novelcrest Chapter 466 Bonds
Chapter 466 Bonds
"What?! Hyuga Neji left the village without submitting any report?!"
In the Hokage's office, Jiraiya suddenly looked up from the mountain of documents, his brows instantly furrowing into a knot.
He was getting a little irritated by the tedious administrative work, but when he heard his subordinate's report, that irritation was immediately replaced by surprise and doubt.
Standing in front of the desk reporting was the two gatekeepers of Konoha Village—Kouko Tetsu and Kamizuki Izumo.
"Yes, Fifth Hokage," Izumo Kamizuki recalled the events of the previous night, "It was late last night, and we were conducting a routine patrol and shift change. We clearly saw a figure, without any companions, walking alone from the direction of the village towards the gate."
Gangzi Tie added from the side, "As the figure got closer, we recognized him as Hyuga Neji of the Hyuga clan. He was carrying a small bag, so it looked like he was going on a long journey."
"We found it strange at the time. At this time, and acting alone, they should have had a mission scroll or Hokage's warrant in advance. So we went up to ask them routinely to check their documents."
Izumo Kamitsu picked up where he left off, saying, "We stopped him and followed the procedure, asking him if he had a travel permit, where his destination was, and if he needed assistance with registration, etc... He stopped and seemed to only say one thing... I'm sorry."
"And then?" Jiraiya leaned forward slightly and asked.
Both Izumo and Kotetsu showed expressions of embarrassment and disbelief.
Gangzi Tie scratched the back of his head. "And then...and then the two of us...we don't know anything anymore."
"When we regained consciousness, it was almost dawn, but Hyuga Neji was nowhere to be found. We checked the gate records, but there was no record of him officially leaving."
After listening, Jiraiya leaned back in his wide chair, stroked his chin, and fell into deep thought.
Hyuga Neji, a genius from the Hyuga clan's branch family and a Jonin of Konoha, was renowned for his strength, prestige, and contributions to the village. He simply couldn't fathom how such a promising and composed young man could possibly betray the village.
Although the rules of the Hyuga branch family are very unfair and cruel, anyone who knows Hyuga Neji knows that he has a very good relationship with Hyuga Hinata, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family, and he cares for her like an elder brother or father.
And nothing major has happened recently, except that my disciple got married.
Just as Jiraiya was completely baffled—
"Hokage-sama—!!!"
A loud, anxious voice came from afar, sweeping down the corridor all the way to the Hokage's office door.
This iconic way of shouting is unique in Konoha today, with no other similar style.
The office door was pushed open with a bang, and a young man with thick eyebrows, sporting a thick bowl cut, wearing a signature green bodysuit and Konoha-style vest, rushed in with lightning speed. It was none other than Hyuga Neji's teammate—Rock Lee.
"I heard! Neji... he left the village?! Is that true?! Hokage-sama!" Lee's voice was so loud that the office windows seemed to be buzzing.
Jiraiya's ears rang from the loud noise, and he rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Yes, according to the gate guards' report and preliminary investigation, that's indeed the case. But you don't need to shout so loudly, I can hear you."
"It...it's actually true..." Upon hearing the confirmation, Li's anxious expression was instantly replaced by immense disappointment and confusion. "I...I just received a vague piece of information and immediately went to Neji's house to find him!"
"Turns out no one was home, some things were packed away, and then...and then I found this on his desk!"
As Li spoke, he hurriedly pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Jiraiya. His eyes were filled with worry. "Neji... he never does anything without a reason! There must be a clue on this!"
Jiraiya took the note and unfolded it. The note was of ordinary quality, with only one line of handwriting written with a resolute and forceful stroke.
This is something that must be done, something that must be accomplished.
------
"Oh my god... Am I under a spell? Or am I just still half asleep?"
Temari blinked hard, trying to dispel the extremely unreal scene before her.
The bedroom in front of her, filled with countless "Naruto Uzumaki" sand sculptures, resembling a paranoid art exhibition or a ritual site, made her scalp tingle.
