Chiba's Shit-Poet Reasoning

Chapter 89: Chiba's Shit-Poet Reasoning

Sarutobi Hiruzen assured Chiba that he would handle the situation promptly, and Chiba believed him. He thought that not having a ninja forehead protector would be inconvenient.

For instance, when he went to the front lines, he was mistaken for a spy by eight individuals. If he had a forehead protector, such misunderstandings would not occur. Returning to the secluded mountain path, Chiba encountered Fujiki standing by the roadside.

"Hey, Fujiki, are you leaving?" Chiba asked.

Fujiki looked around cautiously before confirming there was no one else and approached Chiba.

"My father wanted me to inform you that the Hokage has been keeping an eye on you," Fujiki whispered, his voice low and serious.

"Keeping an eye on me?" Chiba was taken aback.

He recalled the encounter with the Orochimaru trio earlier that day. Now it seemed that they were indeed monitoring him. However, he had been too preoccupied and oblivious to notice.

"Be careful. My father said the Hokage mentioned twice that you left the village without permission," Fujiki continued, scanning their surroundings once again.

"By the way, don't mention that I told you this."

With those parting words, Fujiki vanished from sight. Chiba walked over to the roadside and sat on a rock, deep in thought. He had faith in his friends, which meant he believed Fujiki wouldn't lie to him.

"Earlier, the Hokage kept rejecting my request to become a ninja. There must be a genuine reason behind it," Chiba mumbled to himself, pondering one thing after another.

Stealing in the Land of Whirlpools and being discovered by Orochimaru's team. Going to the front lines and being escorted back by Hatake Sakumo and his men. Returning to the village, only to be followed by Orochimaru's team again.

And now, being denied the opportunity to become a ninja. There had to be a prelude to all of this.

"What could it be?" Chiba racked his brain, resting his chin on his hand.

"Huh?" Suddenly, a realization dawned on him.

He figured it out!

"That scroll! Yes, the scroll that Hatake Sakumo showed me!" Chiba exclaimed, feeling quite clever.

Because there was only one truth. It was all about his protection.

"I went to the Land of Whirlpools, and the snake team was there to protect me. When I returned from the front lines, Hatake Sakumo led his men to protect me. And even now, by rejecting my ninja status, the Hokage is protecting me. As long as I'm not a ninja, I can't go on missions outside the village. I can always stay here..." Chiba was deeply moved.

He had never expected that the Third Hokage would go to such lengths and employ such subtle tactics just to keep him safe.

"I was angry with Hokage-sama earlier, but now I feel a bit guilty," Chiba murmured, realizing how challenging the Hokage's position must be.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, an Anbu member appeared.

"Master Chiba, Master Danzo is waiting for you at the village entrance."

"The village entrance? Why would he be waiting for me at the village entrance like a guardian deity?" Chiba wondered aloud.

"Well...your shipment has arrived..."

Whoosh!

As soon as the word "shipment" was mentioned, Chiba sprinted towards the village entrance faster than anyone else, his curiosity piqued.

He had a deal with Danzo involving exchanging gold bars for...manure. Soon enough, Chiba arrived at the village entrance and was greeted by the sight of dozens of ox carts filled with dung.

From Chiba's perspective, this was not just any dung. It was a manifestation of Danzo's overwhelming love for him. However, Chiba couldn't help but express his dissatisfaction with the delivery location.

"Chiba, please inspect and accept the shipment," Danzo instructed, wearing his mask as he stood at the corner outside the village.

"Huh? Master Danzo, I didn't even notice you until you spoke," Chiba admitted sheepishly.

He had been so caught up in his excitement that he hadn't even noticed a person standing there.

"Can we have it delivered to the secluded mountain next time?" Chiba suggested while approaching the carts.

But Danzo refused, raising a valid point.

"Do you know what would happen if dozens of dung-filled carts passed through the streets?"

"Uh...I guess that makes sense," Chiba conceded, realizing the potential consequences.

He decided not to dwell on this matter any longer and prepared to collect the manure. However, with Root shinobi surrounding him and Danzo watching closely, accepting the shipment seemed challenging.

"Um, could we postpone this for a while?" Chiba requested.

"Postpone it? Don't you want me to witness you devouring dung balls?" Danzo retorted, shaking his head before leaving without further discussion.

"Dung balls? What kind of dung balls are you talking about?" Chiba's face contorted in disbelief.

He couldn't fathom how the other party knew, let alone how they were aware that he had consumed dung balls.

"It must be those three from Orochimaru's team," Chiba grumbled silently, cursing the ancestors of those three individuals a hundredfold.

His joy and happiness had turned into despair and dejection.

"You really need to be more cautious. Now, all the ninjas in the village know that you eat...manure," Danzo whispered, breaking a significant piece of news.

Chiba was utterly dumbfounded.

Did the entire village's ninja population know about it?

Had the Orochimaru trio broadcasted it through a loudspeaker?

"You were collecting manure at the front lines at night, and all the frontline ninjas saw you," Danzo disclosed.

"From now on, be more vigilant. Well, it's useless to be vigilant if you don't actually raise your guard," he added, shaking his head as he regarded Chiba's lack of vigilance.

Chiba fell silent.

There was nothing left to say. With determination, he resumed collecting the manure, striving to salvage what little dignity remained.

Thump!

As he walked back toward the village, the fields' leaves seemed lifeless, resembling ash.

"Be cautious in the days to come, and maintain your vigilance," Danzo's reminder echoed from behind him.