69novels Chapter 436 Temporary Break
Chapter 436 Temporary Break
Chapter 436 Temporary Break
The lobby of the Joint Affairs Bureau was noisier than Naruto could remember.
Jiraiya glanced at the blond-haired boy who was still tugging at his sleeve.
"Get down," he said impatiently. "How long do you intend to hold me like this?"
Naruto then let go with an "Ah!" and his blue eyes darted around as he surveyed the bustling hall: "There are more people now, you perverted sage."
"I told you not to call me by that name!"
Seeing that the address had attracted several stares from the vicinity, Jiraiya's forehead veins bulged. He grabbed Naruto's head and pressed it down, gritting his teeth and emphasizing, "I'm here to work properly."
"You should call me 'Lord Jiraiya' here, understand?"
"No way." Naruto twisted his neck to break free from his hand and continued to observe the crowd coming and going—ninjas wearing various headbands, clerks hurrying by with documents in their hands, and delegation members sitting in the waiting area talking in hushed tones.
"Naruto?"
A crisp sound came from the side.
Fu, holding a glass of juice, took small steps closer, her orange eyes full of curiosity: "Why are you here too?"
"Fu!" Naruto immediately straightened up, pointed his finger at the white-haired man beside him, and shouted in a voice loud enough to be heard throughout half the hall, "I'm here to keep an eye on this lecherous sage! To prevent him from spying on girls!"
Fu immediately backed away with the juice in her arms, her wary gaze sweeping back and forth over Jiraiya.
"Hey! Hey!" Jiraiya punched Naruto on the head, then turned to Fu and yelled, "I'm not interested in little girls! I'm a sophisticated, mature man!"
He spread his arms, making an exaggerated, graceful arc.
"There has to be at least this kind of curve—" he emphasized with a serious expression, "for it to be worth my precious creative time to do in-depth research."
Then, he raised his palm and made a clean, decisive cutting motion from top to bottom.
"That kind of thing," he said with a look of disgust, "would never appear in my work. Little girl, just go and drink your juice. The adult world is complicated."
Fu stopped dodging, but the wariness in her eyes completely turned into disgust as if she were looking at unrecyclable trash: "Perverted old man."
"This is the truth!" Jiraiya declared righteously.
Many people in the hall had already turned to look. Jiraiya cleared his throat, preparing to expound his theory about what kind of stories could unite people and help them overcome barriers and understand each other.
The next second, he received a heavy blow to the back of his knee.
"Huh?!"
Jiraiya staggered forward, and before he could regain his balance, a precise fist slammed into the back of his head.
"Bang!"
The white-haired man fell face down to the ground with a dull thud. The floor shook.
The Fifth Hokage finished his work, not even glancing at the figure lying on the ground, and strode straight towards the stairs. The hem of his dark green robe traced a clean, sharp curve.
Fu's mouth dropped open, and she forgot to drink her juice. Her bright orange eyes sparkled with admiration: "Wow, so amazing..."
Naruto nodded repeatedly, his face full of admiration: "Fifth Hokage's sister is too strong!"
The person on the ground moved slightly.
Jiraiya propped himself up, shook his head, his white hair slightly disheveled. He grimaced as he got up, "What sister... I'm clearly an old woman..."
Tsunade, who had already climbed the stairs, stopped.
The next moment, her figure disappeared down the stairs.
"oh--!!!"
The dull thud of a fist slamming into the abdomen.
Jiraiya curled up like a shrimp, his feet briefly leaving the ground before slamming back down with a "thud," this time too exhausted to even struggle.
Tsunade shook her wrist and turned to continue upstairs.
Naruto crouched down and carefully poked Jiraiya's shoulder with his index finger: "Perverted Sage?"
No response.
He poked it again: "You haven't finished speaking yet. Godai-neechan is clearly an old... what?"
Shuji happened to walk by, his footsteps very light. He glanced at the figure slumped on the ground and kindly advised, "You'd better not push Jiraiya-san too hard, Naruto."
Naruto looked up: "But Shuji-nii, it seems the Perverted Sage is dead."
"Mr. Jiraiya is very resilient."
As Shuji spoke, he lightly tapped Jiraiya's side with his toe. The movement was so light that it caused the figure on the ground to twitch violently.
