Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Time flew by, and Jiraiya kept coming back to the village for several days to seek guidance.

He was quite talented in this field, and in just a few days, under Lu Ke’s mentorship, he wrote "The Shinobi World Regulation Mode," based on the Yamanaka clan, living up to his reputation as the "Perverted Sage."

However, Hiruzen was pushing hard. If he didn’t find Tsunade soon, he would be forced to become the Hokage. With a heavy heart, Jiraiya bid farewell and set out to find the woman he had secretly loved for years.

Fortunately, Jiraiya’s jutsu list wasn’t long, and before he left, Lu Ke managed to teach him senjutsu. Jiraiya tried it out, and the natural energy was easy to sense and absorb, making the Sage Mode a natural fit for him.

A few days later, a green figure knocked on the door of the blacksmith shop.

Might Guy, who had rushed back without rest, smiled at Lu Ke and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Hey! Lu Ke, I’m back!"

"Welcome back to the village," Lu Ke said, a bit taken aback, eyeing Guy’s wind-battered appearance. "Aren’t you going to rest up first?"

"Rest can wait. We have a man’s agreement, remember?"

Guy solemnly handed Lu Ke a small booklet. "It contains the map of the Land of Iron, information on the rulers, the distribution of power, market research on swords and blades, the locations of blacksmiths, and the conditions for taking apprentices. Everything is in here."

"…You did a great job, Guy."

Hearing this, Guy seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but then his spirits dropped.

"I heard that Konoha was attacked while I was in the Land of Iron. Is the village okay?"

"It’s fine. The Death Forest is gone, and the Hokage Tower had to be rebuilt, but that’s about it."

"That’s a relief."

Guy relaxed a bit, but his mood was still low, clearly feeling guilty for not being there when the village was in danger.

"I was on a mission and couldn’t help."

Lu Ke coughed and offered a half-hearted consolation. "Maybe they were afraid of your reputation as the Blue Beast of Konoha, so they attacked when you weren’t around."

"Looking at it that way, if you hadn’t intimidated them, Konoha might have been invaded long ago. You made a significant contribution even though you weren’t in the village."

Hearing this, Guy’s eyes lit up, and he shed tears as wide as noodles, deeply moved.

"Lu Ke, you’re so kind to comfort me in this situation. I’ve decided! From now on, we’ll be lifelong friends, fighting for the sake of youth!"

"Hey, just to be clear, I’m not wearing your green spandex."

Lu Ke quickly clarified.

Guy shook his head. "Spandex is just a symbol of youth. You, my friend, are the true embodiment of youth!"

"An ordinary person who isn’t afraid of the outside world, deciding to learn techniques in a foreign environment and break through the traditional ninja tool shop’s technology blockade—this is the best example of youth!"

Lu Ke blushed at the praise, finding it a bit much. Guy was too sincere for his own good.

After sending Guy off, the second visitor arrived gracefully.

Kakashi paused for a moment before speaking. "You’re really leaving?"

"It’s not like I won’t come back," Lu Ke smiled. Once he learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, he would return to the village, switching between his real and fake bodies at will.

"I should thank you. After the Third Hokage’s sanctions on the traditional ninja tool shops, those shop owners didn’t come after me, thanks to you."

Kakashi didn’t deny it. "The sales plan was yours, but the execution was theirs, and the money went into their pockets. You only revealed the plan to protect yourself, so this has nothing to do with you."

He handed Lu Ke a wallet.

What’s this? Lu Ke asked with his eyes.

"It’s your royalties."

"The age rating for 'Young Jiraiya' is the highest, but the sales are still terrifying. It’s always sold out as soon as it hits the shelves, and now all the book publishers are rushing to print more."

He opened the money bag and counted. "Two million ryo?"

Lu Ke was taken aback. So, erotic content really is the most productive, huh?

"It’s two million ryo," Kakashi gestured. "Half of it is to pay you back."

Lu Ke: …

You’re taking back the money you lent me? Your status as the top supporter might be in jeopardy!

Kakashi then took out a scroll and handed Lu Ke a large piece of silvery-white metal.

"This is for you."

Lu Ke took it, weighed it in his hand, and his eyes lit up. "Chakra metal?"

"A ninja craftsman should find this useful. This material is rare, and the Hatake clan only has this much. Consider it an early graduation gift," Kakashi said, looking away.

"I’ve arranged a caravan to the Land of Iron for you. They’ve hired ninjas as guards, so you can travel with them."

Alright, Lu Ke admitted he had spoken a bit loudly just now.

Kakashi was still his most respected top supporter!

...

Time passed quickly, and on the third day after Guy’s report, Lu Ke announced that he would be leaving the next day.

His mother brought out a suitcase she had packed long ago, filled with clothes for all seasons, various daily necessities, and even some village specialties that could be preserved.

