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Chapter 377 - Chapter 377: Shiftless Toad

Naruto asked the Nine-Tails to lend him some chakra as rent.

The Nine-Tails gradually calmed down from its rage, glaring at Naruto with piercing eyes.

The Child of Prophecy was right in front of it... So does that mean Naruto is the one?

Nonsense! If this brat really is the Child of Prophecy, I'll go kiss Shukaku's tail!

Now believing every word Shindai said? If so, then you're just a fool!

The Nine-Tails sneered maliciously, "Either way, if you die, I die too. Daring to threaten me—how courageous! As a reward for coming here, I'll give it to you. Take as much as you want. And tell that human, once I get out, he'll be the first one I kill!"

Wrapped in red Tailed Beast chakra, Naruto's consciousness returned to reality.

His eyes transformed into crimson beast-like pupils as his body became filled with Tailed Beast chakra.

"This is the feeling!"

Naruto bit his finger and started forming Hand Seals.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A surge of red chakra erupted, followed by a large cloud of smoke. From within the smoke emerged a giant figure.

Jiraiya smirked slightly, saying, "Good job."

Shindai clicked his tongue, "It's that shiftless toad again. Looks like Naruto's got quite a challenge ahead."

Jiraiya glanced sideways at Shindai, "If it hears you say that, you better prepare to be chased around with a knife."

Shindai shrugged indifferently, "Let it chase me—if it can catch me, that is."

The toad summoned by Naruto was Gamabunta from Mount Myoboku.

Naruto landed on top of Gamabunta's head, bouncing up and down playfully on the soft surface.

Gamabunta braced all four limbs against the rock walls and looked around confusedly, muttering, "Where the hell am I?"

Naruto was super excited now because finally, for once, he had summoned a full-grown toad instead of just a little tailed tadpole.

Looking down at Naruto, Jiraiya remarked, "This time must've been his first successful extraction of Nine-Tails' chakra. Though still unstable, it produced an overwhelming output, accidentally calling out this guy. Still, it's a good start."

Smiling, Shindai added, "Yeah, definitely a big step forward. Once there's a first time, there will be a second."

Sitting atop Gamabunta's head, Naruto gleefully shouted, "I did it! Hahaha!"

Gamabunta roared angrily, "You little brat! Do you know whose head you're stomping on? This is the head of Lord Gamabunta, the Toad Boss! You idiot, quit messing around!"

With a tone almost identical to Nine-Tails', Gamabunta nearly blew Naruto away, but luckily Naruto managed to grab onto Gamabunta's pipe.

Gamabunta glared fiercely at Naruto, grumbling, "Ugh, it's been forever since I last tasted fresh air, and now I get dragged out just to have some brat crawling all over my head! Hey! Where's Jiraiya?! What the hell do you think you're doing dragging me out here?! Jiraiya, get out here right now!"

"You moron!"

Jiraiya ducked out of sight immediately. "Oh man, I can't face Gamabunta either... Things'll get real messy if he spots me. I should hide somewhere farther away... Hey, where are you going, Shindai?"

"I'm heading back already. Didn't we finish what we needed to do? Besides, this is your Frog Sage business; it's got nothing to do with me. Well then, see ya~"

Shindai immediately shot into the sky, flying toward Konoha.

Jiraiya twitched at the corner of his mouth. That guy actually just ran off and left him behind like that.

Jiraiya glanced sideways at Naruto and Gamabunta. No way—he had to run too.

As he fled, Jiraiya spotted a group of women bathing in a pool beneath a waterfall. His old peeping habit kicked in instantly—he completely ignored Naruto and pulled out a telescope to start peeping.

Naruto and Gamabunta started chatting rather 'amicably.'

They even struck a deal: as long as Naruto stayed on his back, Gamabunta would recognize him.

Meanwhile, back at an inn in Konoha Village,

Baki was convening a private meeting with Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.

"Regarding this mission, I suppose you still don't understand its true purpose. Let me explain it clearly now."

Temari exclaimed in surprise, "Wait—isn't our task to win first place in this Chunin Exams?"

Baki replied solemnly, "Although Sunagakure has sent you three to participate in this Chunin Exams, our actual mission isn't for you to pass the exams—it's to use the Chunin Exams as a cover operation to destroy Konoha!"

Kankuro and Temari stared at Baki in shock, while Gaara fixed a cold gaze on him.

Temari anxiously asked, "Why? Haven't Konoha and Suna signed an alliance treaty?"

Baki answered bitterly, "That's exactly the issue. You Genin probably don't know—since the treaty was signed, the Daimyo ordered Suna to cut military spending. Tasks originally meant for our village were handed over to Konoha instead, and our budget was slashed dramatically, reducing the number of ninja we can maintain.

Because of these foolish decisions from above, those of us below suffer. To keep the village running, your father—the Kazekage—had no choice but to sell Gold Dust for money just to keep things going. And to maintain the village's combat strength, we focused on improving every individual ninja's abilities. That's how ninja like you, Gaara, came to be."

Baki looked at Gaara, who remained expressionless.

He continued, "The Land of Wind now faces an existential threat. The Land of Fire keeps growing stronger, inevitably squeezing our space for survival—but neither the Daimyo nor his advisors seem to realize this at all!"

As he spoke, Baki angrily slammed his fist against the wall.

Baki took a deep breath. "Therefore, Kazekage-sama foresaw the village's current crisis and formed an alliance with Danzo of Konoha. Danzo seeks to stage a coup to seize control of Konoha, while we can take this opportunity to secure the resources we need and restore Sunagakure's reputation. At the same time, we'll also show that idiotic Daimyo the importance of national defense!

If things continue like this, our village will completely lose its standing against Konoha. We must act now, seize this rare opportunity, and reverse the decline of our village all at once!

Gaara, your actions in this mission are crucial. Once the war begins, we will face Konoha directly in battle!"

Gaara responded with cold indifference.

Temari wore a pained expression as she said, "Another war again? The alliance treaty achieved through tremendous sacrifice will be broken once more, and many lives will be lost..."

Baki solemnly warned, "This is Kazekage-sama's will. After all, ninjas are merely tools of war—the alliance treaty itself was nothing but a tool threatening our existence. This is an S-rank mission; take it seriously! Moreover, during this war, we also need to eliminate two rogue ninjas who were once members of Sunagakure. This is also Kazekage-sama's order!"

Temari and Kankuro immediately thought of Shindai and Pakura, while Gaara's indifferent expression revealed a flicker of anger.

Kankuro instinctively reached for his ninja gear pouch—inside was a scroll sealing a puppet created by Shindai during his time in Sunagakure.

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