Return to Konoha

Following behind Naruto Uzumaki and Jiraiya was Orochimaru. By now, Orochimaru had shed his initial arrogance; seeing the two ahead stop, he stood respectfully behind Naruto Uzumaki and Jiraiya.

Since the six people on the ground were unconscious, they did not bother to avoid being overheard.

At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki said, "Orochimaru, these subordinates of yours are decent talent. I won't kill them; you should continue to lead them as you did before."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru replied respectfully, "Many thanks, my lord."

"Once they wake up, tell them you have joined our organization and that they are to follow suit. After that, I need you to go capture some White Zetsu," Naruto Uzumaki said, looking at Orochimaru.

Performing the Impure World Reincarnation requires living sacrifices—that is, living people.

If innocent people were used for the Impure World Reincarnation, Namikaze Minato and Kushina Uzumaki would not be able to accept it, but White Zetsu were the perfect sacrifices for the Impure World Reincarnation.

Although they had human forms, could speak, and possessed thoughts, they were not truly human, so using them as sacrifices would not weigh on anyone's conscience.

"After capturing the White Zetsu, take them to the Land of Whirlpools, search for the Uzumaki Clan shrine, find the Death God Mask, and then stay in the Land of Whirlpools to properly research how to undo the Dead Demon Consuming Seal," Naruto Uzumaki continued.

Having just read Orochimaru's memories, he knew that Orochimaru had actually researched the Dead Demon Consuming Seal long ago, but had made little progress. Coupled with his shift toward new research directions, the study of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal had been shelved.

Hearing Naruto Uzumaki's instructions, Orochimaru nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Naruto Uzumaki then turned to Shisui Uchiha. "Brother Shisui, I'll have to trouble you to accompany Orochimaru on this trip."

He then produced a Kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God seal, handed it to him, and continued, "Keep this Kunai. In an emergency, inject a bit of chakra into it and I will be able to sense it, at which point I will bring the Pervy Sage over immediately."

"Understood, don't worry, no problem. You and Lord Jiraiya go handle your business with peace of mind," Shisui Uchiha said with a smile after taking the Kunai and tucking it into his ninja tool pouch.

With this, the mission to the Land of Fields was complete. He had confirmed that the bodies of Namikaze Minato and Kushina Uzumaki were with Orochimaru and had brought Orochimaru under control. Now, he could return to Konoha.

Once they finished their tasks and brought the Kunai to the Land of Whirlpools, he would be able to rush over immediately.

Finally, with half of his objective achieved, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as he brought Hinata out after returning to Konoha this time, he could go to the Land of Whirlpools and develop the organization in peace.

Having finished giving his instructions, Naruto Uzumaki did not wait for the six to wake up. Since Orochimaru was already under control and Shisui Uchiha was there, he grabbed Jiraiya and used the Flying Thunder God to arrive in a valley.

Because this valley was not marked on the map, Naruto Uzumaki gave it a name: Wind-Listening Valley.

Back in Wind-Listening Valley, Naruto Uzumaki led Jiraiya into a cave, where a Shadow Clone was using a Crystal Ball to monitor the Uchiha Clan.

Another clone was grabbing a handful of grass and stuffing it into the mouth of Hidan, who was tied up by his hair and suspended in the cave.

Although Hidan was reduced to just a head, he still looked quite spirited. After swallowing a mouthful of grass, he cursed vehemently, "Damn it... I will..." repeating nothing but these few phrases.

The two Shadow Clones saw the original body enter and nodded at Naruto Uzumaki as a greeting.

Jiraiya, standing behind him, saw the Crystal Ball the Shadow Clone was using and asked, "Is this the one from the Hokage's office?"

Naruto Uzumaki nodded and said, "Yeah, Hiruzen Sarutobi used to use it to monitor me all the time, so I came up with a way to take it out."

Jiraiya said with a look of temptation, "Can you lend it to me for a couple of days?"

"Pervy Sage, you're the leader of an organization now, mind your reputation, won't you? Besides, if you take the Crystal Ball, what about the Uchiha Clan? We don't know the exact timing," Naruto Uzumaki said with a look of disdain.

Jiraiya rubbed the tip of his nose awkwardly and said, "Ahem, it's just been a while since I've done any 'research,' so I'm feeling a bit nostalgic."

Naruto Uzumaki felt even more contemptuous of Jiraiya after hearing this, and gave him a double thumbs-down gesture. "If you're that nostalgic, go find Granny Tsunade. It just so happens the organization will need a Medical Director later."

"Ahem, let's talk about that later, let's talk about that later," Jiraiya said, coughing immediately upon hearing Naruto Uzumaki mention Tsunade.

Naruto Uzumaki spread his hands and said, "Regardless, you're the leader of the organization, so the recruitment has to be done by you. I'll at most accompany you once."

Jiraiya's expression became somewhat unnatural after hearing this. Although he looked very young now, his actual age was what it was. If he were to confess to Tsunade again and get rejected, what would he do?

Naruto Uzumaki decided not to say anything more. Since everything in the cave was normal and there were no anomalies in Wind-Listening Valley, it was time to return to Konoha.

After dropping Jiraiya off near Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki flashed away. Although he could have brought Jiraiya directly into Konoha, he chose not to.

He needed Jiraiya to infiltrate Konoha on his own, and to be detected by the Sensory Barrier during the infiltration.

Naruto Uzumaki returned to his home. Looking at everything familiar in the house, he immediately dashed to the bed and lay down.

