Naruto: Starting from Eating the Gold Fruit

Chapter 177 Jiraiya's Great Adventure (Part 2)

"You want me to investigate the mastermind behind this?!" Jiraiya looked at Yua with some surprise.

He really didn't expect that the first thing Youya did after calling him back was to give him such an important task.

Yuya looked at Jiraiya, but couldn't tell whether Jiraiya had actually mastered Sage Mode.

Of course, this is normal; Jiraiya looks no different from normal when Sage Mode is off.

In fact, Naruto is no different.

However, according to the original course of history, Jiraiya would not have been able to continue learning Sage Mode after he went to the battlefield at the start of World War II. But now that the war is not around, Jiraiya should have been learning it all along.

However, according to the original history, Jiraiya's aptitude was not good enough, and he needed the assistance of those two toad sages.

However, in actual combat, having the help of two immortals is not necessarily a bad thing.

Because when the two immortals stood on Jiraiya's shoulders, Jiraiya could move freely without needing to concentrate on absorbing natural energy.

Furthermore, after activating Sage Mode, the two Sages can continue to provide Jiraiya with natural energy.

This is much better than the situation later on where Naruto, the young master, would constantly lose his natural energy.

Furthermore, the two immortals can assist in battle, so saying that it is incomplete only applies to the two immortals. Their actual combat performance is much better than absorbing and transforming themselves.

It would be too stupid for Yua to just open her mouth and ask, "Hey, Jiraiya, have you learned Sage Mode yet?"

Therefore, Yuya suppressed his thoughts and smiled as he got to the point: "Well, I have a report here from the Anbu squadron on the capture of Kakuzu, a rogue ninja from Takigakure. Take it and read it when you get back."

Jiraiya took the scroll from Yua and nodded: "Okay, I'll go back and take a look."

Yua explained to Jiraiya why he had given him this mission: "There's nothing wrong with the report itself, but I noticed something: most of the time, he didn't notice when the Anbu ninjas were tracking Kakuzu."

At the same time, Kakuzu's own stealth ability is not particularly outstanding.

Furthermore, Kakuzu does not have the ability to control other ninjas; if he did, he would have already used it in the battles recorded in the scroll.

In other words...

I believe there is another mastermind behind the attack on the Uchiha clan by the Cloud Village ninjas, which resulted in the annihilation of the Cloud Village ninjas.

Jiraiya looked at Yua, his expression immediately turning serious: "So, Hokage-sama, you mean...?"

You Ya smiled and waved his hand: "This isn't outside. It's just the two of us in the office, so there's no need to be so formal."

Jiraiya's expression immediately softened: "Big brother..."

You Ya's lips curled into a smile. What does it mean to win people's hearts? [Tactical lean back]

"Perfect timing. You've been looking for your so-called prophetic child outside the village, so... of course you can continue looking for him. But while you're searching, I hope you'll accept the mission of secretly investigating the mastermind behind it all."

As he spoke, Yuya handed Jiraiya a scroll: "The latest generation of cameras independently developed by the Research Department is small, lightweight, easy to carry and use, but it uses a lot of materials and is quite expensive. When you find the mastermind, take a picture of him. Of course, it would be best if you could catch him. If you can't catch him, take a picture of him and send him back so I can issue an arrest warrant."

Jiraiya nodded after listening, but he felt a little strange. Why use a camera? It's just catching someone; a sketch would have sufficed...

Yuya noticed Jiraiya's expression and changed the subject: "Of course, you must remember, this thing is indeed very precious, but your life is more important."

Also... um, go get a few extra rolls of film for this camera later, but remember, you have to use it for good! Don't take this thing to film women's bathhouses, outdoor swimming pools, or anything like that, understand?!

Jiraiya's eyes lit up instantly, and he stood at attention, saluting Yua: "Mission accomplished!"

I was just taking pictures of one person, so I kept one roll of film as a spare and filled the rest of the film with pictures of her!

"Alright, then it's up to you. Get lost, and hurry up."

Jiraiya quickly slipped away.

Then, that same day, Yuya received a notification that Tsunade had given Jiraiya a severe beating.

Is the bathhouse in Konoha Village currently the place with the most women, or rather, the most beautiful women?

