Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Xiao Nan suddenly asked a question.

"died."

Having received the answer she expected, Xiao Nan closed her eyes contentedly and awaited her death.

At least, she died with the good news that Madara Uchiha had died.

She was not afraid of death.

He also did not regret dying before realizing his dream of "Akatsuki".

She was just a little girl who followed Yahiko and Nagato from beginning to end.

Now that Yahiko and Nagato are both dead, perhaps for Konan, death is something to be happy about.

Her dearest friend is waiting for her in the Pure Land.

She also looks forward to meeting her close friends again.

But in this world, Yahiko and Nagato are not the only people who care about her.

After a heavy rain, all things in the world will eventually reveal themselves.

Like wild grass on the riverbank.

Or perhaps, a toad in the lake—

—Hardened silver hair seemed to spread infinitely, wrapping around Naruto from afar.

Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, was one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha and the teacher of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.

This ninja, whose strength and reputation were at the top of the ninja world, seized the opportunity and used his hair to restrain Naruto.

"Now!!!"

Knowing he couldn't control Naruto for long, Jiraiya suddenly shouted loudly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the giant toad that had been lurking in the lake leaped out of the water and swallowed the dying Xiao Nan whole without hesitation.

With a bang, they left using a psychic technique.

Having achieved his primary objective, Jiraiya finally had the leisure to talk to Naruto.

"I never expected that you would actually appear in Amegakure just as the Great Toad Sage predicted... Naruto! You really are the child of prophecy! But as your teacher, I absolutely cannot entrust the future of the ninja world to you like this!"

Jiraiya, who had been frivolous his whole life, couldn't help but gossip even when he was taking the current situation very seriously.

"You, as always, believe the toad without question. Rather than being called the 'Toad Sage,' you're more like a loyal dog who fawns over the toad."

Naruto made no attempt to hide the sarcasm in his words.

He looked up and met Jiraiya's gaze, his left Mangekyou Sharingan eye precisely locking onto Jiraiya's head.

The next moment, divine power will arrive—

"Master Jiraiya."

Chapter 78 The Situation

“Sakura…”

The shouts reached Sakura's ears in a blurry way.

However, Sakura did not respond to the shouts. She mechanically gathered chakra in her hands and used the Palm Healing Technique to treat the injured.

"Sakura!"

Unable to get a response, the shouts had to be raised again, with a more urgent pace, calling out Sakura's name once more.

"Yes!"

Sakura, snapping out of her daze, immediately replied, "Sorry, Shizune-senpai..."

For medical ninjas, being distracted while treating the wounded is the greatest taboo.

Moreover, the information they possess about the wounded they are treating is extremely important to Konoha; if they are not careful, all their previous efforts will be in vain.

Fortunately, as Tsunade's disciple, Sakura has been trained to have quite impressive medical skills. Even when mechanically using the Palm Healing Technique, she can still precisely control the most subtle changes in chakra.

"You should go and rest first. Her condition has stabilized. I can handle the rest of the treatment... Please inform Mr. Haiyi and have him bring the intelligence team over for the handover."

Sensing Sakura's dejected and depressed mood, Shizune made a decision.

The surgery to save her lasted for several days, and Sakura was constantly exhausted, which made her more prone to mental distraction.

Anyway, the injured person's vital signs have now stabilized.

The remaining surgeries can be handled quietly by one person.

Therefore, Shizune decided that it would be better to let Sakura go back and rest first.

Sakura slightly opened her mouth, intending to indicate that she was alright, but her gaze inadvertently drifted to the short-haired blue woman who was fast asleep on the operating table.

After some hesitation, she finally nodded and accepted the silence offer.

After a short while, Sakura walked out of the operating room, but then encountered an unexpected person on a bench against the wall outside the operating room and stopped again.

Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, was sitting in a chair.

"Lord Jiraiya..."

Sakura took the initiative to greet him, "Are you waiting for the surgery results?"

The woman named Konan lying in the operating room is a member of "Akatsuki" and a former disciple of Jiraiya.

Sakura had already learned this information from Shizune while she was participating in the rescue surgery.

