Naruto smiled warmly and looked toward Jiraiya.
Then he lowered his head slightly and said, "Actually… I've always wanted to say this. Without Pervy Sage, my entire shinobi career might've been completely mediocre. After all, he was the one who taught my father the Rasengan and Summoning Technique. Because of him, I even met Fukasaku and Shima from Mount Myōboku, and they're the ones who helped me learn Sage Mode."
Naruto raised his head a little and added with a small laugh, "So really… without Pervy Sage, there wouldn't be a Naruto today!"
Jiraiya looked at the boy—now a grown young man—standing on stage, speaking from the heart. His eyes softened, and he murmured emotionally to himself, "Naruto…"
Beside him, Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya and smiled faintly. She understood him better than anyone. Jiraiya's most talented student was Minato—no question. But his favorite student… that had always been Naruto.
Why?
Because when Jiraiya met Naruto, he treated him like a grandson from the very beginning. And a grandfather always loves his grandson.
Jiraiya's attachment to Naruto was not only a teacher's pride. It was the love and protectiveness of an elder toward the younger generation. Jiraiya taught Naruto ninjutsu, combat skills, and survival. But more importantly, he taught Naruto how to stay true to his beliefs and dreams. He taught him how to endure pain, how to grow, and how to move forward regardless of how many times he fell.
Tsunade knew this well. She also knew that although Jiraiya never said it aloud, Naruto had always been his pride—something even greater than his legacy.
And Naruto… Naruto had always looked up to Jiraiya as his mentor, role model, and even father figure. His respect and gratitude toward Jiraiya were sincere and deep-rooted.
When Tsunade noticed the quiet, satisfied smile on Jiraiya's face, she felt happy for him. Jiraiya had spent his entire life nurturing promising shinobi. And Naruto was one of his greatest successes. Every time Naruto improved, Jiraiya felt a happiness he rarely expressed.
Naruto paused, thinking, then sighed. "I lost both my mom and dad the moment I was born. So growing up, I basically had no one with me. From the time I can remember, the only person who actually cared about me… was the Third Hokage."
"Hiruzen-jiji used to give me money every month so I could buy food and clothes. I was always grateful for that."
In the audience, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head.
Now that he had been resurrected—and with Minato and Kushina alive again—he felt guilt eating away at him. Yes, Naruto's identity as the Nine-Tails jinchūriki had been sensitive. But his identity as the Fourth Hokage's son was not unknown to the upper ranks.
Hiruzen knew that he could have arranged for members of the Sarutobi clan to watch over Naruto or even raise him. He could have given the boy a life similar to Konohamaru's—a childhood filled with warmth, attention, and a proper teacher.
But he hadn't.
And now, faced with Minato and Kushina, he regretted it deeply.
Kushina folded her arms tightly, her expression full of pain. Seeing her son talk about his lonely childhood made her heart ache. She remembered her own arrival in the village—mocked for her red hair, whispered about because she was the jinchūriki. She knew how isolation felt.
Minato, too, watched Naruto silently, guilt twisting in his chest.
Naruto continued, "When I entered the Academy, Iruka-sensei was the first person who ever believed in me. He gave me the push I needed to choose my path… but he felt more like an older brother. I never had someone who felt like a father until I met Pervy Sage."
He laughed softly. "He trained me, traveled with me, bought me clothes, took care of me… He made me feel like I had a parent for the first time in my life. For that, I'll always be grateful."
Then Naruto grinned. "Speaking of that… the first time I met Granny Tsunade was because Pervy Sage brought me to her!"
Tsunade blinked at the sudden mention, then chuckled.
"At that time," Naruto continued, "Granny Tsunade and Shizune were gambling somewhere and owed a ton of money. Pervy Sage and I went to find her because we wanted her to return to the village as the Fifth Hokage. But Granny Tsunade didn't care at all. I got mad and challenged her because her disrespect toward the Hokage title felt like she was spitting on my dream!"
He laughed loudly. "And Pervy Sage actually told her not to hit me too hard and to be gentle! But Granny Tsunade just flicked her finger and sent me flying!"
Tsunade couldn't help smiling as she recalled the moment.
Back then, she had no interest in becoming Hokage. Everyone she cared about who had wanted that title… had died. Dan, Nawaki… The idea of being Hokage only reminded her of loss. She preferred to wander, to drink, to gamble—anything that kept her away from responsibility.
So when Jiraiya and that loud blond brat approached her with the proposal, she refused immediately.
And Naruto—so young, so fierce—challenged her.
She remembered thinking he was ridiculous. A kid with no discipline, no strength, claiming he would be Hokage? She wanted to crush his arrogance a little and teach him reality.
One flick. That was all it took to send him rolling across the ground.
Jiraiya panicked and ran to him, yelling, "Tsunade! I said be gentle!"
Tsunade snorted at the memory. At the time she responded, "This brat doesn't even know how high the sky is, yet he wants to be Hokage? Let him learn where he stands."
But when she looked at Naruto and saw that he was already standing again, brushing dust off himself, uninjured despite her strength… she had been genuinely surprised.
Naruto pointed at her and shouted, "Someday I'll become Hokage and make you acknowledge me!"
And Tsunade, in her arrogance, replied, "Work as hard as you want, brat. Just don't die before getting there."
Naruto had yelled back, "I won't die! I'll become Hokage and protect the village and everyone in it!"
Tsunade remembered that boy's smile. The determination in his eyes. It reminded her painfully of Nawaki.
Naruto continued speaking on stage, "After that, we kept following Granny Tsunade around. She still refused to come back to the village. Then… we ran into Orochimaru. That was the first time I ever saw Uncle Snake."
"As everyone knows, Orochimaru's arms were sealed at the time, so his strength was affected. But he still managed to push Granny Tsunade into a corner by exploiting her fear of blood. Kabuto tried to kill her with a chakra scalpel. At the last moment, I stepped in."
Naruto grinned. "I blocked Kabuto's attack. I'd made a bet with Granny Tsunade—until I became Hokage, I wouldn't die."
"That was the first time I used the Rasengan in a real fight. I managed to defeat Kabuto… but he cut my heart muscles with his scalpel, and I collapsed."
Tsunade felt her fists clench as she remembered holding his barely breathing body.
Naruto continued, "Granny Tsunade thought I was dead. But there's no way someone destined to be Hokage would die like that. I survived. And that gave Granny Tsunade the courage to overcome her fear of blood and fight again. After that… she agreed to return to the village as the Fifth Hokage."
Naruto proudly pulled out a necklace. "Back then, Granny Tsunade gave me this."
The necklace of the First Hokage shined under the lights.
"In my previous life," Naruto said, "it broke during the battle with Pain. But since I was able to change things early this time, the necklace stayed safe."
He held it tightly.
"And because of Granny Tsunade and Pervy Sage, I grew stronger. They helped the village finally recognize me."
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