However, that was just Natsuki's own thought—others had different ideas.
The people around them were all excited, and many visibly smiled with relief. Clearly, the name of Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, carried with it a sense of power and reassurance.
"It's Jiraiya-sama!"
"Jiraiya-sama is here!"
"That's great! We're saved!"
The appearance of a mighty hero gave everyone a sense of having found their pillar of strength. It restored their morale and gave them hope. That was just how it worked.
Jiraiya quickly scanned the situation around him and realized that the battle was pretty much over.
It seemed like he had arrived a bit late, which left him feeling awkward for a moment.
But his skin was thick enough—he made a big leap and landed in front of Natsuki, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Not bad, kid. I saw you take down quite a few tough enemy ninja. I didn't expect a Konoha Genin to have such strength."
Natsuki silently sheathed the Maken Senjin (Demon Blade: Thousand Blades), as if something had suddenly occurred to him.
"Oh! So you're the perverted old lecher that Tenten keeps talking about—the one who peeks at women's bathhouses! So the legendary peeper is Jiraiya, one of the Sannin? How can a disciple of the Hokage do something like that? That's just wrong!"
Cough! Cough! Cough! Jiraiya choked, trying to defend himself.
"Brat, don't talk nonsense! I'm conducting research!"
"Research? You can go to a brothel for that—don't go harassing women's bathhouses! Do you know how many innocent women you're disturbing in there?"
Natsuki's tone was sharp, showing no respect for the Sannin at all.
Jiraiya was left speechless.
Natsuki pressed on, saying, "Don't bother explaining. An explanation is just an excuse, and an excuse means you're guilty. If I catch you peeping at a bathhouse again, I don't care if you're one of the Sannin or even the Hokage—I'll beat you up!"
As he spoke, he raised a fist, as if saying, Have you ever seen a fist as big as a sandbag?
The Konoha shinobi nearby couldn't help but shrug. Many of them had heard about Jiraiya's antics, and they weren't too happy about it either. But because of Jiraiya's status, no one dared to say anything.
Now, hearing Natsuki speak out so boldly, directly questioning and threatening Jiraiya—who couldn't even argue back—left everyone feeling strangely satisfied.
So what if you're one of the Sannin? So what if you're the Hokage's student? You think it's okay to peek at bathhouses?
Everyone had female family members—just imagine their loved ones being spied on by a perverted old man. And they couldn't do anything about it? Who could be okay with that? Someone like that should be called out!
At that moment, Genma arrived with the squad and quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Jiraiya-sama, please forgive him. Natsuki has a strong sense of justice and a deep hatred for evil. Please don't take it to heart."
Jiraiya's mouth twitched.
This kid has a strong sense of justice? Does that mean I am evil?
This kid hates evil? Then does that make me the bad guy?
Genma really didn't know how to talk!
And just then, Tenten piped up:
"Ah! The bathhouse peeper!"
"Little girl, don't talk nonsense! That was research!" Jiraiya reflexively retorted, then realized,
"Oh, so it's you, little girl! And you're Natsuki, huh? I've heard you have a nickname—Konoha's Demon Blade. They say you even fought against Orochimaru. Truly, a young hero!"
Genma added,
"Jiraiya-sama, Natsuki also defeated the One-Tail just now in the arena."
Nani?! Defeated the One-Tail?!
The crowd was stunned. Seeing Genma's confident expression, they had no choice but to believe it—after all, this wasn't the kind of thing someone could make up. If it wasn't true, it would be exposed soon enough.
Even Jiraiya had to take it seriously.
"You actually defeated a Bijuu… It seems I underestimated you."
Natsuki said nothing—not because he was arrogant, but simply because he didn't know what to say. After all, he wasn't the type to brag.
Thankfully, everyone assumed he was just being modest. In a world like this, people were pretty good at filling in the blanks on their own.
Fortunately, everyone still remembered the main issue.
Raidō spoke up:
"Jiraiya-sama, now that you're here, please take charge of the situation. Hokage-sama is trapped inside a barrier and is currently fighting Orochimaru. We need you to give us orders!"
Jiraiya looked toward the arena, his expression turning serious.
"The ANBU are with the Hokage. For now, focus on rescuing the villagers. If there are any remaining enemy shinobi, capture them immediately. Also, continue to guard the village's defensive lines—don't let any other forces invade!"
"Yes!"
The shinobi immediately sprang into action.
Natsuki was assigned to a team with Tenten and Shino, holding the line at a defensive position. Sasuke and Neji followed Genma to another location.
After that, all they could do was wait for the situation to end.
But Jiraiya's expression remained uneasy. He silently prayed:
"Old man… you'd better hold on!"
At the arena, Megumi and Sakura's treatment efforts were very timely. Most of the spectators had only suffered bruises and minor burns, so after some healing, they were basically fine. The tension in the air eased.
Meanwhile, Kabuto, seeing the timing was about right, quietly led the few remaining Oto-nin and retreated.
On the rooftop, the bodies of the First and Second Hokage were gone. Only the corpses of Sakon and Tayuya remained—evidently, the two Oto-nin had been used by Orochimaru as sacrifices for the Edo Tensei.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, he lay on the ground, his chest stained with blood, lifeless.
The Four Violet Flames Formation disappeared as well. Orochimaru, with his arms dangling limply and a defeated look on his face, was swiftly retreating under the protection of the Sound Four.
At this point, Konoha's destruction finally came to an end.
Two days later, the sky was overcast. All the shinobi and villagers silently stepped out of their homes, dressed in black.
Each person went to the flower shop to pick up a single funeral flower, then quietly made their way toward the cemetery.
Natsuki and Tenten were among the crowd. Rain fell steadily from the sky, but no one carried an umbrella.
Everyone was immersed in grief.
Well… not Natsuki.
He followed the crowd to Hiruzen's grave, where he stood in silence, placed a flower, and, depending on whether he had words to say, either spoke quietly or simply bowed before leaving—so as not to hold up the people behind him.
Hiruzen had finally reached the end of his life as a shinobi.
His rights and wrongs would be judged by others.
Perhaps he had done many things worthy of criticism, but Konoha had flourished under him. Of course, Konoha had also declined under him.
There were too many things unknown.
But Natsuki didn't care.
He had never had any expectations for Konoha's so-called elite, nor did he have any reverence or trust for Hiruzen.
Now that Hiruzen was dead, a new era was about to begin.
And Natsuki no longer needed to hold back—his strength was already enough. In the chaos of the recent destruction, he had stood out as a hero. No one in Konoha dared to lay a finger on him or his family anymore, and that was enough.
What he needed to do now… was wait.
Wait for Tsunade to return as the Fifth Hokage.
Then, he would be able to ask Tsunade for something, continuing his path to becoming stronger.
(End of Chapter)
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