Jiraiya

Jiraiya, who had been gathering intelligence in the Land of Hot Water, received word that his fellow Sannin, Orochimaru, had appeared in the Land of Fields. He intended to pay a visit; he had been wandering for years, not only out of dissatisfaction with Hiruzen Sarutobi but also to track down Orochimaru's whereabouts.

Furthermore, the Great Toad Sage had once prophesied that his disciple would bring about a massive transformation in the ninja world. Initially, he believed this to be Minato Namikaze or Nagato, but unfortunately, both had passed away prematurely. Jiraiya's long years of travel were primarily aimed at finding this Child of Prophecy.

After traveling some distance from the Land of Hot Water, he sensed a massive fluctuation of natural energy and rushed toward the source. Upon reaching the outskirts of a village, he felt an even greater surge of energy, one that carried a familiar sensation, prompting him to dash toward the origin of the natural energy.

Naruto Uzumaki, in the midst of battle, sensed Jiraiya's arrival, but he had no time to spare as the fight had reached its final, critical moment.

Two massive hands grabbed Kakuzu and tore him in half. Seeing the black threads of Earth Grudge Fear writhing frantically, the large hands sprouted two smaller ones, which lunged into Kakuzu's body to seize his hearts. Once grasped, they were crushed with a single squeeze; with a wet pop, both hearts burst. The Earth Grudge Fear threads then ceased their movement, signifying that Kakuzu was dead.

At this moment, Jiraiya arrived on the scene, just in time to see Naruto crush the hearts. "Is this the Nine-Tails? Why is Naruto here?"

Because Naruto had not cut his hair, he no longer sported his signature spiky style but wore it like Minato Namikaze. Combined with the fact that Naruto was currently utilizing the power of Kurama, Jiraiya recognized him immediately.

Jiraiya quickly approached Naruto and asked, "Naruto, what is going on here? And why are you in this place?"

Naruto, just about to answer, suddenly remembered something and said, "Pervy Sage, wait a moment," before sprinting away, leaving Jiraiya standing alone in the wind, utterly bewildered.

Naruto ran off because he remembered there was still one person left to deal with: Hidan. Having lost his lower body, Hidan could only lie on the ground cursing, his rants consisting of nothing more than threats to sacrifice Naruto to Jashin.

Seeing Naruto appear before him, Hidan realized Kakuzu's fate and roared frantically, "Brat! Kill me! If you have the guts, kill me, or I'll bite you to death!"

Naruto didn't waste words; he pulled out a Kunai and severed Hidan's head. Even after his head was separated from his body, Hidan continued to curse. Naruto picked up the body with his right hand and the head with his left, walked to the edge of the massive crater created by the Rasengan, and tossed Hidan's body inside.

Ignoring the stunned Jiraiya, Naruto left a Flying Thunder God mark on the spot, performed a single-handed seal, and vanished, reappearing in the valley. He created a Shadow Clone to carry Hidan's head into a cave to keep watch. With the other Shadow Clone already using the Crystal Ball, he had two clones active, so he wasn't worried about losing the head; he kept it because it might be useful later.

Naruto then returned to the small village. Seeing him reappear, Jiraiya shook off his shock and asked, "Naruto, was that the Flying Thunder God technique you just used? Who taught you that?"

Naruto simply replied, "Ah, Pervy Sage, wait just a little longer," and ran off again.

He arrived at the crater where Kakuzu's corpse lay. Naruto jumped down, dug a ball-like object out of the remains, stuffed it into his pack, and leaped out. He then pulled out a stack of Explosive Tags, threw them into the pit, and detonated them. When the explosions ceased, the corpses of Kakuzu and Hidan were buried under rubble, though the crater remained.

Naruto then approached the pile of dried corpses and moved them into the pit one by one. Jiraiya stepped forward to help, and soon all the bodies were placed inside. Naruto performed a hand seal and used Earth Style: Earth Movement. The surrounding ground trembled, and the crater slowly shrank until it vanished, leaving only a small mound of earth at its center.

After summoning the Golem Jedi, Naruto had gained the Earth affinity, and Earth Movement was an Earth Style ninjutsu Minato Namikaze had taught him recently. As for Earth-attribute martial arts, Naruto had yet to train in them; while powerful, they required a significant amount of time to master.

"I have avenged you all. This damned ninja world has completely twisted human nature. May you no longer be persecuted once you reach the Underworld," Naruto sighed as he looked at the small mound.

These words were meant for the villagers sacrificed to Jashin by Hidan, but also for Jiraiya to hear. The two then walked to the side.

Seeing Naruto turn toward him, Jiraiya asked again, "Naruto, why are you here?"

"Pervy Sage, I came here to find you," Naruto replied.

