Konoha.
Naruto, who had secretly returned to Konoha from Mount Myōboku, stood before a grave with a sorrowful expression.
The moment he returned to Konoha, he saw that the mountain range where Kage Rock had stood was gone. Before he could even react in shock, Jiraiya told him that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had died on the battlefield.
In his heart, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had always been a kind, gentle old man. Naruto had felt warmth from him. To Naruto, the Third Hokage had been like a grandfather.
"Naruto." Jiraiya stood behind Naruto, his face equally filled with grief. He looked at Naruto. "You need to pull yourself together soon. The old man showed us what the Will of Fire meant with his life, and he gave his life to uphold it. For a shinobi to meet his end on the battlefield, we should be happy for him."
"Pervy Sage, I know. I understand..." Naruto lowered his head, his blond hair drooping, and spoke quietly. "But it still hurts!"
"Naruto, you need to become truly strong. The Akatsuki may have been destroyed, but that doesn't mean the shinobi world is at peace," Jiraiya said earnestly.
Naruto kept his head lowered and remained silent for a long time, seemingly thinking something over.
After a long while, Naruto raised his head and looked at Jiraiya. "Pervy Sage, I want to get stronger. I want to become stronger than a Hokage so I can better protect the village and my comrades!"
Seeing the determination in Naruto's eyes, Jiraiya fell into a momentary daze. He thought of his student, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Jiraiya smiled. "Naruto, becoming strong takes training harder than you could ever imagine. Are you ready for that?"
"Pervy Sage, I've been ready for a long time.