Chapter 283: Why Should Hard Work Be Undervalued?

"Shizune, go notify Jiraiya and tell him to come here. I need to discuss something with him."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Shizune hurried out to inform the Anbu, asking them to find Jiraiya and bring him over.

When the Anbu ninja found Jiraiya, he was in a daze, arms wrapped around a girl, his face covered in lipstick marks.

"...Yes, the Hokage-sama said it's urgent and wants you to come to the Hokage office immediately."

The Anbu ninja couldn't help but sweat a little. Every time they went looking for Jiraiya, they always found him in places that weren't exactly kid-friendly.

The frequency was way too high.

"Alright, *hic~* I'll be right there."

Jiraiya might enjoy his fun, but he knew when to draw the line.

As soon as he got the message, he pushed the girl away, wiped the drool from his mouth, and prepared to leave.

"Sir, you can't go yet."

To Jiraiya's surprise, the girl clung to his arm, reluctant to let him leave.

Anbu ninja: "....."

"Ahaha... Being too popular isn't always a good thing."

Jiraiya scratched his head and said to the girl in a helpless tone:

"Sweetheart, I've had a great time here, but I've got some urgent business to take care of. I can't keep the Hokage-sama waiting."

"Next time, I'll definitely come back to you."

"But, sir!"

The girl holding onto Jiraiya suddenly panicked:

"You haven't paid yet."

"Cough!!!"

The Anbu ninja standing nearby choked on his own breath.

The smile on Jiraiya's face slowly froze. His cheeks, already slightly red from drinking, turned completely crimson:

"I haven't paid yet?"

"Yeah."

The girl nodded quickly:

"Even though you're an important figure in the village, you still have to pay for your entertainment here. I can give you a discount, though..."

"No, no, no discount needed."

Jiraiya waved his hands frantically.

Are you kidding? Does Jiraiya need a discount when he's out having fun?

He just forgot to pay, that's all.

How could he ask for a discount on something like this?

After all, those people worked hard for their money. Asking for a discount would be like looking down on them.

After paying, Jiraiya, reeking of alcohol, scratched his head in frustration.

The reason? Ever since returning to the village, his expenses had been skyrocketing.

He'd invested a lot in Naruto, and with not taking on missions or writing books for a long time, his savings were starting to feel the strain.

Luckily, he had enough stashed away.

He didn't need to worry about running out of money anytime soon—unless Tsunade decided to extort him.

"Guess I need to take on some missions and earn some cash."

Jiraiya finally realized he might have been a bit too carefree lately.

Shaking his still-groggy head, Jiraiya followed an Anbu ninja to the Hokage's office.

As soon as he walked in, he was met with Tsunade's disgusted glare.

He hadn't even bothered to wipe off the lipstick and saliva marks on his face, and the smell...

The mix of sweat and alcohol made Tsunade want to kick him out immediately.

Unaware of his own state, Jiraiya casually walked toward Tsunade:

"Tsunade, what did you need me for?"

"Stop right there. If you come any closer, I'll beat you to a pulp."

Tsunade glared at him dangerously, slowly raising her hand and clenching her fist in front of Jiraiya's face as she scolded:

"You reek! Couldn't you at least wash up? And wipe that stuff off your face! If Naruto sees you like this, he'll throw a fit."

Jiraiya often left Naruto alone when he went out to have fun.

After it happened too many times, Naruto started to resent it.

"Uh... I'll go wash up as soon as I'm done here."

Only then did Jiraiya realize he probably did smell pretty bad.

Keeping Jiraiya at a distance, Tsunade said:

"I called you here because there's a very special and important mission for you."

"What mission?"

Jiraiya hadn't taken on any missions since returning to the village.

Regular missions didn't require his involvement, and since Tsunade became Hokage, most of the important village tasks were handled by Yan, leaving Jiraiya with nothing to do.

A mission to investigate the Akatsuki—a task that would take a lot of time but likely yield little results.

Yan couldn't handle it personally.

With Kumogakure Village seeking cooperation, Jiraiya became the most suitable candidate.

"Investigate the Akatsuki."

Tsunade's expression turned serious:

"You know what happened in the Land of Rain. Given your history with those three kids, I didn't involve you in that matter."

The Akatsuki may have gone into hiding, but their strength is nothing to scoff at.

They remain a major threat to the village and the entire shinobi world.

That's why Kumogakure Village sent people here, hoping to collaborate with us. Both villages will send teams to work together on this mission."

"After discussing it with Yan, we both agreed that you're the most suitable person for this task."

"When do I leave?"

A mission has come, and it's an important one—one that concerns the village and the entire shinobi world.

In an instant, Jiraiya, who had been drunk just moments ago, put on a serious face.

Finally, he looked somewhat presentable.

Tsunade nodded in satisfaction and tossed a scroll she had prepared earlier to Jiraiya:

"You can leave anytime. I'll send an Anbu squad to assist you. I'll keep you updated on the collaboration between our village and Kumogakure Village."

"Got it."

Jiraiya stuffed the scroll into his robe and turned to leave.

It had been a while since he last went on a mission, so he needed to make some preparations—mainly to say goodbye to Naruto. He didn't want to leave the kid with the bad memory of him disappearing without a word.

"Grandpa Jiraiya, you've been to *that* kind of place again, haven't you?"

When Jiraiya found Naruto, the boy was even more disgusted than Tsunade had been, pinching his nose and complaining, "You stink!"

"....."

You little brat, watch it, or I'll give you a beating!!

Feeling insulted, Jiraiya was tempted to give Naruto a stack of homework.

But considering the pile Naruto already had at home—enough to make him cry several times—he decided against it.

"Listen up, kid. Your Grandpa Jiraiya has an important mission and has to leave the village soon. After I'm gone, you need to take care of yourself, got it?"

Thanks to his and Tsunade's efforts, the villagers' hostility toward Naruto had lessened compared to before.

Although people still avoided him and he wasn't exactly popular, at least he wasn't in a situation where he couldn't buy food even with money.

Naruto could take care of himself, which allowed Jiraiya to leave with peace of mind and focus on the mission the village had entrusted to him.

"Is it really that important?"

Naruto was obviously reluctant to see Jiraiya go. Under Jiraiya's guidance, Naruto had become much more cheerful.

His ability to understand things had also improved significantly compared to the same period in the original story.

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