Chapter 894

This baffling look of disdain left Jiraiya feeling deeply wronged. Young Yuanzi's contemptuous gaze stabbed into the Sage of Mount Myoboku's heart like a sharp blade, and the retort that had risen to his lips was forcibly swallowed back. Fine, even though his body had shrunk, Yuanzi was still an elder after all—he'd endure it! Jiraiya pretended nothing had happened and turned his head to keep moving forward.

It might be that the daimyo of Water Country, whose government was in exile, had only a few trusted attendants left at his side when he fled. In any case, along the way, Jiraiya and the others observed that everyone pacing back and forth through the entire courtyard was basically Leaf Anbu ninja from Konoha, along with guards dispatched by the daimyo of Fire Country. One could say that if the Water Country daimyo hadn't come here on his own seeking shelter, Jiraiya would even have believed this was a prison softly detaining the leader of an enemy nation.

"Lord Jiraiya, the Water Country daimyo is just ahead. The moment he heard his daughter had been escorted here, he became very emotional." A guard stepped forward to meet them. Jiraiya already knew him—he was the guard captain the Fire Country daimyo often kept by his side, and had once been a fellow disciple under the same master as Iron Country's leader Sanshō.

"Little Jue was only brought here by sheer chance. I believe that through this incident, the changes in the situation over in Water Country—the daimyo knows better than any of us~right?"

Jiraiya was only acquainted with this guard captain, but he didn't avoid the slightest impropriety, directly bringing up the dire situation over in Water Country. Before meeting the Water Country daimyo, he needed to probe the intentions of Fire Country's upper echelons.

"Indeed, but what we hope for even more is to remain content with the status quo for now. Even though the Water Country daimyo has been here for many years, we never acknowledge it publicly." Clearly someone had already instructed the guard captain that certain things could be told to Jiraiya—such as the nature of this escort mission.

Jiraiya nodded, indicating he understood exactly what was meant. He turned his head to glance at the oblivious Little Jue following behind him. "Then after the handover, the rest is entirely up to you all."

The guard captain didn't reply, but Jiraiya still caught the slight nod from the other party, as if in affirmation. In his heart, he also secretly breathed a sigh of relief regarding the safety of the young Little Jue from now on.

"Thank you all so very much, Konoha ninja lords, for your help. Little Jue escaping the clutches of those traitors is all thanks to you. Though I am the daimyo of Water Country, I have nothing to repay you with at this moment, but I promise that when I regain Water Country's power in the future, I will never forget today's kindness."

This daimyo appeared to be in the prime of life, even looking quite young for a middle-aged man, but the decay and exhaustion revealed between his brows and eyes fully demonstrated that his time in exile had not actually been very comfortable.

The moment they met, Little Jue stopped acting spoiled with Lin Cheng and obediently walked to his side. The Water Country daimyo—young in body but with a spirit that seemed incomparably aged—took Little Jue's hand and sincerely thanked each person in turn.

Next came the two sides exchanging polite pleasantries. Young Yuanzi quietly leaned against the doorway, watching Jiraiya do what he was least good at while secretly observing the field. She saw Lin Cheng several times, and really wanted to go talk to Little Jue, who had 'lowered her flag and silenced her drums' and turned into an obedient little girl. But every time she opened her mouth to speak, she held herself back.

"Pfft… if you want to say goodbye, just go do it. What does this wishy-washy behavior count as? Hey! That uncle, my teammate has something she wants to say to Little Jue…" For Young Yuanzi, although she was currently in this child's body, in reality everyone present was her junior. So she butted in without the slightest scruple, not feeling embarrassed in the slightest.

· ·······Seeking flowers····· ·····

"I say, you shouldn't mind if the two of them go somewhere else to chat for a bit, right?" Pointing at Little Jue, then pointing at the awkward and uneasy Lin Cheng beside her, Young Yuanzi's words were less a suggestion than a statement of what had to be done next.

"Ahem! Of course no problem!" The Water Country daimyo glanced at the North Wind Young Yuanzi had planted on the ground. As a refined gentleman with a hobby of collecting weapon treasures, he could of course accurately tell that North Wind was a treasure, and certainly not a fragile ornament that looked good but was useless. It was absolutely a work of war art. Being able to escort Little Jue here together with the famous Jiraiya without a single scratch—whoever you told she was an ordinary little girl, no one would believe it.

Having received permission, the soft and cute Little Jue immediately beamed with joy. She ran straight to Lin Cheng's side, once again clinging to him in great dependence, tightly wrapping her arms around Lin Cheng's waist like a sloth.

As for Lin Cheng over here, she cast a grateful glance, then led Little Jue toward a room on the side. Young Yuanzi stood in place without moving. Little Jue's first person after escaping Water Country was Lin Cheng, so let them say their proper goodbyes now.

No matter how much one wished time could pass more slowly, the moment of true parting still arrived in the end. Little Jue, who had to separate from Lin Cheng, burst into wailing tears. If she hadn't been held by the Water Country daimyo, she would have rushed up to hug the Hyuga Young Lady and not let her leave like this. End.