"Go apologize to Captain Mizushika right now."
With a serious look on his face, Jiraiya scolded Naruto:
"Do you know how hurtful your words can be?
Mizushika is a good patrol captain. He was sharing the knowledge and experience he worked hard to gain."
"You don't have to learn it, and you don't have to be patient, but you can't just throw away his kindness and call him names."
"......"
I guess I really said something I shouldn't have.
Realizing that Jiraiya wasn't joking, Naruto started to get nervous too.
Luckily, he was just clumsy by nature, not a bad kid. Once he realized he had messed up, he quickly apologized:
"I'm sorry, Grandpa Jiraiya. I won't talk about the captain like that again. I'll say sorry to him tomorrow."
"You silly kid."
Jiraiya's stern face finally softened. He patted Naruto on the head and decided to share something more personal with him.
He hoped that what happened to Nawaki might help Naruto grow up a little.
"Do you know why Orochimaru and Tsunade sometimes stare at you in silence?"
"Stare at me?"
Naruto tilted his head in confusion and thought for a moment: "Because I'm good-looking?"
"....."
"Ow!"
Naruto held his head in pain, looking all pitiful after getting smacked.
Jiraiya's face twitched with annoyance:
"Stop talking nonsense. Don't you know what you look like?
You think you're Sasuke or something?
Quit messing around and listen."
"When Orochimaru and Tsunade look at you like that, it's because you remind them of someone."
"His name was Nawaki. He was Tsunade's younger brother and also Orochimaru's student. His personality was a lot like yours—really similar."
"Nawaki?"
Naruto rubbed his still sore forehead and tried to remember, but he couldn't recall anyone named Nawaki.
"Grandpa Jiraiya, this Nawaki… you mean Hokage-sama's brother? Did he… die?"
At first, Naruto liked calling Tsunade "Granny Tsunade," but after getting smacked around by her a few times, he finally learned his lesson and stopped calling her that.
"Yes."
Jiraiya let out a sigh:
"Just like you, he was too curious and careless on the battlefield. He ended up stepping on some explosive tags left by the enemy and got blown up. Tsunade was heartbroken for a long time, and Orochimaru still blames himself for it."
No way, he died just like that?
Words alone might not be enough to change Naruto, but a real-life example like this… that's a different story.
Telling it as a story is the only way to leave a deep impression on Naruto.
"Now do you still think Mizushika is just an annoying old man with too many rules, who's always being strict with you?"
After finishing Nawaki's story, Jiraiya reached out and gently patted Naruto's head.
He hoped Naruto would take the story seriously, reflect on it, and learn not to repeat Nawaki's mistakes or suffer the same losses.
The battlefield is a cruel place. It won't favor you just because of who you are.
The enemy won't show mercy just because you're someone special either.
"I'll definitely apologize to Captain Mizushika."
After hearing the story, Naruto was deeply shaken. Suddenly, he realized that his personality might really be a problem.
He was too impulsive, sloppy with what he did, and didn't think things through.
"That's the right mindset."
Seeing that Naruto recognized his own flaws, Jiraiya felt relieved:
"Right now, a war could break out at any time between Sunagakure and Kirigakure, and our Konohagakure could get dragged in as well. That's why I gave you to Mizushika, that strict patrol captain. I want you to learn something useful from him."
"Naruto, I don't want you to become another Nawaki. I don't want to see your body lying on the battlefield. Even I have come close to dying out there."
"Huh?"
Naruto was shocked:
"Grandpa Jiraiya, even someone as strong as you almost died?"
"....."
Strong? When I was young, I was anything but. And besides, who doesn't have some dark history?
Just thinking about the past made Jiraiya instinctively want to cover his face.
His growth really was rough—so rough that Orochimaru constantly wanted to kill him.
That alone shows just how useless he used to be.
Orochimaru is a practical person. If he respects you, then you're a teammate he trusts enough to watch his back.
If he doesn't, then you're just a burden he'd rather get rid of—so you won't drag the team down later.
If it weren't for Tsunade, Jiraiya might've actually died on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
And not just once or twice.
"Haha, let's not talk about the past anymore."
Jiraiya laughed awkwardly and scratched his head out of habit, trying to change the subject.
He was afraid Naruto would keep digging and end up exposing all his embarrassing stories.
But there's a saying—what you fear always comes true.
Sure enough, Naruto stared at him with his big blue eyes, full of curiosity.
"Grandpa Jiraiya, why don't you tell me about your past? Please?"
"...."
Kid, you're really putting me on the spot here.
Faced with Naruto's persistence, Jiraiya finally gave in.
He skipped the parts that made him look bad and started telling stories. Naruto listened with great interest.
Unfortunately, the good moment didn't last long. Just as Naruto was getting into it, a ninja walked into the command room and interrupted him.
Finally, it's over.
Jiraiya let out a quiet sigh of relief. He'd been talking for so long his mouth was dry, while Naruto still looked totally hooked.
If this had gone on any longer, he would've run out of stories.
"Lord Jiraiya, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind has sent a request. He wants someone from our camp to escort him safely to his official residence."
"What the heck?"
Jiraiya almost thought he misheard. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind wants to go to his own estate, and he's asking *us* to escort him? Isn't that supposed to be Sunagakure Village's job? ...Wait.
Jiraiya quickly figured it out. Now it made sense why the Wind Daimyo was at the border, and why he was asking for protection.
He was scared.
Scared that Rasa had really gone crazy—and after assassinating the Water Daimyo, might come after him next.
Thinking back on all the times he had clashed with the village and made threats, the Wind Daimyo was now completely panicking. He grabbed his people and ran.
He figured he needed to hide somewhere safe, and compared to the other countries, the Fire Daimyo's estate seemed like the best choice.