Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master!

Chapter 196 Tsunade: Nonsense! You're not allowed to go save Orochimaru!

Chapter 196 Tsunade: Nonsense! You're not allowed to go save Orochimaru!

early morning.

Training Ground No. 3, located on the north side of Konoha Village.

The three little ones were gathered under a large, leafy tree, looking rather bored.

Naruto sat cross-legged on the ground, occasionally complaining about something.

Sakura stood to the side with her hands on her hips, her brows furrowed.

Sasuke leaned against the tree trunk, his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking impatient.

"What's wrong with Kakashi-sensei?! He's late again!" Naruto complained, raising his voice.

"Yeah, right!" Sakura hummed softly, picking up the thread, "Kakashi-sensei is great in every way, except he's always so late, it's unbearable..."

Sasuke didn't speak, but his thin lips were tightly pressed together, clearly indicating that he wasn't in a good mood either.

After Jiraiya left Konoha to investigate intelligence elsewhere, Naruto returned to his daily life as a member of Team 7.

Under Kakashi's guidance, he diligently practiced ninjutsu in his spare time during his daily missions.

After waiting for a long time without seeing the teacher, the three of them began to complain.

"The sun's already high in the sky today, I hope he doesn't run into that lost old lady on the street again—." Naruto muttered, craning his neck to look towards the entrance of the training ground.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Hmph, even if we really encountered an old lady, it wouldn't take this long to help her cross the street, right? Kakashi-sensei must have been staying up all night watching 'Make-Out Paradise' again—"

Upon hearing Sakura's complaint, Naruto couldn't help but nod like a chick coughing at rice.

Sasuke gave a low hum, which was taken as agreement with the two of them.

Just as their dissatisfaction was growing, a familiar voice came from the forest path not far away.

"Sorry to keep you waiting—I'm sorry I'm late today."

"Kakashi-sensei, why are you always—"

Naruto looked up abruptly upon hearing the sound, turned around and was about to say something to the person, but when he saw the person's face clearly, he stopped talking abruptly.

Kakashi, leaning on his leg, slowly walked out from under the shade of the trees.

A large bruise was visible around his right eye, and half of his cheek was swollen and bruised, making him look like a ravenous monster.

"Whoa! Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong with you?!" Naruto exclaimed, almost doubting his own eyes.

Upon hearing Naruto's shout, Sakura and Sasuke noticed Kakashi's unusual behavior.

They rushed forward, their earlier dissatisfaction instantly turning into concern.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you injured? What happened?" Sakura asked anxiously, reaching out to check Kakashi's injuries.

Sasuke frowned and looked his teacher over: "Is it that serious? Should we go to the hospital first?"

Faced with the worried looks from the three students, Kakashi scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly and chuckled dryly, saying, "Ahaha, it was just a little accident. I tripped and fell when I woke up this morning."

"You tripped and fell?!"

"Who could fall and hurt themselves like this while sleeping?!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked Kakashi up and down at the injuries on his face, completely disbelieving his teacher's explanation.

Even the usually composed Sasuke raised an eyebrow and scoffed disapprovingly, "You're kidding."

Sakura bluntly exposed him, saying, "Kakashi-sensei, stop making up excuses! What really happened? We're not strangers."

Kakashi was speechless, left only by the students' barrage of questions. He could only awkwardly rub his nose and say, "Well—it's really nothing serious, everyone, don't worry."

He tried to gloss over the matter with vague answers, but Naruto and the other two wouldn't listen.

Under the three men's persistent questioning, a bead of cold sweat trickled down Kakashi's forehead.

He couldn't help but secretly lament his misfortune.

You can't exactly say you got beaten up and that's why you ended up like this!

If he were to lose face in front of the students, what would become of him, a dignified elite Jonin?

Thinking of this, Kakashi couldn't help but sigh, the scene that happened this morning flashing through his mind, still leaving him speechless.

He never expected that Obito would also be in the audience last night, and that he would witness him "bullying" Obito when he was a child.

But things turned out quite differently. Before dawn this morning, Obito stormed in and dragged the half-asleep Kakashi into that strange space without saying a word.

Immediately afterwards, he received a merciless beating.

Kakashi was too embarrassed to go all out, and only after being beaten black and blue did the disgruntled Obito snort and throw him back home.

Fortunately, the prediction was correct; Obito was just venting his anger and did not detain him like last time.

Kakashi's injuries look frightening, but they are all superficial wounds.

