Shadow of the Leaves

There wasn't much time pressure. Calculating it, the Chunin Exams were still two to three months away from being held in Konohagakure. Thus, Tsunade and her group weren't traveling at a fast pace... especially with a certain great literary master in their midst who was always looking for inspiration in the bathhouse.

"I say... Pervy Sage... is it really that good?" Naruto, a towel draped over his head, his chin submerged in the slightly hot spring water, looked curiously at Jiraiya, who was by the edge of the pool, eager to peek into the women's bath next door.

Heaven knows, no matter which Naruto it was, he was as pure as a blank sheet of paper. He truly couldn't comprehend matters of men and women... even if, in his memories, he had miraculously developed the 'Sexy Jutsu,' a heaven-defying ninjutsu, it was still the same.

"You brash little brat wouldn't understand the pleasure of it!" Jiraiya, the old bachelor and rogue, replied without turning his head. He tiptoed out of the pool, intending to sneak a peek...

Sigh...

Naruto was helpless. Having read many books this time, he still... had a shred of dignity. He kindly reminded Jiraiya, "Pervy Sage, Grandma Tsunade is right next door. I heard she almost beat you to death back then... precisely because you were trying to do what you're doing now..."

Jiraiya froze. Terrifying memories he hadn't dared to recall for years flashed through his mind. At that moment, he remembered the fear of being dominated by her iron fist...

He turned around without any hindrance, let out a few hearty laughs, and got back into the pool. He soaked in the hot spring, sighing comfortably, "Writers are always misunderstood like this..."

Naruto sweated and closed his eyes to rest.

Soaking in the hot spring was truly comfortable...

In the women's bath next door, Tsunade was thinking, "Is that old pervert Jiraiya trying to peek..."

The hot spring was open-air. Above the steaming mist was the dark, bright starry sky.

The night was quiet.

If one traveled in a straight line, the town where Tsunade was located wasn't actually that far from Konohagakure. Tsunade, Shizune, Jiraiya, and Naruto, the four of them, walked and stopped, some practicing, some drinking, some seeking inspiration, and some feeding pigs. After 5 days, they finally saw the gates of Konoha.

"..." Tsunade gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar gate, falling silent for a moment.

Looking at the Konoha symbol on the gate, she remembered how she used to jump onto it and scribble on it while riding on her grandfather's shoulders when she was young. Looking at the scene at the entrance, she recalled how she, a Sannin, was welcomed and cheered by the people of Konoha upon her victorious return from the battlefield. Yet now, another person was plotting to destroy this village...

The changes in people and events were truly like the shifting clouds and the dog, suddenly becoming fleeting moments, and in the blink of an eye, the world had transformed.

Tsunade felt as if she had lived through another lifetime.

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune, holding Tonton, saw the two guard ninjas at the Konoha gate approaching. Lady Tsunade seemed unusually silent today; the closer they got to Konoha, the more silent she became.

Jiraiya understood Tsunade's feelings at this moment. He patted her shoulder, walked over to greet the guards Izumo and Kotetsu, and simultaneously presented their entry passes.

"Welcome back, Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya," Izumo and Kotetsu respectfully greeted Tsunade and Jiraiya.

The younger Genin might not know the formidable reputation of the Sannin, but these ninjas who grew up amidst the lingering echoes of war knew it all too well and dared not show any disrespect.

"Let's go," Tsunade said faintly and strode through the gate.

Naruto, oblivious to the situation, scratched his head and followed.

Deep underground in Konoha, Root.

The room was very dark, with only a few candles on the wall flickering, casting shadows of the people in the room onto the wall. As the candlelight flickered, those two shadows danced wildly as if possessed.

A Root ninja, clad entirely in black, knelt on one knee and reported to the "one-eyed, one-armed" elder sitting before him, "Lord Danzō, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has just returned to the village, accompanied by Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, and the Jonin Shizune Kato."

