NABC Chapter 236: I worship myself.
Chapter 236: I worship myself.
Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, his gaze sweeping over the five Konoha youth elites standing before him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh, realizing that Konoha's new generation was almost grown into young adults.
"The core of this mission is to provide relief to the besieged Uzumaki Village. In addition, if conditions permit, we must bring a group of Uzumaki clan babies back to Konoha safely."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly, a pipe dangling from his lips.
Bringing the baby back was not simply out of compassion, but more so for the long-term future of Konoha.
With Mito Uzumaki's health deteriorating, Konoha urgently needs to finalize the selection of the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Even though the Uzumaki clan possesses an exceptionally long-lived bloodline.
However, the future of Konoha must not be gambled on one person's lifespan!
We must make thorough preparations in advance.
The Senju clan has long been completely integrated into Konoha, and it is difficult to find a suitable candidate within the clan to take on this responsibility. Therefore, they can only turn their attention to the Land of Whirlpools, with whom they share the same bloodline.
Upon hearing this, all five nodded immediately.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly swept his gaze over the crowd, and finally announced in a deep voice: "Manji will serve as the captain of this squad, and he will have full authority to make all decisions on the spot."
Do you have any objections?
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Manji, his tone carrying a hint of amusement and complete trust.
"I agree!"
Tsunade was the first to respond, then looked at Manji with a smile, her eyes full of approval.
He seems to agree with Manji being appointed as captain.
I agree.
Orochimaru nodded slightly, his expression calm.
In his view, among the five, only Wanci possessed both a charismatic personality that commanded respect and an intelligence that rivaled his own, making him the most suitable person to lead the team.
I second that.
Sakumo Hatake's words are concise and to the point.
Of the five, Manji is the strongest, and it is an ironclad rule in the ninja world that the strongest person should lead the team.
Only Jiraiya looked hesitant.
He still couldn't recall any memories related to Manji, and inevitably had some reservations, but seeing that the other three trusted Manji completely, he could only nod in agreement.
"I have no objection."
"All right."
Seeing this countless times, a sense of helplessness welled up in my heart.
It seems that he had portrayed himself as too perfect, which is why everyone trusted and admired him so much.
"In that case, let's set off."
Wanci took over as captain, and the five of them immediately packed up and set off.
The Land of Whirlpools.
After a night of travel and rough seas, the five-person team finally landed on the island and arrived at the war-torn Land of Whirlpools.
At this time, Uzushio Village had been sealed off by Kirigakure Village and various ninja clans, with numerous sentry posts and lurking dangers. The five of them could not approach rashly and could only find a place to stay nearby.
However, due to the war, the towns along the way were almost empty, and most of the hotels were closed.
After several moves, the five of them could only find temporary shelter in a Liudao Temple on the outskirts of the city.
Inside the Six Paths Temple
Wanci respectfully offered incense to the portrait of the Sage of Six Paths, holding several sticks of incense each time.
"May the Six Paths Immortals protect us; we will stay at the Immortal Temple for the time being."
"May we successfully complete our mission."
He spoke respectfully ten thousand times.
Then, looking at his portrait one by one, he bowed slightly, outwardly respectful but inwardly feeling somewhat uneasy.
Behind him, Sakumo Hatake, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya also respectfully offered incense and paid their respects to the Sage of Six Paths.
Even Orochimaru looked respectful and devout.
Wanci rubbed his temples after seeing this scene.
Just as the group finished offering incense and began chatting in front of the campfire...
Wanci suddenly noticed that there were several fresh oranges on the offering table at the Liudao Temple.
"666! Who was the mortal who placed these oranges? They even knew I like oranges. They deserve a reward."
Wanci stepped forward directly, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, immediately grabbed a few oranges, peeled them, and swallowed them one by one.
It's fine for people to eat their own offerings.
Soon, several oranges were eaten, leaving only one orange.
Wan Ci pondered for a moment, then glanced outside.
......
"Come on, everyone, have some oranges."
Ten thousand times, with a gentle pinch of the fingertips, the orange peel is broken open, and the golden orange segments release a sweet fragrance.
Wanci casually distributed orange segments to everyone, and finally stuffed the largest remaining segment into his mouth, chewing it heartily.
Everyone instinctively reached out and took it, their fingertips still carrying the faint fragrance of orange peel.
Tsunade took a bite, then suddenly raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Huh? Manji, you even brought oranges with you on your mission?"
Wan shook his head repeatedly, his tone unusually frank, and said truthfully, "I didn't bring it; I just took it from the altar."
"puff--"
Orochimaru almost spat out the orange segment he had just put in his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing twice before he managed to swallow it.
Jiraiya held the orange segment in mid-air, his eyes wide open like copper bells.
Sakumo Hatake paused, his hand holding the orange segment faltering, a look of disbelief on his face.
"Ten thousand times!"
Tsunade, hands on her hips, poked his arm, both amused and annoyed. "This is an offering for the Sage of Six Paths! How could you just take it like that? Did the Sage of Six Paths give his permission?"
Wanci shrugged nonchalantly, popped another segment of orange into his mouth, and mumbled, "He didn't say he disagreed."
Wanci: Kids, I have no objection.
The crowd was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.
The solemn atmosphere of the small temple was instantly dispelled by laughter, and everyone stopped being so reserved, happily peeling and eating oranges.
The group chatted and warmed themselves by the campfire.
Laughter and cheerful conversation filled the hall, creating an exceptionally harmonious atmosphere.
Jiraiya sat to the side, holding an untouched orange segment in his hand, a stiff smile on his face.
He couldn't join in the lively conversation, the witty banter, or the unspoken understanding among the others.
The people and things they were talking about were completely unfamiliar to him.
Throughout the journey, Wanci was always cheerful and warm-hearted, and he was very polite to him.
Jiraiya racked his brains, turning his memory upside down, but he couldn't recall ever knowing such a person, let alone having any interaction with them.
He felt a vague unease in his heart. After thinking it over, he could only attribute it to the mishap that happened when he was practicing immortal arts at Mount Myōboku last time, which caused him to lose this crucial part of his memory.
It seems that once this mission is over, I must immediately return to Mount Myōboku and ask the hermit Fukasaku for clarification.
What if I forget Orochimaru? Forget my adoptive father? Forget my grandfather Kakuzu? What will happen to these people?
That won't do!
The group spent the night at the Six Paths Temple.
The next day, Wanci immediately formulated a plan.
Open the map
"To be on the safe side, we will not split up but act together. We will first cooperate with the Uzumaki clan to repel the ninjas besieging Uzumaki Village from within and without, and then we will try to rescue the Uzumaki baby."
He explained it in detail ten thousand times.
Everyone nodded, indicating that they had no objections.