Sasuke had told him earlier that he had become Senior Kawasaki's student. He had always been alone before, and while he had friends now, he had very few close elders in his life.
"Master, did you come specifically to pick me up?" Sasuke asked, his soft, childish face a stark contrast to the handsome features he would one day possess.
"Heh, look at you getting ahead of yourself. I came to pick up the two of you."
Naruto was overjoyed to learn that Kawasaki had come for them as well. Although Kawasaki treated him well, he rarely had time to spend with him. Just being picked up from school was enough to make Naruto this happy. It was a painful reminder of how starved for affection the boy had been.
Damn that Third Hokage, Kawasaki thought, his resolve hardening. He absolutely couldn't let such an innocent child be corrupted by bad habits.
"Let's go."
Kawasaki walked ahead, speaking to the two children at the same time. "Did you two hear any rumors today?"
Naruto scratched his head. "A lot of the students were saying that Lord Jiraiya was arrested."
Kawasaki had caught Jiraiya at noon, yet the news had already spread throughout the entire Ninja Academy.
"Who's Jiraiya?" Naruto asked curiously. They had just enrolled and hadn't learned about him yet.
Sasuke couldn't help but explain, "Jiraiya is one of the Third Hokage's students, one of the legendary Sannin, and a hero of Konoha."
"A hero?" Naruto looked confused. "If he's a hero, why did he get arrested?"
Kawasaki answered, "Because he was caught peeping into the women's bathhouse."
An expression of disgust appeared on Sasuke's face.
"Why would someone peep into the girls' bathhouse?" Naruto, having grown up without guidance, was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper.
Kawasaki ruffled Naruto's hair. In the past, no one had taught Naruto how to take care of his appearance, and he hadn't had the time to care himself. Now, it seemed Naruto was beginning to understand that his appearance mattered. As a result, his hair was neatly combed and smooth. If he let the hair on the sides grow a little longer, he would be the spitting image of his father, Minato Namikaze.
"You're still young, so you might not understand why it's wrong, but you have to remember that peeping on girls is an unacceptable thing to do."
"Oh…" Naruto only half-understood.
Kawasaki continued, "For example, you have female classmates you're friends with, right?"
Naruto nodded eagerly, counting on his fingers. "Yeah! There's Hinata, Sakura, and Ino. They're all our friends."
"So, how would you feel if someone spied on them while they were bathing?"
Naruto furrowed his brow, then slapped his palm with his fist. "I'd be really angry! I'd want to beat that person up!"
Kawasaki nodded in satisfaction. "Exactly. So you must never do something like that. People who do such things have bad character. No matter how powerful they are, even if they're one of the Sannin, doing something like that makes them nothing more than a disgusting creep."
Naruto puffed out his chest and promised, "Don't worry, Senior Kawasaki, I'll never do anything like that!"
Kawasaki turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, what about you?"
Sasuke turned his head away haughtily. "I would never do something so pathetic. I am an Uchiha."
Kawasaki rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that it would be nice if Sasuke put more thought into such things. Unlike in the original timeline, where he probably would have stayed single forever if someone hadn't pushed him.
"Naruto, I hear you're not doing so well in your studies."
Naruto looked a little embarrassed. "Senior Kawasaki, the stuff at the Academy is a little hard for me. I'm a slow learner."
Kawasaki didn't blame him. Naruto had basically been a feral child before, and it was unrealistic to expect him to suddenly become a top student.
"It's okay, Naruto. Just take your time with the academic lessons. But you have to work hard in your other subjects. You can't keep holding everyone back."
Naruto nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Senior Kawasaki, I'll do my best!"
Seeing how much Kawasaki cared for Naruto, Sasuke felt a sudden pang of jealousy. He shook his head, trying to suppress the feeling. Seeing the look of pure happiness on Naruto's face, Sasuke smiled as well.
For the rest of the walk, Kawasaki asked about Naruto's life and listened to Sasuke talk about what he was learning at the Academy. The three of them chatted and laughed, which made the Anbu members secretly watching them extremely nervous. Every time Kawasaki visited Naruto, they were on edge, terrified he would try to instill some strange ideas into the boy. After all, even Jiraiya had been taken down by Kawasaki this morning. They, as mere Anbu, were shaking in their boots.
Kawasaki paid the Anbu no mind, simply acting as an elder. He showed concern for Naruto's daily life, walked him home, and did nothing more. The Anbu tailing them breathed a collective sigh of relief.
After the Anbu members withdrew, Kawasaki walked with Sasuke toward the Uchiha compound and pulled out a letter.
"This is from Itachi."
"Ah!" Sasuke was ecstatic. It was a letter from his brother. Even though he knew they would meet again, he was still having a hard time adjusting to Itachi's absence.
Sasuke quickly tore open the envelope. He didn't try to hide it from Kawasaki, opening the letter right in front of him. There weren't many words, but Sasuke read it over and over again before carefully placing it back in the envelope.
Kawasaki chuckled. Sasuke was truly adorable at this age.
"What did Itachi say?"
