Konohagakure, Ichiraku Ramen.
Naruto held a steaming bowl of ramen and ate with great enthusiasm.
Iruka sat beside him, watching with affection and pride in his eyes.
"Naruto, you've already become a fine shinobi. Now you're going to train under Lord Jiraiya, so I'm sure you'll become even stronger."
Iruka's voice softened.
"You're another step closer to achieving your dream of becoming Hokage."
"Haha…"
Naruto swallowed a mouthful of ramen and smiled.
"Before becoming Hokage, I need to be strong enough to protect the people I care about."
"That's right!"
Iruka nodded approvingly.
"To become Hokage, you must first earn everyone's recognition and protect those precious to you."
Naruto neither agreed nor disagreed.
Iruka's faith in the Will of Fire ran far too deep. Naruto had no intention of arguing with him about it.
All Naruto needed to remember was that Iruka was one of the few people he genuinely cared about.
"Iruka-sensei, take care of yourself."
Naruto drank the last of the broth, wiped his mouth, and patted Iruka on the shoulder.
"I'm heading out."
As his hand touched Iruka's shoulder, Naruto quietly left behind a Flying Thunder God formula.
He then turned toward the man behind the counter.
"Oh, and Uncle Teuchi, I'll come back for another bowl when I have time."
Teuchi smiled with his eyes almost completely closed, just as always.
"Anytime, Naruto!"
Naruto waved goodbye and left Ichiraku.
—
After saying farewell to Iruka and Teuchi, Naruto went to the Hyūga compound.
He found Hinata practicing alone in one of the training courtyards.
"Hinata."
She stopped and turned toward him.
"I'm about to leave the village and train with Jiraiya for a while. Will you miss me?"
Naruto stepped closer and took her hand.
Hinata immediately looked around in panic.
Once she confirmed that her father was nowhere nearby, she allowed Naruto to hold her hand as usual.
Even though she had gradually grown accustomed to his affection, her cheeks still turned bright red. She lowered her head and spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper.
"P-Please be careful while you're away."
"That wasn't what I asked."
Naruto gently lifted her chin with his free hand, making her look into his eyes.
"Will you miss me?"
Hinata's eyes darted from side to side, and her body trembled slightly.
"Y-Yes… I will."
"Idiot. Did you forget that I know the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Naruto leaned closer to her ear.
"I can come back and visit you whenever I want."
Hinata felt his warm breath brush against her ear. With Naruto standing so close, the embarrassment finally became too much for her.
Her eyes rolled back.
Poof!
She fainted in his arms.
"Hinata?"
Naruto stared at her in disbelief.
"I hadn't even done anything yet…"
He helplessly carried her into her room and laid her down before leaving the Hyūga compound.
Five minutes later, Hinata slowly opened her eyes.
When she noticed her father standing outside the door, she hurriedly sat up and bowed.
"Father!"
Hiashi's expression was stern.
Hinata anxiously wondered what she had done wrong.
"Hinata, you are not to associate with Naruto any longer."
Her head snapped up.
Hiashi continued in a severe voice.
"You may not understand his circumstances, so I'll tell you directly. Naruto possesses an extremely sensitive status within the village. No matter how close the two of you become, you will never be permitted to marry him."
He was referring to Naruto's identity as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
A jinchūriki was a politically sensitive existence in every shinobi village. Ordinary friendship was one thing, but allowing the heir of the Hyūga clan to marry one required far more caution.
More importantly, the Hyūga clan had always prioritized protecting itself.
Hiashi had no intention of allowing his daughter to invite unnecessary trouble into the clan.
"Father…"
Hinata stared at him in shock.
Tears gathered in her eyes and slowly ran down her cheeks.
—
Naruto knew nothing about what had happened after his departure.
He packed his belongings and met Jiraiya at Konoha's main gate.
Together, they left the village.
"Jiraiya-sensei, where are we going first?" Naruto asked.
"We'll keep moving forward and decide when we get there."
Jiraiya answered without concern.
"We'll train while we travel."
