Sunny and cheerful Konoha Genin

"I miss you so much! Ito-nii!"

Nawaki was extremely happy, and Ito Toru also noticed his growth.

Now, Sheng Shu has a calm temperament all over his body.

No longer as irritable as before.

Perhaps because of the effect of Wood Release, his height has also grown a little.

It was already able to reach Toru Ito's shoulders.

And his personality has become much more cheerful.

"I miss you too."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Nawaki, Toru Ito finally asked the question that concerned him.

"Why are you alone? Isn't Shisui with you?"

"Ah, Shisui was called away by the Uchiha clan. He said he had an important mission to carry out, and he didn't tell me."

Rope Tree sighed: "I haven't seen him for several days."

"Hmm? An important mission?"

Ito Toru raised his eyebrows slightly.

Could it be that we are fighting against Kirigakure?

Although he was very confident in Shisui's fighting ability, no one could guarantee their own survival on a battlefield like that.

"Yeah, I wonder if this guy is secretly carrying out the mission of the Scorpion Tape."

Speaking of this, Sheng Shu felt a little unhappy.

"He clearly said he would take us there, but until we got back to the village, there was no news at all!"

"This……"

Ito Toru had a strange expression on his face.

After thinking about it, he decided not to tell Shengshu that the mission had been completed.

"By the way, Ito-san, didn't Orochimaru-sensei come back with you?"

Rope Tree asked curiously.

"No, he has other things to do, so he may come back later."

"It's good that he didn't come back. Alas, I don't know what's going on in the village recently. There are a lot of strange rumors."

"Hmm? What rumors?"

"Some ninjas were chatting after dinner and said that Orochimaru's contribution is too great and he will definitely become Hokage, but his personality..."

When he said this, Nawaki hesitated a little, but still said: "Those people don't understand Orochimaru. They just think he is as cold-blooded and ruthless as a snake. They say that if such a person becomes Hokage, Konoha's living environment will become even worse."

"They also spread rumors that Orochimaru is a warmongerer and that he will start wars constantly after becoming Hokage to maintain his position."

"...There is such a thing."

Ito Toru rubbed his eyebrows, feeling a little tricky.

Danzo is dead, who else would do these things?

wrong!

An idea flashed in his mind.

Some people still do this.

Those high-ranking officials of Konoha.

Danzo is just a representative of an interest group and an elected person.

Behind him is the power of the entire Konoha Ninja Clan.

If Orochimaru had not performed so well in the previous war, the target of this rumor would probably be Hatake Sakumo.

Orochimaru accidentally blocked a bullet for Konoha White Fang!

"This is really..."

Ito Toru had an expression that was hard to describe.

"You think this is too much, too, Ito-nii!"

Sheng Shu was filled with righteous indignation: "I tried to reason with them, but they didn't listen to me at all! I was so angry!"

He was originally angry, but when he looked at Ito Toru, his anger suddenly turned into excitement.

"But it's okay now, Ito-kun, you're back!"

"I'll do whatever you say!"

Sheng Shu's eyes were full of eagerness to try.

It's not like he hadn't tried before, but he always failed to achieve his goal, and even his excuses were so pale.

But now, Brother Ito is back!

He seemed to have seen the tragic end of those who secretly spread rumors!

Humph! It's fine for you to bully me, but now the petty and vindictive Ito-ge is back!

You're screwed!

However, to Nawaki's surprise, Ito Toru had a calm expression.

"Haha...if they like to spread rumors, let them continue to spread rumors."

"Anyway, Orochimaru-sensei won't mind these."

"For him, whether it's good reviews or bad reviews, they are just a gust of wind that blows by and they are gone when they pass."

Ito Toru waved his hand, looking cheerful: "Nawashu, don't be too obsessed with these things. Let's go, let's find a place and have a drink to warm ourselves up."

"It's so cold, don't freeze to death."

"Um...okay."

Nawaki still looked somewhat unwilling, but since Ito Toru said so, he had to do it.

It's just that his little face was puffed up.

In winter, it is natural to drink oden soup.

Toru Ito led Nawaki to a famous oden shop.

The owner of this store originally sold oden from a cart on the street. Because business was so booming, he finally bought a store after two years of operation.

The store is now fully open for business.

The store was not big and there were already a few people sitting inside. Toru Ito and Nawaki arrived late and could only sit inside.

"welcome!"

The owner greeted us warmly.

"Anything for today?"

"Cook radishes, cook meatballs, and..."

Toru Ito had a large sum of money saved, so he was very generous in ordering more than ten kinds of side dishes. Anyway, the portions of Japanese-style food like this are very small, so he wouldn't feel too full.

"okay!"

When the owner heard this, he realized that this was a big customer, not the kind who would spend the whole night drinking with a plate of peanuts and a bottle of sake, so the smile on his face became even more enthusiastic, and he busied himself preparing the dishes.

"It's a bit stuffy in here..."

Nawaki and Ito Toru sat down inside together. Because of the poor air circulation, it was not cold but a bit stuffy.

This is why everyone prefers to sit a little further out.

The air is well ventilated but not too cold.

The innermost position is usually left empty.

Toru Ito and his companion took off their ninja costumes and did not attract the attention of other guests.

"It's okay to feel stuffy for a while. You can get some fresh air after you finish eating."

Ito Toru was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood.

Then he heard the conversation of guests at a table near the door.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

"What did you hear?"

"What else could it be? Of course it's Orochimaru's mess!"

"What the hell is he up to again?"

"Now Kirigakure and Kumogakure are ready to make a move at the border of Konoha, but he actually stopped taking charge!"

"Isn't this a good thing? Do you want him to accumulate more military merits and become the Fourth Hokage directly after returning?"

"Of course this is not a good thing! All the capable ninjas in Konoha are under his command. If he gives up, who can gather these people together?"

"Hey! You make it sound like Konoha can't survive without Orochimaru. Are you a fan of Orochimaru?"

"What am I talking about?! I'm just a passerby! I'm just talking about facts. Konoha might lose this time!"

"Bullshit, right? The commanders this time are the famous general of the Nara family, Nara Shikakushi, as well as Akimichi Tosui and Yamanaka Murao. How could they lose? I think you are just deliberately playing the devil's advocate here!"

The two of them talked more and more heatedly, and many diners joined in the heated discussion.