r18novel Chapter 168 Jiraiya: I finally caught you, kid.
Chapter 168 Jiraiya: I finally caught you, kid.
Chapter 168 Jiraiya: I finally caught you, kid.
As the dream ended, a familiar mechanical voice rang in Shi Yu's mind:
[The Dream Master System has been successfully upgraded!]
[Congratulations, host, you have reached level 13]
Please select one of the following enhancement effects.
[1. Audience size +2]
[2. Dream Goal +1]
[3. Dungeon Expansion Pack: Koga Ninja Scrolls]
Shiyu stared at the three options that appeared in mid-air and was slightly taken aback. It had been a long time since she had seen this familiar "choose one of three" option.
After a moment of surprise, he immediately began to think.
Option 3 can be skipped.
Just like the "Attack on Titan" expansion pack I drew before, although the ninjas in the world of "Kouga Ninja Scrolls" also have some unique abilities, their combat power is ultimately far inferior to that of the Naruto world. It would be somewhat pointless to spend precious dungeon slots to unlock such a world.
After hesitating for a moment between the remaining two options, Shiyu finally focused her attention on "Dream Goal +1".
While an increased audience can certainly bring more emotional value gains, having an additional dream-fulfilling goal means that the maximum number of people he can fulfill dreams for at the same time is increased, which is obviously more practical for him at the moment.
Once he made up his mind, he decisively chose the second option.
Early in the morning, in a small inn in Kusagakure, Itachi Uchiha suddenly opened his eyes.
The dimly lit room was filled with a faint, damp, musty smell. He sat up, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead.
Recalling the scene from his dream for a moment, a complex look flashed in his dark eyes, but he quickly put those illusory fragments out of his mind. Itachi turned his head to the right and saw that Kisame Hoshigaki, who shared the room with him, was still fast asleep, snoring softly from his nose.
The Samehada sword and luggage piled up in the corner were still neatly arranged, indicating that his partner had not woken up in the middle of the night.
Itachi withdrew his gaze, his expression relaxing slightly.
His gaze shifted to the window, where he could see the sky beginning to brighten through the cracks in the paper windowpane.
The masked man left yesterday and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
Thinking of this, Itachi frowned slightly: the masked man had suddenly given him and Kisame several days off, saying that he should take good care of his health.
Could it be because I bowed down and gave in yesterday, which temporarily satisfied that guy?
Whatever the reason, he and Kisame are currently in a state of rest without any missions, which is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for Itachi to go to Konoha.
Thinking of this, his eyes flashed, and he immediately made up his mind.
Itachi quietly got out of bed, put on his coat, and went outside.
A fresh morning breeze, carrying the scent of grass, blew against his face. He squinted slightly, and after confirming that no one was around, he quickly formed a hand seal to create a shadow clone.
"Boom!"
A wisp of white smoke rose, and a figure identical to him appeared before him.
Itachi's shadow clone nodded.
The clone accepted the order and immediately dashed out of the town.
However, just as Itachi's shadow clone was about to leave the border town of the Land of Grass, a figure suddenly flashed out from the side, and the two almost bumped into each other!
The man had a full head of white hair, wore a red vest, and had a headband with the word "oil" written on it. It was none other than Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was just about to go out to investigate intelligence when he suddenly bumped into a young man with black hair and red eyes, who was wearing a black robe with red clouds. His pupils shrank.
"You—!"
Jiraiya's expression changed drastically, and he almost instantly assumed a fighting stance. "You're here too! I haven't settled the score with you from last time!"
Upon hearing this, Itachi's shadow clone stopped, his dark eyes narrowing slightly, and he inwardly cried out that something was wrong.
At this moment, he was just a shadow clone, which would immediately dissipate if attacked.
"Jiraiya! I am not Konoha's enemy."
Itachi spoke in a deep voice.
"Hmph!" Jiraiya chuckled, his gaze turning icy as he stared at him. "Last time you sneaked into Konoha and tried to kill Naruto. If I hadn't intervened in time, that kid Naruto would be dead already—and you still dare to say such things?"
Faced with Jiraiya's merciless accusations, Itachi opened his mouth but was speechless for a moment.
The other party is right. No matter what his reasons were, the fact that he personally harmed his younger brother and Naruto that day cannot be changed.
At this moment, further words are useless, and any explanation would seem pale and ineffective.
For a moment, the two were at loggerheads, locked in a stalemate, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
The cool morning breeze rustled through the treetops along the street, but no one paid any attention.
Jiraiya squinted and carefully examined Itachi in front of him, the more he looked, the more something seemed off.
He knew this kid's strength and condition all too well when they last clashed in Konoha, but now, after only a few days apart, Itachi seemed much weaker.