"Anyway, everyone don't worry, I'm really fine." Kakashi cleared his throat, deliberately changing the subject, "Ahem, um—"

"Isn't your task today to practice team tactics and coordination? Come on, let's get started."

"Yi-yi? Teacher, you're injured like this, what are you still training for?!"

Upon hearing this, Naruto exclaimed, "How about we take a day off first?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded in agreement. "Kakashi-sensei, why don't you go back and rest first—"

"No, no, I'm perfectly healthy!"

Kakashi quickly waved his hand, feigning nonchalance, and said, "See, I can still move, right? This little scratch is nothing. Come on, let's get to training." Before he finished speaking, a hearty laugh suddenly came from not far away: "Hahaha, you're all here!!"

Kakashi was taken aback. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall, white-haired figure striding towards him from the end of the road.

The person, wearing a bright red kimono jacket, smiled and waved from afar.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, hello there."

The newcomer greeted them loudly; it was Jiraiya.

Naruto's eyes lit up, and he lunged forward, shouting, "Perverted Sage! You're back!"

Jiraiya laughed heartily: "Yo! You brat, missed me?"

"Lord Jiraiya." Kakashi smiled, a rare sight, and waved in greeting. "When did you get back?"

"Just arrived in Konoha," Jiraiya replied with a smile. "I heard Naruto yelling and screaming as I was passing by, so I came to check it out."

Before he could finish speaking, he noticed the injury on Kakashi's face and was taken aback: "Hey, Kakashi, what happened to you?"

"Um—." Kakashi adjusted his headband, turning his face away a little embarrassedly, "I accidentally tripped and fell."

"Pfft—" Jiraiya almost couldn't hold back and burst out laughing on the spot. "You lie without even thinking! Falling down and turning yourself into a pig's head? That's such a lame excuse!"

Kakashi was both amused and exasperated: "Really. I accidentally fell down the stairs—well—never mind."

He quickly waved his hand, not wanting to continue the topic.

"Lord Jiraiya, enough about me. How did your reconnaissance go this time?"

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's smile faded slightly, and he nodded, saying, "You've gained quite a bit."

He didn't explain much, but instead turned to Naruto, put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and looked him up and down, "Let me see, have you been slacking off while I was away?"

"Hehe, I've been training really hard!" Naruto stood up straight and puffed out his chest when he saw Jiraiya scrutinizing him.

Sakura chuckled from the side, "Naruto's been practicing his new techniques like crazy every day! Look at him, Jiraiya-sama, he's so much more composed than before!"

Although Sasuke didn't speak, he nodded slightly in agreement.

Although he doesn't usually praise Naruto, the latter has indeed made significant progress recently.

Jiraiya carefully sensed the surging chakra fluctuations within Naruto's body and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, you didn't slack off after all."

"That's right!" Naruto scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

"Alright." Jiraiya nodded, then changed the subject, "Naruto, you, Sakura, and Sasuke continue your training. I have important information to report to Tsunade, so I won't disturb you any longer."

Although Naruto was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, he still nodded sensibly: "Okay! Perverted Sage, you can go ahead and get busy."

"Haha, goodbye." Jiraiya waved cheerfully.

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave.

She had only taken a few steps when, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back and glanced at Sasuke.

Sasuke was deep in thought when he noticed Jiraiya's gaze. He looked up and stared back at him, a hint of confusion in his dark eyes.

Jiraiya stared at him for a moment without saying a word, then quickly looked away.

Looking at Sasuke's slightly immature yet resolute face.

Jiraiya thought of Itachi's request and sighed silently.

Alas, the messy affairs of the Uchiha clan will ultimately have to be resolved by the brothers themselves.

Thinking of this, a helpless yet expectant smile involuntarily appeared on his face. He waved his hand and said loudly, "Then I'll go first. You guys train hard!"

After Team 7 saw Jiraiya off, the training ground fell silent again.

Naruto scratched his head, somewhat confused, and muttered, "Why was Jiraiya-sensei looking at Sasuke just now?"

Sasuke blushed upon hearing this, turned his head away, and scoffed, "Who knows?"

Sakura blinked, also feeling that what had just happened was a bit strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Kakashi stared thoughtfully in the direction Jiraiya had left, vaguely guessing what had happened.

But now is not the time to delve into that. He quickly snapped out of it, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, stop standing there! Let's start training."

"Oh!"

Naruto nodded vigorously, his previous unhappiness completely gone, and he was energized once again.

