Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 217

In Konoha, Kagami was observing everything through the eyes of a spider.

Since Jiraiya returned to Konoha and announced his appointment as the Interim Hokage, he had harbored subtle concerns about the future events.

According to the original timeline, Jiraiya should currently be traveling with Naruto, training him and gradually becoming a mentor and guiding figure in his growth.

However, due to various historical issues, such as the lack of a month-long preparation period before the final match of the individual competition, Jiraiya never taught Naruto the Summoning Jutsu.

Or rather, the appearance of Mi-Gos disrupted things, allowing Danzō to take the Hokage seat instead.

When Orochimaru returned to the village, Danzō, due to factional differences, didn't notify Jiraiya to return to the village for duty.

This series of butterfly effects delayed Naruto's meeting with the Sannin.

As the Interim Hokage, he had no opportunity to spend time with Naruto, and the two hardly interacted in the village. Currently, Naruto wouldn't even call him the "Pervy Sage."

Although Jiraiya was destined to become Naruto's teacher due to their bond, under such circumstances, Naruto's growth would certainly not be as rapid as it was in the original timeline.

Moreover, with everyone believing Orochimaru to be dead, this early-stage major antagonist's disappearance made Naruto less motivated to ask Jiraiya for training.

If Naruto were to master Sage Mode only in his twenties, Konoha would have likely been destroyed multiple times by then.

Even if Jiraiya eventually steps down as Interim Hokage, the delay would still hinder Naruto's growth.

After all, the war would begin three years later, and Kagami planned to stir up major events during the war.

Naturally, he couldn't expose his identity or disclose the major events of the next few years, nor reveal that Orochimaru was still alive to push Naruto toward growth.

Therefore, to ensure the protagonist's presence in future battles—especially someone like Naruto, he had to manually create the conditions necessary for the boy to be strong enough to appear on the frontlines.

As for Sasuke, he wasn't too worried. Driven by his quest to avenge his clan against the Black Pharaoh, Sasuke was already diligently training under Orochimaru's guidance.

Thus, Kagami's first task was to free Jiraiya from the village's busy affairs. Remaining as the acting Hokage indefinitely was not an option.

In the original timeline, one key reason Jiraiya sought out Tsunade was the medical crisis that arose after the Chunin Exams, with numerous critical injuries in Konoha.

Kakashi had been bedridden after severe genjutsu inflicted by Itachi, and Lee's bones were crushed by Gaara, requiring a surgery with an extremely low success rate. These issues could only be resolved with Tsunade's return.

Currently, however, Konoha had no such problems. Kagami had blocked Itachi's return, sparing Kakashi. And because this Chunin Exam skipped the preliminary rounds, Lee's bones remained intact.

With no urgent medical demands, the village's upper echelons, including Jiraiya, delayed the search for Tsunade to take over as Hokage.

In light of this, Hinata encountered the Shans.

Using phase technology, the insectoids could directly burrow into the space between a victim's brain and skull. It was said that the only treatment was a rare "trepanning surgery" to remove them.

However, the success rate of this surgery was extremely low, requiring exceptional medical expertise.

Although Kagami had studied the medical standards of Konoha and found them slightly superior to other places due to Tsunade, the society remained one built on personal relationships and hierarchy.

Surgeries with such low success rates and high uncertainties were unlikely to be performed easily, especially when the patient was a prestigious heir to a noble clan.

Aside from Hinata, Kiba belonged to the Inuzuka clan, and Shino to the Aburame clan. While neither held the same status as Hinata, their situations still dissuaded any doctor from recklessly performing surgery.

As for Naruto... he was the jinchūriki.

---

In the southeastern border of the Land of Fire lay a vast canyon system.

Known as the Valley of Death, this area was perpetually shrouded in toxic mists that killed any living being that came into contact with them. Beyond the canyon stretched barren gray mountains, with sickly, gnarled trees bent into peculiar angles.

At this moment, white clouds began gathering in the sky above, accompanied by faint rumbling and increasingly loud explosions.

Suddenly, a massive object, radiating a strange phosphorescent glow, emerged from the clouds. As it streaked across the sky, it trailed an ominous, unnatural tail. Yet, when it touched down, the ground resounded with cheers of welcome.

"The miraculous meteor has returned once more! Hoshi will rise again!"

---

The bored Shikamaru leaned against the roadside wall of Yamanaka Flowers, using his hands as a pillow, while Chōji, as usual, was stuffing snacks into his mouth like he could never be satisfied.

Shikamaru glanced up at the second floor of the shop, where the curtains and windows were tightly shut. He grumbled lazily, "Seriously, Ino told us to visit Hinata at the hospital today, but she's just hiding at home and not coming out."

"She's a woman, after all. Women can't go out without makeup, picking outfits, and all that trivial stuff. Let's just wait patiently," Chōji said.

"Women are such a hassle," Shikamaru muttered.

At that moment, Chōji's eyes, usually slits from his chubby cheeks, opened slightly. He looked at Shikamaru and said solemnly, "Shikamaru, you're so smart, but surprisingly, you don't understand women at all."

"Who wants to understand them, anyway?" Shikamaru retorted.

