A certain mountain town.
The atmosphere here is quite odd...
Well, we're in.
As long as we keep a low profile,
we should be able to track down this illegal chakra-trading ring,
and arrest the perpetrators.
Ah ha.
"We're in." "A low profile." This must be an undercover operation.
What happened to Lee?
Was he able to sneak in, too?
I haven't seen him...
Tenten, Neji, there you are!
So we all managed to sneak in!
You didn't sneak in! You stick out like a sore thumb!
17 Nights of Staying Out of Sight
We were lucky that Guy Sensei and the others were right there to back us up.
But with you drawing so much attention, I wasn't sure what was gonna happen!
I'm sorry.
Where did I go wrong?
I was sure I had the perfect cover.
No, you were completely exposed!
Lee just innately stands out.
Stand out?
I suppose so...
The show's in its fourth season now.
If my presence didn't carry so much weight,
then I wouldn't have survived as a prime time TV character for a whole year!
That's not the issue here.
But this theory that you naturally stand out means trouble.
What's that supposed to mean?
Think about it.
Mission or not, the core of being a ninja is concealing yourself.
It's never okay to draw attention to yourself.
You're right.
Especially considering that I'm a ninja who can't use ninjutsu.
If I'm standing out instead of staying undercover...
This is a fatal weakness.
Understood!
I'll work my tail off to erase my conspicuousness!
That hot-bloodedness is at the root of the problem!
Lee, come back!
Lee!
Kabuto, did you hear that?
Sure did.
Lee certainly is in the top tier of conspicuous characters on the show.
I'd put you one level above him, Lord Orochimaru.
Speaking from my wealth of experience,
it's obvious that Lee's going to do some kind of special training...
...to learn to erase his presence!
And speaking from my wealth of experience,
it's obvious you're going to try and interfere.
If I can sabotage his training long enough,
even his inexhaustible positivity will eventually crumble.
"It's hopeless. I'm not fit to be a ninja!"
I can hear his pathetic whining now!
Try not to to be so positive, Lord Orochimaru.
With his self-confidence eradicated, Lee will be easily defeated.
Why can't you see that if you acted like you do in the main series,
you could defeat Lee any time you wanted?
He's going down!
Then it hit me.
I just need Sai to help me train to blend in.
Good thinking.
With Sai being from the ANBU,
it makes sense that hiding his presence and blending...
...in with the background would be his specialties.
Yes, but in practice, I'm not sure how I can help you train to do the same.
Please, Sai, I'm begging you!
All right...
Picture this:
A boy who always sits in the back corner of the class.
Who disappears from the classroom during breaks,
and walks home from school all by himself.
Got it, so I need to put myself in that kind of mindset.
I'll use my specialty genjutsu!
They're skits.
I always sit in the back corner!
I disappear from the classroom during breaks!
And I walk home from school all by myself!
How was that, Sai?
The fact that you actually recreated the scenario makes you stand out like crazy.
This is hopeless, utterly hopeless!
If my genjutsu won't work...
What should I do?
Imagine this...
Tenshinmen crab meat soup on a Chinese restaurant menu.
Positioned all the way on the end, forgotten,
to the point where you think,
"Has anyone ever even ordered that?"
I see.
No one who wanted ramen would order tenshinmen.
And if they did want crab, they'd go with a tenshinmen crab omelet.
So tenshinmen basically has no real presence on a Chinese menu.
I need to learn what it feels like to be tenshinmen!
How's this, Sai?
Again, you fail for actually recreating the scenario.
Blending in with the crowd...
...and not reacting to anything are what make you inconspicuous.
Okay...
You should start by changing into normal, everyday clothing.
That is normal clothing, but not in this show's universe!
Now, if you learn to not react,
no matter what the situation is, you'll be okay.
This situation is way too strange!
Even if this is for your training,
not getting any reaction at all is really vexing.
And why is Neji upset about it?
I had no idea masking one's presence was such a painful process!
Oh, it's painful.
It hurts me just to watch.
And so, Sai's strange training continued.
Your final task is to eat a meal at that soba restaurant,
alone, without anyone noticing you.
But that's so... normal.
Acting like a normal person is how we'll make him stop standing out.
Go for it, Lee!
Welcome! I'm afraid you'll have to share a table.
One soba with eggs.
Coming right up.
