In early February, Jiraiya returned to Konoha from the Land of Rain, was taken aback by the bustling commercial street.
I originally planned to find a pub to have a couple of drinks, but I ended up being mostly distracted by the dazzling array of shops.
The store offers a wide variety of drinks, including some entirely new beer flavors.
Some young girls were occasionally laughing and chatting, clearly indicating that these low-alcohol drinks were very popular with them.
Jiraiya stomped his wooden clogs on the ground Jiraiya noticed that the roads had been repaired. He found himself at a hot spring resort. Looking closer, he muttered in exasperation, "No way, have all the original shops moved away...?"
Several bathhouses have been renovated, and like the shops on the commercial street, businessmen who saw the business opportunity have increased their investment, giving the entire commercial area a brand-new look.
Despite it being morning, the commercial street was bustling with customers, and visiting caravans had booked out several well-known taverns.
Jiraiya finally found a set meal restaurant that sold alcohol, but was surprised again after pushing open the door.
"Huh? Tsunade?"
What are you doing here? Shouldn't this be during working hours?
Hearing the familiar voice, Tsunade's smile vanished. She glanced sideways at Jiraiya and replied irritably, " The Hokage needs to eat lunch too!"
"Didn't you check the time? You're still as careless as ever."
Upon seeing Jiraiya's dejected appearance, Tsunade's companion, Shu Furukawa Jiraiya, immediately greeted him with a smile, "Long time no see, Lord Jiraiya."
"Yes, it's been a long time. The village has changed a lot; I can't find any of the familiar shops."
Jiraiya sat down at the bar, ordered a beer, and gulped it down.
Seeing her old friend drowning his sorrows in alcohol, Tsunade wanted to offer some words of comfort, but Jiraiya immediately showed a look of delight after putting down his glass. "It's so delicious! Haha, one more glass, no, two more!"
"Why..."
Tsunade sighed, her old friend still looking like a drunkard. Jiraiya, after letting out a burp, Jiraiya exclaimed contentedly, "The drinks in Konoha are still the best! Being able to have a few drinks Tenten doesn't seem so bad..."
"What? Aren't you going to fulfill your mission? Have you found the child?"
Tsunade muttered to herself, still somewhat bothered by Jiraiya's choice. This inexplicable Child of Prophecy had actually caused her old friend to abandon the village.
Jiraiya's face fell again, and he shook his head, muttering, "Fate seems to enjoy playing tricks on me. I'm always slow to realize things, and I can't change anything."
"Maybe I was too late, everything changed, and I failed again..."
As he spoke, Jiraiya downed another beer. He drank it too fast, and a blush appeared on his face, making him look even more like a down-on-his-luck drunkard.
Tsunade noticed her old friend was in a bad mood but didn't stop him. Jiraiya kept drinking one cup after another until the shopkeeper quietly reminded him, at which point he chuckled twice and ordered a set meal.
In a daze, Jiraiya heard Tsunade pay the bill and say goodbye. When he came to his senses, the two of them had already disappeared.
Jiraiya, resting his chin on his hand, felt something was off. After thinking about it carefully, he remembered that Shu Furukawa seemed to have left with his arm around Tsunade's waist.
Jiraiya pounded his head hard, Jiraiya that he had been too careless and drunk too quickly after returning to the village, causing him to hallucinate. After burying himself in a large meal, he collapsed on the bar and fell fast asleep.
Just as the shopkeeper was in a dilemma, Minato Namikaze, who had received the notification, pushed open the door and immediately saw the teacher's disheveled appearance.
After offering a quiet apology, he immediately picked up Jiraiya and vanished in an instant.
In the evening, Jiraiya and rolled around in bed for a couple of minutes before suddenly sitting up straight, groaning as he clutched his head. Soon after, he heard a familiar voice. " Jiraiya- sensei, what's been going on lately?"
Minato Namikaze handed over warm water, looking at Jiraiya, finally snapping out of his daze, stared at his disciple's blond hair and blue eyes for a long while before whispering, " Minato, you must be the Child of Prophecy!"
"As your teacher, I shouldn't consider myself a failure; I've already accomplished my task..."
Minato could only give an awkward smile upon hearing this. Jiraiya took the water cup, noticed his disciple's expression, and sighed helplessly, "I'm sorry, Minato, I always impose my own ideas on you."
"I'm such a failure as a teacher; at this age, I've accomplished nothing."
"Even though the Shinobi World is at peace and the village is thriving, I don't know what's wrong with me. I just feel like everything has changed."