His once cold and sharp gaze now faintly revealed a hint of fatigue, and his cheeks were slightly pale.
Although he appeared calm on the surface, some details betrayed his physical condition.
"Hmph. It seems his health isn't so good," Jiraiya thought to himself, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
All signs indicate that Itachi Uchiha's physical condition is far worse than before, for some unknown reason.
This is undoubtedly a golden opportunity!
Having thought this through, Jiraiya no longer hesitated.
He stomped his foot and lunged at Itachi!
A powerful surge of chakra swept out instantly, and Jiraiya launched a thunderous attack, determined to take down Itachi.
Upon seeing this, Itachi frowned deeply.
He was already at a disadvantage against Jiraiya, not to mention that his body had been severely damaged by the onset of his terminal illness, and now that he was only a clone, his strength was greatly diminished.
For a time, Jiraiya's offensive was like a raging storm.
They retreated repeatedly, not daring to engage directly, and were completely on the defensive.
"Thump!" After exchanging only a few blows, Jiraiya seized the opportunity and struck Itachi on the shoulder with a palm strike.
Itachi couldn't dodge in time, and the moment he was hit, his whole body exploded into clouds of white mist with a "whoosh"!
"Shadow clones?!"
Jiraiya stopped his attack, his eyes widening in surprise.
The enemy before us was just a clone?!
Jiraiya stood still, his brow furrowed, his doubts deepening.
It was already strange to encounter Itachi Uchiha here, but I didn't expect that he was just a shadow clone. So where was the real Itachi?
He looked up at the quiet town not far away, his eyes gleaming: since his clone could appear here, his real body couldn't possibly be too far away.
It seems that the Land of Grass is indeed hiding some secret!
Thinking of this, his eyes sharpened.
At the same time, outside the small inn, Uchiha Itachi, who was pondering his next move, suddenly opened his eyes and took a slight breath.
In that instant, the memories of the shadow clone had already returned to his mind.
"Jiraiya?"
Itachi muttered to himself, a strange look on his face, "At this time... why is Jiraiya in the Land of Grass?"
After a brief moment of confusion, Itachi quickly calmed down and began to organize the information in his mind.
He clearly understood Jiraiya's significance to Konoha.
1
The opponent is not only one of the powerful "Sannin", but also a key link in Konoha's intelligence network.
If I can manage to communicate with Jiraiya, it might be very beneficial for my next actions.
Thinking of this, Itachi couldn't help but sigh softly.
Unfortunately, apart from the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, almost no one in Konoha knew the truth about his infiltration of the Akatsuki organization.
Therefore, even if he had tried to explain to Jiraiya just now, the latter would never have believed him easily.
As a result, half of their chakra was wasted.
He shook his head inwardly, a look of annoyance flashing in his eyes.
He had to admit that his previous attempt to infiltrate Konoha had been rather reckless.
If it weren't for that incident, when he met Jiraiya today, he might have had a chance to say a few words, or at least express his attitude.
This was after his appearance in Konoha and the attack on Naruto and Sasuke.
Nowadays, the Jonin of Konoha would only see him as an enemy and probably wouldn't give him a chance to explain before launching an attack. Even so, he still has to go to Konoha.
Itachi pondered for a moment, then his eyes hardened once more—
Some matters can only be resolved by personally going to Konoha, and the situations are quite complicated; it's impossible to explain them clearly by relying solely on letters or summoning beasts.
Perhaps we could ask the Third Hokage for a token that could prove our identity?
With this in mind, Itachi quickly devised a plan of action.
He immediately formed hand seals and used the Shadow Clone Technique once again.
With a soft sound, the smoke dissipated, and a "Uchiha Itachi" appeared in the spot.
Itachi stared at his shadow clone and slowly nodded, saying, "You stay."
The shadow clone understood immediately and turned back to its room.
After arranging everything, Itachi nodded, turned around, and disappeared into the hazy streets in the early morning.
Considering that it's currently a holiday, it's unlikely that a sudden battle would force the clones to dissipate, so Itachi is relatively confident about the plan.
After leaving the small inn, he deliberately chose to detour out of the town in the opposite direction from before, so as to avoid running into Jiraiya again.
Before leaving, Itachi took off his overly conspicuous black robe with red clouds and changed into a gray-blue kimono casual outfit that he had bought in town.
Immediately afterwards, he clasped his hands together in a mudra and whispered, "Transformation Technique!"
In an instant, he transformed his appearance into that of an ordinary-looking, middle-aged man with black hair.
Now at least people won't recognize them as members of the Akatsuki organization at a glance.
The Land of Grass is adjacent to the Land of Fire.
Crossing the Kamibi Bridge leads to the Land of Fire.