"Sleeping is not allowed here. There has been a lot of activity from the secretariat staff lately, and the ground needs to be kept clear. Staying here will disturb others."
"In addition, there are still many people who haven't completed the registration and verification process. Hongdou is already extremely busy. If you have time, please go and help them out."
As soon as he finished speaking, the figure on the ground twitched again.
"Cough, cough...! I know, I know..."
Jiraiya clutched his stomach, struggled to turn over, and gasped for breath, facing the ceiling. His usually jovial face was now filled with utter despair.
He stared at the ceiling and murmured, "I'll just... rest for a little while... really just a little while..."
Slow, rhythmic footsteps came from the direction of the stairs.
Chiyo slowly walked down the steps, with Gaara following behind her.
The Fifth Kazekage's gaze swept over Jiraiya, who had just gotten up from the ground, and finally landed on Tsunade on the stairs.
"What's wrong?" Chiyo's voice was hoarse and slow. "You little slug, are you still not going to admit you're old? At this age, you still don't know your own strength."
Tsunade stood halfway up the stairs, arms crossed over her chest.
She raised an eyebrow and retorted, "I won't be old even in twenty years."
"But you old lady who plays with puppets," she said, looking Chiyo up and down, "be careful on the steps when you walk, don't hurt your back. Do you need me to find someone to help you?"
Chiyo snorted, her wrinkled face revealing neither anger nor amusement. Having provoked her, she lost all interest in continuing the argument.
The old man turned his head, waved to Gaara behind him, and said in a calm tone, "Go."
She saw Naruto and Fu standing in the hall.
Furthermore, since the person in charge of Konoha had already arrived, Chiyo felt there was no need to see him off any further.
Gaara nodded and stepped down the stairs. As the red-haired boy brushed past Shuji, who was climbing the stairs, Shuji said gently, "They're waiting for you."
"Um."
In the hall, Naruto and Fu also saw Gaara. Naruto ignored Jiraiya on the ground, stood up, and waved, "Gaara! Over here!"
Chiyo watched this scene, and only after Shuji had caught up with her on the steps did she slowly speak: "I really should have kept a closer eye on you when I let you into the village before."
Shuji said, "It's too late to regret it now, Lord Kazekage."
The three of them walked uphill together.
As I reached the corner on the third floor, someone happened to walk out of the corridor on the other side.
Mei Terumi's deep blue skirt swayed gently with her steps. Seeing the group on the stairs, she couldn't help but smile and say, "What a coincidence! Did you all arrange to come together at this time?"
She didn't wait for an answer, nor did she show the slightest hesitation; she simply turned to the side and joined the ranks of those going up.
Three fifth-generation Kage, plus one person of unknown significance, walked through the stairwell.
When they arrived on the fourth floor, they saw the two people waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
Han leaned against the wall, while Yu Gao stood a little further out by the window, gazing outside. Hearing footsteps, they both looked up at the same time.
"Are you waiting for Killer Bee and Yugito?" Mei Terumi asked with a smile, breaking the brief silence.
"Yes, Lord Mizukage," Utakata replied, his gaze lingering briefly on the four visitors before politely lowering it again.
At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Raikage Ai strode out with a grim face. Seeing the four people in the stairwell, he stopped: "The Hidden Cloud Village will cover the expenses incurred during the opening ceremony rehearsals and preparations."
Upon hearing this, Mei Terumi's smile remained unchanged, but her words were anything but subdued: "This is a high-value combination that has never appeared before. I'm afraid Raikage's desire to monopolize it will not be granted."
Chiyo said, "You can handle this kind of competition yourselves. Sunagakure doesn't have the extra funds to waste on such things."
Raikage seemed to have anticipated this reaction. He said nothing more, simply striding up the stairs to the fifth floor, leaving with the words, "We'll discuss the details later."
The five of them entered the top floor at the same time and opened the office where the Five Shadows Conference had once been held.
In the office where the Five Kage Summit was once held, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, floated in front of the window with his back to the door.
Hearing the door open, he slowly turned around.
"They're taking so long."
Onoki landed in the position that belonged to the Tsuchikage.
"What exactly are Konoha's plans regarding Akatsuki and the Land of Snow?"
