Chapter 275. The Times Have Changed Too Much!
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With the help of navigation, Roshi and his companion quickly reached their destination.
At this moment, the entrance of the hotel was already packed with cars. Fortunately, they had arrived just in time and managed to find a parking space without much trouble.
Roshi gave Biwa Juzo, who was still engrossed in his phone, a slap on the shoulder and said grumpily, "Juzo! Stop staring at your phone all day—we've arrived!"
"I'm gathering intelligence!"
"You can still gather intelligence when we get back! Since we're here, we should enjoy ourselves a little!" Roshi shook his head helplessly. "Konoha has changed a lot. I believe you'll be surprised. First, we'll take a bath, then I'll show you around."
"I'm honestly not interested in the Chunin Exams." Upon hearing Roshi's words, Biwa Juzo finally put away his phone. "Right now… what I need most is to collect all the information!"
"There's no way to gather it all, so you might as well go out and look around first." Roshi chuckled. "I'm telling you, getting out and walking around helps you get familiar with things. Back then, I got to know the place quickly just by job hunting everywhere."
Just then, something caught his eye. He suddenly stopped in front of a standing advertisement board at the hotel entrance and froze. "Huh? Root Studio is releasing a new movie? [Konoha Partners]? It looks like it's not the crappy movie that made me want to vomit last time!"
"Root Studio?" Biwa Juzo, hearing Roshi's surprise, looked up curiously. He didn't know what Root Studio was, but when he saw the colorful figures on the poster… he fell silent, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Shimura… Danzo? The Third Hokage?"
"Yeah, Root Studio was founded by them. Their first film, [Meteor Konoha], was a massive hit. But then [Konoha Fortress] flopped disastrously, and they went quiet for a while." Roshi nodded, stroking his chin. "I didn't expect them to rebuild so soon. It looks like this movie will be released within the year. That's right, they went bankrupt and liquidated directly. After the bankruptcy, the Third Hokage reportedly took on all the debts. I guess Director Danzo is making a comeback in the film industry now!"
With that—
"…"
Biwa Juzo stared at Roshi in complete disbelief, as if he had misheard. "Wait, what did you just say? Bankruptcy?"
"Yeah! They went bankrupt!"
"But… wasn't he Konoha's Billion?"
"His bounty dropped later. And one billion wasn't enough—he owed nearly four billion. When he couldn't pay it back, he ran away. That news dominated the headlines for a whole month back then." Seeing Juzo fall silent again, Roshi frowned in confusion. "What's wrong? Are you feeling carsick after the long ride?"
"…"
No, just… leave me alone!
That kind of thing… could even drop in value?
And—
That's the Darkness of the Ninja!
And you're telling me… the Darkness of the Ninja ran away because of crippling debt?!
Biwa Juzo felt utterly lost again and suddenly had the urge to… retreat back into his room and continue collecting intelligence!
The Ninja World had changed too much… He couldn't accept it!
But—
How could Roshi let him hide away playing games all day? He immediately dragged him into the hotel and said, "We have a reservation."
"Welcome! Please provide your reservation code~"
A short while later—
After completing check-in and receiving their room keys, Roshi followed the staff upstairs. As soon as they settled in, he saw Biwa Juzo taking out his phone again—so he yanked him up.
"I am fine here, don't worry about me."
"Nonsense! I spent a lot of money on tickets and this hotel. Since we're here, we should enjoy it. And you—lying in bed is your plan?!"
Ignoring Juzo's protests, Roshi dragged him outside. As they stepped out, they saw the streets packed with vehicles. "Look! In just a short while, so many people have arrived."
"Is this really just a Chunin Exam?" Biwa Juzo was slightly stunned, frowning. "Letting so many people in— isn't Konoha worried about security risks?"
"Relax. The Mahjong God Cup had even more people, but there weren't all these cars." Roshi patted his shoulder. "Trust me, when Kumogakure hosts the Ninja Grand Prix, there'll be even more people."
Then, he muttered to himself, "I heard Iwagakure is even sending representatives this time… I hope those stubborn old men will finally get it. Sigh~"
With that, Roshi tugged at Biwa Juzo again. "Let's go. First, we'll relax at the Konoha bathhouse, and then… where do you want to go? How about checking out the Valley of the End? It's a famous tourist spot now!"
"…What's so great about that place?" Juzo looked at Roshi in disbelief. "Haven't you seen it before?"
"True, it was already there back in the day, so it's nothing new to me." Roshi nodded thoughtfully. "In that case… after our bath, let's just take a nice stroll through the streets. Trust me, walking around will help you get familiar with things. Konoha is going to be extremely lively these days. Later, we'll grab a drink at Yuto BBQ."
Thinking back—
It had been quite a while since he started his business.
It was quite hard at that time. After all, he was all alone, putting every last bit of his savings into it. He didn't dare relax even for a moment.
As it grew bigger and bigger… he became even busier. It was only now, with Biwa Juzo coming out, that he finally decided to take a break.
"It's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed!"
Just as he finished speaking—
He noticed that Juzo had suddenly stopped walking. Roshi turned his head in confusion. "Juzo…"
Just as he was about to call him—
He suddenly fell silent, his brows furrowing as he followed Juzo's unmoving gaze forward.
Ahead, a group of people stepped out of a vehicle.
The moment they got out of the car, the special Kirigakure emblem on the license plate instantly told Roshi… they were representatives from Kirigakure.
And among them—
A man with strikingly bright orange hair and a big belly…
Roshi immediately understood why Biwa Juzo had stopped. He sighed and patted Juzo's shoulder. "Let's go. Don't let them notice you."
But this time—
Biwa Juzo ignored him, his sharp gaze locked onto the man ahead.
His once long hair was now trimmed short and slicked back neatly. He wore a perfectly tailored suit, and his feet were clad in polished brown leather shoes.
"Suikazan Fuguki?"
He… is here too?!
"Yeah, it's indeed him! Don't think about anything else." Roshi shook his head and sighed. "He's the Minister of Finance for Kirigakure now. He's probably here for business talks in Konoha. Don't worry about it."
"…"
Hearing that, Biwa Juzo snapped back to reality. His body tensed slightly, and his expression turned complicated… He felt an urge to retreat back to his room and collect intelligence!
But in the end—
He just let out a long sigh and followed Roshi forward, looking dejected.
So—
So he is an unemployed vagrant who just got out of prison, while his former "partner"... has become a powerful person?
…
At the same time.
"Make sure to keep these documents safe. Don't lose them. Go handle the hotel check-in immediately."
After giving out instructions, Suikazan Fuguki suddenly—
He seemed to sense something. His brows furrowed as he turned in a particular direction. Until… his gaze landed on two distant, retreating figures. His frown deepened. With a hint of doubt in his voice, he muttered, "Did I… sense that wrong?"
Just now—
Why did that feel so familiar?
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