How Dare You Assume My Wedding Won't Have Three People?

Jiraiya joined Naruto in his bickering for a while, then squinted at him. He knew perfectly well that Naruto was trying to mislead him, just trying to get him to ease the tension between him and Ino's parents.

He just laughed it off and didn't seem to care too much.

In his eyes, Naruto was a bit of a rogue and a bit of a schemer. Although he didn't approve of Naruto's immature views on love, he didn't want to interfere.

Anyway, he doesn't strive for fame or fortune, and he acts as he pleases; ultimately, it's all his own private matter.

The next day.

Naruto woke up, opened his eyes, quietly washed up, and was about to have breakfast when there was a knock on the door. This time, he didn't hesitate and opened the door immediately.

"Have you had breakfast?" The person who came was not Ino, but Sakura.

She wore a white short-sleeved top that accentuated her full, pearly figure, paired with a denim mini-skirt that made her look incredibly beautiful. With her hands behind her back, she stood gracefully in the doorway, her eyes and brows full of smiles.

"What's wrong? What's making you so happy?" Naruto asked, opening the door and yawning as he turned and went inside.

"There's been progress on that experiment you mentioned," Sakura said with a smile as she changed her shoes at the shoe cabinet in the entryway. As she bent over, her fair legs stood out.

"Really?" Naruto was thrilled, and for once, he didn't even look at his legs.

"Really? Why would I lie to you? The data is all in the lab." Sakura walked to the sofa and was about to sit down when Naruto grabbed her arm.

"Let's go take a look!"

Sakura: "Thank you so much. Can't I have a drink of water?"

"Let's go to the lab to drink, the water there is sweeter, stop dawdling." Naruto pulled Sakura out, "I want to see it now."

Upon hearing this, Sakura paused for a moment, then replied with an "okay".

In the entryway, she bent down to put on her shoes, but then seemed to remember something. She stood up, glanced at Naruto had also changed his shoes, and calmly pointed at him, saying...

"I've recently come to realize something: some people are just not meant to be together openly and honestly, like you and me."

"Some people are just meant to be together, for example..."

"You and Ino."

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Naruto asked, puzzled. Why had this guy suddenly sided with Ino?

Sakura's tone was neither sad nor cheerful, only calm. Therefore, he didn't think Sakura was emotional; she was simply stating a serious matter.

"It's nothing." Sakura tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I just suddenly thought of it. I'm not envious of Ino. I just hope you're happy."

The apartment's iron gate was ajar, letting in Nikko streaming into the corridor. The movement of the air, filled with sunlight particles, seemed to slow down. Naruto stood in the entryway, staring in astonishment at Sakura, half of her body bathed in Nikko.

In that instant, he felt both touched and doubtful. Originally, he only wanted to deceive the girl's heart and hadn't made any earth-shattering promises.

Naruto didn't consider himself to be entirely honest, and he often hesitated to make definitive statements. He thought that was enough; he'd just do what he could if he could.

But sometimes, I feel moved to the point of guilt, like now. Or like in the past.

"I will." He smiled.

"Mmm." Sakura also curved her eyebrows slightly.

The walk from the door to the lab wasn't long, and Sakura seemed to have returned to normal, as if she hadn't uttered a single word since repeating those words. She would occasionally chat with him about something.

Naruto seemed to have forgotten what had just happened, and didn't mention it at all. The two left chatting and laughing.

In the laboratory.

Naruto stared at the experimental data, looking at it again and again, and finally glanced at Sakura. The latter, with a smile in her eyes, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"We took fragments of White Zetsu's flesh and blood for experiments, and the results were indeed different. Cells have great adaptability and have the potential for modification."

He looked up and understood. This meant that the plan, born entirely from conjecture, had a chance of working. White Zetsu not human; since it could be modified, then...

For some reason, although Naruto felt he probably couldn't defeat the entire Otsutsuki family right now, he felt no worry whatsoever. In fact, he even felt a little contempt.

However, that time probably won't come so soon; he has plenty of time to prepare before then. Sakura alone certainly won't be enough; she'll need at least more help.

He thought of the Land of Snow and the Land of Lightning, wondering when the Fourth Raikage would die. If that happened, Yugito Nii could smoothly ascend to power.

Once the geographical barriers between the Land of Snow and the Land of Lightning are broken down, their technologies will merge, and with Sakura's help, their efficiency will be off the charts, making even the Otsutsuki opponent.