Konoha Village.

Inside the Hokage's office, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was listening intently to Jiraiya's report.

"...In short, that's how it is."

Jiraiya stood in front of his desk with his arms crossed, recounting his experiences over the past few days.

From his journey to the Land of Grass, to the perilous process of infiltrating Amegakure to gather intelligence, and to the various situations he witnessed, he told Tsunade everything without holding back.

When Tsunade heard that Jiraiya had sneaked into the Akatsuki's hideout alone, she couldn't help but gasp, her beautiful eyes flashing with a mixture of shock and anger.

Her slender fingers clenched into fists; clearly, she was quite frightened by Jiraiya's bold move.

"You lunatic!" Tsunade glared at him angrily. "Who told you to go to a place like that by yourself? You're incredibly reckless!"

Seeing her anger, Jiraiya quickly chuckled and waved his hands, "Don't be angry, don't be angry, everything's alright! Besides, the information is very important; we can't go without going ourselves—"

"Hmph!" Tsunade glared at him fiercely, barely suppressing her anger, and continued to ask, "And then? You just mentioned the Uchiha—...he said he's recovered?"

"That's right." Jiraiya nodded, his expression somewhat complicated. "I saw it with my own eyes. Itachi looks quite well now, and his movements are extremely agile. He doesn't look like someone who is seriously ill at all."

Tsunade looked on incredulously.

She personally diagnosed Itachi's illness, and she had recently spent a lot of energy trying to concoct a medicine to prolong Itachi's life. As a result, Jiraiya told him that Itachi's illness was gone.

"Is there anyone in the ninja world whose medical skills surpass mine?!"

"I knew you'd react the same way I did when you heard this news."

Jiraiya shook his head with a wry smile, "But no matter what the process was, the result is that Itachi has fully recovered."

"However, Tsunade, let's put this matter aside for now. Since Itachi's health is no longer a major concern, there's no need to rush."

Tsunade took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down:

"—Okay. What about other situations?"

"I've only found out a few basic facts about 'Pain,' and I haven't been able to meet him in person."

Jiraiya's expression turned serious. "However, I unexpectedly discovered something—Orochimaru has been captured by the Akatsuki."

"Orochimaru?" Upon hearing this name, Tsunade paused, a complex look flashing in her eyes.

After a moment, she snorted and said casually, "So what if he got caught? He brought it on himself."

Jiraiya stared at her, sighed deeply, and said in a deep voice, "Orochimaru betrayed the Akatsuki and fled back then, and now he's fallen into their hands again—those Akatsuki guys aren't exactly merciful. I'm worried about his situation."

Tsunade frowned upon hearing this, raising her eyes to meet Jiraiya's gaze: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Jiraiya met her sharp gaze and said, word by word, "I want to go and rescue Orochimaru."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's expression changed drastically: "You—what?!"

She stood up abruptly and slammed her hands on the desk, making the entire desk rattle.

"Are you insane, Jiraiya?!" Tsunade's almond-shaped eyes widened in fury. "Didn't you just say how dangerous the situation in Amegakure is right now? You barely managed to escape, do you really want to go back in?"

Faced with Tsunade's rebuke, Jiraiya remained solemn but did not back down: "Tsunade, I am well aware of the dangers of Amegakure. But Orochimaru—" he argued, "He is not entirely beyond redemption. You saw it yourself, in the last dream, Orochimaru—"

"Enough!" Tsunade interrupted him again, taking a few deep breaths, struggling to suppress her surging emotions, her voice trembling slightly: "In short, I won't allow you to do such a stupid thing!"

Rain-Hidden Village.

Inside the tower, in a dark corridor, Black Zetsu slowly emerged from the wall and walked towards the tightly closed wooden door at the end of the corridor.

He had just raised his dark hand to knock on the door when, with a cry of surprise, the door was pushed open from the inside.

A figure draped in a black robe strode out.

He was humming a cheerful tune and his steps were incredibly light.

"Hmph hmph hmph~"

Obito Uchiha hummed a tune as he stepped outside, only to be met with Black Zetsu waiting there.

He casually raised his hand in greeting: "Good morning."

Black proved to be a perfect match.

As Obito's long-term partner, he had almost never seen him so carefree.

"What good news has happened?" Black Zetsu couldn't help but ask in a low voice, his surprise evident in his words.

"Heh." Obito chuckled softly through his mask, without saying a word.

