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[NTU] [ARC-21] Chapter : 287
🕑 Added 2025-04-03 20:00:37 +0000 UTC"Jiraiya, have you ever considered staying in Konoha?"
In the Hokage’s office, Toshiro glanced at the white-haired man standing before him. With a subtle nod, he gestured to the side, his intent clear.
In the direction he indicated, Tsunade, Shizune, and Hana were engaged in a lively conversation, completely unaware of his silent prompt.
Jiraiya followed his gaze and hesitated. “Well… I’ll have to think about it.”
His expression grew conflicted.
Should he continue traveling the world in search of the prophesied Child of Destiny, as foretold by the Great Toad Sage? Or should he stay in the village, where the woman he had loved for so long remained?
A battle waged within him.
Toshiro clicked his tongue. “No wonder you’ll be single for life.”
He had always liked the idea of Jiraiya and Tsunade as a couple. If it were up to him, he’d wholeheartedly support their union.
But with Jiraiya’s indecisiveness, he was clearly digging his own grave when it came to romance.
“For now, the village is stable, but delivering messages is proving troublesome. Most villages are easy to handle, but I need you to personally visit Iwa and Kumo. Those two will be more challenging.”
Though he wasn’t the type to rule with an iron fist, this was a matter concerning the peace of the entire ninja world—one that warranted an expanded council meeting.
Toshiro gathered all of Konoha’s key figures to discuss his proposed peace plan.
After three days of deliberation, the response remained overwhelmingly positive.
The people held great expectations for the Hokage’s vision, eager to see if it could truly bring lasting change.
However, a major obstacle remained—bringing this plan to fruition required convening a Five Kage Summit.
Negotiating with the Sand and Mist Ninja would be relatively straightforward, but reaching out to the Cloud and Rock Ninja posed a greater challenge. If a regular messenger were sent, the risk of complications—perhaps even outright hostility—was too great.
For such a delicate mission, it would be best to send a seasoned veteran like Jiraiya.
“That… sounds doable.”
Jiraiya hesitated only briefly before accepting the mission.
Seeing his agreement, Toshiro wasted no time. He picked up two scrolls from his desk and handed them over.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the village…
Naruto had just returned home when he was met with an unexpected sight—a little girl standing before him, alongside a woman who bore a striking resemblance to his mother.
His blue eyes widened in shock, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.
“Naruto, this is your sister, Karin. Be nice to her from now on.”
The journey to Kusagakure took only a day, but it took Kushina three days to return to the village with Haruka and her daughter.
"Little sister?"
Naruto stared at the glasses-wearing girl, then turned to his mother, his mind filled with confusion.
He couldn't quite understand why everyone else bore the Uzumaki name while he, without the signature red hair, did not.
Still, Naruto was naturally cheerful. After only a brief moment of hesitation, he cast his doubts aside and grinned at the newcomer.
"Hi! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! You can stick with me from now on. If anyone gives you trouble, just say my name!"
His bright, sunny smile was meant to reassure the timid girl who had just arrived in an unfamiliar place.
Karin hesitated, glancing at her mother before finally mustering the courage to speak.
"I... my name is Uzumaki Karin!" She took a deep breath before adding, "Please take care of me from now on!"
Back in the Land of Grass, Haruka and Karin had concealed their Uzumaki heritage to avoid drawing unwanted attention.
But now, with Kushina’s encouragement, they no longer needed to hide.
Bang!
"Ah! That hurts!"
"Mom! Why did you hit me?"
Naruto winced as Kushina’s fist landed on his head, his eyes welling up with tears from the pain.
"What do you mean by ‘just say my name’? Since when did you become such a big shot?"
Kushina, having attended the ninja academy herself, knew all too well what that kind of talk implied.
She couldn't stand the thought of her son acting that way. But with Karin and Haruka present, she held back her frustration and sighed.
"And as for Aunt Haruka—she’s my sister, which means you should treat her like your own mother. Got it?"
A flicker of sadness crossed Kushina’s face as she thought about Haruka’s frail condition.
She wasn’t a medical expert, but even she could sense the weakness in Haruka’s breath.
The thought unsettled her, and she suddenly felt restless.
Maybe Tsunade knows a way to help her recover…
Shaking off her worries, Kushina turned to Naruto.
"Naruto, take Karin and show her around the village. I need to head to the Hokage Building."
She flashed a reassuring smile at Karin, who was still timidly hiding behind Haruka, then hurried off.
More than anything, she needed to find Tsunade and see if there was a way to help Haruka regain her strength.
There was another important reason for her visit—to express her deep gratitude to the Hokage.
