Chapter 147

"What Pervy Sage? I've told you countless times, call me the Toad Sage!"

Jiraiya gave Naruto a flick on the forehead, making Naruto clutch his head and howl in pain. The two of them started bickering instantly, stopping only when the ramen arrived.

"Lord Jiraiya."

Seeing that their squabble had ended, Tenzo respectfully greeted Jiraiya.

As a member of the Anbu, Tenzo was certainly aware of Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.

Jiraiya nodded in response, then looked at Leo, his tone becoming slightly more formal:

"Jiraiya greets Your Highness, the Prince."

Although he was one of the Legendary Sannin and didn't hold much reverence for nobility, as a Konoha ninja, he felt a basic level of etiquette was necessary when facing the Prince of the Land of Fire.

Moreover, through Naruto, he knew that this prince had done many good deeds for Konoha.

"No need for formality, Lord Jiraiya. I've heard of your legendary exploits for a long time, especially your book *Tales of a Gutsy Ninja*. To be honest, it was after reading that book that I was inspired to become a ninja and went to the Fire Temple to apprentice myself."

Leo put on a look of deep admiration.

Jiraiya, who had been merely polite at first, instantly changed his demeanor upon hearing Leo's words.

What Jiraiya was most proud of wasn't his title as one of the Legendary Sannin, nor his powerful ninjutsu, nor even his status in Konoha. It was his identity as a writer and the bestselling books he had written.

To think that the Prince of the Land of Fire became a ninja after reading his first book—that immensely satisfied his vanity.

"Hahaha, that was my first work, not nearly as popular as my later books, *Make-Out Paradise* and *Make-Out Violence*. I didn't expect Your Highness to have such discerning taste."

With just a few words, Jiraiya's favorability toward Leo rose significantly.

"What is *Tales of a Gutsy Ninja*?"

Naruto finished slurping down a bowl of ramen and immediately ordered another. Today, with the Pervy Sage treating, he planned to eat to his heart's content.

"It's a very meaningful book. Naruto, you should definitely read it when you have the time."

Leo patted Naruto on the shoulder.

After reading that book, your Talk no Jutsu will reach mastery, and anyone with even a shred of goodness in their nature won't escape it.

"Another bowl! This time, I want miso chashu ramen!"

After finishing his second bowl, Naruto ordered a third.

Jiraiya, sitting beside him, muttered under his breath:

"Eat all you want. After all, this will be the last time."

"The last time?"

Naruto looked at Jiraiya, confused.

"Nothing, just eat up, eat to your heart's content, eat until there's no regret left."

Jiraiya quickly laughed, trying to cover up his words.

Naruto, being as clueless as ever, didn't think much of it and continued to devour the ramen that had just been served. Meanwhile, a thought flashed through Leo's mind, and he roughly understood what was going on.

Given the current situation, it seemed Jiraiya planned to use a life-or-death scenario to trigger Naruto's inner seal and begin teaching him how to control the Nine-Tails' chakra.

"Another bowl!"

Just as Naruto was about to dig into his eighth bowl, Leo's body suddenly tensed, and he couldn't help but glance at the spot where Jiraiya had been sitting.

"So fast, I almost didn't notice."

The spot where Jiraiya had been sitting was now occupied by a large green frog plushie.

"I'm full, Pervy Sage. Let's go to the next training session… Pervy Sage?"

After finishing his eighth bowl, Naruto finally felt completely stuffed and, holding his round belly, turned to Jiraiya, waiting for him to pay so they could leave.

The result was obvious: Jiraiya had sneakily dashed away without paying.

Ayame, the waitress at the ramen shop, handed the bill to Naruto with a "kind" smile.

"Nine bowls of ramen, totaling 500 ryo!"

Naruto's body slumped immediately upon hearing this. He never expected his master to be so shameless, promising to treat him but then ditching the bill, leaving him to pay for not only his own share but also Jiraiya's.

As a genin, most of the missions he took were low-level tasks like finding lost cats or walking dogs, which usually paid only a few thousand ryo after the village took its cut.

In the end, the team captain took the lion's share, and the remaining three members split the rest, leaving not much for each.

Besides, apart from daily living expenses, he also had to account for medical expenses, kunai, and soldier pills, so his savings were not much.

That's why a bowl of ramen costing fifty to sixty ryo was something Naruto only indulged in occasionally when he really craved it; he didn't dare eat to his heart's content, or his savings would quickly dwindle.

Now, thanks to Jiraiya's trickery, most of the money Naruto had painstakingly saved since becoming a ninja was gone in an instant.

"Put it on my tab!"

Leo smiled at Ayame and then pointed toward a nearby alley, saying to Naruto:

"Lord Jiraiya ran that way. If you hurry, you might catch up with him."

As a genuine wealthy individual, Leo had prepaid meal tabs at all the major eateries in Konoha. After every meal, the cost would simply be deducted from these prepaid funds.

Given how much he had on his tab at Ichiraku, nine bowls were nothing—a hundred bowls would be just a drop in the bucket.

Since he had complete control over the economy of the Land of Waves, Leo currently had quite a substantial amount of money at his disposal.

Spending a little to boost his favorability with the Konoha ninja was the lowest-cost investment.

"Brother Chuan, you're the best!"

Upon hearing that Leo was covering his bill, Naruto was instantly moved to tears. He then shouted angrily and chased after Jiraiya down the alley.

Beside him, Tenzo's eyes showed a hint of surprise because he hadn't noticed Jiraiya leaving, let alone which alley Jiraiya had escaped into.

This clearly indicated that Leo's sensory perception was far sharper than his own.

This was actually quite normal. Besides ninjas with special sensory abilities, most ninjas, when not using chakra, didn't have particularly exaggerated physical senses.

But Leo was different. Even without using chakra, his body's functions were many times that of a normal ninja, and his five senses were far superior.

After finishing their ramen and saying a formal farewell to Tenzo, Leo returned to the Sarutobi clan's villa.

"It seems the Third Hokage really trusts you now!"

In the room, Zabuza spoke from his position in the corner.

Over the past month, due to Danzo's presence, he and Haku had been disguising themselves as a guard and maid. To avoid raising suspicion, they had stayed inside the villa the entire time.

"Yes, in just a few days, we can make our move."

A smile appeared on Leo's face.

He had been eyeing the jutsu on the Forbidden Scroll for a long time, and in just a few more days, he would finally have them in his grasp.

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