manynovel Page 337
Page 337
"Xiao Nan, after we parted ways, I have been secretly keeping an eye on your situation."
“I know you founded Akatsuki initially to bring peace to this country…”
"But until a few years ago, all news about you completely disappeared, as if you had vanished into thin air."
“I…I thought you had perished in that turmoil.”
His voice carried a barely perceptible hoarseness and guilt; as a teacher, failing to protect his students remained a thorn in his side.
Whether it was failing to return to Konoha in time to save Minato, or failing to arrive in time to save Nagato and the other two.
Xiao Nan's eyes seemed to flicker for a moment, but were quickly covered by an even deeper layer of ice.
She responded coldly, "Really? But you have no idea what happened to us afterward, teacher."
Jiraiya took a deep breath and nodded: "I admit that."
“I have not personally experienced your suffering, and I have no right to judge your choices from a superior position.”
"However, one thing I'm certain of—"
His tone became incredibly serious and firm, his gaze fixed intently on Konan: "The Akatsuki's current ideology is wrong!"
"No matter what you have been through, forcibly creating peace with fear and the power of the tailed beasts will only lead to greater disaster and destruction!"
"This is definitely not what Yahiko wanted in the first place!"
The instant Jiraiya finished speaking—
A cold, hoarse voice, yet with a strange magnetism that seemed to penetrate the very soul.
Without warning, a voice rang out from the empty darkness above, taking over his words:
"But that's the only 'answer' I've come up with... from all my pain and experiences!"
Jiraiya's whole body jolted violently!
This sound…!
He suddenly looked up and followed the sound!
On a high, circular rooftop, a figure appeared silently, looking down at the scene below.
He was wearing the same black trench coat with red clouds, and had striking orange hair tied in a ponytail at the back of his head.
However, what was most unsettling was his skin, which was so pale it was almost transparent.
And... his face was covered with bizarre iron rods that looked like black nails!
These iron bars covered his cheeks, bridge of his nose, and behind his ears, making him look both painful and inhuman!
What made Jiraiya's pupils suddenly contract and he almost stopped breathing was those eyes!
What a pair of eyes those are!
Deep purple ripples circled one after another, slowly rotating, cold, indifferent, and disdainful of all living beings, devoid of any human emotion!
"Nagato...!"
Overwhelmed with shock and disbelief, Jiraiya almost blurted out, his voice trembling slightly, "How could you...?"
The man before me exuded an icy aura and resembled a puppet.
Is he really that introverted, kind-hearted child with immense chakra but a frail body?
He changed, completely changed, and made Jiraiya feel a chill and heartache.
"Whatever happens to you... is none of your business anymore." Nagato's voice remained calm and indifferent, as if stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.
Without giving Jiraiya any time to ask questions or react, Nagato had already formed a simple hand seal with his hands.
A huge, complex necromancy spell instantly appeared and spun in the air behind him!
It was accompanied by a muffled, eerie roar, like the grinding of rocks.
A gigantic, crab-shaped summoning beast with an enormous body and a dark metallic sheen suddenly burst out of the spell!
It brandished two enormous pincers comparable to battering rams, and its eight compound eyes flashed with a cold red light, firmly locking onto Jiraiya below!
"A bubble of chaos!"
The giant crab opened its menacing mouth and suddenly spat out!
Instead of the expected water cannons or acid, there were countless tiny bubbles of varying sizes that refracted a rainbow of colors in the dim light!
These bubbles poured down like a tsunami, instantly filling the entire open area!
"Troublesome technique!"
Jiraiya cursed inwardly, forced to immediately abandon his questioning of the bound Konan.
He retreated rapidly, simultaneously forming hand seals to prepare for the sudden and bizarre attack and... Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan!
Konoha Village, hot spring bath.
The rising steam, carrying the distinctive smell of sulfur, dispelled the fatigue and aches accumulated in the body.
"Pfft-!"
Naruto buried his entire body deep into the warm spring water.
Feeling the soothing heat penetrate into every aching pore, he let out an exaggerated and satisfied sigh.
Like a big cat whose fur is being stroked comfortably.
He tilted his head and looked at Sasuke, who was also soaking in the spring water with his eyes closed, resting.
