Chapter 230. Thank You for Your Contribution
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"I'm back."
Yuto returned with Jiraiya and the others. As for Obito—who had been making a fuss about not wanting to stay with his father—
Who cares?
Just a little brat, after all!
Kana came out, surprised to see Jiraiya and the others, but still smiled politely and greeted them.
Meanwhile, Yahiko—who was already home—immediately teared up when he saw Jiraiya. He burst into laughter because, before meeting Brother Yuto, Jiraiya-sensei had taken care of them.
"Jiraiya-sensei~"
"Yahiko!" Jiraiya patted Yahiko's shoulder and made a strange face. "Oh~" he said, looking at him with a pleased expression. "You've grown up!" Then he turned toward Konan. "Konan's grown up too?"
But—
"Where's Nagato?"
"Nagato's busy," Yahiko replied with a smile. "He'll be back later."
After that—
Yahiko turned toward Team Kakashi.
"You're all welcome."
As soon as he said that—
The three of them exchanged glances.
"Kakashi." Kakashi nodded and introduced himself.
Next—
"Nohara Rin."
"I! Uchiha—"
Obito raised a thumb toward himself, about to give the classic Uchiha-style proud introduction when—
"Uchiha Obito! The famous hero of Konoha, known in the ninja world as Konoha's Ass-aulter." Yahiko smiled and said directly, "I've long heard of your name."
Then, he bowed slightly with a serious expression. "On behalf of the Land of Rain, I thank you for your contribution!"
"???"
What contribution?
Obito, who had been upset at the title, suddenly froze when he saw Yahiko bow so formally to him.
But—
What contribution?!
Even Hyuga Hanabi, who was standing nearby, was curious. [Why is he being called "Ass-aulter" again?]
However—
Yahiko didn't explain further. He simply started welcoming everyone inside. It was a rare opportunity to see Jiraiya-sensei again—he surely had a lot to talk about.
At that moment—
The entire hall became lively.
"It's really amazing." Hyuga Hanabi quietly watched the scene, murmuring to herself with emotion.
After all, the mysterious masked man, the leader of the Akatsuki, and Jiraiya-sama… If the Sixth and Seventh Hokage saw this scene, they would surely be thrilled.
[Now this finally feels right.]
Infinite Tsukuyomi!
At this moment—
She was beginning to feel somewhat certain in her heart…
Although this world was flawed, at least there was less conflict and more peace and love… just like in the Infinite Tsukuyomi's illusion world.
And then—
"I'm back."
Accompanied by the sound of the door opening, a calm voice came from the entrance.
Yahiko smiled again. "Nagato is back."
As soon as he finished speaking—
Nagato's figure indeed appeared at the door. When he saw so many people inside, he was a bit surprised.
"Jiraiya-sensei~"
After that, his gaze swept over Jiraiya… and finally landed on a certain Uchiha.
His usually calm face suddenly broke into a slight smile. He nodded toward Obito. "Thank you for your contribution to the Land of Rain."
After saying that—
Obito's eyelid twitched as he looked at the red-haired guy.
So—
What exactly are they thanking him for?!
…
"So, what exactly are they thanking me for?" Obito lay back with his hands behind his head, grumbling as he listened to the evening rain. "Seriously, such a bunch of weirdos!"
You have to understand—
He.
Uchiha Obito!
The man who will become Hokage in the future!
This was his first time in the Land of Rain.
"Why aren't you staying inside?" Nohara Rin asked curiously, looking at Obito. "Boss Yuto already invited us. Even Jiraiya-sama is inside."
It's not a good idea to leave suddenly like this!
"That bastard…" Obito angrily waved his fist. "There's no way I'm staying with him! Seriously, how unlucky can I be to run into him even on a mission?"
He even got hit by a few kunai!
"Actually… Boss Yuto is pretty nice," Rin said with an awkward smile. But she understood Obito's feelings. After all, those ads… sometimes you see them even during missions…
"So where are we going now?"
