Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 229

Under Chiriku's guidance, the two finally arrived at the guest room designated for visitors to rest.

The simple tatami room had minimal furnishings: just a small table, a candlestick, and a bedding set.

"This room is relatively quiet. I'll have a monk bring another bedding set shortly, and someone will come later to show you around the bathhouse and dining hall."

"Much appreciated." After Chiriku left, Jiraiya lit the candlestick on the table and began inspecting the room's nooks and crannies with it.

"Hey, Pervy Sage, what are you doing?"

Naruto, already starting to peel off his wet clothes, shook his head to fling off the water, scattering raindrops everywhere. Thankfully, his bangs stood back up, revealing Konoha headband he was so proud of.

"I'm checking for rat holes. You wouldn't want to wake up in the middle of the night and find a pile of rats on your bed, would you?"

This statement instantly sent shivers down Naruto's spine. His vivid imagination conjured a horrifying scenario: lying in bed in the dead of night, suddenly feeling a heavy pressure on his chest, opening his eyes to see countless rats crawling over him, surrounding him, and squeaking incessantly.

The mere thought made him shudder. Even someone as fearless as Naruto quickly pleaded with Jiraiya not to leave any corner unchecked.

"Don't worry," Jiraiya said, putting the candlestick back on the table. "I didn't find any rat holes in this room, but—"

Jiraiya's nose twitched slightly. Despite years of being desensitized to alcohol and women's perfume, his nose retained an extraordinary sensitivity, far surpassing that of ordinary people.

Now, in what should have been clean air, he detected a peculiar mixture of odors.

One was the musty smell of wood soaked in water for a long time, a scent that often gave wooden structures an impression of great age. While this could be explained by the recent continuous rainfall, the other smell was more unusual.

It was the faint stench of animal droppings. Though the odor was faint enough that someone like Naruto, who was less observant, wouldn't notice, Jiraiya's keen senses identified it immediately.

It was rat droppings. The two smells intertwined in the small room, making Jiraiya's nasal membranes decidedly uncomfortable.

"Achoo!"

"Achoo!"

Both teacher and student sneezed simultaneously. It seemed that walking unprotected in the rain for hours would cause even a ninja to catch a chill.

Just then, the sliding door to the room was abruptly pushed open. A young monk, about Naruto's age, stood at the doorway holding a bedding set.

Naruto was startled by the sudden entrance, as he had just removed his wet clothes and was now standing there wearing nothing but his boxers.

"Hey! Don't you know to knock before coming in?" Naruto shouted at the young monk.

The monk, his face slightly flushed at the sight of Naruto's pale and nearly bare body, retorted without backing down, "And who told you to strip down before bedtime? That's your own fault!"

"My clothes were wet, so I changed out of them. What's wrong with that? And besides, this is my room!"

"How could this be your room? This is the temple's room, merely lent to you temporarily!"

"It's still my room!"

"It's not!"

"It is!"

"You little—"

Watching the two teens bicker back and forth, Jiraiya could only sigh in exasperation. Naruto was one thing, but he hadn't expected to find a boy in the legendary Fire Temple—once infamous as a "ninja killer temple"—with a temper and personality so similar to Naruto's.

This boy, though dressed in the robes of a monk from the Fire Temple, still had a full head of hair and had not shaved it, suggesting his identity was not as simple as that of a regular monk.

Most importantly, when this young monk became impulsive and irritable, Jiraiya sensed something strangely familiar in the aura he unconsciously exuded.

As the argument between Naruto and this young monk escalated, nearing the point of physical conflict, a hand reached out and grabbed the impulsive monk, stopping him from storming into the room to confront Naruto.

The young monk turned his head and saw the face of the person holding him back. Instantly, his fiery demeanor calmed down, and he stood there like a child caught misbehaving.

"Sora, the moment Chiriku-sama told me to have you welcome our new guests, I knew there'd be trouble. And sure enough, here you are arguing again."

The voice was calm and tranquil, and as its owner pulled the young monk named Sora aside, they revealed a kind and gentle face.

