Early morning.
Hiruko stretched lazily, quietly watching the bustling streets outside the window as usual, and murmured, "Is it already seven o'clock?"
He...
Had unknowingly stayed in the Land of Whirlpools for over a year.
April...
The light spring rain had gradually disappeared, and the Land of Whirlpools was about to enter summer. So, this period wouldn't be too hot, and one could still feel the warm spring breeze.
Watching the civilians outside heading to work one after another with smiles on their faces, Hiruko unconsciously revealed a smile and murmured, "Here..."
"It's even more peaceful than Konoha."
After more than two years, he had grown accustomed to life in the Land of Whirlpools.
After a simple wash, he touched his smooth silver hair...
Hiruko sighed helplessly and said, "It's gotten a bit long again."
Since he had free time today, he decided to get a haircut.
He didn't know when it started, but he had begun to care less about his appearance.
If he hadn't noticed, he probably wouldn't have gone for a haircut today.
He walked out the door and locked it.
From a very early time, the Land of Whirlpools had no longer restricted his movements.
Perhaps even he himself had never imagined he would stay so quietly in one country for so long.
The villa in front was assigned to him by the academy, so he no longer lived in the surveillance dormitory of the Land of Whirlpools.
"Good morning!"
Just as Hiruko stepped out, a red-haired middle-aged man from the neighboring villa also came out and greeted him.
"Good morning." Hiruko returned the greeting with a smile and said, "Is Dean Chiro also off today?"
He heard that like himself, this man was from an outside ninja village, not a native of the Land of Whirlpools. He had an eldest son who was now a platoon leader in the mechanical corps, and a beautiful wife who was a grade-level director at the Land of Whirlpools Academy.
Ah—soon, their family would welcome a new member.
So, it would then be a family of four.
"Yes!" Chiro nodded helplessly and said, "Hiroshi wants to eat tofu pudding this morning, so I have to go out and buy it for her."
On a rare day off, he had planned to sleep in until noon at home, but...
Pregnant women are not to be trifled with!
If they were in the Sand Village, his mother could help out, but in the Land of Whirlpools...
Only he and Sasori could keep Hiroshi company. But Sasori, due to training in the corps, rarely came home, so in the end, only he himself could accompany Hiroshi.
Chiro looked at Hiruko and said, "What about you?"
Why are you up so early too?
"I plan to go out for breakfast and also get a haircut." Hiruko thought for a moment and said, "I'll probably have lunch and dinner outside too."
There's no cafeteria at home for him to eat at.
Looking at Chiro's radiant, happy smile, a thought suddenly crossed his mind...
Perhaps he should also find someone to accompany him.
Every night, having someone prepare dinner waiting for him to finish work and come home, on weekends being able to hold hands and go shopping together, and if there was also a child...
I wonder if they would be as talented as he was?
Ah—!
Hiruko shook his head, a helpless smile on his face, and murmured, "What am I thinking?"
Indeed...
After being single for so many years, he had started to feel lonely.
After all, he wasn't Jiraiya, who flitted through thousands of flowers without a single leaf touching him. Who knows when he and Tsunade would finally get together?
But...
It's probably impossible.
Otherwise, with Jiraiya's bootlicking personality, he would have succeeded long ago, and wouldn't get beaten black and blue every time.
Hiruko smiled. He didn't know when it started, but he had stopped thinking about surpassing Jiraiya and the others. He hadn't researched the Kekkei Genkai Absorption Technique (Goryō no Jutsu) for a long time either. Perhaps it was...
Because he had found his own value?
"How childish I was!" Hiruko thought of his former self, shook his head, and revealed a nostalgic smile, murmuring, "If I hadn't come to the Land of Whirlpools, I might never have figured it out."
"Then let's go together." Chiro said to Hiruko, "I just happen to need to go for breakfast too, and I need to hurry back with breakfast."
Otherwise, Hiroshi would definitely get angry. Pregnant women have big tempers, just...
It wasn't like this when she was giving birth to Sasori back then.
When did it start to change?
