RNP Chapter 436 Be With Me
Chapter 436 Be With Me
Naruto's small apartment is neither too far nor too close to the Hokage Building. The old and dilapidated buildings don't necessarily mean the location is bad; rather, they are products of a time when the village hadn't undergone systematic planning. Currently, Konoha's finances are barely enough for the village to survive, so there's no time to consider renovating old buildings. Only when Konoha officially enters a new phase will they have a chance to be reborn.
Five hours had passed since Jiraiya returned to Konoha. This good master, whose mission had been abruptly interrupted by his own disciple, went to find the Hokage as soon as he landed, reported all the information he had obtained, and suggested that they immediately enter a state of combat readiness to guard against the "Akatsuki" that could arrive at any time.
However, issuing a direct call to the highest alert is not something the Hokage can decide on his own. They have to consider the villagers' reactions, the supplies needed for preparation, the coordination between various departments, and so on. Without a clear indication of invasion, this preparation still needs to be discussed with the advisory group.
Jiraiya wasn't good at meetings, and Tsunade forcibly threw him out of the Hokage Building, saying he had just returned from the front lines and needed to rest. Knowing he couldn't be of much help in this kind of situation, Jiraiya simply bought some food and went back to Naruto's house to rest.
Jiraiya lay down and dozed off for a while when someone suddenly appeared out of nowhere, staring at him as he lay on the sofa. Jiraiya's hair almost flew off, but upon seeing the newcomer's golden hair, he snapped out of his fighting stance and said irritably, "Why did you suddenly come back, kid?"
Naruto's first reaction was to lower his head and avoid eye contact, but then he raised his head again with a straight face and said, "This is my house, you perverted sage."
"Weren't you on a mission?" Jiraiya frowned, sensing something was off. Naruto was a very responsible person; he wouldn't just come back halfway through a mission. He remembered his mission was... to capture Uchiha Itachi, right? Could something have happened to Sasuke?
Naruto's lips curled slightly at these words. "Don't mention that mission."
Wow, he's so angry he's practically paralyzed with anger. Looks like Sasuke really is the problem.
"What's wrong? Even you couldn't bring Sasuke back?"
"..."
Jiraiya waited for a long time but received no answer. Instead, Naruto lowered his head further and further. He walked past the sofa, went into his room with his head down, and slammed the door shut.
Seeing this, Jiraiya didn't dare say a word. When had he ever seen Naruto refuse to communicate? Even if Naruto didn't want to answer before, he would always change the subject, not act like this...
Well, it's good that Naruto is back. Who knows when Akatsuki might attack him? It's never safe to leave him out here. Let him be for a while.
Thinking this, Jiraiya turned and sent a clone out the window straight to the Hokage Building. Regardless of whether Tsunade's meeting was over, he had to report this matter. While waiting for a reply, there was a knock on Naruto's bedroom window. Jiraiya peeked out from the living room and saw Kakashi's summoning beast, Pakkun, perched on the windowsill.
“Everyone was worried about you when you suddenly disappeared.” Pak’s nose twitched, but he didn’t smell any strong blood on Naruto, so he seemed to be uninjured.
"Oh," Naruto responded, then added after a long pause, "I'm fine."
"Are you going back to the team?" Pak asked Kakashi the question that concerned him most, but the one who answered him was Jiraiya from next door.
"He doesn't need to go back, Tsunade wants to see him." The message from the shadow clone arrived just in time. Facing a dog that might know something, Jiraiya quietly gestured for it to come over.
Parker didn't understand human intrigue; he was only responsible for relaying the message: "Okay, I'll tell Kakashi."
"Wait. Did you encounter... a squad that calls itself 'Snake'?"
Yes, that's true.
"Then pass on a message to them, telling them to come back to Konoha with us. This is Sasuke's request."
After saying that, Naruto reached out and carried the flowerpots outside into the house, finally deigning to open the door and come out. He happened to bump into Jiraiya, who wanted to ask Pakkun something privately. The two of them, one human and one dog, were perched on the windowsill, looking at him with a thieving expression, which was quite comical.
"...Weren't you supposed to see the Hokage?"
"Oh, right, let's go together."
Jiraiya tearfully bid farewell to Pakkun, his expressive face leaving Naruto speechless. But Naruto said nothing, simply opened the door and walked out through the front.
As for the way to the Hokage Building, they took a back alley. The street was quite lively near lunchtime, with many people who had just finished get off work looking for food. Naruto walked at a leisurely pace, while Jiraiya silently followed behind, his usually expressive face gradually darkening where Naruto couldn't see. Until they entered the alley leading to the main street, Jiraiya suddenly stopped, and Naruto, who was leading the way, also slowly came to a halt.
“Naruto hasn’t walked to work in a long time,” Jiraiya said. “He won’t call Tsunade the Hokage, and he won’t leisurely walk out the door when Tsunade summons him.”
This time, Naruto didn't stay silent. He quickly turned around and said, "He can use the Flying Thunder God Technique and often uses it as his means of transportation to work. He calls the Hokage Tsunade 'Grandma' and can also be impulsive and just walk straight out the window."
Jiraiya tried to remain calm and asked, "Sasuke, where's Naruto?"
Naruto's eyes lowered slightly, and when he raised them again, the colors in his eyes had been swallowed by red and black. An ominous six-pointed star pattern formed in an instant, bringing a sense of oppression completely different from that of ordinary Sharingan. Jiraiya, of course, understood what he was seeing, but he didn't understand the secret of activating these eyes. He thought that Sasuke was acknowledging his identity.
However, Sasuke said, "That guy is dead. Now, he is with me."
White hair wrapped around Sasuke like vines, but he didn't dodge at all. The moment he was entangled, blood flowed from one of his eyes. Jiraiya had fought Itachi before, and although he hadn't faced him directly, he still remembered the strangeness of Amaterasu. Being stared at by a bleeding Mangekyou Sharingan was definitely not a good thing. He subconsciously avoided that gaze, but his leaping body was pressed back by an irresistible force, and even his wild lion's mane automatically dispersed and retracted.
Jiraiya stared in shock. He could feel that the chakra he had used to cast the jutsu had been depleted, but the jutsu was forcibly withdrawn, and even his body was pressed back to the position it had been in a few seconds ago.
After doing all that, Sasuke wiped the blood from his face as if nothing had happened and said, "That super idiot said, 'Don't fight.'"
"......What's the meaning."
"The literal meaning." Sasuke subconsciously touched the location of the seal, then turned and left.
“I said, He is with me.”