Chapter 199: Hana Rin is Pregnant
After Naruto finished stating the requirements for the ninja tools and Hinata's measurements, Tentenlooked at him as if she were looking at some kind of beastly creature.
"I think you must have misunderstood something."
Naruto really couldn't stand that look, so he spoke up.
"How do you know I misunderstood something?" Tenten asked back. "If you hadn't done that, how could you have thought of that?"
Naruto was momentarily speechless; this was indeed hard to explain.
"It's fine, you don't need to say anything to me." Tenten gave him an 'I understand' look.
What do you understand?
Naruto wanted to say something but stopped, turning to leave.
Tenten watched his retreating back and muttered to herself, "I didn't expect a shy girl like Hinata to... is this the power of love?"
Unfortunately, among the men she interacted with most, besides "rare beasts" like Guy-sensei and Lee, there was only the cold and handsome Neji, who had no interest in women.
So the taste of love was a bit far from her.
For Hinata's birthdays in previous years, Narutowould take her out to play and have lunch, and then she would have dinner with her family.
But this year was a bit different.
Two days before her birthday, Hinata suddenly came over to tell him that Hyuga Hiashi had invited him to have dinner at their home.
Ah, does this count as meeting the parents?
After this thought surfaced in Naruto's mind, he felt a bit nervous.
Even though he often dealt with Hyuga Hiashi, it was different once the identity of 'father-in-law' was added.
December 27th.
Early in the morning, Naruto stood at the Hyuga Compound and greeted the two guards.
He had dealt with them quite a bit on a regular basis.
It's just that before, their gazes were quite fierce, but now, they were probably very complicated.
It felt like a fine cabbage being rooted up by a pig.
Naruto patted them and said earnestly, "As long as you're standing in the path of a gale, even a pig can fly."
Not to mention he was standing on Kurama's head.
The two looked at each other, both feeling a bit embarrassed.
At this moment, it felt as if their thoughts had been seen through by him.
"Naruto-kun."
Hinata suddenly appeared.
"Eldest Miss."
The two guards bowed and said.
"Mhm."
Hinata nodded politely, but her eyes remained on Naruto.
"Hey, hey." Hanabi glared from behind. "Dammit! It's this guy again!"
"Hanabi." Hinata patted her head and gestured, "You should call him Big Brother."
"I won't!" Hanabi said loudly. "Hmph, I only have one big brother!"
Naruto politely bid farewell to the two guards and walked up to Hinata, while simultaneously handing a coupon to Hanabi.
"You..."
Hanabi was about to say something harsh to assert her dominance, but after seeing the Lifetime Free Coupon for the Konoha Cola Shop, she swallowed her words.
As for what she was going to say next, she forgot.
She glanced at Naruto and obediently hid the free coupon, thinking she could finally drink as much as she wanted.
Seeing this, Hinata let out a faint smile.
It seemed Naruto had always had Hanabi wrapped around his finger.
At least there was no need to worry about their relationship deteriorating in the future.
"Come with me to see Father."
Hinata plucked up her courage, took Naruto's right hand, and said.
"Me too!"
Hanabi quickly took Hinata's other hand.
Hyuga Hiashi, seeing this from the main hall, immediately felt a bit of a headache.
He couldn't let him corrupt Hanabi any further.
"Change your shoes."
Hyuga Hiashi said with a stern face.
Naruto was slightly taken aback when he saw the new shoes on the shoe rack.
Hinata tilted her head and whispered, "Father ordered them to be bought."
Hyuga Hiashi's lip twitched.
Do you think I can't hear you?
Selling out your old father just like that?
A grown daughter cannot be kept at home.
Naruto finished changing his shoes, took things out of a scroll, and said with a smile, "I came in a hurry and didn't bring much."
Hyuga Hiashi looked at the gifts piled up in the corner and thought, 'Do you have some kind of misunderstanding?'
"You've spent quite a lot."
His expression softened considerably.
Thinking of the profits the Konoha Cola Shopbrought to the Hyuga Clan, he suddenly felt that this guy wasn't so bad.
"It's a small matter."
Naruto casually picked up a banana and handed it to Hanabi, saying, "I remember you like this fruit the most."
"How did you know?" Hanabi was a bit surprised. "Sister told you?"
"No." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I guessed."
As he spoke, he sat opposite Hyuga Hiashi and skillfully brewed tea.
The tea ceremony is troublesome, but with his Sharingan, it wasn't hard to learn.
"This is tea I bought in Metropolis; it's a special supply for the Daimyo. Please try some."
Hyuga Hiashi took the teacup in surprise.
Naruto's performance was overly mature, quite different from before.
"Not bad."
Hiashi had drunk many teas, but few compared to today's.
