I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

"It's my fault..."

The Third Hokage sighed softly and said, "When the rumors about the demon fox were spreading in the village, I failed to stop them in time, nor did I realize the psychological impact of these rumors on Naruto, which ultimately led to his escape."

"So that's why..."

Jiraiya nodded, then suddenly remembered the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, and his expression became somewhat strange.

The blond boy and the ninja who left Konoha—that's Naruto! And with the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, if he grows up successfully, he'll definitely be able to influence important figures in the ninja world. He's highly likely to be the child of prophecy.

Seeing Jiraiya remain silent, the Third Hokage assumed that Jiraiya was blaming himself and gave a weary smile.

"Am I a failure as Hokage? I can't even control a child, and I just watched the Uchiha massacre happen, causing the Uchiha clan and the village to become alienated."

"After you bring Naruto back, I will apologize to Naruto properly and then recommend you to be the Fifth Hokage."

Jiraiya, realizing what was happening, exclaimed "Ah!" and then shook his head slightly: "I think I should give up on becoming Hokage. There are ninjas in the village who are more suitable than me, and I can't stand the rules and regulations of becoming Hokage. Old man, you should choose another successor. I think Tsunade is quite good."

After a pause, Jiraiya decided not to argue with the Third Hokage about the succession to the Hokage position for too long.

Because he didn't want to become Hokage, and neither did Tsunade.

Otherwise, they would have participated in the election for the Fourth Hokage long ago. The responsibilities of the Hokage are too heavy. While taking care of the village, he also wants to enjoy a moment of freedom.

The Third Hokage knew that Jiraiya was unwilling to become Hokage, but he still asked him repeatedly.

As he grew old, voices of opposition arose from both the daimyo's side and the village against his continued role as acting Hokage. However, these voices were suppressed because there was no suitable candidate.

But all of this is predicated on the assumption that nothing will happen to him.

If he were to die unexpectedly in battle, the village would fall into a state of leaderlessness, and the various clans within the village would engage in endless infighting until the other ninja villages bare their fangs and launch a war against Konoha.

This was the challenge the village faced when he became Hokage, and he didn't want it to happen again.

Since neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade wanted to become Hokage, he could only try to cultivate other successors.

Thinking of this, the Third Hokage took out a scroll recording Naruto's whereabouts from the drawer and handed it to Jiraiya: "The mission to find Naruto is entrusted to you. It is an S-rank item. This is the information collected by the Anbu."

Jiraiya took the scroll, glanced at it briefly, and then left the Hokage Building.

Chapter 88 The Truth About Naruto and Uzushio Village (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

In the past, when Jiraiya returned to the village, he would always go to the bathhouse to relax and relieve stress, while also collecting material for his novel writing. It was a way for him to reward himself after carrying out dangerous missions.

But this time, Jiraiya wasn't in the mood to relax; his mind was preoccupied with finding Naruto's whereabouts.

According to the information given by the old man, Naruto's range of activities after leaving home was extremely large, covering almost half of the Land of Fire. He was also proficient in the Transformation Technique and the Shadow Clone Technique, which allowed him to deceive the elite Anbu who were following him. Finding Naruto was by no means an easy task.

However, for Jiraiya, finding Naruto was not the most difficult thing.

Ninja operations always leave clues; he has carried out countless S-class missions over the years.

What truly troubled him was how to persuade Naruto to willingly stay at the Ninja Academy. Otherwise, even if he brought Naruto back, Naruto would run away again, and he couldn't keep an eye on Naruto every single moment.

As for adopting Danzo's suggestion to place a cursed seal on Naruto and restrict his movement, Jiraiya never had such an idea.

Naruto is Minato's son and also his grand-disciple, the inheritor of the Will of Fire.

Putting all that aside, he would never regard the other ninjas in the village as mere tools to be discarded at will, for that would go against the Will of Fire and the beliefs he upheld.

Flipping through the intelligence scroll, Jiraiya found the familiar name Kakashi among the densely packed words.

