"Sorry, Naruto-kun, I'm not too clear about that either."
Orochimaru's words didn't disappoint Naruto much. At least now there were clues, unlike before when he could only run around like a headless chicken.
"However, perhaps you could personally visit that organization's base. You might make new discoveries."
"Where are they?"
Naruto's tone became ice cold.
But this time, Orochimaru wasn't as forthcoming as before.
"That question, perhaps we can discuss it face to face."
"Naruto-kun, don't forget this is a transaction."
For Orochimaru, all the clues he had mentioned before were just "bait" to hook Naruto's interest.
The location of the Akatsuki organization's base was his real "capital."
Naruto might be trustworthy, but Orochimaru had always judged others by his own standards.
In a sense, his fishing skills were much better than Naruto's.
"Where should I find you? Sound Village?"
Naruto took the "hook" without concern. It remained to be seen whether Orochimaru had the ability to reel in this big fish.
"No, no, no, not that far. Someone will guide you there."
"You'd better not be lying to me."
Naruto nodded lightly, and after saying this, he directly twisted off the little snake's head.
He first used his Observation Haki to scan the entire inn inside and out, then, still uneasy, simply stored the Kusanagi Sword in a sealing scroll as well.
After doing all this, Naruto finally sat back down.
Across from him, Jiraiya and Karin were looking at him with worried expressions.
Jiraiya knew exactly what kind of person Orochimaru was, but the opponent held information about the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails incident.
This was undoubtedly a powerful weapon for Naruto.
"Naruto, give me some time. I can help you search for traces of that Akatsuki organization."
"Or I'll go with you to see Orochimaru."
"He definitely has ulterior motives."
Jiraiya's voice was full of concern and urgency. He really couldn't just watch his disciple's child walk into a trap.
Meanwhile, although Karin hadn't understood the cause and effect from beginning to end, this didn't prevent her from knowing that Naruto-san would likely be doing something dangerous.
"I know, Jiraiya-sensei, I know."
Without the enemy Orochimaru present, Naruto's tone immediately became gentler.
He first spoke to reassure the other party, then took out his sake gourd from his pocket, took a light sip, and said:
"Jiraiya-sensei, honestly, when I first returned to this world, I was really confused."
"In that other world, I had my own companions, friends, and my own life."
"But somewhere deep down, a voice kept telling me I had to come back here."
Putting down the sake gourd, Naruto's eyes were full of peace.
"At first, I didn't know what that was for."
"There shouldn't have been much in this world for me to miss."
"But when I learned that my parents hadn't abandoned me, that there was a mastermind behind their deaths, I understood."
"In this world, it's not that no one 'loves' me."
"And the reason I came back here was to fulfill certain commissions that fate entrusted to me."
Hearing Naruto mention "fate," a certain nerve in Jiraiya was suddenly touched, and the Great Toad Sage's prophecy instantly flashed through his mind.
"I want to avenge my parents, not just by killing the main culprit, but by doing something more complex."
"Besides that Uchiha, what killed them was also this unreasonable world."
This time, Naruto's tone was resolute, unlike when he had confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi and still left room for compromise.
Perhaps it was because he had personally witnessed the tragic fate of other Uzumaki clan members, or perhaps he had discovered that countries like the Land of Hot Water that were "far from war" could also survive in this ninja world.
Peace was the best mirror to reflect war.
If everything were like this, it would be easy to get lost, but with a precedent before him, Naruto could responsibly say that the Five Great Nations, and even most countries in the entire ninja world, were wrong.
Without the oppression of the lofty Celestial Dragons, they still fought each other for the ambitions of certain people.
Ninja lives became cold numbers, and even children were thrown into battlefields like expendable materials.
"I will destroy this old world."
Naruto spoke words that shocked Jiraiya.
"What do you want to do, Naruto?"
Jiraiya felt his throat was somewhat dry, as if he couldn't make any more sounds.
"Where there is oppression, there will be resistance."
"The reason they haven't succeeded is that they lack sufficient power to fight against fate."
This was true for Inari, the child in the Land of Waves whose foster father was killed by Gato, and also for the Uzumaki clan, who were destroyed in war because their special abilities were coveted.
How many more such people were there in this ninja world?
"And I will give them this power, starting with you, Karin."
At the end, Naruto looked at Karin with expectant eyes.
Karin was somewhat at a loss under his gaze and hurriedly adjusted her glasses.
"Naruto, have you considered that it might cause more deaths?"
Although he didn't know why Naruto sounded more and more like that Orochimaru fellow, Jiraiya still spoke to dissuade him.
"Reform is always accompanied by labor pains."
This was a conclusion he had reached after observing the actions of the Revolutionary Army in that other world.
Honestly, Naruto wasn't clear on what the ideal free world that the Revolutionary Army spoke of would look like.
Therefore, he could only learn from the Revolutionary Army, crossing the river by feeling the stones as they felt the stones.
He could certainly directly kill those so-called daimyo. Naruto was very confident about this.
But after killing one daimyo, there would be another daimyo.
If the oppressed themselves wouldn't resist, if the enslaved were unwilling to resist, there would always be new rulers taking power, and the world would remain the same.
Jiraiya wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Naruto.
"Jiraiya-sensei, during the few days I'm at Orochimaru's place, I'll have to trouble you to look after Karin temporarily."
"Naruto-san, I'll go with you!"
Karin said somewhat excitedly.
But Naruto just reached out to pat her head and still refused.
"Jiraiya-sensei said something right."
"That Orochimaru guy definitely has ulterior motives. Karin, it's not yet time for you to make your entrance."
High emotional intelligence: It's not yet time for you to make your entrance.
Low emotional intelligence: Don't come and die.
The little girl pressed her lips together and couldn't say more, but silently made a decision in her heart.
"Naruto, have you thought this through?"
At this moment, Jiraiya, perhaps finally having made up his mind, spoke to Naruto in an unprecedentedly serious tone.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful with Orochimaru."
"It's not him I'm more worried about..."
Naruto just smiled at him, then didn't continue speaking, instead turning and walking out of the room.
Looking at Naruto's back that had already become broad enough, Jiraiya didn't know what to say for a moment.
The "Child of Destiny" that the Great Toad Sage spoke of stopping—was that referring to Naruto?
At this moment, Jiraiya was also confused.