NONONO, it's the Women's Federation.

The women's federation organized by Tsunade consists of wives of powerful and influential people from various clans or wives of strong ninjas.

These women were all very beautiful and dressed very elegantly. After all, wealthy women, especially married women, rarely don't like to dress themselves up.

Tsunade's idea was good. By bringing these people together, she could also help Yua. In fact, even just chatting together could help Yua build relationships and coordinate the wives of these important figures in Konoha.

That alone was a huge help, not to mention that Tsunade actually gathered a lot of information from her conversations with these ladies.

Although these are mostly matters concerning the women's homes, this is exactly what Yuya needs. After all, he can't possibly have ANBU ninjas investigate what people eat every day, or where they go for fun or work.

Tsunade takes these gatherings very seriously, and because she also works at a hospital, she usually takes time out of her weekdays to organize them.

I won't elaborate on the immense influence of such high-end circles, the key point is...

With so many beautiful women here, even just drinking tea, chatting, and playing cards together would be a delightful sight.

Then Jiraiya foolishly went through with it, and then he was gone.

Actually, he didn't take any pictures at all. After all, this wasn't a swimming pool, and everyone was wearing various cheongsams, silk dresses, and the like, so there wasn't much value in taking pictures.

But since Tsunade found the items, Jiraiya would definitely have no way to explain himself, and even if he didn't take the photos, he still did.

Then Tsunade almost smashed Jiraiya's head.

Jiraiya tried to explain in a panic, but Tsunade, of course, wouldn't listen.

In the end, Jiraiya decisively decided to leave Konoha Village directly using a yo-yo.

I can't stand this awful place for even a day longer.

It's really strange. Ever since Jiraiya went to find the Child of Prophecy, he's always been chased and killed every time he returns to Konoha. He ends up having to leave the village in a sorry state. That's really odd.

—Okay, if Jiraiya didn't act like a jerk, no one would dare to kick him out, after all, he's someone connected to the Hokage. But Jiraiya is...

Some people, knowing they've reached a certain age and their days are numbered, indulge in a carefree lifestyle, focusing solely on enjoying themselves.

Some people have lived a very carefree life since childhood, doing whatever they want.

Although this will result in many affected people treating him maliciously...

After leaving Konoha, Jiraiya sighed somewhat, since he had originally planned to go with Yua to watch the recording of the beauty show. Seeing those programs on TV in the early hours of the morning in the Land of Whirlpools made Jiraiya's mouth dry and his heart flutter with excitement; he couldn't even imagine how amazing it would be to watch it live.

The final result was surprisingly like this.

Sigh, this is really...

……

On the other hand, when Tsunade returned home that night, she was also furious, her anger almost tangible.

"What's wrong?" Yuya asked naturally. Tsunade then recounted the day's events, concluding with:

"That damn bastard! I was planning to find him a wife. All those noble ladies were happy to agree when they heard that Jiraiya was your adopted brother. They all said they would introduce their younger relatives to Jiraiya. But this bastard showed up uninvited!"

That place belongs to our Women's Federation! Only women of high status can go in there. What good could he possibly be up to in there?!

As she spoke, Tsunade added angrily, "And I don't know which bastard sold him that brand-new camera. You have no idea how my sisters looked at him like he was trash when they found the camera on him..."

And yet I was thinking so much about him!

Yuya's grip on the newspaper tightened slightly. He then raised the newspaper a little higher so Tsunade wouldn't see his expression, coughed, and calmly said, "Jiraiya, I haven't missed a single penny of the money I've sent him every month over the years. He must have bought it himself."

Although 800,000 taels for a camera is a bit expensive, that's still for ordinary people; for Jiraiya, it's just a month's salary.

At this point, Yuya was glad that he had previously believed that the people of Konoha Village were all quite wealthy, so he placed the camera in the supermarket.

Otherwise, it would be really hard to explain today.

Tsunade pouted and looked at Yua with a reproachful expression: "I'm not saying this to be mean, but aren't you being a little too nice to Jiraiya? Why do you give him so much money every month...?"

"Sigh, you have no idea how embarrassed I was back then. Luckily, our area was a gathering place for the Women's Federation, and there weren't any private bathhouses or anything like that, otherwise, it would have been really hard to explain."

