Hokage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

Keiichi, however, was not the least bit worried. Even if Naruto exhausted his own chakra, didn't he have a fox inside him to provide a top-up?

So, whenever Naruto would wail that he couldn't go on, collapsing onto his lifebuoy in exhaustion and preparing to give up, Keiichi would bring up Sasuke to goad him, stimulating him to continue his training.

As a poor student, Naruto didn't know that running out of chakra could be fatal; he could only desperately squeeze out his last shred of stamina to refine chakra.

But the human body has protective mechanisms. Naruto thought he had squeezed himself dry, but in reality, he always held back a tiny reserve.

Seeing that things couldn't go on like this, Keiichi took out Obito's Goggles and, in a flash, disguised himself as an assassin, charging toward Naruto.

"Who are you?!" Naruto was startled. After a brief exchange, he found himself at a disadvantage and had no choice but to scramble desperately toward the shore.

However, Keiichi's speed had improved significantly, and he was always able to block Naruto's retreat in advance, forcing him to keep circling within the lake.

One must remember, Naruto had to keep releasing chakra from the soles of his feet just to maintain his stance.

Soon, his very last drop of chakra was finally exhausted.

Naruto had gradually mastered the technique of standing on water through this special training, but once his chakra was completely drained, he had no fuel left to work with, and he tumbled headfirst into the water.

Keiichi, however, paid him no mind, even intentionally moving the lifebuoy to a spot where Naruto couldn't reach it.

Fortunately, Konoha had been on high alert lately, and with the Anbu forces stretched thin, those who had been hiding to monitor and protect Naruto had been reassigned; otherwise, Keiichi's plan would have been very difficult to carry out.

As Naruto fell into the water, his body began to sink. A large stream of bubbles escaped his mouth, and he choked, feeling incredibly distressed.

Moreover, due to the excessive refinement of chakra, his limbs were now limp and devoid of any strength, leaving him to watch the surface of the water drift further and further away.

Am I going to die like this?

Gradually, his consciousness began to blur.

"Where is Naruto?" Jiraiya found Kakashi, who was conducting special training for Sasuke in the deep mountains, and asked point-blank.

Originally, he hadn't wanted to return to Konoha, not even when summoned by his teacher, Hiruzen. After all, many unpleasant things had happened in the past, leaving him disillusioned with his teacher and preferring to execute missions abroad rather than return.

But Hiruzen had finally persuaded him, simply by suggesting that the Fourth's son had grown up, and that he might consider taking him as a disciple.

Jiraiya had spent the whole night thinking, recalling almost everything that had happened since he first met the Fourth, and finally made up his mind to return to Konoha.

Yet, he hadn't expected that no matter how he searched, he couldn't find a trace of Naruto, as if the boy had vanished.

"Lord Jiraiya? You're back!" Kakashi's eyes widened in shock, looking at the man as if the sun had risen in the west.

"I've come this time to take Naruto as my apprentice. Where is he?" Jiraiya didn't stand on ceremony with Kakashi, speaking directly.

Counting it up, Kakashi was his grand-disciple; they were all family.

"Naruto? Shouldn't he be in the village?" Kakashi was also surprised.

"Hey, don't tell me you've only been giving this kid special treatment while leaving Naruto to fend for himself?" Jiraiya pointed at Sasuke, who was practicing lightning nature transformation nearby, and asked with a scowl.

"This... ah, haha..." Kakashi felt awkward, not knowing how to answer. This was indeed his failing.

But who could blame him when the competition between Jonin was so fierce? He had made a bet with that guy Might Guy that his own student would definitely take first place.

He had placed a heavy bet on Sasuke.

It wasn't that he looked down on Naruto's talent; it was just that Sasuke was a more cost-effective investment.

In truth, he had found a teacher for Naruto—the gold-medal instructor Ebisu—but who knew that Naruto had never gone to find him, and he hadn't been able to push the boy toward him either.

Then Jiraiya had shown up.

With Sasuke present, there were some things Jiraiya couldn't say. He just glared fiercely at Kakashi and turned to leave.

