Chapter 78

The Land of Fire, Konoha.

Konoha, the most powerful and prosperous ninja village in the Ninja World.

Sunlight streamed down from the azure sky, bathing the village nestled in the woods in a warm, golden glow.

The shops lining both sides of the street were lined up one after another, their signs swaying gently in the breeze and making creaking sounds.

In the distance, the portraits of the Hokage from past generations on Hokage Rock gleam in the sunlight, overlooking the land they protected with their lives.

Seven years have passed since the Nine-Tails Incident that nearly shook the very foundations of Konoha.

Seven years is enough time for a destroyed city to be rebuilt.

The same is true of Konoha; new buildings are springing up, new roads are being laid out, and new faces are constantly emerging.

This village, which had suffered tremendous trauma, has recovered its vitality and even become more prosperous with the passage of time.

But beneath that superficial prosperity, the shadows always linger beneath this towering tree...

The streets of Konoha were bustling with people.

It was afternoon, and the sunlight slanted across the road, casting long shadows of pedestrians.

Housewives were picking and choosing vegetables at roadside stalls, mostly accompanied by young children.

The children were playing in small groups by the roadside, their laughter as clear and crisp as wind chimes.

Occasionally, you can see a few middle-aged ninjas who have finished their missions, Earth Flow together with their arms around each other, discussing which izakaya to go to for a drink.

Their faces showed fatigue, but also relaxation.

That was a brief rest after completing one task and before the next one began.

Everything seemed normal, just like any other ordinary afternoon.

Jiraiya walked through the streets of Konoha, feeling slightly dazed for a moment.

His eyes swept across the shops on both sides of the street, all of which were unfamiliar.

After the destruction caused by the Nine-Tails Incident, most of the buildings and roads have been rebuilt.

The roads he had walked for countless years have now undergone tremendous changes.

The dumpling shop that used to be here is gone; in its place is a shop selling ninja tools.

The old locust tree that used to be there is gone, leaving only a bare stump.

Only now has Jiraiya finally sensed the changes in Konoha.

Seven years had passed in his mind, and only now did he truly stand on this land, measuring the distance he had missed over the years with his own two feet.

His gaze passed over the Hokage Building and landed on the conspicuous Hokage Rock.

The several enormous heads, carved into the cliff face, from the First to the Fourth, stand in a row, overlooking the entire village.

His gaze lingered on the portrait on the far right.

The Fourth Hokage – Namikaze Minato.

That young, gentle, smiling face is forever etched in the stone.

Time may have eroded the edges of the rocks, but the light in those eyes seems to never fade.

Jiraiya stared at that familiar silhouette, lost in thought for a long time.

The image of that gentle, sun-like smiling face involuntarily appeared in his mind.

His lips parted slightly, and he murmured softly:

"... It might be a little too late to say these things."

He paused, his eyes becoming slightly moist.

"Minato, I... I've come back to see you."

The sound drifted through the air and was carried away by the wind.

Jiraiya muttered to himself, a deep sense of shame causing him to lower his head as if he dared not look into Minato's eyes on the Minato Hokage Rock.

After a moment, Jiraiya shook his head.

He raised his head, the cloudiness in his eyes had mostly receded, replaced by a clear and resolute look.

Haven't I already made up my mind?

Bear the burden of past mistakes, take each step carefully now, and change the future!

Jiraiya remembered the promise he had made to Kōjin not long ago.

"To become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha"

That was not just empty talk, nor was it a momentary impulse fueled by passion. Rather, it was the path he had finally decided to take after experiencing, losing, and missing out on so much.

Jiraiya made up his mind and began to seriously consider his next move:

"What should I do next? Should I go to the Hokage Building to see the Old Man first, or...?"

However, just as Jiraiya was pondering, the hushed whispers coming from the roadside vegetable stalls reached his ears without missing a single word.

"Hey, why haven't we seen that fox demon lately? He's usually wandering the streets around this time of day, isn't he?"

"What, you still want to see that unlucky thing? Isn't it better that the fox demon doesn't show up? It saves us from having to live in Tenten fear..."

"That's true, but don't you feel this is too unusual? The more unusual it is, the more frightening it becomes."

"Oh, don't worry, I specifically asked old man Yamada next door about it."

His family supplies Ichiraku Ramen, and he learned some information from Ichiraku's older brother.

Didn't the Uchiha Clan have an accident not long ago?

It's said that only a seven-year-old child remains, and the reason the fox spirit has been quiet lately seems to be because it's been constantly bothering that child.

"Oh? That child is so pitiful... Not only did he go through something like that, but he's also being haunted by that fox demon?"

"Who can argue with that? Although it's not the best way to think, we're fortunate to have that child; at least we can have a couple of peaceful days..."

The voices were soft, but the malice in their words was intense.

Jiraiya clenched his fists Jiraiya listened to the villagers' malicious words towards Naruto.

He remembered what Kou had once told him:

Naruto's life in Konoha wasn't going very well.

But until this moment, until I heard these malicious words spoken by ordinary villagers carrying vegetable baskets and leading children in the most casual, everyday tone.

