Jiraiya drifted away a little dazed.
Although Natsuki had unintentionally talked him through a lot earlier, after chasing a prophecy for half his life, he still wanted to know who the savior was supposed to be.
But the Great Toad Sage's words now left him feeling lost.
Maybe because all truths were out in the open—and even the coming calamity had been identified and could be countered—there might not be a single "savior" at all, because everyone who worked to stop the disaster would be a savior.
So had he wasted half a lifetime?
And worse, he had more than once failed to save his own students.
Now he was told to decide for himself. What should he do?
At that moment he saw Naruto training hard in the distance. Shadow-like markings framed Naruto's eyes, and the Fūton: Rasenshuriken (Wind Release: Rasenshuriken) he hurled was tremendously powerful—he had clearly mastered Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode).
It had to be said, Naruto was just like Jiraiya back then—he'd looked clumsy, like he couldn't learn anything. But at Mount Myōboku, it was as if he'd found the knack, learning far faster than before.
Sage Mode, for instance—most people could never master it, and Naruto had grasped it in so short a time.
Perhaps his talent had awakened.
Compared to Naruto, Fū wasn't training much. She was happily playing with the frogs.
Back in the village she'd been shunned. No matter how cheerful she tried to be, she must have felt lonely inside. She had long vowed to make a hundred friends, but only after coming to Konoha did her circle truly grow.
Now, at Mount Myōboku, the toads weren't as complicated as humans, and they didn't fear her status as a jinchūriki. They got along wonderfully with the open-hearted Fū. By now, she had made well over a hundred friends—even if most weren't human, the wish was fulfilled.
Fū was genuinely happy here.
Watching her, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel relieved.
Jinchūriki childhoods are often miserable; healing that is hard. But people are resilient—our hearts grow stronger with age.
Still, there is always a tender place you can't touch—only warmth can heal it.
Perhaps Fū had finally been healed.
"Hey! Ero-sennin! What are you spacing out about?" Naruto called.
"Oh, just thinking about some things."
Jiraiya walked over. "Naruto, you've really opened up the locks—you've learned Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode), and your Rasenshuriken keeps getting sharper. At this point, I can say for sure you've reached jōnin level."
Jōnin, huh?
Naruto clenched his fists. "That's still a long way off."
Jiraiya was curious. "How strong do you want to be? Plenty of people can't reach jōnin in a lifetime. You've already done something remarkable."
Naruto shook his head. "I quietly asked Natsuki about it. He said that after Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, his strength already surpassed Tsunade. That means unless I reach Kage level, beating Sasuke is a daydream. I'm still far off."
Jiraiya understood. Rivalry between the young—he liked to see it.
Dreams were good, too. The best youth aimed to become Hokage… unlike Natsuki.
Natsuki was outstanding, sure, but he treated the Hokage seat with utter indifference. If you asked him why, he'd say being a village chief meant tiny turf, tiny power, a mountain of chores, and no time left—he'd even miss his wife's maternity leave.
On that point, Jiraiya actually agreed.
But he was himself—he wasn't Natsuki.
He could live without an ideal, but how could a promising youth like Natsuki be content without one? Otherwise what's the difference from being a salted fish? He's not even from the Nara clan—why act like one?
…Alright, that was getting ahead of himself.
Jiraiya wasn't going to meddle. There would be plenty of fine successors for the Hokage seat anyway.
"Ero-sennin, we've been here a long time," Naruto suddenly said. "Gaara left ages ago. Shouldn't we head back too?"
"Head back? Well…"
Jiraiya hesitated. He hadn't set a time with Tsunade, and he wasn't sure if returning now was right.
Fū popped up as well. "Jiraiya-ojisan, let's go back and check on everyone?"
"You're not having fun here, Fū?" Jiraiya blinked.
Fū pouted. "I am, and I've made lots of friends. But I worry about everyone's safety. While we're away, what if something happens? Sometimes at night I dream they're facing a strong enemy and all I can do is watch from far away. I hate that feeling."
"Fū…"
Jiraiya didn't know what to say.
Of course he worried about friends too. He was worried about the village right now.
After thinking for a long while—and seeing the expectation in Naruto's and Fū's eyes—he nodded. "Alright. We'll go back and take a look. If it's truly dangerous, I'll bring you back here."
Both answered with an eager "Mm!" Though, truth be told, if danger really did break out, they probably wouldn't agree to retreat.
Jiraiya didn't waste time and went straight to find Fukasaku and Shima.
Fukasaku looked anxious. "Jiraiya, is it really good to return now? I've got a bad feeling—something big is coming to the shinobi world. It's better for the jinchūriki to stay hidden."
Shima chimed in, "I really like that kid Fū. I don't want anything happening to her."
Jiraiya shook his head. "Elder, Shima-dono, you worry for us—and we worry for our friends and family. We have to check on them. If it's truly dangerous… we'll ask for your help when the time comes."
Fukasaku and Shima had no choice but to agree.
As for getting back, Jiraiya had already left several toads in the village when they first came to Mount Myōboku. When it was time to return, he would summon one with Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique), exchange messages both ways, and the toad in the village would use Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Reverse Summoning Technique) to bring them back. Simple as that.
After Fū finished saying goodbye to all her friends, Jiraiya contacted the toad in the village, and the three of them were reverse-summoned home.
They had scarcely arrived in the office when someone spotted them.
An ANBU appeared, face paling. "Jiraiya-sama, why are you bringing them back now?!"
Jiraiya frowned. "What happened?"
The ANBU faltered, but under Jiraiya's pressing gaze, he finally spoke. The three of them stared, eyes wide.
"Nani?! The Fourth Shinobi World War?! You've got to be kidding!"
This wasn't a joke.
It was outrageous.
The ANBU looked aggrieved. It wasn't like he'd started the war. If Jiraiya hadn't pressed him, he wouldn't have said it in front of the jinchūriki. Now things were complicated, to say the least.
(End of Chapter)
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