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Chapter 57: Men's Romance
🕑 Added 2024-01-28 22:09:32 +0000 UTCMinato hadn't encountered that ninja beast previously, but piecing together information from Jiraiya and Shigeru's earlier conversation, along with his keen observations of Awa, he swiftly concluded that the individual lugging a basket of fish on his back was the disguised ninja beast.
In Awa, nobody ventured out to sea for fishing, except for this youthful figure burdened with two baskets filled with stones. If he wasn't the ninja beast aiding Shigeru in his "fishing" endeavors, then who else could it possibly be?
As Minato singled out the young man, he nervously scanned the surroundings before making a swift escape with a hopping gait. However, he still chose to carry the two heavy fish baskets on his back instead of unloading them.
Reacting swiftly, Jiraiya dashed towards the fleeing individual. In the blink of an eye, he reached the young man's back, extended his hand, and attempted to grasp him. The young man turned around with an anxious expression, opening his mouth wide and emitting a low, rumbling sound akin to an engine revving.
"Snap!"
Jiraiya descended straight to the ground. Tatsuma and Minato, a step behind, hurriedly reached Jiraiya's side and assisted him back up. It was precisely at this moment that Jiraiya regained his composure, swiftly formed seals, and bellowed, "Genjutsu Release!"
After dispelling the Genjutsu, Jiraiya was breathing heavily. Meanwhile, the young man had vanished. Despite Tatsuma employing sensory Jutsu, no abnormal chakra was detected in the surroundings.
Concerned, Minato inquired, "Jiraiya sensei, are you okay?"
Jiraiya shook his head and explained, "I just stumbled into a Genjutsu by accident. But, let me tell you, that Genjutsu was bizarre. In the illusion, I somehow managed to step on my own buddy down there and ended up tripping over myself."
Tatsuma rolled his eyes, glanced at the middle of Jiraiya's body, and quipped, "Jiraiya sensei, you really need a clear understanding of yourself. How could a man trip over his own private parts? They don't exactly grow that extravagantly, do they?"
Minato also cast his gaze downward, took a moment to ponder, and remarked, "I think Tatsuma is right. Such an outrageous hallucination should have been broken in an instant."
"That's because you little brats don't understand the romance of grown men. Grown men have faith in such things!"
Jiraiya stubbornly declared, brushing off the mud and sand on his body before continuing, "It appears the impact of this Genjutsu on people is escalating day by day. If we don't intervene, in a few days, everyone might end up losing their minds like that child. Take a look at the child's mother."
As Jiraiya spoke, he gestured towards the woman who had been tearfully pleading with others. Her eyes no longer bore the desperate light they had moments ago. She clutched her child and headed towards Shigeru's fish stand.
"Let's head to the fish stand now. There should be just a few fish stones left, and that ninja beast will show up to deliver them."
Tatsuma glanced in the direction of the fish stand, and Jiraiya nodded, stating, "Exactly. Since we can't locate the ninja beast, we'll have to make sure it comes to us."
The trio swiftly gathered around the fish stand, opting not to join the queue this time. Instead, they lingered, watching attentively. Shigeru's supply of stones was dwindling, and amid serving customers, he began to cast anxious glances around.
Typically, at this hour, Shigeru would receive a fresh batch of "fish." However, with Tatsuma and the others present, the ninja beast hesitated to step forward and make the delivery.
The three kept themselves concealed, anticipating the ninja beast's appearance. Shigeru continued to sell "fish" one after another, his face growing increasingly tense.
Finally, as Shigeru weighed the last fish, the young man with the hopping gait appeared, carrying two large fish baskets cautiously.
"Kincho, why are you so late today?" Shigeru inquired with concern. The ninja beast called Kincho shook his head, placed the two fish baskets down, picked up two empty ones, and seemed ready to depart.
"Kincho, right? I'd advise you to stick around."
Suddenly, Shigeru felt something cold against his neck. He reached to grab it, but upon seeing the alarmed expression on Kincho's face and his gesturing hands urging him to halt, he froze.
"Shigeru, don't move!"
Kincho's command caused a momentary surprise in Jiraiya, who had a kunai pressed against Shigeru behind him. However, he quickly regained his composure.
Glancing at the fishermen still waiting in line, showing no reaction to the situation, Jiraiya turned back to Kincho and calmly suggested, "Have the fishermen leave. Let's have a proper conversation."
"Kincho, what's going on? Did you offend someone?" Shigeru, not daring to turn around, watched the alarmed Kincho, wondering if he had angered someone and they had come for revenge.
Kincho remained silent in response to Shigeru but shifted his focus to Jiraiya. Eventually, he chose to follow Jiraiya's advice, turned to the fishermen, and emitted a rumbling sound resembling an engine.
As the peculiar noise echoed, the fishermen queued up to buy fish turned one by one, retracing their steps. In no time, the once-crowded street emptied out, leaving only a handful of people.
Tatsuma and Minato flanked Kincho, both activating the Seal of Confrontation. Their chakra had been refined and mobilized, poised to unleash jutsu at a moment's notice.
Observing that Kincho had no intention of making any hasty moves, Jiraiya nodded at Tatsuma and Minato, signaling that everything was under control. He then turned his attention to Kincho and inquired, "Can you explain what's happening here?"
Before Kincho could respond, Shigeru seemed eager to speak. However, Jiraiya quickly restrained him by locking his own arm, using his elbow to hold Shigeru back and prevent him from speaking.
Growing even more nervous, Kincho confessed, "I-I admit, it was me. It's all my doing. I wanted Shigeru-san to have a better life, so I convinced the other fishermen not to go out to sea and instead come to buy Shigeru-san's fish."
Locked in place, Shigeru's eyes widened in realization. He hadn't been aware that the fishermen refrained from going out to sea because of Kincho. But why would this situation attract enemies?
Enemies? No, that couldn't be right!
In that moment, Shigeru's attention shifted to the two children standing next to Kincho. Busy selling fish in the morning, he hadn't noticed before, but now he recognized them as ninjas.
The details escaped him earlier—the forehead protector tied to one's arm and the other concealed by golden hair. So, if the one holding him back was the white-haired young man, he must also be a ninja?
But why? Why would ninjas target them for selling fish?
Before Shigeru could unravel the mystery, Jiraiya shook his head and asked, "Kincho, does Shigeru know about your identity?"
At the utterance of these words, Kincho's face became even more panicked. His hopping leg trembled continuously, betraying signs of a desire to escape. The subtle movements caught Tatsuma and Minato's attention, prompting them to ready themselves for potential jutsu.
However, Tatsuma, observing the distressed Kincho, smiled and remarked, "Kincho, I don't think there's a need to hide this, right? After all, Shigeru-san has saved you before. Wouldn't you want to express your gratitude in your true form?"
