Hidden Danger

Jiraiya walked alone at the very front, reaching up to rub his chin.

Feeling Naruto fall silent behind him, he wore a look of satisfaction.

Had his profound words finally made Naruto Uzumaki think?

"Hahahahaha, this is great!"

Suddenly, a short yellow figure dashed past behind him, shouting the whole way:

"If I look like the Fourth Hokage, that means I'm just as talented as he was, right? I really can become Hokage! This is great!"

"..."

Seeing Naruto like that, Lin Mu couldn't help but put a hand to his forehead and sigh softly.

You look like the Fourth Hokage... because he's your dad!

Jiraiya had already formed a profound smile, ready to offer Naruto Uzumaki a little more encouragement.

But when he saw Naruto, carried away with excitement, step in dog shit, even his composure began to crack.

The muscles in his face twitched a few times, and his expression shifted. At last, he pointed at Naruto and said with exasperation:

"The only things you have in common with the Fourth Hokage are your hair and your stubborn personality!"

"What did you say, you senile old Pervy Sage?!"

Naruto was so furious that he jumped up and charged at the Pervy Sage, starting a scuffle.

Lin Mu: "..."

All three of you are alike, okay?!

But then a smile appeared on his face, too.

Walking along like this... he really was having a great time!

As Jiraiya, Naruto Uzumaki, and Lin Mu walked along together, bickering and fooling around,

two figures in black cloaks embroidered with red clouds watched them from a rocky outcrop atop a distant mountain.

They were Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki!

After a long while, the mouth hidden beneath Kisame's cloak, lined with sharp teeth, moved slightly.

"Even if you could find a way to deal with him, I might not be able to... He's on a whole different level."

Itachi Uchiha kept his eyes fixed on Jiraiya and the others, speaking evenly.

"If we fight him, we'll both be killed. The best we could hope for is mutual destruction... Even if we had more people, the result wouldn't change, would it?"

Kisame's face resembled a shark's, making it difficult for him to show anything but a fearsome expression. Yet at the mention of Jiraiya, his expression shifted.

"I never expected the one protecting him to be one of the legendary Sannin... If he's our opponent, then whether it's the Uchiha Clan of Konoha or the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, we're all nobodies!"

"Mm. Still... even the strongest have weaknesses."

Itachi's tone remained cold. He rose to his feet, and his black pupils once again transformed into the red-glowing Sharingan.

Those eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything in the world!

In Kakashi's room in Konoha Ninja Village,

Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai, and Might Guy were all there, but Kakashi, the owner of the room, still lay unconscious in bed.

"From the look of things, they haven't found Naruto yet."

Might Guy sat on a chair, breaking the silence first.

"Don't you find that strange? They've already infiltrated the village. It should be easy to find Naruto here... Itachi knows what Naruto looks like!"

Asuma Sarutobi wasn't smoking. He kept fiddling with the cigarette case in his hand.

Tap, tap, tap...

Footsteps approached. Might Guy's eyes shifted, and he made a gesture for everyone to keep quiet.

"Kakashi!"

Sasuke Uchiha pushed the door open. His gaze fell on Kakashi, unconscious in bed, and his expression turned to surprise.

"Why is Kakashi lying in bed? And why are all the jonin here? What are you doing? What happened?!"

Sasuke Uchiha fired off a string of questions.

"It's... nothing."

Might Guy's gaze darted away as he tried to avoid the question.

Sasuke was about to press him when another ninja suddenly rushed into the room and shouted:

"I heard that Itachi is back. Is it true?"

The jonin all looked toward the ninja in the doorway, their expressions shifting slightly.

But the ninja clearly didn't understand the situation or pick up on the jonin's silent signals. He carried on without a second thought:

"And I heard he's looking for Naruto..."

Only after saying this did he notice Sasuke Uchiha standing in the middle of the room.

"..."

At the sound of the name that had appeared in his dreams countless times, blood-red veins spread across Sasuke's eyes.

Without looking back, he rushed out the door, a faint chill radiating from him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Sasuke Uchiha's figure flickered rapidly across the rooftops of Konoha.

His lips gradually curled into a cold smile.

"That guy actually came back to the village, and he's looking for Naruto. What's going on?"

Before long, he reached Naruto's home, only to find that Naruto wasn't there.

Sasuke's expression changed again, and he dashed off ahead.

"If that guy catches Naruto, he's dead! I absolutely can't let him succeed."

Sasuke ran frantically through the village, searching everywhere for Naruto Uzumaki.

Where is he? Where is he? Where?!

At last, Sasuke thought of a place. He turned and ran toward Ichiraku Ramen.

He rushed into the shop and immediately asked:

"Uncle, Naruto must have been here. Do you know where he went afterward?"

"..."

Teuchi scratched his head as he looked at Sasuke, who had come rushing in. A thoughtful expression crossed his face.

"Hmm... He came by at noon with Mr. Jiraiya and had some ramen... Then that kid Lin Mu showed up too... I think they said they were going to the Post Town near the village..."

Lin Mu? The Post Town?

Lin Mu was with Naruto?

Sasuke was completely confused.

But this wasn't the time to think about it. Once he'd gotten the location, he immediately ran out of the village.

At the same time, Jiraiya and the others arrived at the Post Town.

"Looks like a suspicious place..."

Naruto looked around and muttered.

But Jiraiya wore a knowing smile.

As though he knew the way by heart, he led Lin Mu and Naruto straight to an inn. After securing a room, he pressed the key into Lin Mu's hand.

Then he turned to Naruto and instructed him:

"Go back to your room first. Gather chakra and train, then go to sleep!"

With that, he walked away without looking back.

Lin Mu tilted his head. Seeing the sexy black-haired beauty pass by the entrance, he immediately understood.

He sighed and led Naruto off to find their room.

"What?!"

Lin Mu understood, but Naruto was still completely confused. Jiraiya had already gone far away, so all he could do was obediently follow Lin Mu back to their room to train.