"I've already taken notice of Lee," Jiraiya said with a smile.
"He's a ninja of Konohagakure, so of course, I'll ask that person to heal him."
Guy's eyes lit up, and he bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much, Jiraiya-sama!"
Guy had few attachments in life—his village, Kakashi, and his students. Lee was the student he cherished the most, because Lee couldn't use Ninjutsu and relied solely on Taijutsu to uphold his beliefs.
To become a ninja, to catch up to Neji, and to protect the village, Lee had worked harder than anyone. No one else there, not even the Jonin, trained as much as Lee, except for Guy.
Understanding Guy's devotion, and knowing Lee's determination, Jiraiya had thought about this for a long time. He wanted to find Tsunade not only to heal Naruto but also to help Lee—not just for Lee's sake, but for the sake of Konohagakure.
Guy didn't stay long. He had come to support Jiraiya, but now that the enemies had left, he needed to return and report back, and also bring the injured Sasuke with him.
Sasuke wasn't in serious condition—just a broken bone, which wasn't considered a severe injury in the ninja world. He'd heal in a few days. The bigger issue was the mental damage caused by Tsukuyomi.
Luckily, Itachi's Tsukuyomi had been interrupted by Jiraiya, so it didn't have its full effect, leaving Sasuke less traumatized than in the original story. The medical team could easily treat his injuries, but while the mental damage could be healed, no one could help Sasuke with the deeper psychological scars.
"I hope he's okay."
Naruto scratched the back of his head, feeling a little confused. He thought something seemed off with Kurama. After all, who would clasp their hands together like they were praying, mumbling words that Naruto couldn't quite hear because the voice was too soft?
Did Kurama finally lose it?
Naruto quietly took a step back, awkwardly smiling.
"Kurama, since I'm awake now, I'll head out. Otherwise, Pervy Sage will get worried about me."
Kurama opened his eyes and gave Naruto a strange look.
"I sense some malice coming from you. Are you bad-mouthing me?"
There was a bit of uncertainty in his tone, as the seal wasn't fully undone, so Kurama's senses weren't as sharp.
"No, no, no." Naruto shook his head quickly. He wasn't about to admit he was actually bad-mouthing Kurama.
"I just thought your movements were a bit weird, so I got curious about what you were doing."
"I see." Kurama grinned. "I was praying for your Sasuke, hoping he's okay."
Naruto was taken aback, then felt a bit moved.
"I didn't think Kurama, who always says he hates Sasuke, would actually be worried about him deep down... Wait, what do you mean by 'my Sasuke'?"
Naruto pouted, looking annoyed at Kurama.
"Geez, why do you always say things so weirdly, Kurama?"
"Do I?" Kurama laughed carelessly. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. Anyway... I hope he's okay."
"Yeah..." Naruto thought for a moment, then flashed a bright smile.
"I hope Sasuke's okay."
Naruto woke up not long after. The room was quiet, with just him and Jiraiya inside. The sun was already setting, with only half of it still peeking over the horizon.
Naruto sat up on the bed, his eyes landing on Jiraiya by the window.
"You're awake, huh?" Jiraiya turned to look at him, a hint of disapproval on his face.
"Were you planning to use Kurama's chakra again earlier?"
"Uh..." Naruto scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
"Well, it was an emergency. If I didn't, Sasuke would've been taken by his brother... Oh yeah!"
Naruto suddenly looked up at Jiraiya, his tone anxious.
"Where's Sasuke? And his brother? Sasuke got hurt earlier—if he doesn't get treated, it'll be serious. And his brother, is he...?"
"Stop!" Jiraiya raised a hand to cut off Naruto's string of questions.
"First of all, Sasuke's fine. He's just mentally shaken. Guy has already taken him back for treatment. His brother, Uchiha Itachi, and Hoshigaki Kisame escaped. They used some powerful ninjutsu that even I didn't recognize to break my jutsu."
"So... only the 'Sasuke got hurt' world has been achieved." Kurama nodded in summary.
"Kurama~" Naruto sighed helplessly.
But now that he knew Sasuke was okay, that was a relief. He had thought Jiraiya had already killed Sasuke's brother and that weird guy, but now it seemed like Sasuke's brother wasn't just any ordinary ninja either.
With that in mind, Naruto asked,
"Pervy Sage, who exactly is Sasuke's brother, and who's that weird guy? What does the Akatsuki organization mean?"
Jiraiya remained silent.
It took him a while before he finally looked at Naruto and said,
"I can answer your question about who those two people are. But as for the rest... Kurama is right. You're too young. It's not the time for you to know."
"Even you, pervy sage?!" Naruto angrily waved his fists.
Jiraiya ignored Naruto's outburst. If what Kurama said was true, then these things weren't something Naruto needed to worry about right now. At this point, all Naruto needed to do was train and get stronger. Whether he'd be ready in the future... No, he *would* be ready to know in the future.
"Naruto," Jiraiya's voice caught Naruto's attention. Jiraiya's face was serious.
"You might become the one from the prophecy, but for now, you're just a regular Genin. Leave these things to us grown-ups."
Kakashi had said something similar before.
Naruto lowered his head and went silent.
Noticing Naruto's mood, Jiraiya smiled softly. He stood up, walked over to Naruto, and gently ruffled his hair.
"You'll grow up soon enough, believe me."
Because you are their child. I believe in you, Minato, Kushina.
"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms and turned his head with a pout, but he didn't pull away from Jiraiya's hand. Instead, under the warmth of that hand, he felt something he had never felt before—the warmth of family.
"Then at least tell me what's going on with Sasuke and his brother?"
"No problem." Jiraiya smiled and nodded.
"But it's a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Of course!" Naruto nodded without hesitation.
"I want to understand Sasuke. Before I defeat him, I want to know everything about him!"
To defeat Sasuke, to surpass the goal he had set for himself, before becoming Hokage, he would defeat Sasuke!
Jiraiya smiled warmly.
"Then let's start with the name 'Uchiha'..."
In the sealed space, Kurama lay on the surface of the water, watching the two of them. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"What was that saying again... Oh right, this must be love..."
How to put it? The Hokage ninjas are great. The plot's good, the story's good, and the main characters are good too. The only problem is... Naruto and Sasuke aren't a couple, and Kurama doesn't really agree with that.
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You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
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