Chapter 232: The Reason for Choosing Naruto
BOOM—!
Amidst the roar, a small hill and a giant rock in the distance were blasted into countless fine specks of dust that dispersed into the air by the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken that Naruto had thrown out!
After the smoke had cleared, only a bowl-shaped, giant crater, over ten meters deep, was left on the ground.
And by the edge of the crater, the fox boy, his eyes wide as he stared at the scene before him.
"Did... I do this?"
He blinked, as if he hadn't yet reacted, and was stunned for a few seconds.
After a good while.
"I did it!" The incredulous Naruto, as if waking from a dream, jumped up in excitement.
Jiraiya, over here, was also startled by the commotion Naruto had caused.
Looking intently, he saw that the incredibly powerful ninjutsu had been cast from Naruto's hands.
Jiraiya sighed softly.
The ninjutsu that Minato had not been able to complete before his death, in the end, Naruto had completed it...? Although, judging from his training progress, it had been a sure thing that Naruto would complete this ninjutsu within these few days. But seeing this boy use this ninjutsu with his own hands, Jiraiya was still filled with a myriad of emotions.
Are you watching from heaven, Fourth Hokage?
Jiraiya raised his head and looked at the sky. It was early spring. The azure sky had only a few white clouds. The sky was as clear as if it had been washed, as blue as a mirror.
Just like the bright and beautiful mood of the master and disciple, Jiraiya and Naruto, under this blue sky.
"You've worked hard, Naruto!" he said, walking over and patting Naruto's shoulder with gratification. "You've been undergoing high-intensity training for many days now. Let's call it a day! Take a good rest!"
As he spoke, Jiraiya reached out and supported Naruto's shoulder.
Looking at his tired dark circles and his scarred hands, Jiraiya knew that this was the reason he had chosen Naruto, and not Sasuke or Sakura.
It was not just because he was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
It was more because of the shining points he saw in Naruto.
Strength, perseverance, and endurance.
This was Jiraiya's ninja way.
And it was also his highest expectation for a ninja.
And these precious qualities, every time they shone in Naruto, it was as if they were telling Jiraiya that his choice was not wrong.
"What a fool, to fall asleep as soon as you sit down..." Jiraiya said with a smile, looking at the Naruto who had fallen asleep on the ground from excessive fatigue.
He gently lifted Naruto onto his back.
He walked back to the earthen house with steady steps, without a single sway.
In the evening.
Naruto was awakened by the aroma of food.
He subconsciously sat up from the bed. "There's food!"
Then he rubbed his head and asked, "How did I get here? Weren't we still training?"
"You idiot... you've already successfully used that ninjutsu, but then you fell asleep from being too tired," Jiraiya glanced at him and ladled out a bowl of milky white fish soup. "I was the one who carried you back! Also, don't drool on my blanket. It's already dripped on it, you bastard!"
Slurp. Naruto quickly sucked back the long, disgusting saliva that was hanging down—which was even more disgusting—and then hurriedly got up from the bed, and with a few pattering steps, he walked to the dining table. "Thanks, Uncle Jiraiya! Wow, we have fish soup today, that's great!"
"You've been training too hard lately. You should drink some fish soup to replenish your strength. This bowl is yours!"
Fifteen minutes later, the ravenous Naruto had eaten a whole, half-meter-long carp.
After eating his fill...
"Urp... I'm so full!" After filling his stomach, Naruto, who was happily slumped on the side like a pregnant woman, let out a long burp, and then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he asked, "Oh right, Pervy Sage, are we leaving the Land of Wind?"
"Hn, like I told you before, we came to travel around the Land of Wind mainly because it's very suitable for training your Wind Style. Now that your Wind Style has been basically completed, we should also be heading to the next place," Jiraiya said, also half-slumped on the ground, picking his teeth in a very ungraceful manner. "What's wrong? You don't want to leave here?"
"It's nothing..." Naruto twisted his body awkwardly for a rare moment and did not say what was on his mind.
But his little thought, Jiraiya had seen it right away.
"I get it! You miss them, don't you!" Jiraiya said with a hearty laugh.
He thought of the matter mentioned in the letters from Sakura and Sasuke.
This year's mid-year Chunin Exams were to be held in the Sand Village.
The three members of Team 7, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura, would all be present at that exam.
And the two of them were, at this moment, coincidentally in the Land of Wind, not far from the Sand Village.
In that case, Naruto's thoughts were very easy to guess.
However, to be honest, Jiraiya did not quite agree with Naruto's idea in his heart. In fact, if necessary, he could use a summoning jutsu to send Naruto back to Konoha right now, to let him meet his teammates.