As dawn broke, Itachi strode swiftly across the famous stone bridge and soon entered the Land of Fire.
Gazing at the faint outline of the village hidden in the lush forest ahead, Itachi took a deep breath and quickened his pace toward the familiar direction he remembered.
He kept a low profile throughout the journey, and almost no one noticed him as he quietly sneaked into Konoha Village.
Upon returning to the land he had been away from for so long, Itachi dared not relax for a moment.
Instead of revealing himself, he concealed himself and walked along secluded alleys, avoiding crowds and patrolling sentries.
After confirming that the surrounding area was temporarily safe, Itachi waved one hand and released several crows, which silently flew in different directions from the village.
He was well aware that his identity was highly sensitive, and only by ensuring his whereabouts remained secret could he play his greatest role.
His investigations over the years have not been entirely fruitless.
He knew that the masked man had a secret force that had long been lurking throughout the ninja world, monitoring all the major ninja villages, including Konoha.
Therefore, this meeting with the Third Hokage must not take place in the open; a completely safe and secluded opportunity must be found to avoid revealing one's identity.
Guided by his senses, a crow swiftly flew to the windowsill outside the Hokage Building.
Itachi remotely controlled the crow with his Sharingan and peered into the office. In the bright and spacious Hokage's office, the figure sitting behind the desk reviewing documents was not Hiruzen Sarutobi, but a young woman with blond hair and blue eyes.
"Tsunade?!"
Itachi was startled, almost thinking he had misread it.
Just then, Tsunade, who was engrossed in reviewing documents inside the room, seemed to sense something, abruptly stopped, and looked up sharply towards the window!
Her amber eyes were sharp and alert, as if she had noticed the uninvited guest outside the window.
not good!
Itachi sensed something was wrong and immediately severed his mental connection with the crow.
On the windowsill of the Hokage's office, the jet-black crow cawed and flapped its wings, then hurriedly flew away.
Itachi, who was hiding in the shadows in the distance, reached out and braced himself against the wall to steady himself. A few drops of cold sweat had already seeped out of his forehead. What a close call! He was almost discovered by Tsunade!
After catching his breath, Itachi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear, and thought to himself: As expected of one of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade's senses are so sharp!
Itachi couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
Why are Jiraiya and Tsunade, both legendary Sannin, so much more difficult to deal with?
"That Orochimaru guy, I dealt with him so easily back then!" After a brief moment of grumbling, Itachi quickly composed himself and began to consider the current situation.
"When did Tsunade return to Konoha? She's still in the Hokage's office—"
He frowned slightly and walked quickly toward the bulletin board on the street with a puzzled look in his eyes.
Before long, a new notice posted on the wooden bulletin board came into view: the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had officially stepped down and passed the position of Hokage to Tsunade, one of the "Legendary Sannin" of Konoha!
It turned out to be the case.
After reading the notice, I couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The news that Tsunade had returned to the village and directly succeeded as Hokage was truly unexpected.
He slowly raised his head, looking at the Hokage Building with a complex expression.
At this moment, he was filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry: he was happy that Tsunade, who had long since left Konoha, had actually returned to the village; he was worried that she was now the Hokage and he wondered if he could still ask her to treat him.
Thinking of this, Itachi sighed softly, but quickly cheered up again.
The most urgent task now is to find the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He summoned several crows again to circle overhead and scout.
Not long after, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared in the transmitted image.
The weasel perked up and immediately followed the direction indicated by the crow.
A few minutes later, Itachi quietly appeared outside a courtyard in the Sarutobi clan's residence.
He peered out from the shadows of the trees and saw two figures standing in the courtyard—one of whom was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, with his gray hair.
He was accompanied by a little boy who looked about eight or nine years old.
Sarutobi was patiently instructing the child on how to wield his chakra dagger. The old man had a kind smile on his face, while the little boy was sweating profusely and wielding the dagger with an extremely serious expression.
Around the courtyard, several Konoha ninjas could be vaguely seen patrolling and guarding the area, while several ANBU figures, concealing their presence, lurked nearby, protecting the Sarutobi residence thoroughly.
However, these defenses, which seemed impregnable to others, were rendered useless in the face of Itachi Uchiha's Sharingan and genjutsu.
When he closed his eyes and opened them again, his dark pupils had transformed into crimson Sharingan with three tomoe.
He took a deep breath and easily dodged two groups of patrolling ninjas with a swift movement.
Whenever a guard looks this way, they will unknowingly fall into Itachi's illusion, passing by him without realizing it.
In less than half a minute, Itachi had stealthily made his way to the wall of Sarutobi's residence.
The next moment, he lowered his body, leaped up, gracefully flipped over the courtyard wall, and landed steadily on the grass in the courtyard.