116.Companion

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Warm sunlight shone upon Konoha Village.

Though there was still a considerable flow of people on the streets, compared to the past prosperity, it was slightly diminished.

A faint worry seemed to be concealed on the faces of every villager.

As if they were concerned about the upcoming war.

Underneath Konoha,

Within the hidden Root base, an aura of solemnity pervaded.

"Snap!" "Snap!"...

Urgent footsteps echoed within the narrow corridors of the Root's hidden passages.

A Root member with a masked face quickly arrived before a dimly lit cabin.

"Creak!"

He took a deep breath, gently pushed open the door.

The heavy creak of the door sounded painfully sharp in the quiet environment.

Inside the room,

Danzo sat expressionless on the main seat, scrutinizing the intelligence reports arranged from various concealed sources within the Root.

His figure remained as silent and lifeless as always.

As if he had maintained this posture for a long time, driven by some unknown force that allowed him to work continuously.

The oil lamp beside him had been burning for a long while, its oil nearly depleted.

The candles on the wall had already burnt down, their wax rolled up.

Only a single wick still emitted a faint glow.

Upon hearing the newcomer's voice,

Danzo's motion of reviewing paused momentarily. He quickly finished perusing the last piece of intelligence in his hand and slightly raised his head.

In a voice filled with the weariness of years, he hoarsely inquired,

"Is it Shutora? How's the information you've gathered?"

Hearing his words, the Root ninja standing before him slowly spoke in a grave tone.

"Reporting to Lord Danzo, Shutora and I infiltrated the Land of Rain. We discovered... that the Root bases have all been destroyed. None survived."

Hearing this, Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of anger flashing through them.

Upon receiving this belated news, his expression remained blank, speechless for a long time.

The room fell into silence.

After a while, Danzo finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

"I see... I understand. You may leave."

The Root member known as Shutora heard Danzo's words and silently exited.

The dim room was now left with only Danzo.

His slightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open, a furious glint in them. He roared in a low voice.

"Who on earth did this!? How could they locate the concealed Root bases!?"

He took a shallow breath, after yelling out, he gradually calmed down, muttering to himself in a low voice.

"Without these painstakingly arranged concealed bases, Root is virtually ignorant of the Rain Shinobi's actions... If that's the case... Root won't be able to stay hidden any longer..."

"Who the hell... has ruined the opportunity I had worked so hard to seize!"

A fierce light flickered in Danzo's eyes, as if he was pondering who could possibly commit such an act.

For a long time, he remained clueless and could only let out a sigh, muttering in a low voice.

"It seems... I can only place everything on Sosuke now..."

"'Konoha's Child,' huh... Haha... very well... Sarutobi... I won't admit defeat..."

Within the dim room,

Danzo's somber words reverberated slowly.

...

At the border of the Land of Rain,

A hidden Konoha base was situated here.

Several shinobi were on guard, observing their surroundings carefully.

During times of war, even a slight oversight could lead to irreparable losses.

Meanwhile, in a dense patch of grass on the ground, a faint dispute could be heard.

"Why do I have to turn into this, Tsunade, croak!"

In a damp thicket, a frog was facing a pretty young girl, its expression rendered speechless.

The young girl had her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail at the back of her head, dressed in a ninja outfit. If you ignored her slightly ample chest, she appeared very capable!

Hearing the frog's words, the young girl's brows furrowed, and she cast a sidelong glance at the frog on the ground, responding in a confident voice.

"You've asked this question so many times already, Jiraiya!"

"The reason for this requirement is to make it easier for you to observe everything around you."

Saying this, Tsunade crouched down.

A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she looked at the frog on the ground.

"Moreover, this kind of climate in the Rain Village is perfect for you to transform into a frog to observe the surroundings. It's the best disguise."

In response, Jiraiya, in his frog form, raised his front limbs to cover his face, displaying a look of utter despair.

"It's a toad, you mustn't let Gamata hear these words, otherwise it will definitely latch onto you and nag you endlessly!"

Jiraiya said helplessly.

"You know, back then, I received quite a lecture from it!"

"Hahaha..."

Hearing Jiraiya's words, Tsunade burst into laughter, her beautiful face radiant.

Watching this scene, Jiraiya, in his frog form, stared at it intently, his face slightly reddening.

At this moment!

Sounds of rustling emerged from the bushes nearby.

Someone was there!

Both Tsunade and Jiraiya's gazes sharpened!

They swiftly went on alert!

"Swoosh!"

Tsunade lightly leaped onto a nearby tree, concealing herself quietly.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya, in frog form, hopped towards the source of the sound within the thicket.

As it passed a thicket, two straight figures gradually came into its big eyes.

The newcomer seemed slightly damp.

Judging from his appearance, he probably traversed the continuous rain-soaked Land of Rain, getting wet from the fine rain.

Lowering his head slowly, the newcomer gazed toward the frog that had leapt up beside the bushes.

Huh?

He made a soft noise, a hint of a smile playing beneath his glasses.

"Frog... huh?"

They saw Sosuke slowly stepping forward.

　　Although the toad was sweating slightly on his forehead, he still pretended to be ignorant, and suddenly jumped to the side.

　　"Slap!"

　　A clean and white hand was faster than him, and grabbed Toad's two hind legs.

　　Not despising the dirt on the toad's body at all, Sosuke gently grabbed it and hung it in front of him, softly said.

　　"Everyone, it seems that today's food needs to be managed. If this toad is handled a little bit, it should be able to make a delicacy."

　　Hearing his words, everyone slightly covered the chuckle at the corner of their mouth with their hands, and said softly.

　　"Yes, coincidentally, I have tried braised toad before, and it tastes good."

　　Hearing what they said, Jiraiya, who was gently grabbed by Sosuke, was sweating coldly, and shouted helplessly.

　　"It's me! It's me! I'm Jiraiya! Really! You guys actually want to eat toads!?"

　　Hear Jiraiya's shouts!

Hearing Jiraiya's outcry, Tsunade's figure suddenly appeared on the scene.

Seeing Sosuke, she brightened up and exclaimed in surprise.

"Sosuke?! How did you end up here?"

Looking at the happy Tsunade, Sosuke smiled slightly and said in a soft voice.

"Tsunade, it's been a while."

He let go of the frog he was holding.

A burst of white smoke followed.

The tiny frog instantly transformed back into Jiraiya!

"You two! You actually were clamoring to eat frogs! You're both truly terrifying!"

Jiraiya's face was full of indignation.

Hearing this, Tsunade rolled her eyes at him and laughed.

"You were found out a long time ago! Idiot!"

Hearing her words, Jiraiya was taken aback, looking at Sosuke and Tsunade.

Both Sosuke and Jiraiya, now human again, smiled lightly at him.

Jiraiya just shrugged, saying with resignation.

"No wonder!"

"You, Sosuke! How dare you play tricks on me! You actually found us and still caught me!"

"Actually, you saw us and didn't show yourself."

"....."

Tsunade, on the side, watched the two bickering with a smile on her face.

This feeling... it's nice...