The fat orange cat's memory loss left Shiraishi feeling somewhat vexed. However, news arriving from the Hidden Rain Village soon made him rather distracted.
Having been married to him for many years, Maki naturally noticed Shiraishi's unnatural demeanor. "If there is truly urgent business to handle, then you should leave first."
"Apologies. Currently, the Rain and Rock ninjas are on the verge of war."
The moment Shiraishi's words fell, he formed a hand seal and vanished from the room in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind a perfectly calm Pakura.
"As a husband, he can be considered derelict," Unohana Retsu said with a smile.
To this, Kikyo shook her head. "The things he shoulders are perhaps heavier than anyone imagines."
Hearing Kikyo unexpectedly defend Shiraishi, Unohana Retsu smiled radiantly, while Pakura took an extra glance at the elegantly eating shrine maiden.
Once Iwagakure decided to invade Rain, the two Jinchuriki and Onoki would inevitably move together. At this moment, Shiraishi really wanted to give a hug to Mr. Danzo of Konoha. Without his meddling, Onoki would not have made up his mind to join this operation.
Just as Shiraishi was preparing to mobilize various forces to seize the Tailed Beasts, news from Konoha Village made him ponder for a long time.
Uzumaki Naruto had been taken away by Jiraiya to Mount Myoboku to undergo Sage Mode training.
So fast?
It was currently only the year Konoha 61, not yet the year Konoha 62, when the Shippuden era officially began. Yet Uzumaki Naruto had already started training in Sage Mode?
Mount Myoboku remained filled with the fragrance of flowers and the singing of birds. This environment was exceptionally novel to Naruto, who had just arrived.
Uzumaki Naruto looked at everything before him with a face full of curiosity; every passing scene seemed so interesting.
With the Ninja World War looming ahead, Jiraiya had originally intended to spend another two years nurturing Naruto's growth. However, the urgency of the current situation forced him to make arrangements ahead of schedule.
The training at Mount Myoboku was one link in this plan. Compared to the Naruto of original history, his current strength was quite a bit greater, and he had even developed the Wind Release: Rasengan on his own. Therefore, Sage Mode training had become a necessary step.
Fukasaku Sage and Shima Sage looked after Naruto's daily life. This was mainly because Jiraiya couldn't stand the food there, so every time after guiding Naruto's training concluded, he would leave Mount Myoboku by himself.
Although those bugs and things were difficult to swallow, Jiraiya knew very well that this was of immense help for Naruto to sense natural energy.
Eating the food that Jiraiya had brought back from the outside world, Uzumaki Naruto bit into his bread and suddenly inquired, "Pervy Sage, why must we go to war with Sunagakure?"
"Because Sunagakure is wildly ambitious, intending to unify the shinobi world."
Unify the shinobi world?
Uzumaki Naruto swallowed his bread in one gulp and asked, very thoroughly perplexed, "Will people die in war?"
"Yes..."
"I see. We are fighting to stop the war."
Muttering to himself, Uzumaki Naruto nodded. Having confirmed a reason to fight, he continued to munch on his food. This reason alone was enough for him to face those Sunagakure ninjas.
During the last Joint Chunin Exams, many Genin from Sunagakure, and even the Kazekage, had left a deep impression on him.
In his small worldview, he didn't understand for a time why the relationship between the two sides had deteriorated to such an extent, but Jiraiya's explanation made him realize something.
Compared to Naruto's ignorance, Jiraiya's mood was much heavier. Over these years, Sunagakure had grown progressively stronger, gradually possessing the power to unify the shinobi world, comparable to Konoha during the era of the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara.
Except, compared to the kind-hearted and benevolent nature of the First Hokage, the Kazekage of Sunagakure was a ruthless hero of a chaotic era.
His methods were vicious and fierce, and he did not hesitate to engage in widespread slaughter across this continent to achieve his goals.
This was something Jiraiya could not tolerate. Of course, because Tsunade was the Hokage, Jiraiya would absolutely never let her shoulder all of this alone.
The Great Toad Sage had confirmed at first sight that Naruto was the Child of Prophecy who would change the future of the shinobi world.
Therefore, not just Jiraiya, but everyone at Mount Myoboku was putting their full effort into nurturing Naruto, hoping he would grow up as quickly as possible.
Inside the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Sasuke held countless kunai and threw them out. His Sharingan had already reached three tomoe, and under the training of Uchiha Itachi, he was gradually displaying his talent.
Although Sasuke was not as breathtakingly brilliant in his early youth compared to the childhood eras of Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui, or Uchiha Kaede, Sasuke's comprehension and perseverance deeply astonished Itachi.
He had never truly looked at Sasuke correctly in the past. Looking at him now, Sasuke's potential was exceptionally vast.
His Sharingan might surpass his own in the future...
A standard Mangekyo Sharingan alone was not enough to contend with Uchiha Kaede or the Fifth Kazekage. They had to unlock even greater power within Sasuke.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Itachi had long formed his own blueprint for Sasuke's future.
In contrast to Itachi's complex thoughts, Uchiha Sasuke's eyes carried a trace of cold indifference, conducting his training endlessly like a machine.
"Sasuke, you can rest now."
Seeing that Sasuke had been training alone for nearly most of the day, Itachi finally couldn't help but tell his younger brother to take a break. The latter coldly halted his actions, then left the compound on his own.
"I'm going out to eat."
Watching his younger brother's departing figure, Itachi revealed a worried gaze. He wanted to catch up to his brother but didn't know how to approach him.
Meanwhile, having distanced himself from Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke arrived at a desolate training field located in the mountains behind Konoha.
Staring at a shadow in the darkness, Sasuke spoke coldly, "This level of training is still not enough. Do you have anything else to teach?"
"Hehe. Then, how much do you know about the power of Sage Arts?"
Out of the darkness, a small red snake slowly crawled out from the forest, flicking its tongue as it stared bizarrely at Uchiha Sasuke.
"Sage Arts?"
"Mobilizing the power of the entire great nature can allow you to possess a strength more than ten times greater than what you have now."
Following the small red snake's introduction, a trace of desire surfaced in Uchiha Sasuke's gaze. "Then is there any way to train in these so-called Sage Arts?"
The small red snake moved very rapidly, using a unique ventriloquism to speak: "The bloodline limit of the Uchiha family makes direct training in Sage Arts exceptionally troublesome. Therefore, a small gift is needed to help you comprehend the power of Sage Arts."
"A small gift?"
The small red snake slowly slithered onto Sasuke's body and delivered a gentle bite. Instantly, a unique blood-red Cursed Seal manifested inside Sasuke's body.
For a time, Sasuke clutched his neck and knelt half-down in immense agony. However, the red blood seal seemed to hold an endless stream of power, continuously surging into Sasuke's body. In an instant, the chakra aura radiating from him became extraordinarily eerie.
Watching Sasuke's transformation, the small red snake flicked its dark tongue and slowly withdrew into the gloom, returning bit by bit to a specialized laboratory inside Konoha's Root department.
The silver-haired Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his glasses. The reflection over his lenses obscured his true gaze as he retrieved the small red snake that had just returned from the outside world.
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