Only after another ten days adrift did Hongshi and the others finally return to Konoha's docks.
What should have been a five-day journey had dragged on until the tenth day because they were filming the second Hongshi Ninja Scroll movie. Only one day remained before the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Everyone stumbled off the ship in a daze, feeling as though the land was still rocking.
Hongshi: "Finally, we're ba-urgh..."
Tenten held her forehead. "What a grueling journey!"
Rock Lee: "My training at sea is over! My youth will once again shine in Konoha-urgh..."
Neji: "(°ー°〃)... Urgh..."
The director, on the other hand, was full of energy. "Yuhan, thank you for giving me a new film!"
Still dressed in a white kimono, Yuhan covered his mouth. "Hehehe, you're too kind, Director."
Just then, a lovely figure appeared on the other side of the docks.
It was Sakura from Team 7.
After a month of Hongshi's intense, hellish training, Sakura's bearing had completely changed. Not only had her body grown much taller through the strengthening effects of Senjutsu, but her expression had also become more resolute, faintly revealing the bearing of a powerhouse.
Under Hongshi's coaxing, she had also changed into the outfit Senjutsu Naruto wore during his battle with Pain, combining Jiraiya's and the Fourth Hokage's styles, with three cherry blossoms on the back, a scroll at her waist, and a pair of black gloves.
Through his Shadow Clone, Hongshi knew Sakura should now be capable of thrashing Sasuke, and she had learned many powerful new techniques.
Yuhan seemed to notice something and said to Hongshi, "Sakura has changed a lot. She's gotten stronger."
Hongshi: "Hehehe, naturally."
Sakura looked at Hongshi and the others and frowned. "Hongshi-kun, where's Hieimon?"
At her question, everyone froze for a moment and fell silent. Yuhan stepped forward. "Hieimon stayed in the Land of Spring."
Hieimon had met Sakura back in the Land of Waves. Though they had not spoken much, she had a good impression of him because of Hongshi. "So it's true. The Land of Spring's diplomatic delegation arrived here a few days ago. I heard about Hieimon from him. I couldn't believe he'd just passed away like that."
The Land of Spring's diplomatic delegation consisted of Sandayu and the four-person Ice Release group led by Kazahana Dōtō, who had concealed their identities. They had departed from the Land of Spring three days after Hongshi's group, yet arrived in Konoha before them.
Hongshi shook his head. "When he chose to become a ninja, he was already prepared for it."
Sakura came to terms with it too. "Whatever the case, the Land of Spring has been revitalized because of you. Word of what you did has spread all over Konoha."
Hongshi: "Hehehe, you're too kind."
Sakura: "Especially the part where you rolled down the snowy mountain."
Hongshi: "???? Which version of the legend did you hear???"
Neji, who had been silent at the side, suddenly remembered something. "Right, are those three from Sunagakure still in the village?"
Sakura nodded. "Yes. After you struck Gaara's shutdown pressure point, he needed five days of treatment in Konoha before he recovered. Since Temari still has her exam, they've all stayed in the Land of Fire. It's just..."
"What's wrong?"
"Dosu Kinuta from Otogakure was... was killed a week ago. Hayate-sensei, the only person who knows the inside story, was also seriously injured. He's in a coma and still hasn't woken up."
Neji: "I see. I have a bad feeling about this."
Hongshi laughed. "Haha! Since we're back in Konoha, let's go eat at Ichiraku Ramen!"
Yuhan: "Mm! It's been so long!"
Sakura: "Why is ramen all you can think about?"
Team 3: "We're going back to rest. What an exhausting mission!"
Sakura: "Even Rock Lee is tired? What kind of training did you go through?"
Two figures slowly approached from the distance, one tall and one short.
"Hey, hey, Jiraiya-sensei! Training's over, so let's go eat at Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Naruto, now that we're back in Konoha, I need to gather material first!"
"You mean you're going to peep at the women's baths!"
Hongshi: "I think I heard something about the women's baths."
Having finished their training, Naruto and Jiraiya walked slowly over and happened to spot Hongshi's group.
"Hongshi-kun! Sakura-chan! Big Sister Yuhan!"
Sakura: "(°ー°〃) Why do I run into this idiot everywhere?"
Hongshi: "Yo, Naruto! How's your training going?"
Jiraiya looked at Hongshi. "My goodness, you're really tall! And so dark!"
