Chapter 66 – The Last Spark of the Old Will of Fire
Naruto's words left Jiraiya speechless.
He couldn't defend the sins his own teacher had committed.
Among the ninja squad that followed Jiraiya, only a few clan heads who knew the dark secrets stayed calm.
The rest—jonin and chunin alike—stood frozen in disbelief.
The Uchiha massacre… the White Fang's death… actually orchestrated by the late Hokage and elders?
A conspiracy from the very top?
In that moment, the Will of Fire inside many of them cracked.
"Kakashi… is it true?!"
Might Guy stared at his best friend.
He had never understood the full story behind Sakumo's suicide—only fragments.
He never understood why choosing to save comrades had turned the whole village against the man.
But Guy had always agreed with the White Fang's choice.
That's why he and Kakashi had become eternal rivals—and brothers.
Kakashi only gave a quiet, heavy nod.
"The old man did unforgivable things… but the village itself is innocent!"
With nothing left to argue on morality, Jiraiya fell back to the village card—hoping to reach whatever remained of their loyalty.
His tone was sincere, pleading.
Naruto and Sasuke didn't even blink.
Aike, who had been enjoying the show from the sidelines, decided it was time to leave the stage.
"We're done meddling in your family drama. We'll be going now."
Jiraiya, Kakashi, and every shinobi present mentally retorted:
"You literally helped kill the Third and Danzo, how is that not meddling?!"
Of course, no one said it out loud.
When Aike wanted to leave, Jiraiya was more than happy to clear the path.
He stepped aside and let Aike's group—including the "main culprit" Izumi Uchiha—walk out without a word.
Only after they were long gone did Jiraiya finally reveal why he had really come.
"I'm sorry, Naruto."
"I failed you. I let the village hurt you that way."
"But the Nine-Tails is crucial to Konoha. I can't let you just walk away—so forgive me!"
Talk no Jutsu failed. Time for plan B.
"Kakashi, Guy!"
"With me. Fastest capture possible."
"Understood!"
Kakashi and Guy answered in unison.
Every elite jonin tensed, ready to block any escape routes.
"Ever since I decided to leave, I've never once gone all-out."
Naruto grinned.
"Perfect warm-up before we disappear. Let's see how deep the shinobi world really is."
Golden light erupted around him.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode—full power.
Pressure far beyond Kage-level crushed down on Jiraiya's squad.
At the same moment, Sasuke ignited his own aura.
Flame cloak flared to life.
The temperature inside the bunker skyrocketed; waves of heat scorched the stone floor.
Both boys unleashing their true strength for the first time.
Jiraiya's pupils shrank.
He had thought he'd rated them highly enough.
Clearly, back at the chunin exam stadium, they had been holding back everything.
This just got a lot harder…
Outside Root headquarters, atop a tall tree.
"They've started."
Aike sensed the tremors and chakra flares hundreds of meters away.
"Don't we wanna stay and watch?" Nami and Carina both pouted.
"That tiny cave? They can't even swing properly."
"And with Flying Raijin, the fight won't last five minutes anyway."
Aike shrugged.
"Naruto slipped away with us yesterday just so he could hide this trump card for today."
With that, he led the group back toward the village proper.
And exactly as Aike predicted,
deep inside the collapsing bunker,
Jiraiya—seeing no quick end in sight—used the opening Kakashi and Guy bought him.
Both
palms slammed into the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The toads of Mount Myoboku were about to meet two very angry teenagers.
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