Naruto's Encounter

As Kou's words fell, both of them stopped in their tracks at the same time.

The mist on the street continued to churn, and the crowds around them kept moving.

No one noticed the two people standing by the roadside, as if their very existence was separated from this world by an invisible membrane.

"So that's how it is..."

Jiraiya muttered to himself, the light in his eyes dimming slightly.

He sighed helplessly, a bitter arc tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Jiraiya rubbed his head, feigning a natural demeanor as he lamented with a wry smile:

"Ah, in the end, you still can't trust me, can you? Well, that's fair, considering I've done so much..."

"No, I believe what you said."

Kou interrupted Jiraiya's words, responding indifferently:

"I can be certain that you are not lying."

Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly, and a glimmer of light flashed through his murky pupils.

"Then why..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was impatiently cut off by Kou.

"How many years do you think I've been away from Konoha, Master Jiraiya?"

Kou looked at the Jiraiya before him, explaining helplessly:

"Five years. I have been away from Konoha for five whole years."

Kou spoke to Jiraiya with a mix of truth and fabrication:

"I have a new life now, and I am quite satisfied with my current situation.

Besides, as a rogue ninja on the record, why would I give up a life that is still considered 'stable'

to take such a huge risk and return to a Konoha that just experienced something as major as the Uchiha Clan Massacre?

I'm not capable of doing something so stupid."

Listening to Kou's matter-of-fact tone, Jiraiya was left speechless, falling into a brief silence.

Kou sighed helplessly, using a relaxed tone to persuade him:

"If you really want to change something, why not go back to Konoha and take a look first?

See what Konoha is like now, and try to change the things you have been deliberately avoiding all this time."

His gaze landed on Jiraiya's face, and he continued with profound meaning:

"I don't know about other things, but before I defected, Big Brother Minato's child,"

Naruto... he wasn't exactly living well in Konoha."

"Naruto..."

Hearing Kou's words, Jiraiya couldn't help but think of the child named after the protagonist of his first novel.

That was the final treasure Minato and Kushina left behind in this world.

"Is that child doing well now?"

Recalling the implications of Kou's previous words, he seemed to realize something, his tone turning flustered as he hurriedly asked:

"Naruto... is that child Naruto not doing well in Konoha?"

Kou: ₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎

"Wait, no? You really didn't know?!"

Kou complained in his heart, looking speechlessly at the bewildered Jiraiya before him, and explained with annoyance:

"...It seems you were truly so immersed in the grief of Big Brother Minato's passing that you didn't recover, and you really haven't paid any attention to the village's affairs at all."

"You don't even know that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had an accidental outburst in the village five years ago?"

Jiraiya shook his head in embarrassment, waiting for Kou to continue like a child who had made a mistake.

"You old geezer, you really are something else."

Kou gave Jiraiya the middle finger with a look of disdain, the expression on his handsome face then turning serious:

"A while before I defected, the child was probably only two years old. I don't know if it was because he was too young, but the power of the Nine-Tails within him went out of control.

Because it happened on the main street, although the Anbu appeared in time to control the situation, the scene was still witnessed by a portion of the villagers."

His voice grew lower:

"Originally, it was just a small-scale incident, and it could have been controlled if handled in time.

But by the time the Third Hokage stabilized the seal, within just a few hours, before the public opinion could be managed, the rumor that the child was the incarnation of the Nine-Tails had already spread throughout the entire village."

His gaze fell on Jiraiya's face, filled with both scrutiny and accusation:

"With something like that happening, I don't think I need to tell you what that child's situation in Konoha is like."

"Those ignorant peasants won't care about what's reasonable. As long as they can vent their emotions, what won't those guys do?"

Kou said, an unnamable fire surging from his heart.

Back then, he had personally witnessed the entire process of the two-year-old Naruto being emotionally abused by the Konoha peasants.

At that time, he had thought about changing something, but his Uchiha identity was too sensitive.

A genius from the Uchiha clan getting involved with the young Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? He would probably be taken away by the Anbu for interrogation the moment he tried to strike up a conversation.

He could only suppress his anger. With the Third Hokage's tacit approval, he cleaned Naruto's room when Naruto wasn't home, swapped the ramen in his fridge for vegetables, and for a short period after Naruto's Jinchuriki identity was exposed and no babysitter was willing to look after him, he was responsible for Naruto's daily meals.

Then, from the shadows, he watched with the Anbu who were observing Naruto, as Naruto cried while eating vegetables he didn't like.

At that time, he could only use these insignificant actions to comfort his conscience.

After all, Minato had treated him well when he was alive, and he wasn't like Kakashi and Jiraiya, who were in their emo phases and couldn't even take care of themselves.

