bookbashuk Chapter 229 Difficulty in Finding a Job
Chapter 229 Difficulty in Finding a Job
A group chat of five people:
Naruto: [Working at the grassroots level is definitely the hardest thing to do...]
Izuna: "I thought you already knew."
Naruto: [I know, but there are just too many people. It's really... um.]
Izuna: 〖Who told you not to accept a mission beforehand? You knew they'd probably come after you.〗
Naruto: "This is Hui's first time hosting an event open to the public, so it's not wrong for me to personally oversee it, is it? Don't think I didn't see you all showing up at the beginning!"
Tobirama: "I'm just curious whether that dance will be accepted by the public."
Izuna: 〖What? Do you have a problem with my taste?〗
Fugaku: [Persuading the dancers is a huge undertaking...]
Hashirama: "In the end, only children who truly love dancing remain. Isn't that a happy ending for everyone? Hahahaha!"
Naruto: [I also thought the last dance was great, and the audience response was really good. It seems that for promotional purposes, you really need something more impactful...]
Fugaku: "You should really think about your closing remarks first. Have you even written a single word? At least write a draft for us to see. Are you planning to improvise for such an important occasion?"
Naruto: 〖…Oh dear, Sasuke brought me food. I'm going to eat now.〗
Tobirama: "You have to write this tonight! I refuse to believe you can find the time in the next few days!"
The person who said he was going to eat was indeed eating, and Sasuke was temporarily taking over his duties. Naruto wasn't comfortable leaving Sasuke, who was his age, running around in the hall alone, so he secretly placed a clone nearby to watch over him. Sasuke said he needed to rest for two hours before continuing, and he couldn't go in person; however, since the clone had been discovered, he shouldn't be too angry to be appeased.
Seeing a table full of fragrant breakfast this morning actually brought back a feeling of nostalgia. Back in Konoha, they would take turns making breakfast. I often worked late into the night and didn't get up very often, so Sasuke usually did it. How long has it been since he'd enjoyed waking up to a meal? It's only been a year since we separated, and I already miss it a little.
However, there are still two years before everything officially begins! These days are too hard to bear. Should we speed things up? But this isn't something Naruto can decide. Akatsuki's development has already begun to affect the regional situation. Fewer battles are being fought, and Akatsuki's money is harder to earn. They might even have to postpone saving up war funds! He knows that the Fourth Shinobi World War is inevitable. Even without Akatsuki's maneuvering among the Five Great Nations, the growing fighting power of each nation will make the Daimyo uneasy.
They need the benefits of war, and they also need to withstand the heavy casualties. Preventing ninjas from leaving the war was a consensus among the five daimyo.
After the Fourth Shinobi World War, the ninja suffered heavy losses and began seeking a more peaceful way of coexisting. The initial opposition from the Daimyo was not significant; they underestimated the ninja's resilience and the determination of the various ninja villages to maintain peace. Everything remained peaceful until Kakashi's urbanization plan was submitted to the higher authorities, at which point a fierce backlash began.
First, mainstream newspapers started telling some stories from the past. Heroes certainly deserve to be remembered, but it's a bit inappropriate for war heroes to have fought in their own country's ninja villages in other countries, especially those from the first three Shinobi World Wars!
Then came smaller-scale conflicts, such as when the attacking and defending sides deliberately hired ninjas from two major powers, and the conflicting missions caused friction between them. Fortunately, communication technology at that time had made breakthroughs, and the five great ninja villages did not hide their problems and distrust each other as they had in the past. Instead, they put the issues out in the open and specifically asked Naruto Uzumaki to witness this meeting that would determine the future.
He was a witness and the most trusted guarantor for all parties. When all the evidence was laid out, they had to face the cruelest truth.
Someone is systematically and extensively instigating a war between ninjas.
At that time, they couldn't confirm the identity of the mastermind behind it all, or perhaps the young Naruto Uzumaki hadn't grasped the truth from the Five Kage's silence. He only knew that the Ninja Alliance had established a mission communication system. Upon receiving a conflicting mission, they would first gather intelligence, verify the information, and use the Alliance's agreements as a standard to determine which side they were helping. From then on, this conspiracy against the ninjas gradually disappeared.
Now, after a decade or so of recuperation for the ninjas, newspapers are already digging up "heroic deeds" of ninjas from other countries. It's the exact same old formula, without any variation. So, what's the next step? Should we support a few smaller nations, having them hire ninjas from the five nations while they fight amongst themselves?
He didn't want to assume the worst about anyone, but reality is always cold and unforgiving.
In the last hour, Naruto barely managed to write a concise closing statement, then used Flying Thunder God Technique to toss it onto Tobirama's desk. When he rushed to the hall, he found a pink-haired girl beside the black-haired boy. Although the two didn't exchange words, the girl's back view felt strangely familiar. He finally saw a glimpse of the future in these boys.
Perhaps he should be happy, but why did an inexplicable unease rise in his heart instead? However, he quickly nipped that unease in the bud. It was probably because he felt guilty that he couldn't calm down when he thought of the future Sasuke. He had promised to return everything to Sasuke, and he couldn't break his promise.
"Wow, it's rare to see our entire Team 7 together like this," Naruto said, trying to smile.
"Naruto! I knew I wasn't seeing things yesterday. How could such a fun holiday be complete without Sasuke? It's a pity Kakashi-sensei couldn't make it." Sakura looked genuinely happy. How long had it been since Team 7 had all gathered together? A year and a half, I suppose.
"I even went to your jurisdiction yesterday, but I didn't see you show up at all."
Sakura immediately put on a ugly face and said, "How can you abandon your post during a mission? I'm a dedicated ninja!"
"Yes, yes, Sakura is really amazing! My clone reported that the one in the detention center woke up. Apart from being a little dizzy and forgetting what happened, he has no other discomfort. A very precise punch, a very perfect cure!" Naruto grinned widely.
"Stop talking!" Sakura looked like she really wanted to punch him, but she held back and glanced somewhat awkwardly at Sasuke, who hadn't said a word.
Sasuke looked at him expressionlessly, his emotions calm and unwavering.
"Alright, I've had enough rest. Thank you for standing guard for me. Now, go and enjoy your vacation!"
"Neji said the scenery on the other side of the island is nice, shall we go take a look, Sasuke-kun?"
"No, I want to stay with this super big idiot so he doesn't get bullied."
Sakura's expression was a little subtle, but she walked away quite freely, saying, "Then I'm going, this is a rare vacation."
Only after Sakura had walked away did Naruto say, "Sakura missed you."
"...Don't you miss me?" Sasuke's expression was a little dangerous as he looked over, but Naruto was still looking in the direction Sakura had left and didn't notice.
"I can see you anytime I want, why should I miss you?"
Naruto, who felt inexplicably cheerful, gave Sasuke what he considered a cool back view before heading off to greet the next group of tourists.