CH - 32 Extend my Punishment!
"You'll stay here!" a guard told Jiraiya as he was led into the cell.
"This Grass Village ninja, I am a ninja from Konoha Village. I am one of the Legendary Three Sannin of Konoha! Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Grass are allies! Trust me! The incident earlier was unintentional!" Jiraiya tried to reason with the guard, explaining that it was a misunderstanding.
"I know! But you did indeed hinder the spring plantation! Let me tell you, it's the most important matter in the Land of Grass right now! Until the leader's judgment is delivered, you can only stay here. After all, the Land of Grass has just been rebuilt, and this is a new situation for us. We are unsure of how to handle this situation. After Minister Mubuki's investigation, however, I also know that you were not intentional! So, I guess you won't have to stay for long! I hope you won't bring any disrepute to Konoha!" the guard responded, emphasizing that regardless of who Jiraiya was, no one could defy the leader's decision.
Jiraiya sighed inwardly, 'I came here precisely because I was concerned about potential conflicts between our nations!'. Irrespective of the matter's significance, it could be seen as interrupting a country's most important task and interfering with another ninja village's affairs. He represented the Konoha ninja now, and if the matter was pursued, it would be reported to the village.
Although he wouldn't face severe consequences with his status, it could still impact the relationship between the villages. Jiraiya didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble, especially since the Grass Village was an ally of Konoha. And it was his own fault!
Peace was hard-won, and he didn't want to jeopardize it because of his own mistakes. As Jiraiya observed the familiar surroundings of the cell, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He had just managed to leave this place, and now... he was back again!
At that moment, a familiar voice came from beside him. "Hey, little brother... why are you here too?!" Mubuki exclaimed in surprise.
"Did the leader send you in here?" Mubuki looked at Jiraiya with shock, aware of his identity, just like the leader.
Jiraiya, the disciple of the Third Hokage, the powerful ninja bestowed with the title of the Legendary Three Sannin of Konoha!
"What happened?" Mubuki questioned, confused about why Jiraiya had been arrested and why he didn't resist.
"Don't mention it!" Jiraiya looked at the familiar figure and sighed, recalling the angry old farmer. "I didn't know that the attitude of the ninjas in the Land of Grass was different!"
"Ninjas would actually do such things?! Helping common people in spring plantations?" Jiraiya questioned in his mind, never having witnessed such actions before.
"Never mind! I guess you won't be locked up for long either. Maybe you'll be out before me!" Mubuki said, remembering that he hadn't been able to leave despite studying diligently and asking questions over the past few days.
But he still couldn't understand why the leader was deliberately giving him a hard time. Did he say anything wrong that night? No, he didn't! Mubuki pondered to himself.
He had merely wanted to bring Great Ekinu-sama here and have him write 100,000 words and draw 10 pages every day! It was all for the prosperity and development of the Land of Grass! Why was he locked up for it? But what else could he do now? He could only accept the punishment.
As Mubuki seemingly remembered something, he realized that Jiraiya's cell was next to his. He walked directly to the iron bars, lowered his voice, and said, "Books! Do you need any more?"
Jiraiya's eyes lit up at Mubuki's words. He suddenly felt that staying here for a few more days wouldn't be a problem. Now he could proceed with the plan he had formulated!
Glancing at the Grass Village ninja guarding the door, Jiraiya quickly approached and whispered, "Yes! Yes!"
"You understand this, don't you!" Mubuki blinked his eyes, rubbed his fingers together, and said meaningfully, "It's getting strict recently! So the price..."
"I understand! I understand!" Jiraiya replied, eager to obtain the book.
And so, the two individuals conspired in the prison of the Village Hidden in the Grass to carry out a smuggling plan that was not particularly significant but had to be kept secret!
….
On the other side, after hearing the report from the gate, Akihiko fell silent. He sighed and shook his head in disappointment.
"So, 'Intimate Paradise' hasn't come out yet. The current Jiraiya... is just a traveling toad with very little money! What use is he? He holds no value at all!" Akihiko muttered to himself.
"Since it wasn't intentional, then let the person..." Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly seemed to remember something and narrowed his eyes. "This matter is very serious!"
Confused by the sudden change in the leader's tone, Takeshi, who was reporting, couldn't help but ask, "Leader, what do you mean by that? Are you considering declaring war on Konoha?"