It was just that in that case... the journey would become a tour, and the effect of tempering Naruto's will that Jiraiya had expected might not be so obvious.
So, what to do?
Jiraiya glanced at Naruto's right hand, and a decision was instantly made in his heart.
"The Chunin Exams are in July, right? I understand..." he said, taking a sip of the sake he had taken out from somewhere and leaning leisurely against the wall. He said plainly, "At that time, you will have a chance to meet."
"That's great!" Naruto's eyes lit up. He jumped up, his mood even more agitated than when he had succeeded with his ninjutsu before.
However, Jiraiya was in no mood to be happy with him.
He glanced at Naruto's right hand again.
Naruto had used this hand to cast that move before...
There were still unhealed scars on his hand.
The healing ability brought by the Nine-Tails couldn't even handle this wound?
The danger of this jutsu had exceeded his imagination... so he would just take that opportunity to have Tsunade take a look at it for him.
In addition, some intelligence about the Akatsuki could only be communicated safely in a face-to-face manner!
Jiraiya drained the sake in his cup in one gulp. "Alright, we'll rest tonight. Tomorrow we'll set off from here!"
"Yes, Uncle Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya and Naruto, who had briefly stayed in the Land of Wind for a period of time, thus set out on their journey again.
And at this time, the other two members of Team 7 had also embarked on their long journey to the Land of Snow.
However, this time, they were no longer taking a luxury cruise ship as before—although that was comfortable, it took too long.
Of course, they were not using the usual "ninja-foot" technique to travel either. Even the advanced method used by the Anbu could not be used on the water—that technique was only good for use on land.
Haruno Sakura directly created a small ice boat and then used Water Style to drive the water current to propel it forward.
She had indeed been relying more on Ice Style for combat recently, and her use of Ice Style ninjutsu had become more and more effortless. But in the end, it was still no match for her supreme affinity for Water Style.
And the sea was her super home field.
Using Water Style here, even for a whole day, Sakura would not feel very tired.
So if you saw a small ice boat carrying two people, sailing at a speed of several dozen or even over a hundred knots on the sea, you really didn't need to be surprised...
That was just the economic cruising speed.
This was not sailing a boat at all, but driving a sports car on the water!
Two days later, a boy and a girl appeared on the streets of the largest port city in the Land of Snow.
The boy's face was pale. He had been dry-heaving non-stop since he got ashore, looking extremely uncomfortable.
"You're so pathetic, Sasuke. You're a ninja, yet you get seasick!" the girl said with a laugh, patting his back.
"Hmph, you call that sailing a boat? What kind of boat is smaller than a canoe and can still go over 180 kilometers per hour!" After dry-heaving for a good while, Sasuke finally caught his breath and retorted, "Cough, cough... where is this?"
"Geographically speaking, this should be Asakusa," Sakura said, taking out a map and looking at it, her tone certain.
"Asakusa? Naruto and I came here once before..." Sasuke said, looking at the street, which was both strange and familiar, with a bit of surprise. "This place has changed a lot. I almost can't recognize it at all!"
The buildings were still the same buildings, with almost no change.
But the city and the people, their spirit was completely different.
The streets had become clean. The accumulated snow had been swept and piled to the side. It was no longer a mess of garbage and sewage, so dark you couldn't even put your foot down.
There were more pedestrians on the street. Many were wearing new clothes. Walking on the street, you could see smiles on most of their faces. Their expressions were lively, their eyes natural, not numb and dull like before, without any reaction. The whole street was filled with a vibrant atmosphere, full of vigorous life. Occasionally, you could hear the happy laughter of children playing, no longer the dead silence of the past.
There were also more shops, bustling with lanterns for the upcoming festival and brand-new signs.
On the other hand, the heating system left by Kazahana Sōsetsu was still functioning steadily, separating the city and the outside world into two worlds. One was a warm city and village where it was spring all year round, and the other was an eternally icy and cold countryside.
When she had left before, although she had gone through the Land of Snow from top to bottom and had cleared out the remaining poison left by Kazahana Dotō, and there had been signs of this positive change, the Land of Snow was still very poor. Sakura had never thought that such results could be achieved in just six months.
The people and their hearts have changed... The Land of Snow has become full of vigor.
If not for the fact that time was tight on this trip, Sakura would have really been interested in walking on the street and seeing what changes she and Koyuki had brought to this place.
To be able to bring about a good change for the people here, then that meant that her efforts had not been in vain.
However, right now, the important business was at hand.
"It seems Koyuki is doing a pretty good job," Haruno Sakura smiled slightly. Seeing that Sasuke had already recovered from his seasickness, she said, "Let's go. Let's find her!"
With a swish, the two ninja used the Body Flicker and disappeared into the distance.
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