Chapter 186: Jiraiya's Hasty Village Exit, Ninja Blade Slaughters the Nobles

"You Lai, that's great, you're finally back. Come on, come on, let's go have a big feast."

"Dad, Mom, over here, over here, Dad, Mom, you're finally back, I've missed you so much!"

"Son, my good son, that's wonderful, as long as you returned safely. Your brother said you were gravely injured and couldn't get up; I thought you wouldn't come back. Come on, tonight your mother will cook you something tasty."

Near the Konoha's main gate, as most of the ninja army from the Soup Country Frontline was recalled to the Leaf, villagers gathered spontaneously to welcome them, and all kinds of joys and sorrows unfolded again.

"Grandpa Frog, are they the great heroes of the Konoha?"

In a corner of the crowd, early‑returning Jiraiya brought Naruto over to welcome the returning army together.

"Hahaha, that's right, little Naruto, they protect the Leaf out there, protect the villagers; they are the Leaf's heroes."

Jiraiya, smiling, patted Naruto's head and said.

Having not seen each other for months, Naruto had grown taller, which made him a bit regretful that he couldn't see it with his own eyes.

"Bang! Then I'll also become a great hero, and an even more powerful one than Sasuke!"

Naruto widened his eyes, his face full of joy, and said.

"Sasuke?"

Jiraiya recalled the little fellow who was always stuck with Naruto; their relationship swung between good and bad—sometimes they were close enough to share a bottle of milk, other times they fought so fiercely they couldn't pull apart.

During the time Jiraiya had been back, he had seen them change moods countless times, yet they always managed to come together again afterward.

Jiraiya was delighted to see them getting on each other's nerves; clearly, since Shisui became Hokage, it's only beneficial for Naruto—previous restrictions are gone, and he now has Uchiha ANBU guard nearby, so even if the Nine-Tails seal loosens later, it can be dealt with promptly.

"Then you have to work hard to grow up. Sasuke is a few months older than you and isn't picky about food; he'll be tall, strong, become a great ninja, and even a great hero of the Konoha."

"No way, Sasuke's just a smug brat; he'll never be better than me. I must become a greater hero than him. I've decided: I'll grow taller and become the Leaf's number‑one greatest ninja!"

Naruto's little face flushed red, he clenched his fists and said forcefully.

"Hmph, as for you, the Leaf's top ninja is my brother, the second is Shisui, the third is me, you can only be fourth!"

As soon as Naruto finished speaking, a disdainful snort came from behind.

Turning his head, he saw Sasuke standing behind them with arms crossed over his chest.

Since Itachi's squad was still on the Eastern Sea Road undergoing the Sixteenth Night training and couldn't return to the village yet, Sasuke had to run here himself; of course, he certainly wasn't coming to find Naruto.

"That's not it, huh!"

"Eh? It's the smug brat!"

"You're the smug brat!"

The two instantly clashed, and Jiraiya, standing aside, chuckled and snapped a picture of them.

"Smug brat."

"Cat face."

After an unknown amount of time, the two lay on the ground panting, yet still hadn't given up the attack.

Their faces were red to the point of purple, each having been choked by the other's grip.

The surrounding people had dispersed at some point; the two lay on the ground filthy, and Jiraiya, having watched enough, scratched his head, scooped them up, and headed toward the bathhouse.

"Today Grandpa Frog is treating you to a bath."

Sasuke's face flushed, and he refused outright, "I don't want to bathe with him; he smells stinky."

"Who? Who's stinky? You're talking nonsense."

Naruto, trapped under Sasuke's right armpit, instantly grew displeased, reached out to Sasuke's face and said, "If you don't believe me, smell it."

Seeing the outstretched hand, Sasuke was startled, then involuntarily sniffed, immediately turned red, and even snapped a bite in anger.

"Ah~"

Naruto let out a wail, quickly withdrew his hand, and blew repeatedly at the bite mark and saliva on his hand.

"You're a puppy!"

"You're the puppy, pfft, who let you stick your hand out, filthy, stinky, pfft pfft pfft, shut up, no way!"

Listening to their quarrel, Jiraiya kept smiling and didn't intervene; only after entering the bathhouse did he strip the two and toss them in, intending to scrub them, but the silver‑bell‑like laughter from the next room instantly drew his attention, and he immediately pushed the two out of his mind.