Danzō's face was expressionless. He leaned on his cane and said faintly, "You may withdraw."

The Root ninja vanished into the darkness.

The shadows on Danzō's face flickered with the candlelight. His only exposed eye... held no emotion either. He was that kind of person, devoid of any love or hate, having erased all his emotions.

For the sake of this village, he was willing to turn himself into a cold shadow of a tree. Whether killing or torturing, it was all for the village's benefit, never involving his personal emotions...

Hiruzen... don't go too far.

We agreed back then that I would never interfere with the Jinchuriki, and you couldn't let his father's legacy protect him... Jinchuriki are not normal humans; they are tailed beasts. Do you think human emotions can tame them? How naive... Even Lady Mito had to live out her remaining years under house arrest due to the methods left behind by Lord Tobirama.

Let Naruto Uzumaki grow up like an ordinary Konoha ninja?

Ridiculous.

The stronger a Jinchuriki's abilities, the greater the potential harm to the village; the more they grow, the more they will hate the village, hate this world...

Danzō recalled how, when he had expressed his anger to the Third Hokage for Jiraiya being too close to the Jinchuriki, the Third Hokage had surprisingly shown an unyielding stubbornness...

Hiruzen, what gives you so much confidence and determination now...

You, who bear the heavy responsibility of Hokage, should have grown old long ago.

Danzō clenched the hand holding his wooden staff.

Orochimaru... don't disappoint this old man...

The flickering candlelight in the room was instantly extinguished, and darkness enveloped it.

"Naruto, you really learned the Flying Thunder God Technique?" The Third Hokage was very surprised to hear this news. He had been planning to hand over the Second Hokage's notes to Naruto if he couldn't learn it.

Jiraiya smiled from the side.

Tsunade directly taunted, "Old man, you're past your prime."

"Heh heh..." The Third Hokage chuckled, puffing on his pipe. Tsunade's return brought him great comfort. Moreover... since Naruto had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, the 'snake capture' plan should be slightly adjusted...

Naruto was also smiling. Learning the Flying Thunder God Technique was the happiest thing for him in years.

This was a ninjutsu his own father hadn't even learned… He touched his abdomen, thinking to himself.

"Knock, knock, knock." Someone knocked on the door.

The Third Hokage tapped his desk with his pipe and rasped, "Come in."

Kakashi pushed the door open, his dead-fish eye scanning the room. He was quite surprised to see Tsunade, Jiraiya, Naruto, and Shizune inside. "Jiraiya-sama and Naruto, you're back… Tsunade-sama, it's been a while."

"Isn't that Kakashi? You actually…" Tsunade looked at Sasuke, Shikamaru, Hinata, Rock Lee, and Sakura, the five following behind Kakashi, and scoffed, "Started taking care of kids like a nanny now?"

Kakashi broke out in a sweat, but he didn't dare retort sarcastically to Tsunade's comment. Choosing to ignore it, he reported the mission status to the Third Hokage:

"Kakashi's temporary team, successfully completed the special mission in the Land of Waves. There were no casualties within the team… This is the 'Sword'." Kakashi pulled out a sealing scroll.

The Third Hokage gestured for Kakashi to place it on the desk.

"There was bloodshed…" Tsunade glanced at the expressions of Sasuke and the other four, immediately knowing that someone must have died during this mission. Since it wasn't someone from their team, it had to be the enemy.

Naruto nervously ran up to Hinata, scratching his head. He couldn't think of any words, so he just asked stiffly, "Hinata, are you hurt…"

Hinata blushed slightly and twisted her fingers, looking down. "N-no… because everyone took good care of me…"

The others present looked at the two of them, speechless. It was normal for ninjas to get injured on missions like this, wasn't it?

But Naruto believed her and smiled happily.

"Hinata, don't be modest… If it weren't for your Byakugan, we might have all been killed by that guy in the mist…" Shikamaru said lazily, scratching the back of his head.