Chapter 99: Jiraiya Returns to the Village.
Naruto's main body and his Shadow Clone were experiencing different things in different places, but at this moment, Uchiha Sasuke was caught in a struggle between two wills within the same body.
Whenever he faced Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke didn't know why, but as soon as he heard a lecture or saw that smiling face of Naruto's, he couldn't suppress the anger and jealousy in his heart!
He even had the urge to kill him!
But the obscure emotion buried in the deepest part of his heart was still discovered by Uchiha Sasuke. Beyond all that, Uchiha Sasuke's feelings for Naruto were, more than anything else... a longing to be acknowledged!
This contradictory line of thought kept tormenting Uchiha Sasuke, making him even more irritable, while at the same time making him want to escape Konoha even more, to temporarily stay away from Naruto, who caused him such incredibly conflicting feelings.
But after missing one opportunity, Uchiha Sasukeno longer had the possibility of escaping alone, and he could only harbor the contradictions in his heart, day after day performing D-rank missions in the village.
This wasn't because there were no higher-level C-rank missions left, but because the wily Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned the C-rank missions to other graduating classes, since those other classes had already accumulated enough D-rank missions to perform higher-level ones.
"Why!" Sakura Haruno was very indignant. "We are Team Seven, who have completed a B-rank mission. Why aren't we allowed to do C-rank missions!"
"Quiet! The cat is going to run away!"
Naruto quickly stepped forward to cover Sakura Haruno's mouth, but it was one step too late; the noblewoman's pet cat had already been startled and fled at high speed from in front of the three of them.
"Leave it to me!"
Struggling to break free from the hand Naruto was using to cover her mouth, Sakura Haruno was full of confidence. She was no longer the Sakura Haruno who had just started out, who knew nothing but what was in books!
"Is this... Water Prison Technique?" Naruto was a bit suspicious. "It seems the hand cannot leave, right..."
"This is just a variation of the Water Prison Technique. It doesn't have high defense, it can only control animals." Although Sakura Haruno spoke modestly, her expression betrayed her.
Naruto didn't reply, but just dashed forward two steps and scooped the kitten, which was trapped in the water ball and nearly drowning, into his arms.
After getting the cage and locking the kitten inside, Naruto finally came up to Sakura Haruno and gave her a thumbs up. "Have you finished reading the Water Release Ninjutsu materials I gave you?"
"Finished, it's just that there are still some places I'm confused about... otherwise, I wouldn't have practiced the Water Prison Technique into this state..."
Sakura Haruno scratched her pink hair in embarrassment, looking quite sheepish. This stunned Naruto when he heard it, and then he raised his thumb a little higher.
"It's impressive that you didn't mess up while practicing blindly. I have to admire you!"
"No way... Sasuke is the truly amazing one!"
"Boring..."
The atmosphere of Team Seven was very strange. Although sometimes they didn't see eye to eye, and occasionally there were inexplicable awkward silences, just like now.
However, as time went by, the bonds between the three grew deeper and deeper.
This made Kakashi Hatake, who was watching from the side while reading his little book, secretly nod. With Naruto in Team Seven, they could truly be considered a united force.
It's just that Uchiha Sasuke's mental state was becoming even more problematic...
Sakura Haruno knew she couldn't compare to the two of them, so her mindset was the most stable, and she was the most eager to learn. She was the fastest to accept Naruto's guidance and lectures and put them into action.
Uchiha Sasuke was the exact opposite. Thinking he was no weaker than Naruto, he kept trying to compete with him. Although Uchiha Sasuke would listen to Naruto's suggestions, his attitude and subsequent reactions were worlds apart from Sakura Haruno's.
"Forget it, the Chidori technique is the most suitable for the Uchiha Clan, and... it can't be dragged on any longer."
Thinking this, Kakashi Hatake, for the first time ever since taking over Team Seven, voluntarily put down his beloved little book and, amidst the surprised and suspicious gazes of the three, dragged them off to the training ground.
...
"Old Man! I'm back!"
The door to the Hokage Office was kicked open violently. Jiraiya, with absolutely no regard for his image, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was in the middle of a meeting, and scratched his head sheepishly, his face full of embarrassment.
"Lord Jiraiya!"
The Ninjas who were listening to Hiruzen Sarutobiassign missions almost all stood up with a rustle. Besides reverence, their eyes were filled with even more joy; Konoha's pillar of support had finally returned!
"Aha... you guys carry on, I have something else to do... I'll come back later!"
"The Konoha women's bathhouse has moved to a new location..." Hiruzen Sarutobi kindly reminded him, and then his wrinkled face scrunched up like a chrysanthemum. "Alright, let's continue. I think you should have some motivation now!"
...
"Uncle, is it good?"
"Good! It's good!"
Jiraiya, holding a monocular telescope, danced on a tree branch. After drool started flowing out, he didn't forget to wipe it with his sleeve, truly an uninhibited old veteran.
"What do you see? Can you tell me?"
"Shoo, shoo, shoo!" Jiraiya turned his head to look at Naruto, then started shooing him away. "Kids shouldn't learn bad things. Are you even eighteen yet!"
"I just look young, actually I'm already..."
"You're still a long way from fooling me!" Jiraiyapoked his head around, looking not only lecherous but also very focused. "Don't disturb this Immortalwhile I gather material for inspiration. Go play somewhere else, kid!"
"I'm not a kid, I know a lot of things!" Narutonarrowed his eyes. Before he even made a move, he had already turned into smoke and dissipated. It turned out this was just a Shadow Clone of Naruto's.
"Ah...!" Naruto's main body appeared on the roof of the bathhouse and let out a shrill scream, pinching his throat, making it impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman for a moment. "Someone is peeping...!"
Seeing that things were going south, Jiraiya used a Body Flicker Technique to reach the roof, intending to cover Naruto's mouth. However, he hadn't expected Naruto to be so slippery, and Jiraiyafailed to subdue him on the first try...
"Crash... splash!"
The roof of the women's bathhouse suddenly collapsed. A bewildered Naruto looked up and scanned his surroundings. With a wave of breasts washing over him, not a single glance was innocent. Naruto felt the restlessness of youth for the first time in a long while.
"What are you standing there for? Run!"
Jiraiya was worthy of being an old hand. After realizing the situation was bad, although his eyes weren't idle, his speed was lightning fast. He grabbed Naruto by the wrist and prepared to bolt out the door.
"Uzumaki Naruto! I didn't expect you to be that kind of person!"
"It's over... my twelve-year persona... is gone!"
Glancing hurriedly at Sakura Haruno's chest, Naruto closed his eyes in pain. He didn't know how he would explain this to Uchiha Sasuke later.
He couldn't exactly say, 'Sakura Haruno, I've seen it, it's very small, you should reject her decisively, she's not your type!'
Social death is sometimes just that sudden, especially when there are acquaintances present, and your name gets exposed too...