I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't surprised. He shook his pipe and said, "You're back? Did you see Orochimaru one last time?"

He knew very well that his sentimental disciple would rush back no matter where he was after hearing news of Orochimaru.

Jiraiya nodded, his emotions much calmer than before.

The relationship between Orochimaru and his master was very complicated.

But regardless, the former is dead, so all the grudges and disputes have vanished.

The two tacitly agreed not to discuss the topic further.

Jiraiya sat cross-legged in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, scrutinized the latter's complexion, and then continued the original topic with a meaningful look, teasingly saying, "Old man, you look much better than before. It seems that relinquishing the burden of Hokage was indeed a good choice!"

"Although Yun Ting is young, he is indeed a very qualified Hokage, so I have nothing to worry about," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with a smile, taking a drag of his cigarette.

Jiraiya laughed heartily upon hearing this.

His visit was not only to greet the next three generations of teachers, but also to probe their true thoughts.

After all, their teacher's resignation was not voluntary, but rather a result of defeat in the competition with the current fourth generation.

Although Jiraiya had a deep bond with the Third Hokage, the Leaf Village was still recovering from the war and faced external threats, so it could not afford internal turmoil.

For the sake of the bigger picture, if the teacher refuses to give up, he still hopes to persuade him to stop on his own and settle down to be a retired old man, comfortably enjoying his remaining years.

In retrospect, it seems he was worrying unnecessarily.

As Jiraiya's teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly understood the deeper meaning behind Jiraiya's words, which led to his own words just now.

That was indeed his true intention.

After all, Senju Kumo-tei, who has now inherited the Wood Release, is more than capable of serving as Hokage in terms of strength, prestige, and methods. Even if he has more ideas, it is unlikely that they will be realized.

Hiruzen Sarutobi valued Konoha just as much as Jiraiya did, and he would never do anything to harm the greater good for his own selfish reasons.

There's no need to delve any further into this matter.

In the time that followed, the master and disciple, with their minds open and free of worries, finally began to chat happily about everything under the sun.

Among them, the one who talked the most was Jiraiya, who had been traveling abroad for a long time.

Especially when the latter spoke eloquently about the differences and wonders of the local customs and industries, Hiruzen Sarutobi, though he managed to maintain a serious demeanor, was clearly listening intently to the pipe he held in his hand, which he hadn't smoked in a long time.

In terms of LSP, these two are definitely of the same lineage.

Just as one person was getting into the story and the other was listening with great interest, suddenly!

A roar from Lake Biwa outside interrupted their discussion.

Chapter 48 The Name of Naruto

"Asuma! You're secretly smoking again! Get over here!"

"So annoying! What's wrong with a man smoking a little?"

"A man? How old are you? Put out this cigarette right now! And what about the other cigarettes you've hidden? Hand them over!"

"That's all! Just this one in my hand."

You think I'd believe that?

Crackle...crackle...

Then came a commotion outside, with chickens flying and dogs barking.

Finally, caught red-handed, Sarutobi Asuma, heartbroken, roared, "I'm not going back to this house!" and stormed out.

Unable to stop her from outside, Biwako, still furious, could only turn her anger towards the house, sternly rebuking, "Sarutobi Hiruzen! Look at the good example you set!"

"Ahem! Biwako, we have guests at home! Jiraiya is right here!"

Even as he said this, Hiruzen Sarutobi still subconsciously stubbed out his pipe.

"Hmph! You guys chat first, then have Jiraiya stay for dinner. That kid, he never knows to use the front door when he comes back."

Biwako didn't say anything more, still giving Hiruzen Sarutobi face.

indoor.

Hiruzen, having relit his pipe, sighed deeply and said to Jiraiya, "You see, this retirement life isn't as good as you imagined."

Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly and said, "Asuma's grown up, it's normal for him to be a little rebellious."

“If it were just a little rebellious, that would be fine. But Asuma, that child…” Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and didn’t continue.

Every family has its own troubles.

Jiraiya couldn't say anything more.

After enjoying a sumptuous meal prepared by Lake Biwa, as Jiraiya was about to depart, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked him one last time, "When are you planning to leave?"

He knew his disciple was a restless person, so he didn't think about keeping him around, since there was no need for him to serve as Hokage now.

Jiraiya laughed and said, "I'll visit the Minato family first. I heard that Kushina is pregnant, so I need to see my future grand-disciple first. I think he will become a great ninja like his father and mother."

"Minato and Kushina's child." Hiruzen Sarutobi was equally excited.

"Well then, this old man will be off." Jiraiya waved and disappeared into the afterglow of the setting sun.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at his retreating figure, remaining motionless for a long time.

......

Across from the residence of Kushina Minato and her husband, at a secluded observation point.

