Jiraiya and Tsunade Leave the Village

Inside Konoha Hospital, Tsunade changed into a white coat and once again performed a comprehensive examination on Kushina.

Outside the ward, two figures, one large and one small, stood waiting.

"So, you're preparing to leave the village?" Naraku muttered.

From Jiraiya, he had learned that he and Tsunade had made their decision; if the results of this check-up on Kushina showed no change, the two of them would prepare to depart the village.

Naraku could understand this. Given their personalities, the fact that they had stayed in Konoha for two years was already quite remarkable.

"Naraku, about Naruto, I..." Jiraiya looked at Naraku, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness.

In truth, both Jiraiya and Tsunade cared deeply for and loved Konoha, but the Konoha of today had lost its way in the hands of certain people.

Ever since the suicide of the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo, the village had been different from what it once was.

They could neither understand nor accept the actions of the Third Hokage, and it was under these circumstances that they chose to spend their years wandering outside the village.

For Jiraiya, as Minato's teacher, the fact that he couldn't even protect his own grand-student filled his heart with guilt.

Naraku shook his head slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "Master Jiraiya, leave Naruto's matter to me."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, heh, sooner or later I will make you pay the price, Naraku thought to himself.

He was different from Jiraiya. Jiraiya was, after all, the Third Hokage's student; no matter how disappointed he was, there were some things he simply could not bring himself to do.

But Naraku was different. He didn't have those kinds of reservations; his current forbearance was merely to accumulate strength.

Creak!

Tsunade walked out of the ward, a smile gracing her lips this time.

It seems the situation is good, Naraku thought to himself upon seeing this.

Sure enough, Tsunade confirmed his guess. "Kushina is recovering well. The results of the check-up show that her traumatized spirit has mostly recovered. She should be able to wake up in a few months at most."

"Little Naraku, you can rest easy now," Tsunade said, reaching out to ruffle Naraku's red hair.

Naraku resisted the urge to step back. In all of Konoha, Tsunade was the only one who would still do this to him; even Kakashi and Jiraiya rarely did so anymore.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," Naraku said, bowing.

"I told you, there's no need to be so formal," Tsunade waved her hand dismissively before continuing.

"By the way, I'll be leaving the village in a few days. If Kushina wakes up, have Shizune notify me, and I will return to check on her again."

With that, she turned and left.

So she didn't agree, after all? Watching her retreating figure, Naraku thought to himself, a flash of regret crossing his eyes.

As one of the Sannin, Naraku was extremely interested in the ninjutsu Tsunade possessed.

The devastating Strength of a Hundred, the Strength of a Hundred Technique that allowed for automatic healing, and the Yin Seal that could store chakra—these were all top-tier techniques in the ninja world.

In particular, the Strength of a Hundred Technique and the Yin Seal were, in Naraku's view, in no way inferior to the Adamantine Sealing Chains or the Kagura Mind Eye.

Some time ago, he had asked Jiraiya to help him inquire if Tsunade would be willing to teach him those two techniques. Although he knew it was a bit of a tall order, the temptation of the Yin Seal and the Strength of a Hundred Technique was simply too great.

It seemed that Tsunade had refused him.

"You brat, what are you thinking about!" Jiraiya, standing to the side, couldn't help but rap him on the head upon seeing his expression.

"I told you last time, you're too young right now; those two techniques aren't suitable for you," Jiraiya said with a laugh.

"Once you're an adult, Tsunade will teach them to you."

Hearing this, Naraku thought of the other function of the Yin Seal: eternal youth.

In that case, I really do have to wait until I'm an adult, Naraku thought, a wry smile appearing on his face as he looked at his 1.3-meter-tall frame.

After bidding him farewell, Jiraiya also left Konoha to begin his journey of "creative research."

"Big sister, please wake up soon. Naruto is already two years old; he really wants to see you!"

Before the hospital bed, Naraku looked at Kushina, who lay in a deep sleep, a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

Two years had passed, and he still hadn't managed to make the Third Hokage compromise; he still couldn't reveal his identity to Naruto.

However, because of him, Naruto's life wasn't as miserable as it had been in the original story; the days of eating expired instant noodles every day were a thing of the past.

"Sister, if you knew that Naruto and I still haven't acknowledged each other, you'd probably blame me, wouldn't you?"

So, I must accelerate the growth of my strength, Naraku thought to himself.

Because both Kushina and Naruto were Nine-Tails jinchuriki, their situation was precarious. Recently, Naraku had sensed many unfamiliar chakra fluctuations appearing near the hospital.

Is it Root?

Have they already figured something out?

By the time Naraku left Konoha, the sky had gradually darkened.

On the Hokage Rock, Naraku stood atop Minato's stone face, from where he could overlook the entire Konoha Village.

After setting up a simple isolation barrier, Naraku closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his irises had turned blood-red, and within those crimson pupils, three black tomoe slowly rotated.

Relying on his extraordinary mental fortitude, Naraku had managed to evolve his Sharingan to the three-tomoe state by the age of only seven.

Clang! Clang!

Two pale golden chains extended from Naraku's back.

Not only had his Sharingan made significant progress, but he had also achieved a preliminary mastery of the top-tier ninjutsu, the Adamantine Sealing Chains. However, he could currently only manifest two chains, a far cry from the nine that Kushina could use to rival the Nine-Tails.

He had also mastered the majority of the sealing techniques Kushina had left behind for him. While those techniques could not directly increase his combat power, they would likely prove exceptionally effective under certain circumstances.

According to Jiraiya, his current strength had already reached the level of a Special Jonin.

Jonin were divided into three tiers: Special Jonin, Jonin, and Elite Jonin.

Special Jonin referred to ninjas who possessed a specific, specialized skill; their overall strength might not have reached that of a standard Jonin, but they possessed one or two standout abilities.

Jonin, on the other hand, were ninjas with strong, well-rounded capabilities, the level at which Kakashi currently stood.

As for Elite Jonin, they were the strongest combatants below the Kage level.

"The next step is to increase my practical combat experience," Naraku muttered to himself.

If one were to judge solely by chakra volume and the number of ninjutsu mastered, the current Naraku was in no way inferior to any Elite Jonin.

At only seven years old, his chakra reserves already exceeded Kakashi's, reaching at least two "Kas."

Yet, Naraku knew deep down that a person's strength was not determined by these two factors alone.

If he were to engage in a life-or-death battle with Kakashi right now, he had no doubt that he would be the one to fall in the end.