Upon hearing this, Minato already guessed what had happened. During his Senjutsu Mode training, the sages of Mount Myoboku had mentioned Jiraiya's mission: "Has the prophecy changed again? Master, there's no need to be so discouraged."
"If the Shinobi World can maintain peace without the Child of Prophecy, that would be a good thing."
Seeing that Jiraiya still couldn't muster his spirits, Minato had no choice but to use his "trump card": "Perhaps I really am the Child of Prophecy, teacher. You have succeeded!"
"Although the situation is different from what the Great Toad Sage predicted, we have ushered in a peaceful life."
"Teacher, you can see how the village has changed, everything is getting better."
" The Uchiha Clan has also integrated into the village. Let's go shopping in the commercial district sometime..."
Jiraiya gave a wry smile. Being treated like a child by his disciple made him realize he had indeed failed as a teacher. However, upon hearing these words, his frustration completely vanished. "No need to comfort me, Minato. The village's improvement is all thanks to Tsunade."
"I'm not that fragile. The Great Toad Sage told me that the Child of Prophecy has disappeared, and his power has run into trouble."
"I've thought about it for days, and I still can't figure out what happened, but I'm certain that the Child of Prophecy still exists; he's just facing difficulties."
"I won't give up. I need to find Nagato and talk to him again. It's my fault for not taking good care of them."
Minato Namikaze didn't press his teacher, and instead changed the subject, saying, "Now that we're back in the village, teacher, why don't you rest for a while?"
"I remember I was planning to write a book, right? This is a good opportunity to finish it!"
Previously, they were all scattered drafts, mostly random musings written after bursts of inspiration. Thinking about his new book plans, Jiraiya was completely refreshed. "I almost forgot about this! ' The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja ' should be ready for publication!"
"Although the story is a bit cliché, I believe many ninjas will empathize with it after reading Naruto's tale."
" Naruto? Is he the main character of this book? That's a great name!"
Jiraiya laughed heartily Jiraiya hearing his disciple's praise. Knowing that Minato's naming was lacking, he proudly introduced the book, "That's right, this book is the story of Naruto adhering to his ninja way and ultimately leading the Shinobi World to peace."
Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up. He felt a special connection to the name, and for some reason, he thought of his unborn child, a sense of anticipation rising in his heart. "If it's a boy, I'll name him Naruto. Kushina would probably like it too!"
Late at night, after her routine training, Tsunade leaned weakly on Shu Furukawa's shoulder, feeling a surge of vitality emanating from the cells in her body.
"Have you made further progress in your cultivation of immortal Senjutsu?"
"I'm no help at all as a teacher; on the contrary, you have to take care of me every day."
After each breakthrough, Tsunade would feel guilty, as she could no longer remember how much Senjutsu Chakra she had absorbed.
Tsunade knew how precious the power that allowed her body to recover to a better state than when she was young was; she always felt that if it weren't for her being a burden, Shu Furukawa would have already completed his Senjutsu training.
"Teacher, there's no need to overthink it. The replenished life force is indeed another application of Senjutsu Chakra."
"Actually, it won't consume too much. Only after the body undergoes a transformation will it be able to bear more Senjutsu Chakra in the future."
Exhausted, Tsunade nodded, then closed her eyes. After being carried into the bedroom by Shu Furukawa, she fell into a deep sleep. An ordinary human body would have some difficulty withstanding such power.
The blanket transformed into a long white snake that crawled near Tsunade's body. As Shu Furukawa ended the Senjutsu Chakra boost, the snake quickly returned to the white blanket.
After leaving the room, the Katsuyu appeared on her shoulder. These past few days, her little clone, carrying the body of White Zetsu and the split spirit of Shu Furukawa, had been searching and had found the expected target.
"Lord Xiu, most of those White Zetsu are concentrated near Kage Rock, while some are inside the bodies of ordinary people."
"If they've been keeping an eye on Jinchuriki, they should have noticed the recent changes to the defensive barrier."
7
After a moment's thought, Shu Furukawa said "thank you for your hard work" and asked softly, "Have all the masks in the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Hall been collected?"
"They've all moved to Shikkotsu Forest. Has Lord Xiu perfected the Reaper Death Seal Technique yet?"
The Katsuyu's tone revealed curiosity, but Shu Furukawa shook his head, instantly teleporting back to his home using the Flying Thunder God. After releasing a barrier, he softly replied, "As long as the plan proceeds step by step, the Nine-Tails ' power can be seized at any time. I will have ample time to perfect this technique in the future."
"I should go back to Shikkotsu Forest to continue my training. At my age, sleeping is a waste of precious time."