Inside the Hokage Building.
"You shouldn't be so indulgent with the jinchūriki," Homura Mitokado stated, watching the rain pour down outside. "Now is not the time for him to leave."
"The village needs strength,"
Shikaku Nara shook his head. "I know that, but there's nothing we can do."
"Furthermore, at the time—"
"If I hadn't spoken up, a real fight might have broken out."
Not only Naruto, but even he could clearly sense the targeted chakra.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the two senior advisors of Konoha, didn't intend to criticize Shikaku Nara, but their eyes were fixed on Jiraiya.
If anyone could have stopped it then, the Toad Sage was undoubtedly the most capable one.
"He can fly," Jiraiya replied succinctly.
"Flying" was an ability beyond the realm of regular ninja, a convenient excuse at hand.
Homura Mitokado shook his head. "I don't believe you couldn't handle him."
Jiraiya remained silent.
An ANBU operative suddenly appeared.
"Two unidentified ninja have been found dead, pinned to the village gate by kunai," he reported tensely. "It's suspected to be the work of jinchūriki Naruto Uzumaki."
Not long after the "Konoha Crush" incident, such a thing happened again.
"Handle the bodies properly," Koharu Utatane ordered after a pause, waving a hand dismissively.
The ANBU operative hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and quietly acknowledged, "Yes," before retreating.
"Count your blessings, the Fourth Hokage has saved the village once again," Jiraiya said with a stoic expression. "Also be thankful that whoever he sent out didn't bear the Leaf forehead protector."
"Naruto's decision to leave the village might actually be the right one,"
Koharu Utatane said. "Let's set this matter aside; we will warn him."
"Let's move on to more important matters."
"We need a trustworthy and powerful leader."
"We need the Fifth Hokage."
"Jiraiya"—upon hearing his name called, the man immediately raised his hand to interrupt her, "I'm sorry, but allow me to refuse."
Mitokado Homura frowned, "This is the time when the village needs you."
"I am not fit for this role." Jiraiya shook his head, decisively and firmly. "Traveling and gathering intelligence is what suits me better."
"Besides, you won't be at ease with Naruto out there alone."
"I'll keep an eye on his whereabouts."
"There might even be a chance to bring him back."
His words about Naruto pierced his heart.
"Too late."
Those words weighed heavily.
Indeed, had he not let go and left the village, could things have changed?
Minato and Kushina might not have needed to sacrifice themselves.
Naruto could have been well taken care of.
But now it's too late to contemplate these things.
Reality had given him a painful lesson.
And it made him steadfast—he had let go before, but he couldn't let go again now.
He was very worried about Naruto, and what the words "I'm going to find Mom and Dad" meant.
They were clearly gone.
Where could he go to find them?
The two advisers remained silent.
The Jinchūriki...
"What a troublesome problem."
Within the Land of Fire, there was a small town not far from Konoha, where one could occasionally spot ninjas going about. It was a prosperous place, with comfortable inns.
"Where should we go next?" Karin asked, sitting beside Naruto. Her gaze followed his and fell upon the sword resting on his knees—not the dark red one, but the one he rarely used.
"To the Land of Whirlpools." Naruto replied softly, "I want to see the ruins of Uzu Village."
"Alright," Karin nodded, choosing not to speak further and disturb him. While she didn't know what had happened, it seemed to be a critical moment for him.
Naruto was fixated on the "Asauchi." Just moments ago, after he confronted his own heart and spoke of leaving Konoha, a powerful call emanated from within the sword. It was trying to tell him its name.
However, the call from the sword was a blend of two distinct voices: one strong and gentle, the other somewhat weaker but more intimate to Naruto. These voices interwove, the former masking the latter, while the latter interfered with the former, weaving together as both unified and distinct.
Why was this happening? Naruto didn't understand.
He had never heard of such a phenomenon.
"Could there be some special reason why it refuses to reveal its true name to me?"
"Are both blades like this?"
He entered the "Blade Zen" state, hoping to communicate with his sword.
But in response, there were only two chaotic voices.
One was strong and gentle, the other weak and urgent.
Naruto opened his eyes.
The face in front of him was that of Kaien Shiba, with his inherently grumpy expression.
Back in the Soul Society, Naruto felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"Naruto, you really work hard," Kaien Shiba said with a crooked smile, though his expression remained as stern as ever. "The Spiritual Arts Academy has sent you an invitation to speak at this year's new student entrance ceremony."
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Me?"
"Isn't this usually something they invite a Vice-Captain for?"
Kaien Shiba reached out and messed up Naruto's hair. "What's the difference?"
"Just thinking about you as the Third Seat makes me feel pressured again."
"And this year, the Spiritual Arts Academy has another child prodigy, not quite at your level, but even so, they've reached a class six spiritual pressure upon admission."
"Principal Bogang really hopes you'll be a role model and encourage them."
Naruto nodded and smiled, agreeing readily. "I understand, I'll go."
He stood up as he spoke. "When is it?"
Kaien Shiba replied, "In a week."
Naruto nodded, heading for the exit. "Thanks, Kaien. I'm off to the Technical Development Bureau to see Captain Urahara."
"Go ahead," Kaien Shiba waved him off.
At the Technical Development Bureau, underground in the Captain's office, Kisuke Urahara was intently focused on the extensive "sealing techniques" that Naruto had written out from memory.
His eyes sparkled with intense interest, and his usual lazy demeanor had vanished. "Truly remarkable."
"So that's how it is."
"I've been focusing my research in the wrong direction before; I need to start with the body."
"Naruto, how did you come by this knowledge?"
Naruto looked up and flashed him a reassuring smile, "That's a secret, Captain Urahara."
"Ah, really now." Kisuke Urahara scratched his head in resignation, "Well, never mind then. No matter how you got it, this information is incredibly useful. I've got plenty of inspiration now to modify the previous spells."
"Your sword is really fascinating."
He was not very patient as he waited for Naruto to finish writing.
As soon as Naruto wrote the last stroke, Urahara eagerly reached out to grab it, seemingly ready to dive into his research immediately.
"Before you dive into these things, Captain Urahara, accompany me to Squad Four." Naruto snatched the paper from Urahara's hands and placed it back on the table. "My sword seems to have some issues."
Urahara instinctively glanced towards the "Nine-Tails."
But quickly realized that the problem was likely concerning another sword.
His expression turned serious.
They arrived at the quarters of Squad Four.
After listening to Naruto's description, both he and Retsu Unohana furrowed their brows.
"Two voices inside a single sword?" Unohana asked with curiosity, "It sounds like a pair of swords, but you've already released one."
"Could it be three swords then?" Kisuke Urahara scratched his head, "If that's the case, we're treading on uncharted territory, but that seems rather interesting too, don't you think?"
Naruto shook his head and clarified further, "Although there are two voices, they seem to be one and the same."
"It's not as clear-cut as you'd think."
"It just makes it impossible for me to tell which is its true self."
Kisuke Urahara noted the way Naruto described it.
Not calling it by its "name," but referring to it as "it."
(End of Chapter)