"Okay, okay," Naruto said as he raised his hand casually. "I, Uzumaki Naruto, swear that I will never attack Konoha."
His voice was calm, almost nonchalant. The oath might have sounded solemn to others, but to Naruto, it was just a formality—an empty promise that held no true binding power.
After all, what did an oath made by Uzumaki Naruto have to do with someone like him… Namikaze Naruto?
Jiraiya was speechless.
Terumi Mei muttered with an exaggerated sigh, "I never thought I, one of the legendary Five Kage, would be bested in wit by a child…"
Ohnoki grumbled, "This Naruto kid is such a scoundrel!"
Deidara chuckled from the sidelines. "Old man Ohnoki, you're pretending to be all righteous now? When it comes to being shameless, who are you afraid of? You practically invented it!"
Ohnoki's eyes narrowed. "You brat… it's been a while since you've tasted this old man's Dust Release, huh?"
Deidara shot back with a confident grin. "Don't get cocky! One day, I'll level your Tsuchikage office and show you what true art is!"
"Hmph! Do it if you can!" Ohnoki snapped, though there was a hint of pride in his voice.
Meanwhile, Naruto looked genuinely confused. "Namikaze Naruto? What's that supposed to mean? I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
From the crowd, a loud sigh came from Uzumaki Kushina. "Naruto… you're such an idiot!"
Sakura pinched her temple, exasperated. "I've been saying it for years. Our Naruto is hopeless."
Even Shikamaru muttered, "What a drag…"
Minato chuckled awkwardly. "Well, my last name is Namikaze, so technically, you could be called Namikaze Naruto. There's nothing wrong with that."
Naruto's face lit up in sudden realization. "I see! Let's fall!"
Jiraiya coughed and mumbled, "I wish the Naruto from this world was as stupid as this one…"
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
"I mean—simplicity is a blessing!" Jiraiya corrected quickly.
"Fall down!" Naruto shouted, dropping dramatically to the floor.
"Fall down!" Kushina followed in unison.
Senju Hashirama laughed heartily. "What an interesting mother and son pair!"
Senju Tobirama nodded. "Yeah, he's just as silly as my big brother."
Uchiha Madara, arms crossed, looked annoyed. "Every time I remember I lost to a guy like this… I feel like banging my head against a wall."
Despite the comedic chaos, Jiraiya couldn't help but look seriously at Naruto. He had sworn his loyalty, foolishly or not, and his eyes were sincere.
And so, Jiraiya compromised.
Not because of any seductive transformation jutsu Naruto might try to bribe him with, but because he saw something more—he saw a rough gem worth polishing.
With that thought, he slapped the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
A white puff of smoke exploded outward, and from it appeared a rather unique toad.
Unlike most, the lower half of this toad's body was wrapped around an enormous scroll.
The creature blinked its orange-green eyes lazily, then looked toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya? It's been a while. What do you need this time?" the toad croaked, its voice deep and slightly amused.
This was no ordinary summon—it was Gamain, the special toad that Namikaze Minato had entrusted with the key to the Eight Trigrams Seal.
"I need the key Minato left with you," Jiraiya said. "This boy here is his son—Uzumaki Naruto. He's already mastered the Nine Tails' power."
Gamain blinked again and turned toward Naruto, sizing him up. The fact that he was Minato's child wasn't too shocking.
What truly stunned the toad was the second part.
Mastered the Nine Tails' power?
That sounded absurd.
Naruto, sensing the toad's doubt, silently released a portion of the Nine Tails' chakra. A red aura flickered to life, and the air trembled around him.
Gamain's eyes widened.
It was true.
Naruto had not only tamed the beast—he had perfect control over its terrifying power.
"This is truly shocking," Gamain muttered.
Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "As Naruto grows stronger, the Akatsuki organization will inevitably take notice of him."
Elsewhere, a different conversation took place—hidden from the eyes of Konoha.
Uzumaki Nagato, cloaked in shadow, stared at a projection of Jiraiya.
"As expected of my former teacher," he said quietly. "He's already discovered our presence…"
Konan, standing by his side, nodded. "Don't forget, Jiraiya-sensei has been traveling the world. It's not surprising he's learned of our movements."
Nagato's expression darkened. "I don't want to fight him… not yet. But when the time comes—he's mine. I'll be the one to end him."
"Nagato…" Konan said softly, worry etched on her face.
Nagato didn't respond.
He simply stared at the wall, his mind clouded by pain and memories.
He, Konan, and Yahiko—three orphans born of war—had once been nothing. Powerless. Rejected. Discarded.
Until Jiraiya appeared.
He gave them food. Shelter. Ninjutsu. Hope.
He never judged them for their bloodline or their origins.
He believed in them.
He said they were the hope for the ninja world's future.
But all of that died with Yahiko.
Now, only this twisted world remained.
Nagato didn't want to kill Jiraiya.
But if the Akatsuki were to succeed, then he had to.
If Jiraiya had to die, better it be at Nagato's hands… not someone else's.
To bring peace to this chaotic world, sacrifices were necessary.
Only through pain could people understand what peace truly meant.
Only through loss could they value what they had.
Back in Konoha, Naruto stood with Jiraiya and Gamain, still digesting the implications of the Akatsuki threat.
"Akatsuki?" he repeated.
Jiraiya nodded. "They're a secretive organization. Their goal is to collect the Tailed Beasts. Once a Jinchūriki like you is captured, and the beast is extracted, the host dies."
Naruto's face darkened, but he nodded. "So they're the ones after me…"
Inside his mind, the Nine Tails growled.
"Those fools… they think I'm some pet they can just leash? Everyone wants to capture me. Do they think I'm weak? That I'll just roll over?"
His breath came out in hot bursts. "They must all think they're Uchiha Madara!"
Gamain could feel the increasing tension. There was no time to waste.
"I understand," the toad said. "Minato entrusted this duty to me. If Naruto truly is ready, then I must fulfill my task."
He unraveled the scroll, revealing line after line of cryptic symbols. At the very front of the scroll, a blank space awaited Naruto's Chakra imprint.
"These characters are part of an ancient sealing method," Gamain explained. "To activate it, place your Chakra in the blank space. The scroll will recognize your power."
Naruto nodded, raising his hand.
Blue Chakra swirled to life around his fingers.
Just as he was about to touch the scroll— Jiraiya grabbed his wrist.
"Wait," the Sannin said gently.
Naruto turned to him, confused.
"I've changed my mind. I'll stay in Konoha until the Chūnin Exams are over. I think it's best if you wait until then to remove the seal."
The atmosphere shifted.
Naruto stared at him, eyes devoid of emotion.
"You don't believe me?"
Jiraiya didn't reply immediately.
He looked at Naruto—really looked at him. This wasn't the same loud, immature boy from earlier days.
He had changed.
But something in Jiraiya's heart still hesitated. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was fear.
Naruto lowered his hand, eyes calm yet distant.
"You still don't trust me, even after all this."
Jiraiya sighed.
"It's not about trust, Naruto. It's about timing. About caution. I just want to make sure everything is truly ready."
Naruto said nothing.
Behind them, the setting sun cast long shadows on the village.
Konoha stood quiet, but tension buzzed just beneath the surface—between Jinchūriki and master, between student and teacher, between friend and stranger.
Was trust earned… or given?
Only time would tell.