Therefore, Sakura naturally assumed that Jiraiya was worried about Konan's safety when he appeared here.

However, Jiraiya denied Sakura's guess.

"No, I came to find you, Sakura."

"I?"

Sakura looked at Jiraiya in confusion, only to see Jiraiya nod firmly.

In an instant, a bad feeling welled up in Sakura's heart.

"This is the decision I persuaded Tsunade to make, so I think it's most appropriate for me to relay it to you."

Jiraiya, who is busy with many affairs, would take the time to wait for Sakura after returning from Amegakure for only one reason.

Jiraiya didn't want any misunderstandings to arise between Sakura and Tsunade, which could create a rift between the master and disciple.

Sakura is waiting for Jiraiya's so-called "decision".

Jiraiya was recalling his battle with Naruto in Amegakure.

Not long ago, Jiraiya was summoned to Mount Myōboku by the toads using the Reverse Summoning Technique. The Great Toad Sage once again made a long-awaited prophecy: "The future of the ninja world will begin in Amegakure."

This is the same as the prophecy the Great Toad Sage made to Jiraiya in the past, that "Jiraiya will also write books" and "will travel the ninja world".

This time, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy clearly foretold how Jiraiya should act.

But as always, the outcome of the prophecy was obscured—"Jiraiya, your choice in Amegakure will affect the future."

This sentence lingered in Jiraiya's mind.

They rescued Xiao Nan.

Alternatively, he could use the Reverse Summoning Technique to summon the toads to Mount Myōboku, thus escaping his battle with Naruto.

Did his choice lay the foundation for a hopeful future for prophecy?

However, after a brief encounter with Naruto, Jiraiya was certain that Naruto's current strength should not be underestimated.

The reason why Konoha's attitude towards Naruto after he became a rogue ninja was extremely ambiguous was not only because Konoha was unable to organize forces to capture Naruto at the time, but also because Sakura and Kakashi lobbied the Konoha leadership.

Konoha clearly missed the best opportunity to capture Naruto.

Allowing Naruto to continue growing would be extremely dangerous for Konoha.

"I have already suggested to Tsunade that even if we have to give up the Nine-Tails, we should prioritize getting rid of Naruto."

In the past, Konoha's assessment of the danger to Naruto was mostly based on the Nine-Tails inside him.

After personally meeting Naruto in Amegakure, Jiraiya knew very well that this idea was completely wrong.

The danger now is not just the Nine-Tails.

It's Naruto himself.

For Naruto, even if he forcibly killed the Nine-Tails, who was a Jinchūriki, and allowed the Nine-Tails to be reborn in the wild after an unknown period of time, it would definitely be easier than letting Naruto continue to control the Nine-Tails.

The decision to kill Naruto was something Sakura had been trying her best to stop.

Jiraiya had always supported this idea, but now that Naruto was threatening Konoha's interests, Jiraiya could no longer support Sakura's idea.

“In the past, Orochimaru and I argued because of our different ninja philosophies… Orochimaru believed that a ninja was someone who mastered all the ninjutsu in the world, while I believed that a ninja was someone who could endure everything.”

Looking at Sakura who had fallen silent, Jiraiya explained why he would change his attitude towards Naruto:

"Naruto undoubtedly has extremely strong endurance—but he doesn't just know how to give in all the time; he also knows very well when he should take the initiative."

"The ending of Akatsuki is the best example. As a Jinchuriki, Naruto was an inevitable target for Akatsuki. It's not surprising that Naruto, after gaining power, would take the initiative to attack Akatsuki, who were capturing tailed beasts."

Ultimately, Naruto's experiences in Konoha made him an insecure person.

The events between Danzo and Naruto shaped the Naruto we know today.

The malice around him caused him to misunderstand the world, and he eventually went to extremes.

To eliminate the unease in his heart, Naruto will definitely return to Konoha to cut off the source of his unease.

The tragic state of Konoha three years ago was still unforgettable for Jiraiya.

Jiraiya absolutely would not allow Konoha to collapse again.

……

……

"You should be resting in your room right now..."

Naruto's gaze fell on Sasuke, who was bathed in the winter moonlight.