Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 228

Jiraiya and Naruto, having left Konoha, had no specific destination in mind. They mostly wandered within the Land of Fire.

However, unlike Jiraiya's previous travels, this time their destinations were not limited to bustling towns and cities. After leaving the village, they occasionally ventured into remote, quiet mountain villages as well.

As expected, such remote places often harbored stories. Instances of the strong bullying the weak were common, and strange creatures often avoided crowded areas, appearing in sparsely populated regions.

Of course, Jiraiya and Naruto had their share of heroic adventures, standing up for justice and gaining valuable experience.

Aside from these daily heroic deeds, which were relatively routine for a legendary ninja like Jiraiya, Naruto spent most of his time training. The Sannin, on the other hand, devoted much of his day to gathering inspiration and writing books, occasionally guiding Naruto's training and periodically sending manuscripts to publishers.

Yet, whenever Jiraiya reflected on their leisurely yet fulfilling "chaotic" life, he realized that despite being away from the village for a long time, he had made no progress in finding "mysterious creatures."

This training journey with Naruto had several objectives for Jiraiya.

One was to help Naruto improve his skills and fulfill his promise to Minato, ensuring Naruto could one day fully control the power of the Nine-Tails.

Another objective stemmed from Jiraiya's discovery of a ninja organization called Akatsuki during his previous travels.

This group was unlike ordinary ninja organizations—shrouded in mystery, its members were incredibly skilled, and even its leader was unknown. The organization undertook any task, no matter how dangerous or unscrupulous, and completed it with excellence. It had become the most sought-after ninja group on the black market.

It was said that Orochimaru had once been part of this organization. Moreover, based on the sightings of Itachi by Konoha ninjas after the Chunin Exams, Itachi was also a member of this group.

Itachi was a key figure in understanding the Uchiha Massacre. If Jiraiya could approach him, he might uncover answers to the questions that had troubled his teacher, Hiruzen, before his death.

Additionally, Sasuke was deeply affected by the demise of the Uchiha clan. Jiraiya believed that Sasuke would eventually seek out Itachi.

If Itachi could serve as a bridge to encounter the rogue Sasuke, it would fulfill one of Naruto's wishes.

After all, during quiet nights, Jiraiya occasionally heard Naruto calling Sasuke's name in his sleep.

"Sasuke... Sasuke…"

Lastly, Jiraiya hoped to discover more mysterious creatures during their travels.

Unfortunately, despite being away from the village for months, Jiraiya hadn't encountered any new mysterious creatures. Even signs of previously spotted creatures had disappeared.

This left Jiraiya somewhat disheartened but also reassured him that these creatures were not widespread or frequent threats. For now, most people's lives were unaffected by their existence.

However, knowing the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, Jiraiya understood that these creatures' existence and appearance were no coincidence. Eventually, they would impact more lives—it was only a matter of time.

One day, rain drizzled steadily over Jiraiya and Naruto's heads.

The two were walking along a forest path somewhere in the Land of Fire. The oppressive atmosphere of the rain added a hint of melancholy to their journey.

After enduring over two hours of rain that drenched them to the bone, Naruto finally couldn't hold back.

"Pervy Sage! Why are we taking this forest path instead of the main road to town?"

Drenched and in a terrible mood, Naruto complained loudly. His exaggerated and energetic gestures made it hard to imagine he might catch a cold from being soaked to this extent.

Still, Jiraiya calmly reassured him, "Don't be impatient. Traveling in the rain is also part of a ninja's training."

"Ugh…"

Naruto's skeptical gaze bore into Jiraiya, prompting the older ninja to quickly try to smooth things over.

"Look over there! There's a temple. If we want to avoid the rain, we'd better hurry!" 

With that, Jiraiya immediately ran toward a temple halfway up the mountain, its dome visible even through the towering ancient trees surrounding it.

"Wait for me!"

Naruto quickly followed, running through the muddy and slippery terrain.

After a short sprint, the pair arrived in front of the temple.

It was an imposing structure. Standing at the entrance, they could feel the grandeur and majesty of the temple. 

On the tall stone steps leading to the gates stood two vividly lifelike statues, their fierce expressions and powerful stances appearing almost alive.

"Wow! What temple is this? It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed in awe, his limited experience leaving him impressed.

