Chapter 128: Cat Nanbei, Dog Dongxi
After hearing the prophecy, Naruto and Jiraiya left Mount Myōboku.
Originally, Shima had planned to treat them to insect cuisine.
But hearing this, Jiraiya's entire face turned green, and he pulled Naruto along as he fled.
He had eaten it before; it was no longer within the realm of cuisine.
It was some kind of incomprehensible domain.
Jiraiya glanced at Naruto, whose eyes were wandering all over the place, looking as leisurely as if he were out on a sightseeing trip.
But his own state of mind wasn't nearly as relaxed.
The greatest turning point or fortuitous encounter of his life had come from Mount Myōboku, so he believed the Great Toad Sage's prophecy without a doubt.
Because of this, he felt like he was under immense pressure.
He was carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.
"Naruto, I'm going out for a bit."
Jiraiya pulled himself together; the prophecy could not be changed, so what he had to do was follow it.
Naruto couldn't help but frown.
"It's only been half a day, and you already can't hold it in?"
Jiraiya had already left before he could even answer.
"..."
Naruto suddenly felt that the road ahead of him was going to be difficult.
He stroked his chin, starting to consider how he could change Jiraiya.
Until nightfall.
Jiraiya finally returned.
Naruto set up the tent.
Before the campfire.
"Naruto, for this training trip, you will be the one to deal with every enemy we encounter."
"No problem," Naruto replied casually while roasting rabbit meat.
"You cannot use Sage Mode or the Nine-Tailed's power."
"Why?"
"Your strength has improved too quickly; I'm worried your Ninjutsu and Taijutsu aren't up to par," Jiraiya explained.
For this training trip, he had already decided to conduct special training targeting Naruto's weaknesses.
And he believed Naruto's first weakness was a lack of combat experience.
Of course, this was only normal.
After all, he was only twelve years old.
Naruto nodded.
He had no way to explain.
Tell Jiraiya that I've blown up Uchiha Obito, fought Uchiha Itachi, and even helped Orochimaru give birth?
He would be treated like a real genius.
"Meow~"
Along with a lazy cry, a white cat suddenly entered their field of vision.
Naruto's eyes lit up; he handed the roasted meat to Jiraiya and picked up the plump white cat.
The white cat wasn't afraid of people and allowed him to pet it.
"This cat should be a house pet," Jiraiya said, glancing at its smooth white fur.
"Yeah, its owner should be coming along soon."
The fluffy sensation in Naruto's hands made him reluctant to let go.
So he decided to sleep while holding it.
"Do you want to eat something?"
Naruto took out a bag of dog food and tore it open.
A fragrant aroma wafted out.
The white cat immediately ran to him and began licking it up.
Its tail wagged back and forth, appearing very happy.
This works too?
Naruto was just trying it out; he didn't expect the system-produced dog food to be so popular.
The white cat was soon full.
It jumped into Naruto's arms and rubbed its head against him affectionately.
"Tch, simp cat!"
Kurama snorted angrily.
It had seen the whole process.
Usually, it wouldn't pay attention, but Naruto had taken a bag of its dog food.
It originally thought he had a dog outside, but it turned out to be a cat.
It was a bit annoyed.
Can't this cat have some integrity?
Bought off by a single bag of dog food?
Naruto naturally didn't notice Kurama.
Holding the white cat, he thought of his past life.
Growing up, his family had a big yellow dog and a little white cat.
Those were some of the happier times of his childhood.
After all, having both a cat and a dog makes one a winner in life.
The night gradually grew quiet.
Only the chirping of insects could be heard.
Naruto fell asleep.
But the white cat opened its eyes.
Outside the tent, a man dressed in black tight-fitting clothes appeared silently.
He wore a mask and walked without making a sound.
Because he was a professional assassin.
He was here because his target was Uzumaki Naruto.
Just this morning, a new bounty had appeared on the black market.
Someone offered 200,000 ryo for the head of a Konoha Genin.
This clearly lucrative bounty had been snatched up by his hand speed, honed by twenty-four years of being single.
