Departure

"None."

Sakura stated with certainty, "Although you've mentioned your mom and dad, you've never said who they were."

"That just means my parents' identities have no bearing on the relationship between us."

Naruto smiled, "If we're really going there, Sasuke could also be called the 'Legacy of the Uchiha'."

"That sort of thing doesn't matter at all."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, "What did you and that client named 'Jiraiya' figure out just now?"

"That, well, it goes back to Orochimaru."

Naruto explained, "On the day of the Sunagakure attack, Orochimaru used a forbidden technique during his battle with Grandpa Third to summon the First Hokage and the Second Hokage. After I arrived, I used a sealing technique to temporarily seal both Hokage. Once the battle ended, the village elders recovered them and found a way to break them free from Orochimaru's control. For the past few days, they've been helping Grandpa Third handle matters in the village."

"Isn't that basically resurrection!?"

Sasuke's eyes widened, clearly intrigued, "What is the cost of that forbidden technique?"

"People."

Naruto said calmly, "That technique is called 'Impure World Reincarnation'. It requires a living person as a sacrifice to summon the soul of the deceased back from the Pure Land and anchor it to the living body."

Sasuke immediately lost interest.

It wasn't that he couldn't bring himself to kill, but as a proud Uchiha, he was certain that his own kin and clansmen would never deign to consume the lives of the innocent to be resurrected.

As for those who didn't matter, Sasuke didn't acknowledge them as Uchiha, so he wouldn't save them.

"Naruto, is it really okay to just let Brother Itachi go like that?"

Sakura asked, "Who knows how long it will be until we see him again."

"It's fine, it won't be long."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, "His goal, and the goal of the organization behind him, is Naruto. As long as we keep moving with Naruto, we'll run into them eventually."

"To be precise, their target is likely 'Kurama'."

Naruto said, "I mean the 'Tailed Beast' sealed inside my body."

"What is a Tailed Beast?"

Sakura heard another unfamiliar term, "You don't seem to have told us about that either."

"That's because I don't really know what they count as, but I can be certain that all Tailed Beasts possess independent personalities, high intelligence, and have lived through vast stretches of time. If you ignore the massive chakra they possess, you could completely view them as a type of summoning creature."

Naruto continued, "But it's a pity; most people only focus on the powerful chakra they possess and use them as weapons. People like me, who serve as containers to seal a Tailed Beast, are called 'Jinchuriki'."

"You lot pay attention. Regarding Naruto's identity—whether it's being a Jinchuriki or the child of the Fourth Hokage—these are secrets that are forbidden to be discussed in public within the village."

Kakashi reminded them in time, "It doesn't matter if Naruto says it himself, but don't go around telling everyone else."

Just as Kakashi finished speaking, others arrived—it was the Anbu.

"What happened here just now?"

The Anbu questioned those present, though their gaze remained fixed on Kakashi.

"I'll stay behind to explain."

Kakashi said to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, "You three head to the Hokage Building first."

Naruto nodded, grabbed Sasuke and Sakura, and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport away.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki had already traveled quite far from Konoha.

"Itachi-san, your breathing is a bit ragged. Should we rest for a moment?"

"No need. Stopping now is too dangerous. If we are caught, we might not be able to get away."

"True. Setting aside Itachi-san's brother, that little girl who looked so delicate actually had terrifying strength. Is she really human?"

"Regardless, the situation in Konoha is much trickier than we anticipated, especially the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. If he had been present just now, we certainly wouldn't have escaped."

"The Flying Thunder God Technique, huh... To think that the Yellow Flash of Konoha would have a successor, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki at that."

"Take the intelligence back, and leave the rest for the Leader to decide."

"I understand. But Itachi-san, if you can't hold on, just say the word. I can carry you while we run."

"Your jaw—the bone is fractured, isn't it? Your body has been swaying."

"Ha, nothing gets past Itachi-san."

"Run as hard as you can. We'll stop only when we can no longer keep going."

"As you wish, Itachi-san."

In the Hokage office, the Third Hokage had already finished listening to the Anbu's report and had learned from Jiraiya about the organization Itachi belonged to: [Akatsuki].

"The Ninja World... is it going to fall into chaos once again?"

As an old man who had lived through three Great Ninja Wars, Hiruzen Sarutobi's judgment of the situation in the Ninja World was more accurate than most. "I approve of your request. Bring Tsunade back as soon as possible."

"Hiruzen, wait a moment."

Beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, an old woman with a slightly mean expression suddenly spoke up: "Since we already know that an organization targeting the Tailed Beast is active, we shouldn't let Uzumaki Naruto leave the village again. Even if he has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, it cannot guarantee his absolute safety."

Just as the Third Hokage was about to offer a rebuttal, Naruto retorted first: "Old lady, by your logic, I wouldn't be safe even if I stayed in the village. After all, are you certain the village could handle someone capable of defeating me and catching me even after I use the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

The old woman's brows furrowed: "Then we shall hide you in a place where no one else can find you, a place that is absolutely safe."

Naruto grinned: "Like somewhere outside the village, a place even you don't know about?"

The old woman's blood pressure spiked instantly: "You..."

"Koharu!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his voice: "Just as Naruto said, given Konoha's current situation, we lack the ability to protect him. Besides, if Naruto wants to leave, who in the village could stop him?"

After a few seconds of silence, the old woman took a deep breath and said slowly: "Jiraiya, go and return quickly."

Jiraiya replied with a look of delight: "Oh, leave it to me."

With the next course of action decided, Team 7 moved with high efficiency.

About fifteen minutes later, at the main gate of Konoha.

"You lot are quick. Let's go; we'll discuss the current situation regarding Tsunade as we travel."

"Then let's start with where Granny Tsunade is. It would be best if you could show us a photo of her; none of us even know what she looks like yet."

"Hmm... according to the intelligence I've gathered, the last place Tsunade was spotted was near Tanzaku Town."

"Tanzaku Town? I recall there are quite a few casinos around there."

"Casinos?"

"That woman, Tsunade, is a huge gambler, yet her luck and skill are both terrible. She's always losing money. Over the years, the people at those casinos have even given her the nickname 'Legendary Sucker'."

"Pfft! Legendary Sucker, hahaha... just how much money has Granny Tsunade lost?!"

"Lady Tsunade hasn't returned to the village in all these years, and she hasn't been taking on missions, so where does she get all that money?"

"She is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, after all. The old Senju clan left behind quite a few assets; if she didn't lose it all gambling, she could have lived very comfortably without ever doing a mission. As it stands, she likely has quite a few creditors out there."

"Doesn't that mean there are others looking for Granny Tsunade besides us?"

"If she wants to run, it's very difficult for others to find her."

"Why?"

"Here is her photo."

"Eh, this is Granny Tsunade? Isn't she too young?!"

In the photo Jiraiya displayed, a girl who looked to be in her teens, or at most twenty, was looking at the camera with a somewhat reserved expression.