Chapter 496: Don't Have a Membership Card?
"I… I'm thirteen—no, fourteen."
Naruto felt a little guilty after being asked, thinking to himself that he should've just used Transformation Jutsu to sneak in.
"No entry for anyone under eighteen."
The gatekeeper still held out his hand, blocking Naruto.
"Huh? There's nothing like this in Konohagakure."
Naruto scratched his head.
What's going on?
There were no such rules in the Konohagakure Village. In fact, those kinds of books were placed together with regular books. When he went with Konohamaru before, they even had to search for a while.
So why was this specialty shop in the Kumogakure Village not letting people in?
Is the Kumogakure Village really this conservative?
"Naruto-niisan, I'm here!"
At that moment, Konohamaru caught up and ran to Naruto's side.
"Stop right there. How old are you?"
The gatekeeper stopped Konohamaru as well.
"Hmm?"
Naruto scratched his head again.
He felt like this gatekeeper had a very half-hearted attitude.
Did they really need to ask Konohamaru's age? He was clearly much shorter than him…
"I-I'm eighteen."
Konohamaru rolled his eyes and immediately used Transformation Jutsu right in front of the gatekeeper, turning into an adult.
Konohamaru figured that both using Transformation Jutsu and Undoing (canceling it) happened in a "poof."
If the gatekeeper was just an ordinary person, how could he tell whether it was transformation or cancellation?
He could just insist he had been an adult all along.
However, what Konohamaru didn't expect was that the gatekeeper didn't ask anything like that at all.
"Go on in, kid. I knew you were just pretending to be older."
The gatekeeper casually lowered the hand blocking him.
"Alright~"
Konohamaru happily bounced inside.
This scene completely stunned Naruto.
After briefly hesitating over whether to transform immediately or leave and come back transformed, Naruto chose not to transform and bluntly said, "I'm fifty. My name is Jiraiya."
"Jiraiya, huh? Old man, go on in and have fun."
The gatekeeper stepped aside and made way.
"Huh? Is it really that simple?"
Naruto was pleasantly surprised.
He secretly thought this gatekeeper was way too dumb—he actually believed such an obvious lie.
"Wait."
Just as Naruto was about to walk in, the gatekeeper suddenly called out to stop him.
"W-what is it?"
Naruto's face instantly fell.
He knew it—this kind of easily exposed lie was useless after all.
"Jiraiya seems to be a member of our chain store. Do you have your membership card?"
"Uh… no."
Naruto's mouth twitched.
"If you don't have a membership card, you can't enjoy discounts or free massage and drink services. Please remember to bring it next time."
The gatekeeper gave a reminder and said nothing more.
"Can I… go in now?"
Naruto pointed at the entrance and asked cautiously.
"Yes, please come in."
"..."
On the other side, after traveling for an entire afternoon, Killer Bee arrived at Turtle Island and found Motoi, handing him the mission scroll for Sage Mode training.
Motoi took the scroll, but deep down he felt resistance and suspicion.
Motoi was the mere Chunin from the original story who once attempted to assassinate Killer Bee.
Because his father died during the Eight-Tails' rampage, he chose to assassinate Killer Bee.
After failing, he distanced himself from Killer Bee. In his heart, he felt both hatred and guilt toward him.
Later, during the Turtle Island arc, he and Killer Bee exchanged punches and reconciled, finally understanding the pain and loneliness of jinchūriki.
It sounded very positive and uplifting.
But no one in the ninja world could ever truly explain why people who hated tailed beasts also ended up hating jinchūriki.
Before the existence of perfect jinchūriki, in most cases, the relationship between jinchūriki and tailed beasts was completely antagonistic.
Would someone blow up a toilet just because they hate the smell of poop?
More importantly, tailed beasts were strategic weapons.
Even if not actively used, they existed to maintain balance in the ninja world and the status of the villages.
For a mere Chunin to think about destroying something of that level—how was that different from betraying the village?
It was something that had neither great righteousness nor even small righteousness.
Right now, after receiving the scroll, Motoi's thought was—could Killer Bee have already figured out that he was the one who attempted the assassination back then, and is now using this mission as a way to eliminate him?
To make Motoi more careful during training, Killer Bee explained all the precautions in detail.
Even though they were already written in the scroll, he still personally repeated them so Motoi would remember.
This included the dangers of natural energy erosion during Sage Mode training.
And the example from Mount Myoboku—being eroded by natural energy would turn one into a toad-like stone statue.
So one must ensure their mind is completely empty before entering the state.
Motoi was just a Chunin. Hearing that such a dangerous, difficult, and high-level Sage Mode training was being entrusted to him naturally made him suspicious.
"I'll train with you."
Killer Bee, sharp as ever, seemed to notice his friend's hesitation and directly revealed his intention.
"What? Y-you're a jinchūriki?"
Motoi was shocked.
Killer Bee had finally gained control over the Eight-Tails and could no longer go berserk. And now he was going to train in the unstable Sage Mode? Wasn't this repeating the tragedy of the past?
"For the sake of protecting the village, this is necessary. However, my training cannot be made public, and I also can't teach other ninjas in the village. Those responsibilities will fall to you."
"Motoi, from now on, you'll be the first Sage Mode instructor of the Kumogakure Village!"
Killer Bee patted Motoi's shoulder.
"Th-this… can a Chunin really become an instructor?"
Motoi was completely swayed by the sudden "dream promise", and his suspicion vanished.
Anyone who asked that question clearly didn't know Iruka.
If Naruto ever became Hokage, Iruka wouldn't just be an instructor—he could even become principal without issue.
And he would be someone everyone in Konoha, from genin to jonin, would respectfully address.
"Of course. And you're not only contributing to the Kumogakure Village, but to the entire ninja world."
Killer Bee then told Motoi about how the people from Konoha were waiting for at least one person to master it before leaving.
"In other words, the sooner you master it, the sooner ninjas from other villages can learn it as well."
"No one knows when the Ōtsutsuki clan will appear. The earlier you master it, the safer the entire ninja world will be."
"...Alright! I'll start training immediately!"
Motoi's fighting spirit was fully ignited, and he directly extended his hand to fist-bump Killer Bee.
"Yeah!"
After the fist bump, Killer Bee pulled out something from behind and handed it over.
"This is… a gift?"
"Yes! It's a ninja tool to assist training."
Killer Bee nodded.
It was something he had purchased from the Kumogakure Village branch store.
In Naruto's words, it was called "extreme pleasure."
The two childhood friends finally reconciled, found a quiet mountain cave, and began their training.
However, as expected, an accident occurred.
(End of this chapter)