When Naruto returned from Obito, he had a smug look on his face, leaving Nagato and Konan speechless. "What have you been doing? Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd beaten up that guy who calls himself Madara Uchiha!"
And you really have no manners.
Nagato looked at Naruto, who had once again barged into his basement with Sasuke, his face full of speechlessness. Although he knew that Naruto wouldn't cause any trouble, Nagato was still very annoyed by the "what can you do about it?" expression on Naruto's face.
What are you doing here?
Nagato's tone was somewhat unfriendly; he really didn't want to give these two people who had forcibly joined the organization the slightest bit of a friendly look.
But Naruto and Sasuke didn't care at all.
"Actually, Jiraiya is already the Hokage."
After Naruto spoke, Nagato, who had been looking annoyed, suddenly stopped. His face showed a mixture of shock, confusion, and nostalgia.
Konan, standing to the side, was also taken aback upon hearing the name Jiraiya. Even she hadn't expected that her former teacher Jiraiya, would become Hokage. However, when she thought about the organization's purpose, a hint of struggle appeared on her face. But she didn't say anything, and simply turned her gaze to Nagato.
Nagato's expression was also constantly shifting, and no one knew what he was thinking at that moment.
Sasuke, standing beside Naruto, watched their performance. He hadn't expected such a reaction from them after mentioning Jiraiya's name; their faces were as red as spilled paint, quite a sight. Could it be that these two knew Jiraiya? Had that guy been caught peeping at the girl bathing?
Furthermore, isn't Tsunade Hokage the village now? Why is Naruto saying it's Jiraiya? That's strange. Is Naruto plotting something?
Sasuke a reasonable guess...
As for Naruto, he was well aware of the connection between these two and Jiraiya. Before the tragedy unfolded, he was eager to know how they would react upon hearing that their former teacher had become the Hokage of Konoha. Would they, as before, bring suffering to the world in pursuit of peace? Or would they choose a path never before seen?
Nagato was also filled with mixed emotions. He never expected that his former teacher would become the Kage of Konoha. While congratulating Jiraiya felt a pang of bitterness. If Jiraiya- sensei had arrived sooner, would Yahiko have survived?
Moreover, his goal was to bring peace to the entire Shinobi World, but Konoha was a very large village, and he couldn't just bypass it. But Jiraiya was the Kage of that village, and he really didn't want to be on the opposite side of Jiraiya.
Just as Naruto was about to speak again, Nagato spoke, his voice dry and hoarse, like the parched and cracked earth in the desert.
"What Jiraiya? I don't know him, we're irrelevant."
Nagato's words echoed wildly in Konan's mind. She never expected Nagato to make such a choice in the end. A look of pain and struggle appeared on Konan's face, but she didn't say anything. She just lowered her head silently, not letting anyone see the expression on her face.
Even Naruto was surprised by Nagato's words and couldn't help but scoff.
"I don't know him/her, okay then."
After saying that, Naruto left with Sasuke. He had only intended to bluff the two of them, but he didn't expect such a big reaction.
However, now that Naruto knew the attitudes of these two people, he stopped paying too much attention. He had a new goal, because he could clearly sense two people approaching Amegakure, but they were too far away to guess who they were. Naruto really wanted to see these Akatsuki members; he thought they were all very interesting.
After Naruto and Sasuke left, Konan finally spoke to Nagato.
" Nagato... Jiraiya- sensei..."
Nagato didn't speak, only responding to Konan with silence. In truth, he himself didn't know how to face Jiraiya- sensei. He felt resentment and anticipation, his feelings were incredibly complex. In the end, he could only keep his words stuck in his throat and use silence to cover them up.
Seeing this, Konan could only sigh helplessly and stop asking questions.
On the other side, Naruto and Sasuke had just come out when they encountered the art duo who had just completed their mission. Art is divided into eternal art and fleeting art, each with its own merits.
Just like Deidara and Sasori of the Red Sand, the two have different tastes in art. One pursues eternal art, while the other pursues the art of the moment.
"Oh? Is this a newcomer to the organization?"
Deidara naturally noticed the Akatsuki's red cloud-patterned black robes on Naruto and Sasuke, and then asked:
Hiruko, secretly controlled by Scorpion, also raised her head and sized up the two people in front of her. Seeing that they had no artistic flair whatsoever, she lowered her head and stopped looking at her two new colleagues.
As for Deidara, he was much more enthusiastic in comparison, chattering away around the two of them, asking all sorts of questions.
He only became interested when he was asked about Sasuke, who turned out to be from the Uchiha Clan.
"Um, Sasuke, could you demonstrate your Genjutsu for me? I don't mean anything by it, I just want to witness the powerful Genjutsu of the Uchiha."
Seeing Deidara's pleading look, Sasuke couldn't refuse. Although he wasn't very good at Genjutsu, he still used his Sharingan to cast a small Genjutsu on Deidara. However, Deidara could easily break free from this level of Genjutsu.
He touched his chin, realizing he was almost there, but he didn't want to trouble Sasuke any further.
Naruto watched the two interacting like this and couldn't help but sigh. In the original story, these two were mortal enemies, but now they were getting along so harmoniously. It was simply unbelievable.
Just as Naruto was still thinking, Sasori's deep, hoarse voice came.
"Hey kid over there, do you know Orochimaru from Konoha?"
Naruto knew perfectly well why this guy was asking Orochimaru. If he remembered correctly, Kabuto Yakushi was actually a spy sent by Sasori of the Red Sand to Orochimaru's side. However, Kabuto Yakushi had too many identities, so Naruto wasn't surprised.
He simply nodded calmly, indicating that he understood.
To Naruto's surprise, Sasori of the Red Sand simply said:
"Good to know. Stay away from that guy; he's no pushover."
This... Naruto also found it a bit strange. Was this Sasori of the Red Sand really that easy to talk to?
"Hey, ignore Scorpion, he's not really normal. Come on, come on, I'll show you something funny."
As Deidara spoke, he pulled a handful of white clay from his small bag. A crack appeared in his palm, revealing a mouth. As his tongue emerged, it rolled the clay in, chewed for a moment, and then emerged as a lifelike white bird.
"Well, that's my skill. An explosion is art."
Naruto and Sasuke were amazed; they never expected this person could open a mouth on their hand.
As for Naruto, he thought differently from Sasuke. He just found Deidara a bit strange, ignoring Kurotsuchi and insisting on playing with clay...