Akihiko sighed and responded, "You should understand that preparing for spring cultivation is currently the most important matter in the Land of Grass! No one can hinder it for any reason! What if something goes wrong? It would seriously affect the spring sowing! Do you realize the consequences of affecting the sowing? It would cause a serious problem for the autumn harvest! And do you know what the autumn harvest means? It means food! If there's no food, the thousands of people in the Land of Grass will starve! Starvation leads to death! Death... will lead to the destruction of the Land of Grass! Jiraiya almost caused the destruction of the Land of Grass! How serious and terrifying is that?!"
Takeshi looked speechless at Akihiko's words. He couldn't believe that the situation was that dire. "Is it really that serious?" he asked, still trying to comprehend the gravity of the situation.
Akihiko nodded solemnly and continued, "Considering the relationship between the Land of Grass and Konoha, what else can we do? What kind of relationship exists between Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Grass? They are close allies! They are comrades who can entrust their lives to each other! Our Village Hidden in the Grass guards the border for Konoha, resisting the invasion of the Village Hidden in the Rock! Although the Konoha ninjas have caused serious problems for us, we can't let the relationship between the two villages deteriorate because of that!" Akihiko sighed, displaying a sense of the village's suffering, and said, "Therefore, in order to maintain the relationship between the two villages and prevent the destruction of the Land of Grass, we can only allow that Konoha ninja to help with the spring cultivation! I've heard that his contracted toad is quite big... cough cough!"
His tone became serious as he emphasized, "This is to save the Land of Grass! We don't have much time left! We must complete the preparations as soon as possible!"
"Yes! I understand!" Takeshi, who had a complex expression on his face, acknowledged the leader's decision and left to carry out his tasks.
As Akihiko sat down to continue dealing with the day's documents, he couldn't help but think about the upcoming events. Jiraiya's assistance was necessary since Kusagakure was short on manpower. With the Chinoike Clan and the Uzumaki Clan occupied with their own tasks, asking for help was the only option.
"Speaking of which, the toads... should be able to carry a plow, right? Also..." Akihiko pondered, considering the possibilities. Then he turned his attention to the documents handed over by the academy. "It's time to start the training program!" he concluded, determined to prioritize the education and development of the village's ninja.
….
"Like this, like that!" Jiraiya said with a serious expression, explaining his plan to Mubuki. "In that case, we have to act as if we've never met before! Even if your leader wants to capture you, there's nothing he can do. Just say you found the money outside!"
Mubuki couldn't help but exclaim, "That's a great plan! I didn't expect you to come up with such a good idea! Truly worthy of being one of the Legendary Three Sannin of Konoha!"
Jiraiya sighed and looked at Mubuki. "I had no choice. I didn't expect the laws in the Land of Grass to be so strict. Otherwise, it wouldn't have come to this. I didn't expect a high-ranking member like you from the Village Hidden in the Grass to be arrested for selling books"
Mubuki looked blankly at Jiraiya for a moment, thinking to himself, 'My arrest probably has nothing to do with selling books.' However, he kept his thoughts to himself. After all, if he revealed the truth, it might jeopardize their plan, and he wouldn't be able to negotiate a higher price. He put on a serious expression and said, "Next, let's thoroughly refine the plan."
Jiraiya nodded with a smile. "That's the way to go! This time, we must ensure that everything goes smoothly."
However, before Jiraiya could finish his sentence, a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Grass approached and opened the prison cell. He helplessly informed them, "You can come out now! I didn't expect you to be released in less than an hour! The leader has already issued a punishment for you." He handed Jiraiya a piece of paper. "One week of community service!"
Jiraiya was taken aback as he read the paper. There was no fine, and he was being assigned to help with the spring cultivation preparations instead of staying in the cell. A smile appeared on his face. "This is how it should be..."
But before he could finish his sentence, he remembered something and looked at Mubuki, who was sighing next to him, and then at the shinobi. "Um... extend it for another day!" Jiraiya spoke with a righteous tone. "As the Toad Sage, I have to criticize you! I have caused such a serious situation for the Land of Grass, and you only kept me locked up for less than an hour? Is that reasonable? It's unreasonable! I should be locked up for at least a day! Come and pick me up tomorrow morning. I am the Toad Sage, after all."
The shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Grass looked bewildered, opening his mouth but not finding the right words to respond. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "Sir... is there something wrong with your mental state?"
The shinobi couldn't comprehend why Jiraiya would request to be locked up for longer, considering he had just been granted an early release. It seemed like an unusual request for a normal person.
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