Chap.97 Fried eyes

Tony could almost guess what the mission was going to consist of, as he appeared at the moment he found out that Jiraiya had left the village and was on his way to his death.

[Mission: God is looking down on you with arrogance, so... poke his eyes out and fry them in oil!]

[Task: Nagato has been led by the nose from the start and traumatized by the death of his friend, lives using borrowed power that doesn't belong to him and is now preparing for a big move against Konoha in advance, due to the pressure resulting from his organization's information being compromised. Killing Jiraiya will only harden his resolve and that of those who follow him. A god? He's just a child delirious at the prospect of fulfilling a beautiful dream, it's time to wake him up].

-Obtain for yourself or destroy the Rinnegan (Uncompleted).

[Reward: Release of wood (edible) + Grimoire of food (Black Clover) + ????.]

[Penalty for failure: Jiraiya's death (unavoidable) + Attack on Konoha happens, causing thousands of dead and immeasurable damage + ????.]

Okay, it looks like he won't have to save Jiraiya, at least, not actively.

-System, why is there a penalty? There was nothing like this before! -before adding- And the name of the mission this time is grotesque.

[Responding to the host. Although it is called a penalty, in reality it would only be the "original" course of things resuming their course. In other circumstances there were too many variables, but in this particular situation, it is a given that if there is no success, happen as described].

-I see... Why is it remarked that the release of wood will be edible? The wood cannot be digested because of the cellulose it contains, did you make a mistake?

[There is no mistake. The wood release provided by the System refers to a specific wood called Yacaratiá, the only one in the world that has no cellulose and is therefore edible. It contains 90% moisture and once cut, it rots quickly if not treated in a special way within 24 hours].

-Are you sure it won't be a problem? -I still can't believe that the wood could actually be edible.

[The system would not provide anything harmful to the host! This edible wood is suitable for coeliacs, it contains minerals that help the physiology of the human body, it has a certain magnesium content that helps the muscular system, potassium favors the functioning of the cardiovascular system, calcium helps the bones and fiber is useful for the intestinal function. Besides, the flavor is changeable since each Yacaratiá is different].

Even after reading all the information, it wasn't something Tony found desirable really. Since the wood rots so quickly, it means he can't build anything with that wood to last beyond a day. Frankly, getting the normal wood release would be much more useful and appealing than this very rare edible variant.

This was one of the few occasions when I preferred to get something non-edible.

-Tsunade, I'm leaving for Amegakure immediately! -Tony told her confidently.

Tsunade meant that it wasn't necessary, after all, as Jiraiya's partner since young she knows the level of strength he has as a Sannin. But it was also true that Jiraiya's move could stir the situation to a point of no return, all due to the Pervert Sage's deception coupled with his carelessness due to the large amount of paperwork he has been overseeing lately in preparation for Pain's attack.

-Do you need reinforcements? -I was hoping to get Jiraiya back before he did something crazy, but Tony's priority was never that pervert.

-No," Tony denied, though he could sound arrogant, taking people with him would only slow him down too much on this occasion, "I'll stop by the house to pick up Fenrir and leave right away. But if I need you to make it an official mission, maybe then, Jiraiya will give in to his stubborn intent.

What he really wanted was the "Hokage's order" so that if later, Jiraiya shows up during his confrontation with Nagato, he would have some way to suppress it. After all, he was a Konoha ninja who once threatened to kill Tsunade if he ever betrayed the village, so that order should keep him in his place like a good trained dog.

If he insisted on meddling and doing things his way... he'll just pretend to retreat, let his downfall occur and then resume the fight as if he never showed up. He could say he died in combat. Although his death would affect Tsunade, Naruto and others, he didn't have much closeness and he wasn't going to risk it for a person like him. He didn't deserve it.

For Tony, saving Jiraiya's life was only something convenient because he wanted to spare his acquaintances and friends anguish. Nothing more.

-Okay! -Tsunade took a blank scroll where she wrote everything quickly and stood up from her chair behind the Hokage's table, proclaiming while extending her hand with the freshly prepared scroll, "Tony Akimichi, as Hokage of Konoha, I command you: Handle the situation in Amegakure according to the circumstances as you see fit in your judgment, for the benefit of the village as the top priority! This is an S-ranked mission.

-Understood! -Tony made the formal gesture and checked the contents on the spot, making sure nothing annoying like giving priority to Jiraiya's life was mentioned. After nodding inwardly satisfied, he left the office without wasting any time and returned home to pick up Fenrir.

Another reason why he disliked the use of reverse summoning without warning, he could only be summoned by that method, even if his battle wolf was hiding in his shadow.

It seems Tayuya went out at some point and wasn't home, but Tony was able to meet his little sister and explained the situation as he prepared to leave.

-Should I make preparations for the attack? -Karin asked. They've had an emergency backpack prepared with everything they need for a while now.

-Wait for Tayuya to return and both of you stay alert. Use your ability as a sensor along with her infernal hearing and you should be able to act in time," nodded Tony, preferring them to be prepared in case something goes wrong, "While the mission I'll be doing should solve the problem, you never know what obstacles may arise along the way. I don't know what will happen if my target gets away.

-Okay, be careful.

Tony was about to walk out the door, when suddenly something occurred to him and he turned around.

-By any chance, do we have any branches in Amegakure or somewhere else in the Rain Country? -he asked Karin with doubt in his voice.

Given the current size of his business, it was impossible for him to manage everything by himself and from time to time, Karin would give him a hand and he also opened some branches in places he considered potential without asking her permission.

He now had so many branches that he wouldn't remember them all if he didn't consult the list of records.

-In fact, we have one in Amegakure for eight months now, but it has been performing ordinarily all this time -Karin thought about it for a moment and replied with a shrug.

When he means ordinary, he means that it has had a fairly normal turnover and if it wasn't for Tony's food having an original cost of zero, it would be closed by now.

-Well, that saves me a rushed trip," Tony sighed in relief and sat down at the dining room table, "Tell me where the store is located and its surroundings.