Kakashi was Minato's student and protected Naruto as a senior ninja over the past few years. He was one of the few ninjas who was close to Naruto, and perhaps he could find out the reason why Naruto left.

After walking for a few minutes, Jiraiya arrived at a corner of the village and saw the Hatake family mansion near a grove of trees.

Compared to more than ten years ago, the Hatake family mansion is not much different. The only change is the owner of the mansion, which has changed from Sakumo White Fang, who made Sunagakure tremble with fear, to Kakashi, the Copy Ninja.

Fortunately, Kakashi wasn't out on a mission today. Instead, he was lying on the tatami mat, leisurely reading "Icha Icha Paradise," written by the visiting guest, Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Kakashi knew someone was approaching and frowned.

A ninja must always be vigilant, as the enemy may approach in any way, but the other party's movements are slow, and the aura is somewhat familiar to him.

"Kakashi, I didn't expect you to have such good taste. You actually know how to appreciate this novel that is both elegant and popular. It records the customs and culture of the ninja world and is a rare and excellent book."

Jiraiya walked up to Kakashi and began to boast.

Kakashi blushed. When did "Make-Out Paradise" become a book with literary value? This book is clearly erotic and extremely violent. How many adult ninjas these days still read serious books?

But upon realizing that the visitor was Jiraiya, Kakashi forcibly suppressed his urge to make sarcastic remarks, stood up, and said, "Lord Jiraiya, you didn't come to see me just to hold a fan meeting, did you?"

Jiraiya stopped joking and his expression turned serious:

"I came here for Naruto. The old man told me to find Naruto and bring him back to the village, but before I leave, I want to know why Naruto left the village..."

"After all, if we forcibly bring Naruto back, he will run away again in the future because of his resentment."

Kakashi put down Icha Icha Paradise, looked deeply at Jiraiya, and said, "Lord Jiraiya, I don't think you can bring Naruto back. Naruto's defection was not a spur-of-the-moment decision."

Jiraiya was somewhat puzzled, but that was precisely why he sought out Kakashi.

Kakashi didn't keep him in suspense and told Jiraiya everything Naruto had experienced over the years. Jiraiya's expression grew increasingly grim, eventually turning into a heavy sigh.

As a child, he was discriminated against as a fox spirit and had to use a tough attitude to buy supplies for survival.

Despite this, Naruto was still willing to help the bullied eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family and drove away the mischievous children, clearly demonstrating that he possessed the seed of the Will of Fire.

But before the seed could even sprout, it withered amidst a torrent of malice.

Even Minato's former subordinates, harboring resentment, attacked the young Naruto, not to mention the malicious slander from the villagers over the years.

However, even after Naruto was treated as a demon fox, the old man still refused to reveal Naruto's true identity.

Jiraiya didn't think the old man's actions were too wrong. At Naruto's age, knowing the truth would probably make him despondent, so it was better for him to live in the lie and have a childhood that gradually improved.

Jiraiya's silence made Kakashi realize his thoughts, and he bluntly revealed the truth: "Lord Jiraiya, Naruto told me before he left that he actually knew he was a Jinchuriki and the son of the Fourth Hokage."

"I suspect that Naruto was waiting for the truth, but lost patience during the long wait, which is why he chose to leave the village and travel around the ninja world."

"The reason for choosing the day of the Uchiha massacre may be because I empathize with the Uchiha."

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya nodded, his expression becoming solemn. The core of Naruto's departure was the Third Hokage; it was the old man's deception and indifference that prompted Naruto to choose to leave.

Just as a broken mirror is difficult to restore, the bond between Naruto and the village will likely be hard to return to its original state.

"Lord Jiraiya, that's all I know. If you want to know more, you need to go find Naruto's friends. Although they haven't graduated yet, with Naruto as an example, they can't be treated like children."

"No need, knowing this much is enough for me."

Jiraiya rejected Kakashi's suggestion. He already knew enough; it was time to prepare to set off.

