Chapter 244. The Change
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At the same time.
Over in Konoha.
No one knew that Danzo, who had already run away, was now leading tens of thousands of followers to start a business in the Land of Earth. Not only that, but he had even held a last-minute MLM seminar, which received unanimous praise from the White Zetsus.
At this time, it had been some time since Danzo escaped.
Although things seemed to have calmed down, the village still hadn't given up on finding Danzo and bringing him back.
Not to mention that he owed a huge debt and the daimyo knew about it—the fact that the Third Hokage, at his old age, had to use his shadow clone to deliver food, and his second son had to go to the city to make money to pay off his debts—is enough to make people sigh.
So, anyway…
Danzo must be found.
"The food delivery industry still has many problems." Yuto looked at the data in his hand and shook his head helplessly. "Right now, it only covers internet cafes and the major clans."
It couldn't be helped.
Most ordinary people didn't even own a computer. 100,000 ryo was no small sum for them, not to mention the internet fee they had to pay every month. As a result, most people still preferred going to internet cafes to surf the internet, where they could play games with their friends in a lively atmosphere.
Therefore, unless someone was staying at the internet cafe for a long time, they were unlikely to order takeout.
"The performance of the gaming industry has also declined a lot." Suzune picked up a report from the side. "Although Sunagakure and Kumogakure have joined in, overall performance is still declining during this period."
"I see~" Yuto nodded thoughtfully.
He had been busy lately dealing with the Mahjong God Cup, Caged Bird Mark, movies, and taking over Root Cinema, so it was understandable that the gaming business had taken a hit.
After a moment of contemplation, just as he was about to suggest to Suzune that they release a new version soon—
Ding Dong! Ding Dong!
The doorbell rang. Probably the delivery had arrived.
Yuto got up and opened the door, and at that moment—
"Your order has been delivered. Please give me a five-star rating."
"…."
Both of them stared silently at the Third Hokage standing at the door.
Why was he delivering it?!
However—
Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed completely unfazed, as if he had already gotten used to this. He waved at Yuto and Suzune. "Since you're living together, you should at least try to cook for yourselves! Alright then—I'll be going now."
After saying that—
Suzune's cheeks flushed slightly. Watching the Third Hokage's retreating figure until he disappeared, she sighed with emotion: "Third Hokage-sama really has it rough…"
He was old.
He had met the wrong person. Someone owed money and ran away, but as a guarantor, he had to take on the responsibility of repaying the debt.
You must know that the Third Hokage was not only the Third Hokage of Konoha; he was also the Clan Leader of the Sarutobi Clan. Yet, instead of using his clan's influence or the village's resources, he had chosen to take on the responsibility alone and earn the money himself.
What a twist of fate!
"Indeed." Yuto nodded in agreement. "It's not easy."
He heard that the Third Hokage was even using shadow clones to boost delivery volume.
At the end of the year, it could be estimated that only Might Duy, who delivers food at a legendary speed, could match his performance.
He was practically putting his life on the line.
Suddenly—
Just as Yuto was about to head inside with the delivery, his eyes lit up. He thought of the game, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"How about… we help him?"
"???"
"In a few days, let's get the Third Hokage to shoot a commercial for us. We'll pay him."
After saying that—
Yuto's eyes curved into a mischievous smile, sensing the potential in this idea.
After all—
Who was the Third Hokage?
A living legend!
A Hero of the Ninja World!
Even though his reputation had taken a hit due to the milk tea shop, the BBQ, and the whole embezzlement scandal—and this incident—he was still the Third Hokage. Even the creditors gave him face by not pressing him too hard—that said a lot.
"It just so happens that now the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind are both connected to the internet. This would be a perfect time to advertise."
After saying that—
Suzune was silent for a moment, then nodded. This was a good idea; at least it seemed to be a win-win for both parties.
"I'll talk to Third Hokage-sama about it later."
"No rush—let's eat first."
They had been so busy lately that they were mostly relying on takeout.
As for Hyuga Hanabi…
Yuto wasn't sure if she had noticed something. She had been acting busy lately, and sometimes she'd give him strange looks, like she wanted to say something but stopped herself.
