect fit?"

"He's dead."

"Just say you faked your death," Naruto said, shrugging. "That would be even better. Since there's no way to prove it, wouldn't that be perfect?"

"Perfect my ass?" Kakashi was stunned, wondering if Naruto had gone mad from the pressure.

"I'm afraid this village can't do it," Kakashi, somewhat troubled.

"Alright." Naruto nodded, without a trace of regret. "I didn't have high expectations to begin with, and now I'm even less concerned."

Finally, after Naruto's nonsensical nagging, the conversation fell through. This was also Naruto's intention; he wanted to go to his village and avoid any connection with it.

Pshaw, it won't make a difference who comes.

Izakaya.

"The Child of Prophecy?" Naruto looked astonished. "How long have you been searching? Pervy Sage, why won't you give up? The Child of Prophecy doesn't exist at all."

"Toad Old Master Toad recently came to see me and told me about his latest dream." Jiraiya held his wine cup, but never raised it.

"What content?" Naruto asked, then added, "About the Child of Prophecy?"

"Yes, they say it was born in Land of Sea Salt."

"Huh? Is Toad Old Master Toad getting senile?" Naruto propped his head up with his hand, looking speechless. "Pervy Sage, believe me!"

Jiraiya shook his head and spoke with a frown.

"The only place I can think of in the Land of Sea Salt is the Land of Whirlpools Island. Haven't you been there? What's it like up there? I'm planning to go."

"You'd better not go down there," Naruto thought again of the countless wreckages in the abyss of the Land of Whirlpools and the allied forces of the living dead from the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning.

"What's wrong?"

"It's alright, there's no one alive on it, it's just a deserted island," he said.

"How could that be?" Jiraiya, somewhat troubled. After a long pause, he looked at Naruto. "Let's not talk about this for now. Didn't you want to see me about something?"

"Well, it's a long story," Naruto gasped, his expression exaggerated. "Actually, it's nothing major, it's just..."

Ten minutes later.

Jiraiya drank another bottle of sake before his shocked expression eased somewhat. He looked up, still somewhat incredulous, at his youngest student.

"You mean you like both Ino and Hinata. Then Obito Uchiha Konohagakure, kidnapped Ino and Hinata, just to force out the Nine-Tails?"

"Right."

"Are you kidding me?" Jiraiya was dumbfounded. There were so many things to complain about that he didn't know where to begin.

"That man claimed to be Uchiha Madara, but he was actually Obito Uchiha. He didn't die." Naruto explained, picking out some key points. "The Uchiha Madara who controlled the Nine-Tails and attacked the village many years ago was actually Obito Uchiha disguise."

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya involuntarily withdrew his hand. He realized that Naruto knew so much information that he himself did not, and he probably also knew about his parents.

"Are you sure?" Jiraiya took a sip of sake to calm himself down.

When he investigated the Akatsuki Organization, he mainly focused on Nagato and a few others. After the events in the Land of Rain were resolved, Jiraiya stopped paying attention to the Akatsuki Organization members who had scattered and fled.

"It's absolutely true, would I lie to you, you Pervy Sage?" Naruto picked up his chopsticks to pick up some side dishes, sighing repeatedly, "I really have nothing now."

Jiraiya frowned as he watched Naruto playing the victim.

"You're too much. Can't you be loyal to one person? Hinata or Ino, choose one."

"Pervy Sage, that's easy for you to say when you're not in my shoes," Naruto scoffed. "Look, I've never asked you for anything, so how about you do me a favor?"

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's eyelids twitched; his intuition told him this was definitely not a good assignment. But after hearing Naruto's pitiful outburst, he felt a pang of pity.

"Alright, you go first."

"Pervy Sage, could you help me talk to Ino's parents and say some nice things?" Naruto deliberately lowered his demands so that Jiraiya couldn't refuse.

"Ah! How could I possibly have the face to go to someone's door?" Jiraiya shocked and made to stand up. "You're pushing me into a fire pit!"

"Weren't you pretty shameless when you were spying on the women's bathhouse?" Naruto muttered.

"That's different."

"How is it different?" Naruto retorted. "I have no elders, you are my master, practically my godfather. Are you going to watch me grow old alone?"

"Besides, don't you also think Ino is great?"

"This..." Jiraiya hesitated for a long time, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll do my best. Don't ask me for this kind of thing again!"

"Okay!" Naruto said with an obedient expression.