Many things happen through a natural process, Naruto has already been active in the Land of Lightning three times; too much of a good thing can be bad. If he were to continue flaunting his identity Sasuke Uchiha, that would be foolish.

He wasn't stupid, nor were the people of Kumogakure, nor was Sasuke Uchiha. Therefore, after clearing Yugito Nii's name, that identity was nullified.

The one time in Kirigakure was an exception; he knew that Mei Terumi also knew that wasn't her true form. Later, after drinking strong alcohol, her true colors were revealed.

"You don't have enough manpower right now, do you? And you don't have much time to do these things, you..." Naruto suddenly said.

"Of course it's not enough. There are too few medical-nin in Konohagakure. I'm so busy I barely have time to breathe." Sakura spread her hands, telling the truth without any reason to hide anything.

"Doing this research took up almost all of my available time; I had to squeeze it out."

Listening to Sakura's complaints, Naruto raised an eyebrow and simply patted Sakura head. He didn't respond, but instead openly changed the subject.

"It's already noon, let's have some lunch."

Sakura: "."

His shamelessness was within Sakura's expectations, so she wasn't too surprised. She simply looked up, pursed her lips, smiled, and said crisply, "Okay."

After lunch, Sakura had other things to do at the Medical Department, so she didn't linger and left in a hurry after paying.

Naruto carried a bag of takeout food and strolled slowly home. Looking at the bustling street, he narrowed his eyes and a slight smile played on his lips.

Things finally took a turn for the better, and he couldn't help but think about what to do next. As the saying goes, how could he sleep soundly if the world wasn't in chaos?

Although he was thinking about it, he ultimately didn't need to do anything to intervene. The world would naturally descend into chaos on its own, and with his meddling, it was already chaotic enough.

All that's left is to wait, for things to unfold one after another.

Jiraiya made a trip to the Yamanaka Clan, essentially paying a visit to the Yamanaka couple. This surprised them greatly, as Jiraiya rarely made private visits.

His seniority and experience speak for themselves, so he doesn't need to curry favor with anyone. But he still chose to make a big fuss about visiting him, not for any other reason than that he had promised Naruto.

The Yamanaka couple were naturally flattered; such a scene was a once-in-eight-hundred-years occurrence. Jiraiya was away from home most of the year and rarely had much contact with the people in the village.

The Legendary Sannin all came from the battlefield and had their share of complaints about the village's practices. Having suffered setbacks in their youth, they knew they couldn't change it, and as they grew older, they came to terms with it.

The attitude towards village conflicts can be seen more clearly in the generation of the Legendary Sannin. They didn't want to get involved, but they couldn't let go either, so they mostly wandered away from the village.

The Yamanaka Clan has always maintained a low profile, having worked in the Intelligence Department for many years and usually identifying themselves as Ino-Shika-Cho Clans. Being naturally discreet, there was nothing for them to avoid at this time.

"Lord Jiraiya, I am so sorry for not greeting you sooner." Inoichi Yamanaka trembled slightly, and even though his face was calm, he could not hide his excitement.

"No need for that. I just returned to the village not long ago and came here to take a look around." Jiraiya didn't mention Naruto or Ino at all, and started chatting with the Yamanaka couple.

The teacups emitted wisps of white steam, and the living room was filled with a harmonious atmosphere.

"I remember you were only a little tall when you were little. I can't believe you're married and have children in the blink of an eye." Jiraiya took a sip of tea and looked at Yamanaka Rino with a sigh.

"Time really flies; twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"That's right, Lord Jiraiya." Yamanaka Rino smiled and said, "Time really flies, but Lord Jiraiya's charm is as undiminished as ever."

"Hahaha, of course, I was one of the most handsome guys in Konohagakure back in the day." Jiraiya laughed heartily.

Although the other person wasn't in the village, they seemed quite familiar with the couple. However, the two didn't pay much attention; perhaps subconsciously, this was how important figures like the Legendary Sannin acted.

In fact, this was simply a matter of Jiraiya's expertise. To avoid an awkward silence during his unexpected visit, he simply spent a day doing his homework.

This was the first time Jiraiya, and the feeling was quite peculiar. But then he realized that Naruto had practically tricked him into this, and the feeling suddenly stopped being so strange.

