Inside the Lord's Manor of Wave Country.
Naruto was buried in work at his desk, sometimes furrowing his brow, sometimes writing furiously.
Compiling a textbook was even more difficult than he had imagined, leaving him somewhat overwhelmed.
Knock, knock, knock!
A short, urgent knock interrupted the small train of thought Naruto had just begun to form.
Naruto could not help rubbing his brow, suppressing his irritation. He had given orders that unless it was urgent, no one was to come looking for him at this time.
"Come in!"
The moment Naruto spoke, Uchiha Izumi hurriedly pushed open the door and entered, excitement showing on her cool little face.
"My lord, Jiraiya and Kakashi Hatake are heading toward Wave Country. Senior Inabi has already gone to stop them."
Without waiting for Naruto to ask, Uchiha Izumi spoke directly. Fierce battle intent flickered in her clear eyes.
Ever since awakening her Mangekyō Sharingan, she had yet to truly fight an evenly matched opponent. Sparring with Naruto meant getting crushed, while against everyone else, she had to hold back. Now, she finally had a chance to fight at full strength.
Naruto was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Jiraiya and Kakashi to appear near Wave Country. Konoha's situation was extremely difficult right now, yet rather than remaining in Konoha, Jiraiya had crossed the sea. What was his purpose?
After thinking it over briefly, Naruto understood.
It seemed Konoha intended to seek aid from Kirigakure. They certainly had not expected Wave Country to belong to him now, or they would not have walked straight into the trap.
What an unexpected wind. But where would it blow next? Things were becoming more and more interesting.
Naruto looked at the expectant Uchiha Izumi and asked, "You want to fight Jiraiya?"
Uchiha Izumi's eyes lit up as