Is Naruto an object?
[Is this for you?]
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I refuse."
"Naruto...that kid..." Jiraiya seemed not to have heard Kakashi's words.
[Still muttering to himself, "That child...one day he'll have to take care of his own life and live on."]
"This is his inescapable fate."
"That child has always been watching, always striving, always tenaciously living." Kakashi's voice turned cold.
"I will do my best..." Jiraiya paused, finally realizing what was happening.
Jiraiya was dumbfounded.
[You were rejected?]
Jiraiya, of course, did not know.
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki have been revived.
Moreover, Minato Namikaze seems to have become a different person after his rebirth.
Jiraiya looked at Kakashi with a puzzled expression.
[I hope to see something different through Kakashi's eyes.]
However, Kakashi was too lazy to continue the act.
"Jiraiya, how many years has it been since you returned to Konoha?"
[Regarding Kakashi's question.]
Jiraiya remained puzzled.
But he still replied:
"I can't remember... after Tsunade left the village back then."
"I too left Konoha and embarked on my journey."
Jiraiya shook his head.
[I recalled the words I had said to Tsunade back then.]
Honestly, if he could do it all over again, would he still do the same thing?
[He showed a hint of reminiscence, then regret flashed in his eyes, before his expression hardened again.]
Tobirama Senju: "Come."
Tobirama Senju: "Jiraiya, I'm giving you a second chance. Say what you said to Tsuna back then again."
Jiraiya: "..."
He doesn't dare to utter a sound now.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly.
Indeed, some things, once magnified, only become more and more repulsive.
"None of these things matter anymore."
"Kakashi, don't you trust me?"
"Still have doubts about what I just said?"
Jiraiya asked the question.
"No, that's not true."
"I have no doubt about the veracity of the information you provided."
"Then why?" Jiraiya hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.
"Because this isn't something I can decide. Besides, Naruto isn't an object; he's a person, a normal child." Kakashi tossed a trident-shaped kunai in his hand.
Jiraiya was taken aback, not expecting Kakashi's answer.
Then, he saw clearly the trident-shaped kunai in Kakashi's hand.
[For a moment, Jiraiya fell silent.]
I wonder what's going on in my mind.
[It might remind people of Minato, and of his and Kushina's child, who was born without parents...]
Tsunade took Shizune with her when she left Konoha.
Orochimaru took Anko Mitarashi with him when he left Konoha.
When he left Konoha, all he carried with him was a scroll.
[There's also the old toad's prophecy, and the "key" to the Four Symbols seal.]
Even among the legendary Sannin, there are differences.
"Kakashi."
"A decision on this matter needs to be made as soon as possible."
["At least..."]
Jiraiya hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Kakashi suddenly smiled.
"If we don't hand Naruto over to you, Naruto will be in danger, won't he?"
Jiraiya frowned, but finally nodded.
["Danger?"]
"Do you think Naruto is in danger?"
"Do you still believe that the Nine-Tails and its Jinchūriki are in danger?"
"Or perhaps, one could say that Konoha would be in danger if it lost its tailed beast?"
Kakashi's Four Questions.
Jiraiya didn't know how to answer.
For a moment, he didn't realize that Kakashi would ask him that.
"In my opinion, you should know what my questions mean."
"It's just that you've gotten used to avoiding this issue."
Jiraiya's expression changed slightly: "What do you mean?"
"The surface meaning," Kakashi said coldly.
"What Naruto should really be wary of is Konoha."
"As for what you said about handing Naruto over to you?"
"Jiraiya, do you think that's possible?"
"If you truly have even a shred of genuine affection for Naruto... or for Minato-sensei's child."
"They wouldn't have ignored it for so many years."
"The Nine-Tails' rampage is known throughout the ninja world."
"I don't believe you don't know."
"You must know that the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to protect Konoha."
"When a tailed beast emerges from a Jinchūriki's body, its inevitable fate is death."
"You know that too."
"You even possess the 'key' sealed within Naruto's body. Do you deny that?"
Jiraiya remained silent.
I don't know how to answer.
Kakashi scoffed, then added, "You know more about so many things, especially the ways of the Konoha leadership, than anyone else."
"Leaving Konoha, embarking on a journey, to believe in that absurd prophecy?"
"In my opinion, you have the ability to change all of this."
"But they chose to run away."
"Placing our hopes on that elusive prophecy."
"Do you know what kind of life Naruto led?"
"No, you don't know, but you can guess."
"To even ignore it is tantamount to tacitly acknowledging that he and the Nine-Tails within him belong to Konoha, no, it should be said, to your teacher, the Third Hokage."
"Is that right?"
Kakashi's words left Jiraiya speechless.
Kakashi suddenly closed his eyes again and shook his head.
"I was too naive...and not ruthless enough, not smart enough."
"It's embarrassing to have a child wake me up."
"Actually, I don't have any right to say anything to you."
"That's fine."
"Here's a piece of advice: it's best not to have any ulterior motives."
"Including preparing to tell that so-called Hokage some of my suspicions."
"The real danger Naruto needs to be wary of has never come from outside the village, but from within this village itself."
After saying that, Kakashi turned and left.
"I'm sorry... I... I wasn't running away."
"But... there are many things I can't change."
"If I had persisted a little longer... things might have been much better."
"I feel guilty towards Minato and Kushina..."
Upon hearing this, Kakashi stopped and turned to look at Jiraiya.
His eyes were full of mockery.
"So, you're not aware of all this?"
"Do you think I'll obediently hand Naruto over to you just because you say a few words?"
"Will Naruto willingly follow you just because you say a nice word?"
"Even so... Naruto still needs to face the fate he must face; that's an unchangeable fact."
Jiraiya took a deep breath. "It's too late to say anything more now."
"The most important thing right now is to plan ahead and not let..."
Before Jiraiya could finish speaking, Kakashi rudely interrupted him.
"That's enough!"
"I am the Jonin instructor of Team 7!"
"We don't need you, but perhaps the Third Hokage and his group do."
"After all, you're their accomplice!"