The Master-Apprentice Ceremony

After all the chores were finished, evening had fallen. Jiraiya sent Naruto Uzumaki off to rest before ducking into the kitchen.

Naruto Uzumaki ran to the balcony to watch the setting sun, though no one knew what he was thinking about.

A long while later, Jiraiya's voice drifted up from downstairs: "Naruto Uzumaki, come down and eat!"

Naruto Uzumaki called back an acknowledgment and immediately got up to head downstairs. Upon reaching the dining table, he was stunned by the spread of food.

The table was covered in a variety of appetizing dishes: grilled meat, roasted fish, crab, curry, sushi, and much more.

Seeing this, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't help but say, "Pervy Sage, I never imagined you could cook."

"Haha, there's a lot you don't know about me yet," Jiraiya replied with a laugh.

As an orphan, Jiraiya had lived alone since he was a child. Unlike Naruto Uzumaki, he could always buy food as long as he had money. Over the decades, he had learned many things, and cooking was one of them.

Furthermore, having traveled across the ninja world all these years, he had essentially tasted every type of cuisine available, which had significantly refined his culinary skills.

Jiraiya then added, "Sit down. Consider this your payment for helping me clean up."

Naruto Uzumaki didn't waste any time. He sat down, muttered "I'm digging in," and immediately buried his head in the food, devouring it ravenously.

Since he was little, Naruto Uzumaki had survived on expired food or fish he'd grilled himself; the best thing he'd ever eaten was Ichiraku Ramen. There were dishes on this table he hadn't even seen before.

Seeing this, Jiraiya sighed inwardly before laughing heartily and competing with Naruto Uzumaki for the food.

After the meal, Naruto Uzumaki conscientiously cleared the table and washed the dishes. Jiraiya didn't stop him, simply watching Naruto Uzumaki with a smile.

After washing the dishes, Naruto Uzumaki sat down next to Jiraiya. Seeing the man sitting there looking lost in thought, he asked, "Pervy Sage, what are you thinking about?"

Jiraiya pulled himself out of his thoughts, looked at Naruto Uzumaki, and asked, "Naruto Uzumaki, do you want to go take a look at your home?"

"My home? Didn't you destroy it?" Naruto Uzumaki asked, his face full of resentment at the mention.

Jiraiya coughed and said, "Ahem, not that one. I mean the house your mom and dad used to live in."

"Oh, is that house still there?" Naruto Uzumaki asked.

Jiraiya smiled and said, "Of course it is. After I returned to Konoha, I took the keys back from the Third. I placed a sealing barrier around the house and told him that nothing inside was to be touched. If you want to go, I'll take you."

"Great! Let's go now," Naruto Uzumaki said, standing up.

Jiraiya led Naruto Uzumaki outside, and before long, they arrived in front of a house that clearly had been specially constructed.

The area had been abandoned for many years, and there were no neighbors nearby. After Naruto Uzumaki sensed that no one was around, Jiraiya quickly formed hand seals to undo the seal.

"Let's go," he said. "We can head inside."

They walked up the steps and pushed the door open. Once inside, Naruto Uzumaki realized the cottage wasn't large, but it was decorated very warmly, with photos of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki hanging on the walls.

After looking around the first floor, Jiraiya took Naruto Uzumaki upstairs to the study.

Pushing open the study door, Naruto Uzumaki saw bookshelves filled with books, though they were covered in dust and cobwebs from long neglect.

On the desk sat a stand holding a uniquely shaped Kunai.

At that moment, Minato Namikaze's voice echoed in Naruto Uzumaki's ears: "Naruto Uzumaki, take the Kunai on the desk with you later."

This was the first Kunai Minato Namikaze had crafted after mastering the Flying Thunder God. After using it for a while, he had placed it here as a memento.

Naruto Uzumaki said "Understood" and tucked the Kunai away before continuing to wander through the house.

Pushing open one room, Naruto Uzumaki saw it was filled with baby supplies: a crib, powdered milk, clothes, and various toys.

He knew these were things Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had prepared for him, but unfortunately...

He closed the door and walked out, leaving a Flying Thunder God mark on the door frame.

After touring all the rooms, Naruto Uzumaki said to Jiraiya, "Pervy Sage, let's head back."

Jiraiya nodded, led Naruto Uzumaki outside, and after resetting the barrier, the two returned to Jiraiya's home.

Meanwhile, at the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, several people were searching intently for something. The two people at the back were each carrying a white, naked figure on their shoulders.

This group was Orochimaru and his subordinates, dispatched by Naruto Uzumaki to hunt down White Zetsu.

Under Orochimaru's leadership, they had quickly captured two White Zetsu and rushed to the Land of Whirlpools.

Though called a country, it was really just a slightly larger island, so finding the ancestral grounds of the Uzumaki Clan wasn't difficult.

Usually, in such cases, the clan's secret buildings were located at the very center, so they soon arrived at the ruins of the Uzumaki Clan.

