A boy wearing an ANBU uniform and a fox mask stood before Jiraiya, silently staring him up and down.
"What're you looking at, brat? Never seen the great Toad Sage before? Show some respect!" Jiraiya barked, clearly irritated. The kid's calm stare was getting under his skin.
"The Toad Sage… it's really my first time seeing you in person," the boy said earnestly. "Jiraiya-sama, you're truly an inspiration to my generation. I admire you deeply. To capture every moment of my idol's greatness, I even bought a miniature video camera. Every heroic act of yours has been recorded!"
Jiraiya's smirk froze.
The boy raised a small camera with a built-in screen. On it played footage—every perverted, voyeuristic stunt Jiraiya had pulled that day—in full, high-definition glory.
The boy's tone was filled with awe. "Tsk, tsk… the bold posture, the ecstatic laughter, the way you drool three thousand feet when peeping… truly incredible! A masterpiece of masculine artistry!"
Jiraiya's face darkened instantly. A vein twitched on his forehead. He could hear his own disgusting laugh from the footage, echoing mockingly.
Tsunade got goosebumps. Who is this kid? He's even more twisted than Jiraiya himself!
Then—pfft!
Shizune, who had been trying to keep a straight face, burst out laughing. Once she started, she couldn't stop—she doubled over, laughing so hard she nearly dropped Tonton the pig.
"Hey, brat! This is all your fault! Delete it right now, and I'll forgive you this once!" Jiraiya shouted, flustered and furious.
"No, Jiraiya-sama!" the boy said solemnly. "You're my idol. How could I delete such precious footage? This is a historical record of your heroic deeds! I will protect this video with my life—even you, Jiraiya-sama, can't make me destroy it!"
The boy stood proudly, eyes blazing with "righteous conviction."
Shizune collapsed again in laughter. Even Tsunade couldn't hold it in, chuckling despite herself.
Only Jiraiya looked like he might explode.
He was shameless, yes, but not that shameless. He didn't mind people knowing he was a pervert—he owned that proudly. But having a literal video of him peeping shown around Konoha? That was too much.
"Fine. You won't delete it? Then I'll take it myself!"
With a blur of motion, Jiraiya lunged forward, hand outstretched. A kid like this shouldn't be any trouble, he thought confidently.
But when he blinked, the boy had already vanished three meters away.
"What—?"
Jiraiya frowned, his pride pricked.
"Let's see you dodge this time!"
He moved faster—then faster again.
By the creekside, two figures flashed in and out of sight, their speed blurring beyond human vision. Shizune stopped laughing. Her eyes widened—she couldn't even track them. She'd trained under Tsunade for years and reached Elite Chūnin level, yet these two were moving like ghosts.
Who the hell is this kid? Jiraiya thought, panting slightly. I can't even land a hit… am I getting old?
Finally, he stopped. His gaze softened as realization dawned.
"...Uzumaki Naruto. Since when did you join ANBU?"
Naruto tilted his head, still wearing the fox mask. "Oh, this? Just for disguise. It's not exactly convenient for me to walk around Konoha openly right now. But tell me, Jiraiya-sama—do you still want to delete the video?"
Jiraiya coughed and looked away, trying to save face. "Ahem. Keep it if you want! Study it. It's… educational. I'm a novelist, after all. Research purposes! Perfectly legitimate!"
Naruto's skin crawled. "You're terrifying." He quickly deleted the footage on the spot.
Jiraiya straightened, now serious. "Tsunade… so you've really come back to the village. What made you return?"
"Ask him," Tsunade said, jerking her chin at Naruto. "He's the one who dragged me back."
Jiraiya blinked. "He… convinced you?"
He stared at Naruto like he'd seen a ghost. Tsunade was infamous for her stubbornness—no one could make her do something she didn't want to. Yet Naruto had somehow done it.
"What did you tell her?"
Naruto smiled faintly. "I told her to come back and witness my inauguration as the Fifth Hokage."
Jiraiya froze. His eyes went wide. "...Fifth Hokage? You?"
He didn't doubt Naruto's strength or reputation—those were unquestionable—but the timing… Naruto was still too young. Tradition alone would take years to overcome. The Third Hokage was still in office. The idea of Naruto jumping the line felt impossible.
His tone hardened. "What exactly are you planning, Naruto?"
Even though Naruto was his beloved student's son, Jiraiya's loyalty was to Konoha first. If Naruto posed a threat to the village, he wouldn't hesitate to stop him himself.
Naruto shrugged, his tone deceptively light. "Me? I'm not planning anything. The question is—what are they planning? The Third Hokage… and Orochimaru."
Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
Naruto's voice turned cold. "Come on, Jiraiya-sama. Don't tell me you haven't heard the rumors spreading through the shinobi world. Orochimaru's been making noise for weeks. What do you think he's trying to do?"
He looked Jiraiya dead in the eyes.
"Maybe," Naruto said quietly, "Orochimaru just wants to give the Third Hokage a grand farewell—a final curtain call for his beloved teacher. The last act of a Konoha hero."
Jiraiya went pale. Tsunade's expression sharpened, her eyes narrowing.
"You already know this much… and you're just standing by?" Jiraiya's voice was low, dangerous. "There are ways to stop it. You could prevent bloodshed entirely."
Naruto met his gaze evenly. His voice was calm, almost too calm.
"Who said I'm standing by? I've already brought Tsunade back to the village. I've already found you. I'm hunting the spies sneaking in and preparing to strike when the time is right. Konoha will not fall. Not while I'm here."
His words carried no arrogance—only conviction.
"The village will remain safe. That's my promise."
The air went still. Even the stream beside them seemed to quiet.
Jiraiya looked into Naruto's eyes and, for the first time, truly believed him.
Tsunade believed it too. Even Shizune, who barely understood half of what was happening, felt that same quiet certainty radiating from Naruto's presence.
But then Jiraiya asked, almost in a whisper: "...And what about the Third Hokage?"
Naruto paused. His voice, when it came, was soft but firm.
"That's their matter—between master and apprentice. As outsiders, it wouldn't be right for us to interfere."
Silence fell.
A heavy, suffocating silence.
For a moment, no one moved. The weight of unspoken truth hung in the air — the kind that only comes before a storm.
The grudge between master and apprentice…
was about to reach its final chapter.
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