Chapter 84 – Plants vs. Zombies
Jiraiya was facing the greatest challenge of his life.
The skills he had spent decades mastering had been learned by someone else in mere days.
Easy-going as he was, this was simply zero fun.
Taiwan Novel Website ends your book-drought—t͜w͜k͜a͜n͜.c͜o͜m͜, super handy.
After shutting down, he chose to leave and keep gathering material.
Only that way could he feel warmth and joy again.
Naruto didn't bother stopping him.
He had already given up on the hidden achievement tied to Jiraiya anyway.
It's not like he could round up a few hundred burly men to enlighten the toad sage with philosophy and make him join a monastery.
"Naruto."
Looking at Hinata shooting arrows, Six Ears couldn't help saying, "I think she should stand farther away."
It was just too dangerous.
After taking Naruto's advice, Hinata seemed to have opened the door to a new world and become obsessed with archery.
From stationary targets at first to moving ones now.
More and more terrifying.
"It's fine, let her have fun."
"Of course you're fine—I'm the one being used as the target."
Six Ears shot Naruto a glare. "I'm your Summoned Beast, you know."
"Isn't that what Summoned Beasts are for?"
Spinning a crimson Rasengan, Naruto said matter-of-factly, "Even if I wanted to take your place, Hinata can't bear to aim at me."
You absolute dog!
Six Ears complained inwardly.
With that, it leapt aside, dodging one of Hinata's arrows.
Naruto sucked in a breath.
The feathered shaft plunged into the ground right in front of him.
Seeing that, Hinata stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
"Six Ears, stay farther away from me."
"…"
Six Ears gave a hollow laugh.
You mutt!
Naruto went back to playing with his Rasengan.
He had already mastered every variant of the Great Ball Rasengan.
Now he was adding Chakra natures.
Wind Release, Fire Release, Lightning Release.
Next he wanted to try Tornado Rasengan, Tai ChiRasengan, Black Rasengan, Vanishing Rasengan, and so on.
There was also the even trickier Great Spiraling Ring.
Technically it wasn't even a Rasengan derivative.
Time passed.
Without his two teammates—Sasuke and Sakura—Naruto felt a bit off.
But with Hinata around he didn't feel lonely.
After learning every main-house secret technique, the girl came over every day to shoot.
Naruto could see her archery improving at a terrifying speed.
A hundred hits out of a hundred was no longer enough to describe it.
A true sharpshooter.
Naruto was naturally delighted.
Only Six Ears shed tears alone.
It had no idea when its life as a living target would end.
A new day.
"Naruto, I've found a problem."
Six Ears looked grave. "Last night I sensed a ghost."
"?"
Naruto blinked.
Ghosts in this world?
We have to believe in science.
Besides, every soul is collected by the Six Paths Sage into the Pure Land; even if someone wanted to, they couldn't become a ghost.
"Were you overworking at night and hallucinating?"
"Impossible!"
Six Ears said firmly, "I'm the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku; ordinary genjutsu doesn't work on me."
Naruto rubbed his chin. "I'll keep you company tonight and take a look."
But he sat through the whole night and nothing happened.
"You really were just tired."
Naruto patted Six Ears' head and said earnestly, "If you don't restrain yourself when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old."
"…"
Six Ears was puzzled.
Was I really just tired?
It had only been seven female monkeys the night before last.
No, I have to investigate again.
Night.
The moon hung high.
Six Ears sat on a peach tree, waiting for something strange to happen.
A moment later a sound suddenly came.
It leapt up at once.
"A human? Isn't that… who was it again?"
Six Ears saw an extremely familiar face.
Danzo Shimura.
It remembered Naruto had scammed him out of a billion.
Had they been found out?
That shouldn't be.
Six Ears decided to stay put for now.
Danzo had been annoyed lately.
First he'd been scammed of a billion.
He had to make up for the loss, keeping the Shimura Clan and Root running ragged.
Then Orochimaru showed up.
Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Root to track him.
Back and forth.
Recently Root had been rising before the rooster, sleeping later than the dog, and working harder than an ox.
Danzo hadn't had a moment's rest.
Mainly he feared Hiruzen would hold him accountable.
Not that he was afraid, but the man was on his deathbed; Danzo didn't want conflict.
Once Orochimaru's plan succeeded, Konoha would be shaped however he wanted.
Then he could do whatever he pleased.
Danzo looked up and froze.
Naruto's plantation?
He knew what the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was doing.
Farming.
But Danzo was furious.
The endless peach trees reminded him of being scammed.
Infuriating!
He flung a Kunai straight away.
Sparks lit the night.
The end of the Kunai was tied with exploding tags.
Danzo wanted to blow up the whole grove.
He didn't care what Naruto thought; he only wanted to feel better.
A sudden gust of wind.
The Kunai reversed direction.
"Who?"
Danzo's face darkened; he slapped out a palm, Chakra forming a gust that sent the Kunai skyward.
Flames burst.
He saw Six Ears in front of him.
"I hate monkeys!"
Danzo exploded.
Peach trees plus macaque—his DNA was triggered.
He inhaled, Chakra turning into bullets that ripped through the air.
Six Ears' face darkened.
The old man was stronger.
But it couldn't let him destroy the grove.
Middle and index fingers together, it opened its mouth; swirling wind formed a cyclone that blocked the bullets.
Crisp clangs rang out.
Danzo froze for an instant.
A monkey had blocked his attack?
Seizing the chance, Six Ears flashed forward.
Paper-thin blades appeared on its hands.
Transparent as wind, one became two, two became three, three became five.
Countless winds, countless blades, shot toward Danzo.
Sharp as lightning flash.
Danzo's heart tightened; he leapt back.
But the next moment pain stabbed his head.
Another Six Ears appeared above him and kicked his skull without hesitation.
Danzo slammed into the ground.
With a boom his body vanished.
The ground was sliced into rolling dust.
Danzo's hands trembled, veins bulging on his face.
Careless—he'd actually been hit by a monkey.
"Wood Release—Spear of the Forest!"
Danzo's right arm ballooned into a colossal tree.
Branches and Roots whipped through the air like a gaping maw trying to swallow Six Ears.
I'm done for!
Six Ears saw darkness.
Images of its dozen wives flashed by.
A thunderous crash.
But the expected death didn't come.
A yellow earthen wall rose in front of it.
"Potato?"
Six Ears blinked.
Behind it countless sounds rang out.
Turning, it saw an unbelievable sight.
The planted peas raised their cannon barrels.
Red peppers swelled like firecrackers.
Sunflowers burst with balls of light… Naruto had finally returned to Konoha for a rest.
But the system's notification woke him.
[Congratulations, host, for unlocking the achievement "Plants vs. Zombies." You have earned one Common Gacha draw.]
Naruto: "???"