One with eggs!
Just you wait, Lee.
Your frenetic efforts to mask your presence...
...are going to be ruined by yours truly!
I get it.
Lord Orochimaru is going to be even more...
...anonymous than Lee, right in his face.
He's even more anonymous than me!
I've lost!
Nothing could be more humiliating for him.
Now, observe and despair!
Huh? What is this?
Lee isn't reacting at all.
Oh no!
O-Of course!
To frustrate Lee, he has to realize it's Lord Orochimaru.
And to do that...
He'd have to do something to stand out!
I didn't realize that.
So this is what it means to be hoisted by your own petard!
You've been hoisted clear across the planet!
This is driving me crazy! I want him to know I'm here!
You can't, Lord Orochimaru!
It would defeat the whole purpose of coming!
Everything would be for naught!
Meanwhile, Lee is thinking...
What's Orochimaru doing here?
Ah, he noticed.
Normally...
Orochimaru, what're you doing here?!
Or something like that.
Reacting makes you stand out.
Sai was very clear on that point.
I want to react so bad!
But I can't! What do I do?!
I want to tell him so bad!
But I can't! What do I do?!
This'll be a big risk, but it's my only option!
What are you going to do, Lord Orochimaru?!
May I use this?
No way, he didn't notice even when I asked for the shichimi?
In this situation, that was a borderline illegal move,
and it still didn't work?!
Why doesn't he notice?!
I want to react!
I can't take it anymore!
Hello!
One tempura soba, please!
Bushy-brows and Orochimaru?
Why're you guys dressed like that?
Um...
No reason...
And so, Lee and Orochimaru learned how difficult...
...it can be to blend in with the crowd.
What about this?
I can hide my presence by making everyone else...
...even more outlandish than me!
This is wrong...
Well?
I definitely don't stand out as much like this.
Something tells me we'll never get back on track...
It's a long road ahead.
The bathroom, the kitchen, the laundry room.
So many rooms we use day in and day out.
But the most important one of all is...
The bathroom?
That's right.
Lately people have been leaving the public bathroom a complete mess.
Your mission is to clean it from top to bottom!
I'm counting on you!
Yes, sir!
Cleaning the Bathroom Cleanses the Soul!
I trust you all understand how important this mission is?
Of course!
Everything begins and ends with the toilet.
It's "everything begins and ends with family!"
Keeping things clean is just basic common sense.
You fool!
Why'd you hit him?
Listen, Lee!
Keeping the bathroom clean...
...is the same thing as keeping your soul clean!
Scrub the toilet,
and think of it as polishing your skills!
You don't have to force the metaphor anymore!
I had no idea cleaning the bathroom was so meaningful!
I've been a fool, Guy Sensei!
Lee... As long as you understand now!
Yes, yes, now can we please get to work?
And so, the team cleaned the bathroom until it shone, but...
What?
They're all filthy again?
We did such a good job yesterday...
I can't believe it got this bad in one night.
What could've happened?
All according to plan.
These two, of course.
Mess up the Leaf's bathroom.
That's my new plan.
Rumors will spread about how disgusting they are.
Fewer and fewer people will come to the village,
and eventually people will leave altogether.
And the Leaf will be on the path to ruin!
Lord Orochimaru's imagination is on the path to ruin...
Everything begins and ends with the toilet.
Scream in despair!
What should we do, Guy Sensei?
Well, there's a chance this could be some kind of evil prank.
Let's guard the place and see if we can uncover the truth.
Yes, sir!
Oh no!
Regardless of how good or bad the plan is,
if they start setting up watch,
Lord Orochimaru won't have an opportunity to carry it out!
Gotta pee, gotta pee!
Whew!
No way... Sakura, how could you?
Lady Hinata... Why?
Why're you two so depressed?
It's never easy for a man to accept reality.
What's that supposed to mean?!
Anyways, Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata...
...all showed a complete lack of manners, so we know it's not a prank.
R-Really?
Lord Orochimaru didn't have to do anything?
Everyone in the Leaf's just gross?
Elementary, my dear Kabuto.
Being the genius that I am,
I have created the "Mess up the Leaf Bathroom" jutsu,
Mess up the Leaf Bathroom
a terrifying mind-control technique!
Mind-control?!
Anyone under its influence will leave bathrooms a complete mess!