Hongshi: "Jiraiya, if you're going to be like that, I won't save you."
Jiraiya caught sight of Yuhan, and his body trembled. "(♡∀♡) Ohohoho! Th-this... So beautiful!!! What's your name, gorgeous?"
Yuhan sighed. "A pervert...?"
Naruto: "No, Big Sister Yuhan. He's a super pervert."
Jiraiya: "Your name is Yuhan? Oh! That genius Water Release girl from the Land of Waves? A pleasure, a pleasure! You really are beautiful!"
The compliments left Yuhan a little bashful. "Aw, ain't you a smooth talker! Like I don't already know I'm gorgeous?"
Hongshi: "(°ー°〃)??? Author, explain what's going on here."
Sakura could no longer stand watching. "Hey, pervy old man, who are you?"
Jiraiya straightened up. "Me? Hahahaha! Summoning Technique!"
With a poof, Gamachu appeared beneath Jiraiya's feet. "I am so handsome you'll lose all sense of direction, unmatched beneath the heavens-the white-haired boy of the Sannin, the toad envoy, the Sage of Mount Myoboku, the gallant Jiraiya!"
Sakura: "(°ー°〃) That toad is so gross."
Yuhan: "(°ー°〃) Yes, and so is the man."
Hongshi: "(♡∀♡) Oh!!! So cool!"
Jiraiya looked at Hongshi. "Young man, I think you have a bright future!"
Hongshi: "But I think your introduction could be even better."
Jiraiya: "Oh? Let's hear it."
Hongshi cleared his throat. "Ahem. You should do it like this."
"Poof!" With that, he transformed into Jiraiya, stood in place, and swung his long white hair around twice. "I am the cloud crane soaring through the heavens, the true sage of Myoboku amid the rain; the carefree immortal in the woods, the mighty tiger and great hero in the mountains; the unfettered soul of the deep seas, the swimming dragon beneath the waters-Jiraiya! Ohohoho..."
Jiraiya stood rooted to the spot. "Th-this, this..."
Hongshi: "Hint, hint! Hint, hint!"
Lord God: "I don't even understand it!"
Naruto: "..."
Sakura: "Yuhan, let's just go ahead."
Yuhan: "Mm."
Naruto and the other two turned and walked back toward Konoha, leaving Hongshi and Jiraiya behind.
Jiraiya: "Absolutely brilliant! You're a genius!"
Hongshi: "You flatter me."
Jiraiya: "Come, come! Let us share a cup of wine and discuss the art of poetry."
Hongshi laughed. "Hahaha! Why not slurp down a bowl of Ichiraku ramen instead? Wouldn't that be delightful?"
Listening to the pair grow more excited as they talked, the three shook their heads.
Naruto suddenly remembered something and shouted to Sakura, "Sakura! I trained in two awesome Ninjutsu this month!"
Sakura: "Tch, only two? I learned at least ten brand-new Ninjutsu."
Naruto: "What! How did you do that?"
Sakura: "Hongshi-kun, of course! We trained out in the wilderness for a month!"
Naruto: "Didn't Hongshi-kun go to the Land of Spring?"
Sakura: "A Shadow Clone! It was a Shadow Clone!"
Naruto: "That's so sneaky! His Shadow Clone lasted a whole month? He could still carry out a mission with his chakra halved? Looks like I still have a long way to go!"
Sakura looked at Yuhan beside her. "Big Sister Yuhan, do you know who your opponent is?"
Yuhan: "No."
Sakura said, "Since Dosu Kinuta was killed, the five matches have become four, with one of them being a three-way battle."
Naruto: "A three-way battle? That sounds exciting!"
Sakura: "That's right. The first match is me against Sasuke-kun. Hehehe, I'm going to show him how much I've improved! The second is Temari against Shikamaru, the third is Shino against Neji, and the final three-way match is between Big Sister Yuhan, Hinata, and Kiba."
Yuhan: "Oh? Little Sister Hinata? She's someone who's beaten Hongshi."
Naruto: "What an interesting match."
Sakura looked at Yuhan with some concern. "Only one person can win the three-way match, and Hinata and Kiba are both on Team Kurenai Yuhi. I'm worried they'll team up against you first."
Yuhan chuckled. "It's all right. I trained hard during the mission too!"
Sakura thought, I'm actually worried about Hinata and Kiba...