That night, Yōkō, wearing his mask, went to places like izakayas and bathhouses to spread rumors.
Drunk people, dizzy and unfocused, were the easiest to control with genjutsu.
In the Konoha Military Police Force, six out of ten crimes used the excuse of losing control after drinking. Life was too hard, and they could only numb themselves with alcohol.
"Did you hear? One of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, has finally returned to the village."
"Returned? Where was he before? Was he on some secret mission?"
"He wasn't seen in the Land of Whirlpools war. Did he not participate? It seems like no one has seen Jiraiya for nearly three years."
"I heard he was defeated by Hanzo and stayed in the Land of Rain to train ninja for him."
"Bullshit! How could Lord Jiraiya be defeated by Hanzo? And why would he train Rain ninja?"
"Bullshit! What I heard is that Jiraiya has become the principal of the Hidden Rain Village's Ninja Academy!"
The rumors grew more and more outrageous.
In the rumors, being a rogue ninja was the lightest of Jiraiya's crimes.
He had disappeared from both the Land of Rivers and Land of Whirlpools battlefields during the Second Great Ninja War.
The disappearance of such an important and famous ninja indeed confused the villagers and ordinary shinobi.
Mount Myōboku
Jiraiya half-lay against a rock, a low table in front of him crowded with sake bottles.
Looking at the despondent Jiraiya, Elder Fukasaku said, "Jiraiya, cheer up. Sarutobi Hiruzen will definitely manage the fallout from these rumors. A few rumors are nothing to the Hokage."
If Yōkō stopped spreading them, the rumors would, of course, die down quickly.
By creating another hot topic, public attention would naturally shift to the new focus. The scandal involving the Sarutobi clan's playboy, Sarutobi Hiroyasu, refusing to marry a widow from the Nara clan, soon overshadowed the rumors about Jiraiya.
Jiraiya said, "I know. The teacher has already assigned Fox from the Anbu to handle the rumor incident. Fox... Fox is an elite Anbu squad leader. He'll resolve the rumors quickly."
"I despise the Anbu's methods, yet now I have to rely on them to help me."
Elder Fukasaku said, "Jiraiya, you still need to continue searching for the Child of Prophecy that the Great Toad Sage spoke of."
"This little setback is nothing. Finding and nurturing the Child of Prophecy who will change the shinobi world is the key."
"This is the understanding between Mount Myōboku and Sarutobi Hiruzen: Mount Myōboku helps Konoha in battle, and you, from Konoha, help us find the Child of Prophecy."
"We share some responsibility for you staying in the Land of Rain for nearly three years. Our apologies."
"After the rumors die down, why not search for the Child of Prophecy within Konoha?"
"In the Great Toad Sage's new prophecy, the future of the shinobi world has grown even darker. He doesn't know what went wrong."
"We need the Child of Prophecy now more than ever."
Jiraiya sighed and said:
"I plan to leave Konoha. I can't stay in the village for now. Perhaps only the next war will completely restore my reputation."
"I've heard there are a few geniuses in Konoha, but I won't be assessing them for now."
At the Ninja Academy, Namikaze Minato, who was due to graduate in half a year, had no idea his destiny had completely changed.
The full moon hung like a silver plate.
This was the last full moon night of Konoha Year 40.
The New Year was in fifteen days.
Yōkō, wearing a face mask and carrying a bag of dango, entered the Tsurugetsu Izakaya.
Yuka, the employee hired by Kyōi, finished wiping a table and said with a smile, "Mr. Kōji, you're back!"
Yuka was an orphan with no chakra talent. She couldn't attend the Ninja Academy and had been working odd jobs in the village.
"Yeah, I'm back."
Yuka had been working at the izakaya for over a month but had rarely seen the male owner, Mr. Kōji.
Mr. Kōji often left the village on missions.
Yōkō went to the backyard to check on Kyōi.
Since becoming pregnant, Kyōi's face had softened considerably.
Her past in Iwagakure, the pressure of being a spy... all of it seemed to have left her.
