Chapter 46 Vaccination (Part 1)

In the police detention room, the Third Hokage glared at Jiraiya through the railing, and his anger was palpable.

"Jiraiya, what were you thinking? How can you possibly redeem yourself in Konoha now!?"

Panicking, Jiraiya stammered, "How was I supposed to know I'd run into Natsuki Uchiha this time? No one out there can catch me."

The Sandaime slammed his hand on the railing with a muffled sound. "I don't care what you do outside. Just drop these bad habits here in Konoha."

Jiraiya mumbled, "Don't you use Telescope Technique to peek..."

"Ahem!" The Third Hokage coughed twice, interrupting Jiraiya.

Glancing back, he noticed ANBU standing guard from a distance.

The Sandaime picked up his pipe, feigning seriousness. "Regardless, you stay here for fifteen days and wait until the storm blows over."

"If you escape early, it will be very troublesome, so consider it a small price to pay."

Having heard of Natsuki's ultimatum before, Jiraiya knew he was in for a brief incarceration.

"Old man, get me some wine..."

"I knew..." The Third Hokage responded as he walked out.

...

After the Third Hokage departed, Natsuki headed to the guard team, bypassing Jiraiya and making his way to see Hizashi.

When Fugaku held the position of captain, he would occasionally patrol the area.

However, on a regular basis, he would handle various matters within the garrison.

Upon Natsuki's arrival, Hyuga Yuto had just finished his report and exited.

Observing this, Natsuki gave Yuto's shoulder a reassuring pat. "The young man is good."

Hinata Yuto scratched his head in embarrassment. "Natsuki-sama, I'll take my leave."

Natsuki rolled his eyes. "Wait a moment."

He leaned in and whispered something to him.

Yuto nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Natsuki-sama, leave it to me."

Natsuki waved his hand, and without bothering to knock, entered the room.

Inside, Hizashi was deeply engrossed in studying a report document.

"Hizashi, quite decent."

Hizashi lifted his head, spotting Natsuki, and smiled.

When they first met, Natsuki addressed Hizashi as "Hizashi-sama" in a tone that was both disrespectful and irreverent.

However, as they grew familiar with each other, Natsuki's unruly nature emerged, and he became open with everyone.

Fortunately, Hizashi didn't mind. The relationship between the Hyuga and Uchiha clans was currently in a harmonious phase, resembling a honeymoon period.

Reflecting on the recent incident with Kumogakure, it was thanks to Natsuki's intervention.

Without him, Hiashi might have escalated the situation to a dangerous extent, putting the Hyuga family in jeopardy, and possibly even risking his brother's life or his own.

"You really stole the spotlight today."

Natsuki waved his hand. "It was all an accident. Who could have predicted that Jiraiya would behave this way upon his return? I just stood up for the common people."

Hizashi internally mused, "I believe you, Natsuki. You're a mischievous Uchiha. Coming to me today just for a commission scroll? Or perhaps to trouble Jiraiya?"

He then shared some tidbits about Jiraiya, noting his penchant for travel and revelry.

Everywhere he went, he would seek out a lady and indulge in drinks. Unsurprisingly, he had earned himself a blacklist at every bathhouse he visited.

Additionally, Jiraiya was known for being both a novelist and a comic author, with the seriousness of the latter remaining uncertain.

However, the circumstances had changed. As the captain of the police force, Hizashi now needed to address Jiraiya's behavior.

While Hizashi had previously treated Jiraiya's love affairs as a joke, his return to the village brought a different perspective.

Hizashi believed that for someone of Jiraiya's stature, it was acceptable to engage in frivolous activities outside the village, but causing trouble upon returning home was a different matter.

There's an old saying: "Rabbits do not eat the grass around their burrows"

Moreover, some of the victims this time were members of the Hyuga clan.

If Hizashi were to intervene, the situation would become even more challenging to handle.

Given Jiraiya's well-known identity, Natsuki's actions cast a noticeable shadow on him.

Toad Sage Jiraiya, a disciple of the Third Hokage and one of the Three sannins, had been caught peeping in a women's bathroom and publicly arrested.

Contemplating the situation, Hizashi queried, "Why did you do this this time?"

Natsuki shook his head. "No reason, just seeing this kind of behavior makes me disgusted, even if it's Jiraiya."

Hizashi regarded Natsuki deeply and made a noncommittal sound.

"In addition, I caught Nakamura Kazuya from the Roots today. He actually obstructed my law enforcement. You can use this excuse to get rid of him. The remaining Roots are leaderless and can't cause any trouble."

Hizashi nodded with a deep understanding. Kazuya had been actively trying to establish connections with the security team, causing disruptions.

While the rigid structure of the Hyuga clan and its branch families prevented outsiders from influencing or inciting rebellion, someone like Kazuya jumping around could be problematic.

Capturing him provided an opportunity to remove him from the police force.

Natsuki produced the appointment scroll. "Captain Hizashi, I find the police force amusing, but I'm quite busy, so I'll resign first."

Hizashi was a bit taken aback. Who didn't know that he was here to play with the scrolls?

"Alright, leave it be."

...

Many likely speculated that Natsuki's goal was to tarnish the reputation of the Hokage.

However, only Natsuki knew that his real intention was to prevent Naruto from being led astray.

In his view, behaviors that found amusement in vulgarity were simply foolish.

Natsuki walked through the streets, hearing people discussing Jiraiya's arrest along the way.

When he reached the Konoha Ninja School, he realized that classes had already concluded.

Approaching the security team, composed of Hyuga clan members, Natsuki inquired, "Where did Sasuke go?"

They promptly saluted and responded, "Returning, Natsuki-sama, Sasuke and Naruto headed in the direction of Eighth Street."

"Alright, go about your tasks."

He crossed the Eighth Street and found two boys indulging in octopus skewers.

The duo, Naruto and Sasuke, were relishing the treat. Naruto, now with more financial stability, had shed his previous feelings of inferiority and was in high spirits.

"Naruto, Sasuke, it's me." Naruto perked up at the familiar voice.

He looked up in surprise, "Natsuki-senpai!"

Sasuke greeted politely, "Sensei."

Natsuki playfully tapped Sasuke's forehead, "I heard you ranked first in this week's test again. Well done, you truly live up to being a member of my Uchiha family. Sasuke, you're amazing."

Sasuke, a bit proud and a bit embarrassed, responded arrogantly with a serious expression, "As a disciple of sensei, I can't afford to embarrass him."

Naruto observed Sasuke with a touch of envy. Sasuke had previously shared with him that he had become a disciple of Natsuki-senpai.

Despite having many friends now, Naruto, who used to be a loner, still had very few elders who were close to him.