Moved

At the border of the Land of Fire, all of Konoha's top combatants had gathered in the village's camp. Many of the Ninja still had no idea why they had been assembled, but their discipline kept them on alert, ready to fight the moment the Hokage gave the order.

In the main tent, Naruto, who had passed out after fighting the Raikage, was lying unconscious on a bed. The Third Hokage, Danzo, Jiraiya, the two advisors, Hyuga Hiashi, Fugaku Uchiha, and the others were waiting nearby for him to wake up.

After examining Naruto, the Third Hokage told everyone, "It looks like he simply ran out of chakra, and the injuries left him too exhausted to stay conscious. There shouldn't be anything seriously wrong. He'll wake up soon, so there's no need to worry too much."

Then the Third Hokage turned to Jiraiya and asked, "Jiraiya, what exactly happened after Naruto reached Kumogakure? How could someone with such enormous chakra reserves and monstrous vitality pass out from exhaustion? I'm quite puzzled."

"Heh, old man, I have to say, my student really is a monster. He may be only five, but he's stronger than most people. Those boys everyone calls geniuses aren't even fit to carry his sandals," Jiraiya said proudly.

The Third Hokage asked in surprise, "Oh? What happened, exactly? Explain it clearly."

Proudly, Jiraiya recounted everything that had happened after Naruto arrived in Kumogakure: he had fought the Raikage to secure peace between Konoha and Kumogakure, could control the Nine-Tails' chakra perfectly, had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and the Hyuga Clan's White Eye, could combine a Kekkei Genkai with the Nine-Tails' chakra flawlessly, and could use the Flying Thunder God Technique almost as well as the Fourth Hokage.

Jiraiya proudly said to the Third Hokage, "Old man, don't you think my student is incredible? He managed to bring peace between two great shinobi villages at such a young age. Hahahaha! It's all thanks to my excellent teaching!"

Everyone was astonished by Jiraiya's words. The Third Hokage said with relief, "Heh, Naruto's a good kid. He hasn't let us down. He's certainly Minato's son—he's inherited his father's will."

Mitokado Homura added, "That's right. He's truly Minato's son."

Utatane Koharu then said to the Third Hokage, "Hiruzen, you were right. This child really is Konoha's hope for reclaiming its place at the top of the world. Even if that brings about a war, it will be worth it."

Even Danzo had to admit that the Third Hokage had made the right decision.

Just as everyone was reflecting on what they had heard, word came from outside the tent that Kumogakure's envoys had arrived. The Third Hokage ordered someone to bring them in. A Konoha Ninja entered with two Ninja from Kumogakure. They were Killer B and Yugito.

The Konoha Ninja approached the Third Hokage and said, "Lord Hokage, I've brought the envoys from Kumogakure."

After looking at Killer B and Yugito, the Third Hokage told the Konoha Ninja, "Thank you for your hard work. Go and get some rest."

After the shinobi left, the Third Hokage looked at Killer B and Yugito and asked, "What brings you here? Does the Raikage have some business with us?"

Yugito said to the Third Hokage, "Lord Hokage, the Raikage sent us to apologize on behalf of Kumogakure for what our people did in Konoha. Our village will severely punish everyone involved."

Yugito paused, then continued, "We're also here about the wager between the Raikage and Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha. The Raikage hopes to reach a fair peace treaty with Konoha, thereby fulfilling his promise to Naruto. We hope you'll give us your answer so we can report back to the Raikage."

Everyone in the tent was surprised. Although they had just heard Jiraiya tell them about Naruto's wager with the Raikage, they hadn't expected things to move so quickly. But everyone present was experienced and powerful, so they soon regained their composure.

The Third Hokage said calmly, "As for what Kumogakure did in Konoha, since the Raikage intends to handle it himself, we trust he'll deal with it impartially. As for a peace treaty, Konoha has always been working toward one. We sincerely hope to coexist peacefully with Kumogakure and help each other."

"We'll convey Konoha's sincerity to the Raikage. Could we meet Naruto Uzumaki?" Yugito asked.

Danzo asked warily, "Why do you want to see Naruto Uzumaki?"

Seeing how cautious Danzo was, Yugito quickly explained, "Please don't misunderstand. My teacher and I simply want to talk with Naruto Uzumaki. We're both Jinchuriki, after all, so I thought we might have a lot in common. We just want to get to know each other. We don't mean any harm."

No one had expected Kumogakure to send Jinchuriki as envoys. They understood that Jinchuriki probably had a lot to talk about with one another, and once they had thought it through, they let down their guard.

The Third Hokage replied, "I'm afraid Naruto still hasn't woken up."

Yugito said regretfully, "That can't be helped. We'll have to wait for another chance. Please tell Naruto Uzumaki that we hope he'll visit Kumogakure again."

The Third Hokage replied, "I will." "Then we'll take our leave," Yugito said. She and Killer B left, unable to hide their disappointment. Killer B had come with one great hope: to become friends with Naruto Uzumaki. Sadly, he hadn't gotten to see him.

