Before Naruto or Sasuke could even respond, Tsunade slammed her palm against the table with a loud crack. "The Rinnegan? Orochimaru, are you serious?"
"Heh… believe me or don't," Orochimaru replied with a faint smirk. "You can always verify it yourselves."
With that, he turned and walked out, the soft hiss of his robe trailing behind him.
Naruto frowned. "Granny Tsunade, what's this Rinnegan thing? I've never even heard of it back at the Academy."
Sasuke also looked at her, his brows slightly furrowed. Was it some kind of advanced dōjutsulike the Sharingan?
Before Tsunade could answer, a familiar, cheerful voice broke in from the doorway.
"Haha! Naruto, Sasukeyou're back already?" Jiraiya strolled in with his usual grin, looking far too pleased with himself.
Naruto squinted at him suspiciously. Judging by that look on his face, he had definitely gone out "researching" again. Typical.
Still, Naruto turned back to Tsunade, ignoring him. "Tsunade-sensei, what exactly is the Rinnegan?"
The question wiped the smile right off Jiraiya's face. His expression turned grave. "Why are you talking about the Rinnegan? What happened?"
Tsunade drew in a slow breath, her tone measured. "According to Orochimaru, the leader of the Akatsuki possesses it."
"The Rinnegan," she continued, "is said to be the legendary eye of the Sage of Six Pathsthe most exalted of all dōjutsu. It's rumored to grant power over life and death itself. But since those stories date back to ancient times, no one has ever actually seen it. Most people think it's just a myth, like the Sage himself."
She clenched her fist lightly, her expression hardening. "But if the Akatsuki leader truly possesses it, things could get very dangerous. Their goal is to capture all the Tailed Beastsmeaning Naruto is one of their targets. Sooner or later, Konoha will clash with them."
"The Akatsuki's leader… with the Rinnegan?" Jiraiya repeated quietly. He understood immediately what Tsunade was implying.
Then, to everyone's surprise, he suddenly shook his head. "No. Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Everyone turned toward him.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "And why are you so sure, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment, his jaw tightening. Then, meeting her gaze, he finally said, "Because I've seen the Rinnegan before."
"What?!" Tsunade and Naruto exclaimed at the same time, while Sasuke raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
Jiraiya sighed and sat down heavily. "Tsunade, do you remember the battle in the Land of Rain? The one where we earned the title of the Legendary Sannin?"
"Of course," Tsunade replied. "How could I forget? That war changed everything."
"After the fighting," Jiraiya said, "I found three orphans. I stayed behind for a while to train themteach them how to survive."
Tsunade's brows drew together. "Those three children… the ones Orochimaru wanted to kill?"
Jiraiya nodded slowly. "Yes. Among them was a boy named Nagatoand he possessed the Rinnegan."
The room fell silent.
Tsunade was the first to speak again, her tone sharp. "Why didn't you bring them back to the Leaf?"
"Because it wasn't possible," Jiraiya said. "At the time, relations between Konoha and Amegakure were tense. The village wouldn't have taken in orphans from an enemy nation. And besides, those three had dreams of their ownthey wanted to rebuild their homeland, to change the Rain Village with their own strength. I respected that."
He paused, eyes softening.
And… I wanted to see whether Nagato was truly the Child of Prophecythe one who could bring peace or destruction to the ninja world.
He didn't say that part aloud. Some things were too personal, too uncertain.
"But later," Jiraiya continued, "I heard rumors that they'd been killed in a conflict. I went to investigate, but found nothing. I thought they were gone."
Naruto's eyes widened. "So they survived. And now they're the ones leading the Akatsuki?"
"Perhaps," Jiraiya said quietly. "The truth isn't clear yet. I'll have to go to the Land of Rain myself to find out what really happened."
Naruto frowned. "You shouldn't go alone. If he really has the Rinnegansomething that powerfulwe don't know what we're up against. And if he's the one you once trained, then he definitely knows your weaknesses."
Jiraiya grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Heh, have some faith, Naruto. I am one of the Legendary Sannin, after all. A Sage of Mount Myōboku doesn't go down that easily."
Tsunade glared at him. "You're still as reckless as ever."
"Don't worry," Jiraiya said with a wink. "I won't go until you've officially returned to the village and taken up the mantle of Hokage."
"Humph. Idiot," Tsunade muttered, turning away to hide her concern. Then she straightened her shoulders and said firmly, "We're heading back to Konoha today."
Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Want me to send you back first?"
Sasuke shook his head. "No. I'll go with you. Once I finish mastering Wind Release in the next few days, I plan to start training in Sage Mode."
Naruto smiled. "Sounds good."
On the way back, Tsunade silently observed the two boys' training habitsand what she saw left her astonished.
They trained with a kind of intensity that bordered on madnessday and night, barely stopping to rest. Their natural talent was already beyond most shinobi, yet their drive pushed them even further.
"Why are you both training this hard?" she finally asked Naruto, genuinely curious. "You're already strong enough to surpass most jonin."
Naruto looked up at her, smiling faintly. "Because we've both suffered from being weak."
He continued, voice calm but steady. "My parents died during the Nine-Tails' attack. I grew up under the Third Hokage's protection, but because I wasn't strong enough, I didn't even know who they were for years."
He glanced toward Sasuke. "And he… lost his entire clan as a child, helpless to stop it."
Naruto's expression hardened, his blue eyes bright with determination. "We don't ever want that kind of pain to happen again. That's why we need powerthe kind of power that can change everything."
Tsunade fell silent. A pang of guilt twisted in her chest.
If she had been stronger back then… would Nawaki and Dan still be alive today?
After a long pause, Naruto spoke again. "Granny Tsunade, once you become Hokage… how will you see the ninja world?"
"The ninja world?" Tsunade repeated, surprised by the question. It seemed too heavy for someone his age.
"Yeah," Naruto said, his tone serious. "How do you see it?"
He'd long understood that the Third Hokagekind as he washad grown old and cautious. He sought peace through preservation, not change. Naruto didn't blame him for that; it was natural for an old man who'd already lived through three wars to desire stability.
But Tsunade was different. She was from a new generation. Her vision matteredfor Konoha's future, and for his own.
So Naruto waited for her answer, his gaze steady and expectant.
Tsunade, caught off guard by the question, could only ask softly, "Why are you asking me that, Naruto?"
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