Emiya Shirou's logic seemed to have cornered Jiraiya. After thinking it over, Jiraiya couldn't find a single flaw in his reasoning.
If Naruto Uzumaki ever gained enough power, he would absolutely try to shape the world into his ideal version. Really, anyone with that kind of strength would naturally try to make their surroundings more comfortable, changing things little by little until everything fit their vision.
Once Jiraiya accepted this, he started watching Naruto more carefully. The kid's dream was to become Hokage and earn the village's respect. But would the villagers ever truly accept a jinchuriki, especially after the Nine-Tails disaster?
In other villages, jinchuriki were only feared. How exactly was Naruto planning to win everyone over?
Jiraiya couldn't picture it. He decided to stay in Konoha and guide Naruto onto the right path. He felt a sense of duty, partly because of his connection to Naruto's father, Minato. He hoped he could help Naruto bring about the right kind of change.
First things first, he had to get Naruto's attention. That part was easy. A little showing off, and Naruto was practically begging him to be his master.
It wasn't even against the rules. Ninja clans taught their kids secret jutsu all the time, and some even hired private tutors. Jiraiya was just giving a student some extra help. No big deal.
However, once Jiraiya actually started training Naruto, he began to have serious doubts.
Is this kid really the Child of Prophecy?
Back in Jiraiya's day, students graduated from the academy at five or six years old, and the tests were much harder. So why was Naruto so bad at learning?
Besides having a massive amount of chakra, the kid wasn't particularly good at anything.
Fortunately, Jiraiya was an excellent teacher and knew how to adapt. He switched his focus to helping Naruto master chakra control.
With a more traditional approach, Naruto quickly got the hang of the three basic jutsu. The Nine-Tails inside him was surprisingly well-behaved, so there were no major hiccups.
This made Jiraiya's job much easier. As long as the Nine-Tails' chakra wasn't causing problems, Naruto's progress was incredibly fast.
The only issue was that the more the kid learned, the more questions he asked.
Like, who was stronger: Jiraiya or Hiruzen Sarutobi?
Or, who was stronger: Jiraiya or Tsunade?
And, who was stronger: Jiraiya or Emiya Shirou?
"The old man is probably a bit stronger," Jiraiya admitted to himself. His teacher had mastered all five nature transformations and a ton of Konoha's forbidden jutsu.
"Tsunade is definitely stronger." Jiraiya shivered just thinking about her monstrous strength, especially when she fought Hanzo the Salamander. He was pretty sure he couldn't beat her.
Wait a minute... have I ever even beaten Orochimaru? Jiraiya thought back to their Sannin days.
He'd never won a duel against Orochimaru, and he was no match for Tsunade's raw power.
Does that mean... I'm the weakest of the Sannin?
No! Absolutely not!
Jiraiya immediately rejected the thought. He'd always held back against Orochimaru and Tsunade. He could never bring himself to go all out against his old friends.
That was it.
As for the last question... what kind of kid asks something like that?
Even Jiraiya, who was confident in his own abilities, knew he couldn't beat Emiya Shirou. But it did make him curious.
Just how powerful was the Emiya Shirou?
The Great Toad Sage had been worried about his plans to change the world, which meant he must have had the power to actually do it. So, how much of that power did the current Emiya Shirou still have?
Jiraiya wasn't the only one wondering. Hiruzen was curious too.
The last time Shirou was reanimated, he'd taken down the Kage of three different villages. Unfortunately, Shirou hated pointless ninja fights. Jiraiya was too embarrassed to ask for a sparring match just to test his strength, afraid it would annoy him.
And it would definitely annoy Tsunade. She was extremely protective of Shirou, the man who had taught her everything she knew about medical ninjutsu.
Jiraiya sighed. He turned to look at Shirou, who was fishing peacefully by the river. "Lord Emiya... he's probably a lot stronger than me," he told Naruto. "He dislikes fighting and never picks a fight for no reason, so it's hard to say exactly how much stronger he is."
"Emiya... is he that strong?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
"Very strong," Jiraiya confirmed with a serious nod.
After seeing what a powerful medical ninja like Tsunade could do, he would never underestimate her teacher. "It's hard to say for sure," he added, thinking of Shirou's past accomplishments, "but he might be the strongest person in the world right now."
With Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage long dead, there probably wasn't a single ninja alive who could match Emiya Shirou.
The current Kage certainly couldn't. The Third Hokage and Third Tsuchikage were old. The Fourth Raikage and Fourth Kazekage weren't as strong as their predecessors. And the Fourth Mizukage was dead, with no Fifth even chosen yet.
Naruto's question had stoked a fire of curiosity in Jiraiya that was hard to ignore. But while Jiraiya was trying to restrain himself, Naruto had already taken action.
Being direct was Naruto's style. If he had a question, he asked it, and he didn't care if it was rude.
"Hey, Emiya!" Naruto shouted, plopping down next to him and adjusting his goggles. "Pervy Sage says you're super strong! Are you really stronger than him?"
"Besides Grandpa Hokage, Pervy Sage is the strongest ninja I've ever seen! He's even stronger than Iruka-sensei!"
Shirou's expression was a mixture of amusement and bewilderment.
Does Iruka know you're comparing Jiraiya to him? Does Jiraiya know I'm being compared to him?
"You want to see?" Shirou asked, ruffling Naruto's yellow hair. He figured this was a good chance to plant a seed that might help the boy grow.
"Yeah!" Naruto's eyes lit up.
Jiraiya was shocked by how easily Shirou indulged Naruto. Just as he was about to perform a jutsu to satisfy the kid's curiosity, he saw his chance and jumped in.
"I'll be your opponent!" he offered. A real battle was the perfect opportunity to gather information. Jiraiya didn't really think Shirou was planning to change the world, but a ninja never passes up a chance to learn more about a potential threat.
This would probably make Tsunade unhappy, but oh well.
As it turned out, there was someone in the world even more unhappy than Tsunade.
Black Zetsu, who had been wandering around idly, decided to drop by Konoha to chat with Shirou. He happened to witness the whole exchange and Shirou's strange fondness for the boy.
This... this isn't right, Black Zetsu thought, a sense of dread washing over him. The chakra of this kid, Naruto Uzumaki... it felt vaguely familiar.
Like an old acquaintance.
It's... it's that bastard Asura's chakra again.
Black Zetsu suddenly realized the horrifying truth. The Nine-Tails jinchuriki that Shirou had come to Konoha to protect was the reincarnation of Asura's chakra.
This was a massive, world-ending problem.
He was terrified that Shirou would once again be swayed by Asura's influence.
"Don't worry," the White Zetsu clone whispered, sensing Black Zetsu's dark, frantic energy. "Lord Emiya wouldn't change his mind over some little kid."
"No!" Black Zetsu's voice was a strained hiss, his form practically vibrating with anxiety. He believed he understood Shirou better than anyone. "You don't understand! Wei Yuan might not abandon the plan entirely, but he'll get soft. He'll hesitate when it matters most!"
"He never truly let go of his bond with Hashirama. If this world shows even a flicker of improvement, he'll start believing in hope again, and all of this will be for nothing!
"We have to make him see the truth! We have to force him to understand that the Infinite Tsukuyomi is his only real path, his only true destiny! I am the only one who has always been by his side, not some fleeting reincarnation of Asura spouting empty promises!
"Don't you see? Wei Yuan's will... it has never been strong enough on its own. He was never a qualified world-destroyer. It was me... it was always me! I was the one who pushed him, guided him, and maneuvered him onto this path, step by painful step!"