Chapter 287. Not Here!
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"It's really lively here!"
"It really is. I heard that a few days ago, this bunch was racing in the village, but I didn't expect them to show up at Hokage Rock tonight."
It was a rare chance for Yuto and Suzune to go out for a walk, only to catch wind of some interesting news…
There was going to be a thrilling and intense race tonight on top of Hokage Rock.
At first, they thought it would be a low-key, hush-hush event, but—there were quite a few people here!
As for that ghost car incident a few days ago, he still remembered it clearly.
Racing in the dead of night, disturbing the nearby residents so badly they couldn't even sleep.
Yuto and Suzune were in the crowd.
At the moment—
It hadn't started yet, but the atmosphere was already buzzing.
It's the Ninja World, after all~ New experiences mixed with the adrenaline of street racing had everyone hyped up.
Suddenly—
"Yay yay~ So cool! Mizuki is so handsome!"
A wave of cheers burst out.
Yuto and Suzune looked over… and saw a sky-blue custom car pull up to the side. Then, a long-haired youth wearing a matching blue racing suit stepped out.
He gave off a distinctly modern racer vibe, continuously waving at the group of fangirls.
Mizuki actually did look quite good. With his flashy car and subtle smile, he immediately drew screams from the surrounding girls.
But his talent as a ninja… was pretty mediocre.
Even Might Guy, who used to get laughed at, had already been promoted to Jonin, while Mizuki was still stuck at Chunin level. If he didn't improve soon, he'd probably be sent to the academy to teach kids.
Without being a Jonin, he wasn't qualified to lead a team.
Rumor had it that recently, this guy had started letting go of the whole ninja thing and was moving into other fields, like acting—and now racing…
Apparently, he was gaining some fame both in the racing world and in showbiz.
Maybe someday he'd give up being a ninja for good~
And honestly, it made sense.
It's just delivery work; can't a man have some side gigs?
Yuto and Suzune glanced at him and lost interest, turning to look the other way—only to be surprised. "Why is there a van here?"
That van…
It looked kind of familiar!
Wasn't it the one usually parked in front of the milk tea shop… Jiraiya's travel van?
"Is Jiraiya in the race too?"
Just as he said that—
"Of course!"
Jiraiya's shamelessly proud voice came from behind.
"This sage has traveled all over—avalanches, landslides, swamps, torrential rain… I've driven through them all! So trust in my skills—even with a van, this race doesn't scare me!"
"…" Yuto looked speechlessly at the self-praising, red racing-suited Jiraiya, shook his head, sighed, and said, "What, are you planning to summon Gamabunta to carry the van during the race?"
At that—
Jiraiya froze slightly, then narrowed his eyes, lips curling into a smirk as if he had an idea. "That… I'm not sure. I wonder if Kumogakure's race rules prohibit summoning beasts from carrying the van?"
"…"
You.
Legend.
Yuto rolled his eyes and said irritably, "You actually signed up?"
"Of course! Didn't I say? I came back this time just to join in the fun," Jiraiya said with a big grin. "And this is turning out to be very interesting now."
Saying that, he noticed Yuto's skeptical expression and gave an awkward laugh.
"Alright, alright! Driving looks cool, okay?" He pointed toward Mizuki. "See that kid over there?" With a sigh and a touch of nostalgia, he added, "Back in the day, I was every girl's dream too!"
But then…
Everyone started falling for guys who could drive.
He remembered a few days ago—
A parking spot opened up, so after finishing his square dancing, he decided to move the van parked in front of Yuto's milk tea shop.
Who would've guessed…
Someone was racing through the streets late at night!
At first, he refused. But there were just too many screaming girls.
So he joined in.
He'd heard about how the Konoha Police Force was investigating the recent racing incidents in the village. He had no idea what the current status was though.
"Times have changed. Now everyone thinks driving with one hand is cooler!"
"…"
What, are you driving a Ferrari?
Yuto gave Jiraiya a look of disdain, but then remembered the current setting…
"You guys are racing on Hokage Rock… Does Minato even know about this?"
With that—
Jiraiya looked at Yuto with a serious face. "Let me clarify! What we're doing here is training, not racing!"
"So?"
"Minato doesn't know."
"…" Yuto was speechless again, shaking his head. "Aren't you afraid the Konoha Police Force will catch you and stop you from participating in the race? You know this is Hokage Rock!"
Racing on top of the heads of the Hokage?
Whose genius idea was this?
Someone's really thinking outside the box!
"It's not that big a deal!" Jiraiya shrugged like it was nothing and grinned as he pointed at the cars that had just arrived. "You'll understand once you look over there."
As he spoke—
Yuto turned his head in confusion. When he saw the man in a black racing suit with the Root Studio logo on the back, his stomach twisted.
No wonder!
The Third Hokage was in on it too?
Looks like Root Studio is really serious about winning the upcoming Ninja Grand Prix.
But still—
Is the race hosted by Kumogakure really just about racing with cars?
You know, the rule is that only a ninja can participate!
It clearly isn't that simple at first glance!
Just as Yuto was struggling to even begin to complain—
"Enough talk! It's almost time!" Jiraiya puffed out his chest, gave a confident thumbs-up, and declared proudly, "Now just sit back and enjoy this sage's performance!"
"…"
Sorry! No!
Yuto took a look at the big van—Gamabun, the Toad Van—and lost all interest.
You think you're the God of Racing in Konoha and can beat everyone using just a van?
Even Fujiwara Takumi wasn't that insane!
At this point—
All the racers had entered the track. And when he spotted a fire-red car, blazing like the Nine Tails itself, he completely lost any concern over whether the Fourth Hokage would be cracking down on this race.
For all he knew, Minato was nearby in disguise, waving glowsticks and cheering "Come on!" with the crowd!
As the signal sounded with a sharp beep, deafening engine roars followed, and all the cars shot off to loud cheers.
The place erupted with excitement, everyone screaming and shouting.
Yuto watched curiously, wanting to see who would win the title of Konoha's God of Racing tonight.
Suddenly—
"Yuto!"
"Whoa—!" Yuto turned around, surprised to see Minato wearing a mask and sneaking up on him. "You're really here?!"
"Shhh~" Minato quickly covered Yuto's mouth. "I'm not the Fourth Hokage!"
Then—
He cautiously glanced around. After confirming no one had noticed, he finally let go.
"...Got it," Yuto said, giving Minato a weird look.
You do realize you just exposed yourself.
"Hehe~" Minato laughed awkwardly, then turned to the race and started waving glowsticks. "Watch the race! Cheer them on! Come on!"
"…"
So.
What exactly is the Konoha Police Force doing?
Yuto let out a sigh and decided not to bother. He turned back to watch the race.
Suddenly—
"Yuto, your phone's ringing~" Minato's voice came again.
Yuto froze. Yeah, his phone was vibrating. But who would call this late at night?
Honoka calling to say she's safe?
Curious, he pulled out his phone. A strange number flashed on the screen. He frowned slightly but still picked up—and turned the volume all the way up.
No choice.
It's too noisy!
"Hello?"
"Hello! This is the Konoha Police Force. We need your cooperation. Are you currently—"
Before the voice could finish—
Yuto glanced at Minato, who had clearly heard it too. They locked eyes and Yuto hesitated for a moment. "...Brother Fugaku?"
No wonder he didn't recognize the number!
It was probably an internal police line.
At that moment—
The voice on the other end paused, then continued, "Listen carefully! You brat, you're at Hokage Rock, aren't you? Now listen—"
"Not here! Goodbye!"
Beep Beep!
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