Konoha was only so big; this Sage didn't believe he couldn't find him!

He prepared to summon the nearby Toads to conduct a thorough search of the entire village of Konoha, leaving no corner unturned!

"Who was that just now?" Once Jiraiya had left, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.

"Him... he might be Naruto's future teacher." Kakashi didn't know what he was thinking, but his eyes were filled with melancholy.

"Is he stronger than you, Teacher?" Sasuke keenly sensed that Kakashi seemed to hold that man in high regard, with a hint of worship even in his eyes.

"He could take on four or five of me by himself. You tell me if he's strong," Kakashi said.

Hearing this, Sasuke's expression immediately became focused. If Naruto had such a powerful teacher, he would really be left behind if he didn't step up his training!

Trying to out-grind me, are you?

I'll show you who the real king of grinding is!

After an unknown amount of time, Naruto's consciousness gradually returned. Before him appeared a massive cage.

A talisman was plastered onto the cage, as large as a person and glowing brilliantly; it seemed to be the very thing keeping all that danger at bay.

However, the profound darkness contained within still made him recoil in fear.

"Do you want my power..."

"It's all right here..."

"If you have the guts, come and take it..."

"Hehehehe..."

Complex, malicious intent seeped out from the cage, and a sense of dread washed over Naruto, chilling him to the bone.

Yet, at the same time, a stubborn, unyielding defiance began to surge within him.

What are you afraid of? You're the one locked up, so why should I be afraid of you?

You must be that Stinky Fox. You've caused me so much misery; what's wrong with taking a little something from you?

With that, Naruto walked to the edge of the cage and reached out his hand.

What he could not see was that, within the reflection, nine massive tails were sweeping toward him like a tidal wave, as if to swallow him whole, only to finally swirl and vanish into his body...

Finally, Naruto opened his eyes.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Technique!"

From Keiichi's perspective, the previously calm surface of the lake suddenly bubbled, then began to bulge upward until it reached a breaking point and exploded. Hundreds of Narutos leaped into the air, filling the sky with his presence.

It worked!

Keiichi wore a satisfied smile.

"Orochimaru! Where have you hidden Naruto!" Two figures chased each other at high speed across the rooftops, one black and one white; the white one was clearly in pursuit of the black.

"Care to guess? Hehehehe..." Orochimaru had no intention of denying it, letting out bursts of mocking laughter at Jiraiya, who was chasing him from behind.

Come and catch me!

If you catch me, I'll let you... hehehehe...

The reason this scene was unfolding was entirely a coincidence.

Jiraiya had released a large number of Toads, originally intended to search for Naruto. Instead of finding the boy, he had flushed out Orochimaru, who was hiding within the village.

Although he and Hiruzen had irreconcilable differences, their desire to protect the village was the same. Orochimaru suddenly running into the village to cause trouble clearly meant he had some unknown conspiracy afoot.

Taking it a step further, it was even possible that Naruto's disappearance was linked to Orochimaru.

Thus, Jiraiya kept his eyes locked on Orochimaru, determined to capture him so that no matter what plans he had, they would be brought to a halt.

Especially regarding Naruto; he had to force his location out of Orochimaru's mouth.

Orochimaru was in no rush to shake him off, instead keeping a distance that allowed him to drag Jiraiya along with him.

He knew full well how formidable Jiraiya's intelligence-gathering capabilities were—those inconspicuous toads all over the streets were proof enough—so he intended to use himself as bait to keep Jiraiya occupied.

Otherwise, if he were to discover something, it might affect his own plans.

Who was trapping whom remained to be seen.

The reason Orochimaru was so unperturbed was that he had a capable assistant who could complete the remaining work in his stead.

Indeed, that person was Kabuto Yakushi. Following Orochimaru's instructions, he had met with the Jonin Baki from Sunagakure at Kikyo Castle to discuss the upcoming plan to overthrow Konoha.

Baki was very much in favor of this plan. Ever since forming an alliance with Konoha, the daimyo of the Land of Wind had begun to slack off, foolishly believing they could rely on Konoha's strength for protection, and had subsequently slashed Sunagakure's budget.

