Chapter 72 The Return of Uchiha Itachi
Kakashi's words caused Jiraiya's hand, holding a wine glass, to freeze in mid-air, and he stood there stunned.
After a while, Jiraiya put down his glass: "I... thought I had found it."
The atmosphere at the gathering became awkward. Uchiha Touhuan silently finished his drink and then refilled his glass.
"Let's not talk about this anymore, come on, let's drink." Uchiha Touhuan broke the awkward silence, and for the rest of the time, the three of them tacitly avoided mentioning the topic again.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Jiraiya stood up, straightened his clothes, and said to Uchiha Touhuan, his face still smelling of alcohol, "Thank you for the hospitality, Clan Chief Touhuan. I won't bother you any longer today. I've been back for so long, I still need to say hello to the old man."
After saying that, Jiraiya walked towards the door of the room. However, as soon as he opened the door, two members of the Uchiha clan outside reached out and stopped him.
"Clan Chief Touhuan, this..." Jiraiya turned to look at Uchiha Touhuan.
"Lord Jiraiya, according to the village's law and order, peeping is punishable by at least seven days of detention. If you just leave like this, the security department won't be able to explain it to the villagers." Uchiha Touhuan said unhurriedly, "The Uchiha respect your contributions to the village, but could you please give the Uchiha a little face?"
"Uh, Clan Chief Touhuan, you see, I just got back myself and still have to report to the old man." Jiraiya chuckled. In the end, he was in the wrong, and Uchiha Touhuan had treated him to good food and wine after learning his identity, so he couldn't be too firm now.
"Lord Jiraiya, please stay here for the next few days. Please feel free to make any requests; the security department will do its best to meet your needs. Just please don't wander off unnecessarily these next few days, so the security department can explain things to the village."
Jiraiya looked at Kakashi with pleading eyes, but Kakashi replied expressionlessly, "Lord Jiraiya, please forgive me, but the village's regulations on this matter aren't new." Jiraiya's
lips parted slightly; he wanted to say that he had never encountered such a situation before, but after thinking about it, he ultimately didn't say it. Even an old lecher like him had some shame; he had already embarrassed himself enough.
"Alright, then I'll be troubling Clan Chief Touhuan for the next few days. Consider it a chance to focus on my writing." Jiraiya reluctantly withdrew his hand. "However, please have someone inform the Third Hokage that I'm back."
"Of course, thank you for your cooperation, Lord Jiraiya." Uchiha Touhuan nodded, then said to the two clansmen guarding the door, "Take good care of Lord Jiraiya."
"Understood." The two clansmen outside nodded in acknowledgment.
"Well then, Lord Jiraiya, we'll head back now. If I don't go back, Naruto will probably be secretly eating ramen again." Kakashi nodded, seeing that Jiraiya was willing to cooperate, and left the special cell with Uchiha Touhuan.
"Kakashi…" Jiraiya's voice suddenly rang out behind Kakashi after he left.
"Is there anything else, Lord Jiraiya?" Uchiha Touhuan turned around and asked.
"Forget it..." Jiraiya reluctantly withdrew his hand. He had originally wanted to ask Kakashi to say hello to Naruto for him when he got back, but when he thought about how he should face Naruto, he gave up on that idea.
After the two left, Jiraiya sighed and lay back down on the large bed in his room.
Not long after, Hiruzen Sarutobi, inside the Hokage Building, also received news of Jiraiya's return to the village. However, upon hearing that Jiraiya had been arrested on the spot by the police for peeping and would be detained there for seven days, his blood pressure instantly soared.
That bastard! At a time like this, couldn't he just curb his hobby?
"Fortunately, it's only seven days. It shouldn't cause any major trouble. It's good that Jiraiya learned his lesson," Hiruzen Sarutobi reassured himself. Going to the police station to bail him out was out of the question. What kind of
Hokage would go to the police station specifically to bail out someone caught peeping? Besides, it was already a miracle that Uchiha Touhuan hadn't made a fuss about it. Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious about his good student, a travel-worn figure arrived at the village gate.
After submitting the necessary paperwork at the village entrance, the person entered the village and immediately headed towards the Uchiha clan's territory.
This man was none other than Uchiha Itachi, sent by Fugaku to inspect the clan's assets in the Land of Fire. After completing his mission, he rushed back, worried about the village and his younger brother.
Upon returning to the village, Itachi, wanting to pick out a small gift for his long-absent brother, keenly noticed that the villagers' attitudes towards him seemed strange. Almost everyone he encountered looked at him with fear. After several probing attempts, Itachi discovered that this fear stemmed from the Uchiha clan's fan-shaped crest embroidered on his clothing.
Some villagers who had initially been friendly towards him became timid and hesitant upon seeing the crest. This sight made Itachi's heart clench.
He then approached several villagers to inquire, but received only evasive answers.
"Did the clan do something while I was away? Why are the villagers acting this way?" Seeing this
, Uchiha Itachi had no choice but to find a secluded corner, use his transformation jutsu to conceal himself, and then continue gathering information in the village.
"Old man, has something been happening in the village lately? Why does everyone seem a little off?" Disguised, Itachi found a stall owner and, after selecting a few items, asked casually.
"You just arrived in the village a few days ago?" The stall owner glanced at Itachi before asking.
"Yes, I just moved here from the Land of Fire yesterday."
Perhaps seeing that Itachi had picked up quite a few things, the stall owner decided to give him a heads-up. He leaned closer to Itachi and lowered his voice, saying, "Since you've moved to the village, you must be careful of the police force. They're unreasonable and will beat people."
"Beat people?" Itachi said in disbelief.
"Yes, they were beating people. Just a few days ago, the garrison, trying to protect the village's serial killer, stormed into the streets and beat anyone they saw. Many people were badly beaten. And that's not all; some people were arrested and taken to the garrison and haven't come back yet. Who knows what kind of torture they're suffering?" the stall owner said. "In the village, you absolutely mustn't mess with them."
Loving the book so far! Check out 50+ advanced chapters on Patreon
[email protected]/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)