*Chapter 171: Jiraiya’s Research Sanctuary! *

"Interesting!"

Sasuke smirked slightly. If it weren’t for the physical prowess brought by his S-rank body attributes, he wouldn’t have overheard the conversation between Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.

*Fast movers, huh?*

Just left Konoha, and I’m already being watched.

Does Black Zetsu have some kind of global surveillance hack?

No wonder they call him the strongest intel agent in the Akatsuki.

In an instant, Sasuke closed his eyes as energy surged through his body.

*Immediately,* his entire being slowed down.

"Sixth Gate, Gate of View, open!"

Sasuke abruptly opened his eyes, the crimson glow in them intensifying.

His entire body exuded a turbulent wave of energy.

*Then—*

His entire frame seemed to ignite, radiating a terrifyingly immense power.

Boom!  

With a sudden stomp on the tree branch beneath him, Sasuke propelled himself backward at an incredible speed, hurtling straight toward the hidden Zetsu.

"Seventh Gate, Gate of Shock, open!"

*In an instant,* Sasuke’s black hair whipped upward, and as he charged, he opened the seventh gate, immediately entering the Gate of Shock state.

Whoosh!  

Sasuke’s speed climbed to its absolute peak, and in a flash, he was upon the tree where Zetsu was hiding.

*+50*

The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes flickered and climbed.

"Not good!"

White Zetsu immediately realized they’d been discovered and began retracting into the tree trunk.

"Trying to run?"

Sasuke raised his fist and, from a short distance, delivered a punch.

There was no fancy technique to this strike—just raw speed and power pushed to their absolute limits.

*Boom!*

In an instant, a shockwave erupted from Sasuke’s fist, crashing into the tree where Zetsu was hiding.

Crack!  

The tree trunk gave a crisp snap, bending at an impossible angle.

Even though Sasuke’s fist didn’t directly touch the tree, the sheer force behind it was enough to break it!

*+60*

The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes jumped again.

Whoosh!  

At that moment, a figure shot out from within the tree, appearing right in front of Sasuke.

The figure wore a black robe adorned with red clouds.

Their body featured green, jagged markings resembling aloe vera leaves, and two serrated edges were tightly closed, leaving only a thin slit.

*Then—*

The slit slowly opened, revealing a peculiar face.

The left half of the face was white, the right half black. Green hair crowned the figure, and yellow pupils gazed at Sasuke in slight astonishment.

It was none other than Zetsu of the Akatsuki.

Technically, Zetsu wasn’t one person but two: Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. However, at this point in time, few people knew the truth.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Sasuke’s voice carried a subtle hint of disdain.

At that moment, Sasuke stood before Zetsu, his entire body emitting blue steam, waves of terrifying energy surging from him. His clenched fists seemed capable of obliterating everything before him.

*+70*

As Sasuke spoke, the numbers before his eyes jumped again.

"You..."

Both Black Zetsu and White Zetsu widened their eyes in shock, their expressions filled with horror.

*This is a genin?*

Did following a genin really come with such high risks?

A single misstep and he throws a punch?!

What kind of madness is this?

Zetsu stared at Sasuke, momentarily unsure of how to respond.

"Why are you following me?"

Sasuke observed Zetsu closely, particularly the black half. A mischievous idea popped into his head, a game he couldn’t resist playing.

*+80*

The numbers in Sasuke’s view continued to rise.

"I..."

White Zetsu hesitated, unsure how to explain. But since he had already spoken, it was too late to switch to Black Zetsu.

After all, outsiders still believed they were a single entity—a black-and-white yin-yang being.

The truth about their dual identity hadn’t been revealed yet.

White Zetsu, usually a spectator in most situations, rarely got noticed. Even when he did, he was seldom questioned.

For once, he was at a loss for words.

"I don’t know, huh? Then let me guess for you—Uchiha Itachi sent you to monitor me, didn’t he?"

Sasuke handed them a convenient excuse.

It was a plausible claim based on the intelligence they already had.

In fact...

Sasuke suspected Itachi’s arrival had something to do with Black Zetsu’s involvement!

*+90*

The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes jumped once more as the system registered his boldness.

"Uh..."

White Zetsu froze for a moment but quickly nodded.

"Yes, Itachi."

White Zetsu’s improvisational skills weren’t great, but when given an excuse, he knew to use it.

"He’s concerned about you as his younger brother," White Zetsu added.

"Is that so?"

Sasuke’s lips curled slightly. His crimson eyes glowed brighter, and the blue steam around him grew even more turbulent.

"In that case, please pass along my greetings to my dear brother."

Sasuke locked eyes with Zetsu and brought his hands together in an unusual seal.

The seal resembled the head of a tiger.

Sasuke had practiced this hand seal hundreds of times and executed it with flawless precision.

*In that moment,* his aura was overwhelming.

*+100*

The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes surged once more.

