Naruto burst out the door, tearing through the village like a wild, out-of-control beast.
His tears scattered in the wind, but the pain in his heart weighed down on him like a boulder, suffocating and relentless.
He skidded to a halt in front of Ichiraku Ramen. That old, familiar sign—it brought with it a tidal wave of memories. Times he'd shared bowls of steaming ramen with Jiraiya-sensei, laughing, joking, basking in those warm, fleeting moments of peace.
But now, those precious scenes felt like jagged blades, slicing straight through his chest.
Tears welled up again, blurring his vision. His throat felt tight, as if something were stuck in it. He choked out a whisper,
"Why, sensei… Why did it have to be like this…"
He wandered through the village in a daze, eventually stumbling into a quiet, secluded corner. There stood an ancient tree, old and solemn, like a silent witness to the village's history. Naruto leaned against it, slowly crouching down, burying his face in his arms. His shoulders trembled as he fought to hold himself together.
"You're never gonna become Hokage if you keep acting like this."
The voice came from behind—calm, familiar, and powerful enough to make his heart skip a beat.
Naruto jolted upright like he'd been struck by lightning. Slowly, he turned his head, eyes wide with disbelief.
There he was.
Jiraiya.
Wearing that same warm smile, those kind eyes. Like nothing had changed. Like time had stopped.
"Jiraiya-sensei… Pervy Sage… Y-You're alive?"
Naruto's voice quivered uncontrollably, and the tears came flooding out again like a broken dam.
Jiraiya walked over, steady and strong. He crouched down beside Naruto and gave his shoulder a firm, comforting pat. His voice was gentle, but resolute.
"You think I'd die that easy, kid? There's still too much of the world left to see… and I've still gotta watch you become Hokage."
Naruto flung himself into Jiraiya's arms, sobbing without restraint, all his fear and grief pouring out at once.
"Pervy Sage, I thought I'd never see you again. I was so scared… really scared…"
With Naruto still transformed into his female disguise, the scene from Jiraiya's point of view was… overwhelming. He tilted his head back and tried not to nosebleed too obviously.
"Okay, okay, enough with the crying. I'm back, aren't I?"
Naruto quickly let go, scrubbing at his eyes with his sleeves and trying to get a hold of himself.
"What happened? Orochimaru said you…"
Jiraiya stood up, his expression darkening as he looked into the distance.
"I was saved by Obito. He wants to join forces with us to take down Hyuga Gakuya and the Akatsuki."
Naruto clenched his fists. "Obito's always scheming. Last time he tried to steal the Tsuchigumo clan's secret technique."
Jiraiya shook his head.
"Don't let hate cloud your judgment, Naruto. Right now, we need to think clearly—how to handle what's coming."
He added, "And drop that transformation already. We're in Konoha. You don't need it here."
Jiraiya wasn't exactly complaining about the 'view,' but if he kept staring, he was going to pass out from blood loss.
Naruto took a deep breath, calming himself, then released the Transformation Jutsu.
"Got it, Pervy Sage."
Jiraiya gave him a proud look.
"That's more like it. Now, let's head back to the Hokage's office and explain everything to Tsunade and the others."
...
Just as they turned to leave, Tsunade and a group of shinobi arrived in a hurry. When she saw Jiraiya alive and well, the weight on her chest visibly lifted.
"You old fool," she exhaled in relief. "You scared everyone half to death."
Jiraiya, ever the showman, struck an exaggerated pose.
"Heh, I'm the Toad Sage! It takes more than that to bring me down."
But the motion pulled at his wounds, and blood seeped through his sleeve again.
"Idiot," Tsunade muttered, shooting him a glare. Her hand glowed green as she placed it gently on his arm to heal the injury.
"Shizune, take him to the hospital."
"No need," Jiraiya grunted, wincing. "Just patch me up enough to move. We don't have time—Akatsuki could strike Konoha at any moment. We need a plan."
They all returned to the Hokage's office. Tsunade had already summoned Nara Shikaku to help process the new intelligence.
Jiraiya settled into a chair as the others gathered around him.
Kakashi stepped forward first. "Since you're safe, we'll need to reevaluate the intel Orochimaru gave us."
Jiraiya's face turned serious. "Tell me what he said. I'll compare it with what I know."
Kakashi relayed Orochimaru's information in full. When he finished, Jiraiya nodded.
"The intel checks out. Hyuga Gakuya admitted to merging with his second persona, Chiba Mokushu."
Then Jiraiya elaborated, filling in the details after Orochimaru left—how Obito appeared, and how he'd been rescued.
Shikaku, who had been quietly analyzing everything, finally spoke up.
"If what you're saying is accurate, then it's possible Hyuga Gakuya hasn't fully assimilated his second personality. Chiba Mokushu's consciousness might still exist within his subconscious."
"Based on the records of his recent battles, Gakuya always finishes fights with overwhelming force—either he doesn't fight, or he ends it instantly. That's his pattern."
"If we exploit that, maybe we can find a way to awaken his second persona. Get Chiba Mokushu's consciousness to resurface."
"For that, we'll need the Yamanaka clan. They specialize in spiritual and mental techniques."
"There's also his past connections. The Hyuga sisters just returned from Otogakure and immediately submitted marriage applications. That suggests the integration between Gakuya and Mokushu happened recently."
"If anyone can reach Gakuya now, it's Hyuga Hinata and Hyuga Hanabi."
Everyone nodded in agreement. With an enemy like Hyuga Gakuya—someone beyond conventional combat—it made more sense to outthink him than to try and overpower him.
Jiraiya added, "Still, we need to prepare for the worst. Akatsuki could attack Konoha at any time. We can't afford to be caught off guard."
Tsunade crossed her arms and nodded. "I've already started putting the village on alert."
Jiraiya looked toward Naruto and said grimly, "Against someone like Gakuya, regular ninja are basically useless."
Naruto met his teacher's gaze and quickly shook his head.
"I'm not running away. I'll fight with everyone else. Pervy Sage, I've finished developing my new technique—it'll work. I swear it will."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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