章節 298: Chapter 298 Tsunade is Concerned About The Village
Ino felt as if something had struck her heart, leaving her speechless and heavy-hearted.
The way Naruto looked at her was so warm it could melt a person. Ino turned her head toward the entrance, her heart fluttering and unable to calm down.
"Thank you." She whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Thank me when things work out. It's too early for that now." As Naruto spoke, his eyes briefly rested on Ino's waist, while he held a round glass cup in his hand.
The atmosphere in the living room grew silent. Ino avoided his gaze but quickly glanced at his clean, slender hand resting on the table. She looked away again, realizing she shouldn't stay any longer.
Standing up, Ino excused herself. Naruto offered to walk her home, but Ino, who looked nervous, waved her hands and refused. Then, she scurried away like a mouse fleeing from a cat.
As the day of the Five Kage Summit approached, it was time to depart.
People lined the streets of Konoha from one end to the other to see the Hokage off. Tsunade, the Princess of the Senju Clan, was about to represent Konoha at the Five Kage Summit for the first time.
Everyone rushed out to catch a glimpse of the legendary beauty. The scene was as lively as a grand festival, with crowds pushing and shoving to witness the spectacle.
"Tsunade-sama, stay safe!"
"I heard it's the Five Kage Summit. This will make Konoha's name resound throughout the Five Great Nations again!"
"Why is she only bringing that kid? Can he handle it?"
"The journey to the Land of Iron is long and tiring. Can Naruto really fulfill his duty and protect Hokage-sama?"
"Who knows about that guy? He looks like he just woke up! Hey, Naruto, try to stay sharp!"
Looking at the densely packed crowd, Naruto suddenly became dispirited and muttered, "What a drag."
Summer was almost over, and the sweltering air made it hard to breathe. With so many people packed together, waves of heat washed over them, one after another.
Tsunade gave Naruto a playful smile and gently patted him on the arm.
"Come on, stop complaining. The Land of Iron is still a long way off."
"Oh." Naruto replied lazily, and followed her at a sluggish pace.
The Five Kage Summit was being held in the neutral Land of Iron, a nation made up entirely of Samurai, which is situated between the great nations.
The climate there was perpetually cold. While Konoha was still in the late summer, the Land of Iron had already entered winter.
"Why isn't Shizune-san coming along?" Naruto asked, walking down the road with bored expression. His arms folded as he looked at Tsunade in front of him, "Usually the Kage of each village brings two guards, right?"
"Shizune is in charge of the medical department. I asked her to stay behind and keep an eye on the village. She'll notify me through Katsuyu if anything happens." Tsunade replied casually, holding the Hokage hat in her hand.
"Being Hokage is such a drag. You can't even leave the village without overthinking it." Naruto complained.
"You talk too much! No one's asking you to be Hokage." Tsunade snapped, plopping the Hokage hat onto Naruto's head and dragging him forward by his neck, warning him.
"Don't cause trouble in the Land of Iron. If you provoke any princess again, you can deal with it yourself."
"No way, no way! I'm not a princess collector!" Naruto chuckled awkwardly. When he felt the plump and soft flesh pressing against his face, he suddenly dared not move.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha…
On the second-floor balcony of the Hokage Tower.
Shikamaru, dressed in his Chunin uniform, with his eyes drooping and one leg hooked on the railing, was lazily draped over the railing, one leg hooked on the rail as he stared off at the sun-scorched trees in the distance.
A hot afternoon wind blew past, and Choji, munching on a bag of chips, stood beside him. With a crunch, he bit into a chip, his small, bean-like eyes wandering as he asked, "Shikamaru, don't you think Ino has changed recently?"
"Who knows." Shikamaru replied as he looked up at the cloudless blue sky, with boredom filling his face, "Isn't she always the same? Nothing has changed, still as irritable as ever."
"No, it's different. The way she acts around us and the way she acts around Naruto are totally different." Choji said, crunching on more chips, "My dad says when a girl changes a lot, it's usually because she's in love."
"You actually care about that kind of stuff?" Shikamaru gave him a sideways glance, "I thought you only cared about potato chips and barbecue."
"I just think it's nice. My dad says it's something to be happy about." Choji explained, "Shikamaru, you should find someone you like too. Then, you can tell me what's so fun about being in love."
"Tsk, why don't you do it?" Shikamaru leaned against the wall, turning his head to glare at Choji, "It's better to find someone who is more virtuous. Just don't end up with someone like my mom, she's simply..."
