Furthermore!
There was something that no one knew, or perhaps something that everyone had subconsciously chosen to overlook.
The various factions did not receive the intelligence about Uchiha Madara capturing a jinchuriki at the same time. Even the so-called order in which they received it was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Before Sasori went to Amegakure to relay this intelligence to Nagato, he had already secretly passed the information to Yakushi Kabuto!
Therefore, at the same time Nagato appeared in Kirigakure, Yakushi Kabuto's intelligence had reached Konoha almost simultaneously.
Konoha Village!
The Hokage's office.
"Tsunade, where exactly did you get this intelligence?"
Jiraiya slammed both hands onto the office desk, his voice clearly raised by several notches.
After speaking, Jiraiya seemed to realize his tone was somewhat off and lowered his volume. However, his face still bore an expression of dissatisfaction as he continued:
"Even if this intelligence is reliable, why do we have to send Naruto along? Don't you realize how sensitive Naruto's identity as a jinchuriki is right now?"
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, rubbing her ear, her expression as calm as ever from start to finish.
Seeing Tsunade still looking utterly unconcerned, Jiraiya took a deep breath and was about to speak again.
"This was Grandfather's instruction."
Tsunade's indifferent voice rang beside Jiraiya's ear.
The words Jiraiya had been about to say seemed to get stuck in his throat. His face instantly flushed red, and for a moment, he did not know how to respond.
Shizune, standing behind Tsunade, could not help but cover her mouth and let out a soft laugh at the sight of Jiraiya's frustrated expression.
Jiraiya glared fiercely at Shizune, then showed a look of helpless resignation.
"Why would Senju Hashirama-sama do such a thing?"
"It's a bit too dangerous for Naruto."
"Who knows? Perhaps Grandfather has his own considerations."
Tsunade's mouth twitched slightly as she spoke calmly.
As for Senju Hashirama's true intentions, Tsunade could more or less guess them. It was just that even she could not bring herself to say it out loud.
Knock! Knock!
Two light knocks on the door sounded.
Hearing the knock, Jiraiya sighed and withdrew his hands from the desk, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Come in."
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya, shook her head slightly, and spoke in a soft voice.
The first to enter was Hatake Kakashi, wearing his black mask with both hands tucked into his pockets.
Following behind Kakashi was a young man with long black hair, green sunglasses, and wearing jonin flak armor.
"Lord Hokage."
"Lord Jiraiya."
Upon entering, both men noticed Jiraiya in the office. They bowed slightly and spoke respectfully.
Jiraiya glanced at Kakashi, then looked at the figure behind him. Sending Kakashi on this mission was not surprising, given that Kakashi was essentially Naruto's jonin instructor.
"Yamashiro Aoba?"
Jiraiya looked at Yamashiro Aoba with a hint of surprise.
Tsunade seemed to sense Jiraiya's confusion and gave a light smile.
"This mission is not only about stopping Uchiha Madara from capturing the One-Tail jinchuriki. Additionally, Konoha needs an ally."
"Granny Chiyo certainly has some history with us, but that does not mean the rest of Sunagakure's leadership is unwilling to cooperate."
A trace of concern flickered in Tsunade's eyes as she spoke with a calm expression.
Hearing this, Jiraiya largely understood Tsunade's reasoning for sending Yamashiro Aoba.
The inauguration ceremony for Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage had been prepared by Yamashiro Aoba and Gekko Hayate together.
In a sense, Yamashiro Aoba could be considered Tsunade's direct subordinate.
Having Yamashiro Aoba go to Sunagakure inherently represented the will of the Fifth Hokage herself.
Without realizing it, Jiraiya saw a trace of his teacher Sarutobi Hiruzen's shadow in Tsunade.
The current Tsunade was becoming more and more like a true Hokage. Jiraiya thought to himself with a mixture of relief and melancholy.
"After you arrive at Sunagakure, hand this scroll to Ebizo."
As she spoke, Tsunade tossed a pre-prepared scroll toward Yamashiro Aoba.
Catching the scroll, Yamashiro Aoba nodded gently and stowed it away with great care.
"You can head out now. Naruto should be at the main gate of Konoha. I'll leave the rest in your hands."
Just thinking about Naruto gave Tsunade a headache. She rubbed her temples.
Kakashi also showed a hint of helplessness on his face. He exchanged a glance with Yamashiro Aoba, and both turned to leave the Hokage's office.
Beside the main gate of Konoha.
Senju Hashirama was ruffling Naruto's golden hair while letting out hearty laughter:
"That's right, you need that kind of spirit, Naruto!"
Naruto, brimming with energy, nodded vigorously, not minding in the least that his hair was being messed up by Senju Hashirama.
"Don't worry, Senju Hashirama-sama! I'll definitely bring Sasuke and Neji back!"
Naruto clenched his fists tightly, looking completely earnest.
Senju Hashirama, who had been laughing heartily, suddenly paused. He looked at Naruto with a helpless expression.
"That's not what I was talking about."
"Whether that Byakugan kid and that red-eyed kid come back or not, it doesn't really matter. What's important is that you cannot lose to those two!"
"After all, you're practically my disciple now. You absolutely cannot lose!"
Senju Hashirama patted Naruto's shoulder with an extremely serious look on his face.
"I definitely won't lose! With Pervy Sage and Senju Hashirama-sama's teachings, I'm really strong now!"
At the thought of seeing Sasuke again, Naruto nodded without hesitation, his face full of excitement and bursting with energy.
"That's the spirit!"
Senju Hashirama nodded in approval, patting Naruto's shoulder firmly once more.
However, Naruto probably had not actually listened to what he just said, had he?
Senju Hashirama could not help but mutter to himself inwardly.
Just then.
Two sets of footsteps reached Senju Hashirama's ears.
Following the direction of the sound, Senju Hashirama caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and saw Kakashi and Yamashiro Aoba rapidly approaching from behind.
Senju Hashirama gave a light cough, and his previously carefree demeanor instantly vanished.
"Senju Hashirama-sama!"
"Senju Hashirama-sama!"
Almost simultaneously, two respectful voices called out from behind Senju Hashirama.
"You're here. In that case, I'll leave Naruto in your hands."
Senju Hashirama put on a serious face as he addressed Kakashi and Yamashiro Aoba. The moment he finished speaking, he vanished into thin air.
"Senju Hashirama-sama, he's really..."
Kakashi held his forehead and muttered under his breath.
Senju Hashirama and Naruto's unrestrained laughter had been audible even from quite a distance away.
What's more, Kakashi glanced at the Konoha civilians nearby who were casting odd looks in their direction.
"Should we perhaps get away from here first?"
Yamashiro Aoba cleared his throat gently, taking the initiative to remind them.
Kakashi nodded in emphatic agreement. Before Naruto could even react, Kakashi grabbed Naruto by the collar and disappeared in a blur.
Yamashiro Aoba naturally was not about to lag behind and vanished almost at the same time.
Behind them, only Naruto's shriek echoed in the spot where they had stood!
[
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