Chapter 31 – The Wandering Trio
The road beyond Konoha stretched far and quiet, its beaten dirt path framed by whispering forests and distant green hills. Summer's heat still lingered, cicadas singing in the treeline, yet the sky above was a brilliant blue. The air felt free, different from the crowded streets of Konoha.
Jiraiya walked at the front, humming a lewd little tune while scribbling something into his notebook. Naruto trudged behind him with his hands behind his head, yawning loudly. Sasuke walked with his usual calmness, silent and sharp-eyed, the picture of contrast.
"Oi, Ero-Sennin," Naruto groaned, dragging his feet. "We've been walking forever. You sure this is training and not just some vacation for you?"
Jiraiya turned his head, smirking. "Brat, don't underestimate the journey. Every step you take away from home is training. You learn to survive outside the comfort of Konoha, to live as shinobi without safety nets."
"Comfort, he says…" Naruto muttered. "All I see is you making detours to hot springs."
Sasuke smirked faintly. "He's not wrong."
Jiraiya puffed up his chest, defensive. "Hot springs are sacred places of learning! The steam relaxes the body, clears the mind—"
"—and lets you peek at women without being caught?" Sasuke cut in dryly.
Naruto burst out laughing so hard he nearly stumbled. "Pfft—! Dattebayo, he got you there, Ero-Sennin!"
Jiraiya coughed, waving his hand dismissively. "Details, details. You kids don't understand the finer things in life yet." But inside, his smile softened. These two… they laughed together easily now, like true comrades.
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Mental Space – The Ancient Tongue
Their laughter faded outwardly, but inwardly, Naruto and Sasuke let their chakra flow together, linking with a practiced ease.
A spark lit in the mental space they had built for themselves: a dim world of starlight, where only they existed. Here, they spoke not with lips, but with thought, in the ancient tongue only they understood.
Naruto (mentally, in the ancient tongue): He's too nosy. Keeps watching us like a hawk.
Sasuke: That's Jiraiya for you. The "Legendary Toad Sage" has instincts sharper than he lets on. We'll have to stay careful.
Naruto: Careful, sure… but honestly, do we even need to?
Sasuke glanced at him in that starry void.
Naruto: Think about it—if we reveal too much, Zetsu will catch on. Black Zetsu, that creepy ancient blob… he's been lurking for eons. If he even sniffs out what our eyes can do, the timeline we want will collapse.
Sasuke: Agreed. The Fourth Great Ninja War has to happen. Without it, the world won't unite. They need a common enemy to force them together. Otherwise… this shinobi system will keep rotting.
Naruto's golden Kinritsu eye flickered faintly in the void.
Naruto: And besides… let's be honest. We're lazy. Why shoulder all the work?
Sasuke actually chuckled in the mental space, a rare sound. Lazy, huh?
Naruto: Yeah! Let Obito, Madara, even Kaguya do their thing. When the time comes, we'll step in and end it. Until then, we just… keep walking, eating ramen, and letting the pieces fall into place.
Sasuke gave a faint nod. Hn. A troublesome plan… but simple. I can live with that.
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Jiraiya's Watchful Eye
On the surface, the boys walked in silence for a while. To Jiraiya, it seemed they had simply quieted down after their laughter.
But Jiraiya's instincts told him otherwise.
He slowed his pace slightly, watching them from the corner of his eye. Sometimes, the two of them would go completely still—eyes unfocused, steps mechanical, as if their minds were elsewhere. Then, after a few moments, they'd glance at each other and smirk, sharing some private joke without a single word spoken.
"Those two…" Jiraiya muttered under his breath.
He couldn't sense chakra links directly—both boys were too subtle—but his gut screamed that something was being kept from him.
They've changed too fast. In just months, their eyes, their presence… they're different. Like they're carrying a weight bigger than this entire world. Are they hiding some power? Some destiny?
He remembered Orochimaru at that age. Bright, genius-level shinobi with secrets hidden in every glance. That thought made Jiraiya's chest tighten.
"Don't let me down, you brats…" he whispered.
Naruto suddenly looked over his shoulder. "Huh? You say something, Ero-Sennin?"
Jiraiya quickly covered. "Just… complaining about my back. Carrying two kids on a journey like this is heavy work, you know."
Naruto snorted, Sasuke smirked, and the tension faded outwardly. But Jiraiya's thoughts kept swirling.
They remind me of the Sannin. Naruto's hot-bloodedness, Sasuke's cool sharpness. Sakura with Tsunade now… heh. History's repeating itself. But will it end the same way… or differently?
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Nightfall
That evening, they camped under the stars, firelight crackling between them. Jiraiya "snored" loudly, sprawled out with his notebook tucked under his arm.
Naruto poked Sasuke with a stick. "Bet he's faking."
Sasuke smirked. "Obviously. He's waiting for us to say something."
They both chuckled quietly. Neither spoke of dojutsu, wars, or plans aloud. They simply roasted fish over the fire, joked about how badly Naruto burned his, and shared the moment like ordinary boys.
But Jiraiya, with one eye cracked open, stared into the flames. His heart was heavy.
What are you two hiding… and why do I feel like the fate of the world rests on your shoulders already?
The fire popped, and Jiraiya finally closed his eye for real. Sleep claimed him, but unease lingered.
The journey had only just begun.
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