Seeing Kōji had brought back her favorite dango, Kyōi smiled happily.
Yōkō chatted with Kyōi for a while, then took out 1 million Ryo, telling her not to worry about money as he could earn it by doing missions.
That night, Yōkō went to the Anbu base.
He went to the scroll cabinet and found the scroll detailing Konoha's defense arrangements.
Unrolling the scroll, Yōkō saw the defenses of the Hokage Building.
Now that he had the Ephemeral Technique, it was time to go to the Hokage Building and take a look at the Scroll of Seals!
The Scroll of Seals contained all S-Rank Forbidden Jutsu. Apart from the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, learning any one of them would be a huge windfall.
Yōkō frowned as he read a piece of intelligence: the Second Hokage had set up a detection barrier within the Hokage Building.
The fact that the Scroll of Seals was kept in the Hokage Building and not the Sarutobi clan compound suggested the Hokage Building's defenses were far stronger.
After studying the scroll for a while, Yōkō summoned Purple Cat.
He wanted to see if the Fox Squad had recently undertaken any guard missions at the Hokage Building.
Perhaps the mission reports contained more up-to-date intelligence.
Purple Cat entered Yōkō's office.
Yōkō pulled Purple Cat into his arms, having her sit on his lap. His hands had just begun to wander when Purple Cat grabbed his wrists.
A sudden sense of foreboding rose within him.
Huh?
Purple Cat took off her mask. Underneath, her fair complexion seemed exceptionally pale against her light blonde hair.
Like a kitten rolling over to expose its soft belly, Purple Cat had shed her disguise.
She also removed Yōkō's mask, seeing the face mask he wore underneath.
Pressing her forehead against his, Yamanaka Ruri said, "I'm pregnant..."
Yōkō could no longer focus on studying the Hokage Building's defenses, staring at Yamanaka Ruri in shock.
Yōkō took off his face mask and kissed Purple Cat's soft lips.
"Ruri, don't overwork yourself around the New Year. Get plenty of rest."
Purple Cat held Yōkō's handsome face, studying it carefully.
In the gloomy underground Anbu base, the two young people leaned against each other.
War, death, injury... these cruel things were held at bay by this warmth.
"Ruri, I'll have White Ram temporarily act as my assistant."
"No need," Yamanaka Ruri said. "I'm a kunoichi. Even pregnant, handling simple scrolls and documents is no problem."
"It's just... I can't follow you on missions outside the village anymore."
Yōkō said, "Next year, I'll reduce the number of long-term missions outside the village and spend more time with you."
He mentally added a 'you all' to that thought.
A strong wave of worry suddenly washed over him. All his women were pregnant? What was he supposed to do?
Couldn't you have spaced it out, made a schedule? I need an outlet for this raging fire!
Purple Cat's face suddenly turned red. "Fox, I heard... it's fine after three months. It's only been a month and a half now... you'll need to hold on for another month and a half..."
Yōkō said, "I knew you couldn't hold back either. But your health and the baby come first."
Yamanaka Ruri had the care of the Yamanaka clan, so it shouldn't be a big issue.
A cold glint suddenly flashed in Yōkō's eyes. White Crane, Yamanaka Ryuu, is trouble. I need to be careful around her.
The two chatted for a bit longer, then Yōkō began reading the squad's mission reports.
Recently, the Fox Squad had not been assigned any guard missions at the Hokage Building.
The security of the Hokage Building was primarily handled by the Black Ant and Golden Eagle Squads.
The Fox Squad was now the Anbu's top combat unit. Whenever elite jōnin or even Kage-level enemies appeared, Yellow Dog always thought of the Fox Squad.
The full moon night had just passed. Yōkō decided to make his move on the Hokage Building before the next full moon, around the 14th of the first month next year.
After leaving the Anbu, Yōkō thought, I'll go see Little Six. Surely she won't reject me too.
He used the Ephemeral Technique to sneak near the orphanage, then used the Body Flicker Technique to enter.
***
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(Chapter End)