Mount Myōboku, the sacred land.
For a moment, the atmosphere fell strangely quiet.
"Gua."
A nameless little toad hopped over, croaked once—shrill and annoying.
Kai casually lifted his foot and punted the toad straight into the lake. Ripples spread as it vanished beneath the surface. He frowned slightly and asked,
"So… the Great Toad Sage just went to sleep like that?"
"He's tired. The Sage is very old," Fukasaku replied without hesitation. Then, as if changing topics on a whim, he clapped his tiny hands together.
"It's getting late. How about a midnight snack?"
"Midnight snack?!"
At those words, Shima's eyes instantly curved into happy crescents. Even her usually sharp, icy voice brightened.
"Sounds good! I caught lots of good stuff today. We can make a really lavish meal!"
Lavish… meal?
In Kai's mind, an image immediately surfaced:
a table piled with flies, wriggling insects, and squirming, protein-rich… things.
His expression froze.
Without a single second of hesitation, he activated the reverse summoning through the contract.
Puff!
White smoke exploded outward, and his figure vanished on the spot.
"Haaah, that kid must've been so excited he couldn't even maintain the summoning," Shima sighed, shaking her head as she cheerfully went off to gather her children for dinner.
Only Fukasaku remained behind, staring at the empty space where Kai had disappeared. He finally let out a long breath.
"Scared me half to death… really did."
"When did the Uchiha produce a monster like that…? Even Jiraiya's probably going to have a headache dealing with him."
With lingering unease, he turned and hopped toward the Great Toad Sage's residence.
Gua… gua…
Not long after, Fukasaku stood before the Great Toad Sage. The old giant toad lay there with his eyes closed—yet the pupils beneath the lids were still faintly moving.
So he was pretending.
Fukasaku cleared his throat and spoke softly.
"Sage… that boy has left."
"Left?" The Great Toad Sage slowly opened his eyes.
Those ancient pupils were murky, yet endlessly deep—wisdom accumulated across a thousand years of time.
He stared into the void for a long while before murmuring,
"That child… is extraordinary. On him, I see change, and I see light…"
"It seems… the ninja world will not be peaceful much longer."
Change. Light.
The ninja world in turmoil.
Just those few words made Fukasaku's eyes snap wide open.
He was about to speak—when he realized the Great Toad Sage had already fallen back into slumber.
This time… truly asleep.
Fukasaku fell silent.
After a long pause, he finally issued an order to the mountain:
"Uchiha Kai's contract priority is now first."
"If any of you sense his summoning—drop everything and respond with full support."
Outside the Uchiha compound, deep in the forest.
Jiraiya's brows slowly knit together.
His attention drifted away from Kai… and settled firmly on another boy instead.
Or rather—this had been his true reason for answering Sarutobi's call and returning to the village in the first place.
After watching for a long while, he let out a sigh.
"So… Minato's kid was basically left to fend for himself, huh?"
In the distance, after some clumsy training, a starving Naruto squatted by the river. He drank a few mouthfuls of water, caught two small fish, and roasted them directly over the fire.
No scaling.
No gutting.
Yet he still ate with clear enjoyment.
"You know, if you don't remove the scales and organs, it won't taste good," Jiraiya finally said as he stepped out.
His voice wasn't loud—but Naruto heard him perfectly.
Naruto scratched his head and looked at the suddenly-appearing white-haired man.
"Huh? Why do I need to remove them?"
"Because it'll be bitter, fishy, and unpleasant," Jiraiya replied, fists clenching unconsciously.
"But…" Naruto looked down at the small fish, eyes full of reluctance.
"If I take them out… I won't be full."
I won't be full.
Those words hit Jiraiya like a sledgehammer.
The son of the Fourth Hokage…
can't even eat his fill?
Rage surged in his chest.
What exactly had Sarutobi been doing all these years?!
Naruto, unaware of Jiraiya's turmoil, smiled brightly and held up his food.
"Hey mister, want some? I'll clean this one properly and roast it for you!"
Without waiting for an answer, he began carefully plucking the scales—slowly, gently—afraid that too much force would tear away the meat.
That sight alone made Jiraiya's nose sting.
What kind of suffering creates a child like this…?
His teeth clenched.
"Sarutobi-sensei… no—this must be that bastard Danzō's doing!"
He reached out and gently ruffled Naruto's hair.
Then, in Naruto's puzzled gaze, he asked softly,
"Want to learn how to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu properly?"
"Huh?! I do!!"
Naruto's eyes widened instantly, bright blue like polished crystal.
Shadow clones were his nightmare.
The very first class taught the Three Basic Techniques—but he couldn't even manage the simplest clone.
Meanwhile, others already had all three down.
He didn't want to be dead last.
That's why he trained here in secret.
But the results… were almost nothing.
Soon, the light in his eyes dimmed.
"But I can't do it… every time I try, my chakra gets all messed up…"
"That's fine," Jiraiya said with a small smile, his gaze drifting toward Naruto's abdomen.
A bold idea slowly took shape.
Blockage is worse than guidance.
The seal itself was making Naruto unfamiliar with the Nine-Tails' chakra—
and that unfamiliarity was the real reason he couldn't control his own power.
After only a brief hesitation, Jiraiya made his decision.
His right hand slammed onto Naruto's stomach.
Strange chakra surged from his fingers.
Crack—crack.
The seal… loosened.
Naruto froze for a split second.
Then—
A violent red chakra erupted from his body!
Sinister.
Malicious.
Wild.
Like a demon clawing its way out of hell.
"ROAR—!"
He threw his head back and howled. The chakra condensed behind him—forming a tail.
Then he began to destroy everything in sight.
BAM!
Jiraiya raised an arm to block an attack, frowning.
"Lost control with just one tail…?"
"Looks like this kid's training will be a long road."
He casually flung Naruto away.
BOOM!
The impact carved a trench half a meter deep and over ten meters long into the ground.
"Heh… now let's see how many tails you can handle!"
Jiraiya grinned as he chased after him.
"Even two more won't be a problem—I can suppress them easily!"
He gathered chakra under his feet and stepped hard on Naruto's head, provoking him.
"Is that all you've got, brat?!"
WHOOOOM—!
That was a mistake.
The Nine-Tails did not appreciate being stepped on for the first time.
In the next instant, the red, malevolent chakra exploded outward again—
obliterating dozens of meters of trees like a living cannon blast.
Jiraiya swallowed hard.
"One… two… three… four…"
Four blazing chakra tails unfurled behind Naruto.
The confidence on Jiraiya's face stiffened completely.
"…I might've… played this a little too far."
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