Understand now?
W-Wow!
If he can really do something so incredible,
then why is he wasting time with bathrooms and not something bigger?!
Normally I'd yell at him,
but I'm too impressed with Lord Orochimaru!
He's on to something!
There's more to it.
It not only leaves the bathroom a mess,
but by giving Lee and his pals a harsh dose of reality,
it sends them into a deep depression, too!
When a man accepts the reality that even their idols ****,
it sends them straight to hell!
So cool!
I mean, what he's saying is kinda off,
but he hasn't been this on the ball since the series began!
Impossible!
Sakura... Sakura...
Sakura doesn't ****. It's impossible!
I don't see why you have to be so upset about this.
He's right!
Lady Hinata would never **** ****!
Not you, too!
Sakura and Hinata aren't behind this!
But we confirmed it just a moment later.
No, it must be him!
Agreed, Lee.
I was just thinking that only he could be behind this.
He?
Who else?
Orochimaru!
He must've created some kind of new jutsu...
...that makes the victim want to mess up the bathroom.
Exactly.
What else would explain Sakura ****?!
Yeah, and Lady Hinata **** ****?!
We underestimated their delusional tendencies.
Reality
They're so determined not to face reality
that even with absolutely no evidence,
they're blaming Lord Orochimaru.
True culprit
And on top of that, they made up an excuse...
...that happens to be his exact plan!
This is just like...
...when a girl with a difficult personality who isn't popular with boys...
I just can't find a boyfriend.
It must be because they're too afraid to ask me out.
Completely missing the point,
yet also absolutely correct, it's the exact same thing!
Wh-What do we do, Lord Orochimaru?
It's fine, Kabuto.
Even if they had figured out my jutsu,
they have no way to stop it.
All they can do is sit back and watch their bathrooms be ruined!
However, a few days later...
Ah, so the bathroom problem is solved?
Looks like Team Guy did a good job.
Maybe I'll give them a bonus...
What did she say?
They're not dirty...
That can't be!
Could the jutsu have lost its effect?
A stupid oversight?
That's so contrived it sounds like something right out of a comedy anime,
where they make up terrible reasons for the villain to...
...fail just to end the episode!
Concerned Man
That's exactly what usually happens to us,
but I'll bite my tongue...
One Month Effect Special Ingredient
I added a special ingredient to the jutsu that makes...
...the effect last a whole month.
We'll just have to see for ourselves.
Gotta pee, gotta pee...
So far, so good.
No running!
Listen, Ms. Toilet, this school has a
long history of producing gentle, refined women!
Every one of our students toils day in and day out
to become pretty, well-mannered household fixtures,
so that they can graduate.
You need to start acting like you belong here!
Ew, I don't want to be near Toilet.
She's all dirty and gross.
Mom! Why do I have to be a toilet?!
Why couldn't I be born clean and pretty,
like Ms. Sink or Ms. Bathtub?
Within every toilet there is a porcelain god.
Keep the toilet clean, and you keep your soul clean, too.
Your... soul?
Don't worry about outward appearances.
Grow up to be a toilet with a beautiful soul.
Mom...
I decided to start being nice to everyone after that.
Even if they bullied me, or insulted me, I was nice anyway.
To make myself beautiful.
Today, I'm dating an amazing five-star hotel.
He says the thing he loves most about me is my beautiful soul.
I feel like if they keep the toilet clean, anyone can be beautiful.
What a story!
I'll make sure to leave the bathroom clean!
Ah, they used a genjutsu!
Lord Orochimaru, it's a skit.
They leave me no choice!
Orochimaru?!
He's going to mess up the bathroom!
I'll do it myself!
Huh? What the...
This feels like...
It can't be...
A water-style jutsu...
Water-style jutsu
You win.
L-Lord Orochimaru?
And so, with Kakashi's chakra powering the water-style jutsu,
Orochimaru was moved beyond words.
Next week is "The Staff Will Eat the Beans Afterwards!"
The Staff Will Eat the Beans Afterwards! The Raikage is Under Attack!
and "The Raikage is Under Attack!"
Lord Orochimaru, the Raikage is being targeted.
Maybe we should start with the Hidden Cloud and then—
No!
Huh?
I'm staying by the Leaf!
I will claim that bathroom for myself!
You just want to use that toilet again...