Ep177: Oh!? Please Mister Postman!

Naruto returns from a solo mission helping with castle repairs. He spies the hot springs and thinks of agood long soak when someone runs past him and nearly falls off the cliff. The man also spills a number of envelopes. Naruto and his clones help collect the envelopes and save the man. He is a courier ninja who risk their lives to deliver mail, name 596-03.

Naruto arrives in town and hears Jiraiya covorting with two women. Naruto yells at him for abandoning his training, but Jiraiya says he's doing research for the last stage of his Icha Icha Paradise script and is on a mission since he received word that an Akatsuki member will be in town the day after tomorrow. Naruto asks for training until then but Jiraiya's script is due tomorrow. But Jiraiya procrastinates and goes to the hot springs instead of writing. Naruto joins him and overhears two guys talking about a secret message that must reach the Fang Country's feudal lord. Jiraiya spies over the fence at the bathing women who happened to be very old women. Jiraiya asks Naruto to give him inspiration and he transforms using Oiroke no jutsu, steamy harem version. Jiraiya nosebleeds and passes out.

The next morning Naruto carries an envelope downstairs but slips and crashes into a courier ninja. The men from the bath collect their papers and hand them back to the ninja. Naruto gives him his envelope as well. It's the courier ninja he met yesterday. But he says he's headed in the other direction so he hands it to another courier ninja 463-72 who looks exactly like him.

Jiraya wakes and Naruto tells him he wrote his story and sent it to the publisher. Jiraiya says they have to get it back. They follow the courier ninja to a village built like a maze. Jiraiya rasengans the entire town looking for the courier ninja. They find him and continue their chase. The courier ninja refuses to stop and insists on delivering the envelope but he is no match for sannin Jiraiya who cuts in front of him. But the papers are not Naruto's document it's a form from the Claw country to the Fang Country directed to the feudal lord. It's for a reconciliation to avoid a war.

Naruto's story is on its way to Fang country. They hurry off. The courier ninja recovers and sends a colorful smoke signal to inform other courier ninja of the mail robbery by a perverted man and a kid and they are now after 596-03's mail. All postmen are to guard him.

Meanwhile Jiraiya and Naruto travel by boat with Naruto rowing. They are attacked by the courier ninja who cut the oars. Jiraiya uses rasengan to move the boat forward and sweep the courier ninja back. Naruto comments that the rasengan is becoming a cheap technique. They switch off and reach the boat carrying the courier ninja who says he has to abide by the rules. They finally reach Fang country.

Naruto plans to take it by force but a bunch of courier nins appear and he doesn't know which is which. They run off and Naruto remembers the number. He catches up to them and resorts to harem no jutsu. Even Jiraiya is knocked out. But the courier nin continues, dragging sexy Naruto with him. He manages to deliver the envelop to the guards.

Naruto and Jiraiya look on as the feudal lord opens the envelope and realizes it's the newest Icha Icha series original document. It turns out he's a great fan of the series and is now very happy with the Claw Country's feudal lord and there's no need for a war. Jiraiya is depressed that his work is the same as Naruto’s.

Back in the hot springs town, Naruto wakes to find Jiraiya has already left to go after the Akatsuki.

Review: Some amusing jokes with the rasengan, but tepid overall.

Notes:

bushi = honorific title given to samurai and warriors

Fang Country and Claw country have a tentative peace

Thoughts:

How much does it cost to send something by ninja courier vs regular mail? Is there a pony express? There doesn't seem to be cars and planes to deliver mail.