Chapter 48: 48.Another Scheme
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The List of The "ANBU" Member:
-Miguel razo
-Korron Hightower
-YoungPhxntom
-Z3kChrome
-Ask hgssdd sad an n
-Paolo Garcia
-Abel Yapura
-Hugegreenpickle
-Auzzo
-EaterOfTheDead
-PandaSho
-LOUIS fontus
-Grimmoze
-Red Rabbit
-Mohammed Alshamsi
-Mikolaj Zwolak
-ThegamertagsPs ps
-Salah Mohamed
-Raganos
-Robert Thompson
-Lluis
-Anil Singh
-Itz black Wolf
-Davis Nguyen
-jake doe
-Glizzy
-Amin Afzali
-HellzHound
-Dan Trigolden
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"Turns out the smelly old man is also a hero of the village?"
Naruto looked at Jiraiya with admiration, his sadness gradually dissipating as he became fully immersed in Jiraiya's stories.
"..."
If it weren't for that 'smelly old man' title, Jiraiya would have been quite happy.
"Call me Grandpa Jiraiya, not smelly old man. Kid, you need to be polite. I was your father's teacher," Jiraiya scolded Naruto with a stern face. This won't do, he thought. Giving people nasty nicknames at random could easily offend others. Even if Naruto wasn't afraid of offending people, if he managed to offend everyone with just his words, people would only reject him more in the future.
"Oh! I understand, Grandpa Jiraiya," Naruto quickly corrected himself, realizing his mistake. Although he was mischievous, he was also a kind-hearted, sunny child. Otherwise, any other kid treated like he was would have turned dark a long time ago.
"Grandpa Jiraiya, what was my father like? Why haven't I heard anyone talk about him?" Naruto's curiosity was strong. Jiraiya laughed heartily, starting to feel a bit troubled. He wondered whether to tell Naruto the whole truth. Hiding it would be unfair to Naruto, but revealing everything might be too much for him to handle.
So Jiraiya chose a middle ground.
"Your father, huh," Jiraiya fell into his own memories, as if returning to the day he first met Minato. "He was a genius and a hero of the village, very powerful, and did a lot for the village. He was also someone who could warm people's hearts. People liked to call him 'Little Sun' in private."
"Why?" Naruto asked, finding it odd to give someone a nickname like that out of respect.
"Because, like you, your father's smile was bright and always warmed others' hearts."
Is that a compliment? Naruto thought, grinning sheepishly and scratching his head. He was very happy to receive praise from a family member for the first time.
"What about my mother?"
"Your mother..." Jiraiya's memory of Kushina made him shrink his neck instinctively. He laughed, "Your mother was a beautiful woman, just a bit temperamental. She was also very famous in the village. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go eat. Grandpa Jiraiya is treating you to barbecue today."
Minato was okay, but Kushina's past involved many village secrets, and Jiraiya didn't dare to say much. If Naruto got interested and kept asking, he would be in trouble.
"Yay!!!" Naruto, who had been focused on stories about his parents, jumped up high in excitement. He had longed for barbecue for a long time but could never afford it. Now he could finally taste it.
Most of the barbecue restaurants in Konoha were run by the Akimichi clan. The Akimichi clan didn't care about the fox demon rumors, as shown by how a few small strong boys treated Naruto. They didn't actively approach him but didn't exclude him excessively either, even playing and skipping class with him sometimes.
Unfortunately, just because the children didn't mind didn't mean the clan didn't have to. The village's rejection of Naruto was Danzo's doing, and if everyone else was doing it, the Ino-Shika-Cho would follow to avoid drawing Danzo's attention. So, while the ninja clans weren't as harsh as ordinary villagers, they still maintained a distance.
Naruto going alone to eat barbecue was out of the question, but with Jiraiya back, it was a different story. Jiraiya directly asked for a private room in the barbecue restaurant and stated he was bringing Naruto. The Akimichi clan complied without a word, even telling him to enjoy himself.
"Wow!! This is so delicious," Naruto exclaimed, almost swallowing his tongue, as Kazuki had predicted. He liked ramen and instant noodles, but were they the best food? Probably not. He could always eat ramen and instant noodles, but barbecue? Unless he caught and cooked fish himself, which wasn't great considering his skills as a child.
"Eat more, take your time, no one's going to take it from you," Jiraiya laughed, grilling meat for Naruto the entire time without eating any himself.
In a secluded small courtyard near the Shimura clan's area, Root members were reporting to Danzo. The Third Hokage had declared to the Daimyo's office that Danzo was under surveillance. The surveillance was real, but ineffective. Root members continued to gather and report information as usual, with ANBU unable to stop them, and the Third Hokage turning a blind eye as long as Danzo didn't amass too many people or leave the village.
"Lord Danzo, Jiraiya of the Sannin has returned and is interacting with the fox demon Naruto, claiming to be his relative, and has taken him to a barbecue restaurant."
"Since the incident at the Daimyo's office, ANBU's monitoring of the Uchiha has decreased. All personnel around Uchiha Kazuki have been withdrawn."
"Jiraiya!!" Danzo slammed his cane down in frustration. Jiraiya's return and his contact with Naruto were bad news for him. In Konoha, no one could defy Danzo except the Sannin. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade could oppose him. Jiraiya preferred to avoid conflict, but if Tsunade returned, Danzo would have real trouble.
In the original story, after the Third Hokage's death, Jiraiya brought Tsunade back to become the Fifth Hokage, and Danzo knew he couldn't contend with her, staying low in Root until Pain attacked Konoha.
"If Jiraiya wants to connect with Naruto, let him," Danzo said, knowing he couldn't do anything about Jiraiya. "Find something to keep the Uchiha busy. We must not relax our surveillance and control over them."
'I can't deal with Jiraiya, but I can target the Uchiha', Danzo thought. If they think relaxed surveillance means they can act freely, they're wrong. Getting close to the jinchuriki? They'll suffer for it.
Danzo, a master of the scheming, had countless schemes against the Uchiha. No one expected that, even in retirement, he would continue to undermine them.
Kazuki didn't go to the ninja academy today because Itachi brought his brother Sasuke to the police department. Sasuke had begged Itachi for a long time, and as a doting brother, Itachi had to take him to see the department.
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