The Konoha Crush Plan had destroyed many of the village's buildings, leaving countless villagers homeless. They were resentful, and they were angry.
The events that had transpired in the arena could not be contained, and the news quickly spread throughout the village.
So, it was true.
Naruto Uzumaki was the son of the Fourth Hokage, the child of the hero who had sealed the Nine-Tails. And the Third Hokage, for the sake of his own position, had personally pushed a Naruto with the potential to surpass the Kage level to become an enemy of the Leaf. Even the deaths and defections of past Kage-level powerhouses had been aided and abetted by the Third.
The villagers were instantly enraged. They never thought that the Third Hokage, who was always giving speeches about the Will of Fire, was this kind of person. They gathered in front of the Hokage Tower, demanding an explanation. Even many of the ninja were disheartened and confused by this.
In the Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage sat slumped in his chair, his face weary. Overnight, the man who held the highest position in the village seemed to have aged ten years.
"Hiruzen, the village is very displeased with you right now," Danzo said with a frown. Inwardly, however, he was ecstatic.
"I know. I will step down," the Third Hokage said in a low voice, rubbing his temples.
"Hmph. The position of the Fifth Hokage will have to be considered carefully. At the very least, it must be someone with prestige and strength," Danzo nodded.
"I already have someone in mind." The Third Hokage glanced at Danzo, naturally knowing what his old comrade was thinking. "I've decided to have Jiraiya succeed me," he said.
"Don't bother, old man. I'm not interested in that stuff," Jiraiya refused flatly. "You should go find Tsunade."
After the events of the previous night, Jiraiya was also somewhat dissatisfied with the Third Hokage. The other-world Naruto's turn to darkness had been entirely orchestrated by Konoha's leadership. Thinking back on the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, Jiraiya was fairly certain that Naruto was the Child of Prophecy. He just didn't know what had happened to him to make him stand against Konoha.
The darkness of Konoha had led to the departure and defection of the Sannin. And now, they might not even be able to hold on to the Fourth Hokage's son.
After some discussion, the topic turned to Naruto Uzumaki.
"Hand Naruto Uzumaki over to Root. I will train him to be a weapon of war," Danzo was the first to propose.
"Impossible!!!" Jiraiya's eyes widened in fury. "He is my student!"
"So what?" Danzo said with a look of disdain. "I think you all heard what that other Naruto said. They have some unknown power inside them that influences their judgment. The reason that Naruto became the way he is is because that power disappeared from his body. Now, Naruto Uzumaki's power has been taken away. He will very likely harbor resentment towards Konoha. All I am doing is protecting the Leaf."
"Naruto Uzumaki is my student! I know his character!!" Jiraiya said, unwilling to back down.
He had learned about everything that had happened yesterday. The other Naruto had taken the power from within Naruto Uzumaki, and had left without harming anyone else. For Konoha, this was already a very good outcome. He refused to believe that Naruto Uzumaki would become as cold and ruthless as the other Naruto.
The few of them argued endlessly over the issue of Naruto Uzumaki.
Until an ANBU ninja delivered the latest intelligence report to the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage's face immediately turned cold, his voice heavy.
"Naruto Uzumaki… has already been affected."
After learning the details described by the ANBU, a strange silence fell over the Hokage's Office. If it was true, as the ANBU had said, that Naruto Uzumaki had shown a flash of killing intent the moment the villagers had insulted him, then that meant everything the other Naruto had said was true. The power within Naruto Uzumaki had indeed been influencing his thoughts.
This made the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, who had been holding onto a sliver of hope, feel their hearts sink. The Konoha of today could not withstand the devastation of a second Naruto.
"Hand him over to Root. It's the only way," Danzo sighed. Inwardly, however, he was overjoyed. He had wanted Naruto Uzumaki for a long time, but each time, the Third Hokage had used his title to shut him down. Now, he had finally seized his chance.
The Third Hokage and Jiraiya exchanged a look, both seeing the gravity in the other's eyes. As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto was equivalent to several Kage-level shinobi. There could be no accidents or thoughts of rebellion.
The Third Hokage said in a low voice, "I watched Naruto Uzumaki grow up. I don't believe that after losing that power, he will become like that other Naruto. He is Minato and Kushina's son. He must have inherited Minato's kindness."
"Kindness? He showed killing intent, Hiruzen. Why are you always so soft-hearted?" Danzo immediately retorted with a sneer.
This time, the Third Hokage didn't argue back. His brow was furrowed, his eyes flickering. To have become Hokage, he was naturally not a truly benevolent person. He would never be soft on those who could potentially threaten Konoha. Naruto's talent was a double-edged sword. Used well, he would be Konoha's most powerful weapon. Used poorly, Konoha could face annihilation.
The Third Hokage had always been aware of Danzo's ambition. If he were to gain control of the Nine-Tails, it would not necessarily be a good thing for Konoha. But… other than Root, there might not be any other way to resolve this situation.
The Third Hokage wavered between his power and the good of Konoha. Finally, he sighed and looked at Jiraiya, hoping he would offer some useful advice.
Feeling the gazes upon him, Jiraiya felt rather uncomfortable. After Orochimaru's defection, he had begun to run away. He had left Konoha, distancing himself from its conflicts. He hadn't even thought about his own student's orphaned son, Naruto Uzumaki. On one hand, he was saddened by Orochimaru's actions and wanted to save him. On the other, he was deeply disappointed in Konoha's leadership. But the Third Hokage was his master, and Konoha was his home. He couldn't bring himself to make a hard decision, so in the end, he had just left.
Now, he was once again faced with a choice.
Should he stand by for the sake of Konoha, or should he stand up against the higher-ups for his student, Naruto Uzumaki?
Jiraiya's mind flashed with the various details of his time with Naruto Uzumaki. He had taken that goofy, carefree boy to learn ninjutsu, to eat ramen together, to eat ice cream together. He had even wanted to take him to appreciate 'art,' but had been utterly defeated by Naruto Uzumaki's Sexy Jutsu.
These fond memories brought an unconscious smile to Jiraiya's face. His gaze gradually became firm, and his voice was strong and powerful as he said:
"I believe in Naruto! His bonds with his friends and with Konoha will not change because of some unknown power! Perhaps he does feel some resentment, but I still believe he is the Naruto Uzumaki I know! Please, have a little faith in him!!"
"If I'm not mistaken, the Konoha leadership is currently debating whether to send you to Root to be completely brainwashed," Naruto said with a light chuckle in the seal space.
"Brainwashed?!" Naruto Uzumaki's eyes turned cold, his disgust for Konoha's leadership deepening. But having already formed a bond with Jiraiya, he still chose to stand on Konoha's side, to protect the Leaf.
He took a deep breath and said, "I believe Jiraiya-sensei will do something."
"Knowing Jiraiya's personality, he'll take you away from Konoha and have you train at Mount Myoboku for a long time. Only when you've completely let go of the hatred in your heart will he let you return to the village," Naruto said with a playful smile.
"I won't influence your decision. But I am confident that in the future, you will walk the same path as me."
"You will discover that Konoha… is actually a cage that has trapped you."