Afterward, the group went to a teahouse and sat around a square table.
Naruto saw the girl he had encountered at the fruit stall earlier here. She sat quietly by the window, her hands folded on her lap, her gaze always lowered, not looking at anyone.
Through the conversation between Tokiwa and Jiraiya, Naruto learned the whole story.
When Jiraiya was young, he fought the former leader of Nadeshiko Village. The battle was exceptionally intense, but it ended in a draw, so the two made a pact.
If they could not fight again in this lifetime, their respective students would continue the duel. The student of the side that lost would have to marry into the other village.
The girl in front of them, named Shizuka, was the former leader's student, and thus the fiancée Jiraiya had arranged for his own student.
Naruto picked up his teacup and took a sip, his expression blank.
In other words, Jiraiya had found a fiancée for him, and this "trap" had now come knocking at his door.
Come to think of it, Jiraiya actually had quite a few students. Minato, Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko were all considered Jiraiya's students.
Tokiwa turned her gaze to Naruto, her tone respectful and solemn. "Since you are Jiraiya-sama's student, then according to the agreement, please engage in a formal duel with Shizuka-sama. If you lose, according to the agreement, you must marry into Nadeshiko Village."
Without a second thought, Jiraiya pointed his finger at Naruto. "In that case, I'll leave it to you, Naruto."
Naruto's lips twitched.
He looked at Shizuka, who had remained silent opposite him, thought for a moment, and said, "I can agree to this duel. But there is one thing I must make clear beforehand: I will not marry into any village."
"Matters of marriage should be based on finding someone you truly love."
Upon hearing this, Shizuka raised her head and glanced at Naruto.
She nodded. "In that case, please follow us."
Naruto nodded, and as he left, he cast a thoughtful glance toward a corner of the teahouse.
Soon, the group arrived at an uninhabited forest outside the town.
Tokiwa looked around and formed hand seals, preparing to use Earth Release Ninjutsu to transform the area into a proper battlefield.
Naruto raised a hand to stop her. "No need for such trouble, it will be over very soon."
As soon as these words were spoken, they provoked the dissatisfaction of both Tokiwa and Shizuka.
Tokiwa frowned slightly, feeling that this student of Jiraiya was far too arrogant.
Shizuka was, after all, the strongest successor in the history of Nadeshiko Village.
Shizuka looked at Naruto with an unchanged expression, but her clenched fists showed that she had been provoked by his words.
Only Jiraiya remained calm.
Then, Jiraiya and Tokiwa each took a few steps back, leaving the space to the two of them.
Shizuka launched the first attack, a white glow of Chakra gathering on her right fist, and she kicked off the ground, rushing straight at Naruto.
Nadeshiko-Style: Hardliner Galer Fist!
Seeing this, Naruto raised his right hand, a layer of blue Chakra gathering on his fist. He met Shizuka's fist head-on with a punch, the two forces of Chakra colliding in the air.
The white light on Shizuka's right fist shattered inch by inch the moment it made contact with Naruto's fist.
Naruto's punch momentum did not diminish, blasting Shizuka backward. Shizuka's body traced a long parabola through the air, losing control of her body.
"How is this possible..." Tokiwa's eyes widened.
Shizuka's Ancient Clear Sky Fist was a unique secret technique passed down through generations in Nadeshiko Village, concentrating all of one's Chakra into the fist for an instantaneous burst. Even an opponent at the Jonin level would suffer if they took it head-on.
Yet, this Konoha youth before her had just thrown a casual punch and blasted away both Shizuka and her prized secret technique.
What shocked her even more was yet to come.
Naruto appeared behind the trajectory of Shizuka's flight. Tokiwa hadn't even seen how Naruto moved, he had simply appeared out of thin air on the path Shizuka was about to cross.
He formed his right hand into a blade, striking the back of Shizuka's neck the moment she flew past him. The force was perfectly controlled. At that moment, all the Chakra in Shizuka's body completely dissipated, and her body went limp.
In the moment before her consciousness completely faded, Shizuka heard Naruto's voice.
"Since you aren't satisfied with the village's rules, then just wait for me to break them for you."
Shizuka then fainted on the grass. Tokiwa rushed forward to support her, checked her over, and breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that she was merely unconscious and not injured.
She turned to look at Naruto, and then at Jiraiya, who was leaning against a tree.
The battle just now—if it could even be called a battle—had taken a total of only two moves from start to finish.
She composed herself and bowed deeply to Jiraiya. "I apologize, Jiraiya-sama, but this agreement is likely over. The gap in strength between Shizuka-sama and your student is too great, there is no point in continuing the duel. I have caused you trouble. Farewell."
Tokiwa carried Shizuka on her back and turned to walk out of the forest.
After watching the two leave, Naruto turned his head to look at Jiraiya, who was leaning against the tree.
Jiraiya was pretending to study the veins of the leaves above his head, avoiding Naruto's gaze.
Naruto then turned to look at a tree not far away. "Come out. You've been there since just a moment ago."
There was a stir in the distance, and then a female ninja walked out from behind a large tree.
"Hoshigakure headband." Jiraiya looked at the female ninja's headband, his eyes narrowing.
The female ninja bowed and then raised her head to look at Naruto, her eyes filled with an irrepressible urgency. "I saw the entire battle just now. Your strength is the greatest I have ever seen, far stronger than any Jonin in our village."
Naruto looked at her, activating Negative Emotions Sensing. She carried goodwill, but beneath that goodwill lay a thick layer of anxiety and fear.
"My name is Natsuhi, and I am a Ninja from Hoshigakure. My village is currently facing a crisis. The ninjas in our village use something called the Star to learn a unique Ninjutsu called the Mysterious Peacock Method, which grants powerful strength."
"But long-term training severely damages the body and even shortens one's lifespan. Many people have already fallen because of it, but the acting leader Akahoshi is still forcing young Ninjas to continue using the Star. If this continues, Hoshigakure will be destroyed by its own people."
"I beg you, please help my village."
Hearing Natsuhi's words, the plot of Hoshigakure from the original story flashed through Naruto's mind.
Come to think of it, that Star was quite interesting and had high research value.
He asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Please help me steal that Star. I don't want the people in the village to be harmed by it any longer."
Naruto thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Very well, but this Star must be handed over to me to handle."
Natsuhi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
She had come out holding onto a last glimmer of hope. The fact that the other party not only agreed to help but did so so readily made her feel it was somewhat unreal.
She had secretly overheard what he said when refusing his fiancée earlier. This person must be an upright individual.
Naruto turned to Jiraiya. "Pervy Sage, if we go to Hoshigakure, will we still make it in time for the letter delivery mission?"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin, quickly calculating the route in his mind.
He had traveled all over that region of the Land of Bears when he was young, so he was fairly familiar with the terrain.
"Hoshigakure happens to be on the way to the Land of Bears, so we can go together. But we cannot delay too long, the letter delivery mission has a deadline."
Naruto nodded and turned to Natsuhi. "Lead the way, time is of the essence."
"Thank you."
Natsuhi bowed again, turned, and leaped into the depths of the forest.
Naruto followed her pace, and the three figures moved one after another through the dense border forest.
***
40 Advanced Chapters on
[email protected]/alex_1000