章節 242: Chapter 242 Why Are You Crying?
Naruto could clearly feel Sakura's body temperature. He didn't say anything, just looking at the dark night, while his mind drifting back to the mission in the Land of Snow.
"What are you thinking about?" Sakura asked suddenly.
"Now that Koyuki-chan has ran away, the mission in the Land of Snow can't be completed." Naruto sighed and leaned back on the bench. "As expected, I still care about it, but we can't find her now."
Sakura glanced up at the dim streetlight partially obscured by the tree leaves and narrowed her eyes slightly.
The trees were lush and green, providing ample shade.
"Are you going to bring her back?" Sakura asked, "It may not be easy to get her to restart the Land of Snow's mission. Princess Fuun seems to be reluctant to return to the Land of Snow."
"Maybe." Naruto said ambiguously, "Actually, we might not even need her."
He remembered that Koyuki's necklace was still in his possession, stored away in his seal space. If all else failed, he could just sneak off to the Land of Snow and finish the mission alone.
Even though it wouldn't be the most legitimate approach, if push came to shove, he had no choice. After all, the complete version of the Flying Thunder God Technique along with invisible kunai was not something he could give up. It was his future trump card, the opportunity to surpass even the Yondaime Hokage's speed.
With it, he could become the fastest man in the Shinobi World.
"I can help you persuade her. Maybe we can restart the mission." Sakura's voice dropped slightly as she turned to look at him, "Do you want me to join you on the mission?"
"Of course! If the mission is restarted, how can I handle it alone?" Naruto, oblivious to her emotions, continued eating his ice cream.
"But we definitely need to stay away from Anko. Can't have her tagging along again. That fake Jonin."
"Alright."
"What's wrong?" Naruto turned his head, "Why so quiet all of a sudden…"
He stopped mid-sentence, and froze in place. Sakura looked exhausted, her eyelids seemed to be drooping, and she looked particularly frail.
"I'm a little sleepy." She yawned and then smiled, "Walk me home?"
Naruto was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Half an hour later.
"I'm heading up. See you tomorrow." Sakura stood at the door of her house, watching the dawn gradually appear, and waved to Naruto.
"Okay." Naruto felt a twinge of worry and voiced it directly, "Are you sure you're alright? You haven't felt unwell, have you?"
"No, just a little sleepy." Sakura said with a smile in her eyes.
Naruto couldn't quite figure out why she seemed so happy, 'Was it because we spent the night together, or was it because she could finally feel what it was like to sleep?'
Even so, Naruto wasn't willing to let her go so easily.
"Are you sure you're okay? You said you hadn't slept in a long time, but suddenly..."
"I told you, I was kidding. How could anyone not sleep?" Sakura showed an expression she had never had before and looked at him with amusement.
"Well… then why are you crying?"
"Eh?" Sakura flinched and subconsciously touched her face with her fingers, finding them wet.
…
The next morning.
Naruto woke up in bed and took out the key Koyuki had given him, hesitating about whether to sneak out and complete the mission on his own.
'However, leaving the village was another problem, especially with Jiraiya returning soon.'
After thinking it over, Naruto couldn't come up with a safer plan, so he could only put away the necklace-like key.
Hokage Tower.
"Sakura asked for leave?" Naruto asked Tsunade with some interest.
"Her mother came by and explained that she seems to be suffering from overexertion. No matter what they do, they can't wake her up." Tsunade said while flipping through some documents.
"It's probably just fatigue causing her to sleep deeply. I believe she should be fine after a day of rest."
"Since when do you care about her?" Tsunade asked curiously, "You two seem to have gotten close lately? That's rare, Uzumaki Naruto."
"You, with your lazy personality, actually caring about a teammate?"
"What's so strange about that? I'm just asking casually." Naruto rolled his eyes at her and said, "Anyway, as long as she's fine."
In truth, Naruto was worried. He had already planned to visit her house in the afternoon to check on her. After all, the way Sakura looked yesterday didn't seem like someone who was just fine.
"Yo, Naruto, you look pretty energetic, huh?" A A loud voice rang out from the doorway.
Standing there was Jiraiya, his white spiky hair bristling, laughing heartily.
"Pervy Sage?" Naruto was a little surprised.
With a snap, the popsicle broke into two halves, and ice chips splashed everywhere.
"Here." Naruto shamelessly handed Jiraiya the smaller half.
Jiraiya's face twitched as he took it and he said speechlessly, "You little brat, are you really that poor? What's with the act?"
"I'm not poor." Naruto slurped on his popsicle and said, "I'm just being frugal, saving for when I start a family in the future."
"Damn it!" Jiraiya took the popsicle and complained grumbled while munching on it, "How much could starting a family cost? Stingy."
