Still, Charlie's stern gaze didn't waver. "Then you interfered with an important spring planting project!"
"That was just a misunderstanding!" Jiraiya insisted.
"And today, you caused widespread panic across the Land of Grass, damaging land, houses, and infrastructure, terrifying civilians, and causing heavy losses!"
"T-that too was a misunderstanding!" Jiraiya's voice faltered as Charlie kept listing accusations. He chuckled nervously, "I guess I've just been unlucky lately, huh?"
"After a thorough investigation, Sir Kado of the Kusa Guard suspects you have hidden motives. Under the pretense of visiting Mr.Inevitable, you're actually here to sabotage the Land of Grass!"
Jiraiya remained silent, feeling the accusations piling up. It all seemed a bit over the top. He twitched the corner of his mouth, about to respond, when Charlie suddenly set down the file and gave him a warm smile.
"Of course," Charlie said kindly, "I truly believe in you. Who in the shinobi world doesn't know Jiraiya, the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, is a shinobi who loves peace?"
Jiraiya blinked, touched by the unexpected trust. Looking at Charlie, he sighed deeply, emotions churning inside him. Honestly, he never imagined that the shinobi he'd seen wearing a Amegakure forehead protector in the Land of Rain was actually the lord responsible for rebuilding the Land of Grass and the Kusagakure.
He had noticed some strange things during his time here, like the sudden appearance of many red-haired people. He thought about the recent Land of Grass film, ... maybe not everything in it was made up? The Uzumaki clan… perhaps they had a presence here, in the Land of Grass.
Of course, Jiraiya didn't want to say much about it. The Uzumaki connections were complicated. If it were just a few individuals, Konoha might accept them, but an entire shinobi clan? That was a different story altogether.
Even the Five Great Shinobi Villages wouldn't just accept a huge clan into their ranks so easily. And with how Tsunade handled the Uzumaki situation, some dissatisfaction was starting to grow.
Sometimes, it's better to just keep quiet. Besides, those redheads might not even be Uzumaki! Even if the Kusagakure welcomed the Uzumaki, who would really believe it?
Jiraiya gave a faint smile toward Charlie, the Kusagakure lord sitting across from him. This guy had an impressively big heart. If he were in Konoha, with all the trouble Jiraiya had caused, he'd have been hauled off by the Anbu long ago! A genuinely good person.
"Thanks, lord of the Kusagakure, for your trust, "
Before he could finish, a sudden, loud voice cut through the room like a hammer.
"BUT!!"
Charlie put his hands back under his chin, his expression turning serious. "As the lord of the Land of Grass, I owe an explanation to everyone here in the Land of Grass and the Kusagakure!"
"That's right! That's right!"
"Punishment is necessary!"
"Absolutely! Absolutely! After all, I've caused the Land of Grass a lot of trouble and loss!"
"..."
'Is he really that easygoing?' Charlie raised an eyebrow but then let out a sigh.
"The Kusagakure and Konoha have been close allies since the very beginning, neighbors sharing a border. The Land of Grass lies west of Konoha, and as allies, we've always helped protect Konoha from Iwagakure's invasions.
The Kusagakure and Konoha are like brothers, supporting each other through everything. True friends. Blood brothers."
"..."
Jiraiya's face twitched slightly. Hearing that, a bad feeling crept in. He hesitated before carefully asking, "So... how much compensation are we talking about?"
"That kind of talk spoils the mood! You have to trust us! The Kusagakure and Konoha are brothers! We don't cheat our own!" Charlie smiled at Jiraiya and motioned to Kana behind him.
"After doing the math, the area you were responsible for suffered serious damage to a village, plus significant harm to land and new roads. Villagers were frightened or even injured…"
"But... Gamabunta didn't hurt anyone, right?"
"Those were civilians. Imagine seeing a giant toad hopping wildly, anyone would be startled and lose their balance. They might trip over a stone, fall against a tree, and get seriously hurt!" Charlie warned.
"Like I said, I owe an explanation to those under me." Then he passed the file back to Jiraiya. "Here. Take a look... it's not about money. We just need a small favor from you."
"Of course! Of course! More farming work? Don't worry, this time, I, Jiraiya, will handle it myself."
"No way! You're one of the Legendary Sannin, the dream of countless girls across the shinobi world. You can't be doing manual labor!"
Jiraiya opened his mouth to respond, but Charlie cut him off, spreading his arms wide and looking hopeful, as if embracing the future.
"Do you have dreams? Do you want to be famous? Do you want thousands of girls across the shinobi world to know you? If you do, then what are you waiting for? Come on! Join Kusawood! Just sign here!"
Jiraiya blinked in surprise, unsure of what to say.
"This movie… is it like "Gambler Den"? If that's the case, sorry, but no matter what, I'm still, "
"Don't believe the rumors! Don't spread them either! Any similarities are purely coincidental. But this time, it's different!
This script was custom-made for you and your comrades. It tells the story of the Sannin of Konoha training together, then drifting apart after graduation because of some confusion, and finally reuniting in Kusawood to remember their bonds."
"Confusion… parting ways? So it's a story about friendship? The Sannin Make Trouble in Kusawood sounds interesting, but what's with the Sannin blind boxes?"
"That's just for promotion! After all, you three ended the war in the Land of Rain and earned the title of Konoha's Sannin. Now you're pretty famous all over the shinobi world!"
"Is that so?"
"Of course! We don't lie to our own! If I wanted to make money, I'd have you pay me back, right?"
"True enough!"
"So, do you have any other concerns? Feel free to speak up."
"Orochimaru and Tsunade…"
"There's a romantic subplot where the female lead falls for one of the male leads…"
"I'm in!"
"Orochimaru and Tsunade…"
"Don't worry! We're like brothers, closest friends! There's a strong bond between us. I'll handle this; they won't get mad."
"Thanks to Sir Jiraiya for contributing his own efforts to Kusawood's development."
Finally, looking at Jiraiya's thankful face as he left, then down at the contract already signed in his hand, Charlie smiled with satisfaction. "Done!"
Though only Jiraiya signed it, Orochimaru and Tsunade didn't, it wasn't a big deal. Jiraiya guaranteed the proxy signature. 'Any problems? Take them up with your friends; it's got nothing to do with the Kusagakure. The Kusagakure has the contract!'
Charlie turned to Kanna beside him. "Now… we can start assembling the crew and preparing the blind boxes."
Then he seemed to remember something else.