After leaving the seal space, Naruto paused in thought, then quickly formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone. After checking the map, his real body transformed into a new outfit and instantly activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, teleporting straight to the Forest of Death.
Following the same route Orochimaru had taken during his last escape, Naruto swiftly crossed the barrier and arrived at another forest beyond the Hidden Leaf Village.
After carefully confirming the direction, Naruto swung his right hand forward with force, launching a kunai into the distance. As soon as it hit the mark, his body vanished in a flash of light.
Whoosh!
When he reappeared, he had already caught the kunai mid-air. In the brief moment of suspension, he threw it again—this time even farther—and vanished once more.
"Hey hey~ This collectible is totally my style! Look at this artistic design. You've really got taste, Sasori. Although... those black wings formed from Iron Sand? Still a bit flawed. Hmm."
"Tch. That 'art equals explosions' crap of yours—I just don't get it."
"Art is beauty in the instant it perishes! The fleeting moment—it's that transience that makes it irresistible! Hmm."
"Wrong. Art must be eternal and flawless. Only something that stands the test of time is true art."
"Once we find Han, I'll let you witness my art firsthand, Sasori! Hmm."
"How many times do I have to say it? The Five-Tails' jinchūriki is my assigned target. Deidara, are you deliberately trying to piss me off? As a rookie, you'd better not cross the lines I set!"
"Alright, alright. Ah~ Finally out of the Land of Iron's border. We've reached the coastline. It's getting dark... how about we rest and head for the Land of Hot Springs tomorrow? Hmm."
"Fly there now. I hate waiting!"
High above—over a thousand meters in the air—three dark figures streaked across the star-strewn sky, heading swiftly toward the Land of Hot Springs.
The next day, after school ended at noon, Sasuke quietly followed Naruto, tailing him all the way to the academy's library. When Naruto sat down to read, Sasuke grabbed a random book and sat directly across from him—perfectly facing the library's entrance.
For now, the library was empty except for the two of them. After a moment of silence, Sasuke finally whispered:
"Did I survive... because of something the village did?"
He hadn't slept the night before. Though the matter of Kakashi's Sharingan no longer interested him, Naruto's earlier words had lingered in his mind.
Someone in Konoha's upper ranks had obtained a Mangekyō Sharingan—an eye capable of silently turning people into puppets, rewriting their will without a trace.
Naruto gave no reply. He calmly turned the pages of his book as if Sasuke didn't exist.
Sasuke frowned, about to speak again—when a shadow appeared at the doorway. He immediately fell silent, straightened up, and pretended to read.
"Naruto, aren't you going home for lunch? Huh? Sasuke, you're here too?"
Shikamaru entered, returning a book to the shelf. As he turned around, he spotted both Naruto and Sasuke, and with a flicker of interest in his eyes, casually walked over.
Sasuke gave a slight nod without expression, then shifted his focus back to the book in his hands.
Naruto closed his book with a gentle thud and said,
"Just came to finish a few pages. Someone else borrowed it last time before I could finish. I'm almost done—heading home soon."
"What about you, Shikamaru? Weren't you and Choji headed home earlier? Why'd you come back?"
Shikamaru sighed in frustration.
"Yeah... blame you. You told me to read more yesterday. Out of curiosity, I borrowed a copy of the Konoha Yearbook from the library."
"And then I damaged it. I had to buy a new copy from the publisher to return."
Naruto chuckled.
"Why the Yearbook? At least it wasn't too expensive."
Shikamaru glanced subtly at Sasuke and replied slowly:
"I'm not big on academic stuff... but I like studying historical records. You never know what interesting truths you might find."
Sasuke's brows furrowed. For some reason, Shikamaru's tone felt layered—like he wasn't just talking about history.
Naruto stood up.
"So? Find anything good?"
Shikamaru pulled a face of regret.
"Nope. Just ruined the book and lost three days' worth of allowance buying a new one."
Naruto looked him straight in the eye.
"My friend, you really should've asked me first. I've got a copy of the Konoha Yearbook at home. The Third Hokage gave it to me when he taught me how to read."
"I'm a big fan of history too. Especially the 'Heroic Legends' section. The Hokage used to tell me those stories in person. They're always so moving."
Sasuke stiffened slightly. Naruto's words were clearly hinting at something deeper.
A shadow of seriousness briefly crossed Shikamaru's face. Then, he waved it off with a sigh.