Only then did he truly understand what Kou meant by "not very good".

The thought that Naruto, the son of a hero, would have to endure such treatment in Konoha ignited a nameless rage within Jiraiya.

How dare they treat Naruto like that?! How could they treat that child like that?!

He's Minato's son!!

Jiraiya the type to wear his anger on his sleeve, but at this moment, he could no longer suppress the rage within him.

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

Yes, there's really nothing to think about what I'm going to do next.

Jiraiya walked straight toward the two women who were whispering among themselves, his face grim.

He strode long, his red coat fluttering in the wind, and his long white hair dancing over his shoulders.

The two women also noticed Jiraiya made no attempt to conceal his thoughts.

They looked up and saw the tall, white-haired man walking towards them, noticing his eyes burning with anger.

Fear unconsciously rose in their eyes, their baskets trembled slightly, and they involuntarily took a half step back.

"You--"

Just as Jiraiya was about to angrily rebuke them, the noise from the street interrupted him.

"Hide! That Naruto Uzumaki is here again!!!"

A man's voice boomed from the street corner, filled with undisguised terror.

He had just opened his mouth when a shout far exceeding normal limits suddenly swept over from the west side of the street.

"What?! Pack your things and run! Let the women and children go first!!"

"No way! We've only had a few days of peace, and that little monster is back again?!"

"Mom, I'm scared!"

"Don't cry, don't cry. The wound on your bottom has healed. As long as we don't provoke that madman, everything will be fine!"

Jiraiya: (꒪⌓꒪)

"... well?"

Jiraiya looked around at the crowd that had suddenly become chaotic, his usually carefree face filled with bewilderment.

Why does it feel like things aren't going the way I expected?

In no time at all, the surrounding crowd had dispersed.

The goods displayed on the stalls were quickly packed up and stuffed into backpacks, boxes, and carts.

The surrounding shops skillfully closed their doors, and someone hung "Closed" signs on the doors.

Someone pulled down the roller shutter door in one fluid motion, as if they had practiced it countless times before...

In the blink of an eye, the entire street was deserted.

Only a few leaves, blown down by the wind, twirled on the ground, making a rustling sound.

Jiraiya stood Jiraiya in the middle of the empty street, scratching his head in a daze.

"What... what exactly is going on?"

He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with deep confusion.

"Didn't that kid say the Konoha were always bullying Naruto? But why does he seem more afraid?"

Although the difference wasn't significant, Jiraiya clearly sensed something strange about it.

"Help! Help me!!"

Before he could even sort out his thoughts, he heard a heart-wrenching cry for help.

Jiraiya looked behind him and saw the figure of a middle-aged man running wildly forward.

He was wearing a gray jacket, his hair was messy, his face was covered in bruises and bumps, one eye was so swollen that he could barely open it, and there was dried blood on his lips.

He ran frantically, panting heavily.

"Help... help me!! Someone, someone please save me!!"

His voice echoed through the empty streets, filled with terror.

"Murder! That monster... it's killing people!!"

The only response he received was the angry voice of a child behind him:

"I'll kill you, old Feng! Take this— Naruto Projection!!"

"Smack!"

A huge wooden stick was thrown from behind the man, arcing through the air before striking him precisely on the back of the head.

The man's body stiffened abruptly, then he fell to the ground, sliding several meters before coming to a stop.

He lay on the ground, his body trembling violently, but he still crawled forward with a look of terror on his face.

"Snap."

Just as he continued crawling forward, a small foot stepped on his head.

The man's body stiffened, and he immediately stopped struggling.

He cautiously glanced at the boy looking down at him out of the corner of his eye, trembling all over like a mouse pinned down by a cat.

The boy looked to be about seven or eight years old, and he was wearing an orange overcoat draped over his back.

He wore a black shirt with Uzumaki pattern, the fabric soaked with sweat and clinging to his lean but muscular body.

The boy had a head of golden spiky hair that shimmered in the sunlight.

His complexion was ruddy, and his short arms showed obvious muscle definition.

His features hadn't fully developed yet, retaining the childishness typical of his age, but the sharpness in the boy's eyes was something no one could ignore.

At this moment, the boy was looking down at the man in front of him with his sky-blue eyes, his gaze full of coldness.

The boy had been running alongside the man the whole way, yet he wasn't out of breath at all; in fact, his breathing was quite even.

"You're so good at running away, why don't you keep running?"

Naruto looked at the man at his feet and said coldly.

"Please... be gentle, okay?"

The man pleaded in a trembling voice, his body curled up like a dog whose tail had been cut off.

Naruto looked at the pleading man at his feet, and a sun-like smile spread across his youthful face:

"I refuse!"

As he spoke, he swung his fist and punched the man hard in the face.

"Ah!!!"

The man's wails echoed throughout the street.

Jiraiya stared wide-eyed at the scene, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor in shock.

"What... what on earth is going on?!"

(About the incident where my phone died while I was writing, I charged it for a while and then continued writing, but ended up going over the allotted time...)