He wasn't idle while lying there. Since it wasn't time for the Ninja Academy to let out yet, his Shadow Clone was still in the classroom, and sitting next to him was Hinata.

Ignoring Mizuki, who was lecturing on the podium, the Shadow Clone said to Hinata, "Hinata, want to go out for a stroll tonight?"

Hinata, who was listening to the lecture, naturally agreed immediately upon hearing Naruto Uzumaki's invitation. Ever since their last date at the movies, the two hadn't been out; every day, Naruto Uzumaki would simply walk her home.

This made her so happy that she didn't even hear what Mizuki said afterward, as she was busy thinking about what to wear that evening.

Soon, school was over. The Shadow Clone told Hinata to go home first, and that he would come find her later.

Although the Shadow Clone and Naruto Uzumaki had been quite a distance apart during this time, the changes occurring to Naruto Uzumaki were also reflected in the Shadow Clone.

For instance, his height and his hair. This abnormal situation naturally attracted the attention of Hiruzen Sarutobi, but in the end, he attributed it to the awakening of Naruto Uzumaki's Uzumaki Clan bloodline.

Soon, Naruto Uzumaki's Shadow Clone returned home, and Naruto Uzumaki dispelled the clone, absorbing the memories from that period.

He then changed into the robe Jiraiya had bought for him, checked himself in the mirror, and headed out.

Walking down the street this time, Naruto Uzumaki wasn't being pointed at, because he had undergone earth-shattering changes compared to a few months ago—not just in height, but also his hair. His original spiky hair had grown quite long, and in another two months, he would be able to tie it up.

Plus, since Naruto Uzumaki was now attending school, his Shadow Clone rarely appeared on the streets, so the villagers didn't recognize him.

As for why Naruto Uzumaki wanted to grow his hair out? Naturally, it was to learn Jiraiya's ninjutsu—the Wild Lion's Mane Technique.

Ever since Naruto Uzumaki saw Jiraiya perform the Wild Lion's Mane Technique in his memories, he had made up his mind to learn it, because it was simply too cool.

Jiraiya laughed heartily and patted Naruto Uzumaki on the shoulder, praising him for his good taste when he heard the boy wanted to learn his ninjutsu.

On the other side, Jiraiya had already infiltrated the village. By intentionally exposing himself, he allowed the ninja responsible for the Sensory Barrier to detect his presence.

After reporting the detection results to his superior, the man was told not to worry about it, and his superior then departed.

After leaving, he quickly arrived at the Hokage office, knocked on the door, and walked in after hearing a response from within.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting in a swivel chair, puffing on a long pipe. Seeing that the visitor was the person in charge of the Sensory Barrier, he asked, "Is something the matter, Ryosuke?"

The ninja Hiruzen Sarutobi called Ryosuke was from the Yamanaka Clan. Because the Yamanaka Clan possessed profound expertise in sensory techniques, they were primarily responsible for the Sensory Barrier in Konoha.

The Yamanaka Clan, Nara Clan, and Akimichi Clan were all families loyal to the Hokage (here, the Hokage refers not specifically to Hiruzen Sarutobi, but to whoever holds the position of Hokage), so Hiruzen Sarutobi trusted them implicitly.

At this time, Ryosuke Yamanaka knelt on one knee and said respectfully, "Lord Third, just a moment ago, the Sensory Barrier detected someone infiltrating Konoha. After verification, it has been confirmed to be Lord Jiraiya."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled upon hearing this and said, "Understood. Go back to your duties."

After Ryosuke Yamanaka left, Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured softly, "Six years... he has finally returned. I just wonder why he has come back this time."

Six years ago, Jiraiya returned to Konoha because of Namikaze Minato and his wife. After he proposed taking Naruto Uzumaki away and was refused by Hiruzen Sarutobi—who used the excuse that he would take good care of the boy himself—Jiraiya had left the village.

In those six years, aside from seeing the novels he wrote, there had been no news of him whatsoever.

As for whether Jiraiya would hold him accountable for Naruto Uzumaki's life after he left, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not worried in the slightest.

Jiraiya was the most naive of his direct disciples and had been easily swayed by him since childhood. If Jiraiya were to question him, he could simply brush him off by claiming he was protecting Naruto Uzumaki from being targeted by Namikaze Minato's enemies.

After finishing his thoughts, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up a pen, wrote a letter, and then called out, "Cold-Blooded."

A masked ninja appeared in the office. The mask resembled a cat, featuring two feline ears, red patterns on the sides, red eye markings, black eyes, and a downturned mouth.

The person beneath the mask was none other than Kakashi Hatake. Following the successive deaths of his father and close friends, his heart had gradually drifted toward darkness. His teacher, Namikaze Minato, had arranged for him to join the Anbu, hoping he could use the work to forget the pain in his heart.

Relying on his formidable strength, cold exterior, and bloody methods, he slowly earned the title of Cold-Blooded Kakashi within the Anbu.

After the Fourth Hokage died, Hiruzen Sarutobi reclaimed the position of Hokage and took full control of the Anbu, and Kakashi was assigned to serve by his side.

As a student of Namikaze Minato, Kakashi could be considered Jiraiya's grand-student, making him the most suitable person to deliver the letter.

If anyone else were sent, Jiraiya might not even bother to acknowledge them.

"Go into the village, find Jiraiya, and deliver this letter to him," Hiruzen Sarutobi instructed as he handed the letter to Kakashi.

After taking the letter, Kakashi replied with a "Yes" and departed from the office.

...Ti Ta, author of Naruto: Starting with Asura Chakra.