Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 158 An Encounter in the Hot Spring

Hideyoshi scooped up a handful of water, letting it trickle through his fingers: "By the way, what kind of business do you run?"

Aburame Zhicheng replied politely, "Medicinal herbs and local specialties."

"That's good. We have some excellent medicinal herbs from our hot springs here, such as sulfur grass, which is particularly effective for arthritis..."

Hideyoshi continued talking, and then suddenly remembered something, his smile widening: "Ah, speaking of which, my wife had some back pain when she gave birth recently, and it was from applying sulfur grass that she recovered."

His eyes shone, and his whole being brightened.

"My wife is incredibly beautiful; she's one of the best female ninjas in the Yugakure medical team. We got married last year, and a year ago she gave birth to a healthy, chubby baby boy!"

As Hideyoshi spoke, he took a small wallet directly from the clothes hanging by the pool, pulled a photograph from under the waterproof layer, and handed it over through the mist: "Look!"

Following the hand he offered, Aburame Shisei looked up and saw a black-haired woman with a gentle smile, holding a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in her arms.

The woman had gentle features, while the baby had big, round eyes and a head of soft, silvery-white downy hair that was particularly striking.

"He looks just like me, doesn't he?" Hideyoshi pointed at the baby, his face full of pride. "This hair, these eyes, he looks exactly like me when I was a child! I've already named him Hidan. I hope he can fly high and go far in the future."

Hidan?

Aburame Shisei paused slightly as he took the photo.

He raised his eyes and carefully examined Yoshihide—white hair, handsome, a ninja from Yugakure. He then looked at the baby in the photo, its silvery-white downy hair gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

Is it a coincidence, or...?

In the original work, Hidan was indeed born in Yugakure, but there is almost no description of his parents, only that he was an orphan who later joined Jashin-kyo and gained immortality.

If Hideyoshi really is his father, then Hidan's talent might indeed be inherited, since being able to withstand the evil god's ritual without dying requires an extremely strong physical foundation.

However, his mother must have been an excellent ninja, so even if Hidan hadn't become a member of the Jashin Cult, he would likely have become an outstanding elite ninja in the future.

"A good name." Aburame Shisei handed the photo back, praising with a smile, "Your son might become an excellent ninja in the future."

"Haha, thank you for your kind words!" Hideyoshi carefully put the photo away, then sighed, "But being a ninja is too dangerous. I really just hope he grows up safely, even if he doesn't become a ninja. Our Land of Hot Springs has always been peaceful; there's no need for fighting and killing..."

As he was speaking, Yu Nu Zhicheng suddenly had a thought.

The information was relayed by the mimicry scout insect.

He had previously deployed dozens of mimicry scout insects, which could disguise themselves as flying insects or fallen leaves to gather intelligence within a ten-mile radius.

Unexpectedly, the results came so quickly, but what they found was not the evil cult, but some unexpected individuals.

At that moment, an image was transmitted from an insect lurking at the entrance of the hot spring town—

At the entrance of the hot spring inn, five Konoha ninjas were strolling leisurely toward them.

The leader, with his wild white hair, a headband with the character "油" (oil) on his forehead, a red outer jacket, and wooden clogs, swaggered into the shop. It was none other than Jiraiya.

Four teenagers followed behind him.

The most eye-catching was the blond-haired, blue-eyed youth, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a handsome face and a gentle smile. He wore a Konoha headband on his forehead—Minato Namikaze, who was now a special Jonin.

After two years, Minato Namikaze has become an excellent special jonin. After completing this mission, he will be promoted to jonin.

Of course, with his strength and experience, he was qualified to become a Jonin long ago. However, it seems that the Third Hokage deliberately paved the way for him, allowing him to take each step very solidly and come into contact with more ninjas at all levels.

Accompanying him were three boys of similar age: one with a ponytail and a lazy expression; one with short brown hair and a calm demeanor; and the last one, slightly chubby, looking around.

These are the three young masters of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio: Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza.

"Boss, the best hot spring, and a jug of sake, please!" Jiraiya shouted, tossing his bag onto the counter.

The proprietress quickly responded.

Minato Namikaze stepped forward with a wry smile to pay, a troubled expression on his face: "Sensei, we're here on a mission. Perhaps we should go to Yugakure and have a proper talk with the current leader first."

Jiraiya waved his hand and laughed, "What's there to talk about? It's just a normal religious dispute."

"This mission is entirely in your hands. There shouldn't be any particularly powerful figures in Yugakure, so there's no need for me, the Toad Sage Jiraiya, to lift a finger. Besides, it's a rare opportunity to be out here; their village's hot springs are famous throughout the ninja world, it would be a shame not to soak in them."

At this point, he put his arm around Minato Namikaze and muttered, "Besides, we're just soaking in the hot springs, we're not doing anything else. You're not worried about how to explain this to Chili Pepper when we get back, are you?"

Minato Namikaze blushed slightly and explained, "There's nothing between me and Kushina."

"I know, I know. But you're not young anymore. I heard that Fugaku Uchiha is about to marry your classmate."

"So fast? Didn't she just become a Special Jonin?" Minato Namikaze seemed somewhat surprised. Mikoto Uchiha was clearly still on the rise; getting married at this time was practically equivalent to retiring from the front lines.

Jiraiya gave a meaningful smile: "The ninja clan, you know, there are some things you should understand. Hehehe!" Then he said no more.

In fact, the roster of Konoha Jonin is almost full now. Even if there are vacancies, they are mostly empty slots that have already been reserved by someone, such as Minato Namikaze himself.

If it weren't for the need to help him build connections with lower-level people and enhance his reputation, he would have already been qualified to become a Jonin. However, some things are better left unsaid.

Then, Minato Namikaze smiled gently again, his face unusually serious as he said, "There is still a gap between her and me, but I still hope to catch up with her through my own efforts..."

"I know, I know." Jiraiya laughed heartily, then turned to Shikaku and the others: "You guys relax too, we'll talk about the mission tomorrow. By the way, I heard there's a mixed-gender bathhouse nearby..."

"Teacher!" Minato Namikaze interrupted quickly.

"Just kidding." Jiraiya didn't say anything more, turned around and walked towards the bathhouse. "Let's go, let's go take a bath!"

The five people eventually entered the men's bathhouse.

On the other side, Aburame Shisei regained his composure.

He had been soaking in the hot spring for almost half an hour and his whole body was completely relaxed. He got up and prepared to leave the hot spring.

The spring water slid down my body, and my skin, slightly red from soaking for so long, appeared even whiter in the misty steam—the skin tone of someone who had been raising insects indoors for a long time and rarely seen the sun.