Jiraiya's Shock
"No, I can explain—!"
"I'm Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the group of angry girls who had caught him peeping doubled their efforts, hitting him even harder.
"I was researching! I'm writing a novel—ah! Not the face!"
Jiraiya had traveled across the entire shinobi world, seen countless battles, and witnessed the strength of every major village.
But in situations like these? He always found himself helpless.
In the end, Jiraiya had no choice but to use the Body Replacement Jutsu (Kawarimi no Jutsu), slipping away before things escalated further. He summoned Gamaken for a quick escape and fled the scene.
Only after reaching the edge of a quiet forest did he finally stop and rest against a tree trunk.
Unknown to him, Xu Fan had been following closely the entire time.
"You little brat," Jiraiya muttered, sensing Xu Fan's chakra and turning to face him.
"It was just an accident," Xu Fan said with a smirk.
"You were smiling the whole time! You didn't even try to stop them!" Jiraiya shot him a glare, clearly annoyed but not seriously angry.
Despite everything, the old sage found himself lowering his guard around Xu Fan. There was something... familiar about him.
"So," Jiraiya sighed, "what's going on? Are you... from the Senju clan?"
Xu Fan nodded. "You could say that."
"Not only that," he added calmly, "I've succeeded Shimura Danzō as the leader of the Root division."
Jiraiya froze.
Xu Fan… the leader of Root? And a Senju?
His eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you talking about the same Danzō I know? That power-hungry relic would never hand over Root. Are you joking?"
"If you don't believe me, ask Hiruzen-sama yourself," Xu Fan said. "You'll find that I'm telling the truth."
Jiraiya fell silent.
"The era has changed..." he finally muttered.
Xu Fan stepped closer. "So, can we talk? Or are we going to fight again?"
He glanced around. The location was isolated, spacious—Jiraiya had chosen this spot deliberately. A battleground, if necessary.
"Since you're from the Senju clan, I'll let it go," Jiraiya said with a sigh, rising from the grass. "But I won't take you to Mount Myōboku."
Xu Fan's expression didn't change.
Jiraiya's voice hardened. "Minato… the Fourth Hokage… was my student. I wasn't in the village during the Nine-Tails' attack, and I regret it more than anything."
"But because of that, I care about Naruto more than anyone."
"You want to use him. Make him into the perfect Jinchūriki."
"Do you know how old he is? He's just a child!"
Xu Fan's smirk returned. "And where were you when that child endured loneliness? When the villagers ignored him? When kids his age refused to play with him?"
"I know everything," he continued. "Naruto is Minato's son. His mother was Uzumaki Kushina, the previous Jinchūriki. And his name… Naruto… came from the main character of your first novel, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.
Xu Fan stepped closer.
"When Naruto was hungry, alone, and hated—where were you?"
"He's not a shinobi. He's a child. And all the fear, the silent stares, the whispers behind his back… it's already wearing him down."
"You know what happens when a Jinchūriki breaks. You've seen it in other villages. Do you really want to wait until that happens here?"
Jiraiya remained silent.
"There are people in the village who treat him like a plague. Remember the scene in the manga? Naruto tried to buy a mask for the festival, and the shopkeeper shoved him to the ground."
"Even the Kyūbi, who should have taken the chance to corrupt him, didn't. Naruto somehow kept smiling. He never hated the villagers. Not even once."
Xu Fan looked straight into Jiraiya's eyes.
"If we wait too long, he will break."
"Last night changed everything. People saw the Nine-Tails in his eyes. The fear will grow. The alienation will only get worse."
"We need to tell him the truth now. Train him. Help him control the Nine-Tails. Make him strong. A perfect Jinchūriki."
"Yugito Nii and Killer Bee did it in Kumogakure. They're celebrated in their village. It's not impossible."
Xu Fan's words echoed heavily in the forest. The examples from Kumo were true. Killer Bee had perfect control over the Eight-Tails and was beloved by the people.
"I've also learned how to help Naruto do the same," Xu Fan added. "Take us to Mount Myōboku. It's your mission as his godfather."
Jiraiya hesitated. "Maybe you're right… but Naruto is still so young. And the Nine-Tails isn't easy to control."
Xu Fan shook his head.
"You underestimate him."
"And besides…" Xu Fan's eyes changed.
His pupils turned blood-red. Three tomoe appeared in each eye—the Sharingan.
Jiraiya stepped back in shock. "The Sharingan?!"
"Wood Release… and now Sharingan?"
"Who the hell are you?"
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