Naruto ignored the comment and changed the subject.
"Tsunade-sama said you went to investigate the Akatsuki organization. What was the result, Pervy Sage?"
"The result?" Jiraiya was not used to being questioned about his intel, and said awkwardly, "Probably somewhere within the Land of Rain, right? Has Tsunade already told you all this?"
"Hmm? Is there something you can't tell me?" Naruto looked at Jiraiya in confusion, "Pervy Sage, you're not underestimating me, are you?"
"It's not that, haha." Jiraiya felt a little guilty after his thoughts were seen through, so he quickly came up with an excuse, "Anyway, the Land of Rain is always shrouded in secrecy. It's still too dangerous for a little Genin like you."
"I'll go in and investigate first. Let's talk about it again after I get detailed intel."
'Detailed intel?' Naruto's eyelids twitched slightly, 'What I lacked the least was intel.'
But he couldn't say that outright, so he had to find a way to tag along with Jiraiya.
'We mustn't let the Akatsuki fight in a group. Splitting them up and taking them down one by one was the safest strategy.'
"I'm not some little brat. If Uchiha Itachi shows up again, I'll definitely take him down." Naruto grinned, "Give me a bit more time, and even if the whole Akatsuki organization comes at me..."
Bang!
Jiraiya smacked the back of Naruto's head and said, "Kid, stop spouting nonsense. Dealing with the Akatsuki organization isn't something for youngsters like you to worry about."
Naruto was quite speechless at Jiraiya's overbearing guardian attitude and showed his discontent through his actions. He looked disdainfully at Jiraiya and spat on the roadside.
"Ptui!"
Seeing Naruto's cheeky expression, Jiraiya was instantly annoyed, and said through gritted teeth, "You little brat! You sure are infuriating!"
"Anyway no matter what, I'm going, Pervy Sage, so deal with it." Naruto scratched his face, "I'm a perfect Jinchuriki. I won't be able to sleep well if I don't kill them."
Jiraiya stared at Naruto, who was looking like a total rascal, and was completely speechless, 'How did this kid turn out like this?'
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章節 243: Chapter 243 There Is No Kyubi in My Body Anymore
"Alright, alright, we'll talk about it later." Jiraiya sighed, reluctantly giving in as he thought about how this blonde rascal was his student, "First, get rid of that smug look on your face."
Upon hearing this, Naruto dropped his cheeky expression and returned to normal.
"It would be more dangerous to sneak into a place like the Land of Rain alone, right?"
"You little brat," Jiraiya laughed, "I am the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, not some small fry. I've been to countless dangerous places in my life, and I've come out unscathed every time."
"I'm not bragging, no matter how dangerous the place is…"
"Hey hey hey! Don't walk away! You brat!"
"Uzumaki Naruto! Didn't the Academy teach you about respecting your teachers?"
"Tsk." Naruto had already walked off, completely ignoring Jiraiya. As the so-called 'Child of Prophecy', his mind was now solely focused on figuring out how to take down the Akatsuki.
In the past, he didn't mind taking his time, thinking he had plenty of it. But now, he needed more power, even though his current strength already allowed him to stand tall in Konoha.
But that wasn't nearly enough. Facing the Akatsuki's overwhelming numbers, he needed much greater strength. Stronger opponents were on the horizon, so he needed to be even stronger.
Later that afternoon, Naruto stopped by Sakura's house to check at her, but after finding out that she was still asleep, he returned home. After thinking it over on the way back, he decided to just wait and see how things unfolded with Sakura.
In the days that followed, he remained idle, doing only simple training exercises each day.
Right now, Team 7 was in shambles, with only him remaining. Since Tsunade allowed him some time off, delaying the team's reorganization, he had plenty of free time.
The other Genin Teams are very busy as they had to prepare for the upcoming Chunin Exams.
After a year of training, the genin who graduated last year were gradually maturing. Being promoted to Chunin meant a higher status and more mission rewards.
More importantly, it's a necessary motivation. After working as a Genin for a whole year, who wouldn't want to climb up the ranks?
Not everyone could afford to be half as laid-back as Naruto. Strength is indeed crucial for a Shinobi, but so is the title that comes with it.
At least, it's essential to have a notable achievement in one's Shinobi career.
Take Shikamaru, for example. Thanks to his cool-headed command skills, he earned the title of Konoha's only Chunin during last year's joint Chunin Exams. The value of this title surpassed that of an ordinary Chunin who passed the Chunin Exams.
In any case, aside from the higher-ups, most people's attention was now on the upcoming Konoha's Chunin Exams.
"Are you going to take part in the Chunin Exams?" Jiraiya sat astride the roof in a frivolous manner, put down the telescope he was loving so much, and looked at Naruto in some surprise.
