Naruto's Home

Jiraiya immediately burst out laughing, spun around, leaped into the air, and struck what he considered a very handsome signature pose.

"Hahaha! Brat, how could you possibly scare me?! I am the legendary White-Haired Boy, the Toad Sage from Mount Myoboku! The great Jiraiya, one of the Sannin! How could I be frightened by a little brat like you? The wasabi merely got into my eyes!"

Leaning against the doorstep, Naruto watched this strange white-haired uncle with nerves of steel, picked his nose, and looked at him with a hint of disdain.

"Huh? Even the legendary Toad Sage gets wasabi in his eyes?"

Jiraiya looked at the little fellow before him. He seemed to have inherited Minato's looks, but his personality was more like Kushina's.

"This was just an accident. Now I'll show you how impressive the legendary Toad Sage really is."

"What's so impressive about you? Hmph."

Naruto pouted. Though his words were dismissive, the anticipation in his eyes gave him away.

"Teuchi, bring another extra-large deluxe char siu ramen for this brat. I'll treat him to a bowl too."

Jiraiya raised his right thumb toward Naruto, flashing eight teeth as a confident smile appeared on the Toad Sage's face, as if he were saying, "See how amazing I am? Hurry up and praise me."

Naruto immediately jumped up in joy.

"Yay! As expected of the Toad Sage! You're amazing!"

Then he promptly sat down in the empty seat beside Jiraiya.

With his back to Jiraiya and Naruto, Uncle Teuchi added another large portion of noodles to the boiling pot, the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifting.

Before long, the two bowls of ramen were ready and placed before Jiraiya and Naruto.

"Two extra-large deluxe char siu ramens are ready! Today's special: one braised egg for each of you."

After saying that, Teuchi also gave the two men in front of him a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Uncle Teuchi!"

Naruto stared at the lavish ramen before him and swallowed his saliva, looking utterly impatient.

Jiraiya watched Naruto from the side, his heart filled with indescribably complicated emotions.

"Hmph, brat, why aren't you thanking this Toad Sage?"

Picking up his chopsticks and pressing his palms together, Naruto turned to Jiraiya with a delighted expression.

"Thank you too, Toad Sage! Let's eat!"

Then, without caring about how hot the freshly cooked ramen was, he began wolfing down the noodles.

He slurped the noodles mouthful after mouthful, occasionally taking a careful sip of broth from the side of the bowl before grabbing another piece of char siu.

Watching Naruto eat ramen, Jiraiya's mood improved greatly from before.

"Naruto, the noodles are still hot. Eat slowly. If it isn't enough, you can have another bowl."

However, by the time those words reached Naruto's ears, only the latter half remained.

He bit through the noodles in his mouth, swallowed them with effort, and looked at Jiraiya excitedly.

"Really, Toad Sage? Then I'll have another bowl!"

Then he immediately sped up his eating.

After that, Jiraiya also started using his chopsticks.

By the time Jiraiya had finished one bowl, Naruto had already devoured two extra-large deluxe char siu ramens.

Naruto rubbed his round, full belly.

"Phew, I'm so full. That was satisfying. It's been so long since I last ate this much. As expected, Ichiraku Ramen is still the best!"

Jiraiya chimed in agreement.

"That's right. Ichiraku's ramen really is the best."

Naruto gave Jiraiya a thumbs-up as well.

"That's right! Ichiraku Ramen is the best! Anyone who likes Ichiraku Ramen can't be a bad person! Toad Uncle, you're a good person, just like Grandpa Hokage!"

Naruto's words made Jiraiya fall into thought. Why had Naruto mentioned the old man?

Feigning composure, Jiraiya walked over to Naruto.

"Naruto, I just got back to the village and have nowhere to stay. You wouldn't mind letting me stay at your place tonight, would you?"

Hearing Jiraiya say that, Naruto's face lit up with excitement. He looked as though he might jump for joy, though his words said otherwise.

"All right. For the ramen's sake, I'll let you stay at my place for one night."

Under the moonlight, Naruto led Jiraiya to the second floor of a gray-green apartment building.

Excitedly, Naruto used his little hand to pull Jiraiya's broad palm and pointed at the door ahead.

"We're here, we're here! That's my home! Aside from Grandpa Hokage, you're the first person to visit my home!"

Opening the door, Naruto reached up along the wall and turned on the light.

Under the incandescent lamp, the bluish-gray cement ceiling hung overhead, while empty instant noodle cups littered the redwood floor. On the table in front of them sat opened, unfinished milk and instant noodle cups still containing broth.

Naruto looked embarrassed. His hand unconsciously went to the back of his head as he gave an awkward laugh.

"Ha, haha... I think I forgot to clean up..."

Looking at Naruto's cramped, filthy, cluttered living conditions, Jiraiya was once again overwhelmed by a storm of emotions.

"Naruto, now I'll show you how impressive the Toad Sage really is!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A cloud of white smoke burst forth, followed by four Shadow Clones appearing beside Jiraiya.

Naruto was instantly stunned by the sight before him.

"Wow! Five Toad Sage uncles!"

The Jiraiyas wiped their noses and spoke the same words in unison.

"Now leave it to us!" X5

In just a few minutes, the room had been cleaned spotless by the Jiraiyas, after which Jiraiya dismissed the clones.

He walked over to the bed, sat down, and patted the sheets.

"All right, come on. Tonight, let's have the two of us men sleep together!"

After waiting a while longer, once Naruto had fallen asleep, Jiraiya left a Shadow Clone on the bed, then got up and immediately headed for the office in the Hokage Building.

Jiraiya jumped up to the office window. Seeing that the lights inside were still on, he knew the old man had to be waiting for him.

He crouched on the windowsill and greeted his long-unseen master.

"Long time no see, old man."

But from this angle, he happened to see Hiruzen Sarutobi holding an adult magazine and slowly perusing it.

Hearing Jiraiya's voice behind him, Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly put away the magazine and coughed twice, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.

"Why did you come so late? Didn't I send Anbu to notify you this afternoon?"

Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively. He wasn't falling for Hiruzen Sarutobi's act.

"Old man, don't lecture me. Weren't you reading a porn magazine too? I was only delayed by some other matters."

"Enough idle chatter. I already know about the recent affairs in the village. Why did you call me back this time?"

Jiraiya's expression changed from casual indifference to seriousness as he stared sternly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen picked up the pipe on the desk, lit it, took several deep puffs, and began exhaling clouds of smoke.

"Uchiha. Although the Uchiha's relationship with the village has eased considerably lately, there is no doubt that the masterminds behind the Nine-Tails Incident were the Uchiha clan. Go help me investigate the Uchiha's true movements."

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