As Fukasaku spoke, Naruto nodded repeatedly.
Besides Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the frogs were probably the friendliest toward him.
Granted, they weren't humans.
"Naruto, even though Master Jiraiya needs to take a break, your training isn't over yet."
"Tsunade *was* pretty close to Jiraiya back in the day..."
Mentioning that briefly, Fukasaku avoided dwelling on the past and continued, "Naruto, how much do you know about why Tsunade has remained here?"
"I only heard from villagers chatting that she showed up around three or four months ago..."
"Naruto, I'm giving you a mission now—to investigate information related to Tsunade."
"Me?" Naruto pointed at himself.
Fukasaku nodded. "Gathering intel means making friends and getting them to talk. This is also part of your training."
"You can use Transformation Jutsu or summon some small frogs to assist you."
Naruto thought carefully. Just chatting and befriending others didn't seem too difficult.
The people here wouldn't treat him the way they did back in Konoha.
Thinking about Konoha still made him feel somewhat sad.
"Then should I go now?"
"Yeah."
"What about Master Jiraiya while I'm gone?"
"Don't let his current state fool you—Jiraiya's still a capable ninja. During these days, have you encountered any real trouble?"
"Then I'll head out now."
After Naruto left, Fukasaku entered Jiraiya's room.
"If you're really worried, go after him. But honestly, this is something he has to go through himself. We'll have frogs tailing him. If anything goes down, we'll know right away."
"..."
"Jiraiya, are you feeling alright now?"
"I've always been fine. I was just thinking—was the future foreseen by the Great Toad Sage the original future, or one altered by our interference? Can the future change? Are my actions predetermined events, or ones that create an entirely new future...?"
[To be honest, recently I've been using Ye Guo Yuedu to read novels and track updates – flexible source switching and a variety of voice options are available. Works on both Android and iOS.]
Jiraiya looked clearly troubled as he spoke.
Fukasaku sighed. He knew once Jiraiya became obsessed with such thoughts, his faith had begun wavering.
"Just do what must be done, Jiraiya. Follow your heart with integrity."
After a few more words, Fukasaku took his leave.
That evening, Naruto returned discouraged and empty-handed, having failed to uncover any useful intel. In the process, he'd even gotten into a huge argument with Nine-Tails after it mocked Jiraiya as a complete failure.
He ran into four of Kaguya's 'seeds'—didn't beat a single one and got totally played. That's what makes someone a failure.
Nine-Tails urged him to remove the seal and leave those failures behind early. Naruto just covered his ears and blocked it all out.
After resting for a few days, Jiraiya took him along to assist with the investigation.
The two stayed in the Country of Hot Springs.
As for Tsunade, she no longer roamed about and simply remained inside the Palace in the Country of Hot Springs. Without Katsuyu's help, the Natural Energy outside the Three Sacred Lands wasn't strong enough for her to practice Sage Mode effectively. Progress had become much harder, so she couldn't allow herself to get distracted.
Back in Konoha,
"Important news: Obito Uchiha is paying attention to the Uchiha Clan and may enter and exit Konoha frequently."
"The real Hiroki Hyuga interacted with Obito Uchiha before, and he wasn't heavily disguised. The two had a very unpleasant encounter."
"If you're discovered again, Obito might do something unpredictable."
"Now isn't the time to openly break away; your identity must remain concealed."
"Therefore, it's best not to let Obito catch sight of you. Avoid going out, or find an opportunity to leave Konoha."
Receiving this intelligence, White Zetsu Hyuga pondered how to avoid detection by Obito.
Staying indoors completely was definitely not an option—it would defeat the purpose of his disguise.
To leave Konoha under a legitimate reason meant undertaking a mission, but that would require finding two teammates, which was quite troublesome.
Or perhaps go training with Hinata Hyuga? However, Hiroki had previously mentioned that Hinata Hyuga shouldn't leave the village.
He thought hard but couldn't come up with a decent plan.
Eventually, while alone with Hinata, he decided to share this information with her.
Of course, these words were intended for Kaguya to hear through Hinata.
Hinata didn't understand at all—who exactly was Obito Uchiha?
"Use [Shadow Clone] when going outside. Even if discovered, he'll only find out that Hiroki is still alive," Kaguya spoke through Hinata's mouth.
Inside the Palace in the Country of Hot Springs,
"The count seems off..." Hidenaga White Zetsu murmured to himself, looking at the scattered White Zetsus.
White Zetsus' intelligence correlates with their learning ability. Having thoroughly studied various documents and constantly mimicking the former Daimyo's mannerisms, Hidenaga White Zetsu could be considered the closest to a normal human among the White Zetsus—capable even of suppressing the instinctive sand behavior.
"Who's responsible for delivering intel today?"
"Matsushima, Isaburo, Mitsuki, and Sakumoto," one of the White Zetsus answered.
These names originally belonged to former ministers, now serving as codenames for the White Zetsus.
"Are there others we've dispatched?"
"There are six still out there."
"It still doesn't add up." Saying this, Hidenaga White Zetsu suddenly smiled. "Looks like someone has sneaked inside. Not many people have such capability..."
"Quickly search the palace grounds!"
The White Zetsus scattered, unfolding their folding fans. Hidenaga White Zetsu headed toward where Tsunade resided, while Shizune stood outside the house to prevent interruptions.
"Tsunade-sama is currently meditating."
"Oh, when she finishes, let her know her old flame has come calling again." Hidenaga White Zetsu said jokingly, showing no concern about possible exposure, instead appearing entertained.
Frowning slightly, Shizune, although disliking both his word choice and tone, gave it some thought and understood who he meant.
"You mean Jiraiya?"
"Somebody infiltrated the palace. It's likely that guy. Finally taking initiative after all this time," Hidenaga White Zetsu said lightly with amusement.
"Are we really going to need Tsunade-sama for this?" Shizune asked skeptically.
She clearly remembered that there had been people before who could transform into Tsunade's likeness and mimic her Monstrous Strength. With power on that level, they could already solve many problems.
Hidenaga White Zetsu gave a casual shrug. "Jiraiya is heading straight for her anyway. Naturally, we should give him this reunion surprise."
Inside the palace, in a narrow alleyway, Jiraiya and Naruto pressed themselves tightly against the wall.
Beside their feet lay a dead man dressed in extravagant official robes, his entire body turned white.
A heavily-armed squad rushed past them.
Once the guards passed, Jiraiya crouched down and began sealing the dead White Zetsu into a scroll while scanning his surroundings cautiously.
"There are still many more like him inside this palace, Sensei," Naruto whispered beside him.
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