Jiraiya nearly collapsed on the spot when he heard Naruto's words.
Unable to hold himself back, he roared toward the sky, fists clenched, veins bulging on his forehead.
"This is all my fault!"
Naruto blinked.
"Haven't you ever heard of Jiraiya the Great?!" Jiraiya shouted, his voice echoing through the hot springs area.
Naruto sat cross-legged on the ground, resting his chin in his hand as if deep in thought. After a moment, he nodded seriously.
"No."
"..."
"What an ignorant little brat!"
Their argument instantly frightened away the people bathing nearby. One by one, silhouettes vanished behind rocks and trees as everyone hurried off in embarrassment.
Jiraiya stretched out his hands desperately toward the distance.
"Hey—wait! Don't leave! I was so close—!"
But the area was already completely deserted.
"…Damn it." Jiraiya slumped. "It's all your fault, you brat! You ruined my research!"
Naruto jumped to his feet and pointed at him angrily.
"What kind of 'research' is this?! That's just voyeurism, you pervert!"
Jiraiya immediately struck a dramatic pose, spreading both hands wide.
"Wahahaha! You're mistaken! I'm not a pervert!"
"I saw it with my own eyes! How could I be wrong, you pervert?!"
"I'm a full-fledged pervert!"
Naruto froze.
"..."
He admitted it without the slightest shame!
Jiraiya sighed deeply and gazed toward the now-empty riverbank. His shoulders drooped as he prepared to leave in disappointment.
"I finally came back to Konoha to do some research," he muttered. "And just when I was about to witness such a beautiful scene… it's all gone."
"How boring. How very boring…"
Naruto clenched his fists.
"What research?! I'm telling you, you interrupted my training!"
"Training?" Jiraiya glanced at Naruto's forehead protector. "I see… judging by that headband, you're already a ninja."
"Of course I am!" Naruto puffed out his chest proudly. "And I'm a genius ninja who graduated first in my class!"
"Uzumaki Naruto," Jiraiya said lazily, clearly unconvinced. "A genius who graduated top of the class?"
"It's nothing worth mentioning."
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"Were you even there back then?"
"…Not exactly."
"…Then what are you so proud of?!"
Jiraiya fell silent, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Back then," he said slowly, "even the most outstanding graduate in our class wasn't exactly a good person…"
Naruto felt a sharp sting in his chest, as if his title as "top graduate" had just been trampled on.
"Who was the best graduate in your class?!"
Jiraiya answered calmly.
"Orochimaru."
Naruto's brain stopped.
"…Huh?"
"O—Orochimaru?!"
Jiraiya frowned. "What, you've heard of him?"
Naruto exploded.
"I didn't just hear of him—we fought him!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
"You fought Orochimaru?"
"And you're still alive?!"
Naruto immediately launched into an animated retelling of the battle in the Forest of Death, adding generous embellishments. His gestures grew more exaggerated by the second.
Jiraiya listened, his brows slowly knitting together.
"A ship?"
"…Has that vile Orochimaru already mastered that forbidden technique?"
Naruto tilted his head. "Which forbidden technique?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "I won't tell you yet. No point giving you nightmares."
Then his gaze sharpened.
"You said Orochimaru left a Cursed Seal on you. Where is it?"
Naruto didn't resist. He pulled aside his collar and showed the markings on his neck and shoulder.
"This is it."
Jiraiya's expression immediately turned serious.
"I see… it really is Orochimaru's Cursed Seal."
He sighed heavily.
"It seems that, besides Uchiha Sasuke, you've also become one of his chosen vessels."
"I have to admit," Jiraiya continued grimly, "he has excellent taste. If Orochimaru were to obtain both Sasuke and you… there wouldn't be a single person in the ninja world capable of stopping that monster."
Naruto caught something important in his words.
"You said 'back then.'"
"So… is there anyone now who can deal with him?"
Jiraiya smiled faintly.
"Of course."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"You're not going to say it's you, are you?!"
"Obviously."
Naruto frowned.
"You stopped my taijutsu so easily, so you clearly have skill. But compared to that monster… you're still far behind, right?"
"Even all three of us in Team 7 couldn't do anything against him."