"This is the Temple of Fire," Jiraiya explained with a calm tone. "It's the largest ninja monk temple in the Land of Fire."

"Ninja monk temple?"

"That's right. The monks here are all ninja, and the abbot of the temple is exceptionally skilled."

Jiraiya gazed at the towering halls and pagodas, his mind recalling how the temple had looked in the past. 

Long ago, the Temple of Fire had not been this grand. It was merely a secluded facility on the mountainside, operating under the guise of a temple while secretly training assassin ninja as part of a secret organization.

But over the years, the temple had formed a cooperative relationship with Konohagakure and had been developed into a proper and dignified temple. From a distance, it now looked like a legitimate religious site.

The new abbot who had taken over the Temple of Fire years ago clearly had some skill in reforming and managing it.

Reflecting on this, Jiraiya led Naruto to knock on the temple's large wooden gates.

After a moment, the doors slowly opened a crack, and a monk stepped out to greet them.

"Are you here to offer incense, patrons? If so, I regret to inform you that our temple cannot accommodate visitors at this time. I ask for your understanding," the monk said humbly, pressing his palms together in a gesture of respect toward Jiraiya. There was no indication from his demeanor that he was a ninja monk.

Yet it was precisely this calm and refined demeanor that made it hard to believe that this temple had once been home to a fearsome organization of assassin ninja.

Although Jiraiya was no saint himself, he returned the monk's respectful gesture with a single-handed salute. "We are ninja from Konoha. We just need a place to stay for the night and will leave at first light tomorrow."

At the mention of "Konoha ninja," the monk's eyes lit up. He glanced at Naruto, whose forehead protector was partially obscured by his damp bangs, and confirmed it was indeed the Konoha symbol.

After a brief moment of thought, the monk shook his head.

"I'm afraid I cannot make that decision. I will inform the temple's abbot, Chiriku-sama."

---

After waiting briefly at the temple gate, a stern-looking monk finally emerged from behind the temple doors. His attire was typical of a monk, save for the triangular scarf at his waist, emblazoned with the character for "fire."

Naruto noticed the triangular scarf and felt a faint familiarity, as though he had seen something similar on someone in Konoha, though he couldn't quite recall who.

"I am Chiriku, the head monk of the Fire Temple," the monk introduced himself.

Chiriku had barely raised his head after bowing when his gaze landed on Jiraiya's face. His breath caught in his throat, and he froze momentarily in shock.

The white hair, the "oil" headband, and the enormous scroll on his back—it was unmistakable. This man was a legend.

Chiriku quickly regained his composure, refraining from revealing Jiraiya's identity. Instead, he spoke calmly, "It is only natural for me to welcome two comrades from Konohaseeking shelter at this temple for the night."

"However," he continued, "recently, there have been some unusual disturbances within the temple. If you decide to stay here, you might encounter some... unpleasant occurrences."

"Unpleasant occurrences?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Chiriku's ambiguous yet candid statement.

"Yes," Chiriku confirmed. "Of course, if the two of you are not troubled by such things, I can prepare a room for you right away."

Before Jiraiya could respond, Naruto, drenched from hours of rain, impatiently exclaimed, "Pervy Sage, let's stay here! I'm starving!"

Jiraiya chuckled wryly and turned to Chiriku. "Then we'll trouble you to prepare a room."

"Certainly. Please follow me."

As Jiraiya and Naruto followed Chiriku into the temple, the heavy wooden gates behind them were slowly shut by several monks. The creaking of the door hinges combined with the patter of rain created an eerie atmosphere—one that felt oddly out of place in a sanctuary supposedly bathed in the light of Buddha.

Walking down the path to the guest quarters, Jiraiya struck up a conversation with Chiriku.

"This place is much larger than it used to be," Jiraiya remarked casually.

Recognizing Jiraiya's identity, Chiriku saw no need for small talk like, "Have you visited before?" Instead, he directly addressed the comment. "Yes, the temple underwent extensive renovations and expansions starting over two years ago. It was only completed last month. The temple's grounds have more than doubled in size, allowing us to accommodate many more monks."

Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully. While the temple had undergone a major overhaul, the two guardian statues at the entrance remained unchanged.

