Hero

After parting ways with Uchiha Fugaku, Shuichi went home to change out of the black tuxedo he had worn to the funeral, and then went out again to a well-known tavern in the village.

It was still early, and the atmosphere in the tavern was far less lively than at night, with only a few scattered tables filled with people chatting.

In the deepest corner, a man sat alone drinking. With long white hair and a tall figure, he was Jiraiya than Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. Judging from his drinking posture, he seemed somewhat absent-minded.

Shuichi hesitation, calling out, "Boss, bring some more food and drinks."

The tavern owner was naturally delighted to have business at this hour, but upon closer inspection, he discovered the visitor was the village's great hero. He could only stammer, "Um... Lord Shuichi, you're probably not even eighteen yet, right? According to the rules, I can't sell you alcohol..."

"Anyway, no one will see us at this time." Shuichi didn't care at all, and instead smiled at him, "How about I go out and transform before coming back in, and you just pretend you don't know?"

"... Alright, then I'll make an exception for you this time." The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and made up his mind. His shop was almost smashed flat by the Nine-Tails. If it weren't for Shuichi pulling the Nine-Tails away, he would probably be dead by now. This time, even if he faced the possibility of being fined, he would still fulfill his benefactor's request.

Jiraiya's face was flushed from drinking, and his eyes were somewhat glazed. The numerous empty bottles on the table showed just how much he'd consumed. "You're really something now, kid. You managed to restrain the Nine-Tails all by yourself. Even an old man like me has to admit defeat..."

"You flatter me. I only fought for a few minutes. The Nine-Tails' chakra is inexhaustible. If I continued fighting, I would only be able to run away," Shuichi replied modestly.

The death of the Fourth Hokage was a significant blow to the Third Hokage, but Jiraiya was probably the most affected. However, his Ninja Way did not allow him to show his grief and pain.

After the food and drinks were served, Shuichi ate Jiraiya drank with Jiraiya. It seemed that there was no need to say words of comfort, as the other party had seen far more storms than he had.

He tried the restaurant's signature Sake, but the somewhat fiery taste made him feel a little uncomfortable. "I really don't understand what's so good about sake; it's not as good as a soft drink for me."

Jiraiya couldn't help but retort, "You're too young. You don't understand anything. Good wine can make people forget their pain, and you can savor it slowly to get a lingering aftertaste. How can you drink it like water like this?"

The two chatted and ate, catching up on everyday topics, before Shuichi spoke up again, "Are you going to stay and take care of Naruto? Or perhaps try to take over Hokage Position?"

"No, that's not for me!" Jiraiya burped. "The Third Hokage will take care of all that. Besides, I'm clumsy and not suited to looking after children. There are other more important things for me to do."

Shuichi squinted and thought for a moment. The consequences of this Nine-Tails Incident were not very serious. It did not affect the entire village and cause huge casualties like in the original story. The public's anger was not high.

The Third Hokage is concealing Naruto's true identity from the outside world, partly because the identity of Jinchuriki needs to be kept secret, and partly to prevent other villages from transferring their hatred for the Fourth Hokage onto this child.

Jiraiya's expression turned serious. "I've learned about that guy who unleashed the Nine-Tails to attack the village. He might bring even greater disasters in the future, so I must go out and gather information about him."

Shuichi looked at him with suspicion. Couldn't he have enjoyed prostitution more outside the village? After all, this guy was a prime example of someone who had completely violated the Three Forbidden Ninja Arts.

"What kind of look is that? Did Orochimaru say something to you?" Jiraiya was furious at their distrust. "Gathering material and writing are just my hobbies; don't tarnish my reputation."

"..."

After explaining his future plans, Jiraiya took the initiative to bring up a new topic with Shuichi: "Kid, you're getting stronger and stronger, and you'll surpass us seniors sooner or later. Don't let power blind you. I hope you can think more about this world."

Shuichi didn't deny it; he had originally wanted to probe about the Child of Destiny, but now he didn't intend to ask.

Jiraiya was guided by the fables of the Great Toad Sage his entire life, but Shuichi didn't believe that those stinky Toad or other spiritual sites were anything good; they wouldn't care about human lives.

Gamamaru was very clear about the entanglement between the Sage of Sage of Six Paths' two sons, but he didn't reveal a single thing to Jiraiya. The reason he was so good to Naruto later was because he was the reincarnation of Asura; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to help Naruto train in Sage Mode.

Therefore, Shuichi strongly suspects that they want to participate in and control the direction of the Shinobi World through the Contract Scroll. In the original work, when Naruto met Nagato, he was constantly monitored by the giant Toad with Crystal Ball, which looked very unsettling. Perhaps Mount Myōboku used Natural Energy to tamper with Naruto.

This is also why he didn't go to Ryūchi Cave to find the White Snake Sage. He had plenty of time to try things out on his own, and he didn't want to be controlled by someone without knowing why.

"Don't worry about that, I'm a peace-loving person." Shuichi said calmly, "It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now. If you get tired of exploring outside the village, it would be nice to come back and visit sometime, after all, it has a different charm."

Slightly drunk, Jiraiya didn't think twice and blurted out, "That makes sense. The girls in the village have quite good figures, after all, many of them are ninjas..."

"Damn it!" Realizing he might have said something inappropriate, he immediately sobered up considerably, only to see Shuichi already leaving the tavern at lightning speed. He was instantly furious, jumping up and down. "You slippery brat, you tricked me into revealing information!"

The tavern owner approached with a smile, "Lord Jiraiya, are you satisfied with our service? Um... could you please settle the bill?"

A roar erupted from inside the tavern, "Ah... Damn it! They ate and drank for free and then ran off..."

After finishing the lunch that Jiraiya had treated him to, Shuichi walked around the village to digest his food and soon arrived at the area that Nine-Tails had razed to the ground.

This area is neither too big nor too small. A street near the center of the village was blown away by its roar, and all the buildings on both sides collapsed. Many villagers are now cleaning up the wreckage.

When the people nearby saw Shuichi arrive, they all stopped what they were doing and greeted him with great respect. With this boy in charge of the village, they always felt particularly at ease, as the scene of him fighting the Nine-Tails was still vivid in their minds.

Shuichi smiled and responded to the villagers, then walked to the edge of the ruins in the middle.

"The location here is actually quite good. Although it's a bit far from the center, it's much quieter." He observed silently. Not far from here was Konoha's tall defensive wall, which could be considered the edge of the village.

As he mentally assessed his plan, an Anbu Body Flicker Technique and respectfully said, "Lord Shuichi, the Daimyo's Mansion is about to hold a meeting. We request that you accompany us as the Hokage's bodyguard."