Wu Di gave a soft snort.
He truly did not know what to say.
If not for the fact that he still had something Jiraiya needed to handle, he would have blown up on the spot!
"I'll hold onto your Plot Editor for now..."
The moment he heard that, Jiraiya immediately wilted. He pulled a long face, looking half-dead.
This Plot Editor was the best thing he had encountered since birth. If it was not returned to him, his future life would lose all its enjoyment.
Seeing this, Wu Di lightly cleared his throat.
"I need you to handle something for me. If you succeed, not only will I return the Plot Editor to you, I'll also give you a ten thousand ryo scratch-off ticket. How about it?"
Jiraiya's ears twitched. He looked completely indifferent on the surface, but inside, he was already overjoyed.
He nodded. "Fine, then. For the sake of the scratch-off ticket, go ahead. What is it?"
"Outside Konoha, a huge group of Sand Ninja have gathered together. Go and deal with them..."
Before Wu Di could finish, Jiraiya slammed a hand on the table in righteous indignation, glaring furiously.
"Sand Ninja actually dare to lurk outside Konoha? Just wait until I deal with her!" With that, he stood and strode majestically toward the door.
Wu Di sighed softly. "Although this Jiraiya looks lecherous and unruly, he still takes things seriously when it comes to the village!"
But little did Wu Di know that his thoughts at that moment were completely wrong.
The moment Jiraiya left the hospital, he hurriedly changed his attitude.
His old face flushed slightly. "A huge wave of Sand Ninja... just how huge could they be... Wait for me!"
In the arena, the match continued.
Ever since Shikamaru decided to avoid Temari, he had not closed the distance between them at all.
Temari's Wind Style grew much weaker at a distance.
Shikamaru dodged and leaped through it, barely suffering any more injuries.
In the stands, quite a few spectators had already begun to yawn.
Thinking back to the Chunin Exams of previous years, as soon as the examiner called the start, it was like hacking electrical wires with a kitchen knife—sparks and lightning all the way.
And this year? One person desperately waved a fan, while the other only knew how to dodge.
What, had they fallen for each other? Were they flirting like a young married couple in the middle of the arena?
Quite a few spectators could no longer hold back.
"Hey, can you hurry up and fight? I'm getting sleepy just watching this!"
"Yeah! If this keeps up, we're asking for refunds!"
Listening to the shouts around him, Shikamaru shrugged helplessly.
He could sense that the Mechanical Rat had opened up every nearby area. At most, it would take another minute or two before it burst out from beneath Temari's feet.
Meanwhile, Temari had no idea danger was closing in. She planted her fan into the ground and shouted.
"Can you act like a man and come a little closer? Fight me openly and fairly!"
Shikamaru gave a bitter smile.
They said women were troublesome, and women really were troublesome.
She was the one telling him to come closer, but she was also the one intentionally keeping her distance. What exactly was he supposed to do to be right?
The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment.
In the stands, Danzo covered his face and chuckled.
"That boy from the Nara clan is far too cowardly. He should learn from how this old lady used to be—so mighty and domineering!"
Not far from him sat a man with pineapple-shaped hair and a goatee.
His name was Nara Shikaku, Shikamaru's father.
At that moment, he said coolly.
"Forget it. What if that brat learns bad habits from you and castrates himself with a blade someday? Wouldn't the Nara clan be left without an heir?"
"If you ask me, Konoha only needs one diva. There's no need for another."
Danzo's expression darkened. He took out a tube of lipstick and vigorously applied it to his lips.
"Keep talking about this old lady. In a moment, this old lady will send you straight to the afterlife!"
Just as he was putting on makeup, the Third Hokage directly intervened to stop him.
"There are still ninja from other villages here. Both of you, restrain yourselves!"
Shikaku turned away and fell silent.
Danzo puffed out his cheeks and whined.
"Third Hokage, he said all that about me. Can you really stand by and watch? We were classmates back then, after all!"
The Third Hokage's old face twitched twice.
To be honest, he really did not want to know this classmate!
"Third Hokage... can't you do something about him?"
Danzo swayed his shoulders from side to side, his voice filled with grievance.
The Third Hokage coughed dully and let out a long breath.
His hands rapidly formed seals.
"Five Elements: Great Breakthrough Technique!"
In an instant, the venue exploded, and Danzo was blasted away by Chakra of five different attributes.
"Third Hokage, even you hit me! I'm heartbroken!"
"I'll be back!"
Danzo's voice gradually faded into the distance.
The Third Hokage awkwardly scratched his head. "That was purely an accident. My hand slipped, my hand slipped!"
Everyone present looked at him with disdain.
His hand slipped?
Only a ghost would believe that!
That Five Elements technique had been many times more vicious than when he beat Asuma.
If not for his status, they truly would have wanted to ask the Third Hokage in person.
Were you trying to silence him?
Below the stands, the match continued.
Shikamaru's Mechanical Rat had already opened up all the tunnels.
Now, his shadow could reach every part of the entire arena.
He decided to unleash the killing blow.
"Hehe, looking at you, are you done dodging? Are you planning to surrender?"
Temari sneered.
However, before she could laugh for even three seconds, a hole suddenly opened beneath Shikamaru's feet.
A mechanical mouse burrowed straight out.
Shikamaru gave a soft snort. "Whether I surrender or not, you'll have to wait a little longer to find out!"
Temari suddenly came to her senses and looked down. At some unknown point, a small hole had appeared beneath her feet.
She wanted to flee quickly, only to discover that there was no longer anywhere in the arena for her to set foot!
"Damn it!" After muttering bitterly, she still came down.
The instant her toes touched the ground, a black shadow directly locked onto her.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, she threw away her fan.
She reached back and pulled a kunai from her ninja tool bag, pressing it against her own chin.
"Will you surrender?" Shikamaru asked with a soft smile.
He had nothing in his hands, so he was not afraid to keep pressing on.
Temari let out a long sigh. "I... surrender!"
She was deeply unwilling to accept it. She had clearly held the upper hand at the beginning, so how had the situation changed so completely in the blink of an eye?
At that moment, Shiranui Genma came to the center of the arena and announced loudly, "Nara Shikamaru wins this match!"
Konoha's young spectators cheered one after another, as if they themselves had won.
"Next match: Aburame Shino versus Kankuro!"
As soon as those words fell, the two landed in the middle of the arena at the same time.
Kankuro placed his puppet on the ground. Just as he was about to prepare it, he heard Shino shout.
"Slug, I choose you!"
"Poof!" A green slug instantly appeared beneath Shino's feet.
It quickly split into two, then two into four...
Kankuro shuddered. Recalling Zaku's miserable state during the preliminary eliminations, he swallowed hard.
Before you continue