Chapter 485 Time To Wrap Things Up

Some things, when you're busy, get buried in the back of your mind. But one day, unexpectedly, they resurface and become impossible to ignore.

Ino was pinned on the couch, and the two were kissing passionately.

The faint rustling noises could even be heard from the kitchen. Kurama, who had just climbed back from the balcony, was trembling with fear. He bravely stretched out his head and took a look inside through the glass.

'Eh! Even a dog wouldn't want to watch this!'

Kurama trembled and cautiously retreated from the balcony, then jumped directly down from the second floor. With a few swift bounds, he disappeared around the street corner.

'I came back at the wrong time. If I were discovered, I would probably have my legs broken.'

'Survival first, better to flee quickly.'

Naruto didn't notice that the Kurama guy had returned, and was currently 'studying' with Ino on the couch, intimately close. Things were getting heated.

After a while, Ino, feeling a little overwhelmed, pushed him away and straightened her disheveled clothes. Blushing, she bit her lower lip and complained, "Can't you keep your hands to yourself?"

"I can, if you…" Naruto lazily stood up, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and smiled playfully.

"Ugh! Go to hell, Uzumaki Naruto!" Ino threw a cushion at him, patted her clothes and stood up, "I'm leaving."

"You're leaving just like that?" He asked.

"What else?" Ino stood in front of him, looking up at him, "Then what do you want to do?"

"Nothing." Naruto honestly didn't want to argue with Ino. After all, they had just kissed, and he had gotten a little extra benefit from it.

'Forget it, according to Ino's personality, today is probably the furthest we'd go today. If I kept pushing on it, she might get really angry.

"Then I'll walk you back? How about that?"

"No need, I can go back on my own." " She quickly ran to the entryway, hurriedly put on her shoes, and stuck out her tongue at Naruto, "Bleh! Bye!"

With a bang, the door shut closed, leaving Naruto standing there, dumbfounded.

After standing in a daze for a while, he finally snapped out of it, 'Oh, the girl was still youthful and bright, well… she was still eighteen years old.'

Ino set the fire and ran away, and Naruto didn't dare chase her, 'She was great at everything except running, and now she even had this mischievous side to her.'

Naruto lingered in the living room for a while longer before leisurely heading to the kitchen for a glass of ice water. thoughts wandered to Jiraiya, wondering what his mentor was up to right now.

'It was about time to wrap things up and head over to the Land of Rain.'

Holding the cup, he walked over to the balcony, gazing at the lush greenery below, then his eyes narrowed slightly.

After spending so much time away on missions, he naturally wanted to stay in Konoha for a while. There were two main things he needs to solve right now: First, the communication system, which would require keeping Ino busy.

Second was dealing with Danzo and Root. The situation had dragged on long enough, and he felt that the time was ripe for Root's total dismantling. Naruto figured he could serve as the catalyst.

But this matter is more complicated. Killing Danzo wouldn't be too hard. The tricky part was eliminating his influence, which would require some underhanded tactics.

Root was probably well-versed in such methods, but they'd never imagine the tables turning on them, especially from a blond Shinobi holding grudges for six years.

They say revenge is best served cold, and Naruto didn't mind waiting a few more years. Unfortunately, Tsunade couldn't bear it anymore. She didn't want to play the game any longer, and she wanted Danzo toppled immediately.

Even if it meant both she and the two elder Advisors would also step down together, Tsunade didn't care. After all, being Hokage wasn't her passion, and having fun was what she did best.

Naruto didn't plan to challenge her on this, so he just decided to just accept whatever Tsunade said.

Once the village's affairs were sorted, he'd have to resolve the situation between Ino and Hinata. At the very least, he needed to find a balance, and the things that need to be done should be put on the agenda.

First, he'd get things started, then work on resolving them later. If worse came to worst, he could stick to the old method… keep them far apart so they couldn't reach each other. In the end, if necessary, he'd just take one of them out of Konoha.

However, this approach had its own complications, so he felt it's better to think it through more carefully in the future.

Then there were matters outside the village. He needed to visit both the Land of Snow and the Land of Whirlpools. The Land of Snow was his final stronghold, a place where stability had to be ensured.

So if anything ever went wrong, he would still have a secure retreat.

As for the Land of Whirlpools... Well, it wouldn't hurt to check it out. There was something hidden beneath that altar. And Naruto wouldn't leave empty-handed if there was something valuable.

His thoughts became complicated, and he decided to focus on the practical ones for now.

On the other side, Jiraiya was still on his intelligence-gathering mission.

In a small market town on the border of the Land of Demons, the lights in the love shop were dim. A blonde woman in pink clothes had tears in her eyes and spoke to Jiraiya in grievance, "Sir, stop groping me, have a drink instead."

"What are you talking about?" Jiraiya coughed, then put on a serious face, "Aren't we already drinking? Where are you going?"

"Could you add a little more, sir? Please." The woman pleaded.

"More money? How can you say that to a customer?" Jiraiya, half-drunk, didn't stop his wandering hands. As he enjoyed himself, he casually gathered information.

This was his usual strategy for collecting intelligence… posing as a familiar face in seedy places, gathering tidbits while appearing to be just another drunkard. Since he looked like an ordinary perverted old man, no one took him seriously.

Whenever he got a useful piece of information, he'd move on to the next place.

Jiraiya was a seasoned pro at this, so his actions quick and unnoticed. Even if his appearance was too conspicuous, his smooth style of intelligence gathering made it nearly impossible for anyone to track him down.

Recently, his sleuthing had indeed unearthed some key pieces of information.

Ever since the incident in the Land of Rain, Jiraiya learned that two out of his three treasured disciples had survived, and one had perished. This had spared him a lot of trouble. The leader of the Akatsuki had been taken down by his master, and the organization had automatically disbanded.

However, Itachi seemed to have his own agenda. He had been wandering between the island countries with Kisame. Jiraiya speculated that Itachi's real target might be Sasuke.

He sent this information back to Konoha, and when Tsunade received it, she raised an eyebrow and passed it on to the relevant higher-ups. They read it and simply stamped it with 'Noted'.

This was the monotonous routine of the intelligence master Jiraiya: submitting all kinds of messy information from outside to Konoha according to their importance, big or small.

Konoha would then allocate funds for activities, and Jiraiya would use this 'public expense' to gather more intelligence. As the mobile scout for the Land of Fire, he had dedicated his life to the Will of Fire.

After all, being Sandaime's disciple, the influence of the Will of Fire was deeply ingrained in him. Despite his carefree demeanor, deep down, Jiraiya always put the village first.

Naruto, on the other hand, was different. In his heart, the village ranked at the very bottom. As for its exact place? Well, it came after even Kurama.

As Naruto thought about this, he unknowingly finished a glass of water.

Suddenly, he remembered Ino again, and the feeling of their kiss… it was intoxicating. He frowned as he thought about it, a fire simmering in his chest, 'Today was probably going to be a waste.'