Chapter 299 Bathhouse Talk

The most central location of Konoha Ninja Village has three well-known advantages: good casinos, good restaurants and good baths. Many foreign wealthy people come here because of its reputation, making this area a key tax collection area. For this reason, the Konoha Security Department has put a lot of effort into governance here.

Even though it was late, almost dawn, the center was still brightly lit. Many people who came here to have fun walked out of the casinos and restaurants and set their sights on the bathhouse, only to find that the biggest boss, Jiraiya, was standing outside the gate in person waiting for them, and they all came forward to greet him.

Jiraiya smiled and greeted the guest: "You guys should lose some weight. I haven't seen you for a few days. How come you have gained so much weight? Will you be able to fight in the future?"

"Don't worry, sir. As long as the village gives the order, I will be the first to stop being a coward. I will still stand guard under you at that time!"

"Okay, okay, that's encouraging, but you should stop spending money here. It's more important to save some money and get married."

"You guys go in first, and all your purchases tonight will be discounted by 20%!"

"Thank you!"

"Hahaha, it's just a small matter."

Jiraiya waved his hand nonchalantly, signaling the waiter to bring a few acquaintances in. He still stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting in the cold night wind.

A quarter of an hour later, a ninja appeared and whispered something in his ear. Jiraiya nodded indifferently, tidied his clothes, and looked at the spacious street. With the bright lights, he soon saw a group of five people coming. He did not dare to delay and went to greet them. His smiling words floated in the cold wind.

"It is really tiring for the Hokages to come here so late at night. Please come in and have a cup of hot tea."

Ye Shan, who was walking in the front, smiled, looked around and said, "Why should we be in trouble? We are just uninvited guests at best. As the host, you must not be stingy tonight."

"Of course, I would never fool you, no matter who I am!" Jiraiya said with a smile.

Uchiha Keiji smiled and shook hands with Jiraiya, saying, "Let's make it clear in advance that we are the consumers tonight and we have to pay. You are not allowed to refuse payment."

Jiraiya never charged any money when he came several times before, and even stated in a dignified manner that it was the duty of every Konoha ninja to help the Hokage relieve his fatigue, which made Yeshan feel embarrassed to come.

"This..." Jiraiya said with difficulty: "Forget it this time, but I will definitely do it next time."

Ye Shan pretended to be displeased and said, "You don't want to entertain us, then we'll go next door."

Jiraiya scratched his head and said embarrassedly: "The property next door is also mine!"

After that, he added: "The whole street belongs to me!"

Namikaze Minato glanced at his teacher calmly and said with a smile: "Ye Shan, this is a token of your kindness. It doesn't cost much for us to come here occasionally to chat and drink tea. Just treat it as a normal social interaction between friends."

Ye Shan smiled and nodded, "I know you are a successful entrepreneur now, but I didn't expect you to be so successful. If I can't be the Hokage anymore, you have to find me some work to do."

"The village is thriving under the leadership of the Hokage. How could it really fail? You are such a joke."

"There is no Hokage here, so let's just be casual. You can just call me Hayama. According to seniority, you are Minato's teacher and mentor, and I am Minato's friend, so it's totally fine to call me Hayama."

Jiraiya was not politically savvy, that was because he was not interested in it, but he was not stupid. After all, Ye Shan was the shadow of a village, so he naturally would not call him by his name. He immediately changed the subject and said, "A few days ago, a new batch of tea arrived in the Land of Earth. It is the best after the autumn frost. The taste is light and elegant. After drinking it, the fragrance lingers on your lips. Please come in and let's taste it together."

Several people filed in and entered a magnificently decorated room and sat down. Soon a ninja brought in tea sets and set the table. Needless to say, there were also snacks and fruits.

Ye Shan glanced at the ninja who came in and smiled, "I remember you, your name is Nagano Teppei, right?"

Nagano Teppei was about thirty years old. When he saw that the Hokage recognized him, he was surprised, but he quickly saluted and said, "Nagano Teppei, the former captain of the seventh squad under the third squadron of the second ninja battalion of Konohagakure, greets the Hokage!"

Jiraiya picked up the tea set and poured a cup of tea for Ye Shan skillfully. He smiled and said, "Nagano Teppei is my old subordinate. His hometown is far away from the village, and he is not married yet. He will help me with management for the time being."

Ye Shan picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said with a smile, "It leaves a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth. It is indeed a good tea."

"If Hokage likes it, I'll send some to the office later. Drinking tea after work is good for your health."

Ye Shan put down the teacup, looked at Nagano Teppei who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Get up. Tonight is not the official work report."

