For some reason, the term 'Child of Prophecy' made Jiraiya feel uneasy now. He had been searching for this so-called Child of Prophecy for more than ten years, but he still hasn't found any trace of them.
In addition, what Naruto said in front of him some time ago really made Jiraiya's long-held belief waver a little.
What Naruto said seemed to make sense, as this world belongs to humans. Wherever there are people, there will be conflict. And the root cause of war is the imbalance of power.
The power of a Shinobi is too great. If a person suddenly gain such power, it's like a child holding a knife. Unless the Child of Prophecy is perfect, they would just be a child with immense power.
But how can a person be as perfect as a god? In the end, it's hard to say whether the Child of Prophecy will save the world or destroy it. It all comes down to a vague prophecy.
"Do I need to return to Mount Myoboku?" Jiraiya asked.
Although he had some doubts in his heart, he couldn't just abandon his mission because of a fleeting thought. After investing so much time and effort, he couldn't give up on finding the Child of Prophecy.
For this mission, he had already given up many things. So whether he could find the Child of Prophecy or not, he had to continue down this path.
"Yes!" Gerotora said solemnly.
…
The next day.
"Naruto, aren't you being a bit too shameless for doing this?" Choji frowned, his chubby face showing a mix of fear and hesitation, as if he wanted to criticize Naruto but was afraid of getting dragged into the mess.
"You make it sound like I'm a scumbag." Naruto rolled his eyes without any self-awareness, "I just asked Shikamaru to do me a small favor. It's not like I'm throwing him into a fire pit."
"Isn't that the same as throwing him into a fire pit?" Choji muttered under his breath, but Naruto still heard it.
"It's just gathering some information. How can this be considered as throwing him into a fire pit?" He said unhappily, "Shikamaru is very smart. He will definitely find a way."
Hearing this, Choji couldn't help but agree. Shikamaru was indeed clever. Since they were kids, he had always been smarter than everyone else. While others struggled, Shikamaru could easily accomplish the same tasks.
Choji had once asked him why, and Shikamaru simply said he thought things through more thoroughly. He considered every possibility and had backup plans, so he rarely failed.
"What are you planning to do?" Choji asked.
These days, the question Naruto heard the most was, 'What are you planning to do?'. It seemed as if things had reached a desperate situation and everyone was waiting for him to make a choice or come up with a solution.
"Gather information and win them back, one by one." Naruto said nonchalantly.
"You're so awesome!" Choji was impressed.
At noon, under the blazing sun, the two sat on the stone steps outside a small shop. Above them was a lush green tree, and the shop was at the top of a long stone staircase.
The sunlight was intense but couldn't penetrate the thick tree canopy.
The two of them sat in the shade of the trees, with a few cans of beer and some snacks at their feet. Naruto and Choji were both idle and did not have to work.
Choji occasionally helped out with his clan's affairs, but most of the work was handled by his father. He only needs to eat to stay fat and go out for training occasionally.
As for Naruto, he is also not too idle on the whole, but time was like a woman's abyss, and you could always squeeze out a bit more. He really has nothing to do these days, so he just hangs out with Choji.
"Naruto, I have to give you some advice. Ino really cares about you, so don't let her down." Choji couldn't help but speak.
"Why are you so talkative?" Naruto patted him but didn't get angry.
"Naruto, I mean it."
"I know, you have a wife, right? Choji."
"Yes." Choji was a little confused, not knowing why Naruto suddenly brought this up, "Why?"
"If you have time, you should have more children. Talking to you is really exhausting."
Choji: "…"
'This bastard really likes to burn bridges after crossing the river. It was clearly him who called me out to drink, and now he is blaming me.'
Choji took a few sips of beer and glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye.
"Who are you planning to win back?"
"Both."
"Both?"
"Are you a parrot?" Naruto stood up, holding a can of beer, "No more talking, I still have things to do. You should hurry up and focus on making babies."
"Why don't you make one yourself!" Choji muttered as he watched Naruto walk away.
Naruto actually heard it, but he didn't turn back, and there's a faint smile on his lips. He thought to himself, 'Make one? You're underestimating me. I'm not just making one kid… I'm making two!
In the end, people never change. If a few words could sway him, Naruto would have been following Sandaime's lead long ago.
From start to finish, he hadn't changed his mind. He believed that even if his reputation wasn't great, he had to stick to his principles and not waver.
After all, this was his life. If he started swaying because of others' opinions, what would all the things he had done for Hinata and Ino mean?
By sticking to his principles, he might face some resentment, and at most, the fathers-in-law on both sides would dislike him. At worst, he'd get cold shoulders or icy stares, but that didn't bother him at all.
What would Hinata and Ino think of him? Disappointed? Probably, but he could always win them back. At most, he'd get scolded, but it would all be worth it.
Naruto was shouldering everything. Whether Hinata and Ino were hurt or angry, their emotions would be directed at him. At least they wouldn't be torn apart by internal conflict.
In other words, he stepped forward and became a target of concentrated fire, and he would only have to bear it for a while. Once the storm blew over, they would gradually come to accept it.
At worst, he could keep them apart, not letting them meet, and not let them know too much about the other side.
It was better than pretending to be a good guy, waffling back and forth, and then leaving the two girls to wallow in self-pity and cry every day.
Doing nothing was the real hypocrisy.
Naruto had grown to this point. Combined with his usual eccentric behavior, even if he did something outrageous, it wouldn't seem out of character.