Jiraiya laughed and said, "Speaking of heroes, this is definitely Naruto's doing! I didn't do anything!"
Almost everyone rushed forward, lifted Naruto onto their shoulders, and began tossing him into the air.
"Hero..."
"Hero—"
"Hero!!!"
Naruto knew that, from that moment on, he had finally been accepted by all the ninjas and villagers of Konoha.
The Nine-Tailed Brat, who had once been scorned and ignored, was gone.
He was now Konoha's hero, known and recognized by everyone.
Hinata wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes as she silently watched Naruto. He looked like the moon surrounded by countless stars, and a complex emotion similar to Naruto's rose in her heart.
Iruka-sensei also smiled through his tears.
He knew very well how difficult Naruto's journey had been...
No one praised him for the hardships he had endured.
But after overcoming all those hardships, Naruto more than deserved all the praise and fame he was receiving now.
Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, and all the other ninjas, regardless of rank, watched the scene with smiles.
Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Sakura, Shino, Kiba... Everyone watched with smiles on their faces.
Memories of the past filled their minds, as though an entire century had passed...
Naruto finally collapsed to the ground amid the cheers and applause of the enthusiastic crowd.
Although the smile on his face was bright, a slight look of surprise and confusion could also be seen in his eyes.
After all, he had never received such treatment before.
Hinata walked forward with her characteristic gentle smile.
"Naruto-kun, you saved the entire village. You're a true hero..."
Naruto scratched his head and let out a dry laugh.
"Really? Really?"
"I'm not used to this at all..."
Hinata understood how he felt and didn't say much. She simply smiled gently.
"You'll get used to it, Naruto-kun."
Iruka-sensei also joined them.
"Thank you, Naruto."
Naruto looked at Iruka-sensei's face, and memories from the past flooded his mind once more.
His nose tingled, and he threw himself into Iruka-sensei's arms.
"Iruka-sensei..."
"No, I should be thanking you. If it weren't for you, I... I..."
Iruka gently stroked his back.
"Don't say that, Naruto. Who you are is something you decided for yourself."
"No, if it weren't for Iruka-sensei's approval, I might have already become someone else..."
"Just like Gaara did before... just like Big Brother Nagato..."
A slight smile appeared on Iruka's lips, but tears streamed down his face.
Jiraiya watched the scene with his arms crossed, a genuine smile on his face.
Tsunade said, "It seems Naruto is still closest to Iruka..."
Jiraiya felt no jealousy or envy. Instead, he burst into laughter.
"Because Iruka is the father figure Naruto never had..."
"No, when I look at them, Iruka seems more like Naruto's mother."
Shizune laughed as well.
"Iruka-sensei really is very kind..."
Tsunade breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Thanks to Jiraiya and Naruto's return, unlike in the original story, Naruto hadn't depleted all his chakra and strength and fallen into a coma.
However, some weakness was inevitable.
Tsunade looked around the village. Although all the dead had been brought back to life, the destroyed houses and buildings still needed to be rebuilt.
"At a time like this, Yamato's strength will be needed..."
"How are things in the Hidden Mist Village?"
Tsunade's words caused Naruto's heart to suddenly race.
"Hidden Mist Village..."
"Uchiha Itachi..."
"Sasuke!"
Jiraiya frowned.
"Naruto, what are you talking about?"
Naruto quickly summarized what had happened earlier.
Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at each other, their expressions subtly changing.
"Did Sasuke also go to the Hidden Mist Village?"
"Naruto shouldn't have fully mastered the Pain Mode yet..."
Jiraiya immediately became worried.
Tsunade lightly patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Jiraiya. The Hidden Mist Village was prepared. Might Guy, Yamato, and the others are there. Kitsuchi from Iwagakure and Darui from the Hidden Cloud Village are there as well, along with all the forces of the Hidden Mist Village itself."
"Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki are only two people. They shouldn't be able to cause too much trouble, right?"
Jiraiya shook his head.
"Don't underestimate those two bastards..."