Chiro shook his head helplessly, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth, and murmured, "But this..."
Is also quite nice.
He could feel that Hiroshi hadn't changed; it's just that now she was no longer a ninja but a wife, a mother, so she would act a bit willful during pregnancy. Probably she herself found this state amusing too!
After all, since Hiroshi married him, she had always been a ninja accompanying him on missions...
He owed her!!
So Chiro indulged her.
And...
This feeling wasn't bad either\~
If he had really died back then, probably neither he nor Hiroshi would be able to experience this feeling now.
Plain yet filled with the warmth of home.
It's just that Sasori rarely came home, and his mother and uncle were in the Sand Village. The whole family seldom truly gathered together for a complete meal.
There was still some regret in his heart.
In a few days, his mother should be coming. I wonder if Sasori can make it back?
Mother is also very anxious about her unborn grandson or granddaughter. If she weren't worried about the Sand Village discovering something, she'd probably want to stay here. And a few days ago, she specifically told him that on the day Hiroshi is due to give birth, he must let that brat... ahem, the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, bring her over.
Hearing Chiro's words, Hiruko nodded and said with a smile, "Then let's go."
What a plain and relaxed life!
...
For the past few months, Jiraiya had been feeling deeply worried. After all, the fact that Konoha sent ninjas to investigate a few months ago, and the recent months of the Land of Whirlpools purging spies within the country, all indicated that war was about to break out.
He didn't know what to do, or perhaps Tsunade didn't know what to do either?
Couldn't things just continue peacefully like this?
Why did there have to be war?
Looking at the civilians within the Land of Whirlpools, they...
Still faced today's work with smiles and enthusiasm, unaware that war was approaching.
Jiraiya felt a pang of guilt in his heart...
Guilt towards these civilians living peacefully in the Land of Whirlpools.
This war...
Was already beyond his ability to stop.
Perhaps Tsunade felt the same way, after all, the Senju clan was living in the Land of Whirlpools.
"Sigh." Jiraiya sighed and murmured, "I hope the situation doesn't get too bad."
Otherwise, when Konoha and the Land of Whirlpools...
It's really a headache!!
Suddenly...
Jiraiya looked up, his eyes lighting up at the sight of two people in front of him, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face...
It seemed today's breakfast problem could be solved again.
...
"Now it can be said that energy is limiting the development of the Land of Whirlpools." Chiro said to Hiruko with a worried expression, "In recent years, the Mechanical Department and the Research Institute have been dedicated to researching methods for external chakra extraction, but there has been no progress at all."
This can be said to be the most critical difficulty that the Land of Whirlpools currently needs to overcome!
After all, most of the machinery and tools in the Land of Whirlpools now are based on chakra energy. Coupled with the increase in the population of the Land of Whirlpools, the energy demand has also increased accordingly.
So...
The Land of Whirlpools is now short on energy!
If no solution is sought, disorder will eventually break out.
"Yes." Hiruko also nodded, saying with a serious expression, "I have also detected trace amounts of chakra in some ordinary plants and animals..."
"If animals can extract chakra themselves to advance into summoning beasts, then what about plants?"
"Can plants also extract chakra themselves?"
"But how can plants and animals without intelligence extract chakra on their own?"
"Just like chakra test paper, made from a type of tree that absorbs chakra."
"The chakra inside is greater than in other plants, and it even gradually increases as they grow."
"If they aren't extracting it themselves, where do these plants obtain chakra from?"
Hiruko thoughtfully stroked his chin, pondering, "Perhaps our previous line of thinking was wrong. We should start from plants."
"This is indeed a direction." Upon hearing Hiruko's words, Chiro's eyes immediately lit up, and he said, "I'll bring up this direction to the Research Institute later."
"What if we really succeed then?"
"En, I will write a report tomorrow." Hiruko said with a smile, "And I have already asked Gato to import a batch of chakra tree seeds given to Toto for cultivation, precisely for convenient observation later."
"In a few days, you come with me..."
However, before he could finish...
"Good morning!"
A familiar, yet headache-inducing voice for Hiruko, came through.
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