"Well done!"
Shihōin Naraku withdrew his gaze. Konan and Black Zetsu had already left the area covered by his Observation Haki.
Naraku had said those words to Naruto Uzumaki.
After finishing his instructions to Black Zetsu, he had come straight to a route Naruto would have to take back to the village and waited for him.
Sure enough, Naruto appeared before him not long afterward.
But faced with Shihōin Naraku's praise, Naruto did not brighten up. Instead, his expression was somewhat grave and serious.
It was a stark contrast to the cheerful expression Naruto usually wore.
Of course, Naraku knew why.
After experiencing Jiraiya's grievous injuries, Minato Namikaze's appearance, and Nagato sacrificing himself to revive Konoha's villagers, Naruto seemed to have grown up overnight.
Although he still could not understand those complicated matters, Naruto was no longer as carefree as before.
But that was just as well. Naruto could not hide forever beneath a roof that sheltered him from the wind and rain.
Naraku walked ahead with his hands in his pockets, while Naruto followed behind in dejected silence. Neither had any intention of speaking.
Only after a long silence, as they were about to reach Konoha, did Naraku speak. "There's something I forgot to ask. Where are Jiraiya-sensei's arms?"
"I've already healed his injuries, but I couldn't find his severed arms. If we can find them, I can still reattach them."
"With time, they might recover to how they were before."
Hearing Jiraiya's name, Naruto immediately snapped out of his thoughts. "That's great! Pervy Sage is all right!"
The reason Naruto had gone berserk during the earlier battle was that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had severely injured Jiraiya and torn off both his arms.
Seeing such a horrific scene had naturally left Naruto unable to contain