Although he couldn't openly take care of Naruto back then due to his identity and current situation, there were still small things he could do.

However, that period didn't last long. After a few months, he decided to leave Konoha due to an argument with Shisui...

"Sigh, I wonder how that child Naruto is living now after I left..."

Kou sighed inwardly, suppressing the surge of anger in his heart, and continued speaking to Jiraiya:

"Someone with the ability and the guts to overstep the Third Hokage and do something like this, you should know who it is without me saying it, right?"

"...Danzo!!"

Jiraiya gritted his teeth as he uttered the name.

Those two words, spat from his mouth, carried a bone-deep hatred.

His fists clenched, veins bulging on the back of his hands, his usually boisterous face shifting from shock to rage.

He never expected that Danzo would dare to be so brazen.

He certainly knew what that old man was thinking:

He wanted to use the child's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki identity to give the villagers, who were deeply hurt by the Nine-Tails Incident, an outlet for their negative emotions, thereby stabilizing the village's order.

At the same time, Danzo must have also anticipated that the old man would never allow the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's identity to be exposed and continue to escalate, and would definitely control the village's public opinion.

But doing so would surely incite the villagers' dissatisfaction with the old man, thereby weakening his influence in the village.

"Danzo, that old guy is completely trading Konoha's core interests for his own!"

Jiraiya's face instantly turned red with anger.

Unlike other ninja villages, in Konoha, information about past Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was a core village secret, strictly sealed.

Before Naruto, whether it was the First Hokage's wife, the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Mito Uzumaki, or that child Kushina.

Apart from a few Anbu members and Konoha's high-ranking officials, almost no one knew about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, or even the existence of the Nine-Tails.

But now, Danzo, for his own selfish desires, had made such important confidential information public?!

Kou looked at the clearly angered Jiraiya and slowly said:

"The Third Hokage is old. With Konoha being outwardly strong but inwardly weak, he no longer has the ability to restrain that old dog Danzo.

The Uchiha clan's matter is a clear example, isn't it?"

His voice was cold, the chill piercing through the mist and striking directly at Jiraiya's heart:

"Konoha is a complete mess right now. I have no interest in the current Konoha..."

Listening to Kou's words, Jiraiya gradually regained his composure.

The rage on his face turned into contemplation.

After a moment, Jiraiya adjusted his emotions and gave Kou a strained smile:

"Thank you for telling me this, Kou."

Kou waved his hand, responding casually:

"Don't mention it."

Jiraiya looked at Kou, who was clearly displeased, his boisterous face now filled with solemnity:

"Kou, I know I missed too much in the past.

Whether as a teacher, a comrade, or a ninja of Konoha... I did not fulfill my responsibilities."

His voice was deep:

"But this time, I will not run away anymore.

Naruto's matter, the Uchiha clan's extermination, Konoha's corruption... I will resolve them one by one, and bear the responsibilities I should have borne."

Kou curled his lips, a complex emotion flashing in his dark eyes:

"Let's hope so."

The two fell into a brief silence.

Mist swirled between them, blurring their outlines into hazy silhouettes.

In the distance, the cries of seagulls drifted over, sharp and lingering, like a silent sigh.

Pedestrians continued to bustle along the street, yet no one noticed the two figures standing by the roadside.

After a long while, Jiraiya spoke slowly:

"Things have reached this point, and I understand now; at least for the moment, persuading you to return to Konoha is impossible."

Listening to Jiraiya's words, Kou felt his heart sink slightly.

He could sense that the agitation in Jiraiya's tone had vanished, replaced by a profound calmness.

He knew that this post-reunion chat had likely come to an end.

Jiraiya stared straight at Kou, the light in his clouded eyes sharpening:

"I can stop pestering you, but... there is one question I hope you will answer."

Kou nodded slowly, his chakra already circulating within him, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Jiraiya watched Kou, the light in his eyes deepening.

His voice was heavy, sounding as much like an interrogation as it did a confirmation:

"You have joined an organization called Akatsuki, haven't you?"

Kou remained silent, offering no answer to Jiraiya's inquiry.

Jiraiya did not mind the silence, simply continuing:

"You have your own ideas, and I will not interfere with your choices, but... I hope you will answer me."

Jiraiya fixed his gaze intently on Kou, asking with solemnity:

"In the future, can you guarantee that you will never stand as an enemy to Konoha?"

Kou looked at Jiraiya coldly, still without a word.

Silence, in itself, was the clearest answer of all.

(Note: The incident of Naruto losing control at age two is not something the author made up; it was seen in a post about the official databooks on Tieba, which seems to be a patch provided by Kishimoto.

I have no intention of whitewashing anyone; in this book, I will try my best to write every character objectively and will never go OOC.)