Several consecutive, contentious scenes showed that in every meeting since then, the Uchiha returned empty-handed, and those in the know each had their own thoughts, not daring to stick their necks out.
The overall atmosphere of Konoha was rapidly dragged down, and villagers would show expressions of impatience or resentment whenever they saw The Uchiha Police Force.
[This is how the world is: when the oppressed demand their rightful benefits, they are met with hostility from others.]
[If the Uchiha want to stand up, they will overturn those who originally stood on their backs.]
[Constant compromise is not an option, but only engaging in verbal disputes will not achieve fairness.]
[Fortunately, what the Uchiha lack least is the power to fight to the death, and the fighting spirit that is about to be fully revived.]
[This is their last possibility to continue to survive.]
The screen went dark and then bright again.
On a cloudy morning, Kushina brought Kana to visit Mikoto.
Mikoto's belly was already very large, and she had been resting at home recently, not going out much, so the delivery time was probably not far off.
Kushina gently pressed her ear against it, her eyes full of curiosity and anticipation.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's still hard to believe that Mikoto has a baby in her belly~"
She suddenly sat up straight, blinking her large eyes: "Hey, Mikoto, when he grows up, can I take him to play with me?"
"Of course," Mikoto touched her belly, "I'd be delighted."
The screen flickered, showing the memories that surged in her mind.
That memory was covered with a warm, hazy filter. In the scene, Naraku, the day before his departure, was just like Kushina, carefully pressing against her, softly saying it must be a younger brother.
[When my younger brother is born, I will protect him.]
Naraku slightly curved his lips, his expression gentle and joyful, and he uncharacteristically spoke many words to her.
[In spring, I'll take him kite-flying; in summer, we'll go fishing by the river; in autumn, we'll climb mountains to pick wild fruits; in winter, I'll accompany him to build snowmen...]
[No matter what he wants to do, I'll be with him.]
Mikoto said cheerfully, "If you spoil him like that, it'll be a lot of trouble later."
[It's okay, just leave the hard work to me. My younger brother just needs to be happy.]
Naraku just smiled, looking very much like an older brother.
She never thought this would be the last time she saw Naraku's smile.
The screen returned to clear and stark. Mikoto wiped her face, leaving a streak of water on the back of her hand.
[So Naraku once truly looked forward to the future]
[He never even got to see his younger brother]
[Will Mikoto's child ever know he had an older brother he never met?]
[Yes, he will grow up listening to Naraku's stories]
[Naraku was so sensible, how could Mikoto and Fugaku ever let go?]
"Don't be too sad, Mikoto."
Kushina hugged her friend's shoulders, knowing she was still grieving for Naraku.
"Cheer up. Naraku wouldn't want to see you like this from above. You still have a baby, so you must take care of yourself."
Kana also forced a smile and said, "Yes, that silly boy, he must be pacing anxiously in heaven right now."
Slowly exhaling, Mikoto hesitated several times, as if wanting to tell them the truth about Naraku's death.
But in the end, she said nothing.
Even what the Uchiha couldn't achieve with the strength of their entire clan, telling Kushina and Kana would only drag them into danger for nothing.
[The girls are all so kind.]
[Now that the Uchiha and Konoha are at loggerheads, it makes me a bit scared... According to the plot, next...]
[Mother Mikoto, please take good care of yourself and live safely.]
The camera shifted to Minato's side. He was having dinner with two companions at a barbecue restaurant, celebrating their promotions to elite Jonin.
Their table was in a secluded corner of the main hall, so no one else could overhear their conversation.
Shibi Aburame was a man of few words, mostly eating in silence and listening to the other two chat.
Akimichi Choza, on the other hand, was outgoing and talkative. As the Young Clan Head of the Akimichi Clan, he had always heard many secret messages from his father, which he would then share with friends at the dinner table.
Especially with the Uchiha causing such a stir recently, he couldn't help but be aware of it.
Akimichi Choza wasn't stupid; how could he not understand the underlying meaning of his father's words?
The Uchiha matter was real.
One of the highest-ranking individuals had killed the most talented child of their clan.
After all, he was still young, his blood not yet cooled. Akimichi Choza gritted his teeth, seemingly having made a decision.
"Minato, I remember you and Uchiha Fugaku have a good relationship?"
"Yes," Minato admitted frankly, nodding, "We worked together for a while and became friends. But Fugaku got too busy after becoming clan head and couldn't go on missions, so we see each other less now."
"You might not be aware yet, Minato, but recently—"
"Choza." Shibi Aburame interjected.
"I know what I'm doing, Shibi."
Akimichi Choza gave him a calm and resolute look, then turned to Minato, his expression unusually serious.
"Things aren't right lately. If you get a chance, warn Uchiha Fugaku to be careful and stay vigilant."