This was a slightly shorter monk, only half a head taller than the youthful Sora. In this temple full of towering figures, his stature made him stand out like a chicken among cranes. He wore glasses, and a warm, peaceful aura emanated from him.

Despite his unassuming appearance, this person immediately caught Jiraiya's attention.

This man...

The gentle-looking, diminutive monk introduced himself to Jiraiya and Naruto.

"My name is Hoshin, and this is Sora. I must apologize on his behalf for his impulsiveness and rudeness toward our guests."

Hoshin's polite and courteous demeanor left Naruto feeling slightly embarrassed. Scratching the back of his head, Naruto stammered, "Actually, I... might've been a little impulsive too…"

At that moment, the deep chime of a bell echoed throughout the temple, signaling the start of the evening meal. Its sound resonated in every corner of the monastery.

"It's time for the evening meal," Hoshin said. "Allow me to take you both to the dining hall."

The spacious dining hall gradually filled with monks taking their seats. 

The long, simple tables were arranged neatly, and the seating was determined by age and rank within the temple. Guests dining in the hall were also expected to follow this tradition.

Thus, Naruto was placed at a somewhat secluded table in the dining hall, where he ended up sitting with Sora, who was of a similar age. 

Fortunately, there was someone seated between the two to keep the peace—otherwise, their constant elbow-jostling alone would have caused quite a commotion.

That person was none other than Hoshin.

As for Jiraiya, his status as one of the legendary Sannin made him a guest of honor at the Fire Temple. He was seated next to Chiriku, the temple's head priest.

During the meal, Jiraiya occasionally glanced at Sora, who sat at the same table as Naruto. There was something about Sora that felt oddly familiar, which piqued Jiraiya's curiosity.

Turning to Chiriku, Jiraiya asked, "The boy named Sora—he's not a monk here, is he?"

"No, he isn't," Chiriku replied. "His father was a close friend of mine. After his father's passing, I took him in and raised him here at the Fire Temple."

"May I ask, who was his father?"

"You may have heard his name before, Jiraiya-sama. Sora's father was named Kazuma."

"After his father died, Sora was fostered in the Fire Temple. During this period, Hoshin took care of Sora like his own child. As a result, among everyone in the temple, Sora listens to Hoshin the most, followed by me."

Jiraiya glanced at the inconspicuous monk beside him and asked, "That monk named Hoshin, he's not actually a ninja monk, is he?"

Hearing this, Chiriku was slightly surprised before responding, "As expected of a Sannin, you could tell at a glance that Hoshin isn't a ninja monk."

"Hoshin was an orphan abandoned at the Fire Temple by his parents. Later, it was discovered that he lacked the aptitude to become a ninja. According to the rules, he should have been expelled from the temple, but the previous head monk showed mercy and allowed him to stay as an ordinary monk."

"In this temple, monks are ranked by strength and seniority. As a result, Hoshin has always been at the bottom, often ostracized by other monks."

"Perhaps it's because of this that Hoshin cared for Sora like a father."

"Thankfully, with him around, the unruly Sora could be kept in line to some extent. He really helped me a lot, haha."

Chiriku recounted some past events of the temple to Jiraiya, who listened intently, treating these anecdotes as a flavorful accompaniment to his meal.

After all, in his younger days, Jiraiya had traveled the world seeking his own ninja way, collecting countless ninja stories along the way. In this regard, Jiraiya was an excellent listener.

However, when the conversation turned to the recent rat infestation plaguing the temple, Chiriku's tone carried a hint of worry.

"These rats have caused such unease among the monks that it's become difficult for them to focus on their training."

"To prevent any harm to visiting pilgrims, we haven't held a guest reception day in quite some time."

Chiriku's voice revealed his concern. Though it was evident that this highly skilled ninja monk found the infestation troubling, Jiraiya, being a mere passerby, wasn't inclined to intervene. After all, these ordinary rats didn't seem to resemble the otherworldly creatures Konoha had encountered before.

"In that case, why not commission help from Konoha?"