At this point, Tsunade clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking. "No, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. Next time I see him, I'll definitely beat that bastard up!"

Yuya shrank back, silently mourning for Jiraiya for a second.

Actually, this argument is completely unfounded. Although Jiraiya does receive over 800,000 taels of silver in funding from Yuya every month, he frequently goes out to drink and frequent brothels. Whether he has any intimate relationships with any of the ladies is unknown, but if he does, then over 800,000 taels a month would not be enough for him to squander.

Although Konoha's silver reserves have a very strong purchasing power, they can't withstand Jiraiya's extravagance.

In a typical brothel, a single cup of wine could cost anywhere from 500 to 7,000 or even tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Given Jiraiya's personality, he wouldn't just drink one cup; he'd probably order a few girls to accompany him...

That amount of money is simply not enough to cover the costs.

So Jiraiya was actually a spendthrift, with no spare money at all.

However, Yuya had intelligence that the Anbu members were monitoring Jiraiya and reporting back monthly, but Tsunade was unaware of this.

So, my dear little brother, you'll have to take the blame for your big brother.

but……

"Jiraiya is indeed getting on in years. Since you've discussed this with your sisters, do you already have someone in mind?"

Tsunade looked at Yua in surprise: "How did you know?"

Then Tsunade's eyes narrowed: "You didn't... you sent someone to follow me, did you?!"

Yuya rolled his eyes: "Why would I send someone to follow you? Besides, there aren't many ANBU ninjas stronger than you, and they still have a lot of missions to do outside the village."

Yuya then complained, "To be honest, Konoha Village can support itself just by developing its manufacturing industry. Those damned daimyo from the Land of Fire still keep throwing missions at us every day. Damn it, I'm going to make those daimyo take back their mission allocation authority sooner or later. I'd rather those mission-doing people come back as ashes than not!"

Tsunade scratched her cheek, knowing that Yua couldn't possibly be monitoring her, and pretended not to hear Yua's complaints about the Fire Country's Daimyo.

She had actually discovered long ago that her husband had no respect for the daimyo of the Land of Fire, or rather, for the daimyo of any country in the world.

She should have known that even a powerful figure like her grandfather, Hashirama Senju, addressed the Daimyo of the Land of Fire with great respect, calling him "Sir."

Of course, in the negotiations between Hashirama Senju and the previous Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Hashirama Senju was very tough and did not make many concessions. The final result was that Konoha Village had a high degree of autonomy.

This is something the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has always wanted to reclaim.

But Yuya is different.

Although he sends a sum of money to the daimyo of the Land of Fire every year and persuades him to build roads, he also contributes the bulk of the road construction costs, which seems to greatly benefit the daimyo of the Land of Fire.

However, Tsunade herself knew that Yua had no respect whatsoever for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Or rather, to her husband, the daimyo of the Land of Fire was no different from an ordinary villager in Konoha. Yua didn't have the same respect for nobles as her grandfather did.

This is hard to imagine.

Tsunade shook her head, banishing these thoughts from her mind, then looked at Yua and pouted, "Alright, I know you weren't following me. Actually, I did find Jiraiya a good family; it's that girl from the Moonlight Clan."

After hearing this, You Ya looked up and began searching his memory for information, finally settling on one person: "Moonlight Red Bee? That really hot girl?"

Tsunade nodded: "Although she has a bad temper and a very strong personality, I think only a girl like her can keep Jiraiya in check."

Yuya smacked her lips: "But I remember she's only eighteen this year... seven years younger than Jiraiya..."

Yu Ya stopped talking right there, almost forgetting that his wife Tsunade was six years younger than him...

Tsunade gave Yua a cold snort with dead fish eyes and then skipped over the topic of age: "Red Bee is such a good girl. She has a great figure, is beautiful, and is very strong. She is already an elite Chunin. Some Jonin are no match for her. If she goes to be with Jiraiya, it will make him more serious."

Yuya shook the newspaper in his hand and nodded in deep agreement: "That's right, that's right, wife. Why don't you go and talk to Jiraiya on his behalf?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes: "It was okay to talk about this before, but now..."