Speaking of which

Ino appeared once, politely greeting Jiraiya. But she didn't linger, only exchanging a few words before disappearing again.

Ino wasn't stupid; she could probably guess why Jiraiya had suddenly come to visit. She almost laughed; only that guy could pull off such a bizarre move.

She had long since calmed down after being angry for so many days, but she still found it somewhat interesting, as if they were interacting remotely.

Jiraiya didn't react much, chatting and laughing with the Yamanaka couple as if he were just visiting casually. They talked about many things, but didn't mention Naruto once.

As the sun set, casting a golden glow, Jiraiya politely declined the Yamanaka couple's offer to stay for dinner and left directly.

At the Yamanaka Clan's encampment, the couple saw Jiraiya off, exchanging a glance.

"What should we do?" Yamanaka Rino asked.

"I didn't expect that kid could even get Lord Jiraiya to come. I just don't know what Lord Jiraiya meant by that." Inoichi Yamanaka.

"Let's see how things go, but that kid really went too far this time." He sighed. "Even with Lord Jiraiya's endorsement, we can't forgive him so easily."

"Um."

"You really went?"

"Of course."

The clinking of glasses rang out, and at the izakaya table, Jiraiya smiled at Naruto, pointed at him, and grinned slightly.

"Don't always play tricks on me. I can let other things go, but you can't be so casual about relationships."

"I know.

"I helped you this time, but I might not be able to help you next time." Jiraiya took a sip of his drink. "But this matter is probably mostly resolved, so you can rest assured."

"There won't be a next time," Naruto replied. "This time it's all Obito Uchiha. Next time you encounter that idiot, you Pervy Sage, remember to stay far away."

"Obito Uchiha? Is he really that dangerous?"

"No, he's brain-dead and won't live much longer," Naruto retorted, raising his head. "What I mean is, don't get tainted by his bad luck, stay away from him."

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya glanced at Naruto thoughtfully, thinking to himself that this guy's desire for revenge was still so strong.

What are Obito Uchiha's abilities?

"It seems to be Spatial Transfer ability," Naruto said after a moment's hesitation. "Anyway, it's quite troublesome. That Pervy Sage, it's best to avoid him if you don't have to."

Jiraiya thought about it and nodded in agreement.

"OK."

Naruto was surprised that Jiraiya agreed so easily; given his personality, he wouldn't normally agree so readily. His reaction caught Jiraiya's eye, causing him to burst into laughter.

"What? What's with your reaction?" Jiraiya asked with a smile.

"It's nothing, I just find it a little strange that you agreed so readily?" Naruto said, shrugging. "Shouldn't you have made some big promises and then forgotten what I said?"

"In the past, I might have said that," Jiraiya said, holding his wine glass but not drinking, his drunken gaze fixed on Naruto as he grinned.

"I'm kind of looking forward to your wedding with Ino, but I don't really want to take any risks."

Upon hearing this, Naruto's face showed a look of deep emotion, and he remained stunned for a while. Then he looked up at the ceiling, as if trying to hold back tears of emotion.

Seeing Jiraiya smiled slightly and was about to take a sip of his drink when he suddenly heard Naruto say something.

How dare you assume my wedding won't be for three people?

Jiraiya: "."

He looked at Naruto with complicated emotions, and suddenly felt an urge to kick him. This guy was truly shameless, and his shamelessness was only growing thicker every day.

"Naruto!"

"Huh? What's wrong, Pervy Sage?" He leaned closer, looking completely bewildered.

"You're not really thinking of having it all, are you?" Jiraiya glared at him. "What you're doing is basically playing with fire. Can't you just behave yourself?"

"You're quite well-behaved!" Naruto said, puzzled. "I'm this strong now, and I haven't caused any trouble for the village or done anything wrong. How could I be unwell?"

"You Pervy Sage, don't slander me out of thin air. I was serious with both of them, and I had genuine feelings for them. Hmm? Can't you like two people at the same time?"

"Those nobles in the Land of Fire throw lavish parties Tenten and nothing ever happens to them. Do I have to become a noble to be allowed to have two loves?"

"Stop your sophistry. I'm just advising you to be careful," Jiraiya, somewhat exasperated.

"Okay." Naruto smiled and downed the drink in his glass in one gulp. "I promise there won't be a next time this bad, absolutely not."

At the same time, he silently added in his mind, "Soon we'll be able to do it openly and honestly."