Jiraiya seemed to have been distracted by Naruto's words. His face darkened, and he gave Mirai a heavy smack on the head. Snorting coldly, he said, "Just wait and see how I deal with you in the future!"
Naruto stuck out his tongue in pain, then quickly caught up with Tsunade.
Jiraiya did not immediately follow Tsunade and the others. Instead, he walked behind Naruto and watched his retreating back. Unconsciously, he thought of another Mirai—the one who had graduated alongside Naruto and taken part in the Chunin Exams.
"That boy who once swore to achieve his dreams has now defected. I have no idea what he has become... Even I was surprised by the Spiral Pill he started using. His strength keeps growing stronger. The last time I received information on his abilities, he used a scheme to kill an elite Great Wall. Now, I'm afraid he has grown to the point where his strength has reached elite level!"
Jiraiya spoke thoughtfully. The stronger Mirai became, the better it was for Konoha, but upon deeper consideration, the stronger Mirai became, the harder he would be to control!
Mirai had defected once before, which indirectly showed that among the people of Konoha, there was nothing that could bind him and nothing that could truly make him stay. In Mirai's eyes, Konoha gave him no sense of belonging, much less an organization that had tried to drive him away. Naturally, Mirai felt no attachment to it.
As for the idea of keeping Mirai through his companions, Jiraiya had abandoned it after Mirai's first defection. Back when the Third Huo Ying, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had discussed with him how to build a strong bond with Mirai through his companions, Jiraiya had argued with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Jiraiya had great faith and confidence in the