As I was handling my tasks, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
Since Naruto was the one with the least work on his hands, he naturally ran to open it. He pulled the door open — and froze for a moment.
Standing there, calm and warm as always, was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, revived through Edo Tensei.
"Grandpa Third Hokage!"
The Third Hokage chuckled softly, stepped inside, and looked around with a satisfied expression.
"You guys did a good job."
Everyone greeted him enthusiastically, except Sasuke, whose greeting came out cold and distant.
"Where are Jiraiya and Tsunade?" the Third Hokage asked, turning toward Naruto.
Naruto scratched his head.
"Oh, that? Tsunade-sama already went to the hotel over there, and Pervy Sage is still coming!"
Then Naruto shouted up the stairs, "Pervy Sage! Grandpa Third Hokage is here!"
Upstairs, Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki heard Naruto's voice and made their way down.
"Old man, you're here," Jiraiya said with a grin.
Minato bowed respectfully.
"Master Third Hokage."
As for Kushina, she still held complicated feelings toward Hiruzen for how Naruto's childhood had turned out. But seeing Naruto now — happy, strong, and surrounded by people who loved him — her resentment had softened.
"Third Hokage-sama," she greeted.
Hiruzen smiled kindly. "Kushina."
Jiraiya raised a brow at the old man. "Old man, why are you here?"
The Third Hokage maintained his gentle smile.
"I came to see how you all are doing — and to check on your preparations."
Jiraiya chuckled.
"Everything's ready. Tomorrow we set off to pick up Tsunade, and that's that."
Hiruzen nodded twice, then shifted his eyes to Minato and Kushina. Jiraiya immediately understood what the old man wanted to speak about privately.
So Jiraiya turned to Minato and Kushina.
"I'm going out with the old man. You two stay here and wait for me to come back."
Both nodded calmly.
Hiruzen bowed his head slightly.
"Sorry, Minato, Kushina."
"It's alright," they replied.
The Third Hokage led Jiraiya outside. Naruto watched them go but didn't say anything. Instead, he clapped his hands and called out:
"Sasuke! Stop what you're doing and come over here to play with balloons!"
Sasuke let out a silent groan but still walked over.
He stared at the massive bag of balloons and raised a brow.
"So many?!!!"
Naruto nodded proudly.
"Ah, sure! I bought all these just for fun. When the time comes, the whole room will be filled with balloons. How romantic!"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"How is this romantic? And how long will all these balloons even last?"
Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Can you please stop talking nonsense and just do it quickly?"
He shoved a balloon into Sasuke's hands and motioned for him to start blowing.
Sasuke exhaled sharply through his nose but complied.
Sai, watching from the side, smiled knowingly. Proud Sasuke — only Naruto could drag him into something like this.
Outside
The Third Hokage walked with Jiraiya through the quiet street.
"Old man, you want to talk to me?" Jiraiya asked.
Hiruzen nodded.
"I only ever had three disciples in my life — you, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. And truthfully… the one I admired most was Orochimaru."
Jiraiya snorted.
"I figured. Even when you were dying, you only sealed his hands instead of killing him. You were still hoping he'd change."
Hiruzen sighed deeply.
"I am responsible for the way he turned out. Orochimaru is a rare genius — incredibly talented. But I failed to guide him properly. I failed to keep him on the right path. That guilt has stayed with me."
Jiraiya gazed at him.
"Old man, didn't you take Tsunade as a student to protect the Senju clan?"
Hiruzen nodded.
"Yes. The First Hokage and Second Hokage were very kind to me. I grew up under their protection. I was raised directly by the Second Hokage. So I cherished Tsunade. I wanted to repay the kindness I received from their family."
Jiraiya knew this well.
Every time they got into trouble, Tsunade was protected — even if she had been part of the mischief. Hiruzen doted on her, and very few in the village dared to deny her anything.
The Third Hokage continued,
"Among the three of you, the one most like me… is you."
Jiraiya blinked, genuinely surprised.
"As a child, your talent was not inferior to Orochimaru's, but you were too playful. You liked chasing after love, freedom, adventure. You hated being tied down."
Jiraiya picked his nose lazily.
"That's just the way I am. What do you want me to do?"
Hiruzen gave a weary sigh.
"When I asked you to take the Hokage seat, you refused. I passed it to Minato. But because of Obito's actions, the Nine-Tails escaped, and Minato and Kushina died. I asked you again to become Hokage… and you still refused."
His voice softened with heavy regret.
"I never told you how hard things were then. Danzo kept acting behind my back — conspiring with Orochimaru. I had no choice but to return as Hokage. The village was slipping out of control."
He looked at Jiraiya with a hint of complaint.
"If you had accepted the seat from the beginning, Minato could have grown steadily. Naruto could have been born safely. Even if Kushina were kidnapped, she wouldn't have died. With you in the village, Obito would have had no chance!"
Jiraiya fell silent.
He could see it clearly — if he had been Hokage:
Minato would have matured for a few more years.
The Third Hokage could have monitored Danzo.
If Obito attacked during Naruto's birth, the Third Hokage would have been there.
Minato would've returned immediately.
Jiraiya would've reacted instantly.
Three top-tier shinobi together?
Obito might not have escaped at all.
The Nine-Tails would have been sealed properly.
The Uchiha clan wouldn't have spiraled into suspicion and rebellion.
The entire timeline would have changed.
Jiraiya exhaled heavily.
"Old man… everything is doomed. No matter what you choose, you'll always regret something. Just like Naruto — didn't he also get reborn once?"
The Third Hokage nodded slowly.
"I didn't come tonight to blame you. I came to apologize. As Hokage — as your master — I failed. I failed to protect many people. I failed to make the right decisions."
Jiraiya remained quiet.
Hiruzen continued,
"Tomorrow you're marrying Tsunade. As your master… I'm truly happy for you."
Jiraiya placed his hands on Hiruzen's shoulders, like a grown son calming an aging father.
"Old man, why are you so emotional? This isn't like you."
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
"I've died once already. When you die, you understand all the regrets you carried."
Jiraiya laughed loudly.
"So the Second Hokage's Reanimation Jutsu actually isn't so bad. It lets you see your life clearly."
Hiruzen pointed at him mockingly.
"You brat — still so ungrateful!"
They talked about the past — regrets, misunderstandings, their shared hardships. They talked about the old days, about pain, about choices that shaped the village.
When the Third Hokage died back then, Jiraiya was devastated. He stopped wanting to be Hokage because he couldn't handle staying in the village where his master died at the hands of his own friend and student.
Tsunade took the position, but Konoha remained weakened.
That's when Jiraiya discovered Naruto — Minato's son, the boy he had named himself.
Seeing Naruto ostracized by the villagers made Jiraiya furious. So he took Naruto under his wing, trained him, and traveled with him — to keep him safe from the Akatsuki.
If Jiraiya was with Naruto, the Akatsuki wouldn't dare attack.
His presence alone was a deterrent.
This was why Akatsuki avoided capturing the Nine-Tails early on — they didn't want to risk fighting Jiraiya.
Looking back now, his decision had been correct.
After finishing their talk, the Third Hokage smiled warmly.
"Jiraiya, we'll see each other tomorrow."
"Alright, old man. Don't forget to give me the marriage certificate."
Hiruzen chuckled and walked off into the night.
Jiraiya sighed contentedly and turned back — only to notice a figure standing quietly at the intersection.
The silhouette approached.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes — then let out a half-frustrated, half-amused breath.
"Orochimaru… who did I think you were!
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