"So, the person who attacked the village back then was connected to the Akatsuki, and the Akatsuki's founder was your student, old man?"
Naruto had been listening from the side. When Jiraiya and Sarutobi fell silent, he spoke up, breaking the silence.
Jiraiya gave a bitter smile, then nodded.
"Naruto, what do you think?" Jiraiya asked instinctively as he looked at Naruto, only to reproach himself immediately afterward.
How could I leave such a heavy topic to Naruto?
It had been such a lovely evening. They had finished their training at Mount Myōboku, returned to their familiar little home, and even planned to soak in the hot springs that night to unwind.
He had never expected to receive news like this...
Ah, life really was unpredictable.
"All right, Jiraiya, go find Tsunade and bring her back first. Konoha has already formed an alliance with Kirigakure, and we share the same stance toward the Akatsuki."
Sarutobi cleared his throat, not giving Naruto a chance to speak.
"We haven't reached the point of outright war yet. Now that we know where the Akatsuki is based, we can start gathering intelligence. After all, they have the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
Jiraiya fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"As for bringing Tsunade back, you can take Naruto along," Sarutobi added helplessly, looking at the somewhat distracted Jiraiya.
After all, given Jiraiya's current state, Sarutobi would feel a little more at ease if he took Naruto along.
For one thing, Naruto's identity made him particularly well suited to persuading Tsunade to return. Her grandfather was inside Naruto's stomach, after all.
For another, having Naruto beside Jiraiya would effectively keep Jiraiya from sneaking off halfway to Amegakure to fight his former student to the bitter end.
After all, Sarutobi had watched Jiraiya