Chapter 325. The Revival of Spring Begins
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"This isn't how you dance!"
"Move it! Move it! Get those hips twisting!"
"This is the Toad Dance I, the Great Sage, spent days creating. With these meticulously designed toad outfits, we'll definitely win!"
"Shut up! Keep ogling and I'll gouge your eyes out!" Tsunade snapped, glaring at the pervy expression. "And wipe off your drool!"
How many years had it been?
Why was this guy still the same?
"What drool? This sage stopped drooling long ago!" Jiraiya brushed it off cheerfully, then turned serious, eyeing the tight outfit he'd designed. "Right, I haven't asked yet—why did you suddenly decide to enter this competition?"
If this were the past...
Tsunade would've punched him the moment he brought out the outfit.
Well, she did punch him just now when he showed it...
His head still ached from the bump. But if it were the old days—
She'd never have followed along with all these ridiculous moves!
Unlike now!!
Tsunade responded matter-of-factly, "For the money, of course."
"...Heh~"
Jiraiya pouted.
Money?
As her teammate, he knew Tsunade wouldn't stoop to this just for money. If it came to that, she'd probably sell off the Senju clan estate before agreeing to dance.
But since she didn't want to explain, he didn't ask further.
Besides—
Jiraiya glanced at his clone in Transformation Jutsu form, stroked his chin, and frowned slightly. "You know what? That Princess Orochi is actually pretty hot!"
As soon as he spoke—
The snake-lady clone threw him a flirty wink and made a heart gesture!
They were all his clones anyway. Giving himself a little fanservice—what's the harm?
Immediately—
Jiraiya clutched his chest and theatrically collapsed backward, eyes practically turning into hearts.
Tsunade looked on in disgust. Of course she looked good!
Flawless skin, killer curves almost rivaling her own, long silky black hair… this old pervert had definitely snuck in a few "bonuses" with the design~
But even so—she was still way hotter.
Sick of the sight, she smashed the snake-lady with one punch, shattering the clone. Then glared at the weakly rising Jiraiya and snapped, "Enough already. Cut the act!"
"Act?! You know how hard you hit!" Jiraiya sighed with exasperation, then muttered, "Still, I can't believe Orochimaru bailed just for 1 billion… If he were here, our team would finally be complete again."
"Heh!" Tsunade scoffed coldly, "Hurting comrades for money… starting a war for money… That guy's becoming worse and worse! Maybe all those forbidden jutsu fried his brain!"
At that, she fell silent.
After a while, she spoke quietly. "You still remember your dream?"
"My dream? Peace in the ninja world?"
As soon as he said it—
Bang!
Another punch.
Are you kidding?!
Tsunade pouted, "Forget it. I'm going to rest now. Don't let me down when the time comes!"
With that, she waved a hand and walked off.
Jiraiya, chuckling, climbed back to his feet and looked at her retreating back. He was just about to go chill somewhere when—
Suddenly—
Tsunade's casual voice floated back: "It's just boredom, alright? I wanted something to do! If Minato weren't Hokage right now, I'd probably set fire to the Hokage building out of spite!"
"..."
Jiraiya blinked, then smiled helplessly as she disappeared. Shaking his head with a grin, he murmured, "Bored? Personally, I think things are pretty great right now~"
So many lovely ladies introducing him to girlfriends… wasn't that just living the dream?
…
Some time later.
As the event [The Revival of Spring] approached, more and more people started getting curious.
After all—
Watching others dance?
Isn't that pretty fun?
However, compared to the previous Mahjong God Cup or the Ninja Grand Prix… the enthusiasm for this dance competition wasn't quite as high.
Especially on the side of Kumogakure… Compared to these soft dances, those ninjas probably preferred watching the clash of blood and sweat. As for Iwagakure, which had only recently gotten internet access… they were even less interested. After all, their village was quite busy.
Therefore—
Konoha wouldn't be as crowded as in past events. For most people… watching the dances online would be more than enough. Why go through all that trouble traveling?
Of course—
Even if it wasn't trending across the whole ninja world, it was still bustling within Konoha itself.
Since it was nearby, why not go join the fun?
Plus, with aunts, uncles, parents, and even grandparents possibly participating, how could the younger generation not show up to cheer them on?
Very soon—
The day of [The Revival of Spring], hosted by Root Studio, arrived.
The venue, same as the Mahjong God Cup, was set inside the Chunin Indoor Exam Hall, which had been renovated and expanded after many events, making it even larger than in previous years.
The moment the time struck—
Music began to play.
Light-hearted, joyful music, signaling that this competition wasn't just any ordinary match—it was an event… full of artistry!
As for him—
Uchiha Yuto—
He had the honor of being a judge.
At first, he had refused—worried the whole thing would be an eyesore. But… considering that the venue renovations were funded by the Yuto Group, and especially after Konan and Kana moved into his house while vacationing in Konoha—
Yuto felt… maybe he should find something to keep himself busy. Otherwise, staying home all day and watching Konan pull out explosive tags was making him afraid!
That girl… why had she become so ignorant?
Didn't she know how expensive explosive tags are?
Pulling out so many—wasn't that a complete waste?
Such a money-burning girl!
After the host gave the opening remarks and the ads finished, the competition was ready to begin.
However—
Upon hearing that the [Root Mall] online discount marketplace founded by Root Studio was officially launched, with billions in subsidies available until gone—
Yuto froze slightly, then narrowed his eyes, seeming to understand something.
No wonder Root Studio had recently gotten into web programming. He'd originally thought Danzo was up to something shady—but turns out… this was what it was all about!
Clearly—
The boss of Root Studio, Shimura Danzo, had some pretty big ambitions~
Of course—
He didn't mind.
After all—
Currently, the only one with online payment systems was Yuto Group, and the internet itself belonged to him… Even if Danzo managed to beat his e-commerce platform, Yuto wouldn't care. In fact… if Danzo's efforts could stimulate more internet content creation—
He'd actually be quite pleased!
He—
Uchiha Yuto!
Didn't care about the money!
Yuto cheerfully turned his head and glanced at Danzo, who was also serving as a judge. Danzo seemed to notice and turned to look back at Yuto, smiling and nodding.
"…"
Yuto smiled and nodded in return, looking at that smug old man.
He hadn't expected—
Even at that age, Danzo still had such a strong competitive streak!
Could it be… he was planning to get revenge for the milk tea, BBQ, and cinema?
Was he really aiming to take down Yuto Group?
But was that even possible?
He was rolling in wealth now… and it wasn't even earned by himself.
Just then—
"Let's welcome the first team of performers! The Three Princesses of Konoha with their performance!"
With the host's call—
Yuto's attention shifted to the stage. He already knew Jiraiya and Tsunade were participating in the competition, so… he was genuinely curious about what they'd perform.
As for whether it'd hurt his eyes…
Well, by the time he took this job, he'd already prepared himself.
Worst case—he'd just go wash his eyes afterwards.
And as everyone watched the stage, waiting for the performers to appear—
"Ribbit~"
A crisp toad croak echoed out first.
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