"Kisame Hoshigaki was originally a ninja of the Hidden Mist Village. He should be extremely familiar with everything there."
"Not to mention Uchiha Itachi, who personally slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan..."
"Besides, I need to find a way to get there immediately."
Naruto said, "Pervy Sage, my Shadow Clone already went there, and it hasn't disappeared yet. That means nothing should have happened..."
"And honestly, even if something did happen, it would already be too late to rush there now."
Jiraiya knew that Naruto was right.
However, Sasuke was also his student, so it was impossible for him not to worry.
"Sasuke..."
Naruto also looked into the distance, waiting for a response from his Shadow Clone.
---
Hidden Mist Village.
"As expected of Kisame, he's really familiar with the defensive barrier of the Hidden Mist Village."
Uchiha Itachi quietly followed him as the two of them slipped into the Hidden Mist Village.
Kisame Hoshigaki chuckled.
"When we went to Konoha, Mr. Itachi was like this too, wasn't he?"
"Silently passing through the defensive barrier."
"That's because Mr. Itachi was once a Konoha shinobi. I was an 'Anbu' ninja as well. I worked in the Hidden Mist Anbu for many years, so I still remember this information..."
"Hmm."
Uchiha Itachi didn't say much. His cold face remained expressionless.
Kisame Hoshigaki looked at him, hesitating for a moment before speaking.
The relationship between him and Uchiha Itachi was very complicated.
On the surface, both of them were missing-nin who had abandoned their respective villages and were forced to join the Akatsuki Organization together.
But in reality, Kisame Hoshigaki was extremely loyal to another man—
"Uchiha Madara."
His partnership with Uchiha Itachi also meant that he was secretly monitoring him.
However, beyond these identities, Kisame Hoshigaki still had a certain sense of friendship toward Uchiha Itachi.
In fact, from a certain perspective, he greatly admired this man.
Because—
He was stronger and more ruthless than Kisame himself.
Kisame had once slaughtered all of his comrades and teammates, but Uchiha Itachi had killed his own parents and every member of his clan.
Kisame had to admit that such a thing would have been difficult even for him to do.
A ruthless villain could not help but admire someone even more ruthless and cruel than himself.
Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi wore black cloaks that concealed their Akatsuki uniforms, along with large hoods that covered their heads as they moved through the Hidden Mist Village.
Kisame looked around.
Everything seemed familiar, yet strangely unfamiliar, and his heart stirred involuntarily.
The current Hidden Mist Village...
It seemed to have recovered quite well.
Compared to the time when he had left, the difference was like heaven and hell.
However, none of that concerned him anymore.
He had betrayed the village once.
But he didn't want to betray it a second time.
"Mr. Itachi, even though we can quietly infiltrate the village and capture the Three-Tails Jinchuriki without starting a large-scale battle, we still need to find his location first."
"For that, we'll have to rely on your Sharingan."
Uchiha Itachi silently nodded.
Their plan was to infiltrate the village without alerting too many people and locate the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, who was currently the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi.
If everything went according to plan, Uchiha Itachi would use the Sharingan's genjutsu to manipulate and control him, forcing him to follow them.
If a battle broke out, dealing with the entire Hidden Mist Village would be extremely difficult.
Furthermore, the Dawn Alliance team was also stationed here.
"Hmm?"
"It's raining..."
A light drizzle began to fall over the market of the Hidden Mist Village, and the pedestrians hurried along even faster.
Uchiha Itachi adjusted his straw hat, then he and Kisame Hoshigaki walked out into the rain.
"Ahead."
Uchiha Itachi spoke softly.
Kisame Hoshigaki frowned slightly.
"Did you find the target?"
________________________________________
⚡ Enjoying the story? Don't stop here!
The adventure continues on Patreon:
👉 patreon.com/Obito_uchiha
🔥 Read up to 50 chapters ahead
📚 Get access to 20+ fanfics with a single membership
Be among the first to experience new chapters weeks before they're released publicly.
Join today and start reading ahead!