"What are you doing?"

White Zetsu’s voice trembled with confusion. His orange eyes now carried a trace of unease as they fixed on Sasuke.

"Not good!"

Black Zetsu’s deep voice broke through.

He immediately realized something critical.

Itachi...

Had massacred the Uchiha clan!

To Sasuke, his "beloved brother" was a target for revenge.

Now, Zetsu found themselves on Sasuke’s bad side.

"Retreat!"

Black Zetsu’s tone turned urgent. He was a scout, not a fighter, and his survival depended entirely on White Zetsu.

White Zetsu acted immediately, burrowing into the ground.

"You should’ve fled the moment I turned back. Now, you’ll have to pay a price!"

Sasuke’s voice was cold and calm.

In the next instant, he thrust his hands forward.

"Daytime Tiger!"

A massive white tiger erupted from Sasuke’s hands, roaring as it charged toward Zetsu.

*+110*

The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes climbed again.

"Wood Release!"

Zetsu’s body emitted tendrils of wood, which quickly sprouted into a dense network of vines, forming a defensive barrier against the tiger.

Crash! Boom! Snap!  

The vines and the tiger clashed violently, each trying to overpower the other.

When the dust settled, the forest returned to silence.

Zetsu was gone.

"Quick escape, huh?"

Sasuke stared at the spot where Zetsu had vanished. He hadn’t planned to pursue further; otherwise, he could’ve detained them a bit longer.

Still, killing Black Zetsu wasn’t going to be easy.

For now, he’d settle for showing off.

There was always next time.

Sasuke’s words ended the scene, but no points were added.

It was clear.

Zetsu had fled too far away.

Sasuke wasn’t hiding.

Ding-ding!  

Ding-ding!  

Ding-ding!  

At that moment, three consecutive chimes rang in Sasuke’s mind, indicating improvements to his attributes after using the Daytime Tiger technique.

He deactivated the Eight Gates Formation.

With a single thought, Sasuke turned off the technique.

Ding-ding!  

Ding-ding!  

Ding-ding!  

...

Another seven chimes followed in succession.

Immediately after, an overwhelming fatigue washed over Sasuke, making him feel distinctly uncomfortable.

He opened the system panel.

*Current System Points: 19,639*

"Add points!"

Sasuke navigated to the attributes panel and allocated nine system points to his physical attributes.

Buzz!  

Instantly, Sasuke felt a warm current coursing through his body, washing away all his exhaustion.

He was back in peak condition.

Sasuke cast a deep glance at the place where Zetsu had disappeared. This was probably the second time he’d crossed paths with the Akatsuki.

Encounters like this would undoubtedly become more frequent in the future.

In a flash, Sasuke resumed his journey to the small town where Jiraiya was said to be.

According to the Third Hokage’s directions, Jiraiya was currently in Nagano Town, a relatively prosperous settlement in the Land of Fire.

It wasn’t far from the Hidden Leaf Village.

Sasuke did some quick calculations using the map in his mind—traveling at a typical ninja’s pace, a single day would be enough to reach it.

But something didn’t add up!

Leaping from branch to branch, Sasuke mulled over everything that had happened during this mission.

Jiraiya’s location was known.

And it wasn’t far.

Yet it was only March.

Why wouldn’t Jiraiya return until May?

What had happened?

"Wait," Sasuke muttered.

"I have a sealed message from the Third Hokage."

"Let’s take a look."

Sasuke reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out the scroll entrusted to him by the Third Hokage.

As a ninja carrying out a mission, tampering with such a message was strictly against protocol.

But Sasuke didn’t care about that. If the Third Hokage trusted him to deliver it, he felt no qualms about reading it.

He unsealed the scroll.

The first thing he saw was a bold line of text:

*"To Jiraiya: For Your Eyes Only."*

However...

That line immediately struck Sasuke as odd.

"Strange."

"This isn’t the Third Hokage’s handwriting!"

"It doesn’t match any style I remember from Danzo or anyone else in the village, either."

"Still, it feels like it’s imitating someone... but who?"

Sasuke shook his head. While he was certain it wasn’t the Third Hokage’s handwriting, he couldn’t determine whose it was.

He opened the scroll.

*"Jiraiya,"*

*"The political situation in the Hidden Leaf Village has become precarious."*

*"I will succeed your teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Fifth Hokage!"*

*"You are hereby invited to my inauguration ceremony."*

*"—Danzo Shimura."*

After reading the entire message, Sasuke’s face twitched.

What was this?

This wasn’t Danzo’s handwriting either.

Had the Third Hokage faked a letter from Danzo?

What kind of trickery was this?

A reverse psychological ploy?

Sasuke couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

He never imagined the Third Hokage capable of such schemes!

Forging a letter as Danzo?

How bold!

But such a letter could land Sasuke in a lot of trouble.

"Wait!"