Hinata, standing by, breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed there was nothing to worry about.
"I'll go help Mother with the cooking."
Hinata spoke up.
"No need."
Hiashi shook his head and said, "Take Naruto and show him around."
This was truly rare.
Hinata was happy because of her father's change.
It meant he had accepted Naruto.
The three left the living room.
Neji came walking towards them.
He usually wouldn't be here this early, but hearing Naruto had arrived, he prepared to come and say hello.
However, before he could speak.
"Neji, I'm leaving Hanabi to you."
Naruto pushed a bewildered Hanabi toward Nejiand took Hinata to her room.
It was as tidy as ever.
He didn't find anything that shouldn't be there.
Come to think of it, this should be the first time he formally entered Hinata's room.
The previous times were all because of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
And he hadn't stayed for long.
Naruto sat on the edge of the bed and sniffed; there was a faint fragrance.
Seeing him act so completely at home, Hinata's face felt a bit hot.
According to traditional views, such behavior was not allowed.
It basically defaulted him to being her future husband.
"The Inner Armor from last time probably doesn't fit anymore.
Naruto handed her the gift.
Hinata was stunned.
Inner Armor again.
How on earth did Naruto-kun know?
Fortunately, she wasn't as shy this time and accepted it.
Since it was Inner Armor, she didn't dare to try it on.
After giving the gift, Naruto took the opportunity to insert a Flying Thunder God Technique card into her body.
To avoid being too abrupt, he handed her the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll.
"See if you have the talent for it? If you learn it, it will be very convenient to contact me in the future."
Hinata was startled upon hearing this.
She naturally knew of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Um... if I suddenly study the Village's forbidden technique, won't Hokage-sama be angry?"
"No, she's dying for someone to learn it."
Naruto shook his head and said.
The strategic significance of the Flying Thunder God Technique goes without saying.
If possible, Tsunade would certainly want as many people as possible to learn it.
With a regiment of Flying Thunder God Ninjas, she'd dare to take down Kumogakure; with a division or two, she'd dare to unify the Ninja World.
But unfortunately, no one could learn it at all.
"Okay."
Hinata opened the scroll and began to read it seriously.
Naruto stretched.
A bright and sunny day, a man and a woman alone in a room, yet they were just studying Ninjutsu.
If he had this kind of drive in his past life, he would have gotten into Tsinghua or Peking University long ago.
He lay on the bed, dazing off.
Hinata would ask a question every now and then.
She really wanted to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Not because of how powerful it was, but just because she wanted to see the person she liked at any time.
A moment later, Hinata turned to look at him.
Naruto had his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
She thought about it and lay down with her head resting on his chest.
The quilt covered them both as Hinata continued to study the scroll.
Naruto sighed.
Clearly, they should be doing something meaningful at a time like this.
But they did nothing.
It felt like wasting time.
But being with someone you love, you'd wish even the most boring moments would last forever.
Fortunately, Hyuga Hiashi didn't know.
Naruto couldn't help but smile.
Otherwise, he might be kicked out of the Hyuga house.
When night fell, Naruto pulled Hinata onto the roof.
In the moonlight, countless fireworks rose over Konoha.
Splendid and beautiful.
Tsunade stood on the windowsill and said, "That kid Naruto is really precocious."
"More than that."
Jiraiya scratched his head. "Precocious doesn't even begin to describe it. Setting aside his terrible personality, he's truly no less than Minato."
"You have such a high opinion of him?"
Tsunade turned and sat in front of him, picked up her glass, and drained it in one gulp.
No one would believe that the Hokage had to secretly drink late at night because of too much work.
It's enough to move anyone who hears of it to tears.
"He's my student, after all."
Even though Jiraiya was usually pranked, he was actually very satisfied with Naruto.
Whether in terms of strength or intelligence.
Both are top-notch.
"You were quite exasperated when you were calling him a 'vile disciple'."
Tsunade shook her empty glass.
Jiraiya immediately refilled it for her. Hearing her teasing, he stubbornly said, "To hit is to be close, to scold is to love."
"Where did you hear such nonsense?" Tsunadeasked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh, Naruto said it," Jiraiya replied.
"Oh?"
Tsunade raised her fist and said, "So, you're saying I hit you for your own good?"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Jiraiya choked on his wine.
What was this?
Lifting a stone only to drop it on one's own feet?
"That guy was talking nonsense, don't believe him!"
Jiraiya waved his hands hurriedly, arguing for his life.
Tsunade gave him a long look, swirled her glass, and said, "You're not even as good as your student."
"How is that possible?!"
Jiraiya said loudly, "In what way am I not as good as him?"
Tsunade held her forehead, her expression saying she didn't want to talk to him.
Look at the kid; at fourteen, his flirting skills are practically Kage-level.
