Chapter 309: Agent
"Think you'll be fine?" Alex asked, looking at William.
"Yeah," he answered with a fist pump. "I'll make sure to protect them both!"
Currently, Naruto and Jiraiya weren't even in the Leaf Village. They had departed only a few days ago, of which Jada had to teleport to them to grab William for help.
When this meeting concluded, she was more than ready to return him to Naruto's side.
Simultaneously during the time-skip, the broader shinobi world was preparing for the second Chūnin Exams, which Tsunade organized in a bid to draw out the Akatsuki.
Collaborating with Gaara, who was now the Kazekage, Tsunade strategized to hold the exams partially in the Sand Village, a decision aimed at attracting attention from various factions.
However, Tsunade's efforts to involve other villages met resistance, as several Kage declined to send their teams, indicating the conflicts that threatened the peace in the ninja world.
Despite these setbacks, the Leaf Village teams began preparing to participate.
This was likely still going to happen, only without certain characters, like Shikamaru, involved.
By the end of that period, characters like Naruto and Sasuke had evolved significantly. Each prepared for an inevitable encounter that would challenge their initial motivations and redefine their destinies within their world.
"So it's settled," Alex announced. "After Jada and Alice do some digging around about Kaito, John, and Hoshikaze, we can try to save Sasuke early."