After a Thousand Years of Death, Orochimaru personally treated the burns on Jiraiya's left arm as he perched awkwardly on the chair.
"Speaking of that boy Naruto, what do you intend to do?"
Orochimaru finally broached the subject that would shape the future.
"Forgive my bluntness, but the gap between him and Sasuke-kun has already grown beyond anything effort or instruction can bridge."
Jiraiya's expression darkened. Clearly, he felt lost about it himself.
Orochimaru said, "There are only two choices: keep the truth from Naruto, or tell him."
"If you choose not to tell him, there are another two paths you can take."
"First, you can go back as though nothing happened and keep to your current pace, letting him grow naturally as he continues trying to bring Sasuke back."
"Second, you can take it further and simply pretend Sasuke killed you. As for the reason, you understand..."
Jiraiya said, "How could I possibly do that?! Driving a child to grow through deception isn't what a parent or teacher should do! That boy has already lost too much. I don't want to take away the one thing he still has—someone he can trust!"
Orochimaru said, "But the future is cruel, you know. The facts have already proven that Naruto's Ninja Way cannot save the Shinobi World from the gods."
Jiraiya said, "The future is the future, and Naruto is Naruto. Don't lump them together, you bastard!"
Orochimaru said, "If you keep your muscles that tense, I can't stitch up your wound."
"Sigh."
Jiraiya relaxed his muscles and said solemnly, "The future we faced in that previous life wasn't something any one person's Ninja Way could change. There's nothing wrong with Naruto's Ninja Way itself. We suffered because we lacked information. We didn't understand our enemies well enough, so we had