"So, what the radio said was about the same." After listening to Tobi, Utakata nodded, frowned, and muttered, "The Jinchuriki from Iwagakure really opened a hot pot restaurant in the Land of Whirlpools."
No discrimination against Jinchuriki?
Does such a country really exist in the shinobi world?
Even after hearing it firsthand from someone from the Land of Whirlpools... from Teacher Tobi, Utakata's heart still refused to believe it.
After all...
Tailed Beasts are terrifying creatures!
Even he, as a Jinchuriki, was afraid of the power inside him. Just think about the story of the Nine-Tails rampaging in Konoha...
That story hasn't faded yet!
As for the Three-Tails...
Because this Tobi... teacher had left the Land of Whirlpools long ago and didn't know the current situation there, he couldn't ask anything more.
And also...
Teacher Tobi's words...
Utakata now strongly suspected that this Tobi didn't flee here to hide from debts; it was probably because he was teaching children to draw... drawings, and after the parents found out, he had no choice but to escape here.
Although that drawing was indeed extremely lifelike, he could almost smell that 'fragrance' just by looking at it, but...
After all, it was feces...
What parent would want their child to learn such drawing skills?
Now he felt worried about early childhood education in the Land of Whirlpools!
What kind of teachers were they hiring?
He wondered what would happen if he went to teach children how to play the flute?
Utakata stood up and looked at Tobi, who was still pulling out drawings in front of him...
On those drawing papers...
Everything drawn was...
Poop!!
He truly couldn't imagine the state of early childhood education in the Land of Whirlpools.
"In that case, I should go to the Land of Whirlpools personally to see for myself." Utakata looked at Tobi, who seemed very happy to introduce his drawings to him, and said with a flat expression, "Thank you for your help."
Picture after picture, the drawing skill...
Had indeed improved a lot!
"Ah?" Seeing that Utakata seemed about to leave, Tobi scratched his head and said, "Are you leaving already?"
It was rare to meet someone he could chat with...
"Won't you stay for a meal?"
He looked around, then showed an embarrassed smile...
"Hehe, if you stay, it seems you'd only end up eating dirt with me."
He sighed inwardly, solemnly organized the drawings beside him, and walked up to Utakata...
"In that case, could you please help me deliver my artworks from the past few years to the children at the nursery."
His face showed a trace of reluctance as he carefully handed over his masterpieces...
"Tell those children that even though their teacher is not with them, he still hopes they do not forget everything he taught them back then."
He wondered how the nursery was doing now?
They must miss their teacher a lot too!
"I..."
Utakata looked down at the stack of drawings depicting feces, then looked at the serious expression on Tobi's face...
He had something he didn't know if he should say...
Actually, it would be better if they forgot all this. And if he brought these back, wouldn't he get beaten up by the parents?
But seeing Tobi's earnest and responsible eyes...
He didn't know how to refuse.
He sighed, nodded, and with an equally serious expression, took the stack of 'artworks' from Tobi's hands, saying, "I will deliver them to the Land of Whirlpools."
Then, he pushed off with his feet, leaping out of the cave step by step...
"Thank you for your trouble." Tobi said with emotion, watching Utakata about to leap out of the cave, and waved his hand, shouting loudly, "Be sure to tell the children, their teacher has never forgotten them."
He paused for a moment...
"If you come again next time, please bring me some tofu pudding, roast chicken, baked pancakes, stinky tofu..."
But...
Before he could finish speaking, Utakata's figure had already disappeared from sight...
Tobi sighed inwardly and quietly gazed at the cave entrance for who knows how long...
"Better cover the hole again, otherwise it would be dangerous if Black Zetsu and the others find it."
His luck was good today; someone actually fell down. Being alone in the cave...
Was really very boring!
"Mhmm!"
He nodded...
"If I open it again in a few days, maybe I'll see some tofu pudding then?"
He only opened the cave entrance but did not go out, so this didn't count as disobeying Lord Madara's words.
