Chapter 31
Naruto wandered through the village streets, clearly irritated as he searched for his missing teacher. "Hey, old man, do you know where Kakashi is?" he asked every passerby he could find, growing more frustrated with each failed attempt.
"Damn it, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto muttered under his breath. "When you're supposed to be teaching me, where the hell are you?" His fists clenched as his temper flared.
Just then, his attention was drawn to a suspicious figure with long white hair peeking into the women's bathhouse. Naruto's eyes widened before he pointed dramatically. "Hey! There's a pervert peeping in the bathhouse!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Jiraiya froze mid-peek, his face going pale. "Wha—wait—!" he stammered, but it was too late. Furious voices erupted as people began chasing him down the street.
"Pervert!" "Catch him!" echoed loudly as Jiraiya ran for his life. Naruto crossed his arms with a snort. "Tsk… perverted old man," he muttered in disdain.
Moments later, Jiraiya suddenly appeared beside him, slightly out of breath and clearly annoyed. "Kid… that was you who almost got me caught, right?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
Naruto glanced at him and waved dismissively. "I don't talk to perverts. Go away," he said bluntly, already turning to continue his search.
Jiraiya stopped him, his pride clearly wounded. "Do you even know who I am? I'm the great Sannin, the Toad Sage, Jiraiya-sama!" he declared dramatically.
Naruto looked completely unimpressed. "Yeah? And I'm the First Hokage," he replied flatly. Having already met Tsunade and Orochimaru, this man didn't seem anything like them to him.
Jiraiya coughed awkwardly. "Ahem… kid, I really am the Toad Sage," he insisted, though his confidence wavered slightly.
Just then, Kakashi appeared, scanning the area until his eye landed on Jiraiya. He blinked in surprise. "Lord Jiraiya? You've returned to the village?" he asked respectfully.
Jiraiya immediately pointed at Naruto. "Kakashi, tell this brat who I am," he demanded.
Kakashi gave a brief explanation of Jiraiya's identity and achievements. Naruto listened, his skepticism fading slightly, though not completely.
Kakashi then turned toward Jiraiya. "Since you're here, how about training Naruto for a bit?" he suggested casually.
Jiraiya grinned. "Sure, why not?" he agreed. Naruto still looked doubtful but eventually nodded. If he was truly a Sannin like Tsunade, it might be worth it.
"Alright, kid," Jiraiya said. "Show me your chakra control."
Naruto demonstrated by walking up a tree and then across the surface of a lake in the nearby forest. Jiraiya watched carefully before nodding in approval. "Not bad. Your chakra control is decent. Come here."
He summoned a small toad carrying a scroll and handed it to Naruto. "Sign this. It's a summoning contract. With it, you'll be able to summon toads."
Naruto stared at him like he had just said something stupid. "Why would I want a toad summon? Can't I get something cooler?" he complained.
Jiraiya's eye twitched. "Boy, stop insulting the toads. They're one of the three great summoning clans," he said firmly.
After explaining the summoning jutsu, Jiraiya left Naruto to practice and made his way toward the Hokage Tower.
He entered through the window casually, waving. "Hey, old man. You're looking older than ever," he teased.
Hiruzen sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "You young people never give this old man a break," he replied tiredly. Ever since Danzo's arrest by Tsunade, his workload had only increased.
Before Jiraiya could respond, the office door slammed open. Tsunade walked in, her expression cold and irritated.
"Whose fault do you think that is?" she snapped, not even waiting for an answer before turning toward Jiraiya. "You better have a good reason for calling me here."
Jiraiya's usual playful demeanor vanished as he grew serious. "The prophecy has changed," he said.
Tsunade's chakra flared violently, cracking the wooden floor beneath her feet. "You dragged me here to talk about a toad's dream?" she said coldly, her anger rising rapidly.
Jiraiya felt a chill run down his spine, sweat forming on his forehead. "They're not just dreams, Tsunade. They're glimpses of the future," he tried to explain, though his voice lacked confidence under her pressure.
"Future?" Tsunade scoffed, her eyes sharp. "The future is a possibility, not an inevitability. And possibilities change based on our actions."
Jiraiya fell silent, unable to argue against her conviction.
Tsunade turned toward the door. "Don't call me for nonsense like this again," she said, her tone final.
Just as she was about to leave, Jiraiya spoke again. "Who is Ren?"
Tsunade stopped.
The room grew deathly silent.
"We know you too well, Tsunade," Jiraiya continued carefully. "You only had Nawaki—"
He never got to finish.
In an instant, massive trees erupted around the Hokage Tower, bursting through the structure and forcing nearby shinobi to jump back in shock. Thick wooden branches wrapped around Jiraiya, restraining him tightly.
Tsunade turned slowly, her eyes filled with killing intent.
"Stay away from my family," she said coldly. "Or I will forget we were ever friends."
Hiruzen trembled in the corner, staring at the overwhelming display. "W-wood release…" he whispered, his voice shaking.
Tsunade's gaze shifted toward him briefly. "Don't cross lines you shouldn't," she warned. "Or you'll witness why Hashirama Senju was called the God of Shinobi."
The pressure in the room was suffocating.
With that, Tsunade turned and walked out. The trees parted instantly to make way for her, leaving behind a stunned silence in her wake.