Minato realized something he didn't know was happening: "What's wrong with the Uchiha?"
All surrounding noise was erased, including the words Akimichi Choza spoke next. The audience could only see his mouth moving, and a steadily growing heartbeat sound gradually filled their ears.
[The information gap between civilian Ninja and Ninja Clan members cannot be bridged, even at the elite Jonin level.]
[Akimichi Choza is a true man.]
[The Uchiha aren't completely unpopular either.]
[It has nothing to do with whether they are Uchiha; anyone with a conscience would find Danzo's dirty deeds intolerable.]
[Minato, hurry up and grow stronger! Unite with others and kick Hiruzen Sarutobi out!]
Listening to Akimichi Choza recount the intelligence, Minato listened with a pounding heart and growing anger.
Amidst his shock and fury, he recalled the genjutsu Kakashi had mentioned that afternoon, and a sense of anxiety and unease resurfaced.
Sakumo-senpai has been unconscious and hasn't woken up, Kakashi was put under genjutsu by an unknown enemy, Naraku was killed by a Ninja from the same village, the Uchiha are in precarious straits... It seems there's an invisible hand stirring up trouble in Konoha, causing widespread panic, but he has no clues at all.
And if this continues, it's hard to guarantee that Kakashi won't be in danger.
Whether he found out something he shouldn't know, or learned the truth from somewhere and thus resented Konoha...—he couldn't let Kakashi fall too deep.
Minato made up his mind.
[That big hand... could it be Jin?]
[It seems Minato finally has a formidable rival? Jin's age is also similar to Minato's.]
[Woohoo! The Hokage is about to enter intellectual battle mode!]
[Good heavens, if Jin did all these things, wouldn't the fans of these families eat him alive?]
[Jin's fans are already trembling with fear.]
In the next episode, early in the morning, Kakashi heard a knock on the door and groggily climbed out of bed to open it.
He saw a tall, middle-aged man standing outside, dressed in a short, casual outfit, with two red marks on his face, and a full head of white hair like a lion's mane, tied back with a rope.
"Yo, Kakashi!"
Jiraiya smiled like a suspicious uncle trying to abduct a child.
The scene flashed, going back to last night when Minato went to find Jiraiya. The master and disciple discussed for a long time, and finally, Jiraiya nodded in agreement to take Kakashi out of the village for training.
He agreed for two reasons: one, to let Kakashi avoid the spotlight, and two, to use this opportunity to track down Shimura Rō.
[Hooray! Jiraiya plus Kakashi, a wonderful combination.]
[Professional childcare expert — Frog Sage Jiraiya — makes a grand appearance!]
[Touching, finally seeing them together.]
[Back to his old job, Jiraiya-chan~]
The animator did not show their conversation, directly cutting to Kakashi shouldering his pack and following Jiraiya out of the Konoha gate.
Relaxed and humorous music began to play, and many short clips of Kakashi on his journey were interwoven, much like a bright and vibrant travel Vlog.
When they got hungry on the road, just as Kakashi was about to eat a soldier pill, he saw Jiraiya had already set up a pot and was pouring ingredients into it, calling him to quickly start a fire;
In the dark, the two sat around a bonfire, warming themselves and chatting, or roasting some wild fish and rabbits, occasionally adding wood to the fire;
If they encountered rare medicinal herbs along the way, Jiraiya would collect them and introduce them to Kakashi, then have him carefully press the specimens into book pages;
When they had nothing else to do, Jiraiya, as an elder, would diligently give Kakashi pointers on his taijutsu and Ninjutsu, then mess up the latter's hair into a bird's nest at the end;
Occasionally, when they encountered a town, Kakashi would stand aside with a speechless expression, arms crossed, watching Jiraiya shed his sage persona and sneakily peek into the public bathhouse entrance... The audience hadn't seen such a lighthearted segment in a long time, and they were all laughing uncontrollably.
[I just love this fresh road trip vibe.]
[It feels like traveling with Jiraiya would be especially fun.]
[Of course, look at those pots and cooking utensils, all complete.]
[Kakashi finally has some lively spirit.]
[He's actually quite lucky; there's always a sun constantly revolving around him.]
[So Kakashi and Minato are master and disciple brothers again?]
[Hahahahahaha Kakashi's filter for Jiraiya as a strong person shattered into pieces.]
[Kakashi: Compared to Jiraiya, my dad was so normal... I misjudged him.]
The music gradually stopped, and the lively snippets ended.
Late at night, Kakashi was sitting by the bonfire, taking off his weights and neatly stacking them one by one.
Jiraiya saw the external injuries accumulated on his body during this period. The firelight reflected in his eyes, revealing a hint of unbearable pain and conflicted emotions.
"I'll be right back."
After saying that, Jiraiya formed a few hand seals and used Reverse Summoning to Mount Myōboku to find Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima for some good medicine.
