You and the Fourth Hokage Are Very Much Alike

"Not..."

Itachi Uchiha quickly regained his composure and continued in his cold, mechanical voice.

"It's the legacy of the Fourth Hokage!"

Kakashi furrowed his brow, recalling a conversation he'd had with Jiraiya.

That conversation had been about Naruto, the Nine-Tails, and...

"An organization called Akatsuki, made up of nine ninjas..."

"The problem is that its members are all wanted criminals—S-rank fugitives, every last one of them, with one or two odd quirks!"

"And Itachi is one of them!"

Jiraiya's words surfaced in Kakashi's mind, one after another.

Now he knew what Itachi Uchiha was after.

The Nine-Tails inside Naruto!

"I know you're not the only ones carrying out this operation. Your organization is called Akatsuki?"

When Kakashi said the organization's name, Itachi Uchiha's composure wavered for the second time.

The first had been when he heard Sasuke Uchiha's name.

He spoke indifferently:

"Kisame, take Mr. Kakashi away. As for the other two, make them disappear!"

A casual remark had decided the fate of all three!

Kisame nodded to himself, then charged toward Kakashi and the others at an astonishing speed, swinging his greatsword.

"Konoha: Steel Strength Whirlwind!"

Suddenly, a voice full of passion rang out.

A huge splash erupted from the river as Kisame Hoshigaki was kicked flying.

When he saw the muscular figure in a green jumpsuit, Kakashi could hold on no longer. He toppled into the water.

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

Seeing this, Kisame Hoshigaki swung his greatsword and prepared to charge back into the fray.

"Stop."

Itachi Uchiha's calm voice rang out again, stopping Kisame.

"We didn't come here to start a war. It's unfortunate, but there's no need to stay. We're going back."

"I was just starting to get fired up... Guess it can't be helped!"

Kisame bared his sharp teeth, looking a little disappointed. But in the next instant, he vanished with Itachi Uchiha, and the two left the area.

In a picturesque countryside, birds sang among fragrant flowers as a river flowed gently by.

Naruto Uzumaki was terribly excited, chattering away like a little bird.

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

A row of black lines slowly appeared over Jiraiya's head. Another row appeared over Lin Mu's, as he followed behind him.

There was no time to lose in training. In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.

Lin Mu arrived at Ichiraku Ramen right on time. Jiraiya and Naruto Uzumaki were already eating.

A steaming bowl of ramen sat beside Naruto.

Lin Mu smiled knowingly and sat down without hesitation, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating.

He didn't forget to mumble through his food:

"Thanks for treating us, Lord Jiraiya!"

"Hmph, you little brat!"

Jiraiya snorted and reached his big hand over Naruto to grab Lin Mu's head. The three of them started horsing around.

After they finished eating, they set off together to train.

Along the way, Lin Mu truly experienced just how painful it must be for the Nine-Tails, who was stuck with Naruto Uzumaki all the time.

Naruto was a chatterbox through and through. He prattled nonstop, firing off all sorts of questions along the way.

It gave both Jiraiya and Lin Mu a massive headache.

"..."

Jiraiya suddenly stopped.

He raised his head slightly and glanced down at Naruto, his gaze serious.

"You keep calling me Pervy Sage. Don't you know I'm an incredibly impressive person?"

"Ah... an incredibly impressive Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya felt personally attacked.

"Listen up!"

Jiraiya clenched his fist and took a few quick steps onto a bridge ahead.

He danced his signature dance as he spoke:

"Toad Sage is the name I use to hide from the world! There's nothing to hide. I am..."

He tossed his head, sending his needle-like white hair flying, and shouted in a rhythmic voice:

"One of the Sannin, unrivaled under heaven, from east to west, north to south! The White-Haired Boy, the Toad Messenger, the handsome man who could silence even a crying child—Lord Jiraiya!"

"That's me!"

Jiraiya struck a series of exaggerated poses, gazing at Naruto with eager anticipation.

"...Oh."

Naruto looked utterly confused, then continued walking forward without changing his expression.

Jiraiya was left frozen in place, still holding his exaggerated pose.

Lin Mu, bringing up the rear, was awkward for a moment too.

But he quickly recovered and cheered aloud:

"Ah! Lord Jiraiya, you're so cool! The title of Sannin is so impressive! It's truly an honor to train under you!"

His flurry of compliments turned Jiraiya's stiff expression first to one of contentment, then into a broad smile.

What a good kid!

Jiraiya took a few steps back, came over to Lin Mu, put an arm around his neck, and laughed. "As long as you train hard with me, one day you'll be as strong as I am!"

Lin Mu nodded repeatedly, his gaze full of admiration and his expression perfectly earnest.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Jiraiya was in such a good mood that he stopped paying attention to Naruto Uzumaki, who was walking ahead by himself.

Instead, he grabbed Lin Mu by the arm and regaled him with tales of his impressive exploits over the years.

Lin Mu naturally played along as enthusiastically as he could. His well-timed expressions and just-right questions made Jiraiya feel even better.

Jiraiya liked Lin Mu more and more.

He was much sharper than that clueless little brat, Naruto Uzumaki!

A while later.

Naruto Uzumaki couldn't hold back any longer. He turned around and hurried back to Jiraiya and Lin Mu.

"Pervy Sage! Pervy Sage! You're so amazing, and you brought me along on this trip. It must be because I've got some really amazing hidden talent, right?"

Naruto tipped his face up and grinned at Jiraiya as he asked.

But before Jiraiya could answer, he started bouncing around on his own, looking thrilled.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! I knew it!"

Jiraiya and Lin Mu: "..."

What made you think we agreed?!

"Why did you choose me?"

Naruto bounced back over and looked up at Jiraiya, full of anticipation.

For once, Jiraiya grew serious and spoke:

"I once took the Fourth Hokage as my student... And you have a rather interesting resemblance to him."

"That's... the reason!"

After saying this, Jiraiya walked off without looking back.

Lin Mu hurried after him.

Naruto alone remained rooted to the spot, a strange glimmer in his eyes as he seemed to ponder something.

"I'm a lot like the Fourth Hokage..."