"Something doesn’t add up—let me think this through."

"The Third Hokage assigning me this solo mission was already unorthodox for the Hidden Leaf Village."

"A Genin carrying out a mission alone..."

"That’s highly unusual!"

"If I hadn’t read this scroll, I’d deliver it to Jiraiya under the Third Hokage’s name, even though it’s signed by Danzo."

Talking to himself, Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine.

"Third Hokage..."

"You sly old fox!"

"If I had delivered this letter as it is, Jiraiya would think I was working for Danzo."

"Jiraiya was a student of the Third Hokage..."

"Wouldn’t this create problems between them?"

"Wait!"

"What about those two ANBU operatives? What role are they playing in this?"

"If I contact Jiraiya, then something happens to me, and the letter paints me as Danzo’s subordinate..."

"Both Danzo and Jiraiya, as candidates for the Fifth Hokage, would certainly provoke Itachi’s retaliation."

"And the Sixth Hokage would rise from the ashes!"

"What a masterstroke!"

Sasuke wasn’t sure if he was overthinking things, but this mission reeked of conspiracy.

It was as if the Third Hokage had handed him a ticking time bomb.

As long as something happened to Sasuke outside the village, the blame would be easily shifted.

"Third Hokage, you didn’t count on one thing—I’d open the scroll!"

"Wait a second..."

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed as a smirk crept onto his lips.

"I’ve figured out the role of those ANBU operatives."

"Checking a confidential letter or refusing a mission are actions forbidden in the ninja world."

"Those two are here to monitor me!"

"If they’re still around, they’d act against me by now."

Sasuke pieced together his theories, gaining a clearer picture of the Third Hokage’s cunning strategy.

"Impressive... but you overlooked a few things!"

Sasuke shook his head and tore the scroll into pieces. He then retrieved a blank scroll.

"You underestimated my ability to shake off those ANBU and survive. Even if I couldn’t, they wouldn’t be able to kill me."

"You also underestimated my penmanship!"

As he spoke, Sasuke pulled out a brush and began replicating the Third Hokage’s handwriting on the blank scroll.

"As the Hokage, you should never send a fake letter!"

"Don’t worry, Third Hokage—I’ll fix it for you!"

"I’ll ensure your reputation stays intact."

After placing the new letter into his tool pouch, Sasuke continued his journey.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!  

Sasuke darted through the forest.

As the sun set, the night enveloped his surroundings.

While traveling, Sasuke opened his system panel to allocate points to both his mental and physical attributes.

After finishing, his eyes wandered to the *Lottery* section.

*[Lottery]*

A red slot machine appeared before him, with a countdown timer at the bottom.

*Time Remaining: 26:51:03*

There was less than a day left.

His eyes hovered over the 100-pull lever.

*SSS Reward!*

It was incredibly tempting.

But the sheer cost made him hesitate.

"Should I give it a shot?"

Sasuke knew single pulls were a waste—nothing but consolation prizes.

"I’m close to 20,000 points now."

"A 100-pull guarantees an SSS reward and leaves me with over 9,000 points—enough for the rest of the month!"

"Maybe..."

Shaking his head, Sasuke closed the system panel, suppressing his urge to draw.

There were too many other uses for his points.

This so-called guaranteed SSS reward felt like a trap.

"Still 26 hours left," he muttered. "I’ll decide later."

Resolving to stay focused, Sasuke continued through the forest.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!  

He sped through the trees, pondering his decision with every step.

Finally, after a full night’s travel, the sun rose again, illuminating his path.

Before him lay a town—Nagano.

Based on the map, this was Jiraiya’s location.

"First, I’ll enter the town."

Sasuke descended from the trees and walked toward the bustling settlement.

Though it seemed close, the distance was deceptive.

It took him over two hours to reach the town, arriving mid-morning.

Nagano was lively, with streets filled with people and the air buzzing with activity.

Finding someone in such a busy place wouldn’t be easy.

But Sasuke didn’t need to guess where Jiraiya might be.

Without delay, Sasuke removed his Leaf Village forehead protector, stashing it in his tool pouch to mask his identity as a Leaf ninja.

While it wouldn’t fool Jiraiya, it might make their meeting less tense.

After hiding his forehead protector, Sasuke approached an old man passing by.

"Excuse me, sir," Sasuke asked, "are there any hot springs in town?"

"Of course!" the man replied enthusiastically, pointing in several directions.

"Our town is famous for its hot springs—there are more than a dozen bathhouses.

The man's fingers almost pointed across the entire fan-shaped area behind him without specifying an exact location. "These are all the places."

"Thank you, sir!"

Sasuke immediately expressed his gratitude and quickly grasped the situation.

Now he understood why Jiraiya was lingering here.

He was gathering inspiration on the spot!

This Nagano Town was Jiraiya's treasure trove of material!

(End of chapter)