As Kisame approached step by step, Naruto was still putting on a show, howling in agony, and Sasuke watched the scene unfold, sinking into despair.
A dark shadow quickly swept through the forest nearby, arriving from a distance at incredible speed.
Swoosh~~~
"The Hermit has arrived~~!"
Accompanied by a familiar shout, a tall, imposing figure landed with a thud, positioning himself directly in front of Naruto.
He separated Naruto from Kisame.
With that white hair billowing in the wind and that flamboyant pose... it was naturally Jiraiya!
"Finally!"
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.
If he hadn't shown up, Naruto wouldn't have been able to keep up the act!
Phew!
Naruto silently crossed out the script that read: 'One pill of Nirvana enters my belly, my fate is mine to control, I resurrect instantly and return as a king.'
"You are..."
Seeing the sudden arrival, Kisame's small eyes narrowed sharply. He seemed to recognize this person.
"One of the Sannin?"
"That's right, it is indeed the Toad Hermit—Jiraiya!"
Hearing the enemy recognize him, even in the current situation, Jiraiya still performed his cringe-worthy, whole-Shinobi-world-traversing dance.
As expected, after the performance, Kisame's eye twitched.
But yes, this confirmed that the person before him was indeed Jiraiya.
Jiraiya... one of the Sannin!
The name of the Sannin was known throughout the Shinobi world.
Kisame wasn't very familiar with Jiraiya; as a Hidden Mist ninja, he was more familiar with the other Sannin, Orochimaru.
He was very clear on Orochimaru's fame and power.
Jiraiya, being a Sannin like Orochimaru, his strength must be...
Kisame subconsciously tightened his grip on his Samehada sword.
The situation had become troublesome.
"Kisame!"
From behind, the voice of Uchiha Itachi came, sounding strained with pain.
Kisame glanced behind him.
"Leave quickly!" Itachi suddenly ordered.
Leave?
Kisame glanced at the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki behind Jiraiya, then at Jiraiya standing guard, and finally at the incapacitated Uchiha Itachi.
Kisame was quick to comply.
He swiftly retreated, tossing Itachi onto his shoulder in the blink of an eye, and then vanished after just a few rapid flashes.
The Akatsuki duo had escaped!
"Pervy Sage! Do you have any pill balls on you?"
Seeing the Pervy Sage hesitating over whether to pursue them, Naruto immediately spoke up, interrupting his dangerous thought.
Sigh...
With a deep sigh, Jiraiya turned around.
The moment he turned, his face instantly changed. His eyes narrowed into slits, and a smug smile appeared on his face.
He finally got to look cool in front of his disciple!
So, he immediately began shamelessly bragging, "See that, Naruto? That's the power of the Hermit! The enemy heard my name and had no choice but to run!"
Saying this, Jiraiya took two pill balls from his pouch and bent down to hand them to Naruto.
"Yes, yes, yes~~~ you are the strongest."
Naruto didn't argue. He swallowed a blue pill ball, and swoosh—he instantly stood up tall and mighty.
Re-establishing the might of a man's...
Cough, cough, cough. Let's try again.
I! Uzumaki Naruto! Full Health Resurrection!
Huh?
This vibrant, full-of-life appearance, the complete turnaround, left Sasuke utterly astonished.
"Here, Sasuke, you have one too."
Naruto tossed him the remaining pill ball.
Sasuke swallowed it in one gulp.
He also wanted to stand up instantly like Naruto, achieving a full-health resurrection.
But...
He tried twice but failed.
In the end, he was met with Naruto's merciless laughter.
"Those two just now were members of the Akatsuki, right?"
Seeing the two youths laughing and ignoring him, Jiraiya wasn't annoyed. Instead, he looked in the direction where they had vanished and fell into thought.
Catching Naruto at this time...
Has the Akatsuki organization already started their plan?
Jiraiya had heard of the Akatsuki organization years ago and had even unexpectedly learned that they might be hunting Tail Beasts.
His current return to the Hidden Leaf Village had one main purpose: to teach Naruto how to control the Nine-Tails' power, preparing him for future attacks from the Akatsuki.
Now that he was back and had personally seen Naruto's strength, Jiraiya was no longer worried about that aspect.
However...
Jiraiya tilted his head, glancing at Naruto.
Given Naruto's pitiful appearance just now, could he have actually been defeated by the duo?
But his current lively appearance showed no trace of the weakness he had moments ago.
Are these pill balls really that effective?
Jiraiya gently shook his head, thinking it might be a factor, but not the whole truth.
I don't know what kind of trick this kid Naruto is playing now.
However, one thing absolutely had to be done.
That was to teach Naruto that one secret technique!
Swoosh~
Swoosh~
Swoosh~
A few more shadows arrived rapidly from the distance.