Without Jiraiya's interference, the two glared at each other yet somehow drifted back together.

"What are you doing, who let you come over?"

Sasuke turned his head, ignored Naruto, and nudged him with his elbow.

Naruto, of course displeased, opened his mouth and said, "You were the one who came first."

"It's you!"

"It's you!"

The two started roughhousing, and the bathhouse's basins and soap were flung everywhere.

Jiraiya, as if unaware, stuck out his butt and kept twisting, staring at the crack in the wall.

"Almost, almost, hey hehehe~"

A lewd grin came through; Jiraiya wished he could crawl through that crack straight to the opposite view.

Suddenly, Naruto and Sasuke tangled; Naruto, naturally strong, kicked, and Jiraiya felt a massive force hit his back, letting out a wail as his head smashed through the wall, half his body hanging straight on the other side.

"Ah! Pervert~"

A scream rang out, shocking the bathhouse!

In the Hokage Tower, Shisui watched the arriving Naruto and Sasuke, his eyes twitching; the ANBU had already briefed him on what happened.

"You two..."

Shisui patted the two on the head, somewhat helpless, and could only compensate for the bathhouse's damages.

As for Jiraiya, he simply abandoned the two and fled; the Police Department couldn't catch him, and the bathhouse owner could only detain Naruto and Sasuke, which Shisui later had the ANBU retrieve.

"It's all Cat Face's fault!"

Sasuke tucked his head in; today's incident was utterly humiliating.

Naruto was indignant, "How can you blame me? Clearly it's your arrogant brat's fault."

The two locked eyes, sparks flying, about to clash, but the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

"All because of Ha Ma Ye Ye, sitting there watching others bathe."

"Right! All his fault! No shame!"

Shisui gave a helpless smile, glanced at the sky, and said, "It's getting late; Sasuke, take Naruto home for dinner tonight."

Zilai isn't an ordinary runner; he bolted straight out of the Village and wouldn't feel comfortable returning for a few months.

Rather than let Naruto stay at home, it's better to go straight to Sasuke's house. Naruto instantly exclaimed, "Great! Aunt Mikoto's cooking is so delicious!"

Sasuke's head lifted at the words, he crossed his arms and said, "Of course, my mother's cooking is the best in Konoha; since you're being considerate, I'll let you have a bite."

"Eh~ one bite isn't enough to fill me up~"

"Hmph, then I'll give you more, seeing how pitiful you look~"

"Really? Sasuke, you're so kind!"

The two exchanged words, heading toward the Uchiha clan lands accompanied by the ANBU.

Shisui pressed his upturned mouth corner and rubbed his temples.

"How nice~"

As Konoha withdrew most of its troops stationed in the Hot Springs Country, the entire Ninja World gradually quieted; skirmishes everywhere dwindled, and the Third Great Ninja War seemed to have concluded.

Peaceful days always pass quickly; in the blink of an eye half a month passed, and Konoha was holding the Chunin Exam in full swing. The feudal lord, citing ill health, again declined to attend, and the eldest son Yuan Shi, as usual, soothed Konoha on his behalf.

Meanwhile, in a western mountain road, a city called Wan City had a manor on its western side, with front and back courtyards, covering over ten mu, and a five‑story villa. Though it couldn't compare to the city center, it was far beyond the surrounding modest houses.

"The world is peaceful again? How boring. I want to see rivers of blood; why have these coarse ninjas stopped, how dull."

A bearded, muscular man in loose robes reclined in a rocking chair, facing the upcoming summer breeze, eating fruit offered by his maid, and said blandly.

"Lord Tanabe, the war between Konoha and Cloud Hidden has ended; our revenue has begun to drop sharply."

Although times have changed and technology advanced, providing more ways to earn, noble Gouya Tanabe has always relied on his advantageous lands, smuggling with other nobles; the thousand mu of fertile fields at home serve as a safety net.

The smuggling business, the more the war crisis, the stricter the control, the more they earned.

Now that the war is over, the feudal lords, ministers, and nobles will surely not allow Konoha to keep the border sealed; trade with the Hot Springs Country will gradually resume, and as merchants increase, profits shrink.

"These damned, lowly scum, who allowed them to cease fighting!"

There's no fun to watch, no money to make, and that makes Gouya Tanabe feel very uneasy.

As for the Chunin Exam, this border‑town noble hasn't even qualified for an invitation from Konoha.