With white hair on his head and wearing a cat-faced ANBU mask, Kakashi Hatake stared intently at the house across the street.

The person living there was not only the target of his long mission, but also his teacher's wife.

'Mrs. Kushina seems to have prepared more food than usual today. Is she entertaining some guests?'

Through the small kitchen window, Kakashi could see Kushina, with her red hair and a gentler, more wifely demeanor than usual, happily humming a tune as she cooked.

'It seems that person holds a high position in your teacher's wife's heart.'

As Kakashi pondered this, he took out a pen and paper and wrote it down.

Having quickly finished all of this, he looked back over again.

This time, his gaze was more focused on Kushina's slightly protruding belly.

Witnessing the birth of a new life from nothing was an indescribable feeling of emotion for him, a man trapped in cold despair.

Time passed by, second by second.

Under Kakashi's watchful eye, Kushina had already prepared a huge table full of dishes.

Just then, his teacher, Minato Namikaze, returned home after finishing his day's work. Amid Kushina's complaints, he apologized repeatedly while tirelessly helping with the final touches.

Once everything was ready, the guests the couple had been waiting for finally arrived.

'Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha!'

In other words, he was also his grandmaster.

Kakashi wrote it down, then stretched and prepared to rest.

With that person by their side, it doesn't matter whether the protection personnel are there or not.

Because the former is the greatest guarantee of safety.

at the same time.

The Shuimen couple at home.

As Jiraiya pushed open the door and entered, he was drawn in by the enticing aroma and saw the large table of dishes. He exclaimed in surprise, "Minato, you've always said that Kushina is a superb cook, but I thought you were just bragging. After all, the Red Pepper didn't seem like someone who could cook at all. Now it seems I was completely wrong!"

"That's right! In my eyes, Kushina is the perfect wife. Of course, she will also be a very responsible mother in the future," Minato Namikaze said proudly.

"Don't think that just because you're praising me like that, I'll forgive you for coming home late. You clearly agreed to come back early and prepare dinner with me." Uzumaki Kushina, though pleased on the surface, still snorted softly.

"There was no other way. The Fourth Hokage assigned too much work today, so I specifically asked Shikaku to help me out so I could rush back." Minato scratched his head with a wry smile.

"It seems that Minato is trusted by the Fourth Hokage!" Jiraiya was very happy that his most proud disciple was not suspected by the Cloud Court because of the Hokage election, but was still being given important responsibilities.

He quickly came to the rescue, saying, "My stomach is growling! Come and eat, I want to see what Kushina's cooking is all about."

Seeing this, Kushina's attention was indeed diverted, and she immediately led Jiraiya to comment on the various dishes she had prepared.

"Jiraiya-sensei, please try this dish. I learned it from my neighbor's grandma after a long time."

"Jiraiya-sensei, please try this soup again. Mikoto told me that this is a thousand-year-old secret recipe of the Uchiha clan. I only got this recipe because I have good connections."

"Jiraiya-sensei, and this dish, this is something I, as the master chef, carefully prepared. You should give it a good review."

"Jiraiya-sensei..."

"..."

"Minato, you should eat more too!"

"..."

"Huh? Why aren't you all eating? There's still so much food left! Did I cook it badly? No? Then you'd better finish it all in one go!!! Do you know how hard it was for me to put so much effort into cooking all this food???"

Finally, after maintaining a gentle demeanor for so long, Uzumaki Kushina, upon seeing that a large portion of the fruits of her labor had not yet been destroyed, finally revealed her fiery nature and roared like a shrew.

Seeing this, Minato and Jiraiya, not daring to provoke their anger, forced themselves to continue their work despite having full stomachs.

Only after finishing the meal for at least eight people did Kushina finally smile and revert to her gentle, wifely self.

Jiraiya glanced sympathetically at Minato, then leaned back in his chair like the latter, trying to digest his bloated stomach.

After a long while, once the two had barely managed to pull through, Jiraiya asked curiously:

"Have you and your husband decided on a name for the child yet?"

Upon hearing this, Minato and Kushina exchanged a smile, and the former tenderly touched his wife's belly, saying:

"Of course! I really love the protagonist in Jiraiya-sensei's 'The Tales of the Strong-Willed Ninja' who never gives up. I wish my unborn child could become a ninja like that protagonist. So, Jiraiya-sensei, may I borrow the protagonist's name from this novel?"

Jiraiya was taken aback: "Naruto...?"

He was suddenly touched, but still hurriedly tried to persuade him, "Is this really okay? That was just a name I came up with on a whim while eating ramen!"

“Naruto, that’s a wonderful name!” Before Minato could speak, Kushina smiled and nodded to Jiraiya.