He recalled how his dad was always subdued at home, scolded into submission by his mom. Trying to figure out women felt like a monumental headache.

Just then, Ino finally came downstairs. Her appearance looked no different from usual.

What a hassle. We waited all this time, and she looks exactly the same, Shikamaru thought, but he dared not say it out loud, only grumbling inwardly.

"Alright, let's head to the hospital," Ino said.

"Wait a second. It's not polite to visit a patient empty-handed. Let's bring some flowers," she added, picking a bouquet from her family's flower shop before heading to Konoha Hospital.

At the hospital, the three looked at Hinata lying in bed with heavy hearts.

Though they hadn't interacted much with Hinata at the Ninja Academy because of her introverted nature, seeing their peer bedridden now stirred deep emotions.

Walking through the hospital corridor, Shikamaru sighed, "The Chunin Exams weren't that long ago. First, Sasuke left the village, and now Hinata's in this state. Meanwhile, our team has been so idle—it almost feels strange."

Chōji, munching on another bag of snacks from who-knows-where, said, "It can't be helped. Asuma-sensei is on the border watching other nations' ninjas, so he won't be back in the village anytime soon."

Ino's eyes lit up as she suddenly said, "I saw Neji's team return to the village yesterday morning, but they went on another mission in the afternoon. They seem super busy."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Guy is the only team leader not assigned to border missions, so most of the tasks we Genin squads should've taken have fallen on their shoulders," Shikamaru added.

"The missions we've been doing lately are all simple requests from villagers. It feels like being fresh academy graduates again," Ino said.

"Exactly! I really want to go on a mission outside the village," Chōji chimed in.

Listening to his teammates daydream, Shikamaru sighed inwardly, No, thanks. With Asuma-sensei away, going on missions outside the village would be such a hassle.

But just then, as if summoned by Ino and Chōji's wishes, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared in front of them. In a cold voice, the figure said, "Shikamaru, Ino, Chōji. The elders request your presence."

Ino and Chōji immediately lit up with excitement, exclaiming in unison, "A mission!"

Only Shikamaru looked crestfallen.

No way. Could it be that accurate?

It was almost uncanny.

As the three arrived at the mission assignment hall, they were immediately informed by the elders—who had taken over mission assignments after Jiraiya's departure—that there was a mission requiring their attention. Moreover, it was a rare out-of-village mission.

"This morning, we received a request for an escort mission from Hoshi," Homura said, handing over the mission request letter for the trio to review.

"Hoshi?" Ino asked, puzzled.

"Yes," Koharu chimed in to explain.

"Hoshi is the ninja village of the Land of Bears, a small country located at the southeastern border of the Land of Fire. It's a relatively small village with few ninja, but they are quite ambitious. The village's leader even refers to himself as the 'Hoshikage.'"

The mention of "Hoshikage" immediately shocked Team 10. After all, it was common knowledge that only the leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were entitled to the title of "Kage." For the leader of a small village to self-proclaim such a title spoke volumes about their ambitions.

"The unique aspect of Hoshi lies in an event that occurred 200 years ago: a star fell from the sky and landed in their village."

At the mention of a "star falling from the sky," both Ino and Chōji displayed astonished expressions, while Shikamaru remained composed.

It must be a meteorite, he thought.

"It's said that this star possesses a mysterious power that affects chakra, enhancing the abilities of ninjas," Koharu continued.

"Because of this, Hoshi has often become a target for other nations. Many ninjas from various countries have attempted to steal this star."

At this point, Shikamaru noticed something curious.

"If they've managed to keep it safe for all these years, why would they need us now?"

Having already inferred that the mission's true objective was not to protect people but the star, Shikamaru waited for clarification.

Homura provided the answer.

"Because just last night, another star fell in Hoshi."

This revelation left even the normally unflappable Shikamaru stunned.

"What? Another star?"

"Two stars falling in the same location? How is that even possible?"

Homura cleared his throat and spoke gravely. "It's hard to believe, I know. Even I find it difficult to accept that, after 200 years, another star would descend upon Hoshi."

"Currently, Hoshi doesn't fully understand the abilities of this second star. However, word has already spread, and it's only a matter of time before ninjas with malicious intentions move to seize it."

"As an ally of Hoshi, Konoha cannot stand idly by. Especially after the recent Chunin Exams incident, we cannot afford to appear weak to the outside world."

"Therefore, Shikamaru, I appoint you as the leader of this three-man team. You, along with Ino and Chōji, are to proceed to Hoshi immediately and carry out the escort mission."

"Additionally, if the situation permits, I would like you to investigate the powers of this second star."

"Understood!"

As they left the mission assignment hall, Shikamaru fell into deep thought.

The so-called "star" likely wasn't as miraculous as it sounded—it was probably just a meteorite. But for two meteorites to fall in the exact same location? The odds of that happening were astronomically low, akin to being struck by lightning in the same spot twice.

After all, meteorites were rocks from outer space. Who could predict what might come hurtling through the vast expanse of the cosmos or where it might land?

It seemed that all their questions could only be answered once they arrived in Hoshi.