Chapter 455 - 140

Chapter 140: The Meddlesome EbisuUnexpectedly, Ebisu hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed him, then said: "Wait a moment, Lord Jiraiya. I have some matters to report to you and hope you can give me some time."Jiraiya stopped in his tracks upon hearing this and said: "Fine, but my time is limited. You had better make it quick."Ebisu bowed respectfully and said: "It is like this: during the tests in the Forest of Death a few days ago, we discovered the tracks of the S-rank rogue Ninja Orochimaru."After so many years, he has appeared again, and at such a critical juncture as the Chunin Exams, which has left many Ninjas in the Village feeling panicked and uneasy.If this were in the past, with the Third Hokagepresiding, Orochimaru would naturally be no match for him. But now, the old man is getting older, and his strength has declined somewhat.Furthermore, after all these years, it is impossible for Orochimaru to have remained stagnant. Even the Third Hokage has admitted himself that he is no longer a match for Orochimaru now.Fortunately, heaven blesses Konoha; you have actually returned at this moment. I boldly wish to ask you to take action and assist the Ninjas in the Village in tracking him down. I hope you can agree to help us through this difficult time."After speaking, Ebisu bowed deeply again. However, after hearing his words, Jiraiya's eyes became sharp, and he asked: "So, have you already told those old fogies the news that I have returned to the Village?"Seeing Jiraiya's change in expression, Ebisupanicked and hurriedly said: "No, Lord Jiraiya. I have been waiting for you here these past few days precisely because I was afraid of causing you displeasure, so I have not yet reported it to the higher-ups."Jiraiya nodded, his expression softening, and said: "I only returned this time to gather material for my work."I have long stopped concerning myself with the affairs of the Village. Aren't those old fogies always very self-righteous, believing that all their decisions are for the sake of the Village?As long as someone offers a different opinion or perspective, they are ostracized, and might even lose their lives because of it. I left the Village in the first place because I did not agree with their philosophy."Besides, aren't Danzo and those others still there? Are you saying that when Orochimaru really attacks the Village, they will just stand by and watch?"Don't tell me that those old fogies combined cannot handle one Orochimaru. If that's the case, do they really need me to take action?"Ebisu was left speechless by Jiraiya's rebuttal, but he still braced himself and continued: "Even so, I feel that since you are all part of the Sannin...""...don't you need to settle things between you? It would be more appropriate for you to take action and stop him!""The most critical point is that if it really comes to that moment, I'm afraid Lord Danzo might not necessarily take action. After all, his philosophy has always been at odds with the Third Hokage's.""Anyone with a discerning eye can see that his covetousness for the position of Hokage is not a matter of a day or two. Now that Lady Tsunade has become the Daimyo, and you have no heart for the affairs of the Village...""...if something were to really happen to the Third Hokage, Danzo would truly be the most suitable candidate. Once he becomes Hokage, with his methods, I fear the entire Konoha Village would fall into an iron-fisted rule.""In that case, wouldn't it just be another Blood Mist Village? I fear the entire Ninja World could be plunged into war. Lord Jiraiya, you must think carefully!""Besides...""Enough! Say no more! My mind is made up, and everything I am doing now is for the sake of the future of the entire Ninja World.""If I succeed, then true peace will descend. You don't need to persuade me anymore. I am leaving. Remember, do not tell anyone else that I have returned."Before Ebisu could finish, Jiraiya interrupted him and left without looking back.Although he said it with his mouth, in reality, Jiraiya's heart had already been shaken, and he was completely lost in thought.He began to struggle with the decision, and even while accompanying Naruto during training, he was somewhat absent-minded. Naruto did not know what was going on and did not ask too much.Until the sky grew dark, Naruto finally couldn't help but ask: "Pervy Sage, is something on your mind? You've been absent-minded all day today."Jiraiya looked at him, sighed, and said: "I once thought that I knew the future and had set a grand goal.""I thought I could let go of everything from before, but only now do I realize that the bonds formed over such a long time have always been entangling me.""When news of them appeared once again, I still couldn't let go. Naruto, you should be just about done training with the Rasengan, right!""I will be leaving in these next few days. You must not slack off; train hard on your own. Given your aptitude, you will definitely be at least a Hokage-level Ninja in the future.""And I am increasingly convinced that you are the one who can change the future landscape of the Ninja World. Wait for my return! When that time comes, I will take you to Mount Myōboku to train."Hearing that he was still going to leave, Naruto's face immediately showed an expression of reluctance, but in his heart, he actually had many questions.He didn't know why Jiraiya had suddenly changed his mind when everything was fine before; this caught him off guard, and he didn't know if his plan could still be implemented perfectly.But at this moment, Jiraiya had clearly made up his mind. If he were to try to persuade him, it would easily arouse suspicion, and he didn't have any proper reason to make him stay.Helpless, he could only nod somewhat reluctantly. Jiraiya looked at him in this state, smiled, patted his head, and said: "Alright, don't make that face.""I will be back very soon. When I return, we can study those beautiful materials together again. For now, how about we go eat some delicious ramen?"The two went together to Ichiraku Ramen. Because Naruto was not in a good mood, he only ate five bowls before losing his appetite, but even so, it made Jiraiya's heart ache.In the end, that sneaky old fox Jiraiya actually used the excuse of going to the restroom to sneak away. After searching a round and failing to find him, Naruto had no choice but to pay the bill himself.However, it must be said that although this way of parting by Jiraiya was somewhat unique, it was able to dilute that sentimental mood to a great extent.Naruto knew that he had probably already left by now. Standing on the street under the twilight, he lingered for a while before returning home by himself.Now, for him, there was one more important matter that needed to be carefully planned.