In fact, Obito was in a great mood.

The little incident in last night's dream was just a catalyst.

What truly pleased him was that he had finally gotten his wish this morning and taught Kakashi a good lesson.

He'd wanted to give Kakashi a good beating for a long time.

Although the two had fought in the Kamui dimension before, Kakashi managed to retaliate with a few moves.

They were evenly matched, and Obito didn't get enough of a beating.

But this morning was completely different: he was happily beating Kakashi.

Kakashi was completely overwhelmed and had no chance to fight back, which finally gave him a chance to vent his anger!

As expected, Kakashi was just lucky last time.

In terms of true strength, Kakashi is far inferior to him!

Thinking of this, Obito shook his clothes with a triumphant air, raised his chin, and strode out the door.

Outside, fine rain fell silently, enveloping the entire Rain Hidden Village.

But even the continuous rain could not dampen Obito's inner joy.

He took a deep breath of the air, thick with the scent of damp earth, and called out, "Let's go, let's set off!"

Kuro stared in despair at Obito's proud and strutting figure ahead, feeling utterly bewildered.

He followed silently, wondering to himself: What's wrong with Obito today? Did something wonderful happen last night that I don't know about?

Black Zetsu realized that he was finding it increasingly difficult to understand Obito.

Time passed and soon it was night.

Inside the tall tower of Yuyin Village.

With Konan's help, Nagato lay down on the bed, feeling somewhat uneasy.

The night wind seeped into the narrow, cold room through the cracks in the half-open window, and the flickering candlelight cast the silhouette of a thin figure beside the wheelchair.

Nagato lay quietly on the soft mattress, listening to Konan gently tidying up the utensils, but she couldn't relax at all.

Konan said softly, "Nagato, it's time to rest."

Nagato glanced at her close friend's concerned face, and a wave of gratitude and warmth welled up in her heart.

He forced a smile and said in a low voice, "Thank you for your trouble, Xiao Nan."

Xiao Nan shook her head slightly: "Get a good night's sleep. Goodnight."

After saying that, she stood up, reached out and turned off the bedside lamp, plunging the secret room into darkness.

Nagato lay quietly on the bed, listening to Konan gently close the door, his chest heaving involuntarily.

He closed his eyes, his mind still reeling from the chaotic thoughts that lingered for a long time.

Several days have passed since that bizarre dream.

In the past few days, he outwardly handled the various affairs of the Akatsuki in an orderly manner, but deep down he always had a heavy feeling.

On the one hand, he was very wary of those strange dreams that could silently pull people into them.

He was wary of the experience of falling into a dream without warning.

But on the other hand, he also secretly hoped to enter that dream again.

Because there, he could see his two most cherished companions.

There, they reunited and lived carefree, simple, and warm lives as before.

Even though he knew it was just a false dream, he still couldn't help but long to return to that world.

"Yahiko."

Nagato silently repeated the name in her heart, her feelings complex and contradictory.

Reason kept him wary of his dreams, but his emotions drove him to greedily yearn to touch that lost warmth again.

In the darkness, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

As her consciousness began to fade, the last thought that flashed through Nagato's mind was: I hope that tonight—I can go back to that dream.

After an unknown amount of time, Nagato felt her consciousness gradually awaken in the stillness.

He subconsciously opened his eyes, and a long-lost feeling of warmth immediately welled up in his heart.

What comes into view is the familiar wooden roof beams and a few simple little beds in the corner.

He did indeed return to that warm little cabin!

"I've come in again?"

Nagato murmured something, slowly sat up from the bed, and looked around.

The soft morning light streamed through the window, dispelling the gloom in the corners.

The air was filled with the scent of damp earth, mixed with a hint of lingering food aroma, which made one feel very at ease.

Nagato's breathing was trembling slightly.

He couldn't help but smile genuinely, his heart racing: He really did come in again!

The scene of reuniting with his companions in his last dream is still vivid in his mind, and the real and warm touch is unforgettable to this day.

Now that he's back here again, you can imagine how excited Nagato must be.

He rolled out of bed, feeling light and strong all over.

Looking down, I saw that my legs were perfectly intact, and I was no longer the weak person slumped in a wheelchair.

Just like last time, he regained his young and healthy body in his dream!

The room was quiet; it seemed that neither Konan nor Yahiko were inside.

However, in the silence, Nagato quickly caught a strange sound.

"—"

That was the sound of a blade cutting through the air, rhythmically coming from outside.