Sasuke couldn't suppress his smile. "Brother told me to listen to you, study hard at the Academy, and not to bring shame to the Uchiha name."
Itachi was talking to him like he was a little kid. At Sasuke's age, Itachi had probably already been on the battlefield.
Sasuke put the letter away and followed Kawasaki back to the Uchiha compound. Fugaku was out on business, apparently dealing with something useful that had come as part of the reparations from the Hidden Cloud.
Before leaving, Kawasaki asked Sasuke a question. "Sasuke, what do you think of Naruto?"
Sasuke was a little confused. "What do you mean?"
Kawasaki tilted his chin. "What kind of person is he?"
Sasuke muttered "idiot" under his breath but answered honestly in front of Kawasaki. "Naruto's a good guy. He's enthusiastic, but he's a bit simple-minded. People can insult him behind his back and he won't even hold a grudge."
Kawasaki nodded. Sasuke was right. Calling Naruto magnanimous and optimistic was the nice way of putting it; the blunt way was to say he was clueless. But to grow up in that kind of environment without becoming psychologically twisted was already a remarkable feat.
Seeing that Sasuke held no prejudice against Naruto, Kawasaki asked another question. "What do you think of his strength?"
Sasuke paused. "Strength? What strength does Naruto have? He fails his academic classes. He definitely couldn't beat me in a fight."
At this, Sasuke looked quite proud, his little face practically screaming, "Praise me, praise me."
Kawasaki smiled. "Don't get too cocky, Sasuke. You're stronger than Naruto now because your parents taught you when you were little. Naruto had no one to teach him, which is why he's not on your level right now."
Sasuke lifted his chin. "Even if Naruto had someone to teach him, he still wouldn't be able to beat me! Because I am an Uchiha!"
Kawasaki nodded. "How about we make a bet?"
"What kind of bet, Master?" Sasuke asked.
"If Naruto manages to beat you even once at the Ninja Academy, you lose. If you remain stronger than him throughout your time at the Academy, you win."
Sasuke was full of confidence. "Don't worry, Master. You're definitely going to lose."
Kawasaki chuckled. "Alright. If you win, I'll give you a treasure. But if you lose…"
Before he could finish, Sasuke declared, "Don't worry, Master, I won't lose."
Kawasaki shook his head. "Confidence is a good thing, but don't let it turn into arrogance. If you lose, I'll have you do one thing for me."
Sasuke nodded. "What is it, Master?"
"Hmm, I haven't decided yet."
At the Root headquarters.
"What in the world were you thinking?!" Danzo screamed, berating Nakamura Kazuya, who was kneeling on the floor. "I told you not to leave any evidence! Now you've all been fired. What can the remaining trash possibly accomplish?!"
Nakamura's face was grim. "This subordinate intended to cause trouble for the Hyuga clan but didn't expect Uchiha Kawasaki to interfere. I believe Uchiha Kawasaki had this planned from the start."
Danzo slammed his cane on the ground. "You think I don't know that? The entire village is talking about that pervert Jiraiya! Even Lord Hiruzen's reputation has been damaged. They're all saying the student is a reflection of the master."
Danzo sighed. He had to admit that Kawasaki's methods were often unorthodox, but the results were always unexpectedly effective. The Third Hokage had recalled Jiraiya to serve as a respectable figurehead for the village. But before that figurehead could even be established, his name had been dragged through the mud. Jiraiya's reputation was now in tatters. It was impossible for him to serve as a public face, at least not for a long time.
A surge of anger rose in Danzo, and his right eye began to throb again. Without a spare Sharingan, he didn't know how much longer this one would last. Ever since that freak Kawasaki had appeared in the Uchiha clan, nothing had gone right for him. Hiruzen Sarutobi had also lost a great deal of face. In the past, he could order around a few members of the Military Police, but now they were completely scattered.
Danzo sighed. "Pick a competent person from the remnants of the police force to temporarily take your place. Root must lie low for now. Once we have recovered our strength, we will rise again!"
Nakamura Kazuya nodded resolutely. "Yes, sir!"
Danzo was deeply frustrated. The Third Hokage had issued several orders, demanding that this place be completely vacated within three days. Although Root was officially disbanded, its members would remain loyal only to him. However, his losses were substantial. He had lost money, equipment, and even the support of some clans, as Root had been formally abolished by the Hokage.
Danzo looked up at the skylight. The light streaming in made his expression even darker. "This old man will be back…"
…
Despite his seething hatred for Kawasaki, the Third Hokage kept his promise and disbanded Root. When he made the official announcement, his relationship with Danzo publicly shattered. Danzo accused the Third Hokage of secretly poaching his Root members. The Third, in turn, rebuked Danzo for his undying ambition and his near-insane obsession with Kakashi's Sharingan, ordering the complete dissolution of the organization.
Danzo was now stripped of his official position. Under pressure from the Third Hokage, the Shimura clan could only keep their heads down. With no clans willing to support him and his public approval rating near zero, Danzo was forced to watch as his entire Root organization was thoroughly purged by the Anbu. Even some of the valuable equipment that couldn't be moved was confiscated.
