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Minato was still thinking about the idea when suddenly, all of them heard laughter—it echoed through the council room, loud and full of arrogance.
It was coming from none other than Jiraiya.
"Hah! You really think that brat is comparable to me?" Jiraiya said with a smug grin. "I'm a Sannin. I could defeat him in seconds—it wouldn't even be a challenge. And the same goes for that Itachi kid. As for Kakashi? He's far stronger than any of you give him credit for. He's leagues above Itachi."
Several people turned toward Jiraiya, frowning.
One of the clan heads spoke up, "Then why don't you prove it, Jiraiya-sama? It's been a while since we've seen your skills in action. This could even serve as a form of… entertainment for the council."
Minato remained quiet for a moment, considering it. He hadn't seen much of Naruto or Itachi's abilities personally. True, their accomplishments spoke volumes—but even so, a proper demonstration could be useful.
Eventually, Minato nodded. "Alright then. I approve the tournament. Let's see what you all are really made of."
Jiraiya smirked. In his mind, the match was already won.
Meanwhile, outside the village, Naruto had just returned to Konoha. As he walked toward the village center, a squad of ANBU appeared before him.
"Namikaze-sama, you've been summoned to the council room."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "This early, huh?"
Without another word, he vanished from their sight. Most of the ANBU exchanged uneasy glances—this always happened. He moved without warning, disappearing in the blink of an eye. It wasn't teleportation—it was just pure speed.
Naruto arrived outside the council doors. With a light push, he opened them and stepped inside.
To his slight surprise, Itachi was already waiting for him. So were the three legendary Sannin—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru—as well as a silver-haired man with a masked face.
Naruto vaguely remembered him—Kakashi, or something. He never paid the man much attention. To him, Kakashi had always seemed like just another fanboy—of Jiraiya, of Minato, of Menma, and of Mito. So Naruto simply ignored him.
He glanced toward the council members, then at Itachi. "So what's going on? Don't tell me we're being sent on a mission with these guys."
Itachi opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Minato raised a hand. "Actually, Naruto, that's not the case. You and Itachi will be taking part in a tournament."
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. "A tournament? What brought that up?"
Minato explained the current debate over team leaders—how some favored Jiraiya and Kakashi while others wanted Itachi and Naruto to take the role. The tournament would help settle it.
Naruto was quiet for a moment. To be honest, he had little interest in becoming a sensei. But it could be a new experience. And from the look on Itachi's face, Naruto could tell that his former teammate wanted to train his little brother, Sasuke.
Naruto knew that Itachi hadn't had much time with Sasuke recently, mainly because he had been working alongside Naruto and handling missions. It was clear that Itachi wanted to make up for that.
As for Naruto, he had nothing personal against his siblings, Menma and Mito—they just weren't on his level. He held no resentment, just disinterest. They didn't possess the same energy or power he did. Training them, to Naruto, would be a waste of time.
The greatest heights they could achieve might reach the level of their father, Minato—or perhaps a little higher with the aid of the Kyūbi. But they would never reach his level. They wouldn't even come close to touching the potential he had—let alone matching his raw chakra reserves or mastery.
Naruto didn't say any of this out loud.
He simply smiled faintly… and stepped forward and said, "Alright then. I accept this little challenge of yours."
With that, everyone nodded in agreement, and the group moved to an outdoor training ground.
One of the council members announced, "This will be a two-on-two match. We want to see how strong your teams actually are—how well you function together."
As Naruto stood beside Itachi, he whispered, "So, what's the plan? I don't want to take on Jiraiya-sama directly. Even though I've grown a lot stronger, his Sage Mode could still be a threat."
Across from them, Jiraiya smirked and stepped forward. "So, we meet again, huh? Why don't you just give up now and save yourself the embarrassment? We both know you're not that strong. Everyone already figured out it's Itachi doing the real work and just letting you take credit. That's the only reason you're even famous."
Naruto gave Itachi a blank look, then looked at Kakashi—unfazed. Kakashi remained silent, though his expression tightened slightly.
Minato finally spoke up, "Alright, that's enough. Let's begin the match."
Jiraiya smirked. "Get ready, brat. I'm about to put you in your place."
But before he could finish his sentence, it was already too late.
Naruto had begun to release his aura.
The entire training ground began to tremble.
A wave of overwhelming pressure filled the air—dense, suffocating. It slammed onto the shoulders of every shinobi present like invisible weights. Even Minato and Kushina's eyes widened in shock.
The air grew heavy. Chakra flared like wildfire.
Most of the shinobi present were rooted to the spot, their bodies stiff, unable to move. The sheer weight of Naruto's presence left many paralyzed in awe—and fear.
Naruto's eyes narrowed coldly as he glanced at Jiraiya with a gaze so sharp it could've killed. The smug Sannin involuntarily took a step back, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.
Naruto gave a half-smile. That shut him up.
Itachi let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry about Kakashi. I'll handle him."
Naruto nodded silently.
In a flash, Itachi vanished.
Kakashi immediately uncovered his Sharingan, the instant the pressure disappeared. It was the only way to fight seriously.
As he regained his composure, he realized Itachi was already charging straight at him. Instinctively, Kakashi removed his headband, revealing his Sharingan eye in full—and readied himself for the incoming strike.