The latter stood up and stood straight. Ye Shan continued, "Nagano Teppei, now 32 years old, from Yong'an, the Land of Fire. When he was young, his family was robbed, and fortunately, he escaped with the help of Konoha ninjas. In the 24th year of Konoha, he passed the ninja selection exam with excellent results, participated in the second and third wars in the ninja world, and was proficient in fire escape and earth escape. In the 42nd year of Konoha, he was promoted to a jonin. During this period, he completed many A-level missions and was a well-received jonin."

Nagano Teppei's face showed shock. He was a semi-invisible person in the entire Konoha Village and was always very low-key in doing things. However, the Hokage remembered his resume and background very clearly. For a moment, he was very nervous, not knowing whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Namikaze Minato smiled and picked up a plate of grapes on the table and placed it in front of Ye Shan, saying: "You have a good memory. Even the head of the organization and personnel department may not remember it so clearly."

Ye Shan waved his hand and said, "I have always had a good memory. This is also one of the basic duties of the Hokage. Otherwise, if you don't even know what kind of outstanding talents you have under your command, wouldn't that make people laugh?"

"Nagano Teppei, you should do your best here. Jiraiya is a very good ninja. I have learned a lot from him. Of course, you can't learn the sexual aspect from him."

A joke from Ye Shan broke the solemn atmosphere in the room. Some people were smoking, some were eating, and Jiraiya was also tactful enough to call a group of dancers to add some bright colors to the cheerful atmosphere.

Uchiha Fugaku was originally a serious ninja, he always had a stern face whether at home or outside, as if others owed him tens of thousands of taels of silver, but now, the nasolabial lines from his smile seemed to dance.

It’s not that I’m too serious, but the atmosphere is not right.

After watching the dance, Ye Shan felt hot all over. He waved his hand to let the outsiders go, and they went to the bathing pool inside to take a bath. How comfortable it was.

The bathing pool is very large, and a lush green rockery is specially decorated in the middle. A stream of water slowly and melodiously pours into the bathing pool from a dragon-shaped nozzle, ensuring that the water temperature does not drop over time.

Ye Shan felt comfortable all over after soaking in the water. He picked up a cup of herbal tea from the plate floating on the water and drank it all in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"How's that Orochimaru guy doing lately?"

Jiraiya, who was talking in a low voice with Minato Namikaze, raised his eyebrows when he heard this and was about to answer, but was stopped by Minato with a look.

Uchiha Keiji glanced at Jiraiya and said with a smile: "Overall, he's fine, but he's a little irritable."

"Tell me more specifically."

"He is now in charge of street order and often encounters some unreasonable small vendors occupying the road for business, which inevitably leads to verbal conflicts. This is also the most common problem of the Security Department."

Ye Shan nodded thoughtfully and said, "It's really a waste of talent to ask him to do odd jobs."

Namikaze Minato quietly pushed his master, and Jiraiya quickly stood up and walked forward, smiling and said, "Are you satisfied tonight, Hokage?"

"very satisfied!"

Jiraiya continued, "The end of the year is approaching, and many positions in the village will be changed. Orochimaru is my childhood friend, so I want to shamelessly ask the Hokage to give him a new job."

Ye Shan looked at Jiraiya with a half-smile, pointed at Uchiha Keiji and said, "He is the deputy Hokage in charge of personnel affairs. You can ask him."

"Brother Keiji, can you give me a definite answer?"

Uchiha Keiji smiled, wiped the sweat off his face with a towel, and said, "I may not give face to others, but since you asked for mercy, I can't bear to refuse."

"Last week, members of the Akatsuki organization attacked a farm in the New Rain Country, causing a lot of casualties. For this reason, the Anbu sent a team to the Rain Country for reconnaissance, but there has been no news since then. It is estimated that the situation is very bad."

He put down the towel, his face solemn, and said: "According to the rules, after a team goes missing, the village should continue to send more people to investigate, but due to the relative isolation of the Rain Country, the Anbu chief's opinion is to send a strong ninja to lead the team to investigate. The candidate has not yet been determined."

Ye Shan took over the conversation and said, "Yesterday morning, Mizunotsuki Hara made a special report, pointed out the danger and importance of the mission, and expressed on the spot his willingness to personally lead the team to the Rain Country to complete the mission, but I refused."

"The situation in the Rain Country is complicated. There are remnants of the old Rain Ninja, rebel ninjas from various countries, and the Akatsuki organization. In particular, the leader of the Akatsuki organization, Nagato, possesses the legendary Samsara Eye, and his strength remains a mystery to this day. As the ruler of the Konoha Village, I am responsible for the safety of the ninjas in the village. When the situation is unclear, I must not continue to use the tactics of adding fuel to the fire, which will cause loss of life."

It is already very clear at this point. Yeshan hopes that Orochimaru will volunteer to go to the Rain Country to carry out the mission, and it would be best if he could kill Nagato to eliminate future troubles.

This is also one of the main purposes of his coming here tonight. Otherwise, do you really think Ye Shan has nothing to do and comes here to have fun?