Chapter 144: Chapter 144. Welcome to the Internet Age
Chapter 144. Welcome to the Internet Age
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Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, quite some time had passed.
Today.
The weather was pleasant, the sun shining brightly.
A perfect day for dancing.
But—
Hasn't this been going on for too long?
With his frail arms and legs, and not being so young anymore, how could Sarutobi Hiruzen endure such torment? He sighed with emotion, took a puff from his pipe, then lowered it, his eyes filled with traces of grievance as he gazed at that brown-haired figure.
Why are these old ladies so tireless?
Once they start dancing, they never stop!
At this point…
He no longer cared whether the old man Biwako was holding onto was him or not—it was just too torturous!
Ever since stepping down as Hokage, he had been following Biwako to this back mountain to dance every single morning and evening, without much rest.
At first, he was a little surprised—after all, this place was bustling, filled with elderly folks from various clans. But… there wasn't much to see, just a bunch of wrinkled faces.
He had heard that Jiraiya had spent some time here before. Was there some beautiful scenery he missed?
But this?
Just this?
Faced with this, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt deeply disheartened… Could it be that Jiraiya… had developed a thing for much, much older women?
Were the white flowers in the bathhouses no longer appealing? Or the sweet moaning of the red-light district no longer enticing?
Otherwise, why had he stayed here for so long?
Every day was dancing. If they got tired, they'd take a break, and the moment they rested… a group of old ladies would start gossiping about their clan's younger generation. If not that, they'd discuss the latest movies and mahjong games made by Yuto, repeating the same stories seven or eight times.
He had no idea why Biwako enjoyed this place so much.
Anyway, Hiruzen felt that… he just couldn't get motivated at all!
He didn't know if it was because he hadn't seen Danzo's face for a long time, but he had been feeling very tired and didn't want to move at all.
"If I had known, I would've brought the bounty poster from my desk," Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed wistfully, grumbling under his breath. "This is all Danzo's fault! He won't even accompany me here!"
After all the effort he put into protecting Danzo, and yet now… the guy wouldn't even come dance with him!
So mean!
As the sun neared the horizon, Sarutobi Hiruzen stretched lazily and stood up, calling out to Biwako, who was happily chatting with a group of old ladies. "Biwako, I'm heading home first!"
"Alright! I'll be back later!" Biwako, ever the energetic one, waved him off before turning back to her old friends, smiling brightly. "Your grandson, Obito, is indeed talented! But he's strayed from the right path—this needs to be fixed! Otherwise, he'll never find a girlfriend!"
"Oh dear!" An elderly woman gasped, her expression flickering with something unreadable. She clapped her hands together. "No wonder my dear little Obito has been acting strange lately! He used to have a crush on a girl, but now he's lost interest in her… Instead, he's always following around another boy."
"That boy must be very handsome, right?"
"Yes! But why do you ask?"
"You should be careful. It sounds like he's been heartbroken and has given up on liking girls altogether!"
"???"
Is that how it works?
The old lady was completely dumbfounded.
This Hokage's wife… sure knows a lot!
…
On the other side.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who really wanted to cleanse his eyes, strolled through the streets of Konoha, basking in the midday sunlight, feeling much more at ease.
Minato was truly outstanding.
He hadn't recklessly lent money to Danzo, so Hiruzen still trusted him a great deal.
As for Orochimaru… ever since he was rejected last time, he had been staying in the research lab, frequently meeting with Danzo. Who knew if he was trying to crack Yuto's secret recipe again?
It was useless!
That would only lead to more losses!
Unfortunately, Danzo just wouldn't listen!
He always believed he could succeed, which made Hiruzen genuinely worried that Danzo might end up bankrupting himself!
At that moment—
Hiruzen noticed villagers gradually exiting the Yuto Cinema nearby. That bunch had probably just finished watching that movie again.
Though there was only one film playing inside.
At first, it was quite novel, but after watching it a few times, the interest faded.
A while back, this movie had even stirred up discontent among the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, but for some reason, the issue just disappeared without a resolution.
Maybe… there was another painting of the First Hokage!
Regardless—
There was no denying it.
"Yuto's business just keeps growing bigger and bigger," Hiruzen sighed in admiration, folding his hands behind his back while taking another drag from his pipe as he continued walking forward.
Yuto Milk Tea.
Yuto BBQ.
Yuto Dance Hall.
Yuto Cinema.
Yuto Internet Cafe.
Just walking past these places made his heart itch with curiosity. If it weren't for his recent financial struggles, he would have already gone inside.
With another sigh, Hiruzen shook his head and was about to ignore it and move on—
But suddenly—
What was that just now?
He paused, momentarily stunned, staring at a newly opened store ahead. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but… Yuto had launched yet another business?
"Yuto Internet Cafe? What exactly is that?"
Taking another puff from his pipe, he furrowed his brows in confusion, pondering what this so-called "internet cafe" could be.
And just by standing there—
"Hello! Welcome!"
He was already at the entrance!
"?!"
Snapping back to reality, Hiruzen looked at the entrance and the receptionist in shock.
She was quite pretty!
Far more pleasing to the eyes than a bunch of old ladies.
Wait!
No!
That's not right!
Go! He had to go!
He barely had enough money left for a bowl of ramen!
How did he get drawn in again?!
However—
"Are you here to surf the internet?" The receptionist smiled politely. "Would you like me to turn on a computer for you?"
"Surf the internet? Turn on a computer?"
"There are computers inside where you can chat, play games, watch movies, and do all sorts of things. Each unit is priced at 100,000 ryo, with free home installation. If anything breaks within three months, we offer free replacements—no refunds. Plus, any issues within a year come with free on-site repairs." The receptionist noticed the old man's twitching expression but continued, "No rush! If you think it's too expensive, you can also try it out inside! Just 10 ryo per hour!"
"10 ryo per hour… that's not too bad," Hiruzen murmured, glancing inside. The place was packed and lively, sparking his curiosity again. He subconsciously touched the coins he had set aside for ramen.
Ten ryo for an hour—he could afford that.
At that moment—
Seeing his hesitation, the receptionist's eyes lit up as she pressed further, "Shall I turn on a computer for you?"
And just like that—
"I'll take an hour," Hiruzen had already pulled out his money. His expression stiffened slightly as he sighed and stepped inside.
Fine. He might as well treat it as a bit of relaxation.
Yuto's businesses… always managed to capture customers' curiosity perfectly.
Maybe that was why Yuto kept growing bigger and stronger!
Danzo's dream of overtaking Yuto and taking over his business? That was no longer possible!
Feeling sentimental, Hiruzen took a seat.
Under the receptionist's guidance, Sarutobi Hiruzen powered on the machine…
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