The Investigation of the Third Generation (Second Update)

Hearing Jiraiya's questioning, the chunin responded awkwardly, "Ah, it's like this. This merchant caravan belongs to the maternal family of the Land of Fire's Daimyo's mother, and it will be passing through the Land of Grass, which is plagued by constant warfare, so, so..."

"I see." Jiraiya muttered indifferently. Since the Daimyo's mother's family was willing to put up the bounty for an A-rank mission, he, as a beneficiary, couldn't say much more.

Turning his head to glance at Uchiha Matsuri and the other two, who were waiting quietly and obediently to the side, Jiraiya waved his hand, signaling everyone to follow him out.

In the corridor outside the room.

After hearing Jiraiya's summary of the mission, Kiba Inuzuka couldn't help but exclaim.

"An A-rank mission! That's awesome!" Kiba shouted excitedly.

"Kiba, don't get happy too soon. Although the reward for an A-rank mission is generous enough, compared to the B-rank missions we've done before, A-rank missions are much more dangerous," Minato Namikaze said calmly.

"No worries, no worries. Don't we still have you and Jiraiya-sensei in our team? If enemy ninjas attack, you and Jiraiya-sensei will be more than enough to hold them off," Kiba said exaggeratedly. Whether intentional or accidental, Kiba did not mention Uchiha Matsuri's name.

"..."

Hearing Kiba's overly confident statement, black lines appeared on the heads of all three.

At this moment, Kiba didn't miss the opportunity to look at Uchiha Matsuri: "Matsuri-kun, don't drag Jiraiya-sama and Minato-kun down during this operation."

"..."

Hearing Kiba's provocative targeting, Uchiha Matsuri gave a bitter smile and did not respond. Stuck with a teammate who actively sought trouble, Uchiha Matsuri had no other choice but to remain silent.

"Ahem. Since everyone is so excited, let me emphasize a few things," Jiraiya broke the stalemate and said with a serious face, "This is our team's first time executing an A-rank mission, so you must not take it lightly..."

For the next ten minutes, Jiraiya kept emphasizing safety-related matters. After finishing, Jiraiya checked his watch and said to the three of them: "I'll give you one hour to go back and prepare your ninja tools. Meet here in one hour."

"Yes."

Minato Namikaze and Kiba Inuzuka ran off in different directions.

In the corridor, only Jiraiya and Uchiha Matsuri remained.

"Matsuri, why aren't you going home to prepare your ninja tools?" Seeing that Uchiha Matsuri hadn't run home, Jiraiya asked in confusion.

"Sensei, I finished preparing this morning." Uchiha Matsuri took out a scroll and shook it at Jiraiya.

"How meticulous," Jiraiya couldn't help but praise.

"Jiraiya-sensei, what do you think of Orochimaru-sama?" To break the awkwardness, Uchiha Matsuri asked first.

"That guy, huh." Jiraiya hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "Don't let his cold exterior fool you; he's actually quite kind at heart."

Hearing Jiraiya's intuitive evaluation, Uchiha Matsuri only smiled.

It seemed that Jiraiya had not yet discovered Orochimaru's abnormalities, or perhaps Orochimaru had not yet begun collaborating with Danzo on human experiments.

"By the way, why did you suddenly ask about that?" Jiraiya asked suddenly.

"Nothing, I'm just curious about the elusive Orochimaru-sama," Uchiha Matsuri laughed.

"Matsuri, what is your understanding of the Hokage?" Jiraiya asked suddenly.

After thinking for a few seconds, Uchiha Matsuri said candidly: "The Hokage is a very dangerous, yet respectable profession."

"Very dangerous?" Jiraiya hadn't expected Uchiha Matsuri to describe the Hokage that way.

"Yes. For example, the First Hokage chose to fight the rogue ninja Uchiha Madara at the Valley of the End to defend against his attack. The result was that a few days after Uchiha Madara died in battle, the First Hokage also succumbed to illness. The First Hokage's younger brother, the Second Hokage, fought alone against the powerful Kinkaku and Ginkaku and others during the First Shinobi World War until he died in battle."

"Likewise, the various 'Kage' of the other four nations have mostly met their end in battle. Therefore, I feel that being Hokage is a relatively dangerous profession," Uchiha Matsuri analyzed calmly.

Jiraiya nodded upon hearing this, then asked: "Since it's dangerous, why do you want to be Hokage?"

"No reason," Uchiha Matsuri smiled. "It's just my dream. Even if there's a possibility of dying in battle, I still want to be Hokage."

"At the Ninja Academy, Yuito-sensei taught us to always be prepared to die for the village. The same goes for our Team 6 captain, Kato Dan-senpai; his dream was also to be Hokage, and he often warned me that with great power comes great responsibility."

"Therefore, as a genin or chunin, one might sacrifice themselves for a mission. But the Hokage chooses to sacrifice themselves to protect the entire village or even the entire nation. This is the greatness of the Hokage and why they are worthy of respect."

Uchiha Matsuri keenly sensed that Jiraiya's seemingly casual inquiry might actually be an assessment of him by the Third Hokage.

Therefore, Uchiha Matsuri did not appear overly reserved, nor did he recklessly point out the dark sides of ninja and Konoha administration. Instead, he started from the premise of "protecting everyone" and revealed some common ground, letting Jiraiya feel that he was also someone who inherited the so-called "Will of Fire."

An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and Minato Namikaze and Kiba Inuzuka returned to the meeting point with their backpacks.

Seeing that his subordinates were ready, Jiraiya waved his hand: "Let's go."

Just after leaving the village, Kiba couldn't hold back his impatience and asked: "Jiraiya-sensei, where are we going now?"

"To Kyoto," Jiraiya said, walking in his wooden sandals with a leisurely expression.

It is said that the women in Kyoto are exceptionally beautiful; let me go and verify the truth of this rumor! Jiraiya thought with a lecherous smile.

Two days later.

In the city of Kyoto.

"I've long heard of Kyoto's prosperity, but seeing it today, I am truly shocked!" Jiraiya folded his arms, looking excitedly at the passing merchants and the countless restaurants and shops on both sides.

Kiba, who was also visiting this "metropolis" for the first time, appeared even more excited. Along the way, he pointed at everything, looking exactly like a "country bumpkin who had never been to the city."

Of the four, only Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Matsuri remained unmoved by the novelties of Kyoto. In terms of scale and prosperity, Kyoto was nothing more than a large town compared to his previous life; therefore, for Uchiha Matsuri, who had lived in the "magic city" of Shanghai in his past life, Kyoto held absolutely no attraction.

"The weather is nice today; why don't we go soak in a hot spring first!" Jiraiya said suddenly with excitement.