Chapter 257: Make Konoha Great Again!
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
When the second stage of the Chūnin Exams officially ended, all the teams that had successfully reached the tower gathered once more.
Of the twenty six teams that had entered the Forest of Death, only seven remained.
The attrition alone was enough to show how brutal the exam had been.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before the surviving candidates in his Hokage robes.
His gaze swept across the room before he began to speak.
"Before the third stage begins, there will be preliminary matches."
Several Genin exchanged glances.
Hiruzen continued calmly.
"The third stage will be observed by nobles, wealthy clients, and people responsible for issuing missions to the various hidden villages."
"In other words, this is more than a simple examination."
His expression became serious.
"The strength and performance of each village's candidates can directly influence how future missions are distributed."
"If the difference in ability between participants is too great, the third stage will lose its purpose."
He paused.
"So the preliminary round will reduce your numbers further."
Hiruzen looked over the candidates.
"Only roughly half of those standing here will advance to the true third stage."
No one complained.
Everyone who had survived the Forest of Death understood that the Chūnin Exams were never meant to be easy.
The preliminary matches began shortly afterward.
One battle followed another.
Compared with everything Team 7 had experienced against Orochimaru, the matches passed without any major incident.
By the time the preliminaries ended, Sakura had been eliminated.
Naruto and Sasuke both advanced.
There was now one month remaining before the third stage of the Chūnin Exams.
Inside the Hokage Building, Hiruzen sat behind his desk and worked through a mountain of village documents.
Reports.
Mission requests.
Security arrangements.
Information concerning Orochimaru's infiltration.
The Chūnin Exams had already become far more complicated than he had anticipated.
Then the office door opened.
Hiruzen looked up.
Danzō Shimura walked inside without waiting to be invited.
His expression was severe.
"Hiruzen."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Danzō wasted no time.
"Give Uzumaki Naruto to Root."
The room became quiet.
"With his talent, leaving him to ordinary instructors is a waste."
Danzō's visible eye sharpened.
"Under my training, he can become the perfect weapon for Konoha."
Hiruzen's expression immediately hardened.
"No."
Danzō frowned.
Hiruzen did not give him any room to continue.
"Give up on that idea, Danzō."
"Naruto will never be handed over to Root."
His voice carried unmistakable authority.
"That child belongs in the sunlight."
"The darkness you cultivate beneath Konoha is not where he should grow."
Danzō stared at his old teammate.
There was another meaning behind those words.
A meaning he understood immediately.
Naruto was not merely being protected.
Hiruzen was preparing him for something.
The position of Hokage.
Danzō's face darkened.
"The Nine Tails Jinchūriki remains a threat."
His voice lowered.
"If he loses control, the consequences could destroy the village."
"Root is far better suited to contain him."
Bang!
Hiruzen slammed one hand against the desk.
The sudden sound filled the office.
"Enough."
He rose.
His gaze became sharp.
"Danzō."
The words that followed were familiar.
"I am the Hokage."
Danzō's expression twisted.
Once again.
The same answer.
The same refusal.
No matter how many years passed, Hiruzen always returned to those words whenever Danzō pushed too far.
Danzō stared at him for several seconds.
Then he turned away.
"You will regret this, Hiruzen."
He walked toward the door.
Bang!
The door slammed shut behind him.
Hiruzen remained standing for a moment.
Then he slowly sat again.
There was a time when he might have compromised.
There was a time when age, guilt, political pressure, and old friendships had made him hesitate too often.
But Naruto had changed something.
The boy had given Hiruzen hope again.
Flying Thunder God.
Rasengan.
Extraordinary talent.
A calm temperament.
A willingness to protect his comrades.
And now, the recognition of the mysterious being known as Asuramaru.
Hiruzen genuinely believed Naruto could become something Konoha desperately needed.
Someone capable of carrying the village into a new era.
Perhaps even someone who could stand beside the greatest Hokage in history.
No.
If Naruto continued growing at this rate, he might surpass them.
A faint smile appeared on Hiruzen's old face.
One day, Naruto could make Konoha great again.
Hiruzen had barely settled back into his work when the door opened once more.
A tall, broad shouldered man stepped inside.
Long white hair fell down his back.
Red markings ran from his eyes.
Jiraiya looked thoroughly inconvenienced.
"Old man, what was so urgent that you had to call me back?"
He sighed dramatically.
"I was right in the middle of gathering valuable material for my next book."
Hiruzen's eye twitched.
"Material?"
His expression darkened.
"You mean spying on the women's bathhouse?"
Jiraiya immediately looked offended.
"Spying is such an ugly word."
Hiruzen ignored him.
"Do you know how many complaints about you have reached this office?"
Jiraiya looked away.
"That sounds exaggerated."
"It is not."
Hiruzen sighed.
"But that is not why I summoned you."
His tone changed.
The irritation disappeared.
Jiraiya noticed immediately.
His own expression became more serious.
"All right."
He folded his arms.
"What happened?"
Hiruzen looked directly at him.
"Jiraiya."
"I have an important matter to entrust to you."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.
"Go on."
Hiruzen did not waste time.
"I want you to take Uzumaki Naruto as your student."
Jiraiya paused.
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
Recognition appeared in his eyes.
"Minato's son."
Hiruzen nodded.
Jiraiya had naturally known about Naruto.
But he had spent years travelling outside Konoha and gathering information.
He had not personally followed the boy's growth.
Still, Naruto was Minato's child.
That alone carried considerable weight for him.
Jiraiya rubbed his chin.
