Without the slightest hesitation.
And without any reluctance.
As the golden figure turned and headed straight back, Jiraiya looked at Naruto, whose appearance was so much like that of his disciple, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. A look of utter pain flickered in Jiraiya's eyes. Resolve and regret were two different things. Jiraiya would not hesitate, but he still felt heartbroken and regretful. Why hadn't he resolutely chosen to return to the village fifteen years ago? If he had shouldered the responsibility of being a "grandfather" and cared for Naruto wholeheartedly, things would never have come to this. No matter how resolute Naruto sounded, the root cause was still the twelve miserable years he had spent in Konohagakure, which had directly led him to defect from the village.
If he had made a different choice back then, would things have turned out completely differently now?
Probably, right?
At the very least, Naruto wouldn't be standing against Konoha. The worst-case scenario would still have been Naruto setting out to destroy the nations and unite the world, but Konoha would at least have remained the protagonist. Jiraiya also wouldn't have had to watch the village he loved clash with someone he had once cared for most.
'Is Namikaze Naruto Minato's son? It's hard to say who's right or wrong in a sentence or two, but with things having turned out this way, little Jiraiya must be in a terrible predicament.'
Standing on Jiraiya's right shoulder, Fukasaku glanced at his downcast expression. The Toad Sage, too, gave a quiet sigh in his heart.
"Little Jiraiya, if you have some time soon, you should make a trip to Mount Myōboku. The Great Sage seems to have something very important to discuss with you!"
Now that the alert had been lifted, the two Toad Sages,