Jiraiya laughed.
"It's natural for you to think that."
"After all, you're still young—and you haven't even heard of the legendary Three Sannin, famous throughout the ninja world."
Naruto blinked.
"The… Three Sannin?"
"That's right," Jiraiya said proudly. "That title belongs to me, Orochimaru, and another troublesome person named Tsunade."
Naruto crossed his arms and stared at him suspiciously.
Long white hair. A tall, sturdy build. Wooden sandals. A loose robe. A forehead protector with the giant character for 'oil' written on it.
Add to that his recent peeping activities.
No matter how Naruto looked at him, he didn't resemble a legendary master at all.
"…Are you real," Naruto muttered, "or fake?"
"I already told you," Jiraiya said, offended, "I'm the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku—the White-Haired Sage!"
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved his hand. "Perverted Sage."
"…Don't call me that!"
"Got it, Perverted Sage."
"..."
Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Um… Perverted Sage… if you're really that strong, can you help me remove this Cursed Seal?"
Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat.
"You don't want it?"
"…Only a ghost would!"
Jiraiya frowned.
"Even though it's called a curse, the Cursed Seal is also a shortcut to power. If you can fuse with it successfully, you could gain incredible strength in a very short time."
"Isn't that what you want?"
Naruto shook his head firmly.
"What I want is power earned by my own effort!"
"Leaving aside the fact that Orochimaru is a monster," Naruto continued, "even if he were a good person, I'd never accept something that looks so evil!"
Jiraiya stared at him in silence.
"…I didn't expect that answer," he admitted. "That kind of conviction… it's not something I expected from you."
He hesitated, then spoke carefully.
"If that's the case, then what about the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox inside you?"
Naruto answered instantly, pride clear in his voice.
"Ah, I don't want that power either."
This time, Jiraiya was genuinely stunned.
He knew exactly why the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had sealed half of the Nine-Tails into Naruto. Not just for chakra—but so Naruto could gradually master that power and one day stand against Uchiha Madara.
After Minato's death, Jiraiya had watched Naruto closely, waiting for the right moment to guide him—and eventually help him safely loosen the seal.
But now…
Naruto didn't want the Nine-Tails' power at all.
That single sentence overturned both Minato's and Jiraiya's long-laid plans.
Jiraiya wasn't ready to give up.
"Naruto," he said seriously, "do you know that the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox is a natural disaster incarnate? Once you control its power, you could dominate the entire ninja world!"
"Your dream of becoming Hokage wouldn't just be a dream anymore."
"And yet… you still don't want it?"
Naruto nodded without hesitation.
"That's right."
"Why?"
Naruto clenched his fists.
"Because once, when its power leaked out, I almost lost control. I killed Mizuki and saved Iruka-sensei—but I nearly hurt Iruka-sensei too!"
"I don't want power that's violent, uncontrollable, and could hurt the people I care about!"
He looked straight at Jiraiya.
"And I truly believe that I can become unbelievably strong through my own efforts—and become a Hokage who surpasses all the previous ones!"
Jiraiya scratched his head furiously.
To be honest, all that so-called "research" had just been an excuse.
He'd returned to Konoha specifically to take over Naruto's training—and the first step had been teaching him how to control the Nine-Tails.
This development had completely caught him off guard.
Deep within Naruto's mind, another presence was just as furious.
Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox roared in rage.
"You damn brat!"
"Do you think this great being wants to lend you its power?!"
"You dare look down on me?!"
"You sealed me inside you, and now you say you don't want my strength?! What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Naruto, as always, looked calmly at the raging fox.
"Hey, Nine-Tailed Demon Fox," he said evenly, "I never wanted you in the first place."
"And I'm guessing the villagers' hatred toward me has something to do with you, right?"
Kurama snorted coldly and didn't respond.
Naruto sighed.
"As expected…"
"I don't want your power, and having you inside me only brings resentment and fear from others, so…"
"Why can't you just leave?"
Kurama exploded.
"Do you think I want to stay inside you?!"
Naruto scratched his head.
"Then why don't you go?"
"That's nonsense!" Kurama roared. "If I could leave, why would I still be here after all this time?!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)