Walking out of the Hidden Leaf Village, a smile hung on Jiraiya's lips.
It was unclear whether it was because he had gained a lot of valuable writing knowledge from Naruto, or because of the chain hotpot restaurant investment he had just agreed upon with Kakashi.
Or perhaps, there were other factors?
"Say, Jiraiya-sensei, are you really looking forward to the Third Hokage's death that much?"
After walking for a while, Naruto suddenly spoke out of the blue.
Jiraiya, who was lost in some pleasant thoughts and smiling like an idiot, subconsciously replied, "Yeah, I've never liked him."
"..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiraiya realized that he seemed to have said something significant.
However, looking to the side, Sakura was focused on reading her book.
It was unclear whether she hadn't heard or didn't care.
Naruto, on the other hand, had a thoughtful expression. "No wonder you dragged it out until this point to take us to find Tsunade. Jiraiya-sensei, you really know how to pick your days. Did you already know that Orochimaru was planning to attack the village?"
In the manga, he knew a month in advance that Orochimaru was going to cause trouble in Konoha, but when the time came, Jiraiya went off to the wilderness.
And now, Jiraiya, who should have found Tsunade long ago, was also taking Naruto, the important Nine Tails Jinchuriki battle force, out of the village at this sensitive time.
If Jiraiya didn't have other ideas, Naruto wouldn't believe it even if he was beaten to death.
"Are you disappointed in Sarutobi Hiruzen? My parents died, all of Tsunade-sama's relatives died in battle or in Wood Release Bloodline Limit experiments, leaving her alone, wandering outside under the guise of hemophobia, afraid to return to the village that gave birth to her, raised her, and was created by her grandfather."
"And your best friend, Orochimaru, was also forced to defect from the village."
"You harbor resentment towards Sarutobi Hiruzen, but you are unwilling to attack him because of old feelings, so you chose to remain neutral?"
Listening to Naruto's harsh words, the smile on Jiraiya's face disappeared, replaced by a look as if he had seen a ghost.
It was as if Naruto had peered into his heart.
However, Jiraiya remained silent, ultimately not refuting anything.
Because what Naruto said was the most real thought hidden in his heart, something he had never told anyone else.
Jiraiya loved the village and had a burning Will of Fire in his heart, but Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions were constantly challenging his bottom line.
If Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Three Ninja really had such deep feelings for their teacher, then Orochimaru, the villain who murdered his teacher, would not have been spared from being held accountable after the manga ended, and would not have returned to the Hidden Leaf Village openly.
After a moment, Jiraiya finally said, "Since you've guessed my thoughts, Naruto, what are your thoughts now? About the village, about the Hokage, about my actions at this moment, do you have anything to say?"
Since Naruto had already guessed his thoughts, but was still willing to come out with him at this time, it proved that even if their ideas were not completely the same, they were at least standing on the same side at this moment.
Jiraiya knew Naruto's strength. If he didn't leave the village, then no matter how many calculations outsiders had, they would be in vain in the face of absolute power.
"Orochimaru will not succeed, Sarutobi Hiruzen will only die in my hands," Naruto said calmly.
"Are you going to do something?" Jiraiya frowned.
Even if Naruto said he was going to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen, Jiraiya didn't show much emotion.
"No, I won't do anything. I will enjoy this journey with Jiraiya-sensei. The knife you chose, named Orochimaru, has too much greed in his heart. He will not succeed."
Naruto said in a relaxed tone.
Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan this time wasn't truly about destroying Konoha.
Hidden beneath the surface were Orochimaru's three great desires and demands.
First, naturally, was Sasuke Uchiha, the living body with the Sharingan Bloodline Limit. Orochimaru wanted to use him as a stepping stone to obtain even greater power and avenge his defeat against Itachi.
Second, it was to remove Sarutobi Hiruzen, this withered and decaying leaf, to allow the village to break free from his muddled and corrupt rule and regain its vitality.
Third, it was to take the opportunity to weaken and beat up the Sand Ninja, this dishonest ally, so that they could only continue to be Konoha's underlings.
Orochimaru's desires and demands were supported by Danzo within Konoha, tolerated by powerhouses like Jiraiya and Tsunade, and fueled by the deliberate or unintentional cooperation of various Konoha clans.
Thus, in the manga, Orochimaru seemingly accidentally, but in reality inevitably, created a quiet 1v1 battlefield with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After years of growth, Orochimaru already possessed strength surpassing the aged and weakened Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But he never expected that his teacher was holding onto an Ultimate One-for-One Exchange, the Reaper Death Seal, which led to the later story of the prince chasing his wife for thousands of miles.
But in reality, Orochimaru would never succeed from the start.
Because Sasuke's strength at this moment was actually greater than his own three years later.
If he suffered a setback in the first step of the plan, and even the executor of the plan was seriously injured as a result, then naturally there would be no subsequent unfolding of the Konoha Crush Plan.
Just as Naruto said, Sarutobi Hiruzen would only die at his hands.
"Then let's have a good trip. Ahead is the famous tourist city, Maple Leaf City. Let's stay here tonight. I'll take you to eat something delicious, hahaha."
Jiraiya understood Naruto's meaning. No matter what thoughts he had in his heart, he had also chosen to let it go at this moment.
As for whether Orochimaru could succeed, that was none of his business.
Naruto smiled in response, put down his thoughts, hummed a song, and leisurely surveyed the scenery along the way.
As for Sakura, she had been looking down at her book from beginning to end.
The airflow isolated the spread of sound.
Therefore, she knew nothing about their conversation.
In the evening, they arrived at Maple Leaf City. Hearing that Jiraiya was treating, and that they would have a luxurious beef dinner, Sakura cheered for it.
Seeing this, a smile couldn't help but appear on Jiraiya's face.
It was just a bit painful when paying the bill.
At night, Sakura was already asleep, and Jiraiya didn't know where he had gone to fool around.
As for Naruto, he took out his black wig, fox mask, and black sable coat, and cosplayed as Menma Namikaze.
With a Flying Thunder God Technique, he had already appeared in the Death Forest not far outside Hidden Leaf Village.
Kagura Mind's Eye activated, and with a slight sense, Naruto had already discovered a figure with particularly strong vitality and Chakra.
"Karin?"
He muttered in his mouth, and then Naruto activated the Anti-Gravity Magnetic Field Flight Technique, and silently floated in the direction he sensed.
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