You and the Fourth Hokage are very alike

"It's not..."

Itachi Uchiha quickly regained his composure, continuing in a tone as cold and mechanical as a machine.

"It is the legacy of the Fourth Hokage!"

Kakashi frowned, his mind flashing back to a conversation he had with Jiraiya.

That conversation was about Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails, and...

"An organization called Akatsuki, composed of nine ninjas..."

"The problem is the members of the organization; those guys are all S-rank criminals who are wanted and possess one or two eccentricities!"

"And among those members, there is also that Itachi!"

Sentence after sentence from Jiraiya surfaced in Kakashi's mind.

He now understood Itachi Uchiha's intentions.

The target was the Nine-Tails inside Naruto Uzumaki!

"I know that there are more than just the two of you acting. The organization is called Akatsuki, right?"

Upon hearing Kakashi speak the name of the organization, Itachi Uchiha's emotions fluctuated for the second time.

The first time was when he heard the name Sasuke Uchiha.

He spoke indifferently:

"Kisame Hoshigaki, take Mr. Kakashi away, and let the other two disappear!"

A casual remark decided the fate of the three!

Kisame Hoshigaki nodded secretly, then rushed toward Kakashi and the others at an astonishing speed, his great sword swinging.

"Leaf Steel Strength Whirlwind!"

Suddenly, a passionate voice rang out.

A massive splash erupted on the river surface, and Kisame Hoshigaki was kicked away.

Seeing this robust figure in a green bodysuit appear, Kakashi could no longer hold on and collapsed into the water.

Might Guy bent down, fished Kakashi out of the water, and hoisted him onto his shoulder.

Seeing this, Kisame Hoshigaki brandished his great sword, intending to rush up and fight again.

"Stop."

At this moment, Itachi Uchiha's calm voice rang out again, stopping Kisame Hoshigaki.

"We are not here to start a war. Although it is a pity, there is no need to stay here any longer. Let's head back."

"I was just starting to get excited... oh well!"

Kisame Hoshigaki bared his sharp teeth, seemingly regretful, but in the next second, his figure flashed, and he left the place directly with Itachi Uchiha.

In a beautiful field, birds chirped, flowers bloomed, and a river flowed slowly.

Naruto Uzumaki was extremely excited now, chattering away like a bird.

"Hey, hey, hey, Pervy Sage! What kind of ninjutsu are you going to teach me this time? You taught me how to walk on water before, are you going to teach me how to walk on fire this time? Or walk in the air?"

A row of black lines gradually slid down Jiraiya's forehead, and a row of black lines also slid down the forehead of Lin Mu, who was following behind Jiraiya.

Time flies during training; in the blink of an eye, a week had passed.

Lin Mu arrived at Ichiraku Ramen on time, and by then, Jiraiya and Naruto Uzumaki were already eating noodles.

Beside Naruto Uzumaki sat a steaming bowl of ramen.

Lin Mu smiled knowingly and, without standing on ceremony, sat down on the stool, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.

He didn't forget to mumble while eating:

"Thank you for the treat, Lord Jiraiya!"

"Hmph, you brat!"

Jiraiya snorted, reached out a large hand over Naruto Uzumaki, and grabbed Lin Mu's head, and the group began to horse around.

After eating, they set off together to continue their training.

Along the way, Lin Mu truly realized how painful it must be for the Nine-Tails to be stuck with Naruto Uzumaki all the time.

Naruto Uzumaki was a true chatterbox; he chirped incessantly along the way, with an endless stream of questions.

It gave both Jiraiya and Lin Mu a massive headache.

"..."

Jiraiya suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He raised his head slightly, squinting down at Naruto Uzumaki, and said profoundly:

"You keep calling me Pervy Sage, you don't know that I'm a very impressive person, do you!"

"Ah... a very impressive Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya felt as though he had been struck.

"Listen up!"

Jiraiya clenched his fists tightly and leaped a few paces onto a bridge ahead.

While performing his signature dance, he declared:

"The Toad Sage is a title hidden from the world! But there is nothing to hide, for I am..."

He twisted his head, whipping his needle-like white hair around, and shouted in a rhythmic voice:

"The one who knows no north, south, east, or west, one of the invincible Sannin, the White-Haired Boy, the Toad Messenger, the handsome man who can make even a crying child fall silent—Lord Jiraiya!"

"That is me!"

Jiraiya waved his body, striking an exaggerated pose, his gaze filled with anticipation as he looked at Naruto Uzumaki.

"...Oh."

Naruto Uzumaki looked bewildered, then continued walking forward with a blank expression.

He left Jiraiya standing frozen in that exaggerated pose.

Lin Mu, trailing at the very back, felt awkward for a second.

But he reacted at top speed, letting out a cheer.

"Ah! Lord Jiraiya, you are so cool! The title of Sannin is truly majestic! It is my honor to be able to train with Lord Jiraiya!"

A barrage of flattery followed, causing Jiraiya's expression to shift from stiff to comfortable, finally breaking into a wide grin.

Good lad!

Jiraiya stepped back a few paces, came directly to Lin Mu's side, threw an arm around his neck, and laughed: "As long as you train hard with me, one day you will be just as powerful as I am!"

Lin Mu nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with admiration, his expression perfectly on point.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Jiraiya was in a great mood and stopped paying any attention to Naruto Uzumaki, who was walking alone ahead.

Instead, he grabbed Lin Mu's arm and began recounting his own glorious deeds from over the years.

Lin Mu naturally cooperated to the fullest; his spot-on expressions and well-timed questions made Jiraiya feel even more at ease.

He found Lin Mu more and more pleasing to the eye.

He was much sharper than that brat Naruto Uzumaki, who had no sense of the situation!

After a while.

Naruto Uzumaki could no longer hold it in; he stepped backward and returned to the side of Jiraiya and Lin Mu.

"Pervy Sage! Pervy Sage! Since a Pervy Sage as amazing as you would take me out on a trip, it must be because of that, right? I must be hiding some incredible talent!"

Naruto tilted his face up, grinning as he asked Jiraiya.

But before Jiraiya could answer, he began jumping around on his own, looking extremely happy and lively.

"Hahahahahaha, it must be that!"

Jiraiya, Lin Mu: "..."

Which eye of yours saw us showing any sign of agreement?!

"Why did you choose me?"

Naruto hopped back, looked up at Jiraiya, his face full of expectation.

Jiraiya turned uncharacteristically serious for a moment and said:

"I once took the Fourth Hokage as my disciple... and you share a very interesting resemblance to that Fourth Hokage."

"That... is the reason!"

After saying this, Jiraiya walked away without looking back.

Lin Mu quickly followed.

Only Naruto remained standing in place, a unique light flickering in his eyes as if he were pondering something.

"I am very similar to the Fourth Hokage..."