บท 48: Chapter 48: A Mission for Jiraiya

After quickly discussing his plan with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mochizuki Hui made his way over to Tsunade.

At the time, Tsunade was fully focused on controlling her chakra and was completely immersed in her training, leaving her clueless of Hui's arrival.

On the other hand, Orochimaru had already noticed Hui's presence but didn't react much. He was used to seeing Hui come to accompany Tsunade, and it no longer surprised him.

Plus, he was a bit far from where Hiruzen and Hui were talking, so he couldn't hear their conversation, he assumed it was just ordinary chatter.

As for Jiraiya, he was still lost in his daydreams, sprawled on the grass with a goofy grin on his face.

After a while, Tsunade finished her training and looked up, spotting Hui gazing at her fondly from not too far away.

"Hui!" she exclaimed happily, rushing over and jumping into his arms, hugging him tightly.

Her joyful shout snapped Jiraiya out of his fantasies. He sat up, looking at the affectionate display between Tsunade and Hui, pouting while his eyes filled with envy.

I wish I had a beautiful girl rushing into my arms too... he thought bitterly.

"Hey, enough with the lovey-dovey stuff! There are other people here, you know!" Jiraiya shouted at the pair, his voice filled with mock annoyance.

Tsunade reluctantly let go of Hui and shot Jiraiya an icy glare before wrapping her arms around Hui's again.

"Grandpa Tobirama is too much! He only gives you one day off a month, it's like he's some heartless Hokage!" Tsunade complained as she clung to Hui.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, standing nearby, chuckled awkwardly at the comment but remained silent. After all, Tobirama was his teacher, but he was Tsunade's grandpa.

"Alright, alright, it will get better soon. My training is almost done," Hui said, gently patting Tsunade's head, his voice full of warmth.

Tsunade's face lit up with a smile at his words, clearly happy.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya's heart ached even more. Sweet, sweet love, when will it be my turn? he thought.

"Oh, right! Tobirama-sensei asked me to deliver this mission to you guys," Hui said, pulling a scroll from his ninja pouch and handing it to Sarutobi.

This immediately caught the attention of both Jiraiya and Orochimaru, while Tsunade groaned dramatically, "Ugh, I want to spend time with Hui! I don't want to go on a mission!"

Pretending not to hear Tsunade's complaint, Sarutobi opened the mission scroll and after reading it, he spoke to the group, "It's a D-rank mission to find a lost item. The objective is to retrieve a heart-shaped red stone that was lost."

He continued, "The stone was lost somewhere within five kilometers of the village along the main road and around Mokusei Lake."

Hearing this, Jiraiya's face fell, and he immediately began to complain, "Ugh, not another boring mission like this! What's the big deal about finding some dumb rock?"

Hui smiled at his reaction and explained, "Oh, I heard that the stone is a treasured keepsake of a girl. She planned to give it to her future sweetheart. She went to Mokusei Lake yesterday and only realized she had lost it when she returned, so she's really anxious about it. That's why she requested a mission."

"Wow, that's so romantic! Hui, should I prepare a gift for you like that too?" Tsunade's eyes sparkled as she looked up at Hui.

"Hahaha, no need for that," Hui replied warmly. "Because you are the best gift I could ever receive."

Tsunade blushed, her face turning a deep shade of red from his sweet words.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya scoffed loudly and muttered, "Which desperate woman came up with such a childish idea?"

Hui retorted, "Desperate woman? Not at all! From what the mission officer said, she's a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl!"

That immediately caught Jiraiya's attention. His eyes widened, and his demeanor changed in an instant.

A sixteen-year-old... beautiful girl... The words repeated in his mind, sending his imagination into overdrive.

In his mind's eye, he was already picturing himself finding the red stone, handing it over to the girl, and seeing her gaze at him with adoration. Then...

Lost in his fantasy, Jiraiya's mouth began to water.

His face suddenly became serious as he declared, "Sarutobi-sensei, we must complete this mission without delay! Let's get going right away!"

He was already pushing Sarutobi along, eager to set off.

Orochimaru shot Hui a strange look, as if sensing something off about this situation, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

As for Tsunade, she was too busy asking Hui whether he thought that girl was prettier than her.

And so, the group bantered and joked as they made their way toward the village gate.

It was a simple task—searching for a lost object within a five-kilometer radius of the village, along the main road, and near a small lake. There wasn't much need for preparation. After all, it was a peaceful time, and this was a D-rank mission with virtually no danger of encountering enemies.

Passing through the village gate was uneventful. Though the guards on duty were Uchiha clan members, they didn't question anything when they saw that Sarutobi Hiruzen was leading the team on the mission.

As soon as they stepped out of the gate, Jiraiya quickly spoke up, "Sarutobi-sensei, you guys can search along the main road. I'll take care of the area around Mokusei Lake! No time to waste, let's go!"

Before anyone could object, Jiraiya had already sprinted off in the direction of the lake.

It wasn't hard to guess that the stone had likely been lost around the lake while the girl was playing, so that's where Jiraiya wanted to search first.

Sarutobi and Hui exchanged knowing glances, with Orochimaru looking at them suspiciously. Their plan proceeding exactly as intended.

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