She turned to look at Kakashi, who had been standing there with a calm expression.
"Anywhere's fine." Kakashi glanced at Rin, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's head to the internet cafe and report the mission to sensei."
As soon as he said that—
Obito's eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded. "Internet cafe… Heh, I almost forgot about that!"
…
"What are you doing up here instead of going to sleep?" Jiraiya curiously looked at Yuto on the rooftop. Then, he grinned and slung an arm around Yuto's shoulder. "Not bad! A man really does turn bad when he gets rich. You've even got a member of the Uzumaki clan hidden away here?"
He chuckled, then raised an eyebrow. "So, what's your relationship with that Hyuga girl?"
Jiraiya looked at Yuto's typically handsome Uchiha face and sighed with a tinge of nostalgia, shaking his head.
"Looking at you… I feel like I'm seeing my younger self!"
"…"
Shameless.
Your younger self… Weren't you inviting Orochimaru to peep with you back then?
Yuto rolled his eyes and said impatiently, "I just saved her life, that's all."
As for Kana…
Just a very, very ordinary relationship.
"By the way, when are you planning to head back?"
"I'll stay here for a few more days." Jiraiya thought for a moment, then his mouth twitched slightly as he remembered the movie he had watched earlier on the computer. "I'm not quite sure how to face the old man yet."
He had seen shameless people, but still—he had never seen anyone so shameless!
That handsome guy in the movie—who was that?
Jiraiya then turned to look at Yuto. "What about you? Do you want to head back together?"
"Me, huh…" Yuto thought for a moment.
Things in the Land of Wind were already settled. He wasn't sure when Sunagakure would get their internet connected, but Kumogakure had contacted him a few days ago through the network—and the Land of Lightning wanted to set up internet access too.
That's right—
Kumogakure is here!
An unexpected but welcome surprise~
As for the Caged Bird Mark… Now that he had Hyuga Hanabi around, he had asked Kana to secretly study it while giving her a checkup. So far, comparing it with Suzune's data, there hadn't been any new discoveries.
"That's fine. Since there's nothing else going on, it's about time to head back."
He had been away for a few months now.
He should make it back just in time for the end-of-year movie showdown!
Yuto sighed to himself. [I'll have to thank Kana properly for the past few days.]
And might as well have Kana give him a full checkup while she's at it.
He stretched lazily and was about to head back to his room when—
"Wait a minute!"
"???" Yuto stopped, turning around with a puzzled look.
He saw Jiraiya's usual playful expression fade, replaced by a rare look of emotion as he gazed at the moon.
Yuto had a pretty good idea of what was coming. If Jiraiya was being this serious—
He was probably about to thank him for Nagato and the others.
Yuto casually waved his hand. "No need to thank me for Nagato and the others."
As soon as he said that—
Before Jiraiya could even open his mouth, Yuto had already turned around and walked off toward his room.
Leaving behind—
A completely confused Jiraiya.
"I haven't said it yet!"
Thank him?
Thank him for what?
That's not what he was going to say!
He just wanted to ask…
"Am I handsome?"
More handsome than Sarutobi Hiruzen, right?
Could he star in a movie?
And forget the whole "four men, one woman" thing. As the Toad Sage, it should definitely be four women, one man, right?
…
A few days later.
After several days of testing and leaving behind some cells and tissue samples, Yuto dragged his exhausted body along and headed back to Konoha with Jiraiya and the others.
It was hard to describe how he felt.
The journey back was slow—
But under the protection of one of the Legendary Sannin and two Konoha heroes, they soon arrived at Konoha.
At that moment—
Evening.
A gentle breeze swept by as the sun set.
The autumn twilight cast a golden glow, filling the air with a warm, lazy feeling.
Hyuga Hanabi silently stood in front of Konoha's familiar gates, her heart filled with a mix of anticipation and nostalgia.
[We're finally back in Konoha?]
Hopefully—
Nothing weird would happen this time.
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