Chapter 598.Not Convinced? Come Hit Me Then

—Shahzaam, Jacob Mooe, kevin Williams, Jose Sierra, Pasang Sherpa, Acedia, kurtis newman, Nhoxious, Little Sand, sediaz, Targaryen, King Scales, Kurgarraz.

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Rubbing his face vigorously, Jiraiya looked at Shikaku with a glimmer of hope. "Can I... pass on this mission?"

Shikaku nearly let out a giggle. Fortunately, he held it in. He said nothing, simply gazing steadily at Jiraiya. After being stared at for two full minutes, Jiraiya finally threw in the towel.

"Fine, fine, I get it. Honestly... I just got back." Though extremely reluctant, he still accepted the mission. To be precise, he had no choice but to accept. Had this been a personal request from Shikaku, Jiraiya would never have agreed.

You want me to go? Go yourself! I just got back and barely started enjoying myself. Can’t you let me have a bit more fun?

Unfortunately, Shikaku had lied. With orders from the Hokage, no matter how unwilling or full of complaints, Jiraiya had no choice but to comply.

"Tell Kazuki when he gets back that after this mission, he owes me a good long stretch of freedom to enjoy myself!! Hmph." Shooting Shikaku a glare, Jiraiya departed, still slightly unsteady on his feet. Shikaku worried he might collapse right there on the road. Fortunately, Shikaku had no time to fret over Jiraiya; he had to worry about himself.

"Forget it. Better to get scolded than let things blow up." Sighing, Shikaku arranged for an Anbu squad to accompany Jiraiya and assist with minor tasks. They were also there to keep an eye on him, in case he actually passed out by the roadside or, halfway through, decided to ditch the mission.

Don’t doubt it – Jiraiya was perfectly capable of such things. He’d improved a lot, but during the Third Hokage’s tenure, the man had been utterly lawless, running all over the world in search of Orochimaru. It was lucky it had been the Third Hokage. Had it been Kazuki, he would have snapped his neck and dragged his body back.

"What a pain... Ahh, I just want to find somewhere to sleep." Staggering out of the village, Jiraiya felt he could fall asleep face-first on the ground. The Anbu squad trailing behind watched his unsteady gait with worried eyes, afraid this village heavyweight might take a spectacular tumble – the kind where you end up eating dirt.

Damn it, I forgot to remind him.

Having successfully hoodwinked Jiraiya into taking the mission, Shikaku suddenly realized he’d forgotten to tell him to return immediately after completing the task. Knowing Jiraiya’s personality, he’d likely find someplace to have fun instead. "Kakashi, go catch up to him immediately. Remind Lord Jiraiya that the Hokage has ordered him to return to the village as soon as his mission is complete. He is not to linger outside the village, nor go wandering off."

Why do I always get stuck with these ridiculous tasks?

After a moment of silence, Kakashi obediently accepted the order and left the village to catch up with Jiraiya. It didn’t take him long to locate the man – sprawled out on the grass, snoring away.

"Sir." The hidden Anbu squad emerged upon seeing Kakashi and offered a respectful salute.

"Continue your assignment. I’ve also been dispatched with orders. Once Lord Jiraiya wakes and completes his mission, I’ll return to the village immediately." Kakashi gestured, and the squad members faded back into the shadows. Jiraiya was asleep, so all Kakashi could do was wait.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Jiraiya finally stirred. "Ahh, that’s the stuff." Waking naturally, he sat up and stretched contentedly. Only then did he notice the figure standing nearby. Squinting, he saw it was Kakashi. The alertness that had instantly flared within him subsided. Grumbling, he called out,

"Kakashi, got any water on you?" Kakashi silently unhooked his canteen and handed it over. Jiraiya gulped down several mouthfuls, then slowly got to his feet. With his hands on his lower back, he twisted left and right, loosening his joints, complaining all the while. "Ahh, getting old is such a hassle. If I don’t stretch these old bones, I feel stiff as a board." Then he added, "So, what do you need from me?"

"The Hokage has issued orders. Upon completing your mission, you are to return to the village immediately. You are not to linger outside, nor wander around. Otherwise, he will personally come looking for you," Kakashi relayed Shikaku’s words verbatim, with a little extra seasoning thrown in.

Whatever you do, don’t go running off, or the Hokage will have no choice but to personally track you down. And I can’t guarantee what’ll happen then.

The smile on Jiraiya’s face froze solid. After a long moment, he snapped out of it and cursed, "That damn Kazuki! Of course he’d have his eye on me! Wait, there are plenty of people in the Leaf Village, so why’s he watching me?!"

Jiraiya had been planning to have some fun after finishing the mission. Now, those plans were dead. If he didn’t return after completing the task, Kazuki would personally come after him. And then... hiss... Recalling Kazuki’s methods of dealing with people, Jiraiya decided it was best to be obedient – dutifully carry out the mission, then honestly return to the village. If he wanted to have fun, he could have fun inside the village. Absolutely no wandering off, or the consequences would be severe.

"Got it. You can head back now. I’m off." Waving dejectedly at Kakashi, Jiraiya hunched his shoulders and set off to find the Third Hokage.

At this moment, Kazuki was completely unaware that Shikaku and Kakashi had been using his name to intimidate Jiraiya. He was currently on his way back to the village.

In the Land of Iron, Tsunade had returned to familiar territory with Shizune and Naruto in tow. Why had they come back to the Land of Iron? Shizune couldn’t fathom it. Naruto, looking as if his very bones had been extracted, trailed listlessly behind Tsunade. He had absolutely no desire to continue wandering with her. He wanted to go home – back to the village to see Jiraiya, and to see his beloved Sakura. The image of Sakura’s face surfaced in his mind, and before he knew it, pathetic tears of longing were trickling from the corner of his mouth. Walking ahead, Tsunade sensed something was amiss. She glanced back, and her forehead instantly creased with black lines. Raising her hand, she gave Naruto a solid whack on the head.

"OWW!!"

"Wipe your mouth, your drool’s about to hit the ground. Look at you, so utterly hopeless. You’re exactly like Jiraiya," Tsunade snapped.

"Lady Hokage, why’d you hit me?!" Naruto clutched his forehead, feeling a lump rapidly swelling beneath his palm. Tsunade had definitely put some force into that one.

"Because I felt like it," Tsunade replied with a smirk, raising an eyebrow. "Don’t like it? Then come hit me back." She leaned her head forward, taunting him to take a swing if he dared.

"I..." In all honesty, Naruto desperately wanted to give Tsunade a resounding smack. But he didn’t dare. He could only retreat, shouting in frustration, "SO ANNOYING!!!"

"Heh heh heh!!!" Having successfully teased Naruto, Tsunade laughed with glee.