Tsunade glared at Jiraiya, her expression livid.
There was no joy in their reunion. The only thing filling her mind was the outrageous cost of repairing the village roads.
Damn this cursed Hokage position.
It had turned her into a stingy old hag.
Jiraiya pretended not to notice Tsunade's expression. He casually pulled over a chair, sat down, and asked lazily, "You called me back because of that kid, didn't you?"
Hearing him bring up serious matters, Tsunade's face hardened. "Who else would it be?"
Neither of them had expected Naruto to cause such a massive reaction.
It felt as if the entire world was on the verge of changing.
Jiraiya lowered his voice. "What do you want me to do?"
"You were always searching for that so-called Child of Prophecy," Tsunade said. "But in the end, wasn't it Sasuke whom Naruto pushed in front of you?"
Jiraiya nodded. "That kid is a genius. His learning ability is terrifying, but his progress in Sage Mode is slower than expected. If he can overcome his inner demons like Naruto said, cooperate with the Nine-Tails, and then combine that with Sage Mode and the Uchiha bloodline…"
When Sasuke was mentioned, Jiraiya instantly lost any trace of drowsiness.
It had to be said—Naruto's judgment was frighteningly accurate.
Naruto himself was already too strong. Jiraiya simply didn't have the qualifications to teach him.
So Naruto was unlikely to be the Child of Prophecy.
Given that, Sasuke was the most likely candidate.
Sasuke's performance had been outstanding, and his diligence was undeniable.
With his current strength, Sasuke could already contend with quasi-Kage-level opponents.
Even Kakashi might not gain an advantage against him.
Once Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, mastered Sage Mode, and further integrated the Nine-Tails' chakra… his growth potential was immeasurable.
Given enough time, he might even rival the legendary Uchiha Madara.
Jiraiya was getting excited—but Tsunade suddenly changed the subject.
"I didn't ask you here to talk about that Uchiha brat," she said coldly. "When you went searching for the Child of Prophecy, didn't that toad give you a prophecy?"
Jiraiya froze. "Huh? Yeah… Tsunade, didn't you always think those things were nonsense?"
Tsunade fell silent for a moment, resting her chin on her hands as her eyes narrowed slightly. "Normally, I would. But right now, we don't have another choice."
"I want you to ask that toad about Naruto," she said seriously. "Whether we should support him or not."
Jiraiya frowned. "That's a headache… but I'll try. You know the sages of the Summoning Realm don't like interfering in mortal affairs."
But Naruto's actions affected the entire Ninja World—could that really be considered meddling?
With that thought, Jiraiya used Reverse Summoning and arrived at Mount Myōboku.
After meeting the Great Toad Sage, he repeated Tsunade's question.
"That blond brat?" The Great Toad Sage said, unusually awake. "I already have a rough idea of what he intends to do."
"But as for the prophecy… it still requires some time."
Jiraiya listened intently. "How long? I can wait."
The Great Toad Sage replied, "About… five minutes."
Jiraiya: "…"
No.
Brother.
You call that 'needing time'?
After a brief silence, Jiraiya muttered, "Fine, you old man never change."
He watched as the Great Toad Sage closed his eyes.
He wasn't sleeping—he was predicting the future, or rather, deducing the prophecy.
Moments later, the Great Toad Sage's massive body suddenly trembled.
He hadn't been this shaken in thousands of years.
"Ribbit!!!"
Jiraiya jolted and stared at him.
Cold sweat covered the Great Toad Sage's body as he spoke gravely. "Little Jiraiya… fully cooperate with that man named Uzumaki Naruto."
Jiraiya stiffened. "That's it? Is there any explanation?"
Someone wanted to rule the Ninja World—and the Toad Sage told him to cooperate?
That clashed violently with Jiraiya's sense of justice.
In his eyes, the Ninja World belonged to everyone. It should never become a one-man dictatorship.
But the Great Toad Sage said solemnly, "All I can tell you is this—you only have the right to cooperate."
Jiraiya: "…"
…
With such a major upheaval, all eyes in the Ninja World turned toward the Four Great Shinobi Villages.
Since Kumogakure had effectively fallen, only four remained.
Naruto openly traveled to Kirigakure, spending money like water, investing in industries and infrastructure.
Soon after, Mei Terumī announced that Kirigakure was willing to cooperate with Uzumaki Naruto.
Not long after that, Konohagakure released news that Tsunade had departed for the meeting site.
Seeing two villages take a soft stance, Ōnoki immediately followed.
Rasa did the same.
With the Four Great Shinobi Villages taking the lead, the leaders of smaller villages rushed to join.
After all, the Four Great Shinobi Villages represented the pinnacle of military power.
If even they didn't oppose Naruto, what right did smaller villages have to resist?
Thus, following Naruto's instructions, the Kage and leaders of every Shinobi Village gathered in the Land of Snow.
The meeting officially began.
Naruto announced the threat of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
He then had all villages sign a non-aggression pact.
Finally, he ordered each village to establish a department called the "Resistance Force," ready to defend against future Ōtsutsuki invasions.
Naturally, no one truly believed the Ōtsutsuki threat.
They assumed Naruto was either joking—or using it as an excuse to dominate the Ninja World.
They played along.
Naruto saw through it all.
But he didn't care.
All he cared about were system missions and simulation attempts.
As a result of this meeting, the Land of Snow's influence skyrocketed, effectively becoming the Fifth Great Shinobi Village.
The people of Kumogakure watched Naruto's rise in silence, swallowing their rage.
And the more miserable Kumogakure became, the less anyone dared provoke him.
After all—
They had merely plotted against someone close to Naruto, and even that plan had failed.
Yet Naruto had destroyed them to this extent.
No one dared offend him again.
Besides, despite his overbearing methods, Naruto only demanded non-aggression and created a symbolic "Resistance Force."
He never implemented true hegemonic rule.
After the meeting ended, everyone returned to their villages—back to their own affairs.
But an incident soon occurred in Konohagakure.
Danzō had already been killed by Naruto, so he naturally couldn't stir up trouble.
However, Naruto had been extremely irresponsible.
He killed Danzō—but failed to completely uproot Root.
Strictly speaking, Danzō was Naruto's enemy.
Why should Naruto help Konoha remove its internal tumor?
The remnants of Root survived.
Taking advantage of Tsunade's absence—and the departure of many high-level combat forces—they began to act.
Fortunately, the timing worked against them.
During this period, Sasuke reunited with Itachi and temporarily joined forces with him.
Under their guidance, Sasuke trained relentlessly.
And soon—
Young Sasuke stood face to face with Root's acting leader.
A battle was inevitable.
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