The rooftop is just opposite of the bathhouse.
"Just for the heck of it." Naruto said, leaning against the wall, "Anyway, I don't have much to do recently, and staying idle all the time is pointless."
"If Tsunade hears you say that, she'll rip your head off." Jiraiya shook his head and said, "She's been busy with your affairs lately, working herself to the bone."
"That can't be helped. I'm having a hard time too, Pervy Sage. Being idle all day isn't as easy as it seems." Naruto gestured while speaking.
"I need to find ways to have fun everywhere and train occasionally. But it's really boring without any missions. How about we just head to the Land of Rain now?"
"Don't even think about it. Tsunade would go crazy." Jiraiya coughed, "And lately, with you insisting on becoming the Clan Head of the Uzumaki…"
"Oh? You might as well marry three hundred wives, little brat."
"Huh? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Jiraiya turned to look at Naruto, only to find the blond was rubbing his chin, as if he was seriously considering his suggestion. Jiraiya's expression fell, his forehead was full of black lines, and he looked utterly exasperated.
"You're not seriously thinking about it, are you?"
"Uh, I didn't say anything." Naruto was slightly embarrassed. He was obviously distracted just now and didn't hear Jiraiya's comment at all.
"Well, you are indeed growing up. In a few years, you'll be ready to settle down."
Jiraiya, straddling the railing and casting a shadow over the rooftop, looked at Naruto with a parental air and asked, "Come to think of it, last winter, you brought that girl from the Yamanaka Clan to meet me, didn't you?"
"So, how's she doing now?"
"Nothing much has changed." Naruto said, hiding in the shade and yawning as he looked at the dense sunlight under the eaves, "Everyone is busy, and I haven't seen much of them lately."
"You're quite the slacker, huh? They're still Genin, so naturally, they can't compare to you." Jiraiya put away the telescope directly, as today's 'research' session was over.
"But I still suggest you not to take part in the Chunin Exams. In a few days, there will be news from Tsunade. You are waiting, and so am I."
"Once those idle Konoha's higher-ups loosen their grip, you'll just need a title to avoid being restricted everywhere because of your status as a Jinchuriki."
"Because of Kyubi?" Naruto looked up at Jiraiya.
The atmosphere between them was light and casual, just a pervy old man chatting with a regular blonde Genin in his free time.
The summer was long, and the sun was scorching.
Jiraiya had not yet realized the gravity of the situation and just thought that Naruto was just feeling a bit down.
After all, knowing that you have a monster sealed inside you, facing constant wariness or even hostility from the villagers, is a burden that's hard for anyone, even an adult, to bear.
Not to mention that these burdens fell on the shoulders of an orphan who, from a young age, couldn't escape being feared, manipulated, or even being seen as a weapon by default.
Such is often the fate of a Jinchuriki. Those chosen for this role are inherently unlucky. Jiraiya, lacking a better solution, could only teach Naruto Ninjutsu to the best of his ability and support him whenever possible.
Maybe it was too late for these efforts, but Jiraiya understood that some things were beyond his control. At least, for now, things were manageable.
For a Shinobi, gaining true fame is not easy, and power is even harder to grasp. Although Jiraiya was initially hesitant about Naruto joining the higher-ups, Tsunade managed to convince him.
As long as Naruto holds a position among the higher-ups, his future path might not be as difficult. Even if Jiraiya were to die one day, at least Naruto's situation wouldn't be too dire.
"Yeah, the Kyubi is indeed troublesome." Jiraiya was still choosing his words carefully, thinking about how to comfort Naruto, "It's not something that can be changed. The relationship between a Biju and its Jinchuriki is complex."
"If the Biju is forcibly removed, the Jinchuriki could die at any moment."
Naruto understood Jiraiya's point. He was being told to keep his emotions in check. To look on the bright side as much as possible, and as the person directly involved, he should maintain a strong mindset.
But while that logic made sense, applying it in reality was far more complicated.
Jiraiya paused for a long time, hesitating before speaking again, "The Kyubi is not entirely uncontrollable. If you can gradually learn to harness its power, it would be a significant boost for you."
"No thanks." Naruto said.
"Hmm?"
Jiraiya was surprised by Naruto's response. He had expected Naruto to be exhausted, perhaps struggling with his mindset, which would be understandable.
After all, teenagers are often sensitive, especially when they have a Biju sealed within them.
"This isn't about wanting to or not..." Jiraiya began to say. He was more inclined to let Naruto master the power of the Kyubi, but seeing Naruto's unstable mood, he thought it might be better to delay the matter.
"That's not what I meant." Naruto interrupted with a cough, his expression turning serious as he looked at Jiraiya, "Pervy Sage, there is no Kyubi in my body anymore."
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