Listening to the steward report the sharp decline in family business profits, Gouya Tanabe grew angry, when a servant suddenly rushed in, panicked.

Before he could speak, a fruit tray smashed into his head from the front.

Although Gouya Tanabe is a noble who values strength, he lacks the talent to become a ninja, so he trains his body, building a muscular frame.

The porcelain plate shattered on the servant's head, spraying blood‑stained water onto the floor.

The servant knelt, clutching the wound, enduring excruciating pain in silence.

"Blind thing, drag him out and beat him to death!"

"Lord, spare me, the manor outside the city was robbed by a band of mountain bandits; their scouts reported that the bandits still occupy it and haven't left, please send troops to drive them away."

"Oh?"

"Hahaha, fine, so some clueless bandits dare to challenge my Tanabe family's honor; men, armor up, follow me to see."

Gouya Tanabe, bored, instantly intrigued by the bandit news, rose and gave orders.

He often sparred with hired ninjas; relying solely on his martial arts, he could even fight Chunin, earning the title 'World's Greatest Samurai.'

The steward, hearing this, immediately went to prepare; soon, the household's samurai and ninjas were summoned to protect Gouya Tanabe.

Two of the ninjas, upon learning Gouya Tanabe also intended to act, instantly showed reluctance.

'Now it's exposed.'

They wanted to dissuade him, but Gouya Tanabe paid no heed.

A few dozen people arrived quickly at a manor far outside the city; Gouya Tanabe saw the bandits gathered, surrounding the villagers, neither killing nor sparing, unclear what they intended.

When he saw the bandits, they also spotted him; before harsh words could be exchanged, swords were drawn and the clash began.

Gouya Tanabe quickly realized these were ordinary folk, no ninjas; facing his guards they had no resistance, and within moments most were dead or wounded, leaving him no chance to strike.

"I thought it was something else, but it's just some brainless mud‑feet daring to attack my honor, damn it, waste of time, don't kill them, break their legs, drag them back to feed the dogs!"

"Yes!"

With Gouya Tanabe's command, everyone's movements quickened, especially the two ninjas, who stood out as unrivaled war gods among the commoners.

"Lord, help!"

At that moment, the terrified bandits finally reacted and cried for help.

Gouya Tanabe was stunned, looked around but saw nothing, feeling tricked, about to curse when…

Then a flash of silver streaked by, the two heads were sent soaring, their expressions shocked.

The man, wearing a snake mask, burst from the earth, cleaving both heads with a single slash, then surged into the crowd like a tiger descending a mountain; wherever he went, warrior after warrior fell, as if entering an empty realm.

In moments, all his guards lay on the ground.

Before he could react, a hand had somehow landed on his shoulder; turning with difficulty, a monkey mask came into view.

Gouya Tanabe didn't hesitate, drawing his waist knife to strike, but the monkey deflected it, broke his arm, snapped his legs, and dragged him away for interrogation.

Until his death, Gouya Tanabe never understood why, with his body technique that could rival a Chunin, he couldn't even block a single round.

The surviving bandits, under the monkey and snake's tyrannical rule, timidly cleared the battlefield, then together marched toward the city to Tanabe's house.

The villagers inside the manor cowered in terror, and only after night fell and they were sure the enemy wouldn't return did they nervously return home to sleep.

Early the next day, the entire Wan City aristocracy received a single piece of news.

Bandits had entered the city, infiltrated and slaughtered the entire Tanabe family, allegedly following the clan genealogy; aside from those who fled to the capital, everyone else was killed.

All the centuries of accumulation became cheap for that group of mountain bandits.

When they learned the news, they first shouted in surprise, then felt joy.

Although the mountain bandits took the cash and treasure, they could not take the shop, the land, nor the house.

But soon, after the joy, fear followed.

"Damn it, there are mountain bandits attacking us; it's utterly lawless, we must exterminate them!"

"Everyone in the Tanabe family, except the servants, was killed, leaving no survivors; such cruelty cannot be forgiven!"

"If they dare to move against Tanabe today, tomorrow it might be us!"

Wan City and the nearby nobles, rare in their unity, gathered their guards together—dozens of ninja, three hundred samurai—and, with a fierce momentum, marched to attack a mountain stronghold outside the city.

Two days later, the news returned: the entire army was wiped out.

(End of chapter)