章 34: Chapter 34: Toad Sage
Naruto and his team were not the first to reach the high tower.
The team from Sand Village, led by Gaara, was faster.
Even though there were quite a few unexpected incidents.
Konoha did not halt the exams, nor did they send anyone to inquire about Naruto, except for Kakashi who subtly hinted at a few things.
As for Karin's presence, Konoha didn't question much either.
Five days passed quickly.
The number of candidates passing the exam seemed to exceed Konoha's expectations.
Another individual preliminary round was held in the tower.
This preliminary round had nothing to do with the teams; genin were allowed to forfeit without affecting the rest of their team's progress in the exam.
Yakushi Kabuto forfeited here.
Naruto wasn't surprised; it matched his previous speculations.
Haruno Sakura didn't pass the preliminaries, ending in a tie with her opponent.
Sasuke and Naruto won easily.
Hinata's fight against Neji escalated the internal conflict of the Hyuga clan.
Gaara's strength was overwhelming, and despite Lee's dazzling effort, he only managed to inflict some non-lethal injuries on Gaara.
Sasuke held onto the railing, staring at the unconscious Lee, lost in thought.
After all the matches concluded, the final matchups for the ultimate test were drawn by lot.
Naruto noticed the tampered lottery box and then looked up at the smiling Sarutobi Hiruzen watching him from the high platform. As expected, his final opponent turned out to be Gaara from Sand Village.
Besides himself, it was hard for Konoha to find anyone else capable of dealing with Gaara.
The preliminaries concluded.
They had a month of free time.
This month was not entirely for rest.
Naruto turned to look at Kakashi.
"Sorry, Naruto." Before he could speak, Kakashi interrupted. Although... everything had been arranged long ago, when it came to saying it aloud, looking at Naruto's golden hair and blue eyes, Kakashi realized how difficult it was to utter these words, "I can't teach you this month."
"And besides, I'm afraid there isn't much I can teach you now."
"But don't worry, the village has arranged a more suitable instructor for you."
Naruto nodded, his tone calm: "I understand."
He didn't say much.
He had long understood that love is not something you can get by making noise about it. Those willing to give it would show unconditional favoritism, and those unwilling wouldn't change even if the world turned upside down.
"He should come to see you in the next few days." Kakashi said softly, his gaze stopping on the red-haired girl behind Naruto, "The village has handled the identity of Uzumaki Karin."
"You can rest assured about leaving her here."
"Grass Village won't say anything."
After saying this, Kakashi, almost fleeing, left with Sasuke.
Naruto watched their departing figures.
He had already thought about his plans for the month. Karin had many secret techniques of the Uzumaki clan, most of which were related to sealing techniques, knowledge he needed.
His requirements were not high.
He just hoped that while Kakashi was teaching Sasuke, he could spare some time each day for her to teach him some sealing techniques.
But does the village have other arrangements?
Who could it be?
Unless the Third Hokage himself taught him, there wouldn't be a better candidate than Kakashi, right?
He pondered, then left with Karin.
That night.
On a rooftop near Naruto's residence.
Two figures appeared.
One was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The other, with white hair and a forehead protector with the character "油(Oil)," was the summoned back-to-the-village Jiraiya.
"The seal on the Nine-Tails has been loosened?" His tone was somewhat heavy.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded: "Unconsciously, he has already achieved the Four-tailed state. Danzo and Koharu's constant quarrels are giving me a headache."
"You haven't been back to the village for years, so you might not understand."
"Naruto... he has always been a good child, although his recent changes are a bit significant, I am sure his nature has not changed."
Jiraiya laughed heartily: "After all, he is the child of Minato and Kushina."
"What's his personality like?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment: "He used to be more like Kushina, but now he is more like Minato. Kakashi says he is a mature and reliable ninja."
"The reason I asked you to come back this time is to hope you can guide Naruto during this period."
"And also hope…"
He paused and sighed, "Naruto has been hiding many secrets lately."
"He possesses two very strange swords, but we still haven't found out where he got them from."
"We can't even find any weapons similar to those two."
"He also knows many peculiar and undocumented ninjutsu."
"None of these can be attributed to the Nine-Tails."
"Yet we haven't discovered any contact between Naruto and outsiders."
Jiraiya stared at the still-lit window, "Secrets, huh?"
"If we could find out where he got those swords and learned those techniques," Sarutobi Hiruzen said softly, "Koharu and Homura wouldn't react so strongly."
"Naruto would be able to continue living peacefully in the village."
"Jiraiya..."
He was about to continue when the window suddenly opened, revealing Naruto's head, his bright blond hair very striking.
A red-haired girl could be seen vaguely behind him, tidying up the dining table.
Jiraiya was stunned.
Time seemed to warp, and a kunai from over a decade ago pierced his heart.
"The redhead?" he asked.
"She's an Uzumaki clan member Naruto found during the Chunin Exams," Sarutobi Hiruzen explained.
Jiraiya nodded absentmindedly, seeing the blond boy turn back and say something to the red-haired girl before leaping out of the window. This action made him realize another thing, "Did he notice us?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe, "Although Naruto has Minato's hair color, he has perfectly inherited the Uzumaki clan's abilities."
"His sensory abilities are very strong."
"According to the intelligence gathered by the Anbu, his sensing range is at least five kilometers."
"If you get too close, some stealth ninjutsu will become ineffective."
At this point, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped speaking.
Naruto suddenly appeared beside them, "Third Hokage, why are you here so late, and who is this?"
His gaze rested on the white-haired man.
The chakra was strong.
And there was a... different aura compared to others.
He was a ninja on the same level as the "Orochimaru" he encountered in the Forest of Death.
Sarutobi Hiruzen replied, "Kakashi should have told you, the village found a ninja to teach you this month."
"This is the one."
"His background..."
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish speaking, Jiraiya laughed heartily, forming hand seals and performing a summoning technique.
White smoke trembled.
A giant red toad with black stripes appeared, wearing a necklace inscribed with the word "忠(loyalty)."
The white-haired man stood proudly on the toad's back, spreading his hands wide.
The toad mimicked his actions, even showing the same expression.
"I am the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, also known as the Toad Sage Sannin Jiraiya!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes, silently staring at him.
"Sage"?
This was an unheard-of title.
But...
Should he agree to keep him by his side?
"He has quite a background," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile, finishing the interrupted explanation, "One of the Three Legendary Sannin of Konoha, a strong ninja on par with the rogue ninja Orochimaru, and also the teacher of the Fourth Hokage."
"If you don't like him, Naruto, I can find someone else for you."
"Even let Kakashi take you along."
Naruto's gaze towards Jiraiya slightly changed.
The teacher of the Fourth Hokage?
He shook his head, "I'll stick with this Toad Sage."
"For the next month, I ask for your guidance."
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya both felt a sudden pang in their hearts.
~~~
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