The other four Kage took their seats in turn, with Shuuji standing beside Tsunade.
"Everything we're doing now," Shuuji said calmly, "is simply to prevent them from going to extremes too quickly. The longer this war drags on, the better it is for us."
The room was quiet, with only his voice echoing.
"The new insights they are gaining from their current explorations also provide an opportunity for the daimyo to continue their support with peace of mind, just as they always have."
"After all, what they are going to do is far more radical than what we are doing now."
"It also allows us to find our way forward in a relatively moderate way."
"The problems of this world—how ninjas should interact with each other, and how they should interact with the world—maybe we can find some different answers in this process."
-
Fourth floor corridor.
Killer Bee cautiously peeked out, his eyes behind his sunglasses scanning left and right warily. Only after confirming that the Fourth Raikage had left did he jump out from his hiding place.
"Yo-ho! All clear, big brother, retreat!" He leaped out, arms raised high, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "Rehearsal time! Let's go! You idiot! You bastard!"
The man leaning against the wall silently straightened up.
Yu Gao, who was by the window, also turned his gaze away from the outside.
Yukito pushed open the door and walked out of the adjacent lounge.
"Inspiration is boiling! The melody is roaring!" Killer Bee strode up the stairs, already improvising rhymes. "I have to catch the rhythm before it cools and solidifies! Capture the feeling! The flow can't stop! The beat can't break!"
He practically ran down the stairs.
In the hall, Naruto and Fu were chatting away around Gaara.
The moment Killer Bee appeared at the top of the stairs like a whirlwind, Naruto looked up as if sensing something.
The next second, he floated off the ground.
"Hey, babies," Killer Bee said, lifting Naruto up with one hand, completely ignoring the latter's frantic struggles, his eyes behind his sunglasses gleaming with excitement, "Every second counts! This golden moment can't be wasted!"
"Wait! Uncle! I can walk by myself—"
"Clash! Crash! Kunai Collision!" Killer Bee, already carrying Naruto, charged forward with bizarre dance-like movements. "Grip! Lock! Tighten and hold on!"
"Batter! Beat! Break through the barrier!"
He rushed out the door, the afternoon sun shining on him.
Killer Bee raised one fist high, while Naruto, who was still struggling, was in the other hand.
"yeah--!!"
"Let's go! The inspiration train has already sounded its whistle; if you miss it, you'll have to wait until next season!"
He carried the struggling Naruto in one hand and rushed towards the main arena of the stadium area with incredible speed.
The impromptu, rhythmic chanting continued, drawing curious glances from the street:
"Fists and blades! Focus unswayed!"
"The stage is calling, the greatest band in history is about to explode—"
Gaara had already started to catch up. Fu carefully placed her half-finished juice glass on the reception desk in the lobby, smiled apologetically at the clerk on duty, and then jogged after him. Han, Utakata, and Yugito followed closely behind.
The hall suddenly became much quieter.
Jiraiya stood up, rubbing his still-aching stomach. He gazed in the direction where the group had disappeared through the doorway, then looked at the busy clerks and ninjas in the secret service office, and finally let out a long sigh.
"Really, I almost died."
He muttered to himself, dusted himself off, smoothed his messy white hair with his fingers, and walked toward the door.
Jiraiya strolled slowly, hands in his pockets. In the distance, Killer Bee's highly recognizable rap could be faintly heard, mixed with Naruto's muffled protests, gradually fading into the wind.
He looked up and squinted at the azure sky.
"Let's go grab a drink."
But his feet moved involuntarily toward the direction where the group of people had disappeared.
The outline of the main stadium gradually became clear.
Jiraiya could imagine the scene inside. He had secretly protected her for so long, and he remembered everything very clearly.
He stopped and leaned against the roadside railing.
He pulled a small notebook and a pen from his pocket and turned to a blank page.
The pen tip hovered above the paper, pausing for a moment.
Seven people who were once rejected, feared, and exploited by the world, seven beings who coexist with calamity, are now in a venue, practicing desperately for a seemingly absurd performance.
Among them are children, teenagers, and adults, from different villages, carrying different pasts.
But at this moment, they are in the same melody.
The pen tip fell, drawing the first line of words on the paper.
"What should this story be called...?"
(End of this chapter)