Naruto: Creating Immortal Techniques at Six, Shocking Uncle Snake

Chapter 202: Encounter at the Village Gate!

"Ah, finally out of the desert. This lush green forest is really a sight for sore eyes.

It would be even better if there were a lake!"

Hōzuki Suigetsu looked at the forest ahead and said with a smile. It had only taken him half a day to escape the desert. After glancing at his map and determining the direction of Konoha, he leisurely made his way toward the village.

After all, Bai still had enough food and water to last for several days, so there was no rush for him to arrive quickly.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Raen froze in shock when he saw Konoha in the distance.

"So, that guy Jiraiya is actually a ninja from Konoha?"

Raen muttered to himself awkwardly. He had assumed that the white-haired man was just a ninja from some small, ordinary village.

Had he known that Jiraiya was from Konoha, he would never have let him go back!

Konoha was a major village—there was no way he could just barge in and start killing indiscriminately.

"Of course. You mean you didn't know? Jiraiya is one of Konoha's Legendary Three Ninja."

At that moment, a man's voice suddenly rang in Raen's ears.

Raen turned to look in confusion and saw that the speaker was none other than Hōzuki Suigetsu.

"You must be a ghost, right?"

Hōzuki Suigetsu grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. He hadn't expected to run into a ghost that wanted to cause trouble for Jiraiya.

Could this ghost be really powerful?

Or was it simply ignorant of how strong Jiraiya truly was?

Either way, this ghost intrigued Hōzuki Suigetsu. It seemed quite confident.

"Yes. Are you going to kill me?"

Raen studied the man in front of him. He could sense that this guy was at least as strong as Jiraiya!

"I didn't expect this world to have so many strong people. I just ran into two living beings as powerful as I am, one after another."

Raen chuckled and got ready to fight.

Even though they were near Konoha, he wasn't afraid of battle.

And if things went south, he could always run.

He refused to believe that anyone could follow him into the Ghost Realm!

"Hahaha, I never said I wanted to kill you. I'm just surprised you don't know who Jiraiya is.

He's such a famous figure, and yet you've never heard of him?"

Hōzuki Suigetsu looked at the ghost in astonishment. Jiraiya had even published books!

Countless people had read them, and he had traveled extensively, helping many along the way.

How could there still be ghosts who didn't recognize him?

"Am I supposed to know him? Ridiculous. If you're not going to kill me, then goodbye."

With that, Raen prepared to leave.

After all, Jiraiya was inside Konoha, and he couldn't go in to cause trouble.

Lingering around was too risky—if he got discovered, he could end up being surrounded by Konoha's demon slayers.

What a joke. He wasn't stupid enough to invite trouble upon himself.

Sure, he could get stronger every time he pushed himself to the limit, as long as he had enough obsession.

But who could guarantee that this power boost was unlimited?

What if he failed to grow stronger? What if he got killed instead?

As a ghost who cherished his life, Raen had no intention of taking such reckless risks!

And so, he decisively left, glancing back at Hōzuki Suigetsu every now and then to make sure he wasn't being followed.

In reality, Hōzuki Suigetsu did have the urge to chase him down and kill him.

After all, it wasn't every day he came across a powerful ghost. How could he just let it go?

Especially since their boss had ordered them to kill all ghosts on sight!

But at the moment, he had more pressing matters to attend to—he needed to get to Konoha to trade for enough food and water before heading back to the desert.

Why couldn't he take care of the ghost first and then go buy supplies?

Damn it, some idiot had spread the news that Konoha's supplies were running low. If he didn't hurry, Konoha might stop selling resources to outsiders in a few days!

That was why Hōzuki Suigetsu was rushing to Konoha at full speed.

As for chasing that ghost?

If he happened to run into it on the way back, he could deal with it then. If not, then so be it.

Soon, Hōzuki Suigetsu arrived in Konoha.

The moment he entered, he realized that the rumors were not exaggerated.

They were completely true!

The entire economy of Konoha looked utterly depressed.

And not just that—there were far fewer ninja in the village.

If this had been before, at least three Anbu would have been watching him the moment he stepped in.

But now? There was only one, and it was just a Chūnin.

What did this mean?

Were they underestimating him?

Or did they think he was so strong that they couldn't control him, so they just sent a Chūnin as a formality?

But that didn't make sense—he wasn't exactly famous in the ninja world.

So the only explanation left was… Konoha truly had no manpower left!

In reality, the Anbu captain was well aware of Hōzuki Suigetsu's strength.

He didn't even want to send a Chūnin to watch him, knowing that it would be useless.

But appearances had to be maintained.

A Chūnin was the best they could manage…