"Naruto: Ice God"Chapter 171: Naruto
"How fascinating—ninjutsu that manipulates the dead?"
For the sake of their years of friendship, Orochimaru listened patiently as Jiraiya recounted his experiences in Amegakure, then found himself captivated by the matter concerning Hanzō.
Having already anticipated Orochimaru's interest in Hanzō, Jiraiya immediately produced a scroll. As the smoke dispersed, all the fragments of Hanzō's corpse appeared before Orochimaru.
Looking at the so-called "Demigod of the Shinobi World"—the man who had once forced them to fight with everything they had yet still couldn't be defeated—Orochimaru further solidified his inner conviction: life truly was fragile. Even someone as powerful as Hanzō couldn't escape death's threat.
"I'll leave these Hanzō remains for you to study, but it's not free—you need to transplant a new pair of eyes for my student."
Jiraiya promptly pushed Nagato forward to Orochimaru.
Even without his sight, Nagato could sense the threat emanating from the person before him—the same oppressive feeling he'd experienced years ago.
"This child is..."
Orochimaru didn't recognize Nagato.
"They're the war orphans from Amegakure all those years ago." Jiraiya helpfully explained.
Orochimaru nodded, not particularly concerned: "I see. So they actually survived?"
Yahiko, Konan, Nagato: That's rather rude of you.
"So just a pair of ordinary eyes, then?"
Orochimaru casually examined Nagato's wounds.
"What, can you transplant something extraordinary instead?"
Jiraiya was curious—Orochimaru's tone suggested he might have something else available.
Glancing back at Obito not far away, Orochimaru revealed a meaningful smile.
Obito: Why did I suddenly feel a chill run down my spine?
"Considering the value of these specimens, I can give your student my latest research breakthrough."
Orochimaru turned toward the experimental cabinet behind him, which housed countless scientific achievements.
"In any case, I'll leave this child in your hands. Hey, Obito, take your senior brothers and sister to my residence later—you know where the key is."
Somehow, Jiraiya had slipped over to the doorway.
Obito immediately realized what Jiraiya was planning and frantically tried to stop him: "Damn it, you pervert, you're going to—"
Before Obito could finish his sentence, Jiraiya had already used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the research bureau.
His speed was so impressive that even Orochimaru was taken aback.
Obito tugged violently at his hair, regretting that he hadn't seen through Jiraiya's scheme in time.
Yahiko and the others weren't surprised—they were already familiar with Jiraiya's character and could only smile with a "just as expected" expression.
"Alright! Nagato's situation is resolved, Obito's back in the village, now I can finally focus on my..."
Having left the research bureau, Jiraiya appeared in a dim alley, rubbing his hands together with anticipation written all over his face.
Traveling with Obito had been genuinely tedious—the boy was constantly on guard against his "research," leaving him with no motivation to write.
"What are you planning to do, foolish disciple?"
Hiruzen's familiar voice sounded behind Jiraiya, instantly freezing his expression.
"Ugh, old man, you..."
Hearing Hiruzen's voice, Jiraiya's face immediately fell.
He didn't need the other to speak—he already understood that his vacation was ending before it had even begun.
Hiruzen didn't waste words, simply turning around and gesturing for him to follow: "Come along."
The two made their way to the Hokage Tower, where they found Sakumo in the Hokage's private office, troubled over who would take over Minato's duties.
Minato's exceptional performance had prevented Sakumo from realizing in time that his personal ANBU were severely understaffed.
Only now, with Minato on leave at home caring for Kushina, did Sakumo suddenly realize he might have been overworking this outstanding young man.
Hiruzen had also noticed this issue. He'd originally intended to recommend his eldest son, Sarutobi Jinsuke, but Jiraiya's sudden arrival made him realize there was an even more suitable candidate.
Minato is your student. Now that no one can shoulder Minato's burden, it's only natural for you, his teacher, to step up, right?
"Well, well, so it was you giving Obito that sense of being watched..."
Jiraiya's quiet muttering didn't affect Hiruzen's mood. While he could still wield his staff, he was determined to properly discipline his wayward disciple.
If the other refused, this former Hokage still knew a thing or two about staff techniques.
"I understand—work in Minato's place until Kushina gives birth, right?" Seeing the undisguised threat in his teacher's eyes and Sakumo's hopeful expression, Jiraiya sighed and reluctantly agreed.
"This is your voluntary choice—I'm not forcing you at all." Seeing Jiraiya agree, Hiruzen smiled and patted his shoulder while abandoning his plan to summon Enma.
Looking at Hiruzen's brilliant, chrysanthemum-like smile, Jiraiya nodded repeatedly: "Right, right, I'm doing this voluntarily. So, Fourth Hokage, what do you need me to do now?"
Seeing Jiraiya enter work mode so quickly, Sakumo was deeply moved and immediately pulled out a stack of documents nearly half Jiraiya's height from under his desk, placing them on top.
Jiraiya: Is it too late to regret this now?
Meanwhile, since the Akatsuki organization had been forced to relocate and go into hiding somewhere unknown, the casino was experiencing a wave of celebration.
The Shinobi Demigod easily defeating the fledgling Akatsuki—it all seemed perfectly reasonable.
But Tsunade, looking at the substantial pile of cash before her, felt something was amiss.
How could someone who always loses at gambling actually win money? Although she'd placed her bet out of respect for Hanzō's strength, still...
Tsunade felt an ominous premonition in her heart, showing no joy despite her winnings.
"It's time to return to the village."
Packing up the cash before her, Tsunade decided that after one final gamble, she would set off for home.
Days passed one by one.
Minato, taking advantage of his rare vacation, accompanied Kushina all around Konoha.
In contrast, Jiraiya began his grueling ANBU life of working from dawn to dusk.
Under this high-pressure lifestyle, the final chapter of Yuki-onna was abandoned, replaced by The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, filled with his personal insights.
Minato praised it highly and even told Jiraiya to his face that he wanted to name his son after the story's protagonist.
Jiraiya looked flattered—after all, "Naruto" was just a name he'd casually thought up while eating ramen.
Isn't this a bit too random? And doesn't this make me the one who named the child...
"Kushina agrees too, right?"
Seeing Jiraiya hesitate, Minato called over Kushina, whose smiling nod made Jiraiya feel somewhat guilty.
Seriously, if I'd known, I would have come up with a better name.
"No, I think the reason Kushina agreed is because if Minato named the child himself, the kid's name would probably end up being something like 'Uzumaki Flash'..."
Feng Bai, stationed outside the house to protect Kushina's safety, had been listening to their entire conversation and offered his own assessment.
After all, this was Minato—the man who could name the Rasengan something like "Spinning Sphere Freezing Point Confection Balabala"!
He's the kind of man whose combo attack names are so long that you can't even finish saying the first technique's name before the sequence ends!
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