Chapter 273. Finding a Parking Space
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Today—
The weather was sunny and pleasant.
It was a nice day.
Yuto lazily strolled down the street, looking at the bustling crowds and shaking his head. "There are more and more people now!"
Not just ninjas from various villages but also spectators coming to watch the Chunin Exams.
And with the rise of cars, they had encountered many vehicles from outside Konoha after walking only a short while.
Beside him, Hyuga Hanabi nodded in agreement. She wasn't particularly surprised by the crowds. After all, in her original timeline, the Ninja World had achieved peace, and Thunder Rail had become widespread. As a result, their Chunin Exams attracted even more people than here.
Still—
Seeing so many people coming to Konoha for the Chunin Exams in this era gave her a strange sense of nostalgia.
She let out a long sigh, shaking off her thoughts. Instead, she curiously observed the differences in this world's Chunin Exams.
Especially when she saw the various banners hanging along the streets, she couldn't help but remark sarcastically, "There are so many advertisements!"
Back in her timeline—
Who would have ever thought of putting ads on the Chunin Exams?!
And selling tickets…?
She heard that Konoha had already made a fortune just from ticket sales and ad placements alone!
They didn't even have to pay for hosting the exams—everything was covered by sponsorships!
"Yeah, there really are a lot of ads." Yuto sighed as well. At first, he was the only one putting up advertisements.
But now…
Everyone was doing it.
Even advertising fees had gone up!
Suddenly—
"Root Studio… was restructured?" Hanabi's eyes widened as she spotted one of the ads. "They already finished filming a movie? When did that happen?"
"A while ago—right after you crashed into my car while leading your team on a mission."
"Oh~ so it was then?" Hanabi nodded in realization. Then, her gaze shifted downward, noticing three familiar silhouettes in the advertisement. She muttered to herself, "[Konoha Partners]? What kind of movie is this? My journey to starting a business with my comrades? So, it's not another academy film or a war movie this time."
"…"
Wait—
Shouldn't you at least acknowledge the whole car crash thing first?!
Yuto shook his head helplessly.
He also stared at the billboard…
By now—
He had already grown numb to the weird and ridiculous names of ninja-world movies.
It was no big deal~
[T/N: Konoha Partners, it is a reference to Chinese TV series – Chinese Partner.]
What actually surprised him was that Danzo was rebuilding Root Studio and making another movie.
Especially since this time, Danzo wasn't trying to establish his own cinema chain. It seemed like he was ready to negotiate a revenue-sharing deal with him instead.
Was it because he was scared?
Or was he just short on funds?
He had even heard that Root Studio had recently purchased a lot of online programming materials.
What exactly was Danzo planning to do?
One thing was certain—
The Danzo who came back this time... was no longer the original Danzo.
This was Shimura Danzo 2.0, reborn from the ashes, armed with wealth, and ready to conquer the business world!
And honestly—
Compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo was far more terrifying!
He was bold. He was fearless. Once he set his mind on something, he wouldn't hesitate to go all in!
The only downside?
He had no moral integrity—and if things got dangerous, he would run away without hesitation.
But there was no doubt about it—
People like him would either soar to the top… or crash and run away in spectacular fashion.
"This looks interesting!" Hanabi blinked her white eyes, intrigued. "Is it premiering during the Winter Festival? Don't forget to take me to see it!"
Her eyes sparkled as she spotted a street food stall ahead. "Today, I'm going to relax and enjoy myself!"
"The exam starts in a few days!" Yuto sighed. Then, he glanced at Hanabi with a look of disapproval. "Honoka and the others are competing in the Chunin Exams, yet their team leader is out here shopping?"
Couldn't she see that he was only here to relax with Suzune today?!
"These few days are supposed to be a break!" Hanabi pouted. "I've been exhausted from leading missions lately~ Ninjas aren't machines, you know. Besides, I only need to be there for the final two rounds."
Chunin Exams were all more or less the same.