He was lucky.
The man gradually approached the tent and whistled vividly, sounding just like a bird.
This was the secret signal between him and his cat.
That's right, the white cat in Naruto's arms was his.
He was known in the industry as Cat Man.
Before every assassination, he would send the white cat to scout.
Most people have no guard against cats, leading to them dying in their sleep.
But Cat Man waited for a moment, and the white cat didn't come out.
Was something wrong?
He frowned and felt his way into the tent, only to see the white cat lying obediently on Naruto.
Sensing his gaze, it even glared at him.
"?"
Cat Man felt betrayed.
Damn blondie!
He angrily drew his katana and slashed down.
The blade snapped.
He died.
Naruto casually incinerated his corpse.
Why would someone come to kill him?
He found it a bit strange.
And this guy was way too weak.
Naruto glanced at Jiraiya on the other side.
He hadn't woken up.
Something was wrong.
The next day.
Naruto continued on his way, holding the cat.
Jiraiya said nothing.
As if nothing had happened last night.
At noon, he spoke: "I know a place where we can rest."
Naruto nodded.
The two of them arrived in the middle of a desolate wilderness.
There was actually a house in a place like this?
Naruto found it a bit ridiculous.
He really didn't understand why Jiraiya knew about this place.
But he soon understood the reason.
"Who is it?"
The door opened.
Naruto's eyes flickered.
So big.
Though he shouldn't be paying attention, it was really big.
"Oh, so it's Lord Jiraiya. You haven't visited for so long, I thought you'd forgotten about me."
The woman was around thirty, with bright lipstick and vivid eyeshadow; her curvaceous body exuded a mature charm.
She wore a one-piece outfit with two bear eyes embroidered on it that seemed to be glaring furiously.
A glint flashed in Jiraiya's eyes as he stepped forward and smiled, "I could forget anyone, but never you."
The woman took his arm, then saw Naruto and asked, "Why did you bring an extra little handsome guy?"
"He's my student," Jiraiya replied, his other hand already climbing onto her fragrant shoulder.
"Student?"
The woman glanced at Jiraiya, then at Naruto, and suddenly let go to grab Naruto's arm. "Since it's your first time, little brother, big sister will make sure you have a great time."
"???"
Jiraiya's face was full of question marks.
What's wrong with you? What's the use of him being handsome? The most important thing is technique.
Naruto frowned and pulled his arm out from between her breasts.
Jiraiya immediately pulled her into his arms and said, "My student is only thirteen; you can't mess around with him."
"..."
Naruto sighed.
He couldn't be bothered with Jiraiya and asked for a room to rest.
By dinner time, he learned the woman's name.
Sekine Tamako.
Her husband had died young, her brother worked in the mines, and she herself worked at an Izakaya.
Jiraiya was one of her regulars.
"What did you say the mine manager's name was?" the previously quiet Naruto suddenly asked.
"The Kurotsuchi Clan," Sekine Tamako replied.
Naruto recalled the plot regarding this mine.
Kurotsuchi Raiga, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and also one of the 'Auspicious Trio' who narrowly escaped from Might Duy back then.
If he remembered correctly, it was a gold mine.
After the meal, Naruto looked at the dissolute Jiraiya, pulled a book from his robe, and handed it to him.
"What's this?"
"A book I bought randomly at a bookstore. It might help with your novel writing."
"school days?"
Seeing the title, Jiraiya immediately gave a look that said, "You really understand me."
He went to the Izakaya with Sekine Tamako.
Meanwhile, Naruto planned to go meet Kurotsuchi Raiga.
"You stay at home, don't go running around."
He petted the white cat and suddenly thought of giving it a name. "Hmm, why don't you be called Cat Nanbei."
[Congratulations to the host for achieving the 'Cat Nanbei, Dog Dongxi' achievement. Gained three attribute points.]
Naruto was stunned.
"Dog Dongxi?"
"Are you referring to Kurama?"
The only thing here that could be associated with a dog was the Big Fox.
"System, you really have a lot of malice towards Kurama."