With his right eye failing him, Danzo could only grit his teeth, disband the organization, and bide his time for a comeback.
…
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for significantly altering the life trajectory of Danzo Shimura.]
[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining: Izanagi x1]
It seemed that disbanding Root was a devastating blow to Danzo, even though he still had many loyal subordinates. This crippling strike would be enough to keep him quiet for a long time—long enough for the Uchiha clan to weather this difficult period.
Now, there was only one person left to deal with: Jiraiya.
In the half-month of continuous turmoil in Konoha, Jiraiya had been imprisoned, and Danzo's Root had been dismantled.
…..
Time flew by, and once the storm had passed, Jiraiya's detention period came to an end.
Stepping out of the Military Police station, Jiraiya felt a wave of relief. It had been so long since he'd felt the sun on his skin. He hadn't bathed in over ten days and stank. He needed to unwind. That bathhouse from last time was pretty good.
Having made up his mind, Jiraiya walked down the main road toward Konoha's commercial district.
"Look, that's Jiraiya."
"The peeping tom who's obsessed with bathhouses, right?"
"I heard he even peeped on Princess Tsunade and almost got beaten to death."
"And he's one of the Sannin. Tsk, tsk."
"Not only that, he's a student of the Third Hokage."
"I heard Jiraiya has been a pervert since he was a kid. He used to do things like this, but it was always swept under the rug because of the Third."
"So that's why he never got in trouble for peeping. He had connections."
The surrounding whispers weren't loud, but with Jiraiya's senses, how could he not hear them? Many people were holding flyers, comparing them to his face as they stared.
Jiraiya felt incredibly uncomfortable and quickly snatched a flyer from someone's hand. It detailed his identity and his various romantic escapades. It also recounted his past misdeeds and speculated about the powerful figure protecting him who made sure nothing ever came of them. It even went into great detail about his penchant for sketching the subjects of his peeping for his adult novels.
Who would want the women of their family featured in an adult novel? As a result, women shrieked in fear at the sight of him, while men spat in disgust.
Jiraiya was so angry his nose was practically smoking. He used a Body Flicker Technique to race away, only to run into Hyuga Yuto, who was busy distributing the flyers everywhere.
Jiraiya's rage boiled over. What was this nonsense written on the flyer! When had he ever drawn the women he saw into a collection? He was gathering research material! Research! And he hadn't been a pervert since childhood! He was just ignorant as a kid; the hobby only developed when he got older.
"You brat! Who told you to hand these out?!" Jiraiya roared, his white hair standing on end.
"Lord Kawasaki said that in order to prevent further harm to the women of Konoha, these flyers were specially made and distributed today, lest people forget your deeds and fail to avoid contact with you."
"Uchiha Kawasaki!"
Jiraiya spun around, snatched the remaining flyers, and stormed toward the Uchiha compound.
...
Arriving at the Uchiha compound, Jiraiya found the main gate wide open. Kawasaki was waiting for him at the entrance with a smile.
"Yo, Lord Jiraiya. You're here. I've been waiting for you."
Jiraiya felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. Waiting for him? Was Kawasaki deliberately trying to provoke him?
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed slightly. "Uchiha Kawasaki, you knew I was coming?"
Kawasaki nodded. "I was afraid you wouldn't show up, so I had someone put out some advertisements to lure you here."
Jiraiya was no longer underestimating Kawasaki. He asked in a low voice, "Why are you targeting me?"
Kawasaki waved his hand dismissively. "I'm just telling the truth."
"You!"
Just as Jiraiya was about to speak, Kawasaki's expression turned cold. "You can't handle this? This is less than one percent of the injustice our Uchiha clan has suffered over the years. You were also away on a mission during the Nine-Tails attack. You didn't come back. The Uchiha helped evacuate the villagers, and we were blamed for it. Why do you get to walk away scot-free? Isn't it because you have the Third Hokage as your master to back you up?"
Jiraiya's anger deflated, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You're holding a grudge against me for that? Is there something wrong with your head?"
Kawasaki sighed. "You're overthinking it. I'm just trying to say that the Uchiha have moved away from Konoha because we no longer want anything to do with you people. We have returned all our power in the village to you and have no interest in the position of Hokage. Please stop testing us."
Jiraiya hadn't expected Kawasaki to be so direct. He scratched his head. "Then you should have just said so. Did you really have to humiliate me like this?"
Kawasaki spread his hands. "I didn't set any traps for you. You were arrested because you were peeping. What does that have to do with me?"
Jiraiya's face alternated between green and white before he finally let out a heavy snort.
"I've heard that the Uchiha's Susanoo is indestructible. I wonder if I could have a taste of it?!" Jiraiya finally decided to complete the mission entrusted to him by the Third Hokage, his voice deepening.
Hearing this, Kawasaki showed no intention of refusing. He had long anticipated that a battle with Jiraiya was inevitable.
"Very well. I was thinking the same thing!"
As he spoke, a cold smirk touched the corner of Kawasaki's mouth.