It's not that he's unwanted; it's just that the girl has very high standards. She only agrees to marry him if he has the strength to beat his father.

Jiraiya was strong enough, it's a pity...

No woman would like a pervert.

You Ya remained silent.

like……

That's true...

Sigh, Jiraiya, you damn brat, you're such a disappointment!

……

At that moment, Jiraiya, who had already left Konoha Village, sneezed loudly.

"Hmm, is someone missing me?" Jiraiya's face immediately broke into a lewd grin. "It must be those girls from the brothels~"

Jiraiya chuckled a few times. Those girls in the brothel were really big and fair-skinned!

Unfortunately, I've already spent all my salary this month. Hmm, there are still more than twenty days until my next payday. How am I going to get through this?

Jiraiya licked his lips, then his stomach rumbled.

Jiraiya sighed. "Fine, I'll find a river to drink some water and grill a fish first."

After enduring wind and rain for more than half a month, Jiraiya counted down the days and prepared to travel from Konoha Village to the Land of Bears.

Of course, the Land of Bears was not his destination; the Land of Craftsmen was.

Jiraiya needs to create a scroll in the Land of Craftsmen that can store things in a cyclical manner.

Those scrolls are expensive, but only for ordinary ninjas.

A single reusable storage scroll costing 300,000 yen is expensive for most ninjas.

After all, Jonin are few and far between, and Chunin are not easy to come up with 300,000 ryo at once.

Not every village's Chunin are paid like Konoha does.

Jiraiya's purpose, naturally, was to store his own camera footage.

Most ninjutsu scrolls, whether for information or storage, are disposable.

In other words, once the roll is removed, it is ruined and can only be used again after being recycled.

Of course, this is enough for many ninjas, since storing ninja tools in a scroll only requires taking them out once.

You can't possibly keep putting your shuriken in and taking it out during a battle, can you?

That's just too stupid.

But the camera is different. It's inconvenient to have it hanging on my body all the time, and it could easily break if a fight breaks out.

Therefore, Jiraiya had to find a scroll that could be stored cyclically.

So he left Konoha Village through the south gate. And you know what? The further south you go from Konoha Village, the more desolate it becomes; in many places, you can walk all day without seeing a single village.

The place was overgrown with weeds, and the woods were teeming with wild animals. It was cheap, though; grilled meat would definitely fill you up better than grilled fish.

Against this backdrop, Jiraiya traveled for half a month and was almost at the border of the Land of Fire.

We'll definitely reach the Land of Bears in another day or two.

During the day, Jiraiya was fetching water by a stream, wondering where to get something to eat, when a gust of wind carried a string of silvery laughter to his ears.

Jiraiya's ears perked up immediately, and his body involuntarily leaned towards the clear, playful sound.

After hesitating for 0.7356 seconds, Jiraiya quickly stood up and silently rushed towards the direction of the sound.

Upon arriving at their destination, Jiraiya's eyes instantly turned into hearts.

Wow! Beautiful girl!

beauty!

And~

These are still beautiful women preparing to take a bath.

Jiraiya was standing on the side of a pool with clear blue water.

Hidden by weeds and trees, Jiraiya was not discovered for the time being.

Jiraiya wore a lecherous grin. Suddenly, as if he'd just remembered something, he pulled out his camera, stuffed the film reel inside, and then lifted the camera up…

Hehe, I'm so lucky today.

Unexpectedly, the camera lens reflected a luster under the sunlight, and although it was only for a moment, it was enough for Jiraiya to be discovered.

"Who?!"

A short-haired beauty who was undressing suddenly turned around, and three shuriken instantly appeared in her hand, which she then threw in Jiraiya's direction.

Jiraiya was shocked and immediately turned and fled.

How did they even find out?!

Is this woman really that vigilant?!

However, before he could run two steps, a figure using the Instantaneous Movement Technique blocked his way.

With a "click," the kunai was placed in front of Jiraiya. Jiraiya looked closely and saw that it was the short-haired girl among the group of beauties he had just spied on.

Jiraiya swallowed hard, chuckled awkwardly, and raised his hand: "Um, this is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding..."

The short-haired girl was surprised when she saw Jiraiya's face clearly.