It was hard to believe such a foolish act could come from the leader of a nation.

Because of this, the Kazekage had been forced to downsize the military, causing Sunagakure's strength to plummet; it was doubtful they could even maintain their status as the weakest of the five great ninja villages.

Don't let the fact that Gaara and his team stole the spotlight during the Chunin Exams fool you; in reality, Sunagakure had very few people they could actually rely on. Pouring most of their resources into a few elites was the only strategy the Kazekage could currently implement.

But if a war were to break out, this paper tiger of a village would be punctured at the first touch.

It was all just a facade.

However, if they participated in Orochimaru's plan and tore up their relationship with Konoha, the alliance would naturally cease to exist. Presumably, the daimyo of the Land of Wind would become terrified and return to relying on Sunagakure, increasing their support.

We are attacking Konoha, not out of any desire for revenge, but for the future of the Land of Wind!

And since all of this had the support of the Kazekage, it had to be right.

Ever since Orochimaru became the leader of the Sound Village, his perspective had changed, allowing him to grasp the petty schemes of the high-ranking officials in the various ninja villages. It was precisely because he saw this that he was able to bring Sunagakure into the fold to execute this plan.

However, they now faced a dilemma: if Sunagakure sent too many people, they would likely be detected by Konoha the moment they entered the Land of Fire, which would be tantamount to telling Hiruzen that they intended to harm Konoha.

But if the numbers were too small, how could they pose a threat to Konoha?

That was why Kabuto had arranged this meeting with Baki—to discuss this very issue.

Yet, what they did not know was that there was a third party in this hidden room: Gekko Hayate, who was currently in a state of invisibility.

The reason he was here was, of course, that he had been tailing Kabuto.

During the battle beneath the tower earlier, although Kabuto had been trying hard to restrain himself and hide his true strength, the incident with the Explosive Tag had ultimately provoked him, causing him to reveal a speed that no Genin should possess.

Moreover, the speed was so great that even Keiichi couldn't react in time.

All of this had been seen by Gekko Hayate, who was monitoring every move outside from within the tower.

If a guy who usually acted like an ordinary person suddenly displayed strength that didn't fit his persona, it could only mean that something was wrong with him.

After all, if he were just an ordinary ninja, what reason would he have to do that?

Thus, after some investigation, he was shocked to discover that Kabuto was actually a child adopted by the head of the medical unit, and that this child was an orphan taken in from the enemy side during the Battle of Mount Kikyo.

He had clearly been studying medical arts, so logically, he should have been staying put in the hospital; yet, he would leave the village to carry out missions for no reason at all, appearing far too "active."

Who would believe there wasn't something fishy going on?

Harboring these suspicions, Gekko Hayate saw Kabuto Yakushi leaving the village again for some unknown purpose, so he used his Invisibility Technique to tail him, only to discover a shocking secret.

This Kabuto Yakushi was actually a subordinate of Orochimaru!

And Orochimaru was actually colluding with Sunagakure, plotting against the Leaf Village!

He had to relay this information back immediately!

But just then, Baki suddenly spoke up.

"I know what Orochimaru is worried about. In truth, we have already prepared everything on our end; what does it matter if there are fewer people?"

"Oh? What plan do you have? Why not let me hear it?"

"Do you remember when the Nine-Tailed Fox nearly destroyed the Leaf Village? If we could make a similar event play out again, wouldn't that be more effective than a thousand armies?" Baki laughed smugly.

"Are you saying that you intend to..."

"Actually, we have already..." Baki whispered into Kabuto Yakushi's ear, his voice so low that it was impossible to hear what was said.

Gekko Hayate couldn't help but move closer; he knew this had to be crucial intelligence.

However, that very movement caused Kabuto Yakushi to snap his head up and glare in his direction, immediately flicking a scalpel from his sleeve.

Clang!

The scalpel was deflected, but the Invisibility Technique was disrupted, and Gekko Hayate was forced to reveal his form.

Run!

He had to get the intelligence back to the Leaf Village!

That was his only thought.