The Konoha delegation stayed for three days. During that time, Konoha and Kumogakure reached a non-aggression treaty.

On the third day, Naruto woke up and saw the Third Hokage beside him. Danzo, the two advisors, Hiashi, and Fugaku had already returned to Konoha after reaching an agreement with Kumogakure.

After all, they still had plenty of work to deal with back in the village. The Third Hokage had needed to return as well, but he was worried Naruto might be in danger, so he stayed behind with Jiraiya to look after him.

"Naruto, you're finally awake. Are you feeling all right?" the Third Hokage asked with concern.

Seeing how concerned the Third Hokage was, Naruto felt a warmth in his heart. "I'm fine, Grandpa Third. Where are we? Wasn't I fighting the Raikage in Kumogakure? How did I end up here? And, Grandpa Third, why are you here too?"

Jiraiya saw that Naruto hadn't noticed him and immediately grew angry. "Hmph! How dare you ask? You got worked up and ran off to Kumogakure without a second thought. If I hadn't brought you back, do you think you'd have made it out of there safely?"

Only then did Naruto notice Jiraiya beside the Third Hokage. Jiraiya was even angrier that Naruto had only just noticed him, and was about to blow up.

But the Third Hokage stopped him. "All right, all right. The boy just woke up, and instead of showing a little concern, you're scolding him. Let Naruto get some more rest. You can talk about it later. Come outside with me. Don't disturb him." With that, he pulled Jiraiya out of the tent.

After resting for another day, Naruto learned that Jiraiya had brought him out of Kumogakure. He also found out that the Third Hokage, worried something might happen to him, had brought the village's entire high-level fighting force there. Naruto was so moved that he didn't know what to say to the Third Hokage and Jiraiya.

Naruto had always thought of himself as an orphan no one cared about. But the Third Hokage and Jiraiya had given him the love of family, something he had only ever felt from his parents. Now he had the two of them as well.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Jiraiya said unhappily.

After collecting himself, Naruto said, "Nothing. I just didn't expect Grandpa Third to be willing to go to war with Kumogakure to save me. And I didn't expect the Pervy Sage to sneak into Kumogakure alone to rescue me. It really moved me."

The Third Hokage and Jiraiya both sensed Naruto's longing to be cared for and loved, and their hearts ached for him.

Jiraiya asked, "Naruto, do you hate your parents?"

Naruto replied, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But I love them even more. I hate that they couldn't be there to watch me grow up or enjoy the happiness of family life. I hate that my father was the Hokage, and I hate that my mother was a Jinchuriki.

"But I love them very much, too. They sacrificed so much for me. To keep me safe while I controlled the Nine-Tails, both my father and mother gave their lives. And even though we were together only briefly, they showed me how precious family is and taught me how to be strong.

"They also gave up their own happiness for peace in this world and for the happiness of more people. I remember what Dad said to Mom: 'Because we're all Ninjas.'" Thinking about his parents left Naruto feeling dejected.

Jiraiya came over to Naruto and rested a hand on his head.

"Cheer up, Naruto. Don't be sad. People grow stronger through sadness. Only by moving past it and overcoming it will you become stronger and stronger. I believe your parents thought the same, and they believed you'd be able to do it."

"Yeah, I will. Don't worry, Pervy Sage. I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki. I won't let myself sink into sadness," Naruto said, working up his spirits.

Jiraiya said with relief, "That's more like my student."

After saying that, Jiraiya thought for a moment, then gave Naruto a sly look. "By the way, you've been calling me Pervy Sage this whole time. Who told you that? I'm Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, not some Pervy Sage, you little brat!"

Jiraiya angrily chased after Naruto. As he ran, Naruto called back, "But my mom said you were a pervert! And you're always peeping on girls in the bath. You call yourself a sage, so what else would you be but the Pervy Sage?"

When Jiraiya heard that Kushina had told Naruto about his past, he was so embarrassed and angry that he snapped, "That was research! Research, got it? I did it for all my devoted readers. I wasn't peeping!"

"Mom said anyone who peeks at girls bathing is a pervert. So, Jiraiya, the Pervy Sage. Yeah, that's right. Nothing wrong with that." Naruto had driven Jiraiya nearly to the point of exploding.

He didn't care that Naruto had only just recovered. He was going to beat the crap out of the little brat. Seeing that Jiraiya had lost it, Naruto immediately threw out all his Kunai and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape.

The Third Hokage, who had been watching from the side, came back to himself. Ever since Naruto had revealed that he had met Minato and Kushina, the Third Hokage had been worried.

He had feared that once Naruto learned the truth about his parents, he might come to hate Konoha. But after hearing Naruto and Jiraiya's conversation, he felt deeply relieved. Watching the two unruly master and student, the Third Hokage couldn't help but smile.

In his heart, he said to Minato, Minato, can you see? Your child has grown up well. He inherited your will, and one day he'll become Konoha's pillar.