Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 278: What Should We Teach?

"Do you know what would happen if this were reported to the daimyo?"

"...They'll probably send a large army over."

"You know perfectly well, yet you still dare to say that!"

"But justice cannot be eradicated; what they did was an invasion."

"When the time comes, won't it be the Konoha ninjas charging ahead? Do you think you can dodge them?"

"Then I refuse to carry out the mission."

"This isn't something you can just refuse. Do you still want to be Hokage?"

"Does a Hokage have to be recognized by the Daimyo to be considered a Hokage?"

Jiraiya felt a headache coming on, but during the debate, he couldn't help but be drawn to Naruto's words and uncontrollably began to think about those seemingly sophistry-like but actually very reasonable statements.

"Naruto! Do you want to become a rogue ninja?"

"Who is the real traitor?"

Naruto turned to look out the window. The hotel was located on the busiest commercial street, directly opposite a branch of the police station established by the government. Jiraiya had chosen this location to keep an eye on the movements of "suspicious individuals" in the commercial street and the police station, and now it had become the most compelling evidence.

"Would the gates of the government offices in the Land of Fire be so bustling?"

"...This only shows that 'Hui' is very approachable..."

"Then why don't the people get closer to the government of the Land of Fire? Wouldn't that gain them more popular support?" Naruto's tone was calm, without any hint of impulsiveness. He was simply stating the facts in a calm manner. "Or is it that they have already betrayed the people and therefore dare not?"

This time, Jiraiya fell silent and did not answer for a long time.

“Master, you have traveled to many places, so you are qualified to make an evaluation. If you were to find a place to spend your old age in peace, would you choose this place?”

"...Probably." Jiraiya smiled with relief. The child is grown up; you really can't control him anymore. If you try to interfere too much, you'll end up getting caught up in it yourself. Although he really wanted to deny it, the Konoha he remembered was also a warm and welcoming place, but too many of the people who brought him that warmth were gone, making it impossible for him to ignore his inner longing. Humans are realistic, and they also yearn for beauty. Even he, now, couldn't resist this place, let alone his future self.

"No wonder Tsunade said you're like a completely different person once you sit at the negotiating table. Those old fogies can't keep up with your pace at all and are completely fooled by you. I never thought you'd use that skill on me." Jiraiya vigorously messed up Naruto's hairstyle, ruffling his brilliant frizzy hair into a bird's nest.

"No way, I'm telling the truth..." Naruto said, but his mind was also saying the same thing, because his fragile head hadn't recovered quite yet, and all this commotion was really making him uncomfortable. As for Kurama, he'd been acting like a frightened bird lately, wanting to use his chakra to heal him whenever he bumped into something or had any problems. It took a lot of coaxing to prevent him from using the Nine-Tails' chakra under Jiraiya's nose.

"Because it's real, it's able to move people. You've used that very well." Jiraiya sighed helplessly, "Seriously, the pressure of teaching ninjutsu is already immense, and now I've been lectured instead. What can I possibly teach you in the future?"

“…Hmm, writing!” Naruto slammed his fist together as a flash of spiritual light appeared. He had only come to find the perverted sage to pick him up along the way, but now he remembered Jiraiya’s other identity.

Recently, Naruto has been preparing to summarize his real-world experiences into theoretical knowledge that can be used for various references. However, this is a task he has never done before and has absolutely no experience in. He used to need Shikamaru's help even to write a speech. Later, he forced himself to learn what to say in different situations, but that was his limit. He can review documents for three days and three nights without repeating himself, but writing articles, or even writing a book... that's truly a challenge for him.

Thinking about it carefully, very few people in Base One have actually done the work of publishing textbooks. Even if they did, they were for ninja children. The basic education materials they use now are all the essence gleaned from books from various countries; they are only responsible for summarizing them. If we're talking about who has the most experience in creating a book for the general public from scratch, wouldn't it be the Perverted Sage? Even in later generations, "Icha Icha Paradise" still has readers.

Of course, the editors in the propaganda department couldn't be overlooked either; they all had to work overtime. In the military, they were the vanguard, the main force, and the ones who knew best what people liked to watch.

"Huh? You want to learn writing?" Jiraiya thought that Naruto, who had just been waving the banner of rebellion, was about to say something earth-shattering, but the result was still unexpected.

"Mhm." Naruto nodded very sincerely. "Information passed down by word of mouth is not fast enough and it is easy to be misrepresented. Written text is more reliable and faster."

Jiraiya's expression turned somewhat shocked. He finally understood. This kid not only "rebelled" himself, but he also wanted to lead a group of people to "rebellion"! What if this kind of book was actually written? What if they traced it back to him through that piece of crap first draft!

However, Naruto defeated him with his expectant eyes and repeated calls of "Master".

“I can teach you, but… I need to see if you have the talent.” Jiraiya’s hand never left his forehead. Dealing with Naruto was much more difficult than fighting! But he didn’t want to compromise yet. After all, it concerned this brat’s life. If he really helped create an organization like ‘Hui’… it didn’t seem like a problem. This kid’s Flying Thunder God Technique was a great escape tool.

No, we can't let ourselves be led by the nose so easily. We have to work on it!

Jiraiya unabashedly pulled out a "book" with a dark green cover. "This is the manuscript for the third part of 'Icha Icha Paradise.' There's still a part that's not finished. After you finish reading it, try writing a chapter. If you pass my review, I'll teach you!"

"Alright, the lecherous immortal is the best!"

"Damn it! Call me Master!"

And so, the future sun embarked on a path of no return.

What does it mean to be "probably" convinced? The report should use precise adjectives!

"...Well, uh, I hinted a little about my goals to him. Don't worry, the Perverted Immortal is definitely on our side!"

Are you really not afraid of being killed on the spot?

"Master would never do that!"

"Sigh, whatever, I can't control you. Go cry when you get sold out, then I'll definitely laugh at you mercilessly."

"That day will never come, believe me."