And you?
But fortunately, Naruto's methods had allowed Jiraiya to barely return to being a normal man.
At least Tsunade had found him more tolerable lately.
Besides not going out to 'collect material', he had also managed the Anbu perfectly.
Even Konoha's efficiency had improved quite a bit.
Jiraiya chuckled sheepishly.
Though he didn't understand why, not talking back was the best choice right now.
He didn't want to be sent flying into the sky to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun halfway through his drink.
Oh wait, no, the moon.
"Let's talk business."
Jiraiya changed the subject and said, "The White Lotus Sect is making big moves in the Land of Fire."
The White Lotus Sect could fool others, but not him.
Especially since he was already extremely concerned about them.
The Anbu originally had a small squad in the Metropolis.
As the center of the Land of Fire, Konoha naturally needed to keep track of intelligence at all times.
En Yui had awakened like a comet.
Her greatest contributors were none other than Zabuza and Haku.
Of course, Naruto's actions hadn't been discovered.
With his strength, unless he exposed himself, only Nagato or Black Zetsu's personal arrival would lead to his detection.
Jiraiya had studied the doctrines thoroughly.
He was probably the only one who could guess that the White Lotus Sect wanted to 'backdoor list'.
"We cannot intervene."
Tsunade mused, "We are just Ninjas."
Jiraiya really wanted to say that they could also not be Ninjas, but he held back such a rebellious thought.
Only now did he realize with a start that he had already become a member of the White Lotus Sect.
Even the Anbu was built according to the White Lotus Sect's model.
"Unless it's an order from the Daimyo."
Tsunade added another sentence, then suddenly smiled. "You seem very concerned about the White Lotus Sect?"
Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat, but he said with a straight face, "Mainly because the White Lotus Sect Leader, Lord of Heavenless, left such a deep impression on me. I have a faint feeling that perhaps the White Lotus Sect will subvert the Land of Fire."
"That's impossible."
Tsunade didn't believe it at all.
The Land of Fire had existed for far too long.
It hadn't wavered for a millennium.
Even if Konoha were to disappear one day, the country probably wouldn't.
Because wherever there are nobles, there is a kingdom.
Jiraiya slapped his forehead and laughed. "I'm probably a bit drunk."
With that, he downed another glass of wine.
Tsunade glanced at him.
She felt something about him was different.
She shook her head.
Maybe she was drunk too.
The two of them, glass after glass, eventually fell into a drunken stupor in the Hokage Office.
The next morning, when Shizune opened the door, she was so angry her chest grew a size larger.
"Yo, Shizune."
Tsunade braced herself against the wall to get up, and casually kicked Jiraiya's leg.
Immediately, a scream like a slaughtered pig rang out.
Shizune's face was covered in black lines.
Those who didn't know better would think something tragic had happened last night.
"Lady Tsunade!" she shouted.
"Quite spirited, aren't we?"
Tsunade threw her an appreciative look, wobbled over to the sofa, and sat down with her legs crossed. "What's the matter so early in the morning?"
"Please respect the profession of Hokage!"
Shizune couldn't help but complain. "What kind of Hokage acts like you?"
"Won't there be one after me?"
Tsunade laughed, not caring at all.
"..."
Shizune sighed and got down to business. "A request for help from Sunagakure. They say some unknown Ninjas have kidnapped several of their shinobi and are heading towards the Land of Fire. They want us to intercept them."
"Oh, a small matter. Leave it to..."
Tsunade's eyes swept over the waking Jiraiya. "Give it to Naruto."
"Okay."
Shizune nodded and added, "Besides that, there's news from Kakashi. While passing through the Land of Crafts, they found that all the villagers in the Artisan Village have vanished without a trace."
Tsunade frowned.
The Artisan Village was the largest weapon supplier in the Ninja World, providing more than half of the weapons for the Five Great Nations.
How could they just disappear without reason?
"Did he find anything?"
"No."
Shizune shook her head. "He investigated. There were no signs of battle; they likely withdrew voluntarily."
"Go notify the major ninja tool shops in Konoha to increase production recently to ensure the daily supply for the Village's Ninjas."
Tsunade tapped the table and gave her orders.
"Understood."
Shizune remembered something else. "Kakashisaid he hopes to temporarily halt Hana Rin's performing career."
"Why?"
Tsunade asked in confusion.
Hana Rin's performances brought in a large sum of money.
It was precisely for this reason that she allowed Kakashi to neglect his duties outside.
"Because Hana Rin is pregnant."
"..."
Tsunade blanked for a moment.
The previously quiet Jiraiya suddenly snapped his head up.
Well, well!
You, the one with the thick eyebrows and big eyes who supposedly buried his heart and love, actually got someone pregnant out of wedlock?!