Then he shrugged.
"If that is what you want, fine."
"I'll take him."
Hiruzen's expression softened.
A rare smile appeared.
"He may surprise you."
Jiraiya grinned.
"I hope he does."
He turned toward the door.
"If that is all, I'm leaving."
"Try to actually train him before you go looking for your so called inspiration."
Jiraiya waved without turning around.
"No promises."
The door closed.
Elsewhere in Konoha, Naruto was spending his month of preparation exactly as anyone who knew him would expect.
Training.
At a secluded training ground, Naruto sat cross legged beneath a tree, quietly refining his chakra.
Nearby, his Shadow Clone was sparring with Sasuke.
Their movements were fierce and fast.
Kunai flashed.
Fists collided.
Sasuke twisted away from a kick and countered immediately.
The Shadow Clone blocked, slid backward, then lunged again.
Neither gave the other time to rest.
High above them, hidden among the branches, Jiraiya watched.
His earlier casual expression gradually changed.
"These two…"
He narrowed his eyes.
For boys their age, their skill was remarkable.
Sasuke moved with the precision expected from an Uchiha.
Naruto's Shadow Clone was keeping pace with him without difficulty.
And if this was merely a clone...
Jiraiya looked toward the real Naruto beneath the tree.
A genius.
There was no other way to describe it.
He watched for a little longer before finally deciding he had seen enough.
Jiraiya disappeared from the branch.
Body Flicker.
He appeared directly in front of Naruto.
Naruto's eyes opened.
He looked at the unfamiliar man standing before him.
There was no alarm in his expression, only mild confusion.
"Excuse me."
Naruto rose slightly.
"Do you need something?"
Jiraiya blinked.
Polite.
That was not quite what he had expected.
A grin appeared on his face.
"Well, you have good manners."
He placed one hand against his chest.
"I am your future master."
Naruto stared.
Jiraiya continued proudly.
"One of the legendary Sannin."
His grin widened.
"The great Sage Jiraiya!"
Naruto remained silent.
Nearby, Sasuke and the Shadow Clone stopped fighting.
Sasuke turned toward them.
Naruto thought carefully.
Legendary Sannin?
He had heard very little about them.
Most Shinobi of his generation knew little beyond the name.
Jiraiya noticed Naruto's lack of reaction.
His expression fell slightly.
"You have no idea who I am, do you?"
Naruto answered honestly.
"Not really."
Jiraiya looked wounded.
Then he quickly recovered.
"Fine."
He waved dismissively.
"You only need to know one thing."
He pointed at Naruto.
"The Third Hokage personally asked me to become your master."
Naruto's expression changed slightly.
"Grandpa Third?"
"That's right."
Naruto considered it.
Asuramaru had not warned him.
There was no sense of danger from the man either.
So there was probably no problem.
"I understand."
Inside Naruto, Asuramaru watched Jiraiya with considerably more interest.
Hiruzen had personally brought Jiraiya back and asked him to train Naruto.
That made the old man's intentions obvious.
He truly was preparing Naruto for the position of Hokage.
Thinking about it, Asuramaru could understand why.
With everything Naruto had already displayed, calling him a second Hashirama Senju would hardly be excessive.
And Naruto was still only twelve.
His future potential was enormous.
Outside, Naruto stood and faced Jiraiya properly.
He smiled.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto."
Then he gave a respectful nod.
"Please take care of me from now on, Master."
For an instant, Jiraiya stopped smiling.
He saw another face.
Blond hair.
Blue eyes.
That calm, respectful expression.
Minato.
Jiraiya's gaze softened.
Like father, like son.
Then the moment passed.
Jiraiya returned to his usual grin.
"Good."
"Then I'll be handling your training from now on."
He turned.
"If you don't have anything else to do, come with me."
Naruto nodded.
"Please wait a moment, Master."
He turned toward Sasuke.
"Sorry, Sasuke."
"I'll be leaving first."
Naruto gestured toward the Shadow Clone.
"But I won't dispel him."
"If you still want to train, he can stay here with you."
Sasuke did not object to Naruto leaving.
His problem was with the man taking him away.
He looked Jiraiya up and down.
Long white hair.
Loud personality.
Strange confidence.
Nothing about him inspired trust.
Sasuke frowned.
"Are you sure he's telling the truth?"
Naruto blinked.
Sasuke continued.
"He looks suspicious."
Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched.
"Who looks suspicious?"
Sasuke ignored him.
"He could be a fraud."
Naruto thought about it seriously.
Then he answered,
"Probably not."
"Probably?"
Jiraiya stared at him.
Naruto smiled apologetically.
Jiraiya sighed.
What kind of first impression had he made?
While Naruto and Sasuke spoke, Jiraiya studied Sasuke more closely.
The last surviving Uchiha of Konoha.
Those eyes.
That face.
He already knew enough about the boy's circumstances to understand why Hiruzen and Kakashi kept such a close watch on him.
But he said nothing.
Naruto eventually left with Jiraiya.
The Shadow Clone remained behind with Sasuke.
As the two walked through Konoha, Naruto became increasingly curious.
"Master."
Jiraiya glanced back.
"What?"
"Where are we training?"
Jiraiya smiled mysteriously.
"You'll see."
Naruto followed him through several streets.
They turned one corner.
Then another.
Finally, Jiraiya stopped.
Naruto looked ahead.
Then looked at the building.
Then at the sign.
Then back at Jiraiya.
They were standing directly outside the entrance to the women's bathhouse.
....
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