168: Chapter 168 All Guests Have ArrivedOnly five days remain until the academy's opening ceremony.
Every day, new ships dock at the pier, and ninjas of all kinds of clothing and accents arrive one after another.
There has been a noticeable increase in the number of guards patrolling the streets.
The Grass Village ninja "Takemoto" has had a particularly fulfilling few days.
In the morning, he followed the delegation to those boring welcome tea parties and ceremonial activities, feeling both shy and curious.
At dusk, he broke away from the group and transformed into a firefly in nature.
He had explored the underground structure of the Chamber of Commerce headquarters building, where there were indeed several secret rooms protected by barriers, but the defenses were too tight, so he did not dare to go deep inside.
He also explored the hospital's underground area.Apart from the usual medical supplies and a few clean rooms that looked like they were for research, he didn't find the unique aura of the Rinnegan.
He also approached Naruto's private room with trepidation, and almost came face-to-face with the merchant guild's armed forces.The guards called Itachi to surround him, and he was chased away, which gave him a fright.
The Rinnegan disappeared without a trace, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
This made Obito even more anxious.
He wasn't sure if Naruto had hidden the item in that unexpected place, or.used some method to block his senses.
Each time he returned empty-handed, his hatred for Naruto deepened.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the inn where the Konoha delegation was staying was much more relaxed than when they first arrived.
The biggest change came from Kurenai Yuhi.
Since that night when her relationship with Asma became clear, most of the gloomy feeling she had been carrying dissipated overnight.
Kurenai and Asuma's relationship quickly warmed up after that night, and the two became inseparable.
That evening, the two went hand in hand to the busiest night market in the Land of Waves.
Mix in with the bustling crowd, share a string of candied apples drizzled with syrup, compete with each other at the goldfish scooping stall, and laugh at the exaggeratedly designed masks.
The genuine, slightly shy smile on her rosy face was especially captivating under the dim lights of the night market.
They didn't notice that Kai had been standing quietly in the shadows at the street corner for quite a while.
He watched as Kurenai was amused by Asuma, watching her naturally accept the takoyaki Asuma offered, and watching the light return to her eyes.
Kakashi is right.The bond between him and Kurenai is more of a trust forged in the midst of crisis, a bond born from the chaos of that accident.
However, there was no sense of excitement or joy between men and women.
The way Red looked at Asuma was something he had never seen before.
"The pain of youth."
Kai muttered to himself when someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
"Hey, someone here contemplating life all by themselves?"
Kakashi had somehow joined them, and asked teasingly, "What's wrong?Feeling a bit jealous seeing that sweet couple all lovey-dovey?"
He became a little more serious and couldn't help but add, "Speaking of which, you didn't really lose out, did you?"
"Kakashi."
"Um?"
"Let's have a match."
A familiar flame ignited in Kai's eyes, "Right here, on a foreign shore, in our own way!"
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat; he had a bad feeling.
".What method?Let me make it clear first, I'm not playing rock-paper-scissors."
"swim!"
Kai waved his hand, pointing to the distant sea, "Swim from this coast to that lighthouse on the other side, then swim back!Whoever gets back first wins!"
Kakashi looked in the direction he was pointing and estimated the distance to be at least 30 kilometers, making it 60 kilometers round trip.
It's late autumn now, and the sea at night.
"Kai, wake up."
Kakashi tried to awaken the other person's conscience, "The water's cold!You'll catch a cold!And swimming so far at night, what if you get cramps?What are you doing!Don't take your clothes off!"
"Youth is about pushing your limits!Kakashi, are you going to give up?"
Kai had already ripped off his signature green bodysuit in a few quick movements, leaving him shirtless and wearing only training shorts.He stretched his arms and kicked his legs in a few exaggerated warm-up exercises, his bones cracking and popping.
"Kakashi!Charge!Wash away all your troubles with sweat and seawater!"
After saying that, he took a running start, rushed to the beach, and leaped into the dark sea with a splash, creating a huge wave.
Kakashi stood on the shore, the sea breeze blowing his silver hair wildly, a million thoughts of Pakkun racing through his mind.
But watching Kai's figure sink into the sea, and then looking back at the faint sounds of Red and Asuma's laughter coming from the direction of the night market.
"never mind."
Kakashi sighed, then removed his outer armor and placed it on the shore, leaving only his dark-colored shorts underneath.
