If Hinata was merely spending time with Naruto, Hiashi wouldn't say anything. Even for the Fourth Hokage's sake, he wouldn't dare complain. But having his daughter marry Naruto was out of the question. Don't forget that in the original story, Hinata married Naruto because of his status at the time: the Fourth Hokage's son, a hero of the Ninja World, and the strongest shinobi in the world. Anyone Naruto chose to marry would have been acceptable—not just to the Hyuga. By then, Naruto had also been chosen as the Seventh Hokage, a fact acknowledged throughout the Ninja World.
If the village chief wanted your daughter, would you dare refuse? Besides, Naruto had been an outstanding young man by then, so Hiashi naturally hadn't shown the slightest opposition.
But things were different now. Naruto was merely a Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, and that status was nothing but trouble. Hiashi could tolerate him spending time with his daughter only for the Fourth Hokage's sake.
"You've certainly given this old man a difficult problem." The Third Hokage took a drag on his pipe and said with a weary sigh.
Still, there was no need to rush. The Third Hokage wanted to watch how things developed between Hiashi and Naruto over the next few months before deciding.
In the space where Mount Myoboku was located, the scenery was picturesque and breathtaking—a paradise on earth.
The moment the Nine-Tails' seal was undone, the toads there sensed it.
The toad who kept the key to the seal immediately went pale.
"This is troublesome."
They all knew what the Nine-Tails meant, so they immediately informed the two Toad Sages.
"What should we do, dear? Should we notify Jiraiya?"
"Of course. Notify him now. I'll use the Reverse Summoning Technique to summon Jiraiya."
The Nine-Tails was no small matter.
With that, he quickly formed the hand seals for the Reverse Summoning Technique.
Jiraiya, who had been peeping around the Ninja World, was caught completely off guard and summoned to Mount Myoboku.
"What's going on, boss?" Jiraiya asked, utterly bewildered.
But seeing the expressions on the two toads' faces, he sensed that something bad had happened.
"The Nine-Tails' seal has developed a problem," Elder Toad said directly.
"How could there be a problem?" Jiraiya's expression changed drastically.
After all, it was a seal made by the Fourth Hokage. It shouldn't have been able to fail.
"We don't know either." The Two Elder Toads could only spread their hands helplessly.
"Fine. Thank you for notifying me. I need to go back and check." Knowing how urgent this was, Jiraiya vanished at once.
But he was still out in the Ninja World, so getting back to Konoha would take time.
He finally returned to Konoha a month later. The village looked just as it always had.
Seeing this, he felt relieved. It seemed the Nine-Tails hadn't caused any serious trouble—at least, it hadn't appeared in Konoha. The seal must have developed a problem, but since the Nine-Tails hadn't escaped, it wasn't a major issue.
Now he needed to find Naruto Uzumaki and see how things stood.
He didn't go to see the Third Hokage. The Three Legendary Sannin and the Third Hokage had never quite shared the same ideas.
Seeing that everything in Konoha seemed fine, he relaxed and began searching for Naruto.
He soon found Naruto at the Ninja Academy.
However, the Naruto there was a Shadow Clone.
Because of the Six Thief Immortals, Jiraiya didn't realize it was a Shadow Clone.
Another boring day: talking to Hinata in class, training after class, then getting ready to go home after tidying up in the evening.
At that moment, Naruto's real body appeared, and the Shadow Clone vanished.
Watching from a distance, Jiraiya was surprised. He hadn't realized Naruto was a Shadow Clone.
The instant Naruto's real body appeared, he sensed a vast chakra.
"A Kage Level powerhouse? Who is it?" Naruto immediately grew wary. The Kage Level powerhouses in Konoha could be counted on one hand.
Instinctively, he wanted to look back in that direction, but he stopped himself.
He continued walking toward home.
"Did he notice me?" Jiraiya had a wealth of experience. Although Naruto had stopped himself in time, Jiraiya still noticed.
"Looks like I'll have to meet the kid," Jiraiya mused.
"This could be troublesome. A Kage Level powerhouse has his eye on me." Naruto still didn't know who the Kage Level powerhouse was, but there was no doubt they'd come for him.
Without another word, he dispelled all his Shadow Clones.
The memories sent back by the Shadow Clones left Naruto dazed for a moment, but he quickly understood what had happened.
After a few Body Flickers, Naruto returned home.
Just as Naruto finished cooking, an irreverent voice rang out from the window.
"Looks like I came at just the right time. How about inviting me in for a meal?"
Hearing the voice, Naruto froze. He hadn't expected the other person to come looking for him now.
Of course, Naruto didn't know—or had forgotten—about the key to the Nine-Tails' seal.
"Since you're here, come on in." Naruto didn't say anything more.
The door opened, and a tall man with a head of white hair slowly walked in.
After entering, the man didn't speak right away. Instead, he looked around, taking in Naruto's living conditions.
The room was neat and clean.
Although he lived alone, Shadow Clones gave him plenty of time, so he could take care of everything properly.
"You know who I am?" Jiraiya asked curiously as he sat down.
"I don't." Naruto answered honestly. Although he had guessed who the man might be, he didn't know for certain without having met him.
"Very well, then. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Toad Boy Jiraiya, the most handsome man in the Ninja World!" Jiraiya suddenly leaped up and struck a ridiculous pose in the living room, introducing himself in a theatrical singsong voice.
It had looked pretty funny in the anime, but in real life it was awkward. Naruto couldn't help curling his toes.
"So you're the White-Haired Boy of the Konoha Sannin, Lord Jiraiya." The Three Legendary Sannin were famous throughout Konoha.
"Please, have a seat, Lord Jiraiya. Since you're here, let's eat together."
Naruto didn't make fun of Jiraiya's ridiculous pose. He set out the food and got ready to eat.
The two sat opposite each other, pressed their hands together, and said, "Let's eat."
"Hmm, this tastes good. I didn't expect you to have such a talent." Jiraiya was surprised after his first bite of Naruto's cooking.
Neither Minato Namikaze nor Kushina had been much of a cook. Their food was edible, but it certainly wasn't as good as Naruto's.
"When you've been alone long enough, you get better at things." Naruto's voice was calm.
Jiraiya paused while picking up some food, then quickly composed himself.
He was also a little surprised by Naruto's maturity. He had met mature children before, but few were like Naruto: neither cold nor warm, just remarkably calm. Even when facing a legendary shinobi like him, Naruto remained completely unruffled.