Leaving Konoha

Hyuga Shige-kuni saw that the three were seated and continued, "I ask the disciple's parents to present the Apprenticeship Letter."

At this, Hyuga Hiashi stood up and respectfully handed the Apprenticeship Letter to Jiraiya. After receiving it, Jiraiya looked it over and nodded with satisfaction.

Seeing this, Hyuga Shige-kuni said, "I ask the disciple's elders to present the Six Apprenticeship Gifts to the master."

Hyuga Chushin then rose, took the Six Apprenticeship Gifts from a clansman standing nearby, and passed them to Hyuga Hiashi, who then presented the gifts to Jiraiya.

After Jiraiya accepted the gifts, he nodded to Hyuga Hiashi and his wife, and the two returned to their seats.

"I ask the disciple to come forward and pay respects."

Hinata walked up, handed the gift box she was holding to Jiraiya, and bowed to him.

Once the ceremony concluded, Jiraiya helped Hinata up.

He then signaled for Naruto Uzumaki behind him to bring out his gift, and Naruto pulled a book from his pack and handed it to Jiraiya.

Taking the book, Jiraiya said to Hinata, "This book is the first novel I ever wrote. Its original owner was my first disciple. Now, I pass it to you, hoping you will inherit the will written within these pages."

Hinata took the book, held it to her chest, and said earnestly, "Please rest assured, Teacher."

Hyuga Shige-kuni then announced, "The ceremony is complete. Elders and disciple, please take your seats."

Everyone on the stage then moved to the tables below.

"Thank you all for coming to witness this ceremony. Please, eat well and drink well. Serve the food!" After saying this, Hyuga Shige-kuni stepped down from the high platform, and the Hyuga Clan members who had been waiting nearby immediately brought the prepared dishes to the tables.

Hinata ran to the side, took out a smaller gift box, and handed it to Naruto Uzumaki. "Naruto-kun, this is a gift for you."

"Oh? Thank you, Hinata! I didn't expect to receive a gift too," Naruto Uzumaki said happily.

Hinata giggled and replied, "Now that you're my senior brother, Naruto-kun, I prepared a gift for you as well."

Naruto Uzumaki didn't say anything more, happily accepted the gift, and began to eat.

After the ceremony, Jiraiya said to Hyuga Hiashi, "Hiashi, I plan to set off with Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata tomorrow morning. I'll head back now to prepare."

"Very well, sorry to trouble you, Jiraiya," Hyuga Hiashi said.

Declining Hyuga Hiashi's offer to see them off, Jiraiya left with Naruto Uzumaki.

Early the next morning, Jiraiya and Naruto Uzumaki finished their training and opened the gift Hinata had given them the day before. Inside, they found a set of clothes.

The style was identical: long, black Imperial God Robes. The only difference was that Jiraiya's had the character for "Master" embroidered in red on the back, while Naruto Uzumaki's had the character for "Disciple."

They both donned the Imperial God Robes and found them to be a perfect fit, realizing that Hinata must have had them custom-made.

After checking the mirror and nodding in satisfaction, they locked the door and headed toward the Hyuga Clan Compound.

By then, the members of the Hyuga Clan were already waiting at the gate with Hinata, who was wearing an Imperial God Robe identical to Naruto Uzumaki's.

Seeing Jiraiya arrive, Hyuga Hiashi stepped forward and produced an envelope. "Jiraiya, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please, use it for your travel expenses during your training."

"Hiashi, since I have accepted Hinata as my personal disciple, I will provide all the resources she needs for her training. Take this back," Jiraiya said, waving him off.

Seeing this, Hyuga Hiashi said no more and tucked the envelope back into his pocket.

Next came the farewell between Hinata and her family. Hinata's mother pulled her aside for some quiet instructions, while Hanabi stood to the side, watching Hinata with reluctance.

After the farewells, Jiraiya pulled a parcel from his robes, handed it to Hyuga Hiashi, and glanced at Naruto Uzumaki beside him.

Hyuga Hiashi understood what it was and accepted it solemnly.

Jiraiya then left with Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata. He didn't go to report their departure to the Third Hokage—not for any particular reason, he was simply too lazy to do so.

Once they were outside the borders of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki used the Flying Thunder God Mark to transport them to Wind-Listening Valley. Seeing Naruto Uzumaki use the technique for the first time, Hinata was stunned.

She had never even heard of such a ninjutsu, so she asked Naruto Uzumaki, "Naruto-kun, what technique is this?"

"This ninjutsu is called the Flying Thunder God Mark. It's normal that you haven't heard of it, as it has been lost for a long time. I just gave the Flying Thunder God Mark to your father, so whenever you want, you can come home to visit," Naruto Uzumaki replied with a smile.

"Oh? Even from far away?" Hinata asked, looking dazed.

Naruto Uzumaki wore a proud expression. "This is my father's signature technique. As long as there is a mark, no matter where you are, you can reach your destination in an instant."

Hinata looked puzzled. "Naruto-kun's father?"