"Just consider it as letting this blockhead vent his frustrations."
He took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and then, with a graceful leap, plunged into the sea.
"Damn it!It's freezing!"
The seawater instantly enveloped him, and the biting cold made Kakashi shiver.
The next second, chakra began to surge within his body.
He adjusted his posture, his arms powerfully cutting through the water, his legs swinging like propellers, and his limbs working in coordination, breaking through the waves like a sailfish as he raced after the green figure ahead.
Two Jonin thus staged a unique cross-country swimming race in the late autumn twilight off the coast of the Land of Waves.
Two white waves shot off like arrows, chasing each other and startling seabirds returning to their nests, while also causing passersby on the shore to stop and exclaim in surprise.
Wow!What's that?It's so fast!
"It looks like ninjas are having a competition?"
"It's so cold.you're really going all out."
The next morning, the Mist-Hidden Fleet arrived.
It may not be the largest in scale, but it definitely has the most imposing presence.
The flagship at the head of the fleet was entirely dark blue, with a striking fog-covered emblem embroidered on its sails.
At the very front of the deck, Mei Terumi wore a magnificent light blue robe, her long hair cascading down her back, and her figure was graceful.
The sea breeze blows, her clothes flutter, like a banished immortal.
Before the ship was even fully docked, a tall and graceful figure had already stepped off the deck.He jumped off without even waiting for the boat to be placed on the side.
With her long robes fluttering and her long hair flowing, she gracefully covered dozens of meters and, under the watchful eyes of all the accompanying Mist Ninja and numerous people at the dock, she directly threw herself into Naruto's arms.
"Naruto-kun~!"
A captivatingly sweet call, accompanied by a rich and fragrant aroma, instantly enveloped Naruto.
Her soft, warm body pressed tightly against his, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, as if she wanted to meld him into her own body.
I missed you so much!
Naruto caught the slender body that was flying towards him steadily, his arm naturally supporting the alluring curves, his hand touching something warm, soft, and bouncy.
A familiar and alluring fragrance lingered in his nostrils, a soft and warm body was in his arms, and then there was the recent barrage of provocative words.
Even with his good self-control, he felt a surge of anger rising within him.
The dock was silent.
The ninjas from Kirigakure whistled, pretending to admire the blue sky and white clouds of the Land of Waves.
The chamber of commerce staff and the foreign envoys who had arrived earlier mostly looked on with envy, swallowing hard.
Samui stood half a step behind Naruto, wearing a crisp white uniform skirt and holding a folder for reception.
Seeing this, she blinked her blue eyes, then lowered her head, pretending to study the patterns on the folder, her ears quickly turning a deep red.
She spent several days "reading" those passionate and daring love letters.
Seeing the person in question appear in this way, even with her composure, she felt her cheeks burning.
"Ming," Naruto whispered in her ear, "there are so many people watching."
"I don't care!"
Mei Terumi kissed his neck, then lifted her face, her eyes glistening with tears.She brought her red lips close to his ear and whispered in a seductive voice that only the two of them could hear, "I can't wait to hear what was mentioned in the letter."
The aroma is intoxicating, carrying an intense longing.
The anger that had been stirred up over the past few days, coupled with the stimulation of having a soft woman in his arms at this moment, made him decisively abandon his plan to maintain a calm facade.
With a strong lift, he hoisted Mei Terumi up and strode quickly toward the dock."Iron Boat, the dock and the subsequent arrangements for the Kirigakure delegation are in your hands."
Samui, you will assist with the docking of the Silent Lark for today's guest reception.
"Yes, Chairman."
Tie Zhou stepped forward and began directing the fog-hidden ships to dock and the movement of people.
Samui: "."
She silently turned her gaze away, trying not to think about what the president and the Mizukage would do next.
Naruto practically flew across the ground, carrying the giggling Mei Terumi with her arms wrapped around his neck, and headed straight for the independent hot spring hotel mentioned in the letter.
He wasn't entirely unprepared.
In the past few days, as various groups of people have arrived one after another, pressure and expectations have coexisted, coupled with the inflammatory letters from Terumi Mei.He has also been taking care of himself in private.
Specially prepared medicinal meals, strange but supposedly very nourishing pills obtained from the black market.In short, he tried everything he could with a rigorous scientific spirit.
As for the results.we'll see soon enough.
The two figures quickly disappeared behind the buildings in the dock area, leaving everyone to speculate and whisper among themselves.