His own younger brother, the calm and collected Fifth Kazekage who shouldered the heavy responsibility of the village, was actually hiding in his room, using chakra to create a room full of... Naruto models? The scene was unsettlingly eerie and...heartbreaking.
Kankuro's expression was even more solemn than Temari's. He knew a little more about the inside story and understood Gaara's deep reliance and unwavering devotion to Naruto Uzumaki, a bond that transcended ordinary friendship and bordered on a spiritual pillar.
The madness before him, while chilling, also filled him with a heavy heartache and a sense of "just as I thought." He knew there were things he had to say.
He forced himself to ignore the countless empty stares of "Sand Naruto" around him, took two steps forward, and squatted down in front of Gaara.
"...Gaara, listen to me. You can't go on like this... You're locking yourself up, not eating, not doing any work, just... messing with this sand."
"You are the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, bearing the future of the entire village and the expectations of countless people on your shoulders. If you continue to be so despondent, can you still do your job as Kazekage well?"
Gaara, still holding his newly completed sand sculpture of Naruto with its distinctive beard lines, stared blankly into space upon hearing this. He remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a hoarse and bewildered voice.
"...I don't know. Work...the village...those things, I can't think about that right now."
His voice lowered, filled with childlike grievance and disappointment, "I just feel... so irritable. Naruto... he hasn't contacted me or sent any news for a whole week."
"Has he... completely forgotten about me because of Satsuki? Does he think I'm no longer needed as his 'friend'?"
"Of course, you idiot! Naruto's on his honeymoon right now! His eyes and heart are only for his newlywed wife, Uchiha Sasuke! How could he possibly have time to think about contacting you, his friend far away in Sunagakure, every day!"
But he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He knew that this "obvious" reality was the cruelest blow to Gaara, who was in an abnormal state and extremely dependent on Naruto at the moment.
"These are all fake! You idiot!"
"The people in the sand won't talk to you, won't smile at you. You're doing these pointless things here; you're incredibly stupid!"
A mocking voice exploded in Gaara's mind—it was Shukaku. It was also uneasy about Gaara's persistent low spirits and bizarre "creations," and tried to wake him up with its usual nasty scolding.
"Shut up."
"Huh?" Kankuro, who was squatting opposite him, was startled by the sudden whisper, thinking that his younger brother was angry with him.
"Sorry, Kankuro, I wasn't talking about you."
Gaara raised his eyelids, glanced at his brother, offered an explanation, and then lowered his gaze again, completely ignoring Shukaku's continued rant in his mind.
"You're a loser! What a disgrace! Now, nobody's going to treat you to ramen."
Gaara was well aware of how abnormal and unbecoming of his role as Kazekage he was. He also knew that he was shirking his responsibilities, indulging in a false sense of comfort built from sand.
But he just couldn't muster the energy. The emptiness in his heart, which had suddenly expanded due to Naruto's "absence," was cold and heavy, making it impossible for him to think about anything else.
He strives to become the Kazekage, overcomes numerous difficulties, persuades the elders, and wins the hearts of the people... The hidden and powerful driving force behind this is that everyone says Naruto will definitely become the Hokage of Konoha in the future, right?
He wanted to stand on equal footing with him, to become a "friend" who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and who was needed and recognized by him.
Now, Naruto has taken big strides forward, entering a new stage of his life, and has formed closer and more important bonds.
Seeing his younger brother's distraught and obsessive state, Kankuro broke out in a cold sweat.
His last shred of hesitation was completely dispelled. He had been wondering whether he should hand that thing over to Gaara, worried that it might add fuel to the fire or cause even more uncontrollable consequences.
But at this moment, he felt that perhaps only that thing could bring a change to Gaara's stagnant state, even if that change might be full of risks.
He slowly and solemnly took out a storage scroll with an ancient design and extremely complex sealing runes from his bag. It was clear that he had spent a lot of time and effort making and preparing it.