With a hint of smugness and anticipation on his face, he said, "Hey, Sasuke! I never thought Dad and Uncle Hashirama would actually say we passed!"
"Does this mean that the two of us working together have almost reached that legendary level they've been talking about?"
Sasuke didn't even bother to open his eyes, only letting out a disdainful snort from his nose.
Without any mercy, he poured cold water on the idea: "Idiot, what kind of dream are you having?"
"Our ancestors and Uncle Hashirama didn't even use half of their strength."
"History textbooks say that the full-force battle between our ancestors and Hashirama could alter the terrain."
He paused, his tone still calm, but with a hint of clear understanding: "And we, we used almost every trick in the book, nearly draining our chakra, to barely destroy a wooden dummy they used for sparring."
"The gap... is still very large."
Sasuke's analysis instantly punctured Naruto's little bit of smugness, causing him to deflate like a punctured balloon.
He sank further into the water, leaving only his golden head floating on the surface, muttering, "Sigh...that's true."
"I wonder how much longer we need to train before we can force Dad and the others to use their full strength..."
That must be an incredible amount of power... Just thinking about it makes me feel both excited and a little hopeless.
Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, looking at the steam rising from the hot spring.
There was no discouragement in his dark eyes, but rather a more determined light: "Later. Someday, it will happen."
The two fell into a brief silence, enjoying this rare post-war relaxation and tranquility.
The heat of the hot spring water seemed to soothe the hidden injuries and mental fatigue left by the day's training.
After soaking for a while, Naruto seemed to suddenly remember something, and abruptly sat up straight in the water, splashing water everywhere.
He looked around like an owner searching for a lost pet: "Right! Where's the lecherous immortal? Isn't that guy supposed to be a 'source-gathering writer' who's always squatting around here 'collecting inspiration'?"
Since the last chaotic arrest farce that took place at the hot springs of Yu-no-kuni.
Jiraiya did indeed tell them that he needed to return to Konoha to report on the Akatsuki organization.
Given that old lecher's nature, his first stop after returning to Konoha will most likely be around various hot spring resorts for his "artistic inspiration."
However, Naruto secretly released his sensory abilities and carefully scanned the surrounding area of several hundred meters.
However, they failed to detect Jiraiya's familiar yet somewhat lewd chakra reaction.
"Strange...did he change his gender?" Naruto scratched his wet hair, looking confused.
Sasuke, who was standing next to him, closed his eyes again and offered a more reasonable guess in a detached tone: "Perhaps Jiraiya-sensei has a mission to complete."
Upon hearing this, Naruto's eyes lit up immediately, and his earlier slight annoyance vanished in an instant.
Instead, there is a yearning for adventure: "A mission that would get Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, to personally take action?"
"Wow! That must be an incredibly exciting and powerful S-rank mission!!"
He excitedly waved his fist, as if he could already see Jiraiya's heroic figure dominating the battlefield.
Although what he imagined was more of a comical scene of a lecherous immortal.
However, amidst the excitement...
Even Naruto himself was unaware of the faint, indescribable unease deep within his heart.
Like bubbles at the bottom of the water, they rise quietly and then burst quietly.
He attributed this slight unease to his anticipation of a thrilling mission, and soon immersed himself in the comfort of the hot spring and his imagination of the "heroic deeds of the lecherous immortal."
Little did he know that far away in the Land of Rain, his beloved teacher had already stepped into a true den of dragons and tigers.
Chapter 358 Anxiety from Within
After soaking in the hot spring, he parted ways with Sasuke.
Naruto felt most of the soreness in his body being washed away by the soothing hot water, and his mood, like the clear sky over Konoha, became relaxed and joyful.
He strolled leisurely along the gradually bustling street, his hands in his pockets, whistling off-key.
As he passed a cozy gift shop, his pace involuntarily slowed.
The shop window displays a variety of exquisite trinkets and beautifully packaged gift boxes of pastries.
Looking at the snacks, Naruto suddenly thought of his two elders who lived far away on Mount Myōboku.
"Speaking of which... it's been a long time since I've been back to Mount Myōboku."
He scratched his head, a hint of guilt on his face: "I wonder how Grandpa Fukasaku and Grandma Shima are doing?"
"The last time I went back was when I was practicing immortal arts, and I caused them a lot of trouble..."