Tie Zhou shook his head and began his duties as the temporary dock commander.
The Mist Village's entourage was also well-trained.Under Ao's command, they quickly disembarked, formed ranks, and displayed the demeanor of a great ninja village.
Afterwards, the other guests arrived one after another, and the Sand Village's sailboat smoothly docked at the shore.
Gaara wore a simple Kazekage robe, and his short red hair remained perfectly styled in the sea breeze.
Kankuro, who disembarked behind him, looked around and said, "We're finally here.My puppet joints are practically rusting from sitting all this time."
Shizune appeared just in time, carrying Tonton, and greeted Gaara gently, then arranged accommodations for the Sunagakure members.
Temari arrived shortly after and met up with the Sunagakure team.She looked unwell, her expression tense, and her eyes seemed to hold a burning fire that could erupt at any moment.
She felt a throbbing sensation in her temples.
"Sister, how did you get over there?" Kankuro asked curiously."We think we saw something on the ship just now."
"What did you see?" Temari glared at him fiercely.
Kankuro shrank back when glared at, and said awkwardly, "N-nothing, it just seems quite lively at the docks."
"Temari," Gaara asked, "what happened?"
Temari turned her face away, saying disdainfully, "What could it be?The Mizukage of Kirigakure has arrived, quite the grand spectacle."
"The quiet accommodations have been arranged.I'll take you there."
Temari turned and led the way, Kankuro and Gaara exchanged a glance, and followed.
Temari walked in front, her back ramrod straight.
On her way there, she saw from afar that Mei Terumi, that fox spirit, leaped down from the ship and landed precisely on Naruto.
In broad daylight!With so many people at the dock!He actually just carried Mizukage of the Hidden Mist straight to the hotel?This.this shameless bastard!
It's only been a few days since things calmed down?We haven't even finished dealing with Ino, the flower shop girl, and now something even more outrageous has happened!
Temari almost couldn't resist drawing her three-star fan and unleashing a Wind Release attack on that despicable couple.
The fire hasn't completely died down yet!
Two hours later, the Cloud Village's ship also broke through the waves and arrived.Standing at the bow was the Fourth Raikage, A, who was as tall as an iron tower.Next to him was Killer Bee, who was wearing sunglasses and swaying slightly to the rhythm of the music.Behind them stood a bunch of young heads.
Ai jumped directly from the bow of the speeding ship, causing the wooden planks to groan.
He patted Samui on the shoulder as he came to greet him."Samui!Where's Naruto?Call him out!I want to have a drink with him first!"
Sam steadied himself, his face flushed."Lord Raikage, the guild master.is handling some important matters and will meet with you later."
On the second floor of a teahouse not far away, Gaara and several Sand Village Jonin had already settled in and were now with Temari near the dock.While drinking tea, they observed the forces that were arriving one after another.
Hearing Aina's thunderous shouts and Samui's reply, she curled her lips, snorted coldly, and took a big bite of the tricolor dumpling in her hand.
"Important tasks?" she muttered under her breath."What important tasks?Bah!"
As evening fell, the samurai delegation led by the three admirals of the Land of Iron also arrived at the port.
They were all dressed in fine armor, their steps were uniform and their discipline was strict, which was clearly different from the casual and undisciplined style of the ninjas.
The last to arrive was the Iwagakure delegation.
Huang Tu led several guards down the gangway.
He frowned, silently took the access card from Jingyin, and headed to his hotel.
Iwagakure's formal attendance itself carried an awkward feel to it.
The somber look on Huang Tu's face reflected not only the awkwardness of his diplomatic stance but also his concern about the current state of the black soil region.
By this point, almost all the representatives of the major powers that had received the invitations had arrived in the Land of Waves.
Silent, Lark and Samui entered the busiest phase.
Tun Tun was being carried around so much by Jingyin that she was almost dizzy from being carried so much.
As night fell, ninjas from various countries temporarily set aside their prejudices and gathered in bars and pubs, where they mingled and exchanged information in secret.
Temari ultimately couldn't resist.
After pacing around the courtyard where she was staying in Sunagakure for nearly an hour, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and walked outside.
"Sis, where are you going so late?"
Kankuro peeked out of his room.
"Let's take a walk." Temari said without turning her head.
"Um.do you need me to keep you company?"
"Need not."
Prev Next