Three days later.
It was two in the morning in Konoha. Naruto lay on his bed, his cerulean eyes slightly unfocused. For some reason, he couldn't sleep; a persistent, ominous premonition clawed at him.
His mind was still filled with fragments of the past shared with Kanon and Sasuke. He also couldn't stop puzzling over the moment Itachi shoved a crow into his mouth—the way Itachi had looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"What was Itachi trying to say back then?"
"Why did he look at me like that..."
"Kanon, how are you doing right now?"
"You aren't in trouble, are you..."
Before he knew it, dawn had arrived.
Naruto hadn't slept a wink. As the sun rose, Kakashi knocked on his window.
"Hmm?"
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei... what is it?" Naruto asked, his voice thick with fatigue.
"The Fifth Hokage has summoned you. Get ready quickly."
Ten minutes later, Naruto arrived outside the Hokage's office. He was confused to see Gamabunta and Gamakichi waiting there.
"Eh? Gamakichi?" Naruto wondered why they were here so early.
"Oh, Naruto..."
"What are you guys doing here at this hour? Did something happen?"
Gamakichi hesitated, opening his mouth to speak, but Gamabunta barked at him to keep quiet.
"Seriously, what's going on?"
"Alright, let's go," Kakashi said, calling Naruto back from his confusion.
When Naruto entered Tsunade's office, Shizune, Sakura, and Sai were already there. Even Tsunade looked at Naruto with a pained expression. Beside her, all the toads from Mount Myoboku who knew Jiraiya were watching Naruto. Fukasaku sat atop another toad's head, his gaze fixed on the boy.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Naruto grew uneasy.
"Is this lad one of Jiraiya-boy's two pupils?" Fukasaku asked.
Tsunade nodded slightly. "Yes. This is Naruto Uzumaki."
"The Child of Prophecy mentioned here, then."
Listening to their exchange, Naruto rolled his eyes. "What is this? Who is this old frog grandpa?"
"Hey! Watch your tone, Naruto!" Tsunade warned. "This is one of the Two Great Sages of Mount Myoboku, Fukasaku-sama."
"He came specifically because he has business with you."
Fukasaku added, "To be precise, one of the Two Great Sage Toads. Regardless, you are indeed Jiraiya-boy's student, aren't you? I have already met his other student, that Uchiha girl named Kanon."
Hearing Kanon's name, Naruto's pupils shrunk. "What?! Kanon? You actually have news about Kanon?! And what's with this 'Jiraiya-boy' stuff? Why are you calling the Pervy Sage like he's a kid!"
"Who exactly is this old frog?!" Naruto snapped, fiercely protective of Jiraiya.
"I told you to watch your mouth!" Tsunade scolded, but Shizune spoke up beside her. "Naruto, this is the master who taught Jiraiya-sama the Sage Arts."
Naruto was stunned. However, Fukasaku didn't mind the disrespect; he let out a loud laugh. "Hahahaha! You're just like that girl, you both call Jiraiya-boy 'Pervy Sage'! That nickname truly captures his... unique charm."
"So, Sage Grandpa... what did you come here to tell me?" Naruto asked.
"Where to begin...
"Yes... well, I should just tell you straight."
Fukasaku looked Naruto in the eye and delivered the tragic news. "Jiraiya-boy has died in battle."
The words hit Naruto like a physical blow. His eyes widened. "Huh?" He couldn't process it. "What... what are you talking about?"
The others watched his reaction, their expressions grave.
"It was sudden. It's only natural you don't believe it. I myself was only saved because of Kanon. If she hadn't been there, I would be dead too," Fukasaku said with regret.
"That's impossible! You're lying! Kanon was fighting Itachi Uchiha, how could she have saved you?" Naruto shouted, clinging to this contradiction like a final lifeline.
"It is likely she abandoned her revenge specifically to find us. Judging by her state at the time, she had indeed just survived a terrifying battle," Fukasaku said, becoming more convinced of his own theory.
Naruto's pupils dilated to their limit.
"Not long ago, rumors suggested the leader of the Akatsuki might be hiding in Amegakure. Jiraiya-boy went personally to verify it. There, he found the leader, Pain... however...