"I'll tell you about that slowly," Naruto Uzumaki said, pausing.

There was still much to tell Hinata, and it couldn't be explained all at once. The current priority was to reach the Land of Whirlpools.

Naruto Uzumaki and Jiraiya then led Hinata into the cave.

Naruto Uzumaki asked Hinata and Jiraiya to hold onto him, then formed a seal and vanished from the spot.

When they reappeared, Naruto Uzumaki had arrived at the Altar in the Land of Whirlpools. Sakon, who was guarding the area, saw someone suddenly appear and was about to attack, but remembering the instructions from Shisui Uchiha, he held back.

After scouting the island, Shisui Uchiha had placed a kunai with the Flying Thunder God Mark next to the Altar and told Sakon to wait there and report immediately if anyone appeared.

Sakon asked Naruto Uzumaki to wait a moment and ran out. Soon, Shisui Uchiha walked in with him. Seeing that it was indeed Naruto Uzumaki, he asked, "Is everything finished in Konoha?"

Naruto Uzumaki nodded. "It's done. I came over to take a look first, and I'll go pick up the Pervy Sage and the others in a moment."

"That's good. I've already scouted the island; it's perfectly suitable for establishing our organization. I'm currently leading them in clearing the ruins," Shisui Uchiha said.

Naruto Uzumaki looked at his dust-covered clothes and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Shisui. I'll go bring the supplies over first, then I'll join you to help with the clearing."

After saying this, Naruto Uzumaki used the Flying Thunder God Mark to return to the cave and informed Jiraiya of the situation.

Aside from the Crystal Ball and the shadow clone using it, Naruto Uzumaki intended to take everything else in the cave; after all, the plan was about to begin, and these supplies would come in handy.

He then enveloped Hinata, Jiraiya, and all the supplies in spirit energy and used the Flying Thunder God to arrive at the Altar.

Upon arriving, Naruto Uzumaki formed hand seals to create several shadow clones, ordering them to move all the supplies to the side. He then walked over to Orochimaru, carrying the still-cursing head of Hidan. "Orochimaru, how is the research coming along?"

Seeing that it was Naruto Uzumaki, Orochimaru replied respectfully, "It is nearly complete. However, once the Dead Demon Consuming Seal is undone, this body of mine will be spent. I would like to have Kimimaro and Jugo go to the Land of Fields to retrieve the vessel I have prepared."

Naruto Uzumaki nodded in agreement. "Very well. Let me know when you are ready."

Orochimaru answered in the affirmative, then noticed the living head in Naruto Uzumaki's hand. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Hidan from the Akatsuki's Immortal Duo. He asked, "My lord, this is?"

"Hidan. You should recognize him. Once the Dead Demon Consuming Seal is undone, he will be your next research subject. Furthermore, I have Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear as well, which I will hand over to you. That way, you won't need to change bodies every three years," Naruto Uzumaki said with a nod.

Orochimaru's expression betrayed a hint of excitement. Although Living Corpse Reincarnation could extend his lifespan, finding suitable vessels was incredibly difficult. He was well aware of Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear; it had been one of his primary targets when he first joined the Akatsuki.

He then stood up and accompanied Naruto Uzumaki to where the others were clearing the ruins. Naturally, Hinata and Jiraiya followed along.

Seeing them approach, everyone stopped their work and looked up.

Orochimaru stepped forward, pointed at Jiraiya, and said, "This is the new leader of our organization. From now on, follow his instructions. The two beside him are his disciples."

The six people he had brought nodded in acknowledgment. Behind them, Hinata finally understood the purpose of their visit.

Orochimaru then turned to Kimimaro and Jugo. "Return to the Land of Fields now and bring the vessel I prepared here."

The two nodded, said "Yes," and departed immediately.

After they left, Jiraiya said, "Naruto Uzumaki, you take charge of the arrangements."

Naruto Uzumaki surveyed the surroundings. There was too much to clear and too few hands, so he said, "There is no need to sort the remaining areas. Just dump everything into the sea. We have more than enough capital for the initial construction, so there is no need for such trouble."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Naruto Uzumaki continued, "Everyone take a section and clear the ruins as quickly as possible. We will assign specific tasks afterward."

Under Naruto Uzumaki's command, everyone moved to their designated spots and began the cleanup. As for how they cleared it, they naturally used ninjutsu.

The reason the cleanup had been slow before was the need to salvage usable items; using ninjutsu would have destroyed everything.

Now that sorting was no longer required, everyone unleashed their most powerful techniques.

Shisui Uchiha was the first to act. His Mangekyo Sharingan manifested instantly, and a green, flesh-clad Susanoo enveloped him. He controlled the Susanoo to sweep its hand through the ruins, clearing the area in an instant as the debris was sent flying toward the sea by the sheer force.

Jiraiya, not to be outdone, quickly activated his Spirit Energy Body Infusion. He formed hand seals and unleashed Wind Release: Pressure Damage.

A violent gale erupted from his mouth, growing increasingly intense under the reinforcement of his spirit energy, blowing the debris toward the ocean.

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