"It's just a few rats—there's no need to trouble our comrades in Konoha for such a minor issue."

Jiraiya nodded, thinking that made sense. After all, how could the once-feared Ninja Temple ask Konoha for help over such a "small problem"? That would not only be laughable but would also tarnish the temple's reputation.

After their meal, Jiraiya and Naruto followed Hoshin to the Fire Temple's bathhouse.

"If you two don't wish to bathe alongside the monks, you'd better hurry. Our rule is that monks won't come to bathe within half an hour of mealtime."

The bathhouse of a temple with over a hundred members was indeed impressive. The spacious facility housed a massive square bath, with not a single person soaking in the water.

"This is so cool! It's like having the whole place to ourselves!"

Naruto gave himself a quick rinse before diving into the bath like a swimmer, sending a huge splash rippling through the medicinally scented water.

In contrast, Jiraiya was much more composed. After rinsing himself thoroughly, he wrapped a towel around his lower half before slowly entering the bath.

On the water's surface, an old man and a young boy were leisurely enjoying a pleasant bath, especially after being drenched in rain for hours. The comfort was nothing short of the greatest luxury on earth.

However, during their time, Jiraiya occasionally glanced discontentedly at the bamboo fence nearby. On the other side wasn't the women's bath he was so familiar with, but rather a storage room for cleaning tools.

The Fire Temple was a male monastery, and building a women's bath wasn't cost-effective, so none existed.

Damn it! If only there were fine wine and beautiful women right now!

Unknowingly, the teacher and apprentice dozed off by the edge of the bath. It was faint voices that eventually woke Jiraiya from his light nap.

"Have you heard the recent rumors about the rat infestation in the temple?"

In the changing room just outside the bath, a few people were whispering. Though their voices were not loud, in the quiet and spacious bath, they were clear enough to reach Jiraiya's ears.

"What rumors? Tell us."

"It's said that a long time ago, the Fire Temple was actually a ninja monastery that trained assassins and even went to war with Konoha!"

"Are you serious? The Fire Temple? That sounds unbelievable."

"Of course it's true! I found it written in some old historical documents while cleaning the library. There's no way it's wrong!"

"You young folks, why are you so surprised? The elders in the temple know about this. But whatever you do, don't bring this up in front of Chiriku-sama, or you'll surely be punished."

"That aside, what does this have to do with the recent rat infestation?"

Faced with the older monk's skepticism, the young monk didn't give up and continued, "It's said that the Fire Temple assassins used to completely dispose of their victims' bodies. People killed by the temple would vanish without a trace, as if they had disappeared from the face of the earth."

"Completely vanished bodies? Isn't that suspicious?"

"Maybe they brought the bodies back to the temple to claim bounties? I've heard that even now, the black market has similar systems."

"That doesn't explain how all the bodies vanished. And if they were brought back to the temple, how would the temple dispose of them?"

"…"

"That's why there's a rumor among the monks that beneath the temple's foundation, there's a facility specifically for handling corpses."

"The recent rat infestation, they say, was caused by renovations and expansions disturbing the old temple foundations, driving the rats out."

At this point, the older monk interjected, "But I've been practicing here since the previous head monk's time, and I've never seen or heard of anything beneath the temple foundations, let alone an underground facility."

"If such a place existed, it would have been sealed off for decades. And in all that time, the rats would've starved to death. There's no way they resurfaced just because of renovations."

"So, you're overthinking it."

The monks, having finished their conversation, had also finished changing. They opened the door to the bath, only to find that two people were already soaking there.

Seeing that Jiraiya was wide awake, the monks immediately realized they had misspoken. Bowing apologetically, they quickly dispersed without another word.

The atmosphere in the bath turned awkward. Jiraiya felt that he'd soaked enough and decided it was time to leave.

He pulled Naruto, who hadn't yet gotten drowsy from the bath, and the two dressed in clean clothes and prepared to return to their room.

On the way back, Jiraiya kept mulling over the monks' conversation.

The Fire Temple's underground entrance…