Naruto: I Have Cursed Spirits!

Nagato pressed his lips together and smiled.

Shiratori reached out and hugged him.

[Affection detected: Nagato +2000 points]

[Energy transferred to Rika]

[Development progress: 62.9%]

That hug was worth something.

He let go of Nagato.

"Since he's back today, how about we have a seafood feast tonight?" Jiraiya exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah!" Yahiko jumped up and shouted.

Konan and Nagato nodded happily as well.

Jiraiya's hand landed on Shiratori's head and gave it a good rub. "Yahiko and the rest of us missed you. You four get along well, I'll go prepare dinner for you!"

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei!" Shiratori looked up with a bright smile.

Seeing that familiar smile on the boy's face, Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief, it was good that he hadn't changed.

He patted Shiratori on the shoulder. "No need to be so polite with me."

Then he strode forward, took a large iron bucket for seafood from the cabin, hoisted it over his shoulder, and headed off toward the shallow beach.

Shiratori, meanwhile, was pushed into the cabin by Yahiko.

They all sat down in a tight circle. Three pairs of eyes stared intently at him.

Yahiko wriggled on the tatami mat with excitement, his eyes wide with anticipation as he asked, "What have you been doing all this time? Has the war not ended yet? Did you fight in any ninja battles?..."

He didn't give Shiratori a chance to respond, just firing off questions one after another. With each question, his eyes lit up even more.

"Yahiko, you have to let him answer!" Konan giggled with her hand over her mouth.

"Oh, right!" Yahiko scratched the back of his head awkwardly, then grinned widely. "Hurry and tell me what you've been up to!"

"I've been healing people... and training," Shiratori replied honestly.

"Then is there still fighting outside?" Yahiko asked nervously, eyes wide.

Shiratori nodded.

He brought new information. "You guys might not know this yet, but we're about to sign a treaty with Konoha. That means the war with Konoha will end."

Right now, thanks to Hanzō's deliberate efforts, this news had already spread throughout the shinobi world.

Yahiko and the others, who had been living in an isolated seaside cabin, probably hadn't heard yet.

"Really?" Just as he expected, Yahiko and the others knew nothing about it.

Upon hearing this, Yahiko leapt up in excitement.

"That's great!"

There was only one thought in his mind, peace was finally coming to the Land of Rain. They would no longer have to live in hardship like before.

"How did you find out about this?"

Konan hugged her knees, looking at Shiratori with curiosity.

He smiled at her. "The news has already spread everywhere."

Konan let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "I see... that's how it is!"

But Yahiko's cheer suddenly came to an abrupt halt. He sat on the floor in disappointment. "So it's just a rumor from the outside... Rumors from outside can't be trusted at all. They've been saying there would be a ceasefire for a long time, but the war has never stopped..."

"No, that's not it," Shiratori shook his head and explained seriously, "This news is trustworthy. It was said directly by Hanzō-sama himself."

Yahiko froze, staring blankly at him, mouth slightly open. "How do you know it was Hanzō who said it himself?"

Konan's heart jumped. She looked at Shiratori nervously, afraid he might say something frightening.

"I've been working by Hanzō-sama's side this whole time. I heard it with my own ears," he said, looking at Yahiko.

Flames of fury suddenly erupted in Yahiko's eyes. He jumped up and shouted, "How could you stay by his side? Don't you know who turned the Land of Rain into what it is now? It was him! He started the war! He made us orphans!"

[Rage detected: Yahiko +5000 points]

[Insufficient threshold for cursed spirit activation]

[Energy stored for future use]

"Yahiko..."

Konan was frightened by Yahiko's sudden outburst and called his name in a trembling voice.

But Yahiko couldn't hear anything anymore.

He glared at Shiratori, the words echoing endlessly in his mind.

Shiratori stood up and looked at him seriously. His voice hardened: "Yahiko, I won't let you talk about him like that! You don't understand anything! He's not the kind of person you think he is—"

[Rage detected: +8000 points]

[Total accumulated: 16,000 points]

[Activation threshold reached]

[Cursed Spirit: Jogo - ACTIVATED]

[Development progress: 16%]

"How could you say that for his sake?! Does Hanzō matter more to you than I do? More than Nagato and Konan? He is a warmonger! He's the one who killed your family! Killed our families! And now you're defending him?!"

Yahiko roared like an enraged bull, his chest heaving, words tumbling out like a rapid-fire barrage.

"You're overreacting!"

Shiratori raised his voice to match his, staring him down. "You've misunderstood him! You're just stuck in your own fantasies!"

[Emotional energy detected: Pain +5000 points]

[Insufficient threshold for cursed spirit activation]

[Energy stored for future use]

Pain?

He looked at Yahiko. Did he really feel pain... because of me?

"You've changed! You've become Hanzō's servant! I don't want to see you anymore!"

Yahiko let out a sharp, piercing shout.

[Rage detected: Yahiko +4000 points]

[Energy transferred to Jogo]

[Development progress: 17%]

Nagato and Konan stood up, their eyes darting between the arguing Shiratori and Yahiko, not knowing what to do.

Shiratori looked at Yahiko and lowered his voice. "One day, you'll understand him, Yahiko."

"Don't you mention him in front of me!"

Yahiko's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at him.

Shiratori took a step back, staring at him with apparent disappointment. "We can't communicate right now. One day, you'll understand."

He turned and walked toward the cabin door, and nearly bumped into Jiraiya, who had just returned, carrying a bucket full of seafood.

Jiraiya looked at him in confusion. "Huh? Where are you going?"

"Jiraiya-sensei, I have something to take care of. I'll be leaving now,"

He bowed to him. "I'm sorry."

[Pain detected: +5000 points]

[Total accumulated: 10,000 points]

[Activation threshold reached]

[Cursed Spirit: Kenjaku (Living Cursed Object) - ACTIVATED]

[Development progress: 16%]

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150 = +1 bonus chapter

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40+ Advance chapters!