"Ugh, there goes my allowance. I'm heading home."
Naruto nodded and waited until Shikamaru left before sitting down again.
Sasuke hesitated, but in the end, chose not to speak. He couldn't help but feel that Naruto and Shikamaru weren't just "friends." There was something more beneath the surface.
After a long silence, Naruto flipped another page and said softly:
"You've played the fool for so long... but you're finally starting to wake up."
"I can see you're scared. Don't be. Anything that can be recognized can be understood. Your greatest weakness has always been your ignorance."
"But stay the course. Got it?"
Sasuke blinked, uncertain, but finally gave a faint nod.
Land of Hot Springs
In a dense forest, Jiraiya leapt between the trees, pursued by a swarm of white spiders. Looking over his shoulder, he formed hand seals and took a deep breath.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out as Jiraiya spun, kicked off the ground, and prepared to leap forward—only to find dozens of small white clay birds, each the size of a dove, blocking his path.
"Not good! Ninja Art: Needle Jizō!"
His long white hair instantly extended and unraveled, wrapping tightly around his upper body. He dove beneath a tree, vanishing into the ground.
"Hah!"
A shout echoed from above. The birds exploded in rapid succession, and the forest erupted in flames.
"Heh~ You're a perfect match for my art. And besides, Sasori's almost done with his job. He really hates being interrupted, hmm."
High above, Deidara glanced toward the other side of the forest. He extended a hand, where the mouth on his palm chewed noisily and spat out another white bird.
"Try this one! Hmm."
On the opposite side, Sasori, clad in the Akatsuki's red-cloud cloak, was controlling the Third Kazekage Puppet. Using Iron Sand, he formed a massive spiked barrier, pinning down the Five-Tails' jinchūriki—Han.
Han struggled violently. Steam hissed from his body, and dark red chakra began to leak from his skin—partially cloaking him in a tailed beast shroud.
"Tch. Tailed beast chakra again. That mysterious interloper wasted so much of my time… but now, no one else will come to help you."
With a snap of his finger, the puppet's arm extended in segmented bamboo-like sections. From its tip, a shining steel needle protruded.
Thud!
The needle stabbed deep into Han's abdomen. His head slumped, and he lost consciousness. The crimson chakra rapidly receded into his body.
"Naruto, Kokuō has received my message."
"I know."
Naruto, hidden in the distance, frowned.
"Who the hell is Deidara fighting?"
Because of lingering sealing techniques, it had taken Naruto a long time to track down the Five-Tails after arriving in the Land of Hot Springs.
In the end, he switched tactics and tracked Sasori and Deidara directly.
Just as he located them, he saw Deidara burst out laughing, leaping onto a giant bird and soaring into the sky. Sasori summoned the Third Kazekage Puppet and flew in the opposite direction using Iron Sand.
Naruto kept his distance, unsure whom to follow—until Deidara began bombing the forest, and Sasori's location began radiating a familiar chakra signature.
A tailed beast's chakra—one Naruto knew well.
When he caught up, Han was already partially transformed and had fired a Tailed Beast Bomb, completely destroying Sasori's Hiruko Puppet.
Naruto had hidden in the shadows, thinking he could intervene at the right time—but then the chakra shroud around Han suddenly collapsed, and the jinchūriki collapsed to the ground.
Clearly, Kokuō had tried to take over Han's body, but Sasori reacted fast—using Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method to pin Han down while injecting him with powerful paralyzing toxins.
As Sasori deactivated the Iron Sand barrier and stepped toward the unconscious host, Naruto—dressed in a black cloak—teleported directly onto the battlefield, sweeping his arm in a decisive motion.
Sasori froze.
"Who's there?!"
His answer came in the form of Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Sasori flicked his fingers. His puppet instantly cloaked them both in Iron Sand and spun at high speed like a drill.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Once the attacks stopped, Sasori had a bad feeling. As his puppet peeled back the Iron Sand to restore vision—
The jinchūriki was gone.
Mount Myōboku
In front of a stone platform, the drowsy-eyed Great Toad Sage suddenly turned to Fukasaku.
"It's done. Summon Jiraiya back. His mission is complete."
Fukasaku looked up, puzzled.
"Elder, why did you have Jiraiya interfere with the prophecy so many times?"
The Great Toad Sage opened one heavy eyelid.
"Because the time has come... for the Toad Kingdom to truly appear in this world."
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