Although the incident that occurred this time was instigated by Sakura, ultimately it had minimal connection to her.
Consequently, Sakura was called away on another task, leaving her feeling slightly aggrieved.
However, since the Hokage had spoken, she had no choice but to comply.
Fortunately, Naruto assured her that he would come looking for her the following day, which provided her with some comfort.
"Hey, don't tell me this is your girlfriend?" Jiraiya elbowed Naruto and asked slyly. "So, when we were at the hot springs earlier, the two of you..."
Naruto rolled his eyes but chose not to address Jiraiya's lewd inquiry.
Jiraiya took this silence as confirmation and his grin grew even more peculiar.
Shortly after, they arrived at the Hokage's office, and the Third Hokage sent all the Anbu guards way, leaving only Jiraiya and Naruto.
"Now, tell me, what's going on here?" The Third Hokage leaned back in his chair and exhaled a long smoke ring.
Jiraiya glanced at Naruto and replied, "I'd like to know too. I'm just as confused as you are."
It was true that he had been defeated by a 13-year-old boy, despite using a high-powered, injury-causing ninjutsu like Goemon.
Jiraiya was still in disbelief, feeling as though he was in a dream.
Thus, the Third Hokage and Jiraiya turned their gazes to Naruto.
Naruto shrugged and said, "Actually, I just wanted to show Master Jiraiya the results of my training."
"Results of your training?" The Third Hokage's eyes twitched.
Could it be that Jiraiya had accidentally perished during the training before he could tell anyone?
This seemed plausible, given Naruto's impulsive nature. If he had become a Hokage, he wouldn't have kept his identity hidden.
"Master Jiraiya?" Jiraiya fixated on this word.
The Third Hokage snapped back to reality and chuckled, "Jiraiya has just returned, hasn't he figured it out yet? The one before you is not our Naruto here. He is from twenty years in the future."
Naruto cooperated by dispelling the Transformation Technique, revealing his true adult form to Jiraiya.
"This is my actual form, Mr. Jiraiya!" Naruto smiled.
Jiraiya couldn't help but widen his eyes in astonishment, "Naruto from twenty years later? Have you traveled through time and space? How is this possible?"
Throughout the entire ordeal, he had failed to realize that the young man before him was a transformed version of Naruto.
It was clear that Naruto's true strength was far greater than what he had shown so far.
But was this powerful Naruto truly his disciple?
When they first met, Jiraiya had deliberately displayed his power to him, which had made him feel quite satisfied.
Regarding the Third Hokage's concerns, he had considered them too, but decided not to bother.
After all, twenty years was a long time, and he wouldn't be passing away immediately.
"Let's set that aside for now." Third Hokage said with a sigh, switching the topic. "Your intentions may have been good, but the ruckus you caused is too much. What am I supposed to tell the villagers?"
The sheer size of Toad Mode had already terrified many people before the battle even began.
And the subsequent clash between the Rasenshuriken and Goemon was something that would be difficult to cover up.
Jiraiya remained nonchalant, knowing that the Third Hokage couldn't do much to him even if he were to act out.
However, after pondering for a while, Naruto proposed, "Why don't you just say that Grandpa Third Hokage was experimenting with a certain ninjutsu and temporarily lost control of his strength? Then, simply apologize to the villagers."
Third Hokage was at a loss for words: "You want me to take the blame for the mess you caused?"
Naruto grinned and responded, "This isn't about taking the blame, Third Hokage-sama."
"You're growing older and stronger. If the villagers know you can still use such powerful ninjutsu at your age, they'll feel more secure and respect you even more. It'll enhance your reputation."
"Grandpa Third Hokage, is this true?"
After some consideration, Third Hokage realized that there was indeed some truth to this. He felt a surge of pleasure.
On the surface, though, he couldn't appear too eager for a quick victory. He pretended to wave his hands dismissively and said, "I'm old now; why would I care about increasing my prestige? The world will soon be in the hands of you young people. But since this approach is more convenient and effective, let's go with it."
Naruto discreetly raised his eyebrows at Jiraiya, wearing a proud expression.
With just a little flattery, the situation was resolved, and Third Hokage cheerfully accepted the cover-up.
Jiraiya gave Naruto a thumbs up; at least he wouldn't have to deal with the trouble this time around.
"By the way," Third Hokage said, still a bit hesitant but eager to hear more, "What you just mentioned about Jiraiya... is it true that Akatsuki will...?"
He knew Jiraiya's strength very well and doubted that anyone could defeat him, let alone take his life.
It was difficult for Third Hokage to believe that anyone in the ninja world could accomplish such a feat.
Jiraiya, though not particularly concerned, was also curious about his own fate.
Naruto paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Grandpa Third Hokage, Mr. Jiraiya, I assume you both know about Akatsuki, right?"
"Akatsuki?" They were both taken aback simultaneously.
Naruto explained, "It's a terrorist group made up of rogue S-class ninjas from various countries. They operate in the shadows of the ninja world, posing as mercenaries."
It's important to note that in the original story, Jiraiya was the one who first brought up the 'Akatsuki Organization' and reported it to Konoha. As for the Third Hokage, he was aware that Uchiha Itachi had joined a mysterious group after leaving the village. However, he hadn't received any recent updates about them.
Naruto couldn't be certain based on Third Hokage's reaction.
"Tell me more," Third Hokage said solemnly.
"For now, Akatsuki has been accepting missions from various ninja villages to amass funds," said Naruto. "In three years, when they've almost reached their goal, they'll initiate their next plan—capturing the tailed beasts!"
"They work in pairs, launching surprise attacks when the Jinchūriki are alone, and they do it almost effortlessly."
"The major ninja villages have lost their Jinchūriki on their own soil, and to save face, they haven't disclosed it to anyone, keeping it a high-level secret. Akatsuki has already captured the One-Tail to the Seven-Tails."
This revelation made Third Hokage and Jiraiya gasp in shock.
If Akatsuki managed to capture all seven tailed beasts, they would pose an unprecedented threat. Could they be stopped?
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