Naruto didn't even need to look to know who they were.
They were Tsunade, Shizune, Shikaku Nara, and an unfamiliar Anbu ninja.
This group was the team that had traveled to the Capital to finalize the Hokage position.
Now, Tsunade had been factually confirmed as the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf.
"Naruto? Sasuke?"
Immediately upon landing, Tsunade's gaze fell upon the two.
While traveling back to the village, they had seen the commotion in this direction and hurried over.
Such a massive scene certainly indicated a major battle with an enemy.
Yet...
Tsunade looked around and saw no enemy.
"Jiraiya, who was the enemy? Where are they now?" Tsunade asked.
"The opponents were Uchiha Itachi and another indeterminate fellow, both members of the Akatsuki organization."
Jiraiya pointed in the direction they had fled. "They have all escaped now."
"Lady Tsunade, I'll go after them immediately!"
Hearing the name of the rogue ninja Uchiha Itachi, the Anbu ninja suddenly spoke up.
"No need!" Tsunade immediately dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
She had already received intelligence from the Third Hokage that Uchiha Itachi was an undercover agent for the Hidden Leaf.
Capture? Unnecessary.
Glancing toward the distant, empty space, Tsunade turned back to size up Naruto.
She had seen Naruto lying on the ground just now, even from a distance.
She scanned him carefully up and down. Good, not even a scratch.
However, the corner of her mouth curved up. She wouldn't miss this opportunity.
"Isn't this 'Ninja God' Uzumaki Naruto? What's wrong? Did you lose?"
Tsk.
Naruto shot her a wordless glance. He wanted to retort, but he couldn't easily explain himself.
Seriously.
Woman~ You hold a grudge too much!
"Naruto,"
Jiraiya seized the opportunity to speak. "I have a very important thing to teach you. It's an extremely crucial technique of our lineage. You'll be learning this from me next!"
Huh?
Learn again?
Seeing Naruto's reluctance, Jiraiya added, "Once you learn this one move, the next time you face Uchiha Itachi, you won't fail again."
I won't fail even if I don't learn it!
He wanted to complain, but remembering the act he had just put on, he swallowed the retort just as it reached his lips.
"Tomorrow, maybe!"
Naruto said dismissively. He genuinely didn't feel there was anything more he needed to learn.
Besides, he had to get back to work now.
What kind of work?
Of course, eating and drinking on the public dime!
Cough, cough. Actually, it was traveling, strolling, and incidentally eating and drinking all over the Shinobi world under the guise of a mission.
Yesterday's mission itinerary was simply a dream life.
Naruto planned to keep this up for the next half-year.
Eating, drinking, and having fun every day while collecting a massive salary—it couldn't get any better!
As for the promise he made to the Third Hokage about competing with Danzō for recruits?
Just randomly bring in a few 'insiders' every week to report!
"Well, if that's all, I'll be leaving now."
Naruto glanced around at everyone, his gaze quickly skipping over Tsunade, and finally resting his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.
Sasuke naturally understood what he meant.
"Gotta go~" Naruto waved goodbye to the group.
Swoosh~
With a flash of golden light, Naruto and Sasuke vanished.
"That guy!" Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, giving a helpless smile.
The scene shifts back inside the village.
Swoosh~
The two reappeared right outside Sasuke's house.
"Sasuke, you should rest today. Don't go on any missions."
"Mm."
Sasuke nodded lightly.
He'd been hit by the Tsukuyomi, and his head was still spinning a bit.
"Oh, right,"
Naruto, who was about to Hiraishin away, suddenly stopped. "Remember to come over to my new place tonight. Get familiar with the door."
Yesterday, thanks to the tireless efforts of the members of the Root Anbu, Naruto's new home was finally cleaned.
All the furniture was supplied, and it was ready for immediate move-in.
That's right, it was the small, Western-style house with a yard that Jiraiya had tearfully paid the down payment for, with the village covering the rest.
Naruto planned to hold a housewarming party this evening.
"Don't forget to bring a gift~"
Swoosh~
The words were barely out before Naruto turned into a flash of light, returning to his origin point and vanishing.
"That guy..."
Sasuke let out a helpless, bitter laugh and pushed open his front door to go home.
On the other side.
Naruto, back at his house, changed into a simple outfit, preparing for the day's tourism.
"Time to go!"
Thinking of something, Naruto closed his eyes and sensed with all his might.
Sure enough, the four-person Root Anbu team was already assembled, the 'Tour & Munch' squad awaiting his arrival.
Ready to depart!
Wait.
Suddenly sensing something, Naruto frowned slightly.
In his Chakra Sensor... why were there two familiar and identical Chakras?
Huh?
Two Susukes?
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