At the izakaya, Jiraiya took a sip of sake and mused, "This town is called Shiragane Town. It's bustling with commerce, ranking among the top economically in the Country of Hot Springs. Here, we've encountered ninja from Konoha, Suna, Cloud, Mist, and Iwagakure—but not a single one from the Country of Hot Springs itself."
"What's so strange about that?" Naruto interrupted. Then he asked curiously, "Huh? Does this country even have a ninja village?"
"They do," Jiraiya nodded. "But in recent years, they've become practically invisible. Probably not many people remember them anymore..."
After some thinking, Jiraiya decided to dig deeper.
During a quiet moment with little foot traffic, he approached a man resting against a wall.
"You're a ninja, right?" Jiraiya asked.
The man, who had been keeping his eyes shut, exhaled deeply, opened his eyes, and glared at him with clear annoyance. "Are you done yet? How many times do I have to say it? Not a ninja—never was!"
"You're still maintaining your Transformation Technique," Jiraiya said with a faint smile.
The man's expression shifted slightly. "Who the hell do you think you are anyway? What's it to you?"
Jiraiya didn't respond verbally, but suddenly threw a punch straight ahead. The man reacted instinctively, countering and releasing chakra.
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"You still say you're not a ninja?" Jiraiya challenged.
The man stayed silent.
"Then—are you from the Country of Hot Springs?" Jiraiya asked again, curiosity growing.
...
"Hiding among civilians... Could there be some kind of conspiracy or other hidden motive…?"
At this, the man suddenly let out a bitter laugh. He didn't specify which village he belonged to, but his face twisted into an expression of self-mockery. "Conspiracy? Please. We're just trying to survive."
"You're a ninja—you could take missions instead of blending in with ordinary folks."
"Why not eat meat porridge instead?" The man scoffed, clearly annoyed. [A classic sarcastic saying from ancient China, implying someone out of touch with hardship.] "If I could land decent missions, why would I be doing this?"
"Oh? Care to elaborate a bit more?" Jiraiya asked, surprised.
Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, the man shot back, "Why the hell do you even care about this stuff anyway?"
"I'm a novelist. I like collecting unusual stories for my work. Don't worry..." So saying, Jiraiya pulled out a thick, bulging wallet and shoved it into the other man's chest.
"Unusual stories?" Hearing that, the man wore a look of bitterness again.
He fell silent for a moment before finally beginning his tale.
"It's actually nothing all that special.
"I am a ninja from the Country of Hot Springs. Our Hidden Hot Spring Village suffered a massive disaster, with heavy losses, leaving only a handful of survivors.
"To rebuild our village, we took in a group of displaced people and started training them as ninja.
"The Daimyo has not abandoned us and continues to offer financial support.
"But to protect the country's international image, he decided our village no longer had to take part in the Ninja Union Exams."
"To revive the economy, Lord Daimyo has dispatched troops to eliminate bandits and robbers in surrounding areas."
"Everything was improving. However, after we cultivated new forces, we realized there seemed to be no space for Hidden Hot Spring Village's development within this country."
"We couldn't get any missions. Only the wealthy could afford ninja, but they only trusted those from the Five Great Nations."
"It's all the fault of those ninjas from the Five Great Ninja Villages. Now we're just sitting here watching our resources dwindle away," said the man angrily.
"So some people decided to change this situation?" Jiraiya interrupted. "But how does that relate to hiding your identities?"
"You still don't understand," the man replied with a knowing look at Jiraiya. "Ninjas have much better physical capabilities than ordinary people. One ninja can do the work of several individuals, which causes multiple layoffs. When too many civilians become unemployed, it creates chaos. Thus, commoners resent us..."
"Then maybe you shouldn't compete with civilians for jobs. Why not do something else..." Jiraiya started to say.
"Right, right, we could steal, rob, kill, become bandits, rogue ninjas, become revenue sources for the Five Great Ninja Villages, or become mission records for those ninjas."
The man told a bitter joke, and Jiraiya found himself speechless.
Someone shouted "Time to work!" and the man hurriedly ran toward the voice.
Jiraiya was left standing there alone, still feeling a little ridiculous.
"The ninjas in this nation exist in name only."
Jiraiya sought out another Konoha ninja for confirmation. The information he received matched what the Hidden Hot Spring ninja had described.
Other foreign ninjas also recognized their identities but chose not to expose them to avoid trouble.
Besides, if local ninjas lost favor, it would benefit ninjas from larger countries by increasing their income. Who wouldn't appreciate extra money?
"Naruto, let's go. We should continue our journey," Jiraiya said with complicated feelings as he and Naruto left Shiragane Town.
What they called 'training' was really just endless traveling from one place to another.
Leaving behind the bustling town, they passed through a poverty-stricken village.
A flash of familiar golden hair caught Jiraiya's eye. He stopped in his tracks, his mind racing, staring intently.
Unlike Jiraiya, Naruto had turned solemn the moment he entered the village.
That strange feeling had returned...
Walking forward without stopping, he finally understood where that feeling stemmed from.
In the center of the crowd stood a beautiful woman with golden hair wearing green robes. Beside her was a black-haired girl cradling a pink piglet.
Before Naruto could fully register the sight, Jiraiya's face broke into a delighted smile and he quickly walked toward them.
Over recent days, Naruto had grown familiar with Jiraiya's lecherous nature. Whenever he encountered a pretty woman, Jiraiya always wanted to approach and flirt.
However, today's actions were swifter. This time, he seemed even more excited than usual.
Even the Nine-Tails could sense Jiraiya's unusual eagerness and grumbled within Naruto's mind, "Kid, I told you—perverts can't be trusted."
Naruto ignored them, his heart heavy as he dragged his feet forward.
"Thank you so much, Tsunade-sama."
The crowd was chaotic yet orderly. Surrounded at the center, Tsunade had green chakra glowing on her hands as she healed people.
After their treatments, each patient received a gentle reminder from Shizune standing nearby—"Make sure to remember, don't do any heavy work for the next few days..."
Everyone's face showed gratitude.
She's really so gentle…
Thinking this, Jiraiya approached, standing not far from Tsunade and quietly waiting.
Sensing someone's approach, Tsunade didn't stop what she was doing, nor did her facial expression change in the slightest.
Shizune beside her also showed no intention of speaking up.
Naruto stood at the edge of the crowd, face blank, but inside he was extremely nervous.
"Tsunade-sama, thank you…"
Bowing repeatedly and offering their thanks, the villagers gradually dispersed.
Only then did Tsunade glance toward Jiraiya and Naruto in the distance.
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