"I’ll be back soon," Lu Ke said, a bit exasperated.

"One day at a time, and you must ensure your quality of life. Didn’t you say that yourself?" his mother countered with his own words.

Father solemnly filled a cup of wine for Luk and clinked it against his.

"You have truly grown up. The Chikawatari family is now in your hands."

He formally announced the new head of the family, meaning that from now on, all major and minor decisions would be Luk's to make.

After the announcement, Mother took out a money pouch and handed it to him.

.

The family has a total of 2.8 million ryo. Of that, 400,000 ryo is the family’s savings from before, and the rest is what you earned through your promotional tactics over the past six years. After expenses and future costs, I can give you 2 million ryo."

"You'll need a gift to present when you seek a master. The Land of Iron."

Luk didn’t refuse his parents' kindness, but he was a bit reflective. He hadn’t realized that the money he made from writing light novels in a month was about the same as what he earned from blacksmithing over six or seven years.

If he had known this earlier, he should have transformed into a literary copy.cat and sparked a writing craze in this world.

No wonder Kakashi had asked him if he was sure about his path. There money was no Land of Iron Iron of Iron.

...

That night, Shizukana looked around to make no one no make sure, she moon, she turned from Land time Land of Iron. and the, the Land of Iron.

Land of Iron.

The caravan leader was a kind old man who, according to his own story, used to be a trader in his youth, traveling over the ninja world, covering most of the Five Great Nations. One year, he accidentally stumbled into a ninja battle and was hit the knee of a Land next year the next of the Land of Iron.

Because of his past injury, he switched to a fixed route for transporting goods, which increased costs but but ensured safety.

Not long after leaving the village, Luk suddenly noticed someone lying in ambush ahead, within the range of his [Freeness of the Mind’s Eye]. From their chakra signatures, they seemed to be ninjas, with the strength of three chunin and one jonin.

Luk furrowed his brow, wondering who would the the the next morning, Luk kissed Shizukana goodbye as she struggled to get out of bed. He patted his tearful brother and his worried mother, then nodded to his father before boarding the carriage to the Land of Iron.

The caravan leader was a kind old man who, according to his own story, used to be a trader in his youth, traveling over the ninja world, covering most of the Five Great Nations. One year, he accidentally stumbled into a ninja battle and was hit in the knee by a shuriken, which forced him to switch to a fixed route for transporting goods.

Because of his past injury, he switched to a fixed route, which increased costs but ensured safety, but ensured safety.

Not long after leaving the village, Luk suddenly noticed someone lying in ambush ahead, within the range of his [Freeness of the Mind’s Eye]. From their chakra signatures, they seemed to be ninjas, with the strength of three chunin and one jonin.

Luk furrowed his brow, wondering who would be causing trouble for him at this time. Then he detected two familiar chakra signatures.

A short while later, the guard ninja passed the threshold of the forest, "Something seems off. It's too quiet around here. There might be a battle soon, so be careful and protect yourselves."

Sure enough, a few shurikens shot out from above, followed by four figures diving toward the carriage, landing steadily on top.

"There’s an ambush!"

The guard ninja grimaced at the number of opponents. How was he, a ninja not even at the jonin level, supposed to handle the one jonin and three chunin?

"Who are you?"

"You don't need to know. Our target is only Chikawatari. Hand him over, and you can leave."

The lead jonin spoke coldly.

As the guard ninja hesitated, two figures swiftly joined the fray, "Water the: Bullet!"

"Leaf Whark the!"

The two worked in perfect harmony, quickly taking control of the battle.

The three chunin were knocked out of the fray, and the jonin, seeing the situation was dire, tried to escape. However, he felt a cold sensation on his neck, and a sharp kunai was already pressed against it.

"I surrender."

Luk got out of the carriage and smiled. "I was wondering why you two didn’t come to see me off. So you were waiting here."

"After the Third Hokage issued the order to support the neighboring villages and suppress traditional ninja tool shops, the owners of those shops became very unhappy. Your efforts to break through technological barriers were a provocation to them, so they naturally wouldn’t sit longer wouldn’t sit id idly by."

Kakashi explained calmly. "But with their testimony, the ninja tool shops won’t last much longer. We can also use this opportunity to bring down the elders."

Kai smiled brightly at Luk. "Kakashi and I will ensure you can leave safely."

Luk: "…Kai, you really know how to speak."

"Is that so? I I think so too."

Kai scratched the back of his head and chuckled, completely missing the sarcasm.

"Alright, continue on your journey. There shouldn’t be any more danger ahead." Kakashi struck the jonin’s neck, then looked at Luk one last time. "Safe travels."

Kai flashed his pearly white teeth and gave a thumbs-up. "Safe travels!"

The carriage slowly moved away, heading toward the Land of Iron.

Land of Iron.

Land of Iron.

Iron!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end