"Pain was once Jiraiya-boy's pupil. He called him Nagato."
Sakura was confused. "A pupil? How is that possible?"
Tsunade, however, remembered Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. After explaining their history, her voice trembled. "To think it was those children from back then..."
"But for a ninja like Jiraiya-sama to be driven into such a corner... who exactly is this Pain?" Kakashi frowned.
"He possesses the Rinnegan." Fukasaku's words sent a shockwave through the room.
"What did you say?!"
"The Rinnegan... the dōjutsu said to have belonged to the Sage of the Six Paths, the ancestor of all shinobi. I thought it was just a myth," Shizune whispered.
"The legendary dōjutsu, the Rinnegan... its power is said to be beyond imagination. Furthermore... there were six individuals who possessed it."
Everyone gasped. Six people with the Rinnegan? What kind of monster had Jiraiya-sama been fighting?
"There may be a trick to it. Jiraiya-boy was likely the only one present who noticed the secret, but... During the fight, his throat was crushed. Under Kanon's cover, he managed to leave a message on me at the very last moment."
Tsunade's eyes widened in realization. "So that's what the bloodstains were?"
"What bloodstains?" Kakashi asked.
"When Fukasaku-sama emerged from Kanon's Flower Realm space, his back was covered in her bloody tears," Tsunade said. It finally clicked: Kanon had just fought a world-shaking battle with Itachi, yet she had rushed back to save Jiraiya. Those bloody tears were the mark of pushing the Mangekyō Sharingan far beyond its limits.
Tsunade noticed it, and so did Kakashi. He looked at Naruto, his heart sinking. Naruto had noticed too. What exactly did Kanon go through in that moment?
Fukasaku pulled back his cloak, revealing the code on his back. "It was this."
Everyone stared at the code in silence. "He must have done it this way so Pain wouldn't notice... If Kanon hadn't arrived at the last second, I would have died there too. This is everything Jiraiya-boy left behind, information brought back by Kanon at the cost of her life."
Tsunade spoke solemnly. "If we decode this, we will understand what Jiraiya was trying to tell us."
However, Naruto stood with his head bowed, his voice low and vibrating with a suppressed roar. "Granny... did you make him go?"
Tsunade looked at Naruto's eyes, eyes filled with an exploding fury, and felt as if a blade had pierced her heart. "I let him go."
Naruto's pupils trembled. "How could you let him be so reckless?! You know the Pervy Sage's personality better than anyone! You let him go to such a dangerous place all alone!" Naruto became increasingly agitated, desperate to vent his pain.
"Enough, Naruto!" Kakashi interjected, stopping him. "You must understand the Fifth Hokage's feelings."
"But the one suffering more than me is Kanon!" Naruto nearly screamed. "The Pervy Sage died right in front of her eyes!"
The room went silent. Kakashi's eyes widened, and even Sakura began to cry. Kanon was a member of Team 7. Naruto's words made the weight of that trauma hit everyone like a hammer.
Tsunade's mind flashed back to that evening at sunset, when Kanon had questioned her with such fury: "Why didn't you stop him!"
At the time, Tsunade had shouted back at the Uchiha girl who had risked everything to deliver the intel: "What right does a rogue ninja of Konoha have to lecture me! What does a brat like you know about the Uchiha? Jiraiya's strength isn't something someone like you can fathom!"
Regret washed over Tsunade. Tears welled in her eyes, but she forced herself to stay strong. She was the Hokage.
Naruto gritted his teeth and turned to leave. As he pushed the door open, he left one final sentence: "If the Pervy Sage had been the Fifth Hokage... he would never have let you take a reckless risk like that."
Naruto left. Sakura moved to follow him, but Tsunade stopped her. "Sakura... let him be. He needs to be alone."
"But..."
As Naruto disappeared, Kakashi kept his head low. He understood Naruto's pain, but he was more worried about what had happened to Kanon.
"My apologies, Fukasaku-sama. We'll have Naruto listen to the rest later."
Fukasaku nodded. "Yes, that's fine. Regarding the Child of Prophecy I mentioned... that lad, like Kanon, truly admired and loved Jiraiya-boy. I can see that clearly now. I truly hope the Child of Prophecy is indeed him..."