Traces of the great war could still be faintly seen here. Upon arrival, the group quickly split up to search.

Soon, Orochimaru found an entrance leading underground, summoned two snakes, and sent them inside.

After confirming there were no special traps, he led the way in. Before long, they arrived at a place resembling an altar.

They searched the altar carefully. Finally, Shisui Uchiha, who had activated his Sharingan, discovered a mechanism in an inconspicuous spot and pressed it.

As the mechanism engaged, a sound of grinding gears echoed from the wall ahead. Looking up, they saw the wall slowly receding inward.

A moment later, a passageway was revealed, and the lights inside flickered to life. The group followed the passage inside.

After several turns, they arrived at a chamber covered in runes—this was the true repository for the secrets of the Uzumaki Clan.

The room was lined with bookshelves filled with scrolls, but Orochimaru didn't immediately start reading them. Instead, he looked up at the masks hanging on the wall.

This was their mandatory objective—the Death God mask. Beneath the mask sat a table, and upon that table lay a leather scroll.

Seeing this, Orochimaru quickly stepped forward, picked up the scroll, and unfurled it. After a long while, a slightly hoarse voice emanated from Orochimaru, "Hehehe, this is it. Soon, I will be able to research a way to undo the Dead Demon Consuming Seal."

Afterward, Orochimaru sat down and began to study the scroll intently. Seeing this, Shisui Uchiha left Kimimaro and Jugo in charge of security, then took the Sound Four outside.

He had another mission to complete, one assigned to him by Naruto Uzumaki. After emerging from the underground, he ordered Tayuya to remain at the exit to keep watch, then signaled the other three.

Upon seeing the signal, Kidomaru and the others scattered, heading in different directions, and then Shisui Uchiha turned and left as well.

This was the other task Naruto Uzumaki had given him: after finding the Death God mask, he was to scout the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools to see if it could serve as a base for the organization.

Now that the Death God mask had been found, it was best to let Orochimaru study it carefully; leaving a few people to stand guard was merely to prevent any drifters on the island from disturbing him.

Time passed quickly, and by the next morning, the four had finished their exploration and returned to the starting point.

The group then exchanged information, and finally, Shisui Uchiha concluded, "No drifters were found on the island, and it is certain that no one has visited the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools for many years. It is suitable for establishing our organization here."

He then assigned tasks to everyone: he sent Tayuya and Kidomaru to find food, tasked Sakon with maintaining security, and as for Ichirambo, Shisui Uchiha had him go to the edge of the ruins to clear away the debris.

The group then departed to execute their assigned tasks, while Shisui Uchiha walked into the underground passage and arrived where Orochimaru was.

At this moment, Orochimaru was holding the Death God mask in one hand and flipping through the scroll with the other; the excited expression on his face made the progress of his research clear.

Seeing this, Shisui Uchiha did not disturb him, but simply stood to the side and watched quietly.

A long time later, Tayuya and Kidomaru brought over two roasted wild rabbits and some edible wild fruits.

After eating, Shisui Uchiha took them and left, though Orochimaru remained seated in the same spot, continuing his research.

Outside, Sakon and Ichirambo had already finished eating and were resting in place; seeing them emerge, both stood up.

Leaving Sakon at the entrance to keep watch, Shisui Uchiha led the others to the edge of the ruins and began the cleanup.

Although the Land of Whirlpools was merely an island, it contained a vast number of structures. Even though they were all ninjas, there were only so many of them, so the clearing process was relatively slow.

Usable materials were gathered and stacked in an open space, while anything unusable was lifted by Ichirambo and tossed into the sea.

During the clearing process, they found some tools, which accelerated the progress slightly.

On the other side, Naruto Uzumaki and Jiraiya arrived at the Hyuga Clan Compound early in the morning, as Hyuga Hiashi had expressed his hope to hold a more formal apprenticeship ceremony today.

Jiraiya understood the customs of these great clans, so he could only nod in agreement.

Because the Hyuga Clan was a prominent family in Konoha, Hyuga Hiashi had sent invitations to many of Konoha's clans and the village's famous ninjas.

The apprenticeship ceremony was arranged at the training ground. The props on the training ground had been dismantled the night before, replaced by a high platform for the ceremony. The platform was covered in a red carpet, with three chairs placed in the center, while tables and chairs were arranged below the platform.

By noon, all the invited guests had arrived, and the Great Elder of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Shige-kuni, stepped onto the platform.

Seeing this, the guests below knew the ceremony was about to begin, and they immediately ceased their activities and looked toward Hyuga Shige-kuni on the platform.

Seeing that the venue had quieted down, Hyuga Shige-kuni announced in a loud voice, "I declare the apprenticeship ceremony officially begun. Please, elders, take your seats."

After he spoke, Jiraiya, accompanied by Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata's parents, walked up. Jiraiya sat in the chair on the left with Naruto Uzumaki standing behind him, while Hyuga Hiashi sat on the right, with Hinata's mother, Hyuga Chushin, beside him.