"Tobi is very obedient to Lord Madara!"
As soon as the words fell...
"Rumble!"
A tremor, just as the cave entrance was slowly closing...
"Excuse me, please wait a moment."
A voice suddenly came from the cave entrance...
"Is Mr. Tobi inside? I was sent from the Land of Whirlpools by Lord Kakuzu. You have a debt that needs to be handled. Please cooperate with my work and open the door. According to the Land of Whirlpools Lending Treaty..."
Tobi, hearing the voice from the cave entrance again, was stunned for a moment, especially by what this person said...
Something about loans, mortgages, debts, compound interest, compound interest, compound interest, etc.
After a moment of silence...
Tobi raised his head and shouted loudly, "You've got the wrong person! It's not me!"
Then...
"Boom~"
The cave entrance closed shut!
...
"Konoha?" A young man with black spiky hair tied with a pale red headband looked coldly at the gradually rebuilding Konoha below and said flatly, "They actually really want to rebuild Konoha. Hmph, this is just a waste of time!"
"Lord Kazuma, when do we act?" asked a young man similarly wearing a 'Fire' waistcloth beside him, his hands in his pockets, looking down at Konoha below. "The Daimyo's court needs us to act as soon as possible."
Kazuma, hearing his companion's words, nodded and said, "Our time is indeed limited. We must deal with Konoha as soon as possible."
A fanatical expression on his face, he looked down at the Konoha villagers working diligently below...
"The era of the shinobi villages is about to end. The Land of Fire will surely become strong because of this."
Shinobi are only the safest option when controlled by the Daimyo. Otherwise...
If the shinobi village becomes too powerful, it will inevitably threaten the authority of the Daimyo's court.
"Have you prepared everything I asked for?"
"It's ready." His companion nodded, pulling out a large amount of soil from his tool pouch and complaining, "Finding this wasted a lot of my time!"
"Stop complaining." Kazuma took the soil, sniffed it, and said, "Good, this is what I need."
He looked at his companions, who also wore 'Fire' waistcloths around their waists, and nodded...
"As for your tasks, you all know them, right?"
"Understood!" His companions nodded, and then, with a Body Flicker Technique, all disappeared from the spot...
Even if the Hokage wasn't in Konoha, destroying Konoha wasn't that easy. And the Daimyo's court could only win now; they absolutely could not lose. So...
They had to be perfectly prepared.
Kazuma turned his head to look at Konoha, a cold expression on his face, and muttered, "Nine-Tails..."
After today...
Konoha would definitely cease to exist, and he, Kazuma...
The hero who revitalized the Land of Fire, from this moment on, would be like the God of Shinobi who pacified the Warring States period, passed down in the history of the shinobi world, praised by thousands!
...
"Ah, finally back again." Jiraiya sat on Gamahiro's head, looking at the increasingly familiar forest, sighed inwardly, and said, "I never thought the old man would eventually..."
Die protecting Konoha!
A trace of sadness in his eyes...
"I wonder how Minato and Konoha are doing now?"
He heard that Konoha was destroyed at that time, with countless casualties. After so many days, they should have probably recovered by now!
He muttered with emotion, "To think we couldn't even see the old man one last time!"
Although he disliked the old man's actions and those of that Danzo...
The old man was still their teacher after all!
And...
Koharu Utatane actually defected? It was really...
Jiraiya himself didn't know what to say.
Beside him, Orochimaru and Tsunade, hearing Jiraiya's words, immediately showed strange expressions.
Tsunade quickly forced a sheepish laugh, chuckled dryly, turned to look at Jiraiya, and said, "Jiraiya, we're almost at Konoha. Soon we can go pay our respects at the old man's grave."
A trace of emotion also appeared on her face...
"I suppose this outcome was the best for the old man."
To die protecting Konoha, wasn't that the Hokage's duty?
Although...
In the end, the old man only managed to seal a rabbit...
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