She understood that Toshiro had informed her about Haruka and her son not just out of kindness but also because of Naruto—Konoha’s Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
The Hokage was looking to gain their allegiance.
But she didn’t mind. She welcomed it.
The moment she saw the deep scars on Haruka’s body, it felt as though a knife had pierced her own heart.
At the same time, a sense of resentment stirred within her toward the Third Hokage—for all the things he had failed to do.
She was no longer the naïve girl who once devoted all her attention to her lover.
Seven or eight years of raising Naruto alone had stripped away her youthful innocence, leaving behind a woman who had learned the harsh realities of life.
She knew that if the Sandaime had truly wanted to, he could have searched for the surviving members of Uzushiogakure. Yet, he had never made the effort.
Now, as she prepared to meet the Hokage, she carried another request in her heart.
She hoped that Toshiro would extend his support—not just to Haruka but to all the scattered and suffering members of the Uzumaki clan.
Meanwhile, the village leaders continued to deliberate over some of the terms of Toshiro’s proposal.
But Toshiro himself had shifted his focus elsewhere.
Deep within a secluded valley, surrounded by towering trees and sheltered by mountains, he gazed down at a modest thatched hut. His attention then turned to the thin young man standing beside him.
“It’s confirmed—Roshi is living in seclusion here.”
Itachi, holding a kunai marked with special seals, spoke with his usual calm demeanor as he looked toward the Hokage.
“Good.” Toshiro nodded before addressing the young prodigy. “You don’t need to handle the rest.”
With that, he narrowed his eyes, expanding his sensory field to scan the ten-kilometer radius around them.
As expected.
With minimal effort, he detected a familiar chakra signature lurking underground, not far from the hut.
Without hesitation, the group moved swiftly toward the hut. A crackling blue light flickered in Toshiro’s palm, forming a razor-sharp blade that extended downward, piercing straight through the earth—ten meters deep.
A rumbling disturbance followed.
From beneath the ground, a surge of chakra erupted, forcing a stone pillar to rise from the soil.
“How… how did you find me?”
A voice echoed from within, filled with disbelief.
At the center of the stone pillar, a pale-skinned White Zetsu glanced down at the gaping wound in his chest before shifting his gaze to Toshiro, whose expression remained cold and indifferent.
With great difficulty, he voiced the question lingering in his mind. But before he could hear an answer, his body convulsed twice—then went still.
"Who’s there?"
Naturally, Toshiro’s bold actions did not escape the notice of the hut’s occupant.
In fact, he had sensed something unusual the moment Toshiro arrived.
At first, he assumed it was an Anbu operative from Iwagakure and refrained from acting hastily.
But after witnessing Toshiro’s movements, he felt both relieved and perplexed.
Especially after what he had just seen, his mind swirled with questions.
Yet, one thing was certain.
He had been under surveillance.
“What is that… white thing?”
Roshi eyed the lifeless White Zetsu, his initial surprise quickly fading as he focused on Toshiro. At the same time, his hand discreetly reached for the ninja pouch strapped behind him.
"Always on guard, I see."
Toshiro turned to face him, his gaze locking onto his target.
“You—”
Before Roshi could finish his sentence, a flash of crimson light streaked across his vision.
His eyelids grew unbearably heavy.
However, just before losing consciousness, Roshi managed to catch a glimpse of his attacker’s identity—an Uchiha.
But by then, it was already too late.
Gurgle!
As Roshi collapsed, waves of crimson chakra surged from his body, rippling outward like liquid fire.
"Stay put."
With a calm yet authoritative voice, Toshiro paid no heed to the unstable chakra fluctuations. In just a few strides, he was standing over Roshi.
Almost instantly, the chaotic energy—once bubbling and erratic—began to subside, retreating into Roshi’s body as if drawn back by an unseen force.
Time slipped by, and the sun neared the horizon.
When Roshi finally stirred, he found himself lying on the ground, disoriented.
"...What happened to me?"
Blinking against the dimming light, he groggily rolled over and forced himself upright. His hand instinctively reached for the kunai strapped to his body as he scanned his surroundings.
"Who did this?"
His sharp eyes swept across the terrain, finally settling on the disturbed earth near his hut.
The traces left behind bore clear signs of Doton techniques.
But there was no one else around. No lingering presence.
No sign of an enemy.
Roshi frowned. Was it Iwagakure’s ANBU? Did they come for me?
Had he somehow been ambushed—only for the Four-Tails within him to retaliate and drive them away?
Troubled by the gaps in his memory, he attempted to communicate with the Four-Tails, but there was no response.
After several failed attempts, he took a final, wary glance at his surroundings before slipping into deep thought.
