Act With Wisdom

Naruto slept soundly. When he woke, it was dark outside, and the rain pattered rhythmically on the awning.

The ward lights were off. He looked up to see Kakashi and Sasuke lying in the beds to his left and right.

He clenched his fist, then clenched it again. His strength had returned significantly, bringing him peace of mind.

Weakness was the most terrifying thing in the world to him; it meant being passively subjected to everything happening around him.

But as long as he could stand and move, he could choose where to go and what to do, bearing the consequences, good or bad.

Naruto sat up cross-legged and looked inward. The wounds within his body had healed about fifty to sixty percent.

Only his heart, which bore the brunt of the Chakra, and a few major acupoints were still severely damaged and not yet whole.

He mobilized his Chakra, actively reconstructing his Cells and accelerating his metabolism. His body temperature slowly rose.

Before he knew it, dawn had broken.

"Naruto, you're awake," Haruno Sakura said, entering the ward with a bouquet of three narcissuses, which she placed in vases.

Behind her was Yamanaka Ino, who set a bouquet of chrysanthemums on Sasuke's bedside table.

Ino's mother owned a flower shop. When Haruno Sakura came to buy flowers, Ino happened to be sitting idly at the counter, so she came along. After all, she also liked Sasuke.

Seeing Naruto in a hospital bed now, she felt a bit awkward. As a classmate, she had come to visit but brought nothing.

But she smiled broadly and waved. "Hi! Naruto! You're hospitalized too? Sakura didn't tell me. I thought it was just Sasuke."

Naruto opened his eyes. His clear sky-blue irises shimmered with a soft glow. He wore a loose, blue-striped Patient Gown, looking calm and mysterious.

"Hi."

Ino couldn't help but wonder if Naruto had always looked like this.

Her first impression of Naruto was a mischievous underachiever. Her second impression was the overbearing powerhouse from the Chunin Exams. Now, however, she felt something was different, like he had matured into an older brother.

It felt like all of them, yet none were the complete picture, sparking her curiosity.

Haruno Sakura's face lacked its usual liveliness. Everyone in their class except her was injured and lying in bed, with two unconscious.

She said to Ino, "Let's go after we put these down. Sasuke is still resting. I'll let you know when he wakes up."

Ino shook her head, her light blonde ponytail and bangs swaying left and right. She leaned close to Haruno Sakura's ear and whispered, "I'm watching you! So you don't do anything you shouldn't to the sleeping Sasuke!"

Haruno Sakura shot her a glare and sat on the chair by Naruto's bed. Before she could speak, Ino pulled up a chair as well.

"Classmate Naruto, what kind of enemy injured you all so badly? You, Sasuke, and even Teacher Kakashi are so powerful."

Haruno Sakura glared. "Why are you asking so many questions!"

"Two rogue ninjas." Naruto looked at Sasuke, his mind drifting to Itachi Uchiha, the man who had stood by the entire time without lifting a hand.

With just his strange Sharingan, he had instantly incapacitated Kakashi and Sasuke.

Just then, the window was suddenly pulled open, and Jiraiya squatted on the windowsill, waving and smiling. "Hello, girls."

Ino instinctively recoiled. "Who is this old man?"

Haruno Sakura waved. "Lord Jiraiya, Naruto's master."

Ino scanned him up and down in shock. "One of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, Jiraiya?"

"Hee hee." Jiraiya grinned widely. "That's right, it's this immortal!"

Ino's impression of Naruto changed again. To be taken as a disciple by one of the legendary Sannin meant his status was equivalent to being among Konoha's top generation, on par with the Fourth Hokage.

Jiraiya smiled. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to take Naruto somewhere."

Haruno Sakura: "But Naruto's injuries..."

"It's fine." Naruto rolled out of bed.

"Leave it to me. With me, Jiraiya, here, Naruto will be back to normal in no time."

With that, Jiraiya slapped the wall. A black summoning scroll seal was released, the ground shook, and a giant, orange-and-yellow striped toad, larger than the building, landed in the backyard.

Jiraiya leaped onto the toad's head. Naruto followed, stepping onto the windowsill.

Watching Naruto's retreating back, Haruno Sakura felt a profound sense of loneliness.

Ino seemed to sense something and asked, "Being companions with him and Sasuke must put a lot of pressure on you, right?"

Haruno Sakura nodded, then shook her head.

The Great Toad leaped hundreds of meters at a time, each landing in an open space in the city blocks, with Jiraiya and Naruto sitting steadily on its head.

"The organization that captured you is called Akatsuki. Their target is the Nine-Tails Demon Fox within you."

"I figured. I don't have much else of value on me." Naruto asked, "How can I kill them?"

"Haha, when you're as strong as I am, we can try." Jiraiya's expression was rarely serious. "But for now, we need to act with wisdom."

Naruto nodded. "How much wisdom?"

Jiraiya said solemnly, "Ninety percent."

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. "That much?"

"Mhm," Jiraiya said, scratching his head. "It's not just the Akatsuki, there's also Orochimaru. Right now, he's the only Kage-level threat Konoha has to worry about, and it's just me."

Naruto couldn't help but think of the so-called Anbu leader and the two Advisors. A surge of irritation rose within him, but his already-working brain forced him to calm down.

The toad landed in the forest outside the village. Jiraiya continued, "With the Third Hokage gone, the Advisors nominated me to be the next Hokage."

"You definitely refused."

"Haha, you know me so well, kid. I, Jiraiya, am a free spirit. I still want to travel the world and gather material from ladies for my novels. How could I have the motivation to be Hokage?"

Jiraiya looked up at the sky, his lips curling downwards. "But someone has to be Hokage."

Naruto couldn't help but say, "Can't you just ignore it? I'll travel with you. I don't believe Konoha will fall."

Jiraiya clapped Naruto on the shoulder and chuckled, "When Konoha was prosperous and stable, I could live carefree. But now the situation is critical, I can't just stand by and do nothing."

Naruto was speechless. He could understand that feeling, just like he felt about the heavens.

Perhaps in Jiraiya's eyes, Konoha was a murky place, but for him, it held many memories.

He asked seriously, "What are you planning to do? What can I do?"

Jiraiya raised his arm and pointed to the verdant mountains and rivers in the distance. "Besides Orochimaru and me, there's one more Sannin, a woman in hiding. You'll come with me to find her. While we're looking for her, I'll teach you all the Ninjutsu I know."

Naruto knew this was Jiraiya's way of keeping him close. "Is that woman very strong?"

"Extremely strong. She's the First's granddaughter," Jiraiya said, a smile spreading across his face at the thought.

Naruto's intelligence made it difficult for him to place his hope in an old woman. "Then why did she leave Konoha?"

Jiraiya wore a complex expression. "Her boyfriend died, and because of that, she developed a severe hemophobia."

Naruto frowned. "Are there any other reasons?"

Jiraiya crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Her own brother also died. Her grandfather and great-grandfather both sacrificed themselves to protect Konoha. She's the last descendant of the Senju clan and is still unmarried."

The more Naruto heard, the more something felt wrong. "So you want to call her back to sacrifice herself for Konoha again, and let her clan die out?"

Jiraiya was taken aback and waved his hands repeatedly. "I didn't mean it like that."

Naruto had never seen Jiraiya discuss a woman with such a serious expression. He suddenly leaned in close, grabbed Jiraiya's collar with both hands, and pulled.

"You want to see her, don't you! You're just making excuses! Answer me!"