"Hey! Teacher Iruka, why isn't Sasuke coming to school yet!!"
Inside Konoha Village's Ninja Academy, Naruto couldn't help but shout upon seeing Sasuke's still-empty seat.
Didn't they clearly say Sasuke was just taking a leave of absence before? Naruto was extremely displeased.
"You're too noisy, Naruto! Sasuke has already withdrawn from school!" Iruka roared at Naruto. He hadn't yet developed the same sense of responsibility toward Naruto as he would in the future, and his eyes still carried a faint hint of dislike.
"What!? Withdrawn from school!" Naruto looked incredulous.
Iruka couldn't be bothered to deal with him anymore and simply continued teaching the lesson himself.
After school, Naruto was still a little dejected. Although his relationship with Sasuke wasn't particularly good, he felt a pang of sadness upon hearing Sasuke wouldn't be coming anymore.
Maybe I should go look for him? The thought flashed through Naruto's mind. Simple-minded as he was, he acted immediately, running straight toward the Uchiha Clan Compound where Sasuke had taken him before.
Everywhere he passed, everyone on the streets showed expressions of dissatisfaction and disgust, especially upon seeing the smile on his face; passersby immediately started cursing.
Along the way, Naruto ran frantically with his head down. He heard the voices of the pedestrians, and a surge of sadness and confusion welled up in his heart, though mostly it was just natural—he was used to it.
Just as he was running close to the Uchiha Clan Compound, a figure suddenly used a hand to block Naruto, causing the running Naruto to collide and fall directly onto the ground.
"Ouch!! That hurts!" Naruto covered his head and looked at the Anbu member in front of him. "Who are you?"
"Don't go any further," the Anbu member said coldly.
"No! I'm going to find Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, trying to go around him, but the Anbu member showed no mercy, kicking Naruto directly in the stomach and sending him flying.
Naruto tumbled a few times, clutching his stomach as a sharp pain shot through him, but he still didn't give up, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve.
So, the Anbu member resumed kicking and punching, showing a hint of pleasure while watching Naruto suffer.
"Taka! What are you doing? Why don't you just knock him out!?" An Anbu member hidden in the shadows couldn't stand it anymore and came out to intervene.
"Shut up! If I do that, he'll just come back next time!" Taka retorted.
Naruto stubbornly stood up, gritting his teeth as he glared at the two men.
Seeing this, Taka wanted to step forward again, but a furious shout stopped him.
"Stop!!"
The two Anbu members took a step back. A white-haired, muscular man appeared in front of Naruto, bearing the 'Oil' Character Mark on his forehead.
"Lord Jiraiya!" The two immediately bowed.
Jiraiya was currently filled with rage. He had originally come to check on Naruto, but upon arriving, he had witnessed the scene that just unfolded.
"Both of you immediately go back and receive punishment from the Third Hokage! And withdraw all Anbu members stationed here today!" Jiraiya angrily drove them away.
The Anbu members dared not disobey Jiraiya and could only comply.
Only after they left did Jiraiya turn to look at the battered Naruto, who was gazing at Jiraiya with gratitude.
"Are you alright? I'll take you to the hospital," Jiraiya said, looking at the frail Naruto with deep guilt.
"I'm fine, Uncle, thank you!" Naruto thanked him while enduring the pain, and still slowly walked toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.
"Wait!" Jiraiya stopped him. "Do you know what place is up ahead?"
"Yes, I know. That's Sasuke's house. I'm going to find Sasuke."
"Sasuke? Uchiha Sasuke?" Jiraiya had some recollection; he seemed to be Uchiha Fugaku's son.
"Why are you looking for him?"
"He stopped coming to school, and I wanted to see what was wrong with him."
So that's it. Jiraiya felt a little relieved, realizing he was worried about a classmate.
"Well, I'll go with you then," Jiraiya said with a smile. There was no way he could let Naruto go to the Uchiha Clan Compound alone. Besides, he wanted to check on the current state of the Uchiha, and also Uchiha Kaede... Thinking of that last name, Jiraiya grew serious. A Mangekyo user at thirteen. The Old man had already denied that the person involved in the previous incident was truly Uchiha Madara, yet that person possessed a Sharingan. Who was the most likely candidate now?