The first round focused on intelligence-gathering skills, so there was little danger.
But the last two rounds… that's where incidents often occurred!
So, for safety reasons, teachers usually watched over their students during the final rounds.
"Besides…" Her eyes glinted with amusement. "With Itachi there, I doubt Izumi and Honoka will be in any danger."
"Itachi?" Yuto paused for a moment. Only then did he realize that ever since he had suggested changes to the academy, he hadn't checked on Itachi's progress in a long time.
As his uncle…
What a dereliction of duty this was!
Especially in this era, Itachi had never joined the Anbu, never lost a comrade… Who knows how his Sharingan had developed?
Thinking about this, Yuto curiously looked at his nephew's teacher. "By the way, how many tomoe has Itachi awakened in his Sharingan? How's his Genjutsu? Judging by your expression… he must be quite strong~?"
"Strong, yes~ but…" Hearing Yuto's question, Hanabi's gaze grew even more peculiar. She hesitated for a moment. "You don't know?"
Silence.
Now Yuto was confused. "Know what?"
"You really don't know?" Hanabi gave him a skeptical look. But seeing his genuine confusion, she sighed and shook her head. "Itachi, well… he has already learned—"
Before she could finish—
"Boss Yuto!"
A deep, familiar voice called out.
Yuto, Hanabi, and Suzune all turned toward the source and saw a familiar figure approaching them.
"Clan Leader Hiashi (Hiashi-sama)!"
It was none other than Hyuga Hiashi, out shopping with his wife and children.
He exchanged a brief greeting, then, after casting an odd glance at Hanabi and Suzune, said nothing further and continued walking with his family.
It seemed like he, too, had come to enjoy the Chunin Exams today.
Hanabi watched her father's retreating figure with a thoughtful look in her eyes.
"Father… Ahem, I mean, Hiashi-sama is still Hiashi-sama!" Hanabi looked at the departing family with emotion in her eyes. "It seems like Siste—Hinata is being well taken care of."
She couldn't help but recall that princess contest from before…
Even though Father always acted proud and aloof, she had caught glimpses of him filming videos of Mother and Hinata, secretly uploading them online, and saving every single one!
But then, thinking about how the Hyuga clan had now turned to delivering packages for express delivery, she couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.
To ensure package security, clan members who couldn't be promoted to Chunin or Jonin had been assigned to use their Byakugan to inspect deliveries!
"Forget it~ I need to find a way to go back too." Hanabi clenched her fist as if psyching herself up. "Sister and the others must be so worried about me."
If she stayed here any longer, she would turn into an old woman!
Just as she said that—
Suddenly—
Two Konoha Police Force cars sped past them toward the village gates.
"???"
The three of them froze.
What happened?
Did someone actually dare to cause trouble at a time like this?
Were they not afraid of being beaten to death?
Curious, the three were about to check it out when—
"Yo~! Yuto-chan out shopping with his girlfriend…"
A pause.
"…s?"
A voice rang out from a loudspeaker.
Immediately—
Everyone turned to look. Though, after a quick glance, most people lost interest.
After all, the fact that Boss Yuto had complicated relationships with multiple women… It had already been turned into an ongoing web novel online.
They were used to it.
"…"
Yuto's face darkened.
He turned to look at a strange, green, frog-like van rolling toward them. And sticking his spiky silver-haired head out of the window was none other than—
"Why are you back?"
Shouldn't he be out searching for his best friend?
How did he suddenly have the time to come back?
"It's been years! Just passing by, so I thought I'd drop by the village~" Jiraiya grinned. Then, glancing around—
"So, do you have any empty parking spaces? The public ones are all full. You know where I live—how can I have a parking space? I was about to park at Minato's place, but since I ran into you, might as well not trouble him."
"…"
Looking for a parking space?
What an era-appropriate conversation!
Yuto sighed, then pointed ahead. "In front of the milk tea shop! 10 ryo per hour, and if it's less than an hour, it still counts as a full hour."
"…"
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