These statues weren't ordinary sculptures. They were sealing barriers known as the Guardian of the Iron Wall, designed to repel anyone who dared trespass into the temple grounds.

In the early days of Konoha, before the concept of "Kage" was established among ninjas, the Fire Temple was a covert assassin organization disguised as a monastery. The monks trained in Wind Release ninjutsu and the temple's signature Sage Body Techniques, often accepting missions to assassinate targets.

Their methods were ruthless. Regardless of whether the targets were children or elders, they would execute the missions without mercy. Often, they exceeded their assignments, slaughtering entire families and leaving no trace of the bodies.

Such brutal actions eventually caught the attention of the First Hokage.

Under his leadership, Konoha waged war against the temple's assassin monks. The Guardian of the Iron Wall reportedly caused significant difficulties during Konoha's assault.

In the end, Konoha emerged victorious. However, the First Hokage chose not to annihilate the monks completely. Instead, he accepted them into the fold, hoping they could become an asset to the village. He preserved the foundations of the Fire Temple and supported its integration.

To this day, the Fire Temple remains the second-largest legal ninja organization in the Land of Fire, surpassed only by Konoha.

Of course, these distant and secretive past events weren't something Jiraiya had personally witnessed. They were merely stories Sarutobi Hiruzen had recounted as casual after-dinner tales.

As Jiraiya's mind wandered through the cold and mysterious history of the Fire Temple, a cat suddenly leaped out from around the corner of the corridor.

The cat was a patchwork of colors, glaring furiously at the humans before it. Its entire body was arched like a bow, and its fur stood on end—a natural reaction cats exhibit when faced with intruders.

Naruto, however, seemed completely oblivious to the tension. Squinting his eyes in a playful smile, he extended his mischievous hand toward the little cat.

"Kitty, be good now, let me give you a hug."

"You idiot! Stop that!" Jiraiya's warning came too late. 

As soon as Naruto's hand reached the cat, it swiped at him angrily with its claws, leaving scratches on his hand before darting off into the depths of the corridor.

Naruto, looking aggrieved, clutched his injured hand. Jiraiya shook his head with a sigh and mocked, "You're soaking wet, so don't go touching cats. Cats don't like water. Don't you know that?"

"How would I know something like that…"

At that moment, Chiriku, who was standing nearby, unexpectedly spoke up in Naruto's defense.

"It's actually not this young ninja's fault. Even if we approach these cats, they behave the same way."

"By the way, why are there cats in this temple? There aren't any ordinary households nearby, right?" Jiraiya asked suddenly.

"These cats are actually raised by our temple to deal with the rat infestation," Chiriku explained.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Rat infestation?"

"Yes. A month ago, after the temple's construction was completed and our monks moved in, some of them started reporting the presence of 'rats.' To address the problem, we brought in nine cats from outside to catch them."

"But ever since these cats arrived at the temple, they've become very aggressive, frequently attacking people as you just saw. It's been quite troubling for us."

"The combination of the rat infestation and the violent behavior of the cats has forced us to temporarily stop receiving visitors at the temple."

Chiriku's explanation caught Jiraiya's attention with a specific keyword—"rats." Ever since leaving Konoha months ago, Jiraiya had been searching for "mysterious creatures," and these so-called rats sounded like they had potential.

"Wait a minute," Jiraiya interjected. "These rats you mentioned—are they special in any way? Has anyone seen or caught one? Have any strange thoughts or information about these rats come to anyone's mind?"

Chiriku looked puzzled by Jiraiya's sudden barrage of questions but patiently answered, "The rats are just ordinary black rats, except they're slightly larger than normal ones. There's nothing unusual about them."

"Our monks rarely see these rats because they only come out at night when we're resting. We've managed to catch about a dozen of them, but that's a small number compared to their overall population."

"As for strange thoughts or information, I don't quite understand what you mean."

Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully. It seemed this might not be what he had imagined after all.

"Then how do you know the rat population is so large? Didn't you just say you rarely see them?" he pressed.

At this point, Chiriku's voice grew quieter, as though he was deliberately creating an eerie atmosphere or recalling a chilling scene in his mind.

A flash of lightning illuminated half of Chiriku's face, and his already hesitant voice became even weaker. 

Yet Jiraiya and Naruto clearly heard his response.

"Because we can hear them—the sound of those pests—inside the walls."