"My mom's the same," Choji suddenly felt a chill running down his spine and shuddered, "It's better not to think about it."
Shikamaru nodded in agreement, leaning his head back against the scarlet walls. With a flick of his fingers, he coolly uttered his famous words, "Women are such a drag me."
The wind rustled through the leaves, sending them swirling into the air.
"Congratulations, Ino. You're officially a Chunin now." Asuma said with a smile.
Ino received the Chunin uniform and a small smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you, Asuma-sensei. I will continue to train hard."
"Training is important, but don't neglect your life outside of it." Asuma showed an expression of an experienced person, patted Ino's shoulder and said solemnly.
"Love is also a form of training."
"Ah!" Ino was stunned for a moment, and her solemn expression quickly disappeared as she waved her hands in a fluster, trying to explain, "Asuma-sensei, no, it's not what you think!"
Ino didn't know how to explain herself, 'It wasn't exactly love, as nothing had been said, nothing confirmed. It was just a little bit of heart fluttering.'
'But Naruto… who knows what goes on in his head? It's impossible to fully read his thoughts. Even if I think about it logically, there's no way anyone could like someone as carefree and flirtatious as him.'
'Impossible! Well, except for Hinata.'
Thinking of this, Ino felt a bit frustrated again, 'I really don't know what kind of spell Naruto had cast on Hinata to make the dignified Hyuga Clan's heiress fall for someone like him.'
'Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore.'
She shook her head and looked at Asuma seriously.
"Asuma-sensei, I am definitely not in love!"
"A-choo!" Naruto sniffled as he pulled two white Konoha cloaks from his seal space, put one on himself, then turned around and handed the other to Tsunade.
The further west they went, the colder it became. After nightfall, the temperature difference became more pronounced.
"I don't need it." Tsunade teased, looking at him with amusement, "Why? Your body can't hold on any longer? The journey to the Land of Iron is still long. How will you manage?"
Tsunade was wearing her usual green robe, looking completely unfazed.
"I'll manage somehow." 'Not taking care of your body when you're young will cause problems later.' Naruto said, but swallowed back the cheeky remark about the consequences of neglecting one's health. He didn't dare say such things in front of Tsunade.
"You'll pay for it in the future." He added.
Seeing that Tsunade didn't take the cloak, Naruto simply draped it over her himself, "Shinobi aren't supposed to be masochists. There's no point in needlessly toughing it out."
"Can't you keep yourself warm by speeding up the flow of your Chakra?" Tsunade rolled her eyes and said, "I think that should have been taught that in the Academy."
"I skipped class and didn't listen." He muttered gloomily as he trudged ahead, his steps uneven.
Tsunade clicked her tongue but didn't remove the cloak.
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章節 299: Chapter 299 A Bamboo Partitioned Hot Spring
As night fell…
The two sat around a campfire, resting. The firelight illuminated Tsunade's face, which was still full of youthful vitality. Ninjutsu truly was magical. In different hands, it produced vastly different effects.
Orochimaru had seen hope in immortality, while Tsunade had simply used it to preserve her youthful appearance. The Senju Clan's bloodline was extraordinary, and it wasn't unusual for them to live for a century or more with good health.
Whenever Naruto looked at Tsunade, he couldn't help but imagine her as one of the immortal cultivators from a Xianxia Novel, someone who looked like a young maiden despite being four or five decades old, completely timeless.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Tsunade frowned at the fire, deep in thought. Throughout their journey, information had been delivered to her via messenger birds, and even though she was far from Konoha, her mind was still preoccupied with the village.
Naruto found it rather boring, 'We're already outside, but she still had to care about that broken village.'
He got up and slowly set up a tent from his seal space, preparing water for cleaning themselves. He even considered pulling out a bathtub.
Shinobi usually have sealing scrolls to store things when they go out, and Tsunade had one as well, but it mostly contained clothing and basic necessities. She knew Naruto could carry much more, so she'd entrusted him with the luggage before they set out.
Naruto grumbled as he set up the tent, feeling like a palace servant catering to the whims of a royal. And not just any royal, as Tsunade had declared that no man could ever catch her interest.
Well, she wasn't wrong about that.
Who can be more impressive than her? She had taken a twenty-year break and returned, and people still recognized her as the princess of the Senju Clan. Some say woman's debut was her peak, but in Tsunade's case, she had never left the peak.
After traveling for about half a month, the temperature became colder as they got closer to the Land of Iron.