After Jiraiya left, Kakashi picked up the Icha Icha Paradise from the ground, covered his face with it, closed his eyes, and prepared to take a nap.

Since that day, he lost the will to work seriously, had no intention of reporting to the secret service, and reverted to the laziness he had been years ago.

This was partly due to Naruto's departure, and partly due to the Uchiha clan.

Although the higher-ups publicly claimed that the Uchiha clan was wiped out by Itachi, he, who had worked with Itachi, sensed something was amiss. The Uchiha clan couldn't have been wiped out so easily, and the higher-ups couldn't have been completely unaware of such a major event.

So what is the truth hidden within? That's something worth pondering.

However, what affected Kakashi the most was Naruto's last few words before leaving—what exactly was the truth, and why was Naruto so certain that he would leave because of the truth?

This reminded him of the life-changing event in his childhood.

His father, Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, committed suicide after being criticized by his comrades for abandoning a mission.

Over the years, he had always believed that his father committed suicide because he abandoned his mission and chose his comrades. However, Obito later made him realize that missions and comrades are equally important, and neither should be easily abandoned.

But Naruto's experience of having his past hidden made him wonder if the truth about his father was also being kept from him.

What is the truth hidden by the higher-ups? What was the real reason for the father's death?

Kakashi tried hard not to think about it too much, but the thought would always pop up when he was alone at night. It seemed that seeking the truth had become one of the meanings of his life.

So, should I take the initiative to find Naruto and uncover the truth that the higher-ups are hiding?

Kakashi himself didn't know what to do.

……

Jiraiya only stayed in Konoha for half a day.

After meeting the Third Hokage and learning about Naruto from Kakashi, he hurriedly left the village.

Before leaving, Jiraiya left a letter and asked the nearby Anbu to deliver it to the Third Hokage. The Anbu did not dare to delay and hurriedly headed towards the Hokage Building.

A few minutes later, Jiraiya's letter appeared on the Hokage's desk.

The Third Hokage opened the letter, which contained a long string of greetings. After reading most of it, Jiraiya finally expressed his thoughts in the letter.

Jiraiya believed that Naruto was no longer suitable to be raised in the village.

Once he finds Naruto, he will take Naruto on adventures throughout the ninja world, broadening his horizons and making the villagers forget Naruto's identity as the demon fox, only remembering that there was once a mischievous Naruto.

As time goes by, Naruto will eventually be able to accept the village and the Will of Fire.

After reading it, the Third Hokage sighed softly.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is sent to train abroad year-round...

Jiraiya has really set himself up for a tough problem; he's sure to argue with his two advisors and Danzo.

However, he was indeed not suitable to meet Naruto. There was an irreparable rift between them. From this perspective, it was actually a good thing that Jiraiya found Naruto and took him on training trips.

After a moment's thought, the Third Hokage granted Jiraiya's request.

Anyway, Jiraiya is his own disciple, not Danzo who is buried in the shadows. At least he doesn't have to worry about the Jinchuriki going astray if he is handed over to Jiraiya.

During Jiraiya's absence, he can also begin to cultivate a new successor.

……

In the village of Uzushio, in the Land of Whirlpools, everything is in need of rebuilding.

A full month has passed since Naruto waited.

The remaining members of the Uchiha clan gradually adapted to life in Uzushio Village. Compared to before, although they lost the generous treatment of the security forces, they finally gained the freedom and peace they had always dreamed of.

In this almost isolated village of Wochao, they do not have to face exclusion from higher-ups, nor are they treated differently by the villagers.

The only challenge is the nearly abandoned Uchiha Village. To restore the glory of the Uchiha clan's territory to this land, it will take at least several months, or even half a year, of construction.

However, compared to being wiped out by the higher-ups, the Uchiha clan could still accept this outcome.

After all, apart from the ninjas who dominate the clan's voice, most of the clan members are ordinary people without the aptitude to awaken the Sharingan. They just want to live a peaceful life, whether they stay in Konoha or Uzushio Village.