Chapter 541: The Trouble After Asuma's Death
"In my era, the ninja world clearly didn't have so many bond-type ninjas. But after I was brought back with the Impure World Reincarnation, the ninja world has changed so much that I barely recognize it anymore."
"Based on what Maki and the others have told me over the past few days, along with the information I've gathered myself, all of these changes seem to trace back to someone named Shiromo."
"Do you think there's a chance he deliberately guided the ninja world into becoming a world of bond-type ninjas, so that he wouldn't have any competition when it came to beautiful kunoichi?"
Pakura voiced her speculation with a conflicted expression.
As a war hero who had once been murdered through Rasa's scheme, the fact that Pakura hadn't turned completely bitter after being resurrected was already remarkable. That was largely because she had immediately reunited with her disciple Maki, and because she had learned that her enemy, Rasa, was already dead.
Even so, she could never return to the person she once was. Her distrust of others and her tendency to see conspiracies everywhere could no longer be suppressed. Those thoughts just kept pouring out one after another.
"Well... that's not impossible."
Maki gave her master plenty of face by immediately agreeing.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Temari rejected Pakura's theory without a moment's hesitation.
"Temari, I know I had a grudge against your father, but your father was the one who murdered me, not the other way around. I don't have any issue with you or the current Kazekage. So why are you opposing me for no reason at all?"
Pakura frowned, and the familiar tone of conspiracy theories immediately crept back into her words.
Temari could only sigh.
But just as Pakura had said, it really was her father, Rasa, who had killed Pakura. So Temari could understand the psychological state Pakura was in.
It wasn't something that could be fixed overnight.
For many villains, people often say that one's final words are kind. Death can bring enlightenment, and after being revived through Impure World Reincarnation, they come to understand many things they never realized before.
Take Uchiha Itachi, for example. Only after dying once did he finally understand the importance of trusting others.
Likewise, even good people can have a trace of darkness stain their once-pure hearts after death.
Pakura was exactly that kind of person.
But that didn't mean she could slander others however she pleased.
"For no reason? Pakura, you think it's a good thing for Shiromo that male ninjas have become bond-type ninjas because it means he has no competition. But the problem is, those men were never his competition in the first place."
"Besides, have you ever considered that after those male ninjas became bond-type ninjas... Shiromo might actually become the most irresistible delicacy in their eyes?"
Temari argued logically, speaking with complete confidence.
"Well... that's not impossible either."
Maki nodded, continuing to play along.
Of course, she wasn't just agreeing for the sake of it.
She was speaking on behalf of the Three Gossip Girls. She genuinely thought Temari's reasoning made sense.
"..."
After hearing Temari's explanation, Pakura found herself speechless.
She had never looked at it from that angle before.
Now that Temari had pointed it out, the more she thought about it, the more it actually made sense.
And while the phrase "the most irresistible delicacy in the world" sounded ordinary at first, after silently repeating it in her head a few times, Pakura couldn't help but feel goosebumps all over her body.
"It's true, Sensei. They say that Sarutobi Asuma, the Third Hokage's son—you know, that uncle with the beard—was targeted by local bond-type ninjas while carrying out a mission in the Land of Hot Water."
"Apparently, in the eyes of those local bond-type ninjas, someone like Sarutobi Asuma could even be considered a loli."
"Just think about it, Sensei. If even Asuma was that popular, then if those bond-type ninjas saw Shiromo, wouldn't he really become 'the most irresistible delicacy in the world'?"
Maki patiently tried to convince her master, speaking one word at a time.
"Wait... where did you even hear something like that?"
Pakura stared at Maki in disbelief.
She wasn't doubting the story itself.
She was shocked by Maki's information network.
"I heard it from people."
Maki answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
As members of the gossip squad, wasn't finding information like this just a basic skill?
"After Sarutobi Asuma was assassinated in the Land of Hot Water and died there, Konoha's ANBU sent people to investigate. They caught two bond-type ninjas who had disguised themselves as bath attendants."
"Apparently, what they used to scrub Asuma wasn't body wash at all. They had secretly mixed special drugs into it. They were planning to sneak into Asuma's room that night."
"But just as they were getting ready and keeping watch outside, they saw another black-clad figure slip into Asuma's room. At first, they thought another fellow bond-type ninja had beaten them to it."
They felt it was a pity and were even wondering whether they should follow and see if they could join in. But after taking only a couple of steps, they suddenly heard Asuma scream. Their first thought was that Asuma's 'wisdom window' had been broken."
"But they quickly realized that the scream pierced straight into the soul. It was the scream of someone on the verge of death. They assumed the person who had entered Asuma's room wasn't just another bond-type ninja like them, but someone who also had a bizarre fetish for killing. They were terrified and immediately ran back to their room and hid."
"When Konoha's ANBU interrogated them, since they were foreign ninjas operating inside the Land of Hot Water, officials from the Land of Hot Water observed the interrogation the entire time."
"The ANBU naturally wouldn't leak that information. But the people of the Land of Hot Water were a different story. Their entire economy depends on hot spring tourism. They absolutely couldn't allow the country's reputation to be ruined."
"So they secretly arranged for people to release the 'truth' behind the incident. According to them, Asuma had simply gone too far while fooling around with bond-type ninjas and accidentally got himself killed. They even reassured tourists not to worry. 'The Land of Hot Water is perfectly safe. Just don't play too wildly.'"
"...The Land of Hot Water certainly has guts. Didn't Konoha send anyone to explain the truth? They just let the people of the Land of Hot Water secretly ruin the reputation of one of their own ninjas and the Third Hokage's son, no less?"
Pakura asked in confusion.
"Konoha definitely wanted to send people to strongly condemn the Land of Hot Water. But then something happened afterward, and the whole matter was quietly dropped. The Land of Hot Water even sent representatives to attend Sarutobi Asuma's funeral."
"They also volunteered to provide full funeral services. While preparing Asuma's body and arranging his appearance, they made a surprising discovery. There were strange smells and unusual marks all over Asuma's body."
"Even his back had them. If Asuma had simply learned how to train in Sage Mode ahead of time and accidentally gotten himself dirty while practicing inside his room, there was no way his back would have ended up like that."
"So there was only one possible explanation. Asuma really had been involved with bond-type ninjas. Once the Konoha shinobi realized that, they were too embarrassed to keep condemning the Land of Hot Water. They hadn't expected Asuma himself to have been 'unclean.' In the end, the matter simply faded away."
"So that's what happened..."
Pakura wore a dazed expression.
What an incredibly satisfying piece of gossip.
No wonder those three loved gossiping so much.
Turns out chatting about juicy gossip really was that enjoyable.
(End of this chapter)