Fortunately, they found a small inn within the borders of the Land of Iron as a place to rest. With it, at least they didn't have to camp in the wild. Although camping wasn't terrible, sharing a tent with Tsunade was pure torture for Naruto.
Tsunade probably didn't take a 'little man' like him seriously. After her bath, she casually threw on some clothes and returned to the tent to review more intelligence reports.
The information from Konoha had flowed nonstop, and Tsunade had been managing it all throughout their journey. And even after them being away for over half a month, Danzo hadn't caused any waves.
The disappearance of the Kyubi had little impact on Konoha, thanks to Sunagakure's alliance. Instead, Danzo's series of self-destructive maneuvers had led to his own downfall.
Tsunade had been relentless in her crackdown on the Root, with her actions openly targeting Danzo. Naruto had also been keeping a close eye on him, waiting for the day when he couldn't hold back any longer.
In the Land of Iron, at the inn…
Outside, snow blanketed the ground, and the wind howled through the cold night.
At Naruto's insistence, they booked two separate rooms. Tsunade had no objections, so they each retired to their rooms for a while. As Naruto stepped out of his room, he saw Tsunade emerging from hers.
Tsunade, wearing a white bathrobe and holding a jug of sake in her right hand, glanced at him nonchalantly.
"Chat?" She asked.
"Okay." Naruto nodded.
The steam from the hot spring filled the air as Naruto plunged into the water with a loud splash, letting out a satisfied groan. The exhaustion from the journey seemed to melt away instantly at this moment.
Tsunade gathered her loose golden hair, frowning slightly as she pressed her lips together.
With a splash, she entered the water. It was a bit hot, but bearable.
Then, she recalled Naruto's speech from a few days ago and found it somewhat reasonable. Shinobi didn't need to endure every discomfort just to prove their difference from ordinary people.
So, she let herself sink into the water, softly exhaling as a quiet moan escaped her throat. Her pale skin rippled as she moved, causing gentle waves in the pool.
The same hot spring, separated by a thin bamboo partition dividing the men's and women's sections.
With a splash from the other side, Naruto stiffened, startled by the sound coming from Tsunade's side, 'Damn, what the hell is that woman up to again?'
After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, he sat back down, leaning against the edge of the hot spring as he gazed at the mist swirling around him.
The inn was simple, and at this hour, there were no other guests. In fact, he and Tsunade were the only ones staying there. The innkeeper was a middle-aged man with a lame leg and didn't talk much.
Outside the inn, the wind and snow were howling, which was completely different from the climate in Konoha. Though they had rented two rooms, but in fact, they were just two super large shared rooms.
Naruto lay in the bath, recalling the scenes when they checked-in in the inn.
The innkeeper's voice had been low and weak, as though he might collapse at any moment, "All are mixed accommodation. There are four large rooms upstairs, and each can accommodate eight people. If you want two rooms, you have to pay the price of four."
The place was quite simple, and the prices were quite high. But fortunately, it was clean, so Naruto didn't argue and paid for two rooms without hesitation.
There usually weren't many visitors, and the hot spring was divided in half with just a bamboo partition. They had hastily slapped a sign on the doors: men on the left, women on the right. The water in the bath was clear, likely because there weren't many customers.
In reality, it was all just one pool of hot spring. The bamboo partition was old, and through its gaps, Naruto could faintly see the steam rising on the other side. It wasn't enough to see anything clearly, not that he had the courage to peek.
After Tsunade's soft moan, there was no more movement and the hot spring suddenly became quiet.
Naruto finally relaxed, sinking into the water to enjoy his soak, but before he could fully settle in, Tsunade's voice drifted through the bamboo barrier.
"What do you think of Danzo?" She asked calmly, and the sound of drinking could be vaguely heard.
"Disband the Root, preferably uproot it completely." Naruto replied, "Danzo is only harmful to the village and is completely hindering Konoha's progress."
"Now's not the time. We'll have to wait a bit longer." Tsunade's voice came through again. There was no emotional fluctuation, but it revealed a hint of weariness.
"I know, you don't need to remind me of that. I'm not in a hurry. These things can't be rushed." Naruto chuckled. He understood that Tsunade's words were more of an explanation for his sake.
But what Tsunade didn't know was that he had already found a way to counter the biggest threat from Danzo, Izanagi. Using Jashin's Hymn, he could nullify its effects directly.
Danzo could fall at any moment now, and to Naruto, it didn't matter when. He was like fish on a chopping board, ready to be cut whenever the time was right.
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