Hearing that Naruto had come looking for him, Jiraiya asked, "Why are you looking for me? And how did you leave the village?"

"Pervy Sage, this isn't something that can be explained quickly. You can enter the Sealing Space, right? Why don't you go in for a moment?" As he spoke, Naruto lifted his shirt, revealing the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style on his stomach.

Jiraiya, hearing this, didn't press further. He placed his right hand on Naruto's stomach, and his consciousness entered the Sealing Space.

Upon entering, Jiraiya was startled—not by the environment of the Sealing Space, but by the sight of the long-dead Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki standing before the massive iron gate. Behind them, a colossal beastly shadow lay within the cage, its body covered in bulging muscles, making Jiraiya's teeth ache just looking at it.

At this moment, Minato Namikaze stepped forward and said, "Master Jiraiya, long time no see."

"Master Jiraiya, you haven't changed at all," Kushina Uzumaki added. As for what exactly hadn't changed, only she knew.

Jiraiya suppressed his shock and said, "Minato. What is going on? Didn't you and Kushina die a long time ago?"

Hearing Jiraiya's question, Minato Namikaze smiled and said, "Master Jiraiya, Kushina and I died when we sealed Kurama back then. Now, we can only be considered soul fragments."

"So that's how it is," Jiraiya sighed. When he first saw Minato, he had fantasized that the couple hadn't died during the Nine-Tails incident but had gone into hiding for some reason.

Back then, while tracking Orochimaru, he had heard the news of their deaths. Disbelieving, Jiraiya had rushed back to Konoha, refusing to accept that Minato could have fallen like that.

Even though he had hurried back, he was too late; he hadn't even seen their bodies. Hiruzen Sarutobi told him the remains had already been disposed of. What was buried in Konoha Cemetery were merely their clothes.

The excuse was that as the only user of space-time ninjutsu in the ninja world and a princess of the Uzumaki Clan, their bodies were too precious; burying them in the cemetery would risk them being stolen.

In reality, by the time Jiraiya returned, their bodies were already in the hands of Danzo. After his request to take custody of Naruto was refused, he had approached Hiruzen Sarutobi, asking for the bodies to study, believing there might be something special about Minato that could reveal the secrets of space-time ninjutsu.

Considering the impact of the Flying Thunder God on the war, Hiruzen Sarutobi was swayed by Danzo and handed the bodies over. Why not keep them in the Anbu? Because the Anbu at that time had many of Minato's loyalists, such as Kakashi Hatake. Thus, giving the bodies to Danzo was a desperate move, and one the Third Hokage deemed the most "correct" at the time—though he did not know that Danzo would trade the bodies to Orochimaru.

Later, Jiraiya went to Konoha Hospital and, seeing Naruto sleeping, said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Third, I am taking Naruto with me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally refused. "Jiraiya, if he were just an ordinary child, I would certainly let you take him. But he is now the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. Even if I agreed, Danzo and the others wouldn't let you leave."

"Besides, you are alone and usually carry out dangerous missions. You cannot guarantee his safety while traveling with a child. Leave him in Konoha; I will take good care of him. After all, he is the only bloodline left by Minato and Kushina. I will ensure he lives in Konoha as the son of a hero."

At that time, although Jiraiya was somewhat dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi's daily conduct, he still trusted him. Hearing the promise to look after Naruto, and thinking it indeed inconvenient to raise a child alone, he left Konoha.

"So what is the situation now? And why is Naruto here? Why aren't there any other Konoha ninja with him?" Jiraiya continued to ask. Although he had seen the destruction caused by Naruto's battle with Kakuzu and knew Naruto's strength might be formidable, he reasoned that at Naruto's age, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have sent guards to follow him if he left the village.

"Master Jiraiya, take a look at this," Minato Namikaze replied, waving his hand as several orbs of light flew toward Jiraiya.

These orbs recorded the life Naruto had led in Konoha. As he watched, Jiraiya's expression shifted from shock to gloom. By the time he finished the last orb, his face was dark enough to wring water from.

The first orb recorded the abuse Naruto suffered in the hospital—it had started the moment he left. It was clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi had failed to keep his promise. The subsequent scenes showed the villagers becoming increasingly cruel, and Naruto being branded as a "demon fox."

Jiraiya looked up at Minato Namikaze and said apologetically, "Minato, Kushina, I am truly sorry. I failed to take care of Naruto."

Minato Namikaze shook his head. "Master Jiraiya, this is not your fault. In fact, the words you spoke at the hospital bed were recorded by Kurama. Kushina and I heard them, so we do not blame you."

"Sigh, if I had known, I would have taken Naruto away no matter what. But what about you two?" Jiraiya sighed upon hearing they didn't blame him.