"I knew you'd say something like that."
Naruto pressed a hand against his forehead and gave Jiraiya a contemptuous look.
"You already have a particular destination in mind, don't you?"
"Well…"
Jiraiya looked slightly embarrassed before adopting a righteous expression.
"You need training, but so do I. The newest volume of Icha Icha Paradise has been selling extremely well, so I need to begin collecting material for the next one immediately."
Naruto stared at him.
"Jiraiya-sensei, do you think there's nothing left for you to teach me because our combat abilities are already around the same level?"
Naruto sounded smug, though a calculating light briefly flashed through his eyes.
"What did you say, brat?"
Jiraiya immediately took the bait.
"I am Jiraiya, the Toad Sage!"
He struck an exaggerated pose and snorted.
"You're still far from reaching my level!"
Naruto blinked and deliberately adopted a curious expression.
"Having white hair and being old doesn't make you a sage. I can find plenty of old men who look more like sages than you."
Jiraiya's face immediately darkened.
"You little brat! I'm a real sage because I know senjutsu!"
"Senjutsu?"
Naruto looked thoroughly unconvinced.
"You're making that up. If it really exists, then teach it to me."
"Oh? Is that how you want to play this?"
An amused look appeared in Jiraiya's eyes.
He bit his thumb and formed several hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof!
An elderly toad appeared in a cloud of smoke.
Fukasaku looked between Naruto and Jiraiya before the two elders moved aside and whispered to each other for several minutes.
Once they finished, Fukasaku turned toward Naruto.
"Naruto, do you truly wish to learn senjutsu?"
His expression became grave.
"If so, you must prepare yourself. Learning the Sage Arts requires extraordinary perseverance, and a single mistake could cost you your life."
Naruto continued pretending to be fascinated.
"So senjutsu really exists?"
He grinned.
"Then I definitely want to learn it! I have plenty of perseverance, and I'm not afraid of danger."
Seeing Naruto's resolve, Jiraiya looked toward Fukasaku.
The elderly toad nodded.
With a puff of smoke, Fukasaku disappeared and returned to Mount Myōboku.
A moment later, Naruto vanished as well.
Fukasaku had used the Reverse Summoning Technique to bring him directly to Mount Myōboku.
Jiraiya released a long breath.
"Naruto is the Child of Prophecy. I'm sure he'll be able to master senjutsu."
His expression turned serious.
"Once he does, he'll have far less to fear from Akatsuki."
After muttering to himself, Jiraiya's solemn expression gradually transformed into a perverted grin.
"Hahaha! Naruto's training will take quite a while."
He rubbed his hands together eagerly.
"Ladies, wait for me! Jiraiya the Gallant is on his way!"
—
Mount Myōboku existed in a place resembling an isolated realm.
Even the sky and clouds possessed strange colors, while the surrounding plants had grown dozens of times larger than normal. Every leaf and mushroom towered like a building.
Naruto looked around with excitement.
The concentration of natural energy was astonishing.
The instant he arrived, the natural energy surrounding Mount Myōboku began surging toward his [Senjutsu Body].
Naruto had expected Fukasaku to begin teaching him senjutsu immediately.
Instead, the first thing awaiting him was lunch.
Shima had been delighted to hear of his arrival and prepared an enormous welcoming feast.
Every dish contained meat.
Unfortunately, that "meat" consisted entirely of insects.
There wasn't so much as a single vegetable in sight.
Naruto stared at the colorful assortment of beetles, worms, caterpillars, and other unidentifiable creatures.
What a feast.
Although he had mentally prepared himself, the sight still brought tears to his eyes.
But Naruto had come prepared.
"It's time to show them the value of proper planning."
His eyes gleamed.
Naruto opened his backpack and triumphantly pulled out a portable juicer he had prepared in advance.
He poured the colorful insects inside and blended them all into a thick soup.
After cautiously taking a sip, Naruto's eyes brightened.
"Huh. This actually isn't bad."
He took another drink.
"It tastes much better than the protein shakes from my previous life."