"Okay, I'll take you there then," Naruto said innocently. Hearing that Jiraiya wanted to go along, he was quite happy, since this person didn't hate him.
"Hey, go announce that Jiraiya has come to visit," Jiraiya said loudly to the Uchiha Clan member at the gate as the two arrived at the Uchiha entrance.
The clan member's face changed drastically upon hearing the name, and he quickly ran inside the compound.
Naruto, however, cheerfully walked straight in, only to be stopped again.
"I'm here to find Sasuke!"
"Sasuke?" The Uchiha Ninja looked warily at Jiraiya behind Naruto. "He should be training."
"Then I'll go find him."
"No, you can't. We will go tell him for you. Please wait here first," the Uchiha Ninja flatly refused.
Naruto was a little reluctant, but hearing that they would relay the message for him, he stayed put and waited.
Before long, Uchiha Setsuna came out leading a group of people.
"Jiraiya, what are you doing here?" He glanced at Naruto, his heart skipping a beat.
Naruto was disappointed not to see Sasuke and remained silent.
"Ah ha ha ha ha, I'm just here for a visit. I wanted to see Uchiha Kaede," Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly, pulling Naruto behind him.
"Lord Jiraiya, is there something you need from me?" A clear voice drifted over. Kaede walked out calmly, with Sasuke following right behind him.
"Sasuke!" Naruto cheered excitedly, greeting Sasuke.
Sasuke nodded slightly at Naruto.
Jiraiya scrutinized Kaede, inwardly alarmed. Young! Too young! Judging only by his physique, he couldn't possibly be that mysterious person, but Jiraiya wasn't sure if that person had used the Transformation Technique or something similar.
"Uchiha Kaede, is it? Haha, I'd like to arrange a time to spar with you," Jiraiya invited.
"Oh, sure, if there's an opportunity." Kaede neither agreed nor refused, knowing exactly what Jiraiya was trying to figure out.
Kaede then shifted his gaze to Naruto, who was also looking at him with curiosity.
"Well, since everything is fine, we'll be going now." Jiraiya's heart tightened, and he immediately tried to pull Naruto away.
"No! I need to find Sasuke."
"Haven't you already seen him?"
"I still have questions to ask."
"Lord Jiraiya, don't be nervous. I won't do anything to him, and you don't need to worry about us hurting him. After all, when it comes to inflicting harm, Konoha is far superior to us," Kaede said with a wave and a smile.
"I apologize, but we have other matters to attend to, so we really must leave first." Jiraiya still refused, as the Jinchuriki was simply too important.
He looked at Naruto, feeling helpless. So, Kaede suggested that he could take Sasuke with him to the training ground outside.
Jiraiya thought about it and decided that outside would be safer, especially with himself present. So, he nodded in agreement.
At a secluded training ground outside, Kaede and Jiraiya leaned against a wall, watching Sasuke and Naruto in the center.
The two brats started fighting shortly after meeting, and luckily the training ground was large enough.
"Lord Jiraiya seems quite nervous," Kaede said, looking at Jiraiya teasingly.
"Am I? Ahahaha." Jiraiya scratched his head. Of course, he was nervous; he didn't know Uchiha Kaede at all.
At this moment, Sasuke had his back to Kaede and Jiraiya, his eyes fixed intently on Naruto.
Suddenly, Sasuke's right eye transformed directly into a strange pattern, spinning wildly.
In an instant, Naruto fell into a daze, and the same pattern appeared in his eyes.
A surge of violent Chakra immediately appeared on the field, throwing Sasuke backward.
"Oh no!" Jiraiya's expression changed drastically. He glanced at Kaede, who also looked utterly shocked.
The two rushed forward almost simultaneously. Jiraiya tried to suppress the Nine-Tailed's power, but he was instantly pushed away by the immense force the moment he touched it.
Kaede, on the other hand, immediately appeared in front of Naruto. Susanoo's black skeletal frame began to manifest, halting Naruto's movements.
"Lord Jiraiya, hurry!"
"Oh, oh!" Even Jiraiya was stunned at this point, but he still rushed over.
But he didn't see that when the black skeletal frame touched Naruto, a stream of Chakra flowed along the frame into Kaede's body. However, because the frame was too black, no one noticed.
Ashura Chakra! Secured!
Full book àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (luffy1898)