Naruto looked at Jiraiya with a strange expression and said with a hint of concern,
"Uncle Ninja… did your brain break or something? I'm just a freshly graduated academy ninja following Senior Zabuza to gain experience on missions."
Jiraiya ignored Naruto's clumsy disguise and said expressionlessly:
"First of all, a Jonin who leads a team should be called teacher or captain, not some vague title like senior. Second, although you and Zabuza tried to hide it well, whenever a key decision is made, the corner of his eye always glances toward you."
"More importantly, an ordinary ninja would never casually approach a strange ninja like me… unless he was confident enough to defend against a surprise attack—or he approached on purpose."
After hearing this, Naruto stopped pretending.
He casually stepped back, putting some distance between them, and said with a faint smile,
"Even if you noticed all that, you still can't conclude that I'm the leader of Uzumaki Village. At most, you could guess that I lead the Kirigakure squad. So what evidence do you have that I'm the real leader here?"
"Your own words are the best evidence."
Jiraiya's lips curled slightly.
"Besides, when you watched my confrontation with Orochimaru, you were a little too calm. And that sudden hurricane that destroyed the human puppet…"
"There are simply too many suspicious things. All of them point to the same conclusion—your identity is anything but ordinary."
Jiraiya's analysis made Naruto frown slightly.
Meanwhile, Zabuza, Shisui, and the others nearby immediately tensed up like enemies facing each other, ready to fight at any moment. It looked like the two sides might tear off all pretenses and start a massive battle in the next second.
Noticing their movements, Naruto raised a hand to signal them to stay calm. Then he looked directly into Jiraiya's eyes.
Ever since Jiraiya landed on the island, Naruto had already prepared for the possibility of being exposed.
After all, putting aside Jiraiya's identity as a best-selling novel author, he was still one of Konoha's top espionage ninjas, having completed countless S-rank missions. Expecting to fool someone like him forever was unrealistic.
After staring at each other for a moment, Naruto said quietly,
"Since meeting Uzumaki Homura wasn't enough to make you leave… then let's walk and talk. I'll also show you the Uchiha living here in Uzumaki Village."
Without much hesitation, Jiraiya nodded.
He was also curious about the true state of Uzumaki Village.
Soon, the two left the village office and headed toward the district where the Uchiha clan lived.
When the Uchihas saw Naruto arriving, young and old alike quickly greeted him with warm smiles. After Naruto nodded slightly, they returned to their own work.
Seeing this scene, Jiraiya was about to say something, but Naruto stopped him.
After wandering through the district for a while, Naruto led Jiraiya into a small street shop. The owner was an elderly Uchiha woman. After Naruto placed the order, she hurried into the kitchen to start cooking.
While waiting, Naruto spoke first before Jiraiya could open his mouth.
"Jiraiya… do you feel the difference between the Uchiha of Uzumaki Village and the Uchiha of Konoha?"
Jiraiya nodded slowly.
Compared to the Uchiha he remembered, the people here seemed less arrogant and far more peaceful. They looked like ordinary villagers.
Here, the Uchiha didn't isolate themselves into a clan compound. They lived mixed together with everyone else.
Could it be that the Uchiha of Konoha and the Uchiha here were completely different people?
As if guessing Jiraiya's thoughts, Naruto smiled slightly.
"The Uchiha are still the same Uchiha. The difference is that this place isn't that decaying Konoha anymore. This is the vibrant Uzumaki Village."
"In this newly born ninja village, the Uchiha aren't treated differently. They can find their own value. Naturally, they won't show that irritable and arrogant side anymore."
"They love this village far more than they ever loved Konoha."
Jiraiya fell silent.
He wanted to argue, but couldn't find the right words.
Under the leadership of the Third Hokage, Konoha had indeed become stagnant—like still water that never flowed. That was an undeniable fact.
Otherwise Tsunade wouldn't have left the village, and he himself wouldn't spend most of his time wandering outside.
But as a Konoha ninja, he had to stand on Konoha's side.
Thinking of this, Jiraiya said,
"That's still not a reason to abandon Konoha. If they return, I'll personally persuade the Third Hokage to cancel the plan to isolate the Uchiha district and allow the Uchiha to live normally with the villagers again."
Naruto didn't argue.
He simply looked at Jiraiya quietly and asked,
"Will the Hokage agree?"
Under Naruto's calm gaze, even Jiraiya felt those words sounded weak.
Maybe he could persuade the old man.
But the other high-ranking officials—especially Danzo—would never agree. Otherwise the Uchiha wouldn't have been pushed into a corner of the village under constant ANBU surveillance.
Like a shattered mirror, the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha clan was almost impossible to repair.
After a long silence, Naruto chuckled softly.
"It's not impossible. If you became Hokage, maybe you could make that rusty old windmill start turning again."
"But whether the Uchiha return or not… depends on the Uchiha themselves."
"Me? Hokage?"
Jiraiya shook his head immediately.
Someone as carefree as him wasn't suited to become Hokage. Besides, the position would take away the freedom he valued so much.
There was no way he would run for that seat.
After finishing the topic about the Uchiha, Jiraiya looked at Naruto seriously and asked slowly,
"It's true the Uchiha might live better here… but why would you accept ninjas who abandoned Konoha?"
At that moment, the elderly Uchiha woman returned with two bowls of ramen.
Looking at the steaming noodles, Naruto smiled.
"I'm starving. Let's eat first. Nothing in the world is more important than food."
Jiraiya stared at Naruto, not touching his chopsticks.
Naruto casually picked up some noodles, slurped them, and said,
"What? Afraid I poisoned it? I don't use cheap tricks like poisoning."
"And I definitely wouldn't force Uchiha ninjas to slaughter their own relatives like some people did."
"Uzumaki Village isn't that rotten."
Hearing that, Jiraiya's expression darkened, but he finally picked up his chopsticks.
After a few bites, his eyes widened in surprise.
The taste… was almost identical to the ramen at Ichiraku Ramen in Konoha.
Could it be that Teuchi's relatives had also been kidnapped to the Land of Whirlpools?
By the time Jiraiya was thinking that, Naruto had already finished his bowl.
"With a familiar taste, right?" Naruto said with a faint smile. "It's a perfect recreation of Ichiraku Ramen."
"Even the Naruto fish cake on top is exactly the same."
When the Naruto fish cake was mentioned, Jiraiya froze for a moment—but he still finished the rest of the ramen.
After eating, Naruto didn't stay in the Uchiha district. Instead, he left the bustling street with Jiraiya and headed toward the Uzumaki Shrine, a place far more suitable for a private conversation.
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