At that moment, several more whooshing sounds came from behind him, and Jiraiya was greatly alarmed:

Are all these women ninjas?!

Today's over, I'm definitely going to get a good beating. I hope I don't embarrass myself.

Unexpectedly, these women were even more surprised than Jiraiya when they saw him:

"A man?!" XN

"It's a man?!" XN

Another gasp of surprise.

Jiraiya: "...?"

Is there anything strange about that?!

……

Jiraiya was eventually captured, his hands bound with rope. Although he could have broken free, Jiraiya knew he was in the wrong and did not resist.

His spying was all about thrills; if he was caught, he would run away, and if he couldn't escape, he would get a beating. There was no need to fight back. Jiraiya felt that as a special Jonin of Konoha, he was very strong, and if he accidentally killed the other party, it would be a matter of life and death.

So forget it.

As a result, he was taken to a village.

As I walked along, I became somewhat curious because the people working in this village—carrying hoes, holding bottles of liquor, and hammering nails and laying planks on rooftops—were all women.

Jiraiya was a little puzzled. Did these people not have men in their homes? Why did they leave all the rough and heavy work to the women?

Then he was led to a house built with red bricks and blue tiles.

Then the short-haired female ninja who had brought him there stood at the door and shouted, "Village Chief! We've caught a man! And we caught him at the Clear Pool Spring in the back mountain!"

Jiraiya was a little confused. If they caught the peeping tom, they caught him, so why did they have to emphasize that he was a man?

Are you trying to torture yourself...?

Jiraiya felt a chill and began to think about how to escape.

Then he heard the sound of a cane coming from inside, the door was opened, and an old woman being helped by a girl appeared in Jiraiya's eyes.

Is the village chief a woman too...? Jiraiya already sensed something was wrong, and his heart was pounding.

Then, when the old woman saw him, a glint flashed in her eyes, and she said in a deep voice, "A man?!"

How did you get into this village?! And how did you get to Qingtan Spring?! There's only one entrance to the village; it's impossible for someone to have entered without knowing!

Jiraiya immediately panicked. As everyone knows, peeping and trespassing are two separate offenses.

Moreover, Jiraiya would admit to anything he didn't do, even if he did it!

Then Jiraiya declared righteously, "I didn't trespass! I went to your spring from over there!"

The women present looked in the direction Jiraiya was pointing, then grabbed the short-haired girl who was tied to Jiraiya and sneered, "Liar! That place is extremely dangerous, full of wild animals. Do you think you can get through that area?!"

Jiraiya frowned: "They're just a bunch of wild beasts, what's so difficult about that?"

I even baked and ate them!

The short-haired girl immediately wanted to take action, but was stopped by the village chief.

The village elder, glancing at Jiraiya's Konoha headband hanging from his waist, narrowed her eyes and asked, "You're... a ninja from Konoha?!"

Jiraiya was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then thought that this was nothing shameful, so what was there to be afraid of?

So he nodded in agreement.

Although being caught spying is a disgrace to Konoha, Jiraiya isn't the kind of person who would deny his actions.

As for Konoha's reputation...

Brother! I've let you down!

Jiraiya felt a moment of remorse in his heart, and then he felt much more at ease.

Upon hearing this, the village elder laughed and said, "A ninja from Konoha? Then it's alright."

Himiko, untie him.

The short-haired girl frowned immediately: "Village chief, this...this isn't right, is it? He was clearly not planning anything good in that place!"

The village chief waved his hand: "Hey, don't say that. After all, you didn't suffer any losses, and besides..."

The village elder looked at Jiraiya with a questioning gaze, and Jiraiya suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

"Can I ask you a question? What is your position in Konoha? How much is your weekly salary?"

As she spoke, the village elder glanced again at the Leaf Village headband on Jiraiya's waist.

Jiraiya was a little confused. His intuition told him it was best not to say anything, but upon closer reflection, it wasn't something that couldn't be said...

"Hmm, Special Jonin... As for the salary, it's not paid weekly, it's paid monthly. I receive 800,000 taels of silver every month..."

