Jiraiya stood near the edge of the cliff, the night wind tugging at his white hair. For a long time, he said nothing.
Shinichi's words about the God from beyond the stars still echoed in his mind.
If anyone else had said something like that, Jiraiya would have dismissed it as nonsense, but Shinichi was not someone who spoke without reason. More importantly, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy pointed in the same direction.
Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh.
The Child of Prophecy was supposed to stand beside Shinichi when that threat arrived, but the gap between them was already too obvious.
Shinichi had forced Iwagakure to lower its head, while Naruto was still inside the wooden house, probably more focused on the soup than anything else.
Naruto had improved, but at best, he was still around chunin level. Against a threat beyond the Five Great Nations, that was nowhere near enough.
"I understand what you mean," Jiraiya said at last. "I was too focused on letting him grow steadily. I forgot that we may not have that kind of time."
He scratched his white hair, still troubled. "But the Nine-Tails' power isn't something Naruto can touch casually. That chakra is violent. If something goes wrong, it could swallow him."
"That won't happen," Shinichi said calmly. "I'm here. If the Nine-Tails really breaks free, I'll suppress it."
Jiraiya opened his mouth, but Shinichi continued before he could speak.
"And there is another safeguard. The Fourth Hokage left part of his chakra inside Naruto's seal. When Naruto reaches the final lock, the Fourth Hokage will appear."
Jiraiya's expression changed at once. "Minato's chakra?"
Shinichi nodded. "It was the last protection he left for Naruto. At the most dangerous moment, he'll be there to guide him."
Jiraiya fell silent as Minato's face appeared in his mind. That disciple of his had always carried everything with a gentle smile, right up to the end.
If Minato's chakra really appeared at the critical moment, Naruto would not have to face the Nine-Tails alone.
Shinichi looked at him. "When the time comes, you, me, and the Fourth Hokage will all be there. Even if the Nine-Tails breaks free, do you really think it can get past all three of us?"
Jiraiya had no answer.
After a moment, Shinichi added, "Besides, Naruto should meet his father. It isn't fair for him to remain ignorant forever."
The wind swept over the cliff again. Jiraiya stood there for a while, and the struggle on his face slowly faded.
"You're right," Jiraiya said softly. "If Minato can see him once... that would be good."
Shinichi nodded. Since Jiraiya had agreed, there was no reason to delay. "Then let's start."
He turned and headed back toward the wooden house, but Jiraiya quickly followed with a frown.
"Now? ...Isn't that too rushed? You just fought Iwagakure yesterday. Have you really recovered already?"
Shinichi stopped and looked back.
The next instant, chakra surged from his body and swept across the mountaintop. The pressure only lasted for a moment, but it was enough to make Jiraiya stop in place.
Then it vanished as if nothing had happened.
"You misunderstand, Senior Jiraiya," Shinichi said calmly. "That battle did not exhaust me."
Jiraiya stared at him for a few seconds, then fell silent.
Fine. He should not have asked.
Shinichi pushed open the door and walked back into the wooden house. Naruto looked up from his bowl, and when he saw them return, he immediately grinned.
"Oh, Shinichi! You're back."
He rubbed his stomach and let out a satisfied burp.
Shinichi walked up to him and stopped. "Naruto."
Naruto blinked. "Hm? What's up?"
Shinichi looked at him quietly. "Do you want to see your father?"
Naruto froze. The relaxed smile slowly disappeared from his face, and his blue eyes widened as if he had not understood the words.
"...What?"
His voice came out uneven. "Shinichi... what did you just say?"
Jiraiya looked away for a moment.
Shinichi did not answer immediately. He only turned to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya took a breath, bit his thumb, and formed the hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu!"
White smoke burst inside the wooden house. When it cleared, a small toad appeared in front of them.
Gerotora.
The seal-key toad blinked, his gaze moving from Jiraiya to Shinichi before finally settling on Naruto, who was still frozen in place.
"Jiraiya," Gerotora said slowly, "are you planning to use the key?"
Jiraiya nodded. "The situation has changed. We need to open Naruto's Eight Trigrams Seal."
Gerotora stared at him for a moment, then frowned. He clearly thought Jiraiya only meant loosening the seal enough for Naruto to touch the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Shinichi corrected him calmly. "Not loosen it. Open it completely."
Gerotora's eyes widened. "Open it completely? Jiraiya, are you insane? That is not training anymore. You would be letting the fox out."
His gaze moved sharply between Jiraiya and Naruto.
"If Naruto loses control, there will be no seal holding it back."
Jiraiya did not answer right away. Gerotora's warning was not wrong. If he were alone, he would never dare take this risk.
But he was not alone.
Jiraiya glanced at Shinichi beside him and gave a dry laugh.
"You're not wrong. If it were just me, I wouldn't dare open the seal completely either."
His voice steadied.
"But the one standing in front of you is the person Iwagakure just named the God of Shinobi."
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