Could it be…
She had already figured out that this wasn't an illusion?
Yuto shook his head, pushed the thought aside, and opened the takeout container. His stomach was growling—he was ready to eat.
But then—
Yuto suddenly froze. The system interface appeared before his eyes—
[Finally upgraded?!]
…
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, some time had passed.
"Iwa ninja Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, secretly infiltrated the Land of Rain during the war with ill intent and was captured. During his sentence, he was involved in fighting, laziness, and attempted escapes. However, after being reprimanded, he showed sincere remorse, actively corrected his behavior, and worked diligently. As a result, his sentence has been reduced, and he is now released."
"…"
I was just passing by—what ill intent?!
Slander!
After having just walked out of the supposedly inescapable prison, Roshi was still in a daze, as if he hadn't quite processed what had happened.
"They actually let me go?"
You have to understand—he was the Four-Tails Jinchuriki—a terrifying living weapon feared across the ninja world. A single Tailed Beast Ball from him could wipe out an entire village.
And yet… they actually let him go?!
But then he thought of that red-haired monster… and it all made sense.
To others, the Four-Tails inside him might be a terrifying creature. But to that monster… it was probably nothing more than a little monkey.
Roshi sighed in frustration and raised his head to look at the scene before him.
He fell silent.
"Things have really changed…"
In front of him—
It was completely different from when he had first arrived.
Smooth streets. Bustling crowds.
Despite the heavy rain, there were no puddles, as if all the water had been funneled underground.
At this moment—
It felt like he had stepped into another world.
When he first arrived in the Land of Rain… it wasn't so lively here!
Thinking back to life in prison… After that, although they organized several jailbreaks, as expected, all of them failed. Later, it seemed that they received some kind of mission in the prison, asking them to make Nine-Tails plush toys. Roshi had no idea what that was about, but after failing so many times, he had already given up.
So, he just went along with it—just continued to make plushies as practice. But he didn't expect… they would actually let him out.
When he was released—
They even gave him some money, saying it was his "wages."
That was just… too weird.
Of course—
He didn't think too much about it. Since he was already out, they couldn't possibly throw him back in, right?
What would even be the point?
But—
"Where should I go now?" Roshi hesitated. "Back to Iwagakure?"
After thinking about it, he decided against it.
He had left in the first place because he couldn't get along with the Third Tsuchikage. Why go back and put himself in that position again?
He sighed and decided to just wander around for now.
But then—
"New ninja tools?" Roshi glanced at the metal boxes rolling down the street in surprise and frowned. Then he noticed the strange rectangular devices that many pedestrians were holding and talking into, and his frown deepened.
How long… had he been locked up?
Why did this world suddenly feel so… unfamiliar?
How had things changed so much?!
However—
As he walked down the street, he suddenly stopped as if he had heard something. Turning his head in confusion, he scanned his surroundings.
Finally—
He traced the sound to a strange square-shaped box hanging outside a shop. Inside the box… the image was moving?!
"The Third Hokage?" Roshi froze, staring at the figure on the screen wearing strange armor inside the box.
That's definitely the Third Hokage!
After all, they were ninjas of the same generation, and as a Jinchuriki, he had met the Third Hokage before. How could he possibly mistake him?
But…
What was the Third Hokage doing in there?!
Why was he wearing that?
Before he could figure it out—
Suddenly—
The image on the screen shifted. The man wearing the strange armor on the screen and suspected to be the Third Hokage picked up a large sword with a happy look on his face.
"Hello everyone, I'm Sarutobi Hiruzen. If you're a brother, come and fight me! I'll be waiting for you in [Ninja World Online]!"
"To be honest, I initially refused to shoot this commercial for [Ninja World Online], but then I tried the game. Wow! The drop rate is insane, and it also comes with VIP status. All the gear is super shiny—shiny! And the best part? I can auto-battle while offline when I'm busy! Every day I lead Konoha ninjas to attack the One-Tail in Sunagakure!"
The screen flashed.
The next scene showed an even stranger sight—
"Choose Uchiha at the start…"
At that moment, Roshi… fell silent.
That was definitely the Third Hokage!
Am I… under an illusion?!
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