After Jiraiya finished speaking, the short-haired girl, Himiko, looked at him in shock: "What?! 800,000 ryo?! You?! You mean you can buy hundreds of sets of those skincare products a month?!"

Jiraiya was completely bewildered. What skincare products?

Well, Jiraiya isn't a woman, so she doesn't need to give gifts to please women.

After discovering how easy it was to make money off women, You Ya opened a cosmetics factory. He sold products that cost 100 taels for 5000 taels, increasing the price fiftyfold. Don't ask why, it's all about technology, science, and making your skin glow and moisturized. Even if you don't buy it, plenty of others will.

Of course, the end result was that these cosmetics, along with Yuya's jewelry stores, emptied the wallets of the women in Konoha Village.

Even now, Konoha is not most famous for its wealth and power, but because it is a village that can make women more beautiful.

Well, Yuya only wanted to empty the wallets of the men and women of Konoha, but things seem to have taken an unexpected turn...

As for why the people in this village know...

"Wow, he's so rich! My cousin went to work in Konoha last time, earning 50,000 taels a week, which is only 200,000 taels a month. After deducting rent, utilities, and other expenses, she only has about 100,000 taels left to spend on cosmetics. How can he be so rich?"

"Who can argue with that? My second aunt's daughter married into Konoha and now lives the life of an aristocrat, the kind of life where someone waits on you when you wake up and feeds you. Even so, I heard she only spends four or five hundred thousand taels a month!"

"My God, he's that rich?!"

"Didn't you hear him say that? He's a ninja! A Konoha ninja at that!"

"Hmm...but she looks so weak..."

"It really does feel like he's lying to me..."

Himiko also felt that Jiraiya was lying to her, so she snorted and said, "Who knows if what you're saying is true? Someone from our village once kidnapped a girl from our village, and I was the one who went and rescued her!"

Jiraiya curled his lip: "What does it matter to me whether you believe it or not?"

"you!"

The village elder tapped the ground with her cane, and Himiko immediately fell silent.

Then the village elder looked at Jiraiya, sized him up, and became more and more satisfied. She then smiled and said to Jiraiya, "It's very simple to prove whether you are a Konoha ninja."

Himiko, why don't you just have a battle with him tomorrow, a battle fought according to a destiny oath?

Himiko was taken aback, then looked at Jiraiya, scrutinized him carefully, and sighed: "Although you're not my type, if you can beat me, I might reluctantly settle for you."

Jiraiya was taken aback, then frowned and asked, "What's that... Fate Battle?"

The village elder was stunned, then looked at Jiraiya: "You don't know where this is?"

Jiraiya looked completely bewildered: "Should I know where I am?"

The village elder said, "If you don't know where this is, why are you here?"

This is Nadeshiko Village, a village populated entirely by women. Every man who comes here does so in hopes of finding his true love. As for the vows of destiny…

It was a battle between the two sides.

Simply put, if you defeat Himiko, she will marry you, and for the rest of her life, she will follow you wherever you go, stay with you, take care of you, and bear your children to carry on the next generation…

Jiraiya's mind went blank for a moment, and he stared stiffly at the short-haired girl beside him.

The short-haired girl wasn't shy at all; she simply raised an eyebrow and nodded seriously: "If you can really beat me, I have no objection."

Jiraiya's lips trembled as he asked the village elder, "Then, what if she wins? Can I leave then?!"

The old village elder snorted coldly: "If she wins against you, then you have to stay in this village and you must marry her."

Jiraiya's eyes widened suddenly: "Do you want to hear what you're saying?! Why do I have to marry her no matter what, whether I win or lose?!"

The old village elder slammed her hand heavily on the ground: "This is the battle of fate! A fate you cannot escape!"

"Screw fate! Isn't that all you're saying?!"

The village elder waved her hand, and Jiraiya was carried away by a group of women.

Ignoring his struggles and shouts...

……

A few days later:

In the Hokage's office in Konoha, Yua examined the intelligence report sent back by the Anbu ninja in his hand, looking at it from all angles but finding no signs of forgery. Finally, he couldn't help but ask the Anbu ninja:

"Is the village chief of Nadeshiko Village not very good at eyesight?"

What merit does Jiraiya possess to deserve such preferential treatment?

(End of this chapter)