Just as he received several bottles of medicinal oil, a toad came to deliver a message, saying that the Great Sage Toad had just woken from his slumber and wanted to meet Jiraiya.
"Little Jiraiya," the Great Sage Toad spoke with his usual heavy and slow cadence, "the future has undergone some changes."
Jiraiya's heart tightened: "What kind of changes?"
A thoughtful expression appeared in the Great Sage Toad's eyes, then he shook his head and said.
"It's hard to say."
"The child who caused these changes will stir up a'storm' in the Ninja World."
"But the ultimate outcome, whether good or bad, is not clear in the dream."
These words were truly ambiguous, causing Jiraiya to frown deeply, and a bad premonition suddenly arose in his heart.
Despite his heavy heart, when he returned to Kakashi, he still appeared cheerful, handing him several small jars.
"Kakashi, apply these before you sleep; your body will recover faster."
"These are...?"
"Mount Myōboku's toad oil. Don't let its plain appearance fool you; it's especially good at relieving fatigue and healing injuries."
"Thank you, Lord Jiraiya."
[Oh my goodness, Kakashi is pushing himself too hard. Can he handle it?]
[I doubt it. Look at those injuries on his body; how can he keep going if they accumulate over time?]
[It has to be Jiraiya, rough on the outside but detailed on the inside.]
[Another new Child of Prophecy?]
[Jiraiya: Why does he have so many of these Children of Prophecy?]
[Who could it be? The new character who appeared recently... Jin? No way, right?]
[Stirring up a "storm" sounds like something a BOSS would do.]
Another episode began, with the camera focusing on a vast jungle.
The sky wasn't fully bright yet when Kakashi woke up, covering his face and sighing deeply.
Several scenes flashed quickly across the screen: some were of warm family moments, some were terrifying fantasies he had experienced, and some fragments were distorted and blurry, their details unclear... These were likely Kakashi's chaotic and strange dreams from the previous night.
And his calm, almost despondent monologue made the audience wail.
[When will old friends enter my dreams?]
[Good sword technique, it makes my head spin.]
[How could Naraku blame you, you silly Kakashi!]
[That's right, he would only wish you well.]
After a day of travel, the two arrived at Kusagakure City at dusk to rest.
In a blink of an eye, night fell, leaving only Kakashi to himself in the hot spring bath.
As he soaked, he relaxed his body and sank to the bottom of the water, watching the shimmering light scales on the surface and the bubbles slowly rising.
—Speaking of which, I've never been to a hot spring with Naraku.
A phantom seemed to appear before Kakashi's eyes. He reached out to grasp it, his fingertips breaking the water's surface, creating ripples, but only touching the cool air.
—Even in a dream, let me see you.
[Pass it on, Jiraiya bullies children!]
[Received! Jiraiya's heart is very, very bad!]
[Huh? KaNaru (Kakashi x Naraku) candy? Take a bite... Pfft! (Spits blood) TAT There's a knife in the candy!!]
[These lines, and you're telling me there's nothing between them?]
[The Old Thief, you've done too many bad things! You ruthlessly tore apart our naka (naraku/kakashi cp)! Wuwuwuwu ┭┮﹏┭┮]
[Standing for naka (naraku/kakashi cp) for a second, who asked Kakashi to be so boring at such a young age?]
[You guys are unbelievable...]
On the other side, Jiraiya, familiar with the ropes, found the Underground Bounty Exchange, but learned that information about Shimura Rō had already been purchased by someone before him.
After he came out and found a place to read the intelligence, he learned that Shimura Rō was in Kusagakure City. Immediately after, he heard an explosion and saw the roof of a certain tavern blast open from the inside out.
The camera rapidly approached the explosion site. The scene slowed down: flying dust, a man being sent flying, and the golden-haired figure closely following him, all reflected in Jiraiya's eyes.
He almost swore.
"My bleep, Tsunade!?"
The next second, the scene switched to Tsunade punching and kicking someone hard into the ground, the impact of her monstrous strength causing the ground to rumble.
Tsunade's sudden appearance and immediate engagement in a fight, along with the highly dynamic slow-motion shots, left the audience both surprised and thrilled.
However, the progress bar couldn't hold out any longer. The screen went black, and the comments erupted in curses again.
[Hmph, so skilled, Jiraiya must have spent a lot of time in the underworld, huh?]
[Jiraiya wants to capture Shimura Rō, probably also intending to keep the situation under control.]
[Oh my, I searched high and low for it, and it appeared right before my eyes.]
[Great, it's Tsunade, we're saved!]
[Shimura Rō: Damn it, it's Tsunade, I'm done for.]
[Teacher Tsunade is here to avenge Naraku, wuwuwu.]
[Is that all?]
[Are you trying to kill me by stopping here?]
—